OAKVILLE, ON (June 3, 2023) — The Toronto Beaches took their second straight win on the back of a strong team effort, beating the Oakville Buzz 16-4 at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre on Saturday evening.
From the jump, the Beaches flexed their muscles on both ends of the floor. The offence helped vault the team to a 3-0 lead before the 10-minute mark, with Matt Collison, Hamish McPherson, and Willem Firth all scoring on outside shots. Despite a few penalty kills early, the defence and Andrew Kidd were able to help turn away the Oakville chances.
Zach Miller kept the first-period run going, scoring with just under two minutes left in the frame to send the Beaches into the intermission with a 4-0 advantage.
Toronto started to put the game away in the second. Jacob Hickey started things off with a power-play goal, and he was followed up by Collison, Willem Firth, and Greg Palmer before the captain got his second off a transition chance from a caused turnover in the defensive end.
Zach Miller got his first shorthanded and Firth completed the hat trick before Will Sheehan got the first Oakville goal of the night with 38 seconds left in the second. The Beaches carried an 11-1 advantage into the final period.
“During the intermissions, we were just preaching consistency. Just running our offence and consistently moving the ball,” Collison said of the offence’s performance on the night. “When you’re chugging along like that, everyone is going to get theirs, especially when you keep the pace high in that kind of a game. Our consistency and attention to detail was definitely at a high tonight.”
The start of the third period saw a first-career goal from defender Alex Bean — who was playing in his first OJLL contest. He was able to scoop a loose ball and outrun a defender to put the ball home just over a minute into the frame.
“It was a big weight off my shoulders. I just want to do anything I can for this team. Just to bury one, especially as a defender, is a great feeling. I feel like everyone wants to get one. I just want to do everything I can to help. I want them to know that I’ve got their backs,” Bean said post-game.
After the lead was pushed to 13-1 off a power-play goal from Peyton Booth, Kidd was lifted from the game for backup Carson McLean, who held it down in the cage for the remaining 13:33 of regulation.
Toronto got another pair from Collison and Booth to end the game, and despite three late goals from Oakville, the Beaches walked away with a massive 16-4 victory on the road.
Collison led the way in his first game back from school, potting four goals and nine points. Firth had seven points of his own while Booth set a new career high with a two-goal, six-point performance.
Kidd was the star of the show, however. The Toronto starter has his best performance of the year to date, allowing just a single goal through two-and-a-half periods of work while turning away 36 Buzz shots.
Now sitting at 3-3 for the year, the Beaches head into a crucial week of the season. It starts on Monday with a trip to Peterborough for a road showdown with the Jr Lakers. The team will also have matchups with St. Catharines (Jun 8), Mimico (Jun 10), and Brampton (Jun 11).