April 29th – For the third straight game, the Saints faced off with one of the top teams in the East. This time, it was the Oakville Buzz and, despite Newmarket’s best effort so far, the team came out on the wrong end of the score again.

Cory Campbell got the nod in net for the Saints. Things looked promising in the first with Campbell and Newmarket’s defence standing tall and stifling the bulk of Oakville’s chances. The Buzz managed to bulge the twine twice to go into the intermission up 2-0.

At the break, an energetic Paperweight team from the Saints’ minor affiliate, the Redbirds, hit the floor. The future stars put on quite the show for the fans, including scoring on Saints goaltender Dylan Munro.

When action resumed for the big kids, the Buzz kept pressing and they were rewarded with four more goals in the second. Before the buzzer, Luca Romano got the Saints on the board with a nice outside shot. The period ended 6-1 for the Buzz.

In the third, Oakville’s relentless pressure and a shortened bench took a toll on the Saints. The Buzz found the net seven times in the period, while Luca Romano and Dougie Crawford answered for Newmarket.

"We were right there with them for the first two periods. Yeah, the third got away from us a little, but the effort is there, we just need to work on the execution," said Saints Head Coach, Dan Ransom Sr. "Getting back to practice to work on that execution and having the veteran presence we have now will make it a more positive environment for our guys new to the Junior game."

Fatigue may also be playing a factor. This was the third game in four days for the Saints and it's led to a busy start to the season for the goalies. "Our keepers have been getting a lot of shots," said Ransom. "They've been standing tall with the opposition getting too many good looks. We have to cut that down."

Final score – Buzz 13 – Saints 3.

Next up – the Saints kick off a home-and-home against the Orillia Kings. First game is Thursday night at Ray Twinney, opening faceoff 8PM.