GRAVENHURST — The South Muskoka Shield dominated Game 5 Saturday to win a shot at earning another Greater Metro Jr. A League (GMHL) championship title.
The Shield beat the Bradford Rattlers 8-4 during the semifinal game March 20 at Bracebridge Memorial Arena. They will now face off against the Deseronto Storm for the league’s Russell Cup.
Deseronto beat out the Elliot Lake Bobcats in Game 6 on the weekend.
Shield coach Dallyn Telford said the Shield dominated Saturday’s game against the Rattlers from start to finish and looked very determined to get back to the finals.
“We played a great energy type of game and basically outworked the Rattlers to earn the win and a trip to the finals,” said Telford.
The finals will be a déjà vu moment for the Shield. The team faced off against the Deseronto Storm last year when they won the championship.
Last year’s Russell Cup series between the Shield and Deseronto went six games, with the Shield outscoring the Storm 25-19.
Telford said the team tried hard to return to the finals this year.
“All season, we talked about giving ourselves the opportunity to repeat as champions and have been focused on that goal for eight months,” said Telford.
The Shield entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead.
“We held a pre-game meeting, stressing the importance of playing within the moment, and not looking too far ahead to the final,” said Telford. “We have a lot of respect for Bradford and their ability to score if given the chance.”
All four of the Shield’s lines contributed to the scoreboard, and the defence did an outstanding job of shutting down Bradford’s high-powered offence, Telford said.
Rob Sutherland played all five games in net and was solid, giving the Shield a chance to win every night.
“He made big saves at very important times in the series,” he added.
Telford said the team’s penalty killing was excellent and its power play was very efficient.
In the first period the Shield put three goals in the net, delivered by Dan Soderberg-Andersson, Dylan Sontag and Ricky Greenslade (power play). Assists went to Dale Hatfield, Trevor Smith, Chad Meagher, Greenslade and Soderberg-Andersson.
In the second period Bradford scored its first goal while the Shield shot four more. Two markers came during power plays by Soderberg-Andersson and Meagher. Chris Lane and Rob Childs got the other two goals. Assists went to Adam MacBeth, Sontag, Soderberg-Andersson, Tim Wender, Dale Hatfield, Jon Adams and Shayne Wright.
In the third period Bradford tried to catch up with three goals. The Shield’s Smith got one in the net with an assist from Childs and Soderberg-Andersson.
The Shield outshot Bradford 42 to 31.
Shield tallies 3-1 win in Game 4
The Shield took a two-game lead in the best four-of-seven series with a 3-1 win over the Rattlers in Game 4 at Bracebridge Memorial Arena Thursday night.
Telford said the team looked very determined from the opening faceoff and was able to hold off the Rattlers’ offence in the dying seconds of the game. The Shield also outshot its opponents 52-36.
Bradford scored first on a point shot that found its way through traffic and past Shield goalie Sutherland who never saw it coming.
Meanwhile the Shield outshot the Rattlers 22-8 in the opening period and Meagher was able to find the back of the net to tie the game 1-1 at the end of the first period. Sontag and Wright assisted on the play.
Second period action saw South Muskoka take a two-goal lead on singles from Childs and Sontag. Assists on the goals went to Smith, Soderberg-Andersson, Meagher and Greenslade.
“Our penalty killing was excellent in the middle frame as we found ourselves down 5-on-3 for almost a full two minutes,” Telford said. “Guys were willing to sacrifice their bodies to block shots to prevent Bradford from obtaining second-chance opportunities.”
Both teams had great scoring chances in the third period.
Bradford cut the deficit by one goal when Stanislav Nikonov scored with 1:20 to go. The team continued to press the Shield hard during the final minute of play, but Sutherland stood tall, making several key saves to preserve the win.
“After the overtime win in Game 3, I think a lot of the guys realized what we are capable of,” said Telford.
“The feeling around the rink Thursday night was positive, yet with a sense of urgency. We talked about the ability to have killer instinct and the importance of not giving Bradford any breathing room.”