Kyle kills Corvairs
Kyle Adamo started and finished things off for the Fort Erie Meteors Wednesday night.
The 20-year-old Fort Erie native scored a pair of goals, including the winner at 11:34 of the third period, as the Meteors edged the Caledonia Corvairs 3-2 before 1,650 fans at the Leisureplex.
The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference best-of-seven final is now tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Caledonia Thursday and Game 6 back in Fort Erie Saturday.
“It’s really nice, especially in front of the home crowd,” Adamo said outside a noisy Meteors dressing room. “I haven’t been scoring at home lately so it feels nice to score in front of our fans. We have the best fans in the league.”
Adamo opened the scoring in the first period with his eighth of the post-season before netting the winner on a two-on-one to break a 2-2 tie in the third period.
“I didn’t think the puck was going to get there. Once the D stepped up, I knew where to shoot it,” he said.
Adamo, who led the Meteors with 25 goals and 57 points in the regular season, has continued his output in the playoffs and now has a team-leading nine goals and 18 points in 14 post-season games.
“I would say since Game 3 of the St. Catharines series he’s been a different player,” Fort Erie general manager/coach Nik Passero said. “Obviously, you know what he’s done in the regular season but Game 3 he turned the corner and he’s been great.”
Each game of the series has been decided by one goal, something Adamo said he enjoys.
“I personally like it because you stay on top of your toes, you’re always ready,” he said. “I like it better than a blowout game. You know you have to be ready.
“Everyone is banged up but you know that’s what’s going to happen in playoffs. You just have to stay ready.”
The Corvairs took it to the Mets in the second period and went up 2-1 on goals by former Niagara IceDog defenceman Sami Douglas-Najem and Dylan Wardell by the 11-minute mark of the period. Rookie standout Liam Beamish then rifled home his fifth of the playoffs to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the third.
It was a huge win for the Meteors who risked going down 3-1 and having to play for their season in Caledonia Thursday night.
“I kept telling myself we were up 3-1 against St. Catharines and we felt uneasy but we needed to go get that today,” Passero said. “I rode our top guys there at the end knowing we needed that win in front of that crowd and they went and got it for us.”
The Meteors are now two wins away from their first Golden Horseshoe championship but Passero isn’t concerned the team will lose focus.
“I honestly don’t think I have to do anything,” Passero said. “They take care of it in there. They take what’s in front of them, whether it’s practice or a team dinner or the biggest game in program history, they just go out and do it.
“They’re the best group of kids I’ve ever been around.”
Passero particular enjoyed the win on home ice, which has not been kind to the Meteors of late.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “We’ve had thousands and thousands of people come out and watch us and no matter what, they got our backs.”
Metscellaneous: Nolan Stickland, Grant Spada, Caleb Bidgood and Georgy Toroptsev were scratched for the Meteors . . . Tyler Wells, Luc Gauvreau, Vadim Liakhov, Ethan Royer, Davis Penner, Kane Styres, David Harvey and Connor Doerbecker did not dress for Caledonia . . . First penalty of the game was called at 12:25 of the second . . . London leads St. Mary’s 3-2 in the Western Conference final while Listowel leads Stratford 3-1 in the Midwest Conference final.
STATS PACK
Meteors 3 Corvairs 2
Fort Erie winger Kyle Adamo with a pair of goals.
Fort Erie Meteors: Kyle Adamo 2 (8, 9); Liam Beamish (5).
Caledonia Corvairs: Sami Douglas-Najem (4); Dylan Wardell (3).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Fort Erie on Finn Wilson (30); by Caledonia on Charlie Burns (27), Power plays: Fort Erie 1/3; Caledonia 0/1, Penalty minutes: Fort Erie 2; Caledonia 6.
Attendance: 1,650
Next up: Game 5 Thursday in Caledonia at 7:30 p.m. Game 6, Saturday in Fort Erie at 7 p.m.
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