The Huntsville Jr C Otters have bolstered their roster with the addition of forward Tanner Hamilton and goaltender Nathan Antonides ahead of the GBMOJCHL trade deadline next Monday.
Both players had an immediate impact in the lineup Sunday, with Hamilton scoring a goal and Antonides notching a 31-save shutout in his first start as Huntsville took down the Penetang Kings 4-0. Captain Jake McIntyre also scored for the Otters, while Andy Baker and Cam Russell added a goal and assist apiece in the victory.
Hamilton returns to the Otters after spending the bulk of this season playing for the Haliburton Wolves in the GMHL, where he led his team with 33 points in 21 games. The young Minden native spent time with the team last year, and was originally on Huntsville’s preseason roster until being released to play for Haliburton on September 24.
“Hamilton’s back here for the playoff run,” said Otters General Manager Craig Shaw. “He’s the kind of player that helps us against teams like Alliston in terms of intensity and grit and his commitment to working hard. He’s a complete player, and we’re glad to have him back.”
Hamilton celebrates his first goal as an Otter during the 4-0 win over the Penetang Kings
Shaw has been pursuing Hamilton for some time, but had to endure a lengthy application process to re-acquire the young forward due to the fact the GMHL is considered an unsanctioned league by Hockey Canada. Because Hamilton continued playing after Hockey Canada’s cut-off date of September 30, he lost all membership privileges with the organization for the remainder of the season and was ineligible to return until Shaw’s intervention.
Adding Nathan Antonides to the roster was a far less complicated process, as his brother Shawn was a member of the Otters dating back to the 2013 season until he made the decision to hang up his skates last week (incidentally freeing up a spot for Hamilton). Nathan suited up last year as the starting goalie for the Muskoka Rock Midget squad, before taking a hiatus from hockey at the end of the season and spending the fall of 2015 travelling Europe.
The Otters have been dominant at home all season, with a 10-4-3 record at the Canada Summit Centre
“We needed to get better at backup,” said Shaw of the signing, which paid immediate dividends despite the game being Antonides’ first competitive start in nearly a year. The lightning quick goaltender showed little signs of rust in stopping every puck the Kings were able to throw his way.
“With some of the additions we have been making we definitely have high hopes,” said head coach Shawn Crozier of his two newest players. “Antonides put on a good show tonight, it was solid for his first junior game. We have been looking at him for the last couple of years and it was just a matter of acquiring him at the right time.”
With seven games remaining in the regular season the Otters playoff roster is starting to take shape, although Shaw may not be completely finished making moves as he looks to add another defenseman before Monday’s deadline. The second-place Otters are also close to clinching home-ice advantage for at least the first round of the postseason, where they would currently match up against the seventh place Erin Shamrocks, against whom Huntsville is 3-2-0 with 21 goals for and 16 against this season.
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