Meteors advance; Corvairs eliminate Sailors; Game 7 for Ayr, Brantford
The Fort Erie Meteors defeated the Cambridge RedHawks 5-0 Saturday to capture their Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League best-of-seven quarter-final playoff series 4-2. File Photo: BILL POTRECZ
The Fort Erie Meteors took care of business Saturday night and are off to the next round of the playoffs.
The Meteors defeated the Cambridge RedHawks 5-0 to capture their Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League best-of-seven quarter-final playoff series 4-2.
It was the second straight shutout for John Lloyd who kicked out 19 shots.
“That’s kind of our identity. We’re just good defensively, but today I thought offensively we were dynamite,” Fort Erie general manager/coach Nik Passero said. “We were pushing the envelope, all four lines got a touch, and obviously John Lloyd’s a story again.
“We’re real happy with the group.”
The Meteors won the first two games of the series before the RedHawks rebounded to even the series at 2-2. Fort Erie blanked Cambridge 1-0 Thursday night at home and before finishing things off Saturday.
“Backs against the wall, a lot of people doubted us there when we were tied 2-2 and we put up two shutouts,” Passero said.
The Meteors started quickly, scoring less than two minutes in when Tate Donald netted his first of the playoffs. Fort Erie then made it 2-0 before the halfway point of the first when Colton Radford scored his first of the post-season.
Aiden Zimmerman increased Fort Erie’s lead to 3-0 in the second before Derek Smyth and Radford padded the lead in the third period.
“We have four wins in the series and all four games we scored in the first period. In the games we lost we didn’t, so I think it’s important that we get off to good starts and create offence and create some havoc there. We’re fast and detailed and I thought tonight we really showed that,” Passero said.
Passero feels the series has prepared the Meteors for the next round.
“I thought Cambridge was a nightmare matchup for us,” Passero said. “Good power play, good goalie. It’s really tough to beat teams like that in playoffs so this adversity that we faced here in the last week I think it made us stronger as a group.
“I think a lot goes into experience. We’ve been there before and I like our group moving forward.”
The Meteors will now await the result of Sunday’s Game 7 between the Ayr Centennials and Brantford Titans to see who they will play in the semifinals.
Should Ayr win, the Mets will play the Centennials and the St. Catharines Falcons will square off with the Caledonia Corvairs.
Should Brantford prevail, the Falcons will play the Titans and the Meteors will take on Caledonia.
Centennials 2 Titans 1
The Ayr Centennials won their third straight to even their series with the Brantford Titans.
Brantford took the first three games of the series before the Centennials roared back to take the next three and set up a one-game, winner-take-all showdown in Game 7 Sunday afternoon in Ayr.
Mitchell Ferras and Jack Weiser gave Ayr a 2-0 lead before the Titans scored lated in the third on a goal by Kyle Henneberry.
Corvairs 5 Sailors 1
The Caledonia Corvairs moved on to the semifinals with a convincing 5-1 win at home Saturday.
Tyler Clark, Luc Gauvreau, Ethan Quick, Ethan Osborne and Sami Douglas-Najem scored for the Corvairs.
Davin Krakowiak replied for the Sailors.
Josh Branton earned the win with 32 saves.
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