Markham was able to draw first blood in the South Division Championship series against the visiting Wexford Raiders when a Kevin Cribari empty net goal with 33 seconds left sealed a 6-4 victory.  A good start to what should be an exciting series as the Waxers got goals from 6 different players over the night and Scott Gray stopped 30 shots to earn the victory in net.

The Waxers struck first just 2:15 in to the contest thanks to some good forechecking.  Jeff Weiss pressured the Wexford defence in to a turnover and cycled the puck to Nathaniel Brooks in the corner.  Brooks skated right out in to the high slot and ripped a wrist shot high to glove hand and beat the Raider goalie for his 2nd goal of the post season.  Markham would add another goal late in the period to take a 2-0 lead in to the opening intermission.  Mark Menonte and Pat Porretta provided the forechecking this time before Porretta centered the puck to Tony Rossi in the high slot.  Rossi grabbed the puck and shot it through the legs of the goaltender and the Waxers had their first 2 goal lead of the night.

Wexford would cut the lead in half at the 7 minute mark of the second scoring off a scramble after a face-off in the Waxers zone.  Markham regained the two goal bulge just past the midway point of the game scoring off a rush started from a face-off in the Waxers zone.  After throwing the puck out in to the neutral zone, Ryan Olidis won the race to it, poked it by the Wexford defenceman and then spun past him to create a 2-on-1.  A terrific goalmouth pass was tipped in to the net by Ben Cottreau and the Waxers led 3-1.  Wexford would make it tight going in to the third as they added the next goal with 6:58 left in the second.

Markham would capitalize in the third period when they were granted a 5-on-3 power play in the opening minutes to take a 4-2 lead. Cottreau got the puck at the goal line down low and zipped a goal mouth pass to Olidis who was stationed on the other side of the crease for the redirect and with 5:53 gone by it looked like the Waxers had solidified the victory.  Credit to the Raiders however as they bagged two goals in less than 2 minutes to tie the game 4-4 with just over 10 minutes left in regulation.  The Waxers would take their final lead of the evening just 1:44 after Wexford tied the game when Andrew Dias completed a line hat trick (he plays with Cottreau and Olidis) with the game winner.  Coming off a dump in by the Raiders, Joe Rothwell led the rush up the ice and fed Dias near the Wexford blueline.  Dias dropped the puck for Olidis who drove wide and then shovelled the puck forward to Rothwell near the side of the net.  Rothwell centered to Dias who snapped it home between the goalie's legs for the 5-4 lead.  Markham shut the door after that playing strong defensive hockey all the way to the point where Cribari sealed it with the empty netter.

G A M E   S T A T I S T I C S

No.

 G

A

PTS

PIM

PPG

SHG

GWG

TOTALS