OHL Regular Season Game Notes: Sept. 27

Windsor and Kingston secured the first two wins of the 2024-25 OHL season on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday night, all 20 teams were in action as the Ontario Hockey League's opening week continued. 

In their first game back in Brampton since Mar. 29, 2013, the newly relocated Steelheads stomped over the Brantford Bulldogs in a 7-0 thrashing. 

The defending OHL Champions London Knights had their banner-raising night spoiled by the hands of the Flint Firebirds who put up a touchdown against the team that swept them in the first round of the 2024 OHL playoffs. 

Erie, Oshawa, North Bay, Niagara, Sarnia, Barrie, Guelph, and Saginaw were the other eight teams that secured victories Friday night. 

Below are the game notes from each contest:

Brampton wins 7-0
-Newly named Steelheads captain Porter Martone scored the first goal of the season for Brampton and showcased why he's a potential top 10 pick for the upcoming NHL Draft with a four-point performance.
-Carson Rehkopf scored in his Steelheads debut as he aims to chase another 50-goal campaign.
-The Steelheads got contributions throughout their lineup. Only six players were held off the scoresheet.
-Top goalie prospect for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Jack Ivankovic, wasn't busy but stopped all 21 shots he faced. 

Oshawa wins 3-2
-Reigning Goaltender of the Year, Jacob Oster, picked up where he left off last season stopping 34-of-36 in the win.
-Owen Griffin, who we had as a potential breakout candidate for this season, started hot with a goal and an assist. 
-Columbus Blue Jackets defense prospect Luca Marrelli had two points, including the game-winner on the powerplay.
-Jacob Battaglia recorded another multi-point game, bringing his early points total to five points in two games. 

Erie wins 5-2
-Erie won the special teams battle with two powerplay goals and a shorthanded marker.
-Pano Fimis recorded three primary assists and went 65% on faceoffs. 
-Sam Alfano and Martin Misiak each recorded two-goal games.
-Otters import goaltender Noah Erliden secured his first OHL win in a 32-save performance.

Flint wins 7-4
-Despite the loss, London's powerplay went 4-for-8, without key offensive players from last year like Easton Cowan, Denver Barkey, and Kasper Halttunen.
-Flint's summer acquisitions made their impact; Defenseman Nolan Collins had four points and 10 shots. Evan Konyen scored Flint's first two goals of the year and ended with three points. And Christopher Thibodeau recorded three assists.
-Firebird's sixth overall pick in this past OHL Draft, Cole Zurawski, picked up his first career OHL point. 
-2025 NHL draft-eligible Henry Brzustewicz notched three assists.
-Edmonton Oilers 2024 seventh-rounder William Nicholl had two goals and an assist.
-London's 2024 first-rounder Logan Hawery also notched his first OHL point.

North Bay wins 4-0
-Mike McIvor with an impressive first game recording a 36-save shutout.
-Peterborough's 2024 third-overall pick got his first OHL fight out of the way early in his career.
-North Bay's new import forward Natan Teshome recorded his first OHL point. 
-Battalion veterans Andrew LeBlanc and Wyatt Kennedy each had game-high two-point performances with a goal and an assist.

Niagara wins 3-2
-Ottawa outshot the IceDogs 50-31, but Owen Flores was a brick wall in the net recording 48 saves. 
-Defenseman Matthew Virgilio registered two helpers in his IceDogs debut.
-Seattle Kraken prospect and import forward Andrei Loshko had a goal and an assist in his OHL debut.
-Niagara forwards Kevin He and Alex Assadourian recorded multi-point games.

Sarnia wins 5-4 in overtime
-Windsor captain Liam Greentree missed their season opener against Saginaw but returned for this one and was dominant with a three-point performance.
-16-year-old Jean-Christoph Lemieux picked up two assists and has looked good through his first two OHL games.
-Defenseman Anthony Cristoforo's two assists bring him up to five points in two games.
-Sarnia's recently acquired forward Kaeden Johnston wasted no time making his presence known in the organization with a two-goal three-point night. 
-Sting rookie Beckham Edwards scored the team's first goal of the season and the first of his career. 

Barrie wins 3-1
-Dallas Stars 2024 first-rounder and Colts import forward Emil Hemming helped set up the game-winning goal for his career point in the OHL.
-Tristan Bertucci and Brad Gardiner, both Stars prospects as well, each recorded an assist in their Barrie debuts.
-Barrie's second-year defenseman Evan Passmore scored his first OHL goal with an insurance marker halfway through the third period. 

Guelph wins 6-4
-This game was filled with a bunch of first-career goals and points. Each team's 2024 first-rounders, Pierce Mbuyi for Owen Sound, and Alex McLean for Guelph, scored in their debuts.
-Attack two new imports, Rafik Varosyan and Max Bleicher, picked up points in their first OHL games. Bleicher had two. 
-Guelph's top pick in the recent CHL Import Draft, Daniil Skvortsov scored his first OHL goal, and 2024 35th overall pick Carter Stevens had two assists in his debut.

Saginaw wins 6-4
-Michael Misa's hat trick and four-point first period quickly quieted the Greyhounds faithful in this game. 
-Misa's linemate Kristian Epperson recorded his first career OHL goal and tackled on two assists to go with it.
-Spirit forward Calem Mangone registered three helpers.
-Greyhounds center Brady Martin showed he's ready for a breakout season with a goal and two assists.
-Sault Ste. Marie's 2024 fourth-rounder Carson Andrew earned a spot on the team's opening roster through his impressive play in the pre-season, which carried over into last night's game with his first career goal and two points.
-Greyhounds import defenseman David Holub scored his first career goal as well.
-Brady Smith was another Sault Ste. Marie player making his OHL debut and the Arthur, Ontario native recorded a goal and an assist in the season opener. 

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