The National Capital Junior Hockey League (NCJHL) final series is going right down to the wire.
The Vankleek Hill Cougars stormed back from an early 2-0 deficit to earn a hard-fought comeback 4-2 win over the Westport Rideaus in front of their home fans at the Vankleek Hill Arena on Sunday evening. The win, coming on the heels of a 3-2 home loss in the same rink to Westport the previous night, gives the Vankleek Hill Junior C squad a three games to two lead in the series.
The Cougars could wrap up the NCJHL championship with a win on the road in Game 6 in Westport this Friday (April 10). Game time at the WTC Centre in Westport is scheduled for 8 p.m.
If necessary, a deciding Game 7 would be played at the Vankleek Hill Arena this Saturday, April 11. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Rideaus – 21-8-2-1 during the NCJHL’s regular season – have used a strong defensive structure and solid goaltending from netminder Ben Spicer to stymie the high-powered offence of the Cougars, who posted a 31-0-0-1 record and were undefeated in regulation time over the regular season. Westport has posted regulation time wins twice over Vankleek Hill in the first five games of the finals, after the Cougars swept their first two series in the playoffs.
Sunday, April 5 – Vankleek Hill Cougars 4, Westport Rideaus 2
Bruno Laframboise scored the winning goal late in the second period, while Xavier Plante had a pair of goals, as the Cougars came back from an early 2-0 deficit to top Westport 4-2 and take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Ben Peladeau and Ethan Fowler both scored in the first period to quiet the full house at the Vankleek Hill Arena and take a 2-0 Westport lead into the second. But Vankleek Hill’s Ethan Butler got the crowd back on their feet, scoring just 2:18 into the second period, before Plante tied the game up just over three minutes later.
Laframboise’s shot past Westport goaltender Ben Spicer with just under three minutes left in the second, put Vankleek Hill up 3-2 heading into the third period. With the Rideaus on a power play in the third, Plante scored his second goal of the game on a shorthanded effort that gave the home team a 4-2 lead they would not relinquish.
Mael Gendron earned the win in net for Vankleek Hill with a strong performance.
Saturday, April 4 – Westport Rideaus 3, Vankleek Hill Cougars 2
After giving up two early goals, Westport netminder Ben Spicer shut the door, as the Rideaus stunned the Vankleek Hill Cougars and their fans with a 3-2 comeback victory at the Vankleek Hill Arena.
Liam Lynn scored for Vankleek Hill just 21 seconds into the game, and when Bruno Laframboise made it 2-0 just over eight minutes in, it looked like the Cougars were on their way to a win. But Westport’s Jack Storie and Noah Cyr scored for the Rideaus to tie up the game at 2-2 by the end of the first.
Westport’s Connor Jackson scored at 3:19 of the second to give Westport a 3-2 lead that would stand up to the end thanks to Spicer’s heroics. Despite a chippy third period that saw both teams take multiple penalties, the Cougars were unable to solve Spicer.
Photo Gallery – Cougars vs. Rideaus – Sunday, April 5
