U16 Lakers start showdown series with the 99ers

Following a first-round sweep of the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks, the Huron-Perth U16 AAA Lakers started their ALLIANCE U16 AAA semifinal series versus the Brantford 99ers.

During the three-game regular season series, the Lakers swept the 99ers, winning two of the three games by a goal. Before the series, head coach Jason Brooks said the team is ready for the challenge of facing one of the league's top teams and is also getting ready for the upcoming OHL Cup later this month.

“So we know this series is going to be a war. We know it's going to be a battle, but we know it also sets us up well for whatever comes next. If we're fortunate enough to win the series, you're going to need to be at your best to play the winner of London and Sun County, but you also need to be at your best for the OHL Cup. So playing Brantford is a really great test that we're looking forward to facing,” Brooks said.

Brooks understands that the team cannot focus on the OHL Cup and wants them to prioritize winning the ALLIANCE championship.

“Quite honestly, we looked at winning against Elgin as a kind of two-check mark type series. Obviously, if you win it, you move on to the second round of the Alliance, which is a big deal. But if you win that series, you guarantee your ticket in the OHL Cup, which gives these guys something they've been striving for all season, which is to play in that event,” Brooks said.

“Realistically, it's off our plate. We're not focusing on it now. We're not even looking at it. It's there. We know it's there, but the priority, and the sole priority, is Brantford and battling them in this series to move on to the alliance.”

Declan McCotter, Callum Brooks and Evan Miller understand the importance of the upcoming series and must perform at their best.

“We just got to grind out the wins, compete to the very end, so just work hard for the full 50 minutes and come up with the W,” McCotter said.

“We're going to have to play hard, play fast, shut down the top guys and get pucks on that, and you know it's going to come. It's going to be hard, but we'll just have to stick to our game plan and get the job done well,” Brooks said.

“Play hard, shut down the top guys and keep them out of our house, and I think we've got a pretty good chance of winning the series,” Miller said.

The series opener took place on March 6 at the Stratford Rotary Complex. In the first period, both teams focused on tight defence, with the only notable opportunity occurring with 4:45 remaining when the Lakers’ Ethan Bridges hit the crossbar with his shot.

During the second period, the Lakers’ penalty issues proved costly, as Brantford's Calder Anderson scored on a five-on-three power play. He beat Lakers' goalie Rylan Da Costa with 3:22 remaining to give the 99ers a 1-0 lead. The score stayed the same into the third period until 6:34 when Callum Brooks, on the power play, shot through a screen in front of the 99ers' net, beating goalie Ryan Slama for his sixth playoff goal, assisted by Bridges and Finch.

The turning point occurred just over a minute later when the Lakers were given a four-minute powerplay. Huron-Perth capitalized, with Wyatt Finch scoring his first postseason goal from near the blueline to give the home team their first lead of the game.

Huron-Perth added more insurance with 3:02 remaining in regulation, following an excellent cross-ice pass from McCotter to Bridges in the offensive zone, resulting in a successful one-timer. McCotter scored an empty-net goal from the neutral zone with 91 seconds remaining, sealing the Lakers’ 1-0 series lead.

Following the game, Jason Brooks expressed his thoughts, emphasizing the team’s reaction after a difficult first two periods.

“Yeah, our first two periods weren't great. Brantford put a lot of pressure on us. We didn't really move our feet. We kind of stood and watched them. Rylan Da Costa was unbelievable, holding us to within one goal and giving us a chance in the third. We skated from the third power play, and some timely goals came through,” Brooks said.

“Then we're able to kind of keep the pressure on, and getting that third one was big, near the end of the third and then obviously the empty netter. But you know what? It's playoff hockey, and it's never always going to be perfect, but find a way we'll take it, regroup and try to be ready for Sunday down there.”

On March 8, the Lakers travelled to the Wayne Gretzky Centre in Brantford for Game 2 against the 99ers.

During the first period, the 99ers initiated the scoring with Aiden Silos netting a goal at 1:54. Shortly thereafter, Silos added his second goal, extending the 99ers' lead to 2-0. The Lakers received a four-minute, five-on-three power play that could shift the game's momentum. However, their advantage was brief, as most of the powerplay was spent in a three-on-three situation, resulting in no goals.

During the second period powerplay, the Lakers finally managed to get past Brantford netminder Ryder Kowtaluk when Joseph Haskett, assisted by Christian Circelli, scored with 3:15 left, narrowing the gap to just one goal. However, before the period concluded, the momentum shifted back to Brantford as Silos completed his hat-trick, giving the home team a 4-1 advantage going into the final period.

Da Costa replaced starting goalie Tyler Wilkinson before the third period began. Still, the Lakers were unable to mount a comeback, allowing the 99ers to tie the series at one game each.

Brooks expressed that the team was unable to generate opportunities, a shortcoming that contributed to their loss in game two.

“We got behind the eight ball, but down to 1-0 like we did and just weren't able to battle back. We've been able to do that throughout the playoffs, been able to battle back in games, and today we didn't,” Brooks said.

“Some of our decisions weren't the best, and some of our puck battles weren't the best, and ultimately that ended up costing us, but we talked about it as a group before the playoffs even started. Playoffs are a long journey. There's going to be ups and downs, and our challenge now is to regroup and reassess and go back to work and get ready for Thursday.”

Game 3 is at the Stratford Rotary Complex, with game time set for March 12 at 8:45 p.m.

U16 AAA ALLIANCE semifinal schedule (Huron-Perth Lakers vs. Brantford 99ers)

Game 1: Brantford 1 Huron-Perth 4

Game 2: Huron-Perth 1 Brantford 4

Game 3: Brantford vs. Huron-Perth (Stratford Rotary Complex – Rink B) March 12, 8:45 p.m.

Game 4: Huron-Perth vs. Brantford (Wayne Gretzky Centre) March 14, 12 p.m.

Game 5: Brantford vs. Huron-Perth (Stratford Rotary Complex – Rink B) March 15, 3:15 p.m. (if needed)

Game 6: Huron-Perth vs. Brantford (TD Brantford Civic Centre) March 16, 8:15 p.m. (if needed)

Series tied 1-1