Written By Joshua Drakes

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

The Stayer Siskins have moved into first place in the North Carruthers Division of the Provincial Junior Hockey League, and they lead by a single point over the Alliston Hornets.

The shift in the standings took place over the weekend, after the Siskins won both of their games and the Hornets came up short.

Those outcomes dropped the Hornets to second place and moved the Siskins into the top spot in the division.

The Hornets have had a disastrous couple of weeks. After going on a 13-game winning streak to start the season, the Alliston squad lost five of their last eight games.

They lost two games to Stayner and two games to the Penetang Kings. They also lost a game to the fifth-place Midland Flyers.

For some reason, the Hornets have just been unable to score goals.

The Siskins now have 35 points – one ahead of the Alliston squad.

The weekend also saw the Penetang Kings move up a spot to third place. They knocked the Orillia Terriers down to the number four spot in the division.

Penetang has 31 points and a 14-9 record, including two overtime losses and one shoot-out loss.

Orillia started out strong, but took some losses. They have a 13-6 record, including one overtime loss, and have recorded 27 points so far.

In the middle of the pack, the Midland Flyers are in fifth place with 20 points and a 10-12 record. They have won two games on shoot-outs this season.

The Muskoka Bears and Innisfil Spartans are in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

Muskoka has won 6 games after 24 times on the ice. Innisfil also has six wins, but they have played only 20 games so far this season.

In the basement, the Huntsville Otters are struggling and have a 6-17 record.

The North Carruthers Division is just past the halfway mark in the 42-game regular season schedule.

That means there is still a lot that can happen as the teams battle it out for the rest of the season in a bid to secure a good playoff berth.

Across the league, every division has a couple of teams that are very strong this year, as Junior C squads from across the province hope to win their division and compete for the provincial championship – the Schmalz Cup.