York-Simcoe defeats Cambridge in Wild Card opener
Jaxon Cover scored twice as the York-Simcoe Express earned a berth into the main draw of the 2024 OHL Cup presented by FPS Payment after winning their Wild Card play-in game 8-1 over the Cambridge Hawks Monday morning.
Cover’s first goal came off a Cambridge player. Cover tried to centre the puck towards the front of the goal and the puck deflected off the skate of a defender and got past Hawks goaltender Logan MacMillan.
Cover stated what the mindset was heading into a do-or-die game. “Just be calm and collected, don’t overdo stuff and make bad choices and just shoot a lot and see what’s what.”
The Express came out hot scoring less than one minute into the game courtesy of Liam Kerr on an offensive zone rush. Kerr came in across the blue line and snapped a shot past MacMillan. Ronen MacFarlane got in on the scoring spree after firing a wrist shot on the power play to make it a 2-0 lead. The Express would later score three more times in the period to lead 5-0 after the first.
The second period saw the Express keep cruising. Tucker Roberts registered his second goal of the game five minutes into the period and just two minuets after that is when Ian Robinson got his first goal of the tournament.
York-Simcoe would add one more goal to the scoresheet to put up eight goals in the win.
For Cambridge, their lone goal scorer was Kyle Welmers that snuck one by Express goaltender Colin Ellsworth.
Ellsworth recorded 12 saves in the win for the Express.
For York-Simcoe, they now enter the Nash Division and will face-off against the Oakville Rangers in their first preliminary game on Monday at 3:30pm.
ZEPHYR PLAYER OF THE GAME
Express — Jaxon Cover (F)– 2G
Hawks– Kyle Welmers (D) — 1G
