Minor bantam A final going five

  St. Thomas ties the OMHA series at four points, edging Barrie, 3-2

Sunday, March 25, 2018

By Rob J. Ross 

ST. THOMAS - They're still alive.

By hanging on for a 3-2 win, the St. Thomas Jr. Stars have extended their Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) minor bantam A final, against the Barrie Jr. Colts.

 The six point final now is tied at four points, with game five at Barrie, Saturday, March 31.

St. Thomas built a 3-0 by early in the second period, at Memorial Arena, but Barrie pulled to within a goal scoring twice in the third period.

Braylen Dowson, Liam Kidder and Aiden Shaw buried pucks for the Jr. Stars.

"It was stressful. Barrie pressured us for sure and our kids let up a little bit. We had to keep winning the individual battles. Barrie is a strong team and they can turn it around in a hurry," St. Thomas head coach Rob Richardson said. "The kids battled hard today and were really resilient. It was great to see us bounce back from a tough loss yesterday."

Barrie took a four points to two lead, winning game three, 5-3, at Memorial Arena, on Saturday.

"The key is not quitting. We've had a few suspensions and injuries to key kids, but the kids don't quit. They battle right to the end," said Richardson. "When we play as a team, five guys on the ice as a group we're unstoppable."

St. Thomas advanced to the final, by taking a rare sixth game of a series, a thrilling 5-2 win over Centre Wellington, in the semi-finals. The Jr. Stars lead the series, five points to one, before Centre Wellington won back to back games.

"Every series we've been getting better and I don't think I've seen our best. I think I'll see it next weekend at Barrie," said Richardson. "We got to come out firing, get that early goal, and just stay on them. The fore-check is our strong set and we have to stay on them and not give them any time or space."

A sixth game, back in St. Thomas, will only occur if game five finishes in a tie.

The Jr. Stars opened the series taking game one at Barrie, 3-2. The Jr. Colts tied the affair, with a 5-4 game two victory.