OJLL OPENING NIGHT: SHORTHANDED BEACHES STYMIE ST CATHARINES
The St Catharines Athletics take to the floor against the Toronto Beaches on opening night in the OJLL (PHOTO: OJLL/J Schute)
The 2025 Ontario Junior Lacrosse League season kicked off Wednesday night in St Catharines – the hosts of this summer’s Minto Cup tournament. Despite dressing 10 APs due to many regulars still committed to winter teams – including Willem Firth (Cornell – NCAA DI) and Thomas Kiazyk (Saskatchewan – NLL) - the Toronto Beaches combined exceptional defence with lethal scoring to win 13-6 over the Athletics.
Coming off a hat trick performance in his team’s only exhibition game, Toronto’s Peyton Booth opened the scoring on a shorthanded transition break. Near the midway point of the first Jameson Bucktooth, in his first OJLL game since August 12, 2023 used a perfectly placed sidearm shot passed a defender to tie the game. The Beaches closed out the period with a pair of goals, both assisted by Booth, to give him three points off his team’s three goals.
St Catharines came out of the room energized for the second. Colton Armitage and Trent Mooradian scored 31 seconds apart in the opening minute to tie the game at three. From there Toronto ran off six goals in the period to just one Bucktooth power play bouncer. In the run Zack Page and Brandon Taylor both scored their first OJLL goals and Booth added three more to give Toronto a 9-4 lead after two.
The third started like the second, with a Moordian goal – this time 22 seconds into an A’s power play. But then Booth and sixth overall pick Kaleb Tatarek both found the back of the net on a major power play. Despite a late Ty Steenhuis power play goal for St Catharines, the Beaches iced the game with a David Peterkin empty-netter to win 13-6.
Toronto’s Peyton Booth led all runners with nine points (5/4) scoring shorthanded, on the power play and three goals even strength. Liam Aston was right behind with seven points (2/5). In addition to Page and Taylor, Kaleb Tatarek (2/1) also scored his first OJLL goal. AP netminder Mathias Houlahan (Napean) and the Beaches defence were spectacular allowing just six goals off 42 shots.
Trent Mooridian (2/2) and Jameson Bucktooth (2/1) were the only Athletics to score multiple goals. Ty Steenhuis (1/3) and Colton Armitage (1 goal) had the others while Keaton Zavitz (3 assists) contributed the other St Catharines points. Oliver Vanyo started for Steve Toll’s A’s allowing 12 goals from 45 shots. APM Owen Bartley came on for two relief stints stopping all eight shots faced.
The game was broadcast live on the OJLL YouTube channel and is available for on demand viewing.
Toronto will enjoy over a week off before their home opener against Six Nations Thursday, May 22 while St Catharines return to action Friday, May 16 when they travel to Brampton.
