Hunter finds his groove with the Leamington Flyers

After a rocky start to his Junior A career, Gannon Hunter has finally found his rhythm with the Leamington Flyers. “Takes a little bit to get the feet wet, but the team's played well in front of me, and that's really helped me and my confidence,” Hunter told Powerplay Sports.

Gannon Hunter vs Burlington

The 18-year-old won the Sutherland Cup last spring with the Chatham Maroons before moving up to the OJHL. The transition wasn’t easy. Hunter allowed four goals in his debut—a Flyers win—and was pulled after giving up five goals on 14 shots in his second game.

Things changed in his third outing against Mississauga, where he made 38 saves and allowed just one goal.

“It's like, ok, now we go. We're good,” Hunter said.

After giving up nine goals in his first two games, Hunter (4-3, 2.66 GAA, .921 save percentage) has been strong in net, allowing only eight goals in his last five outings. He nearly recorded his first shutout last Thursday against Burlington but was scored on with ten seconds left.

“It sucks, but the big picture is we won,” he said.

Having successfully made the jump to Junior A, Hunter is ready for whatever comes next.

“Being a kid from a small town [Kingsville], winning a Sutherland Cup was probably one of the greatest moments of my life. That started it all. Just keep on going. I know I can do it. I believe in myself,” he said.

The Flyers host the Oakville Blades Thursday night, aiming to climb from fifth place in the West Conference. Head coach Dale Mitchell stressed the importance of strong goaltending from both Hunter and Tre Altiman.

“I think for us it's important to have two good goalies, especially at this level. If you can have two and be confident to put in any other night, that's the secret sauce,” Mitchell said.

Leamington is 13-5-1, one point behind Kingston Rebellion (with a game in hand) and two points behind Buffalo (with two games in hand).