Advocate"
Shamrocks looking for a Game Seven
This is why they play the games.
One could excuse the experts for thinking that this Georgian Mid-Ontario
semi-final series would be short and sweet. After all, in one corner you have
the two-time defending league champions from Alliston, losers of only two
games on the season, All-Ontario winners two years ago and finalist last
year, and in the other corner the Erin Shamrocks, fourth place finishers on
the season, “life and death” to defeat the Fergus Devils in 7 tough games in
their quarter-final round. Erin starts out the series playing four games in four
nights against a team fresh off a two week break. Alliston takes the first
game, the Shamrocks gut out a 1-0 win in game two.
Game three on Wednesday was more of the same as the Shamrocks threw
a defensive blanket over the Hornets, hoping for a few breaks. After a
scoreless first period, Rob Mair put the Shamrocks on top as he took passes
from Reid Parker and Jed Walmsley. Alliston would respond at the end of
the period with a Jeff Henderson marker to tie it. The third period solved
nothing and it was off to overtime where a weak call, away from the play, put
the Shamrocks a man down. The Hornets would claim the win on the
powerplay as Kyle Montpetit’s point shot rattled off some bodies in front of
the goal for the 2-1 overtime winner.
In Erin on Saturday, the Shamrocks changed it up a bit in the first period as
they struck for three goals. After spotting the visitors the lead, Rob Mair tied
the score for the Shamrocks as e fought off a defender with one hand and
tucked it in the corner of the net with the other. Mair and Chris Terry would
then combine to feed Tyler Hogan who would give Erin the lead and,
minutes later, Nick Pereira would direct home a Josh Gault pass to make it a
3-1 score.
After a scoreless second period, Trevor VanAlstine would add to the lead
with a powerplay goal to make it 4-1. Dan Cook and Jon Bell drew assists.
The Shamrocks would make it interesting with a couple of giveaways in the
final minutes to draw the Hornets to within a goal but the home side would
hold on for the win, evening the series at two games apiece.
Back in the Hornets rink on Sunday, the game resembled the first three as
Erin attempted to shut down the high flying Hornets. Alliston would throw
everything they had at Craig Byford but the game remained scoreless
through the first and second periods. While the shot totals and the play
favoured the home side, Erin had their chances only to be turned away by
Breton McKinnon in the Alliston net. After killing a late game powerplay, and
with overtime looming, the Hornets would finally find the net behind Craig
Byford with a little more than a minute remaining to escape with the 1-0
game five win and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven semi-final. Following the
game, a scuffle ensued in the dressing room area when some Hornet
players who were not dressed for the game exchanged words and a few
punches with Erin players and staff as they left the ice surface. These
teams certainly do not like each other and this should be an exciting finale to
the series.
For the Shamrocks, game six on Wednesday is a “do-or-die”. They look for
another crack at the Hornets in the Alliston arena but will need to defend
their own building first on Wednesday night at 8:30. After playing the first
three games of the series with as few as 11 skaters, Erin is regaining its
health and a couple of days off should mean close to a full bench for the
final games with Alliston.
The winner of this series will meet the other semi-final winner. Stayner held
a 3-0 lead in that one but the Penetang Kings have roared back with three
wins of their own to force a seventh game in Penetang on Wednesday as
well.
Playoff hockey – could it get any better than this?
