Meteors rally to take 3-2 series lead
The Fort Erie Meteors will take to the ice Saturday night at home with an opportunity to make history.
The Meteors rallied in dramatic fashion to defeat the Caledonia Corvairs 4-2 Thursday at the Haldimand County Community Centre to take a 3-2 lead in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference best-of-seven championship final.
The Meteors can capture their first Golden Horseshoe title with a win at the Leisureplex Saturday. Game 7, if necessary, is back in Caledonia Monday.
Fort Erie general/manager coach Nik Passero said it will be business as usual Saturday.
“We know what’s at stake and it’s no difference than Game 5 or Game 6. We had to come here and win and put the pressure on them and we’re going to do the same in Game 6,” Passero said.
Passero admitted it would be special to win the organization’s first Golden Horseshoe championship on home ice.
“I’m so excited for this group. They deserve it and they’re going to come Saturday and be ready to go,” Passero said.
The fourth game of the series can often be the most difficult to win and Passero suspects the Corvairs won’t roll over for the Mets.
“They don’t have that in them,” he said.
The Meteors were down 2-0 heading into the third before exploding for four goals in the final 20 minutes.
“We weren’t ourselves in the first two periods and we went in the room after the second and challenged our guys to get one and see what could happen,” Passero said. “We take a penalty, get a short-handed goal, and all of a sudden momentum is on our side and we never looked back.”
Sam Tonelli was the man of the hour, scoring a two goals in less than eight minutes, one shorthanded and one on the power play. Liam Beamish also scored pair in the third, including the final goal of the game with less than a minute to play.
“Like I said in the room after, every night it’s someone different and tonight it was Tonelli,” Passero said.
The Corvairs took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by Brayden Russell at the 15:41 mark. Caledonia outshot Fort Erie 10-6 in the opening frame.
Steve LaForme made it 2-0 Caledonia eight minutes into the second, the only goal of the middle period.
Charlie Burns made 30 saves in goal for the win.
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