The Elora Rocks finally had enough of the Little Team that Just Wouldn't Quit, and they did something about it.
Elora won both games against the Ripley Wolves last weekend, beating them 7-5 in Elora on Friday night before going into Ripley Saturday and posting a 6-0 victory. The weekend sweep gives the Rocks a 4-2 win over Ripley in the best-of-seven WOAA 'AA' quarter-finals series.
In Elora for Game 5, the Wolves showed why they were not to be taken lightly - after rallying from a 1-0 deficit early on, Nick Locking tied the game with a powerplay goal for Ripley. The Wolves surged ahead quickly, as Shea Armstrong scored 43 seconds into the middle frame. That goal would keep Elora playing from behind for the next period and a half, as they struggled to break down the Ripley defence and goaltender Jason Reid.
Ripley held a 4-3 lead after two periods, but Reid left the game with a suspected groin injury after that and was replaced by Kurt Edwards. The Rocks greeted him with all kinds of pressure, and Travis Martin scored to tie the game at 4-4 just under four minutes into the third.
That tie lasted less than a minute, as Nathan Gavey put the Wolves back in front when he beat Blake Sinclair off a scramble similar to the one that produced Martin's goal.
But as they have all season long, the Rocks called on their talent and kept their heads together late to find yet another rally. Pat Shantz tied the game when his shot from the point went through a number of bodies in front of Edwards, beating the Ripley goalie with 7:54 left in regulation. Three minutes later, John Lunney earned his first point of the game when he grabbed a loose puck from yet another pile-up in front of Edwards - he waited for his opening before flipping a back-handed shot over Edwards for the go-ahead goal.
Rich Colwill added a goal into an empty net late after Elora made a last-minute stand in their own end to hang on for the win.
Jeremy O'Donnell, Mike Brito and Tyler Leggo added other goals, while assists went to Ryan DeBoer, Jeremy Machin (3), Brito, Leggo (2), Ken Dunn and Roddy Bauman.
Following the game, Rocks coach Kevin Lobsinger described the last three minutes of play as 'jailhouse' hockey. With both teams scrapping and clawing for every loose puck, tempers flared a little on both sides - but Lobsinger was pleased with how his team held on in the end.
"I don't know that we got lucky tonight because I thought we played great in the third period," he said. "Ripley got a lot of lucky breaks tonight - that fourth goal of theirs bounced the right way just as the second period was ending. But we fought hard to get back into the game, and we knew they weren't a physical team."
As the final seconds wound down, Locking went down to the ice after being speared by one of the Rocks in retaliation for a slash Locking had delivered seconds early - a move that went uncalled by the referee. Lobsinger said he didn't think the Rocks were a dirty team because of that incident, but they weren't about to back down from play like that either.
"We wanted to establish a physical style against a team like that, and the ref had let a lot of things go the whole game," he said. "It might very well have been a case of 'if you're not going to call them, then you're not going to call us, either' on our part."
In Ripley a night later for Game 6, Elora found themselves leading 1-0 after the first period before they took control. They outshot the Wolves 21-6 in the second period alone, exploiting a still vulnerable Reid in the Ripley net. Four goals later, the Rocks had a comfortable cushion for the rest of the game.
Brett Machin, Colwill, Leggo (2), Jordan Fair and Jeremy Machin finished with goals in the clinching game, while Colwill (2), Jeremy Machin, Steve Walters (2), Lunney, Brito, Fair, DeBoer, Brett Machin, Martin and Rich Shantz added helpers.
With the win, Elora advances to the WOAA North finals and will face the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks after Saugeen dispatched the Shelburne Muskies in five games.
Game 1 of the North final will be Friday, Mar. 5. at 8:30 p.m. in Elora, with Game 2 in Port Elgin on Saturday, Mar. 6, at 8:30 p.m.