Masterson paces Mets to opening win
Fort Erie Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero didn’t hesitate for a second when asked about the importance of captain Rylan Masterson to the team.
“He’s incredible. He’s the most important person in Meteors history,” Passero said after Masterson scored a pair of goals to lead the Meteors past the Caledonia Corvairs 4-2 Saturday night at the Leisureplex in the opener of their Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, best-of-seven semifinal playoff series. “There’s no second guessing it.”
Masterson, who normally earns his keep as a no nonsense, solid defenceman, netted his first two goals of the playoffs, including the winner late in the second period and an insurance marker in the third.
“For sure, he deserves it,” Passero said. “When he scores them they’re usually pretty. I thought tonight he brought an A-plus game for sure.”
Masterson was appreciative of the compliment, turning the praise right back at Passero and his staff.
“It’s amazing. I mean, these guys do a really good job teaching us,” Masterson said. “Coming into this league I was like a sixth defenceman, and right now, look at where I am.
“They just do a really good job and I’ll go to battle for them any night.”
Masterson naturally enjoyed scoring twice — most of the goals in the Masterson family can be traced to uncle Matt Masterson with the Niagara Falls Canucks — but realizes the team has to continue to stay the course against a tough opponent.
“It feels really good to get the first one, and now we come back tomorrow and get another one,” he said. “We just have to keep going, play the full 60 every game. We want to win no matter what, so we know that we have to keep going the whole 60.
“They’re not gonna stop, so we know that. So we just have to keep going.”
Masterson, who still has one more season of junior eligibility, admits he loves the pressure of the playoffs after helping the Mets to their first league championship last season.
“It feels really good to be back, honestly,” he said. “I missed the adrenaline coming to these games and I love it. I mean, that’s what we play for.”
Overall, Passero was pleased with effort.
“Definitely a good group win,” he said. “Very deep win. Lots of penalties, power play scored, some big saves. Goals from our back end, definitely a full team win.”
One area of concern for Passero was in the discipline department.
The team will be without veteran defenceman Derek Smyth for Game 2 after he removed his helmet during a fight with Easton Swift.
“It takes brains for sure,” Passero said. “I thought, you know, we lost our composure there a couple times. We’ve got to be smarter than that, it’s playoffs and it’s 16 to 20-year-old kids, so it is what it is.
“If we want to have any longevity and we want to be champions, we have to be a little smarter than we were today.”
STATS PACK
Meteors 4 Corvairs 2
Fort Erie captain Rylan Masterson with two goals.
Fort Erie Meteors: Rylan Masterson 2 (1,2); Kyle Adamo (2); Chris Reid (1).
Caledonia Corvairs: Ethan Quick (3); Zachary Naherne (1).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Fort Erie on Josh Branton (31), by Caledonia on John Lloyd (32); Power plays: Fort Erie 1/4, Caledonia 0/5; Penalty minutes: Fort Erie 31, Caledonia 29.
Attendance: 1,500.
Up next: Game 2 Sunday in Caledonia at 7:30 p.m. Game 3 Tuesday in Fort Erie at 7 p.m.
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