Shamrocks In Command

The Moose Light Shamrocks took a strangle hold of the Rinkrats, by taking a 2 games to none lead in the best of 5 Lake City Cup Final.

Game 1 started on Tuesday, March 23^rd. The 1^st period had the teams feeling each other out, neither team found their target in the period. Moose Light were kept busy by having to kill off five powerplays by the Rinkrats.

The 2^nd period saw the Rinkrats draw first blood on a goal by Kevin Hurley at the 18:29 mark. The Shamrocks wasted little time and tied it at 1, only 18 seconds later, on a Jason Troini shot. Richard Berry scored his 2^nd goal of the playoffs to give the Rinkrats a 2 to 1 lead. Moose Light would take their first lead of the game, scoring 2 goals 1:08 seconds apart, giving them a 3 to 2 advantage, Sebastien Decaens and Kelly Serbu finding the net for the Shamrocks. Rinkrats’ Dave Roode drew the game even again, just past the half way mark of the period. Jason Troini scored his 2^nd of the game 47 seconds later, only to have Justin Dowding of the ‘rats even the game 43 seconds later.

Troini would pot home a hattrick goal with 6:07 remaining in regulation time, with line mate Deacans adding his third helper of the game, to put the Shamrocks up by a score of 5 to 4. The Rinkrats pulled goaltender Andrew Sim, borrowed from the Secunda Mariners, with less than a minute to go for the extra attacker. Unfortunately for the Rinkrats, Jason Troini would fire home his fourth goal of the game and eleventh of the playoffs, into the empty net, to make the final 6 to 4 for Moose Light Shamrocks and 1 game to 0 lead.

The Rinkrats would go 0 for 6 on the powerplay, while the Shamrocks would go 0 for 1 with a 32 second advantage. The Rinkrats were missing Mike Avery, Mike Anderson, Craig Stevens, Shawn Hurley and goaltender Sean Murphy, Craig Whynot did not dress for the Shamrocks. Moose Light goaltender Jason White improved his playoff record to 5 wins and 1 loss.

Both teams squared off again at the Dartmouth Sportsplex on Thursday, for Game 2. Rinkrats’ Craig Perrin started the scoring off with his ninth of the playoff at the 17:00 minute mark of the 1^st period. Just like game 1 the Shamrocks replied quickly, this time only 7 seconds on Chris O’Donnell’s sixth of the post season, knotting the game at one. Matt Kerr would fire the puck past Jason White to give the ‘rats a 2 to 1 lead at 15:03 and that is the way the 1^st period would end.

The Rinkrats would jump out to a 3 to 1 lead on Matt Kerr’s second of the game and seventh of the playoffs, just under 5 minutes into the 2^nd period. Like they have in the past game and a half the Shamrocks would reply quickly, narrowing the score 24 seconds later on Trevor Doyle’s first of the series. Moose Light would capitalize on their first powerplay of the game, with Jason Troini blasting his fifth of the finals past goaltender Andrew Sim, tying the game at three. The Shamrocks would take their first lead of the game with 10:03 remaining in regulation time. Sebastien Decaens would score his fourth of the playoffs, to give them a 4 to 3 lead. Just like game one the Moose Light Shamrocks would score an empty net goal, with 3 seconds left, Jason Troini would fire home his playoff leading thirteenth.

Moose Light went 1 for 1 on the powerplay while the Rinkrats have yet to score on the advantage in the Cup Final, going 0 for 3 in Game 2 and 0 for 9 in the series. The Rinkrats were without goaltender Sean Murphy again and used Mariners’ Andrew Sim, also missing was Kevin Hurley, Craig Stevens and Mike Anderson. Moose Light had a full roster.