Lincs take 3-0 series lead; Elmira claws back to 3-2
- 3 hours ago
- 7 min read
By Spencer Seymour
Three near-perfect performances put the St. Marys Lincolns ahead three games to none on the Elmira Sugar Kings, seemingly with all the momentum in their favour.
Then, Elmira won two straight games.
All of a sudden, the series fit for the final, fully living up to the hype, is into the deep waters, with Game 6 taking place after the Independent’s April 7 press time.
The Lincolns withstood a better effort from the Sugar Kings in Game 3 April 2, putting on a defensive masterclass in a goaltender’s duel that ultimately ended with Blake Elzinga deflecting a Ryan Hodkinson shot for the overtime winner to clinch a 1-0 victory.
Colby Booth-Housego made 39 saves in a stellar shutout bid.
Head coach Jeff Bradley called his team’s Game 3 showing excellent.
“I thought it was a great game,” said Bradley. “We played a team that was incredibly desperate, and we didn’t give them much. The penalty kill was great. Defensively, we were outstanding. We didn’t panic. When you don’t stop, which we didn’t, good things are going to happen.
“I think it’s just about understanding that Elmira is a really good team and they’re going to be pushing at times, and we just have to make sure we handle it the right way, and I thought we did.”
The Lincolns entered Game 3 riding the momentum of a 4-1 victory in Game 2 March 31. The Lincolns jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals by Hodkinson and Chase MacQueen-Spence. Earlier that day, Hodkinson was named the winner of the Western Conference MVP and Best Defensive Forward awards, while MacQueen-Spence won the Most Gentlemanly Player honours.
“I’m very happy for them,” Bradley told the Independent. “Just incredibly happy for both Ryan (Hodkinson) and Chase (MacQueen-Spence). They are both very deserving. We know how important they are, and it’s really nice to see them get that recognition. I don’t think they care too much; they have other goals in mind, but it’s nice to see them get league-wide recognition like they deserve.”
Hodkinson himself was humble in discussing his awards, but admitted it was special to be a St. Marys-born player winning such high honours with his hometown team.
“All the credit to my teammates and coaches for putting all their trust in me,” said Hodkinson. “They make it easy for me, but we’re more focused on the team accolades. I was that kid growing up watching for many, many years, and it’s pretty special, obviously, being one of the local guys and showing (younger kids growing up watching now) that really anything’s possible if you keep going after what you want and what your goals are.”
In the second, Jakob Drobny and Jacob Montesi scored their first career Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) playoff goals, with Montesi’s coming in the 63rd playoff game of his GOHL tenure, which the bench boss said was a bright spot for the entire team.
“Jacob (Montesi) has got a big piece of this team and this run,” said Bradley. “What he does doesn’t normally get registered on the scoresheet, so to have his name get on there in a big game like that and get a goal, I’m hoping it’s something everyone can always look back and enjoy thinking about that moment.”
Booth-Housego stopped 32 of 33 Elmira shots.
Sugar Kings surge back to avoid elimination
With their season on the line in Game 4 on April 4, the Sugar Kings put forward their best game to that point in the series, scoring just 17 seconds into the game and overcoming a second-period comeback by St. Marys en route to a 4-3 win in overtime.
Brett Warrilow scored the opening goal of the game as well as the game-winner for Elmira.
Assistant coach Michael Siddall said the Lincolns didn’t quite click when it came to some of the finer details of Game 4.
“I think we had a little bit of a lapse in trying to close the series out,” Siddall said. “The fourth win is always the hardest one to get. You’re playing against a really good team, and they have desperation on their side, so we’ve got to match that desperation, and everything’s got to click in the right order for us to do well. Everything just wasn’t lining up for us, so we’ll keep trying to find that right combination.”
After Callum McAuley tied the game at one apiece early in the second, the Sugar Kings scored two straight to go up 3-1. However, the Lincolns stormed back before the end of the middle period, with goals by Owen Kalp and Lincoln Moore tying the game.
With their goals, McAuley snapped a seven-game goalless slump, and Moore ended a five-game point drought.
“Having those two guys on the scoresheet is definitely beneficial for the team, but it’s also beneficial for them,” said Siddall. “Those are two big horses that we need to be firing all cylinders. Although they weren’t scoring for a while, they were playing really well. Lincoln (Moore) is fully engaged right now, and his forecheck is crucial for his game and our game as a whole. And the same with Callum (McAuley). He manages the game in a lot of different areas. He plays good defensively. He’s got speed in the neutral zone. And he can obviously finish in the offensive zone.”
Just 24 hours later, the Lincolns had a repeat performance, coming back from being down 3-1 in the second before falling in overtime, as the Sugar Kings forced a Game 6 with a 6-5 win back in Elmira on April 5.
The Lincolns delivered a much stronger performance on the road despite the loss, thoroughly outplaying the Sugar Kings for most of the game, but going unrewarded when they fell behind by a score of 3-1 in the second.
Moore cut the lead to a goal, before two straight goals by Owen Voortman put St. Marys up 4-3, completing their second straight two-goal comeback, which Siddall said reflects the team’s mental fortitude.
“When you go down a couple of goals, and you fight back, you’ve got to give the guys credit that they didn’t quit, and they battled back,” said Siddall. “That’s one thing we’ve always done. We’ve got that determination and willingness to compete for a full 60 minutes and give ourselves a chance to win later in the game.
“There’s not a lot of times you’re going to go through a full playoff series and start up a goal or up two goals or up three goals every single game. So, being able to have the composure and the responsibility and the leadership and all those good attributes to come back and give yourself an opportunity to win, those are some really good traits to have because winning teams have those traits.”
However, the Lincolns’ lead only lasted 17 seconds when Warrilow tied the game at four apiece. In the third, another shot from the boards by Hodkinson, who scored back in the first frame, was tipped by Elzinga to put the Lincolns back up by a goal. The goal gave Elzinga points in eight straight games, with the head coach crediting the native of Walkerton for elevating his game even more this post-season.
“It’s his time to do it,” Bradley said. “That’s something we’ve discussed since Blake (Elzinga) was a first-year player here. It takes you a couple of years to gain your footing and become a contributing member to this team and on a consistent basis. We saw really good steps in that direction last year, and this year, he’s taken it to another level.”
Hodkinson and Elzinga, responsible for two of the Lincolns’ goals, delivered one of their strongest performances of an already excellent playoff run by the pair. Siddall described their incredible effectiveness at both ends of the ice.
“Their body positioning and how they feel pressure in the offensive zone and down in those corners is really elite. I feel like they’re learning how to play that junior game and understand different angles and different pressure situations and feeling guys on their hips and being able to roll off the defenders and find their soft ice. They know when to slow the play down and when to speed up, and when to cross over, and when not to cross over.
“As much as they know what to do in the offensive zone, in the defensive zone, they know what’s going on just as much,” Siddall continued. “They read off each other, and they can get out of the defensive zone against any top line, put themselves down in the offensive zone and create those opportunities.”
However, with two-and-a-half minutes left, a point shot by Nolan Battler deflected off some traffic in front to find its way by Booth-Housego, sending the game in overtime.
In the extra frame, a shot from the blueline by Alex Simioni hit off the end wall and bounced back out to Brendan Gerber, who fired home the game-winner.
Despite the losses, Siddall said the team is confident they are doing what they need to do to have success, just like they did in the first three games of the series.
“We’ve just got to keep at it and keep pushing forward, and we think we’re going to break through at some point,” Siddall said. “Liam (Reid) is playing really well, and we’ve got to get more traffic in front. We’re dominating their defence down below the goal line, so that’s something we’re going to continue to try to expose.
“We’re not changing much. We’re not changing any high-level systems. We’re picking apart the defensive zone, and hopefully the guys understand that sticks and bodies in different lanes and picking guys up at certain points are important, and hopefully they can lock in on that stuff too.”
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