Jonathon Brodie – Recorder & Times
It’s going to be a long series between the Brockville Braves and Kanata Lasers.
If there’s one thing Brockville learned from Friday’s 5-3 win over Kanata in Game 1 Friday at home it’s that nothing is going to come easy in the quarter-final series. Even if the Braves were to win the next three games and sweep the series the Lasers have already shown they’re not just going to just lay down.
Brockville led 3-0 going into Friday’s third period and that’s when Kanata proved their peskiness, scoring an early goal in the frame and then a shorthanded marker to cut the deficit to just one.
Just 25 seconds later, on the same Braves power play, Philippe Gilmour put Brockville’s lead back up to two before Kanata’s Chad Merrell wired a shot top corner about a minute later to put everyone in the Memorial Centre on edge.
The game was put on ice, though, when Braves Jordi Jefferson won a race to the puck and scored an empty-netter.
“I think (Kanata) has shown resiliency all year against us, so no real surprise there. I think we have to pay more attention to doing a few of the little things there,” said Braves coach Jesse Winchester.
Game 1 came as advertised. It was fast-paced with a lot of skill as was the case in most of the games they met in the regular season, but this time there was a playoff punch to it with the way both teams took shots at each other.
“It’s two really hardworking playoff teams that play the right way and it makes for an entertaining-style series,” said Winchester. “They’re a really good hockey team and we respect that.”
Both teams were solid all-around, but when they did make a major mistake they often paid for it.
On the first goal the Braves allowed there was a shooting lane to their net that could have had a car driven through it. The second goal was a, “bit lazy on the power play,” according to Winchester. The third goal came from a turnover at centre ice.
It didn’t get any better for the Lasers. Two Braves players were left alone in front of the net to pounce on a rebound and Nicolas Vlahos didn’t miss to open the game’s scoring. There was heavy traffic blocking goalie Logan Bateman’s view and he missed a floater tossed his way by Jonathan Hill, named the first star of the game with three assists added as well. Eric Faith was left alone at the corner of the net on the third goal. No one was even close to Gilmour in the slot for the game-winner.
“It’s the first (game), a little bit of nerves, myself included, but now it’s foot on the gas and full speed ahead,” Winchester said.
The home team has now won in each of the seven games Brockville and Kanata has played against each other this season.
The Braves now travel to Kanata on Sunday to take on the Lasers in Game 2 before returning home Tuesday for Game 3.
“I thought we lost our composure a little bit in the third and I talked to the guys about how hard it is to win, not a series but a game in the playoffs, and how it keeps getting harder as time goes on,” said Winchester. “You have to trust yourself, your teammates, the system, and the manner in which you play and you can’t go off page.”
Original Story at Recorder.ca
