Thanks to a pair of wins over the previously unbeaten Six Nations Rebels, the Elora Mohawks are poised for a return trip to the Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior 'B' championship round.
The Mohawks stunned the 26-0 Rebels in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals last Wednesday, beating them 6-4 at Ohsweken. Six Nations looked to return the favour Saturday night in Elora, but the Mohawks staged a third-period rally to earn a 7-6 win and a 2-0 series lead.
At Ohsweken, Elora used a steady and unspectacular first period to take a 2-0 lead in the opening game. Dan Keane netted both Mohawks goals, the second coming on a late powerplay. Kyle Dobbie added to the lead halfway through the second period, making it 3-0 on the powerplay. Stu Martin and J. Quinn Powless cut into that lead with goals 11 seconds apart, but Kyle Goss kept the Mohawks in front with his first of the series. Wayne VanEvery made it a 4-3 game going into the third period when he scored with a minute left before the intermission.
Shane MacDonald scored the eventual game-winning goal early in the third, hooking up with Keane and Brady Heseltine on the powerplay 5:24 into the third to make the score 5-3 for the Mohawks. Steve Hutchinson added an unassisted marker seven minutes later to provide a three-goal cushion for Elora. Tony Doxtator scored with just under four minutes left for the Rebels, but the Mohawks' defence made the two-goal lead last until the final horn.
Keane finished with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) to lead the Mohawks, while Ricky McGarr made 38 saves on 42 shots to pick up the win. Warren Hill took the loss in net for the Rebels, stopping 36 of 42 shots. VanEvery led the Six Nations attack with two points (1,1).
Game 2 began well for the visitors, as they opened the scoring when VanEvery snapped a shot past McGarr 8:20 into the opening frame. MacDonald answered back four minutes later, but the Rebels took the lead into the break when Jeremy Johns got a shot behind McGarr three minutes from the end of the period.
The Rebels then took advantage of some indifferent defensive play on Elora's part to start the second, pouncing for three goals in the first 6:49 of the period. VanEvery, Jacob Bomberry and Vaughn Harris each had one in that run, turning a 2-1 lead into a comfy 5-1 bulge for the Rebels.
Things turned for the Mohawks halfway through the period - Goss snagged a shot from Keane with the shot clock winding down and rifled it past Rebels goalie Don Alton as the clock expired. That served as a wake-up for the Mohawks, but the results weren't fully apparent until the early stages of the third period. Brady Landoni picked off a Rebels pass and fed Hutchinson on a breakaway - the Elora rookie faked Alton and then dumped the ball over his right shoulder 92 seconds into the third. Heseltine then netted two goals in a two-minute span to tie the game with 13:50 to play.
Powless put the Rebels back in front on a somewhat controversial goal, scoring after he appeared to catch the ball while still in Elora's crease. The officials let the goal stand, but the Mohawks stayed with their plan of attack and were rewarded - Jordan Godin bulled his way to the net to tie the score at 6-6 with five minutes left, then Heseltine gave Elora their only lead of the night three minutes later when he was sprung on a cut to the net by a pick from Keane.
Six Nations had one last good chance to tie the game up when VanEvery snapped a shot at the top left corner of Elora's net, only to see McGarr dive in front of the ball at the last second to deny him.
McGarr finished with 41 saves on 47 shots, while Alton stopped 44 of 51 chances - including 19 saves on 24 shots in the third period. Heseltine led Elora with three goals, while Jake Weidner chipped in with three helpers.
Following the game, Mohawks head coach Dean George said a coach always hopes to find himself in such a good spot, being up 2-0 in a best-of-five series, but he knows full well just how hard it will be to close out the Rebels and advance.
"When we fell behind 5-1, the coaches just kept telling our players to stick to the system - we needed more transition and better defensive play, and we got that as the game went along," he said. "Maybe we were getting too cute with some of our shots over the first two periods. We definitely need to bury our chances when we get them against this team."
Playing with the lead in Game 1 and then playing from behind the whole time in Game 2 made George realize just how crucial a strong start and prolonged good play will be in Game 3 - as well as any other games of this series should the Rebels manage to extend it past Wednesday night.
"I thought we showed a lot of character in coming back tonight, and we accomplished that by getting the guys to understand they had to do the little things," he said. "We had to stop the bleeding and not get ahead of ourselves. We'll have to stick with the game plan we had tonight and in Game 1, but come out with a much greater sense of urgency. The way we played tonight and in Game 1 just won't cut it - we need to be better."
Heseltine said nobody was hanging their head when the Rebels got out to their four-goal lead, and they kept reminding each other to just keep pushing and good things would eventually happen. Putting up three goals in the third period to drag the Mohawks back into the game - and then win it for them - would count as good things.
"I really do think we wanted it more, and I think we worked for every loose ball we got," he said. "That hard work paid off. I was jacked up and just wanted to score - I didn't want all our hard work to go to waste. Keaner gave me a really good pick, and the ball just fell for me."
The key to surviving the final 1:55 was to turn the tables on the Rebels, Heseltine said, and the Mohawks did what they could to make that happen. By jumping the ball at the top of the attack instead of letting it closer to the crease before making their move, Elora was able to short out the Rebels' offence and require McGarr to make just one last big save on VanEvery to preserve the win.
Game 3 of the OLA West Finals goes Wednesday, July 28, in Ohsweken at 8 p.m. If necessary, Game 4 returns to Elora on Saturday, July 31, for a 7 p.m. start, and Game 5 would be played at Six Nations on Sunday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.