Crowned in the Kraft Hockeyville competition, the city of West Lorne, Ontario had the privilege of hosting a National League preseason game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres.
For logistical reasons, St. Thomas Parish served as host instead, as the Joe Thornton Community Center has a larger capacity than West Lorne Arena.
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The atmosphere in the stands was festive, especially because of the great performance by the Leafs, who won 5-2. The audience had the opportunity to see local hero Max Domi, author, in action. his first goal in the blue and white uniform. The new team member scored the winning goal in a breakaway and had the 2,000 fans jumping from their seats.
Sam Lafferty, Kyle Clifford and Connor Timmins (twice) also scored for Toronto. Star forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander were absent.
This matchup was presented on TVA Sports 2.
For the Maple Leafs, this is the first win in three preseason meetings. They will face the Montreal Canadiens three times in a row on Friday, Saturday and Monday.