Thomas Harbour’s tie-breaking goal 37 seconds into the third period was enough for the St. Marys Lincolns to pull off a Game 7 upset against the LaSalle Vipers on Sunday.
Joe Mazur and Spencer Hazell added empty netters to seal a 4-1 road victory at the Vollmer Culture Recreation Complex, booking the fifth-seeded Lincolns a spot in the GOJHL Western Conference semifinals against first-place Leamington.
LaSalle struck first. Lee Knight put the Vipers up 15-minutes into a tight-checking first period in which each team had only seven shots each.
The score remained unchanged until Ethan Coups tied the game for the Lincolns with only one second remaining in the second period, setting up Harbour’s early third period marker.
Despite holding onto a slim lead, the Lincolns limited the Vipers to only five shots in the third period and outshot LaSalle 27-18 overall.
Lincolns goaltender Bryce Walcarius made 26 saves for the win.
Hawks special teams blitz Barons in convincing Game 7 win
The Mitchell Hawks are PJHL North Pollock Division champions after wrapping up a tight seven-game series with an 8-0 blowout road win over the Hanover Barons on Saturday.
A series of Hanover penalties halfway into the first period of Game 7 allowed Mitchell’s powerplay to get to work early, scoring three times in less than three minutes.
Charlie Rankin – who went on to have a four-point night – scored first, followed by Tyson Hall and Ryan Murray.
Malcolm Mcleod, Braeden Burdett (twice), Patrick Holloway, and Seth Huygen also scored for the Hawks.
Tyler Parr stopped all 34 shots he faced for the shutout.
After swapping 2-0 victories in the first two games of the series, Mitchell and Hanover traded one-goal wins in the following four games. The Hawks took a 3-2 series lead home for Game 6, but Hanover managed to stay alive with a dramatic 4-3 overtime win.
Mitchell will next face the Stayner Siskins in round four. That series begins Friday at 7:30 pm in Mitchell.
Tavistock eliminated in double overtime
A double-overtime winner by New Hamburg Firebirds forward Antonio Pasqualino ended the Tavistock Braves season in Game 6 of the PJHL Doherty Division final on Saturday.
Pasqualino’s goal – his third of the postseason – broke a 3-3 tie at the Wilmot Recreation Complex in New Hamburg a little over two minutes into the second extra frame.
Tavistock lead 3-2 late in the third period but Owen Bruder’s ninth goal of the playoffs tied the game with 79 seconds remaining in regulation.
Zach Gladding, Nathan Yeck, and Ryan Donat scored for the Braves. Tavistock goaltender Jeffrey Kernichan made 61 saves in the loss.
New Hamburg will play the Grimsby Peach Kings in the next round.