It may still be a bit premature to be booking tickets for this year's Minto Cup Championships in Coquitlam, BC but, if this past weekend was any indication, you might be wise to at least bookmark your travel agent on your browser.

Friday night, the defending Canadian champion Rayburn Construction Junior A Northmen opened their 2010 season in style with a convincing 18-7 win over Peterborough, then followed that up on the road Sunday afternoon by working their way past Akwesasne by a final score of 10-7.

Opening at home before a near packed house at the Tony Rose on Friday night, the floor had barely been cleared of dignitaries, the Minto Cup and Championship banner before Mike Teeter opened the scoring for Orangeville, with the help of Jeremy Noble and Rob Hellyer, just 42 seconds into the game.

Peterborough would tone down the din of the crowd with a pair of goals just over a minute later. But, from that point on, there was no mistake who was in control as Orangeville cranked it up and poured it on.

JEREMY NOBLE, seen here in action against Peterborough on Friday night, will be one of the players Orangeville will be counting on to lead the way in 2010 as the Northmen look to defend their Minto championship title. Photo/MIKE MALONEY Brandon Ivey would draw the two teams even for the final time at 5:43, after taking a pass from Andrew Suitor, before Northmen newcomer Hellyer dropped his first of two with the help of off-season acquisition Pat Saunders and Blair Goss.

Craig England, Deron Dempster, Jordan Critch, and Teeter again, would each strike for Orangeville to take the teams out of the first with the Northmen leading 7-2.

Off the top of two, a Northmen miscue changing up the lines turned over the ball in their own end and with the defenders out of position, Peterborough was quick to cash in.

Saunders would cancel that out with his first goal in the Black and silver, combining with Dustin Caravello and England before Cody McMahon dropped two quick ones into the Lakers net to make it 10-3.

Down but far from out yet, Peterborough chipped in one before tempers flared midway through the second.

With Ivey finding himself double-teamed behind the play after the whistle in front of the Lakers bench, his linemates quickly came to his defense. Noble and Ivey would each earn five for fighting while in the "main event', Suitor and Lakers’ Spencer Janes were each served an early trip to the showers.

Another pair of Peterborough goals followed to cut the Northmen lead in half before Critch and Saunders took the wind out the Lakers sails to make it 12-5 after 40 minutes.

Third period play was dominated by Orangeville with Travis Gibbons, Brad Gillies and Noble collecting their first of the season with Saunders, Hellyer then McMahon notching their second and third goals on the night respectively.

Going into the game, many wondered how Dillion Ward would fill the big shoes left in the Northmen's net by Nick Rose but after giving up two soft goals early in the first, Ward quickly settled in making a number of big saves throughout the balance of the game, dispelling the words of his naysayers

Peterborough would add just one more in the final two minutes of the third before the final buzzer sounded to seal out the score sheet with a 18-7 win recorded for Orangeville.

With head coach Matt Sawyer and assistants Phil Sanderson and Phil Weatherup unable to attend Friday nights game due to their NLL commitments, it fell to assistant coach Doug Sawyer to offer up the post game comments.

Sawyer, for one, was not surprised with the way his team came firing out of the gate. Nor was he surprised with the play of Ward. Noting how the guys have been chomping at the bit to get playing, he was particularly pleased with the way they settled down, after giving up three straight in the second, and finished off in the third.

Sunday afternoon, the Northmen made the long trip east for a game against Akwesasne.

Controlling much of the play right from the opening draw, Orangeville got out to an early 4-0 lead on a pair from Hellyer and Saunders before Akwesasne managed to get on the board at the midway point of second period.

Teeter and Saunders would get on the sheet again for Orangeville, with the teams then swapping goals to head into the third with the score set at 6-4.

Two power-play goals by McMahon, along with Saunders’ fourth of the game and an empty netter by captain Glen Bryan, more than offset three scored by the Indians in the third, making it a 10-7 win for the Northmen.

This weekend will be a busy one for Orangeville. Playing at home both Friday and Sunday evenings, it's St Catharines making the trek to the Tony Rose first before Akwesasne drops in for the second of two games between the two teams. Monday night, it’s off to the Beach where the Northmen hook up with Toronto at the Ted Reeves arena.