The third time proved to be the charm for the Jr. C Alliston Hornets after the hometown boys delivered a 4-3 win over the Midland Flyers at the New Tec Rec Centre Friday night.

The two previous games between the Flyers and the Hornets both ended in a 3-3 tie and Friday's game was looking much the same headed into the third period.

The Hornets opened the scoring in the first when Kyle McDowell took a feed from Brett Eeles and scored in the first minute of play.

Midland tied it up early in the period, but with 1:41 left on the clock, Alliston alternate Michael Campeau  put the Hornets ahead by one at the end of the frame.

The Flyers came back five minutes into the second period when Jesse Taylor got the marker to tie the game at two.

Alliston's Ryan Algar gave the Hornets their third of the game on a power play in the second period with an assist from Zenon Byblow.

With 34 seconds left in the second, Midland's Greg Wilkey found the spot in the net and the teams returned for the third period with a familiar 3-3 tie game.

The final frame belonged to the Alliston squad this time around and the Hornets kept the pressure on for the duration in the Midland end. They had several chances to score during some wild scrambles around the net but couldn't get one over the line.

With 2:28 left in the game, Jeff McCarty scored the winning goal.

The Flyers put six men on the attack during the final minute in a bid to tie it up, but were shut down and the Alliston squad left with its 26th win of the season.

Despite a current fourth-place position and mediocre record this year, the Midland team has been a strong contender all season.

"They're a good team and they are a hard-working team," said Alliston goaltender Troy Dowswell after Friday's game. "When they get a chance, they take advantage of it."

The Hornets have three home games left during regular-season play and will hit the road for their final five regular-season games.

"I think we've got to keep coming together as a team and building and we'll be all right," Dowswell said of the push towards the playoffs.

The win came one day after a road trip to Stayner where the Hornets left with a 3-2 win over the Siskins.

Thomas Faris, Zenon Byblow, and Kurtis Brossard got Alliston goals in the Thursday game.

Brandon Elliott, Ryan Algar, and Brossard got points for assists.

The next Hornets home game is this coming Fri., Jan. 11, against the Erin Shamrocks. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.