Flyers roar back to eliminate Lincolns

By C. Scott Holland

With a strong defensive effort Tuesday night in St. Marys then another win on Thursday, April 28 at home versus the St. Marys Lincolns, the Flyers surged ahead in the series. They eliminated the Lincolns on Friday with a stellar defensive and offensive victory that left them with their sights set on the Chatham Maroons, who they’ll face in the West Conference finals.

The Flyers went into St. Marys Tuesday night down two games to one, but won it with a convincing 3-1 score to tie the series 2-2. Following that contest they won 4-1 at home Thursday and finished off the Lincolns Friday night by winning 5-0.

On Tuesday, goalie Ryan Polidori was back in solid form stopping 32 of 33 shots. The lone St. Marys goal came late in the third period. For the Flyers, the critical point was having the Lincolns play with an extra attacker during the last 2:49 of the third. Polidori and his defense weathered the immense offensive pressure.

The contest began with Gabe Piccolo putting the Flyers ahead at the 10-minute mark of the first. The game stayed that way until Gavin Grundner notched the second tally at 1:11 of the third. Colton O’Brien potted one at 8:19 and it was 3-0. It was all Leamington would need to get the victory.

Late in the second period of game five, linesmen try to separate the Flyers’ Connor McCracken and Lincolns’ Myles Baker.

Scott Holland photo

With home ice advantage back, the Flyers returned home on Thursday and subdued the Lincs with 970 fans in attendance. The contest was a 1-0 game for the Lincolns after one frame, but three unanswered goals by the Flyers in the second created some ugliness at two junctures in the middle stanza.

The Flyers added one goal in the third and limited the Lincolns to 14 shots overall.

The Lincs shocked the Flyers at the outset as they reaped a goal 44 seconds after the first puck was dropped. Despite a rather uneventful first, the Flyers evened the score at 8:28 when Kale Couvillon and Andrew Uturo set up Darby Lemieux’s goal. Lincs’ forward Cole Schnittker was injured and down on the ice during the play. Bryce Walcarius came out of his net and was down on the ice at the left side of his net, leaving it completely open, and Lemieux banked the goal. Two Lincolns and two Flyers were sidelined with penalties in a scrum after the whistle. The Lincolns received an extra two minutes.

At 14:24, Connor Mc- Cracken rifled Seth Martineau’s rebound past Walcarius to put the Flyers ahead 2-1. A few minutes later, McCracken slotted the handiwork of Wyatt O’Neil and Ryan Clark to give the Flyers a 3-1 margin. However, as McCracken celebrated and entered the center-ice faceoff circle, St. Marys’ Myles Baker initiated a fight with McCracken. Baker received an instigator penalty. Both players were given game misconducts for the fight.

Order was restored for the remainder of the second and third. Three minutes into the period, Connor MacPherson and Gavin Grundner hooked up with Wyatt O’Neil, who gunned a powerplay goal during a five-on-three situation.

A large crowd of nearly 900 watched Friday night’s contest. After a scoreless first period, Flyers’ forward Wyatt O’Neil netted a pair to spot Leamington’s lead. The first came at 1:51 and the second at 14:29. Adam Jeffery set up both.

The two goals were all the Flyers needed, but Gavin Grundner decided to add some fireworks as he netted a hattrick in a span of 5:50 late in the second and early third periods. Grundner’s three goals now stand as the fastest playoff hattrick by the Flyers and his two powerplay tallies coming in 1:53 also established a new team playoff record.

Ryan Polidori halted 36 Lincolns’ attempts to earn the shutout and lower his GAA to 1.51.

Regarding his team’s stellar performance in the last couple of games, head coach Dale Mitchell said, “It was amazing to see the players show confidence in coming back in the series after being down 0-2. Great leadership and the willingness to buy into the structure really was the reason we closed out the series... It was nice to see them battle through adversity and be able to overcome that deficit.”

“They should enjoy the victory, but remember the team has a goal we all want to accomplish,” added Mitchell.

Prior to last Thursday night’s game, the Chatham Maroons ousted the London Nationals with an overtime victory in London. The victory gave Chatham a berth in the west finals.

FINALS SCHEDULE

Game 1 at Leamington - Thursday, May 5 - 7:10 pm

Game 2 at Chatham - Sunday, May 8 -3:00 pm.

Game 3 at Leamington - Monday, May 9 - 7:10 pm.

Game 4 at Chatham - Wednesday, May 11 - 7:00 pm.

Game 5 at Leamingron - Thursday, May 12 - 7:10 pm (if necessary).

Game 6 at Chatham - Saturday May 14 - 3:00 pm (if necessary).

Game 7 at Leamington - Sunday, May 15 - 7:10 pm (if necessary).