Nov 17, 2025 | Winterhawks News | 5 views
Goaltending Duel in Thornbury
It was a battle of two goaltenders who refused to budge as the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks visited the Georgian Bay Applekings on Saturday night in Thornbury.
Winterhawks netminder Clayton Fritsch and Allan Menary of Georgian Bay went save-for-save all the way to overtime, before Georgian Bay snuck out the 1-0 victory.
The Winterhawks lineup was missing a few key members, but got one back with the return of defenceman Theo Peckham. The former NHLer was late arriving to the arena and joined the game early in the 1st period, immediately announcing his presence with a thundering body check on his first shift.
Both teams played wide open from the drop of the puck, exchanging chances, but only finding two tough goalies at the respective ends.
The Winterhawks had plenty of chances to get on the board in the second period, picking up no fewer than five power play opportunities.
Whether it was Menary making the big save, or the puck taking a hop, the Winterhawks could not find a way to get the puck over the line.
The third period was played largely five-on-five, save for one Georgian Bay power play, but the end result was just the same, both goalies making huge saves to keep their respective shutout bids alive, and the game headed to overtime, tied 0-0.
The deadlock was broken immediately in overtime, as Georgian Bay's Mackenzie Fleming carried the puck into the Winterhawks zone.
Fleming was kept wide by the Winterhawks skaters, and as he circled the net, jammed in a quick wraparound for the goal and the 1-0 Applekings victory, 16 seconds into the extra frame.
Fritsch made 41 saves and Menary 44 saves on a night where the goalies were the story.
The Winterhawks picked up a valuable point with the overtime loss, taking their record to 6-1-2 on the season, maintaining their hold on first place in the Ontario Elite Hockey League's North Division.
They will be back in action this Friday night, November 21st, when they host the Creemore Coyotes at The Plex. Game time is 8:30 p.m.
A replay of the game can be viewed here: