By Nour Alzahran
After allowing 11 goals over the first two contests of the Division I Boys High-School Hockey final, the Lo-Ellen Park Knights knew exactly what needed tightening if they hoped to stay alive in their series against the St. Charles College Cardinals. Their response on Monday night at the Gerry McCrory Sports Complex was emphatic, as the Knights locked down defensively en route to a 3-0 shutout win.
A 32-save performance from Dax Yurich combined with a two-goal outing by Matti Jouppi and a pinpoint opening tally by Corey Lacroix helped Lo-Ellen trim the Cardinals’ series lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five. Despite being outshot 32-14, the Knights limited high-quality chances, collapsing effectively around their net and refusing to give St. Charles the same looks they had in Games 1 and 2.
“I was a little worried with those first two games,” admitted Yurich, who was named all-star goaltender before the puck dropped. “You can’t come into these games nervous. You’ve got to go out there and have fun. I was thinking today was going to be a good game, that the boys were going to work hard and keep fighting—and we played great in the defensive zone.”
Yurich said the biggest difference was reducing traffic in front of him. “On their second goal in the first game, I couldn’t even see it and over-committed. It wasn’t my favourite goal,” he noted. “I was happy tonight that I didn’t give up, that I kept on fighting from the first to the last.”
Lo-Ellen will try to force a decisive Game 5 when they take the ice Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. at Countryside Arena.
Girls Division I
On the girls’ side, Lo-Ellen and Horizon will settle matters in a third and deciding game after a dramatic finish Monday in Val Caron. Lo-Ellen took Game 1 last Thursday by a 3-1 score, receiving goals from Sadie Frantz, Sophie Gauld, and Gracie Dale, and led 2-1 in Game 2 with seconds left.
However, with the goalie pulled and a power play in effect, Maya Flores found the net just before the buzzer to force overtime. Then, with only seven seconds remaining in the extra session, Naomi Gobeil scored to seal a 3-2 Horizon win. Ryan Snow accounted for both Lo-Ellen goals after Haven Bellerose opened the scoring for Horizon. The deciding showdown is slated for Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. at the Gerry McCrory Sports Complex.
Girls Division II
Meanwhile, the St. Benedict Bears staked an early lead in the Division II final, blanking the Confederation Chargers 3-0 in Game 1. Ava Bois tallied twice, and Kendra Cole added a power-play goal, providing all the offense netminder Elsa Blum would need as she kept Confederation off the board. Game 2 of this series goes Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Ray Plourde / Confederation Arena in the Valley.
With multiple series still hanging in the balance, local high-school hockey fans can expect plenty of intensity on Wednesday as Lo-Ellen attempts to push their Division I Boys final to the limit, the Lo-Ellen girls and Horizon square off with everything on the line, and Confederation tries to rebound against a St. Benedict team determined to keep their shutout streak alive.