Menace Analyst – Mikayla Guarasci
Milton Menace Preview: Menace vs Leamington Flyers, Round 2 Game 1- March 22, 2024
The Milton Menace are set to host game one of the West Conference Semifinal on Friday against the Leamington Flyers.
The Menace have had almost a week off since their game five series-clinching win over the Burlington Cougars. The Menace won game five of the first round 3-2. The Cougars scored the lone goal of the first period to take an early lead. Aidan Puley scored his second of the playoffs to tie things up in the second period. Ivan Fabjan gave the Menace the lead, followed by Puley’s second of the game, which came on the power play. Burlington scored with just over two minutes remaining in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough to tie the game, leaving the Menace to advance to the second round. Forbes Anderson made 33 saves in game five for Milton.
The Leamington Flyers swept their first-round series against the Georgetown Raiders. They won the series-clinching game 6-5 in overtime after being down 2-0 to start the second period. Although they won four straight, their series did not come without some adversity. They finished the regular season with a 34-14-5-3 record, putting them in third place in the West Conference with 76 points.
Milton and Leamington met four times throughout the regular season. Their first meeting ended in a tie, and the Flyers won the second. These games were played back to back, with the second being part of the OJHL Governor’s Showcase. The Menace won the final two games and have not played against one another since February 1st. Both teams will look to bring their best performance to start the series and set the pace after very competitive regular-season meetings.
Friday’s series opener will begin at 7:30 p.m. from Milton Memorial Arena. Make sure you purchase your tickets because you won’t want to miss this! The game will be available on FloHockey, and the team will provide updates on their social media accounts.
