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Trappers AAA Roundup - Finals underway

Minor Bantams and Minor Peewees earn splits in finals
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Major Peewee AAA Trappers forward Nate Gravelle in front of the Nickel City Sons net during a Sunday 4-1 loss. Photo by Chris Dawson/BayToday.ca.

Minor Bantam

The North Bay Assante - Thomson Financial Partners Minor Bantam Trappers kicked off the division finals this past weekend as they played host to the visiting Soo Greyhounds.  After knocking off the Nickel City Sons in dramatic fashion by taking the fifth and final game in OT, the Greyhounds proved to a team that does not go away easily.

Despite dictating the play for most of the game the Trappers fell in OT in game 1 of the Minor Bantam AAA final by a score of 5-4 with the OT winner being scored on the power play.  Justin Turgeon, Nolan Masson, Thom Sefton and Cooper Brazeau handled the scoring for the Trappers in the loss.

The Powassan Sportsplex would be home for game two on Sunday as the Trappers looked to even the series before taking the trip to Sault Ste.Marie.  Balanced scoring and relentless fore checking proved to be the flavor of the day as the Trappers evened up the series at a game a piece with Vaughn Thomson collecting the shutout in the 6-0 win. 

Chase Thompson, Skyler Shepstone, Justin Turgeon, Kaedyn Long, Ryley Wolfe and Nolan Masson all found the back of the net for the Trappers with Long and Masson capping off the day with 3 points each.

Major Peewee

The North Bay & District  Hopper Buick/GMC Major Peewee AAA Trappers had a tough start to the finals against the Nickel City Sons.  

The Trappers, who won the minor peewee AAA Northern Ontario title last season, fell 4-1 on Saturday afternoon in Chelmsford in game one of the best-of-five finals. The Sons scored twice in the opening five minutes to lead them to the game one victory.  Trappers forward Nate Gravelle had the lone goal in the loss.

In game two, the Trappers were edged 2-1 at Carmichael arena in Sudbury on Sunday.  Trappers affiliate Jack Pollock had the lone goal in the loss.

The Major Peewee AAA Trappers hope to rebound next weekend when they play games three (2 p.m. Saturday)  and four (12 p.m. Sunday), if necessary, in Sturgeon Falls. Family friends and Trappers supporters are asked to come out and cheer on the Trappers next weekend.  

Minor Peewee

The Greco’s Lakeshore Minor Peewee AAA Trappers opened the final playoff round in Sault Ste. Marie against the Hounds this past weekend.  Despite solid goaltending by Owan Heroux, who made 32 saves, the Trappers fell 3-1 in the first game of the series. The lone tally in the game went to Briir Long and the assist to Grayden Robertson-Palmer.  

The team made some adjustments heading into game two and executed the game plan as the Trappers came out ready for a re-match.  The game was intense right from the opening faceoff, as the top two teams from the regular season battled hard for the lead. Capitalizing on a power play opportunity late in the first, the Trappers broke the 0-0 tie when Andre Mondoux found the back of the net with a slap shot from the point. Assisting on the play were Ben Graham and Nicolas Corbeil.

The fans were treated to another fast-paced period of hockey in the third period as both teams turned up the pressure for the final fifteen minutes of play.  The Hounds pushed hard with a couple of power play opportunities, but a focused penalty kill and stellar goaltending by North Bay held them off. At 12:43 in the third, Briir Long jumped on a loose puck and scored a short-handed goal giving the Trappers a little breathing room heading into the final few minutes of play.  

As the clock wound down Jackson Curran continued to make incredible saves under pressure notching his second playoff shutout in the 2-0 win for the Trappers.

Coaches for the Trappers credit the goaltending as a major factor in both games with close to 60 saves made over the weekend.

With the series tied 1-1, The Soo travels to Sturgeon Falls for games two and three at 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.  Come out and support the minor peewee AAA North Bay Trappers.