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Week Nineteen
Playoffs a Week Away

For the Erin Shamrock hockey club, the weekend served as a yardstick for what the team needs to do to play with the elite clubs in this league. After spanking the Stayner
Siskins 8-5 on Thursday, Erin dropped back-to-back decisions to the Fergus Devils (5-2) on Friday and the first place Alliston Hornets (7-2) on Saturday. Erin will need two
wins in their final two games to claim home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

In Stayner on Thursday, both team abandoned defence as they combined for 92 shots on the night. Erin jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the game was six minutes old on
goals by Mitch Christopher, Brandon Tomines and Garrett Williams. The Siskins would respond with the next three goals to tie it before Tomines would notch his second of
the night to regain the lead for Erin. Before the end of the second period, the Siskins would respond to knot the game at four apiece entering the third period. From there,
the Shamrocks regained control of the contest, counting four times to escape with the 8-5 victory. Brandon Tomines completed the hat trick while Andrew Ferraro added
two third-period goals, sandwiched around a single by Tyler Hogan. Frank Zuccaro was good for three assists on the evening and Colin Baird claimed the win in goal.

In Fergus, the Devils opened the scoring in the first with a powerplay and a shorthanded goal but Brayden Abraham would get one back for the Shamrocks as Cody Murphy
and Mitch Christopher would claim assists on Erin’s powerplay marker. Early in the second, the Devils would regain their two goal advantage only to have Blake Lovell
swoop around the Fergus defence and chip it by the Fergus keeper to put Erin right back in the game. Joel Thompson and Henry Glover drew assists on the play. Only
seconds later, Shane Deboer of the Devils would win the race to the puck and beat Colin Baird to restore the two goal Devil advantage. The Devils would ice the win with
a late third period goal. On the night, Erin did not capitalize on their chances while the Devils did. While the visitors worked hard, they left Fergus unrewarded.

On Saturday against a veteran Hornet team, the Shamrocks played a solid two-period game. Unfortunately, the first period “told the tale” as the Hornets built a 4-1 first
period lead en route to the 7-2 drubbing. Trevor Vanalstine claimed the games first goal, on the powerplay, and Daniel Kearns deflected home a Mitch Christopher shot in
the scon period to take care of the Erin offence. The Shamrocks competed much better in the second and third periods but could not climb out of the hole they dug for
themselves in the first period. Garrett Mott saw over 40 shots in the Erin net and took the loss.

The Shamrocks travel to Schomberg on Thursday for a date with the Cougars and then host the Fergus Devils on Saturday at Centre 2000. Two wins would give Erin a shot
at home-ice advantage in their first round series against the Midland Flyers but the Shamrocks have actually had more success on Midland ice this season with two wins in
four games.

With the playoffs a week away, it is time to come out and support your home town team.

Week Twenty
Shamrock Playoff Home Opener on Saturday
Right Down to the Wire
The Erin Shamrocks took it to overtime in their attempt to gain home ice advantage in their opening playoff round but came up short as they dropped a 5-4 overtime
decision to the Fergus Devils. As a result of the single point, the Shamrocks end up tied for fourth place with the Midland Flyers but lose home ice on the tie-breaking
formula. The deciding game was set-up as a result of a 5-2 win in Schomberg on Thursday. Erin will open their quarter-final series with Midland with two games on the
road before returning home for game three on Saturday and game four on Tuesday February 12th.

In Schomberg, it took some time for the Shamrocks to solve Cougar netminder Aaron Green as they fired 18 shots at him in the opening period. However, the only goal of
the first went to Schomberg. Midway through the second period, Daniel Kearns found a hole in Green’s armour with assists going to Trevor VanAlstine and Frank Zuccaro.
Less than a minute later, Blake Lovell put Erin on top as he converted a pass from Cody Murphy. The Cougars would get that one back minutes later but Lovell’s second of
the period, assisted by Zuccaro, gave Erin the 3-2 lead entering the third.

The third period belonged to the Shamrocks as Joel Thompson made it 4-2 on passes from Henry Glover and Jon Bell. Tyler Hogan finished off the scoring with helpers
going to Zuccaro and Brandon Tomines. On the night, Erin fired 49 shots at the Schomberg netminder. Colin Baird made 34 saves of his own to take the win in the
Shamrock goal.

It was a gutsy performance on Saturday against the third place Devils as the Shamrocks fought back from several deficits to set up the overtime session. Fergus opened the
scoring in the first period and then added another early in the second period before Blake Lovell blew by the Fergus defence to cut the lead in half. Paul Jannetta drew
the assist on the play. Erin would even the score midway through the second as Tyler Hogan’s “roof-job” eluded the Fergus netminder. Two more goals by the Devils in the
third period put the Shamrocks squarely behind the eight ball but they chipped away at the lead. Paul Jannetta chipped in a goal from a wild scramble in front of the net
and then, with a little more than a minute left, Brandon Tomines snapped home the tying goal from the slot to send it to overtime. The extra session saw the Shamrocks
with several glorious chances to ice the win but Kenny Lowe closed the door in the Fergus net. With the goalie out for an extra attacker, Todd Scarrow netted the game
winner in the final minute. Colin Baird played a good game but took the loss in the Shamrock goal. All in all, it was a great effort for the Shamrocks as they created good
scoring opportunities against the experienced Devils

On the surface, the season series with Midland was not close as the Flyers won 5 of the 7 meetings. Erin’s two wins came on the road while the Flyers swept the three
games at Centre 2000. After some lean years, the Flyers have put together a hard-working group this season and were full value for their fourth place finish. Erin has
completely rebuilt their roster from last season and have had an inconsistent campaign. At this point, the regular season means little as the competition becomes head-to-
head.

With three one-goal losses for the Shamrocks against Midland, it would appear there is not much separating the two clubs. Erin’s success will depend on their ability to
solve league MVP, goaltender Tyler Bly from the Flyers. Bly has been a thorn in the side of the Shamrocks all season with the goaltender facing in the neighbourhood of
50 shots each game. It will be up to the home side to create some traffic in front of the Midland goal to allow the shooters to find some holes. Erin’s rookie-laden lineup,
led by league “Rookie-of-the-Year” Frank Zuccaro, will need to mature as a unit for the grind of the playoff run. Colin Baird will need to show his experience and provide
“stopper” goaltending. All in all, it has the potential to be a long series as home ice seems to matter little in the games between these two teams.

Game one will go in Midland on Tuesday with game two scheduled in Midland for Friday. Game three comes to Centre 2000 on Saturday at 7:30 with game four also in
Erin on Tuesday February 12th at 8:00 pm.

Overtime Thriller Puts Shamrocks up 2-1.

It wasn’t quite the way they wanted it but the Erin Shamrocks needed overtime to polish off the Midland Flyers 4-3 to take a 2 games to 1 lead in their best-of-seven
Georgian Mid-Ontario Quarterfinal series. The Flyers took game one in Midland but the Shamrocks rebounded with a 2-1 road victory on Friday to set up the pivotal third
game. Game four goes tonight (Tuesday) at Centre 2000 at 8:00 pm.

The series opened on Tuesday in Midland with the Flyers jumping out to an early 1-0 lead as Gianni Cappellano knocked home a rebound two minutes into the game.
Cappellano made it 2-0 midway through the opening period as the Shamrocks continued to be stymied by the stellar goaltending of Tyler Bly. Bly, the league MVP, has
been a thorn in the side of the Shamrocks all year and the playoffs don’t appear to have changed things any. Erin carried the play but could not find a hole. The Flyers
added a goal in the second period to make it 3-0 and Erin could not recover. Game one to Midland.

Game two in Midland looked like more of the same as Erin again controlled play but the game was scoreless after one frame. The second period saw the young
Shamrocks with numerous chances that remained unfinished until three minutes remaining when Daniel Kearns scooped home a rebound at the side of the goal to give
Erin the one goal lead. Joel Thompson and Frank Zuccaro drew assists. Midland got that one back early in the third period and the goal appeared to spark the Flyers as
they exerted considerable pressure on the Shamrock goal. If not for the work of Colin Baird, the Flyers could have put the game away at that point. However, having
weathered the storm, Erin took the game back as their forecheck hemmed in the Flyers. It paid off as, with a little more than two minutes left, Brayden Abraham netted the
winner as he chipped in a loose puck from a goalmouth scramble. Blake Lovell and Mitch Christopher assisted on the go-ahead goal. From there, Baird and the defence
took over and cemented the series-tying win.

One night later, it was back to Erin but the Shamrocks got the early jump. On an early powerplay, Blake Lovell beat Tyler Bly in the first minute to give the home side the
lead. Mitch Christopher and Brayden Abraham assisted. A couple of minutes later, Frank Zuccaro broke in off the wing and roofed a slapshot, giving Erin the two goal lead
and chasing Bly from the Midland net in favour of rookie Brian Valentine. The move seemed to settle the Flyers as they responded with two goals of their own to tie the
game at two after the first period.

The second period was a chippy affair with numerous penalties to both sides. The referee seemed content to play the period with only 8 or 9 skaters as he provided
considerable work for the timekeepers. After a prolonged two man advantage, the Shamrocks took the lead as Brayden Abraham found the net, assisted by Ryan Bottum.
Midland had their powerplay time later in the period but Colin Baird and the Erin penalty-killing unit kept the Shamrocks up a goal after two periods.

The penalty parade continued in the third period but it was Midland who capitalized on an Erin advantage as they scored shorthanded to tie the game at three. Seconds
later, a scrum in front of the Erin goal led to an all out donnybrook with several game ejections. The remaining minutes of the third period solved nothing and the game
went to overtime. Less than a minute into extra time, Brandon Tomines broke in, used the defenceman as a screen and snapped home the game winner to send the crowd
home happy. Colin Baird was steady in goal and claimed the win.

Game four goes this evening (Tuesday) at 8:00 pm with game five returning to Midland on Friday night. Game six is scheduled for Centre 2000 on Saturday at 7:30pm.

Semi-finals Begin Saturday Against Alliston
Shamrocks Need A Big Crowd

It will take all the Erin Shamrocks have, and then some, for them to take a series from the Alliston Hornets. Alliston, one of the pre-season favourites, have had a great year,
ranked as one of the top teams in the province and losers of only three games on the entire season. Erin qualified for the semi-finals by dispatching the Midland Flyers in
five games, the clincher coming in Midland last Friday, by a score of 5-2.

After dropping game one to the Flyers, the Shamrocks roared back to win the next four. Game 4 at Centre 2000 was no different than the first three as it went right down to
the wire. After a scoreless first period, Garrett Williams was sent in alone by Daniel Kearns and Williams made no mistake as he roofed the wrist shot to give Erin the lead.
Andrew Ferraro drew the second assist. Minutes later, Ryan Bottum’s “seeing-eye” point shot made it 2-0. Frank Zuccaro and Tyler Hogan earned a point on the play. The
Flyers cut the lead in half midway through the second period and it would remain that way until the third when the Shamrocks put it away with two shorthanded goals less
than two minutes apart. Brayden Abraham finished his breakaway with a nifty move and Brandon Tomines put the icing on the cake with his second goal of the series.
Colin Baird was sharp on the night and claimed his third win.

Game 5 was never in doubt as the Shamrocks scored in the first minute as Ryan Bottum’s point shot was directed home by Brayden Abraham to make it 1-0. Frank Zuccaro
drew the second assist on the play. Midway through the first, Tyler Hogan pounced on a rebound to make it 2-0. The Shamrocks would add to the lead in the second as
Hogan counted his second of the game with an assists from Frank Zuccaro. Midland would get that one back only to have Brandon Tomines beat a Midland defender
clean and slide the puck under Tyler Bly to make it 4-1 after the second. Early in the third, Tyler Hogan completed the hat trick as he completed passes from Zuccaro and
Joel Thompson to make it 5-1. Midland would add one of their own but the game was out of reach. Colin Baird stood tall in the Erin goal to claim the series-clinching
win. Baird allowed only 10 goals over the five games. The defence corps of Brad and Troy Ethier, Henry Glover, Trevor VanAlstine, Paul Jannetta, Ryan Bottum and Cody
Murphy had a great series as they held the Flyers in check, allowing them few clear-cut scoring chances and chipping in with some timely goals and assists

On the season, the Hornets proved their experience with six wins over Erin. However, Erin claims one of the three Alliston defeats as they beat the Hornets 7-3 in Alliston.
Add to that the 1-0 preseason win, again in Alliston., and the Shamrocks have done as well against the Hornets as anyone else. The Hornets are a veteran club with plenty
of fan support. The Shamrocks could use as many supporters as they can get on Saturday at 7:30 at Centre 2000 as the Hornets will bring a good contingent of fans with
them.

Come out and support this young Shamrock team!