Knights Split Weekend Road Trip with Win in Orangeville and Loss to Bradford

Knights Split Weekend Road Trip with Win in Orangeville and Loss to Bradford

The Meaford Knights wrapped up another busy weekend of Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League action, splitting a pair of road contests against the Orangeville Blitz and Bradford Rattlers. An explosive offensive performance on Saturday highlighted the weekend, as the Knights secured a 7–5 victory in Orangeville before falling 6–3 in Bradford on Sunday evening.

Several Knights made significant contributions throughout the two-game stretch, with Giordano Schwar, Maksim Rikhard and Matus Trokan continuing to lead the offensive charge. Meaford finished the weekend with 10 goals across two games, bringing its regular-season record to 4–3–0.

Saturday, October 17

Meaford Knights 7, Orangeville Blitz 5

ORANGEVILLE, ONTARIO — The Knights opened their weekend with an impressive offensive showing at Alder Arena, using a dominant six-goal second period to power their way past the Blitz.

After surrendering an early shorthanded goal, Meaford responded with a power-play marker from Andreas Portin-Eriksson, assisted by Rylie Carter and Giordano Schwar, sending the teams into the first intermission tied 1–1.

Six-Goal Second Period Powers Knights

The second period belonged to the Knights.

Taavi Mackenzie gave Meaford its first lead just 44 seconds into the middle frame, with Alex Aidehag and Schwar collecting assists. Less than a minute later, Maksim Rikhard extended the lead with a goal of his own, assisted by Matus Trokan and Schwar.

Following an Orangeville power-play goal, Shepard Dobecka restored Meaford's two-goal advantage, with Andrew Pilon and Marek Pouliot-Bekkering earning assists.

The Knights continued to capitalize offensively as Trokan scored on the power play, Xavier Leblanc added a shorthanded tally, and Schwar capped off the six-goal period to give Meaford a commanding 7–2 advantage heading into the final frame.

Orangeville attempted a late comeback, scoring three unanswered goals in the third period, but Meaford's offensive outburst proved enough to secure the 7–5 victory.

Schwar was the standout performer, recording one goal and four assists for a five-point evening and earning first-star honours. Rikhard and Trokan each contributed a goal and an assist, while Aidehag collected two helpers.

Between the pipes, David Korepanov made 20 saves during his 54 minutes of action, while Jack Greenberg contributed four saves in relief.

The Knights outshot the Blitz 46–29, demonstrating their offensive ability throughout the contest.

Sunday, October 18

Bradford Rattlers 6, Meaford Knights 3

BRADFORD, ONTARIO — Less than 24 hours after their victory in Orangeville, the Knights returned to the ice at the BWG Leisure Centre for a challenging divisional matchup against the Bradford Rattlers.

Bradford wasted little time opening the scoring, finding the back of the net just 17 seconds into the contest. The Rattlers added another goal later in the opening period before Meaford responded.

Local product Cohen Van Horne got the Knights on the scoreboard late in the first period, finishing a play set up by Rylie Carter and Marek Pouliot-Bekkering to cut the deficit to 2–1 heading into the intermission.

Knights Battle Back Despite Bradford's Lead

The second period proved difficult for Meaford as Bradford scored three unanswered goals, including a shorthanded marker, to extend its advantage to 5–1.

The Rattlers added another goal early in the third, but the Knights continued battling.

Just two seconds after Bradford made it 6–1, Schwar answered for Meaford, with assists going to Rikhard and Van Horne.

Kevin Demeules later added a power-play goal, assisted by Rikhard and Trokan, cutting the deficit to three.

Despite the late push, the Knights were unable to close the gap, falling 6–3.

Rikhard and Van Horne each finished with two-point performances, while Schwar continued his productive weekend with another goal.

Goaltender Korepanov faced a heavy workload, turning aside 35 of 41 shots. Bradford outshot Meaford 41–28, with the Knights generating 13 shots in the final period.

Weekend Standouts

Several Knights delivered notable performances across the two-game road trip.

• Giordano Schwar: Two goals and four assists for six points, including a five-point performance in Orangeville.
• Maksim Rikhard: One goal and three assists for four points, recording two points in each game.
• Matus Trokan: One goal and two assists for three points, including a power-play goal against Orangeville.
• Cohen Van Horne: A goal and an assist against Bradford, continuing to contribute offensively for his hometown team.
• David Korepanov: A combined 55 saves across the two games, including 35 against the Rattlers.

Looking Ahead

With the weekend behind them, the Knights now turn their attention to another busy stretch of their October schedule.

Meaford returns to action Tuesday, October 20, when they travel to Wasaga Beach to face the undefeated Wasaga River Dragons in a divisional matchup scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The Knights will then return to the Castle on Thursday, October 22, to host the Tottenham Railers before heading north for a road contest against Témiscaming on Saturday, October 24.

With four wins through their first seven games, the Knights will look to build on their offensive production while continuing to establish consistency as the 2026–27 season progresses.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Knights on social media for team news, game-day updates and upcoming events throughout the season.