Former teammates unite to beat Buffalo

By Stephen Dyell

What's On Thorold

Mackenzie Mac Avoy and Tanner Hildebrandt go way back. Both started the season outside of Thorold but had found themselves as not only teammates, but also line mates.

What many people don’t know is the duo that is leading the Blackhawks into the playoffs also began their hockey careers together.

“We knew each other from back when,” Mac Avoy said on the pairing. “We played 'AAA' together when we were younger.”

Mac Avoy joined the team late in November while Hildebrandt was acquired from the St. Catharines Falcons at the trade deadline.

The two combined to defeat Buffalo 4-1 Wednesday night as Mac Avoy recorded his second straight hat-trick while Hildebrandt assisted on each goal, even managing to find the back of the net as well.

“We’ve got to come out harder but we got the job done.”

The Blackhawks continued their dominance over Buffalo registering 49 shots but puck possession was sloppy and scoring chances were given up far too often.

“Okay,” Chris Johnstone stated on what describes his teams effort Wednesday. “As far as the chemistry goes, we took a step back tonight.”

The head coach will be getting back two suspended players in Colt Kennedy and Kelly Barchan in the upcoming weeks but will have to concentrate on Thursday night’s battle against Stoney Creek.

After Thursday, Thorold has three more games left in the regular season. They are currently tied with Port Colborne but have played two more games so this stretch is bigger than ever.

The puck drops at 7:07 in Thorold.