Menace Analyst – Mikayla Guarasci
Milton Menace Preview: Menace vs Burlington Cougars, March 3, 2024
The Milton Menace will end the regular season at home as the Burlington Cougars come to town on Sunday.
Sunday’s game will begin with honouring the Menace graduating players. This year’s graduates are Forbes Anderson, Glen Crandall, Connor Driscoll, Evan Grobanopoulous, Johnny Mead, Justin O’Donnell and Nick Wereha.
After the ceremony, the Menace will hit the ice in search of a win to end the regular season. They are coming off back-to-back losses, including Friday’s game when Milton fell 3-2 to Collingwood in the second overtime. On Friday, the Menace allowed a power play goal in the first period, going down 1-0. In the second period, Aidan Puley scored to even the score. Puley has goals in three straight games and six goals over the last six games. He has also recorded a point in each of the last 13 games. The Blues picked up a short-handed goal to regain the lead. Grobanopoulos scored in the third period to tie the game at two. The game went to overtime, and one extra period was not enough to solve it. Collingwood found the back of the net in the second overtime to take the victory.
The Cougars visited the Trenton Golden Hawks on Saturday and lost 3-1. They had won five straight games before Saturday. Although they have clinched a playoff spot, their seed is still to be determined based on the final games around the league. They have a 29-19-1-6 record this season. Burlington has won two of the three previous meetings between them and Milton this season.
With the playoffs next up, the Menace will want to play a strong, clean game on Sunday. It is critical to create good habits ahead of the playoffs and try to head into the first round with momentum and confidence.
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. but get in your seats early to support the Menace graduates. The ceremony will begin at 6:25 p.m. If you can’t make it out, you can stream the game on FloHockey. The Menace’s social media accounts will also provide live updates.
