Ayr, ON – The St. Andrew's College Saints skated stride for stride with the Stratford Warriors on Sunday night at the North Dumfries Community Centre, but a late push fell just short as the Saints dropped a 3–2 decision.
The opening period set the tone for a tightly contested matchup. Stratford opened the scoring just five minutes in, but the Saints answered back midway through the frame when Jake DiCapo netted his third of the season, drawing the teams level. Both sides traded chances in a spirited first period, with the Saints generating 11 shots on goal to match Stratford.
The second period proved to be the difference. Stratford capitalized on a pair of opportunities less than 90 seconds apart, building a 3–1 cushion. The Saints worked to respond, with the line of DiCapo, Alex Carscadden, and Jacob Bultje generating sustained offensive pressure, but Stratford goaltender Davis stood tall to preserve the lead. Meanwhile, goaltender Noah La Gambina was a steady presence in the Saints' crease, turning aside 11 shots in the frame and keeping his team within striking distance.
The Saints' determination shone through in the final period. Outshooting Stratford 12–8 in the third, St. Andrew's pressed hard for a comeback. With just 46 seconds left, Nolan Long broke through for his fourth of the season, bringing the Saints within one. Feeding off the energy of a late surge, the Saints pulled La Gambina for the extra attacker and generated multiple looks in the dying seconds, but the equalizer never materialized.
In total, both teams fired 30 shots on goal, with La Gambina recording 27 saves in a strong performance. Special teams proved a stalemate, as the Saints went 0-for-3 on the power play while shutting down all four of Stratford's opportunities.
Head Coach David Manning praised his team's fight despite the result: "We showed a lot of character tonight. Even down two goals in the third, the guys kept pushing and gave ourselves a chance right until the buzzer. That's the kind of compete level we want to see every night and this early in the season it bodes well for us."
Goal-scorer Nolan Long echoed that sentiment: "We believed we could come back. Once we got that late one, the bench had a lot of energy. It's tough not to get the result, but we'll take the positives and build off this going forward."
Goaltender Noah La Gambina, who turned aside 27 shots, highlighted the team's defensive effort: "Our guys did a great job blocking shots and clearing rebounds. Stratford had some dangerous chances, but we stayed organized and gave ourselves a chance to win."
Despite the loss, the Saints showed grit and resilience, with DiCapo and Long continuing their strong starts to the season and La Gambina anchoring the back end. The group will look to build on Sunday's effort as they continue their season next week with a trio of GOJHL exhibition contests.
