Falcons one loss from elimination
The St. Catharines Falcons have left themselves no margin for error after dropping a 4-3 decision to the Caledonia Corvairs Friday night before a season high crowd of 1,089 fans at the Seymour-Hanna Sports Complex.
The defending Sutherland Cup champions find themselves on the precipice of elimination, trailing the Corvairs 3-2 in their Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League best-of-seven playoff semifinal and must win in Caledonia Saturday to keep their season alive.
St. Catharines coach Tyler Bielby feels the best way to deal with a do-or-die scenario is to embrace it.
“I don’t think we have any other choice other than that,” he said. “We work hard all year, in particular we put in a lot of work Tuesdays at practice to make sure we’re ready for a long series. We have to make sure we bring that effort Saturday and lay it all on the line.”
The Falcons, who blew a 3-0 lead in Game 4 only to lose 6-3, jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but once again were not able to deliver a full, 60-minute effort.
Calvin Petrovsky, who saw a regular shift with Nate Shirton serving the second game of a two-game suspension, got the Falcons on the board early with his first of the post-season. Blake Yetman gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead with a power-play goal about halfway through the second but the Corvairs quickly answered with a goal by Steven Laforme less than a minute later. Caledonia then tied the game with less than a minute to go in the second period.
“You have two great teams and you can’t let your foot off the gas,” Bielby said. “I thought, in particular, we were flat in the second period and you can’t be at this time of the year. It was a big difference. We were up 2-0 and we only ended up putting three shots on net in the second period. We haven’t done that this year.”
The Corvairs took their first lead of the game six minutes into the third but the Falcons responded when Nate Robertson tapped in a perfect pass from Parker Forlin to tie things up at 3-3.
It appeared the teams would be heading to overtime but Brayden Russell managed to sneak by the Falcons defence and corral a high pass that went over their heads and net the game winner at the 17:51 mark of the third.
“I thought in the third we pushed back and had a good period and ended up having a tough loss but that’s part of the playoffs and the process,” Bielby said.
Bielby feels the team would benefit from a more consistent effort on the forecheck.
“We have to be tenacious and it really has to come from within,” he said. “You have to take advantage of every opportunity every shift. Your feet can’t stop moving at this time of year. The team that wants it more generally can win the hockey game.”
Bielby feels the Falcons will find a way to get the job done and bring the series back to St. Catharines for Game 7 Monday.
“We, as coaches, believe in this group,” he said. “We love coming to the rink, we love working with this group. We love these young guys. We believe that they will show up tomorrow and be ready to go and get the job done.
“We just really have to be ready to go tomorrow. It’s just about a real honest effort.”
Falcons captain Jonah Boria was defiant following the loss.
“They’re a good team, but we’re better,” he said. “We’re beating ourselves.
“It’s playoffs. It’s a game of inches and we have to get right back to it. We’re allowed 30 seconds to think what we wrong today and then we’re right back at it.”
Falcon facts: Nate Shirton (suspension 2/2), Colin Ewing, Joshua Singh and Michael Colavecchia were scratched for the Falcons . . . The Falcons raised a banner before the game in honour of former goaltender Andrew MacLean commemorating his outstanding season last year.
Corvairs 4 Falcons 3
Caledonia’s Nathan Duplessis with a goal and an assist.
St. Catharines Falcons: Blake Yetman (5); Nate Robertson (2); Calvin Petrovsky (1).
Caledonia Corvairs: Ryan O’Donnell (5); Brayden Russell (4); Nathan Duplessis (3); Steven Laforme (1).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By St. Catharines on Keegan Jackson (23), by Caledonia on Aiden Berry (33); Power plays: St. Catharines 2/4, Caledonia 2/2; Penalty minutes: St. Catharines 4, Caledonia 8.
Attendance: 1,089
On deck: Game 6 in Caledonia Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Game 7, if necessary, Monday in St. Catharines.
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