NEWS

(pictured - for the first time in franchise history, the Georgetown Raiders were crowned OJHL champions with a thrilling 1-0 victory in game seven versus Trenton of the 2017 OJHL Championship Series - photo credit: Shawn Muir/OJHL Images)

So it's all boiled down to one game- number seven of the Buckland Cup, the last OJHL game of the season. The winner becomes the League Champion. The teams will meet again in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Wednesday May 3rd. and possibly in the Final itself.

I had a chance to speak to two of the top players in the playoffs- Georgetown assistant captain Jack Jacome, who leads all players with 24 points and Trenton's co-captain Lucas Brown has ten goals and twenty points to date.

Jacome can't wait for this one and to be able to hoist the Cup. He is revved up for game seven. He says his club has the momentum following their large win in game six in Trenton which kept the Raiders' hopes alive. No one was happy with their performance at home in game five, he says, but they got some things straightened out and it showed in Sunday's result. He praised goalkeeper Nicholas Latinovich who posted the shutout for his strong effort but says this was truly a team effort and one that they have to repeat in order to get the big win. It will not be easy, ne notes, as the Golden Hawks are a really tough team to play against and they will be ready.

Brown, in his last season with the 'Hawks looks at this a high mark in his Junior career. He felt the club was just flat for game six, got behind and then lost some discipline and the Raiders made them pay. He knows everyone will be ready for the decider. They have the plan, the desire to win and now they just have to make it happen, he notes. He feels the 'Hawks have the best 5 on 5 team in the League and this will show in the final game. Everyone is focused on the Buckland Cup, he says but he has been getting some ribbing from VooDoo ex-players and fans as he is a native of Powassan and they will be at the Dudley. (Teammate Michael Silveri played a season for the VooDoos).

This great series came to a fantastic climax at the Alcott as the Raiders won game seven and the Buckland Cup in front of over 1,000 fans by a 1-0 score. A 34-save shutout by Nicholas Latinovich, his second straight, highlighted the victory but it was a total team effort for the home side in an end-to-end contest which was missing the after-the-whistle action which was prevalent in some of the earlier meetings. Only three minor penalties were called but it was still a physical affair.

Rex Moe of the Golden Hawks and Jordan Anderson of the Raiders were sitting this one out with suspensions. Most of the early pressure in period one came from the home side. Jacome was hit hard in the Trenton end and would leave the game and did not return. A big cog out of the Georgetown lineup but the rest of the club took up the slack. The Raiders would score the game's only goal just past the seven minute mark . Mitch Brewer shot the puck on the net from the left side, it was stopped by Chris Janzen but fell invitingly near the crease and Andrew Court was on the spot to tap it in. Keegan Blasby also picked up an assist. Shortly after Brown and Silveri had a 2 on 1, a rarity in this series with both clubs playing two-way hockey, but the former Powasssan VooDoo shot it wide. Josh Dickinson almost made it 2-0 in the waning seconds but Janzen cut across his net to deny the hometown hero. Shots 14-13 Raiders after one with neither team able to do too much with their single powerplay opportunity.

The second still had good scoring chances but the finishing touch was missing as neither team was giving the other too much room in the offensive zone. Trenton had most of the territorial play for the first half of the period with the shots ending 13-7 in favour of the visitors.

Would the one goal lead stand up? That was the question on the minds of both sets of fans as the third period got underway. The atmosphere, electric at the beginning, got even ramped up a notch more in the third with the Trenton supporters chants of 'Go Hawks Go' setting off the home faithful's response of 'Go Raiders Go'...and both teams did with pucks flying high or wide as chance after chance was set up. When called upon both 'keepers were on top form and very stingy with rebounds. There was 1.53 showing on the clock when Jerome Dupont called a timeout and removed Janzen which started a ton of activity in the Raiders' end. Jordan Crocker has a chance to end it with nine seconds left but his shot on the vacated cage went wide. 2.8 seconds remained with the faceoff to the left of Latinovich but there would be no miracle finish for the Golden Hawks and at the whistle the joyous Raiders streamed on to the ice. No-one in the stands would have minded some OT such was the speed and intensity of the game. Shots on goal in the third were 8-4 Trenton.

Jacome's early exit saw Jack Hughes paired up with Crocker and Dickinson and once again the rookie made some smooth as silk moves. Colin Rigney and Ryan Takamtsu especially benefitted from the extra ice time for the home side. The line of Brown, Silveri and Liam Morgan had a strong night for the Golden Hawks with no points to show for their efforts. Janzen ended up with 24 stops.

Too bad there had to be a 'loser' but the 'Hawks are about as far away from that moniker as it is possible to get!

Two fine representatives now advance to the next level in the quest for the final goal of the Royal Bank Cup. But first the 'Dudley' and the best the SIJHL and NOJHL has to offer.  

Huge thanks to longtime OJHL supporter Ron Valentine for his tremendous support and contributions throughout the entire 2016-17 season!