After a long lay off for both teams, the first game of the second round between Markham and St Michael's proved to be an exciting, close affair that hopefully is a glimpse of the hockey ahead.  The Waxers, buoyed by a 12-4 shot advantage in the third period, beat the Buzzers 4-3 to open up a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series.

Markham struck early to take a 2-0 lead before the game was 7 minutes old.  Tony Rossi open the scoring with a power play goal less than five minutes in to the game.  Kevin Cribari and Mark Menonte moved the puck to each other leaving the Waxers end and then head-manned the puck to Rossi in the neutral zone.  Rossi stepped over the Buzzers blue line and faked a slapshot.  With the Buzzers goalie out and down, Rossi kept skating around the net and banked the puck in off the retreating goalie for the 1-0 lead.  Then, just 1:22 later, the Waxers doubled their lead on a pretty goal off a 2-on-2 rush.  Goalie Scott Gray stopped the puck behind the net and fed a perfect pass to Jason Duffy who streaked up the ice with Nathaniel Brooks.  Crossing the blue line, Duffy slowed down and then threw a soft saucer pass towards the net for Brooks.  Fighting off his check, Brooks dove and chipped the puck up and over the Buzzers goalie for his first Junior A playoff goal.  St Mike's would strike back with a goal of their own to make 2-1 after the first period with Markham holding a 14-11 advantage in shots.

St Mike's banged in the tying goal just 2:08 in to the second period off a shot from a faceoff in Markham's end.  That would be the only scoring of the period that was filled with power plays.  Markham generated a number of good chances but could not beat the Buzzers goalie holding a slim 13-12 shot advantage.

Markham came out strong in the third period and held the majority of the play.  They took the lead 3-2 at the 7:03 mark on a Ryan Steane marker as Liam Bowen cycled the puck behind the net to Menonte and he found Steane in front for a hard wrist shot through the Buzzers goalie's legs.  St Mike's would tie the game on a shorthanded breakaway goal almost 3 minutes later which set the stage for an intense final 10 minutes of hockey.  Markham got a 4 minute power play with 4:52 left on the clock and that proved to be enough because they converted the winning goal while on the power play with 1:51 left on the clock.  Moving the puck up the ice, Pat Porretta fed Ben Cottreau in the neutral zone and he and Ryan Olidis went off on a 2-on-2 rush.  Cottreau crossed the blueline and dropped to Olidis who fed the puck back to Cottreau as he snuck behind the defence.  Cottreau corralled the puck and out waited the Buzzers goalie moving around him to the backhand and sliding the puck home for the final goal.

It was an entertaining game with all the elements of good hockey: crisp passing, solid body checks, excellent goaltending, pretty goals, etc.  Gray was solid all night stopping 24 shots for the victory, his fourth straight in this year's playoffs.  The two teams now get a day off before resuming the series Sunday night in St Michael's before returning to Markham on Monday.

G A M E   S T A T I S T I C S

No.

 G

A

PTS

PIM

PPG

SHG

GWG

TOTALS