Dundas Draws First Blood but Tigers Claw Back in Game 1 Defeat

Dundas opened the 2026 Robertson Cup playoffs on home ice at the J.L. Grightmire Arena on Friday night, hosting the regular season champion Stoney Creek Tigers. Despite a promising start, the McCoys fell 9-4, with Mackenzie Wood leading Dundas with a goal and two assists in the loss.

The McCoys came out flying, shocking Stoney Creek by scoring the first three goals of the game. Igor Gongalsky opened the scoring at 2:51, picking up a rebound and putting it into the open side of the net. A couple of minutes later, Wood doubled the Dundas lead by picking off a pass and going in alone on a breakaway to score. Tim Carr then sent Nolan Sheeran in on a clean break through the Tigers' defense, and Sheeran made no mistake at 7:37 for a commanding 3-0 lead. However, Stoney Creek scored twice in the final nine minutes of the opening period to cut the deficit to one heading into the intermission.

The one-goal lead held until just past the halfway point of the middle period, when the Tigers struck three times in quick succession to take a 5-3 advantage. The McCoys appeared to shift momentum late in the frame when they generated a shorthanded two-on-one, but a outstanding stop by Daniel Svedin and a Wood shot that clanged off the post with an open cage denied Dundas the equalizer. Brad Bonello converted seconds later on the same penalty kill to pull the McCoys back within one. But before the period could end, Stoney Creek capitalized on a late power play to restore their two-goal cushion.

The Tigers put the game away in the final frame, scoring three more times to close out a 9-4 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

Mike Mole was a bright spot for Dundas between the pipes, turning aside 37 of the 46 shots he faced and making several key saves to keep the McCoys in the contest.

Dundas will need a short memory as the series shifts to Stoney Creek Arena on Saturday evening, with Game 2 set for a 6:30 p.m. start.

Series Schedule
Game #1 – Stoney Creek 9 | Dundas 4
Game #2 – Saturday, March 7 at Stoney Creek Arena – 6:30pm
Game #3 – Friday, March 13 at J.L. Grightmire Arena – 7:30pm
Game #4* - Saturday, March 14 at Stoney Creek Arena – 6:30pm
Game #5* - Sunday, March 15 at Stoney Creek Arena – 6:30pm
* - If Necessary