PJHL Roundup: Wild start to Doherty Division semi-finals

By Lee Griffi

If the first week of semi-final action is any indication of the entertainment value of the two series, fans are in for one heck of a ride.

Tavistock leads Wellesley 3-0 while Woodstock and Norwich were tied at a win apiece before Wednesday night’s game after the Gazette’s deadline in Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) playoff action.

The Braves took a commanding lead after a 4-2 win on home ice Tuesday. Keegan Metcalf scored the game-winning goal with three and a half minutes remaining in the third. He also scored the game-tying marker and assisted on Yann Raskin’s second-period goal.

Metcalf, a New Hamburg native, was acquired from the Firebirds just after the midway point of the season. Tavistock captain Marc Dionne said he’d rather have the veteran forward on his team than lining up against him.

“He’s one of those guys you hate to play against because he’s so gritty and so good. That’s why I was excited to get him. I knew the exact playoff mindset he had and the way he worked. He’s the exact type of player we needed on this team.”

Dionne added Metcalf is a positive influence on and off the ice, and he has forgiven any past transgressions.

“He’s an amazing guy in the locker room and on the ice. Hating him for four years; it's definitely been a big swing, loving him as much as I do after that. He’s meshed so well in the locker room and he was very mature coming in.”

Metcalf was a big part of New Hamburg’s deep playoff run last season and picked up 12 points in 29 games. So far this postseason, he has 13 points in seven games.

Tavistock coach Zac Berg said the team brought Metcalf in for a reason.

“We were very aware of the player we were bringing in. He’s a playoff guy and does whatever it takes for us every night. I couldn’t be happier for him and he’s done wonders for our team.”

Carson Bernhardt, who had a chance to finish off in Wellesley on Wednesday night, added an empty net goal for Tavistock.

The Braves outshot the Applejacks 46-27. Wellesley took a 2-1 lead late in the second period on a shorthanded goal by Jake L’Heureux while Dimitri Eleftheriadis was serving a double minor for kneeing.

Berg said despite the potential shift in momentum after giving up a shorthanded goal, his team remained focused.

“We never quit, we are never out of a game and we know we have the offence to come back in any situation. The first game we were down three goals and scored six unanswered goals to win that one.”

Ethan Stover was in on all three Tavistock goals in Game 2 on Saturday night, scoring twice and adding an assist in a 3-1 win. Stover gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with just three seconds left in the first period and added an empty net marker late in the third to seal the victory.

Keegan Metcalf gave the Braves a 2-0 lead with his second-period goal before Riley Noble scored for the Applejacks to cut the lead in half. Wellesley was outshot 16-4 in the third period and 37-31 overall.

The two teams combined for 106 penalty minutes, the majority of which came with eight seconds remaining. Tavistock’s Evan Palubeski squared off against Wellesley’s Spencer Davidson and a total of five 10-minute misconducts were handed out. The Braves went zero for 10 on the powerplay while the Applejacks were scoreless in seven opportunities.

Game 1 was a much different affair as Tavistock rallied back from a 5-2 deficit to earn a 9-6 win.

Tyler Brezynskie scored the game-winning goal from captain Marc Dionne at the 12:30 mark of the third period. Ryan McKellar added a shorthanded insurance marker four minutes later to push the lead to 8-5 before the teams traded goals.

Keaton Bartlett and Metcalf led the Braves offence with two goals and two assists each, with Raksin, Stover, Jacob Reid-Brant and Carter Arseneau adding two points each. Bartlett sits 10th among all playoff scorers and tied among all PJHL defencemen with 14 points.

Woodstock took Game 1 of their series with Norwich by a 3-2 score in front of over 1,000 fans at Southwood Arena. It ended in dramatic fashion as Cooper Vickerman found the back of the net with less than one second remaining in the third period on a three-way passing play involving Charley Barnes and Michael Lee.

The Navy Vets jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 11:54 mark of the second period. The Merchants tied it up with a pair of markers in the third, setting the stage for Vickerman’s heroics.

Norwich took Game 2 with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory. Kyle Arthur scored twice as the Navy Vets had a 2-1 lead by the 2:19 mark of the third period. The Merchants tied it up 23 seconds later and scored the winner a few minutes after that.

Norwich packed 700 fans into the town’s community centre and outshot Woodstock 34-23.