The Powassan Voodoos learned a lesson tonight, that no lead is insurmountable in the world of junior hockey.
The Powassan Voodoos completed the four-game sweep of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners with a 7-6 win in game four tonight at the Joe Mavrinac Community Centre.
However, the outcome appeared to be an afterthought as the Voodoos took a 6-1 lead into the locker room after two periods of play, only to see the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners storm out of the gate in the third period to cut into the Voodoos big lead.
“Going in the third up 6-1 you never expect that,” admitted Voodoos head coach Scott Wray.
“You have got to take your hat off the Kirkland Lake they never quit. It'll be nice for us to get some rest and prepare for next series.”
Tyson Gilmour, who finished the night with two goals and an assist, scored the eventual game winner at 17:08 of the third period as he intercepted Gold Miners goalie Ridge Gerads stretch pass and fired it home which made the score 7-5.
“Give KL credit but the boys bought into the system and very happy with the win and moving onto the next round,” stated Gilmour.
The goal was a sense of relief after four straight Gold Miners goals. However, the Gold Miners struck again less than 30 seconds later to make it 7-6 as Alex Storjohann potted his second of the period.
With the goalie pulled the Gold Miners continued to pressure in the final two minutes but they were unable to complete the amazing comeback.
The first period was a period again to forget for the Miners as the Voodoos scored four times including a shorthanded marker at 2:38 to give the visiting Voodoos the early 1-0 lead.
Gilmour made it 2-0 midway through the opening frame followed less than a minute later by an Andy Baker tally which made it 3-0.
Gary Mantz scored late in the period to give the Voodoos the 4-0 lead after 20 minutes beating starter Allan Menary which a high wrist shot that found the top corner.
Matthew Brassard, who finished with four points on the night, got the Miners on the board as he intercepted an errant Bo Peltier pass and walked in alone beating McDonald only five minutes into the second period.
Eric Nagy killed that momentum with a power play marker midway through the period.
Parker Bowman netted what appeared to be a inconsequential goal late in the second frame which give the Voodoos the 6-1 lead.
In the third frame, Brassard and Storjohann netted goals less than a minute apart in the opening three minutes of the period which made it 6-3.
Former Voodoo Stavros Soilis made it 6-4 at 5:28.
It stayed that way until the 15 minute mark of the third when Tyler Fyfe lifted a backhand past a bewildered Nate McDonald which made it 6-5.
Nate McDonald finished the night stopping 35 shots for his fourth but most difficult win of the series.
Menary and Gerads split the duties for the Gold Miners in the loss, with Gerads losing his fourth game of the series.
The Voodoos bizarre win comes on the same night two years ago where the Voodoos upset and eliminated the #1 seed Gold Miners in the 2015 NOJHL Eastern Division semi-final series. On March 23rd, 2015, the Voodoos won game six 6-3 and the took that series 4-2.
The win will give the Voodoos a break until late next week when they will take on the winner of the Cochrane-Timmins series, which the Timmins Rock currently leads 2 games to 1 with game four in Timmins set for Saturday night at the McInyre arena.
