The Lo-Ellen Park Knights have fought back, forcing a fifth and deciding game Saturday afternoon in Garson in their SDSSAA Boys Hockey Championship Series with the St Charles College Cardinals.
After being held off the scoresheet completely in games one and two, the Knights have begun to find the back of the net with some degree of consistency, edging the Cards 3-2 on Wednesday evening and then registering a 5-3 win Thursday after trailing 3-1 heading into the third period of play.
The St Charles crew appeared poised to finish off the Knights at various points in this tête a tête, including after opening up a 2-1 lead at the end of the first in game three, with goals from Matty Belanger and Tayler Bedard sandwiched around a counter-strike from Matti Allen of Lo-Ellen.
But a power play marker from Josh Boucher, late in period two, evened the score and the Knights went to work again with the man advantage in the third, as Kurtis Wennerstrom pulled the trigger on the game-winning goal.
Josh Hayes turned aside 25 of the pucks directed his way as St Charles outshot Lo-Ellen 27-15. "We did crash the net more, I would say that," noted four year veteran and Knights team captain Parker Anderson after game three.
"Other than that, we just did what we did and the chances went our way, the bounces went our way." After coming perilously close to being eliminated in a single game quarter-final battle with the Bishop Alexander Carter Gators, the Knights have found some additional resiliency as their confidence has grown in time.
"We haven't been here in I don't know how many years, so we just wanted to make a run and see how we could do, and it's turned out pretty good," said Anderson. "We could be the best team in the league if we play like we do, using our speed, getting bodies to the net, pucks to the net."
Those pucks were finding their way past Cardinal goaltenders in games three and four, as Anderson buried a hat trick and Boucher added a pair of goals in the 5-3 game four triumph. Defenceman Spencer Lavallee answered with a two goal effort in a losing cause, with Joel Emond adding the remaining St Charles goal.
Though both teams will compete at NOSSA in Sudbury on Monday, only one will see their name inscribed on the Robert Brown Cup. Since the hardware was first presented in 1945, Lo-Ellen Park have laid claim only once, that being back in 1984-1985 when coach Martin Trainor led the troops to a city title.
