For the third straight year, the Powassan Voodoos and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners will lock horns in the NOJHL Easter Conference semi-finals which will face off Friday night at the Powassan Sportsplex (7 p.m. start).
The Gold Miners qualified for the semi’s once again thanks to a convincing 8-3 win in game three of the best-of-three Eastern Conference quarter-final against the Iroquois Falls Eskis in Kirkland Lake Tuesday night.
The Voodoos dominated the season series with a 6-2-1 record.
However the Gold Miners ended the Voodoos winning streak with a 2-2 tie back on January 8th and then defeated the Voodoos 2-1 in Powassan in their last meeting on February 13th.
Both teams finished the regular season on hot streaks as both had eight wins in their final 10 regular season games.
The Gold Miners come into the series as the underdog for the second year in a row.
They will be without their top scorer Kevin Ford, who had 70 points in the regular season, as he is recovering from concussion like symptoms after receiving a hit by the Eskis Riley Wagner in game two of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals.
Gary Mantz, Tyson Gilmour and Andy Baker led the Voodoos attack against the Gold Miners as Baker scored six times along with four assists in the season series, Mantz netted four goals and eight assists, while Gilmour recorded three goals along with six assists against the Miners.
Game two of the series will also take place in Powassan on Sunday, March 19th. Puck drop again will be 7 p.m.
Here's the rest of the way the series schedule will play out:
East Division semifinal
No. 1 Powassan Voodoos vs. No. 4 Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
Best-of-seven series
Game 1: Friday, March 17 @ Powassan 7 p.m. (Powassan Sportsplex)
Game 2: Sunday, March 19 @ Powassan 7 p.m. (Powassan Sportsplex)
Game 3: Tuesday, March 21 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac Community Complex)
Game 4: Thursday, March 23 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac Community Complex)
Game 5*: Friday, March 24 @ Powassan 7 p.m. (Powassan Sportsplex)
Game 6*: Sunday, March 26 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac Community Complex)
Game 7*: Monday, March 27 @ Powassan 7 p.m. (Powassan Sportsplex)
*- if necessary
