Meteors eliminate Falcons, advance to finals
The Fort Erie Meteors shook a 33-year-old monkey off their backs Monday night.
The Meteors defeated the St. Catharines Rankin Construction Falcons 4-1 before an overflow crowd at the Seymour-Hanna Sports Complex to take the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, best-of-seven semifinal playoff series 4-2.
The Meteors now advance to the league finals versus the Caledonia Corvairs for the first time since the 1990/91 season when they lost to the Welland Aerostars. Game 1 is Wednesday in Caledonia with Game 2 likely in Fort Erie Saturday.
Meteors general/manager coach Nik Passero, who has never made it to the finals as a coach or player at any level, made sure to enjoy the moment.
“I’m a firm believer in enjoying what you’ve done,” he said. “We’re going to take this night and celebrate and then get back to work tomorrow.”
Passero, who wasn’t born until two years after the club’s last appearance in the finals, couldn’t help but think of his mother Cheryl, younger brother and associate coach Anthony Passero, and sister Meghan Passero, who is also a vital contributor to the off-ice elements of the organization.
“It’s a full family group that puts every ounce of blood, sweat and tears into this program and the players give it right back,” Nik Passero said.
Meteors captain Rylan Masterson is well aware what the success means to the Passero family.
“It’s great for the team and for Nik and Anthony with their dad (Tony) owning it and (assistant coach) Joe (Fazio) has been here since the beginning and it feels great to do it for those guys,” he said. “I know growing up, Fort Erie wasn’t a strong team, always in last place and St. Catharines was top of the league. It just feels great beating them out and going to the finals now.
“I don’t even know how to describe it. It feels amazing.”
The Meteors, who won three games on the road in the series, grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the first period when Baeddan Pollett’s high shot from the point found the back of the net.
The Falcons didn’t let up for a second and were outshooting the Meteors 25-14 after two periods, but still trailed 1-0 thanks to some superb goaltending from Charlie Burns.
“Obviously it feels really good, especially after Saturday,” Burns said. “They took one from us at home but coming in here with a packed crowd against a talented team, it was pretty special.
“I felt great out there but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my teammates. They keep stuff simple for me tonight.”
Nik Passero said the strategy was to tighten up in their defensive zone and give Burns more support.
“Game plan wasn’t different but the emphasis on some things was different,” he said. “Defensively I thought we were very loose Saturday and Charlie bailed us out a lot whereas today I thought we really stepped on their throats in the D zone.”
The Meteors made it 2-0 halfway through the third when Kyle Adamo scored and upped the lead to 3-0 when Adamo added his second into an empty net at 16:32. Dylan Pergentile gave the Falcons a flicker of hope with a goal at 17:46 but Chaka-Benjamin Ntumba-Muntu scored another into an empty net ay 18:37.
“It was like what we did to them Saturday. It’s second nature when you have a lead to sit back and protect it. They did that Saturday and did it really well and tonight we did it really well,” Nik Passero said.
Falcons general manager coach Tyler Bielby had no qualms with the effort put forth by his club.
“It was a great hockey game, I thought we played great,” Bielby said. “I’m proud of our boys. I thought they put together a game where they deserved a better fate but credit to Fort Erie and the Passero boys having their team ready to go. I know they did not want to go back home (for Game 7) tomorrow and that pressure so they found a way to get it done tonight.
“It was a good hockey game and there can only be one winner.”
The Falcons lose eight players to graduation — Caleb Thompson, Grayson Gare, Tyler Hunt, Nathan Kelly, Dylan Pergentile, Brenden Anderson, Zach Mambella and Colin Ewing — and Bielby made sure to address them following the game.
“This game needs solid young men to give back,” Bielby said. “It doesn’t keep going around if people don’t give back. I know they have a lot of their minds, they naturally think it’s the last time they’re going to get to skate or walk into an arena and it’s just not the truth and I made sure they knew that. If they miss it enough, there’s a ton of kids out there that need their guidance.”
Bielby sounded as though he would like to return next season when asked for his plans going forward.
“My future is with the Falcons. I love this game and it’s the game that keeps on pulling you in, even if you want to leave, it just doesn’t let you. I’m going to reflect but this is where my heart is and this is where I want to be.”
Falcons facts: Owen Penny (suspended), Grant Spada, Owen Cressman and Caleb Bidgood were scratched for the Meteors . . . Matthew Hlacar, Jordan Marconi, Calvin Petrovsky, William Moore, Henry Attard and Marcus Harris did not dress for the Falcons . . . The crowd was announced at 1,312 although there were clearly more in the stands than Friday when the total was announced at 1,623.
STATS PACK
Meteors 4 Falcons 1
Fort Erie goaltender Charlie Burns with 35 saves.
St. Catharines Falcons: Dylan Pergentile (3).
Fort Erie Meteors: Kyle Adamo 2 (5, 6), Baeddan Pollett (2), Chaka-Benjamin Ntumba-Muntu (2).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Fort Erie on Hayden Jeffery (31); by St. Catharines on Charlie Burns (36), Power plays: Fort Erie 0/3; St. Catharines 0/2, Penalty minutes: Fort Erie 8; St. Catharines 40.
Attendance: 1,312
Next up: The Meteors are in Caledonia Wednesday for Game 1 of the finals.
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