Naherne Nets Two as Panthers Edge Jets in Overtime Thriller

AMHERSTVIEW, ON – The Port Hope Panthers controlled the play in a back-and-forth contest to earn a 4–3 overtime victory over the Amherstview Jets on the road Wednesday night.

Zach Naherne had a breakout game for Port Hope, scoring his first two goals of the season in only his second game with the team, including one on the power play, to help set the tone offensively. Naherne opened the scoring at 10:10 of the first period, finishing a setup from Christian Sokoljuk and Ryerson Minifie to give the Panthers an early lead.

Amherstview’s Colby Cross responded later in the period to even the score before Naherne struck again in the second frame, this time on the man advantage at 5:28, with Sokoljuk earning another assist.

The Panthers continued to capitalize on special teams as Sidney Wakely netted his first of the season at 14:14, converting another power-play opportunity off feeds from Sutton Scheck and Sokoljuk. The visitors answered back less than three minutes later when Carter McKee cut the lead to 3–2 heading into the third.

Amherstview pushed hard in the final frame, and Cross scored his second of the night at 18:16 to force overtime.

In the extra frame, Port Hope regained control. At 5:33, Spencer Eriksson played the hero, burying the overtime winner from Colby Hercia to send the Panthers faithful home happy with a 4–3 victory.

Sokoljuk finished the night with three assists, while the Panthers’ power play went two-for-four in the win. Despite several key penalties, Port Hope’s resilience and timely scoring proved to be the difference.

With the victory, the Panthers continue to build momentum as they look ahead to their next matchup Saturday night, once again on the road, when they head to Frankford to take on the Huskies.