The Oakville Blades tried to dig themselves out of a two-goal hole, but the Aurora Tigers held on for a 2-1 victory.

Aurora made the score 2-0 on a goal by Michael Laidley at 5:34 in the second period, and Oakville got as close as 2-1 when Kamil Tkaczuk scored 10:42 into the third period.

The Tigers were led by goalie Marcus Semiao, who finished with 25 saves while allowing one goal. Semiao certainly lowered his goals against average, which was 1.89 entering the contest.

Aurora put up an impenetrable defensive front on the penalty kill, and did not allow the Blades to score on any of their four power plays. The Tigers were held below their usual level of production. Aurora averages 4.3 goals per game.

Callum Fryer also scored for Aurora. Other players who recorded assists for Aurora were Drake Board, Vince Figliomeni, Keaton Ratcliffe, and Mitchell Devins-Cann, who contributed one each.

Oakville excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in seven chances. The Blades' offense operated below their season average. Oakville puts an average of 3.7 pucks into the net per game. The Blades could not stay out of the penalty box, as the team accrued 16 minutes in penalties during the game.

In addition, Oakville received assists from Sean Kohler and Ross Sloan, who each chipped in one.

The Tigers incurred 12 minutes in penalty time with six minors. Brendan McGlynn rejected 26 shots on goal for Oakville. The Blades ran into serious disciplinary problems during the contest, and Austin Broadhurst was ejected from the game.