Fresh from their Schmalz cup Ontario championship season last year, the buzz word around the complex was 'repeat.' Can the Hornets do it again?
The opening game against Penetang picked up from last season when the Kings and Hornets had a continuing rivalry for a first-place showing in the Georgian Bay Mid Ontario Hockey League.
The Kings claimed the Schmalz cup the previous year and finished the 2007/08 season in second place.
The big shocker came when Thomas Faris put the Hornets on the scoreboard just 1:36 into the game followed by two more quick goals by Eric Shannon and Ryan Algar that gave the Alliston squad a 3-0 lead with just over five minutes played in the first period.
The Kings beat Hornets' goalie Troy Dowswell late in the period for their only marker of the game.
Hornets veteran Jason Campeau got his first goal of the year with 37 seconds left on the clock.
The return to the ice for the second period saw the Kings pull themselves together and get in the game, but a scoreless frame gave the Hornets a three-goal advantage going into the third.
The third period left a lot of heads shaking when the Hornets scored three times in less that a minute and a half beginning with a powerplay effort and Campeau getting his second goal of the game just 1:22 into the frame.
Defenceman Cody Rhodes and rookie winger Pat McCarron got the other points scoring 20 seconds apart for a 7-1 final over the visitors.
Although the penalty minutes for the game were low on the Alliston side - only six minutes in minors compared to 16 charged against Penetang - the final minutes of the game got a little chippy with both sides taking two five-minute misconducts.
Hornets' goalie Dowswell got a game misconduct after going at it with a Penetang player in the crease.
The Kings may have taken it on the chin during their first visit to Alliston this year but no doubt the squad just had a bad night.
With 12 returning players including veteran goalie Chris Daniels and new head coach Wayne Prusky, the Kings should figure into the equation as a powerhouse team again this year.
The Hornets have 13 veteran players currently on the roster and head coach Darrin Shannon is behind the bench again.
The Hornets go on the road for games against the Midland Flyers on Fri., Sept. 26, and the Erin Shamrocks on Sat., Sept. 27. They return to home ice at the New Tec Rec Centre on Fri., Oct. 3, to face the Stayner Siskins.
