The Alliston Hornets won the first game of the Schmalz Cup quarter finals 6-3 over the Walkerton Hawks in the best-of-seven series for Ontario's Jr. C championship title.

After the game, league convenor Paul Carruthers visited the Hornet dressing room and presented the "Wayne Dove Most Valuable Player Award" from the Georgian Bay Mid-Ontario championship series to Alliston Hornet goaltender, Jon Porretta. 

In the series opener however, the Hornets were unable to score on a two man-advantage for a full two minutes early in the second period despite a number of shots.

The Hornets' 6' 3" 230-lb left winger Luke Vanderhulst left the ice with just under five minutes remaining in the opening frame with an injured knee.After a scoreless first period, Ryan Algar scored first for the Hornets in the second frame on a powerplay with 11:40 left in the to draw first blood assisted by Jason Campeau.

Then Thomas Faris notched the Hornets’ second off a rebound from Kurtis Brossard and Kyle McDowell with 41 seconds left. Faris' goal actually went off a Hawks' player before entering the Walkerton net.

In the third period, Zenon Byblow was awarded a penalty shot for Alliston with 15:59 left in the third but couldn't make good on it.

Then at 15:25, the Hawks' leading scorer Mike Roloefsen off a pass from Curtis Johnson, scored to make it a 2-1 game.

Roloefsen was added to the Hawks’ roster late in the season. The 5'9" 190 lb Centre out of Chatham is a former Barrie Colt who is arguably the best player in the Western Division this season. The left-hander, who just turned 21 on Wednesday, has 17 goals and 19 assists in just 19 games played with the Hawks this season.

Then the Hawks' Trevor Harper scored again to even it up 2-2 on a powerplay with assists from Roelofsen and Trevor Smith.

That's when Alliston's Zenon Byblow and Kyle McDowell got fired up and scored two quick goals to make it 4-2. Byblow was assisted by Thomas Faris and McDowell by Faris and Byblow at 7:56.

Jason Farquhar scored Alliston's fifth goal from Algar at 10:14 in the third to make it 5-2.

Then a powerplay wih 14:31 on the clock gave the Hornets’ Jason Campeau the chance he needed assisted by Kyle McDowell.

Trevor Smith scored for the Hawks on a powerplay from Justin Wakewich and Trevor Harper with 4:17 left in the game to make it 6-3.

Hornet netminder Jon Porretta was been peppered with shots, but stopped them all as the Western champions and Georgian Bay Mid-Ontario Champions feel each other out. Poretta continued to be outstanding throughout the game with a number of unbelievable saves.

The Walkerton Hawks with just over two minutes left in the third period, pulled their first string goalie Trevor VanWyck.

The Hornets’ Mitch Ronan took five penalties just through the game and argued each one of them to the refs. There was some question whether Ronan's penalties were all stick related, which would result in a game ejection for him.

Game two won’t be available on the radio, but check back with www.allistonherald.com

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In the pre-game show, CKNX's Steve Sabourin and Scott Pettigrew mentioned that the Hornets have lost the 52-point season talents of 5'11" left winger Brett Eeles, who left the team to head west and take a job as a firefighter out there.

Interesting to note the ice surface at the New Tec Rec is a little bigger than the Hawks are used to, but then again, that only means that tomorrow, the Hornets will have to get used to playing in a barn once again.

The rest of the schedule for the Hornets/Hawks series is as follows: Game two will be played this Sun., March 23 in Walkerton at 7 p.m. at the Walkerton Community Centre; Game three will be played back in Alliston at the New Tecumseth Recreation Complex on Wed., March 26 with an 8 p.m. start; Game four is back in Walkerton on Fri., March 28 at 8:30 p.m. If nobody sweeps it in four, game five will be played Sun., March 30 in Alliston at 6:30 p.m. with game six slated for Wed., April 2 in Walkerton at 8:30 p.m. and game seven in Alliston at 8 p.m. on Wed., April 4.