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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-03-31, Page 9Ironmen repeat as Western champs By Andrew Smith Wingham Advance-Times They sunk the Sailors. They took the bite out of the Bulldogs. And now the Wingham Ironmen are back-to- back Western champs. After a commanding 5-i win to tie the series in game six, the Ironmen were back at home to decide the final. Matt Hill found himself on an early break, but couldn’t get around a Kincardine defender. The Bulldogs took a penalty just 30 seconds in, giving the Ironmen a chance to get the opening goal. Matt MacPhee had the best chance on the powerplay, just missing the inside post on a quick shot. With over half of the first period through and no score, the game was getting tense. It was Kincardine’s turn on the powerplay at 8:52, and even though they had a scoring chance, the penalty was killed off and the game was still deadlocked. Just as everyone was settling for a long, drawn out game, Shawn Walker stepped up to the Bulldogs net with 10 seconds left on the clock, just beating goalie Andrew Smith on his gloveside, putting the Ironmen up 1-0 going into the second. Walker’s goal seemed to free up a scoring block among the Ironmen, as it was soon followed up by two quick goals in the second. MacPhee knocked a goal in during a scramble around Kincardine’s net, and a minute later, Justin Russell organized a goal from Cole Stewart and Travis Fowlie. Wingham was keeping Kincardine locked down in the period, as the Bulldogs couldn’t get a shot in the first five minutes. But once they did get'some shots, they were able to get around Jason Blinkhom and get their first goal. As the Bulldogs started the third period down 3-1, they needed to score on their powerplay if they were going to have any chance of winning. But, Wingham’s penalty killing was in top form, and soon found themselves on a powerplay, resulting in a goal from Ironmen captain Zack O’Krafka. Blinkhom was in trouble of his own in the third, as Kincardine increased their shots in hopes of getting anything in. Coach Louie Livingston credits Blinkhom with the win. He was given the game puck later in the dressing room. “Blinkhorn showed what he’s worth,” Livingston said. “He was under siege in the third period there for a while.” Not even the best goalie can stop every shot though, as a shot from Kincardine bounced out of his glove and over, before he could grab it, giving the Bulldogs a second goal. Still down by two, the Bulldogs were fighting against time as they pulled Smith with 1:40 left and did all they could to close the gap. The Ironmen had no trouble waiting out the clock though, as the buzzer sounded Kincardine’s demise and announced the Ironmen as conference champions. As the champagne flowed in the dressing room after the game, congratulations were in order for everyone, but Livingston said it best. “Last year’s win was sweet,” he said. “This year was tougher, but it was also sweeter.” Livingston said his faith in the team has been renewed by the past two wins, knowing his team can play to their full ability. “They have a lot of character,” he said. “They dug down deep and they knew what they had to do.” Once again this year, Livingston thanks all the fans who showed their support during the series, and said that going through all the hard work for first place in the league was worth it, just to get the extra game at home. “Even when we come out for the warm-up, they’re cheering,” he said. “It just makes our job even easier.” Veteran Jamie Chester is in his last year of junior hockey, and said winning the final in Wingham was fitting for his last season. “It’s not only nice to finish playing at home, but to finish a champion at home,” he said. Chester missed the first four games of the Kincardine series due to injury, and hopes to be back in full form in the next series after juumping in mid­ way against the Bulldogs. “When you’re out for six weeks, it’s tough to come back, especially against an evenly-matched team like Kincardine,” he said. ERIN SERIES Fresh off their victory over Kincardine, the Wingham Ironmen played host to the Erin Shamrocks in the OHA quarterfinals on Saturday. The first period was 20 minutes of cautious hockey, making for some slow play. The Shamrocks took the first goal as Blinkhom thought he had frozen the puck in his glove, only to have it fall out and get tapped in. The last three minutes of the period had the Ironmen trying a little harder and finding themselves in a position to score, but couldn't get around Erin. Livingston said they were lucky to be down by just a goal after the way the team played. “If we had played like that against Kincardine, we’d be down three or four.” he said. “They came into the first period with nowhere near the intensity we had Wednesday.” It was another lacklustre period for the Ironmen in the second, as Erin was keeping them matched shot-for- shot as they went to the net. After 15 minutes of back-and-forth play, Erin sent a shot past Blinkhom, giving them a 2-0 lead. Something happened between the second and third period, and-"it seemed to shake the cobwebs from Wingham’s bench. Riley scored a goal for Wingham from O’Krafka, then returned the favour, setting O’Krafka up with a drop pass, tying the game up half-way through the period. When Russell scored on a powerplay, Wingham suddenly found themselves leading 3-2 after trailing the Shamrocks for two periods. Stewan added some insurance with 3:02 left, scoring from Walker. Even with the come-from-behind win, Livingston wasn’t impressed with the lack of play in the first two periods. “They played one period and won the game,” he said. “We can’t do that.” The win over Erin ended a 12-game winning streak for the Shamrocks, who had swept all their previous opponents. However, Livingston said they weren’t going to bow to the Ironmen that easily. “When you win 12 games in a row in the playoffs, you must be doing something right,” he said. The Ironmen saw just what the Shamrocks can do when they travelled to Erin for game two on Sunday. The final score had Erin shutting Wingham out 3-0, and a disappointed coach Livingston. “It’s a little bit of a letdown,” he said. “They’re not as motivated as they were after the win over Kincardine.” Livingston hopes things can get turned around in time for the series as game three comes back to Wingham tonight, starting at 8:30 p.m. THE CITIZEN. THURSDAY. MARCH 31. 2005. PAGE 9. 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