Weekend Recap: London

A couple of potential upsets in the opening round of the GOJHL playoffs, plus double OT action out of Western!

Written by: Greg Bowman

March 5, 2019

Photo Couresty: Navaneeth Mohan, 94.9 Radio Western

 

GOJHL Playoffs

(2) London leads (7) St. Thomas 3-0

The London Nationals have a stranglehold on their series against the St. Thomas Stars, leading 3-0 heading into Game #4 on Tuesday evening. On Friday, the Nats took down the Stars 6-2 in Game #2 of the series, with Christian Polillo leading the way with a goal and two assists. Game #3 of the series was played on Saturday in London, with the Nats winning again 4-1. Polillo was a force for London again, scoring two goals in the win. Polillo has seven points through the first three games of the series. Seventh-seeded St. Thomas will look to avoid the sweep on Tuesday night at the Joe Thornton Community Centre.

 

(6) Komoka leads (3) Chatham 2-1

The Komoka Kings are pushing the issue as the underdog in their series, leading the Chatham two games to one. After Thursday’s Game #1 win for Komoka, Chatham responded in Game #2 with a 7-4 victory. Six of the game’s 11 goals came in the second period of the game. Chatham had three players with three-point nights: Griffin Robinson (1g, 2a), Dane Johnstone (2g, 1a) and Sean O’Brien (1g, 2a). Game #3 of the series saw the Kings flex their offensive muscles with a 6-4 win. This time, it was a six-goal third period that provided the bulk of the game’s offence. The Kings had six players with multi-point games. Game #4 of the series will be played on Tuesday evening in Komoka, then Game #5 will be on Thursday back in Chatham.

 

(1) Leamington leads (8) Strathroy 2-1

After the Strathroy Rockets stole Game #1 of the series, the Leamington Flyers have responded with two wins of their own. Game #2 was a 4-3 overtime win for the top seed, with Wyatt O’Neil scoring the game-winner early into the extra frame. Game #3 was a 4-1 win for the Flyers, with Adam Jeffrey scoring two third period goals. Game #4 of the series will be on Tuesday in Strathroy then Game #5 will be on Thursday in Leamington.

 

(5) LaSalle leads (4) Sarnia 3-0

The LaSalle Vipers have a stranglehold on their series against the Sarnia Legionnaires with three decisive wins in the series. Game #1 was a 6-2 win away from home, then Game #2 saw the Vipers impress on home ice with a 6-3 win. Brett Vorshuk had a goal and three assists in that game. Game #3 was a 5-2 win for the Vipers in Sarnia with three LaSalle players recording multi-point nights. The Vipers will have a chance to close out the series at home on Wednesday evening.

 

Western Mustangs

 

Hockey

The Western Mustangs women’s hockey team were trying to claw back into their McCaw Cup semi-final series on Friday night after dropping Game #1 to the Toronto Varsity Blues two days prior. The Mustangs put together a strong road performance, with goals from Emma Suitor, Rachel Armstrong and Evra Levesque propelling them to a 3-1 win at Varsity Arena in Toronto. That would force a third and deciding Game #3 17 hours later back in London on Saturday afternoon. The teams exchanged goals in the second period, with Maddy De Serres and Sydnee Baker scoring for Toronto and Western, respectively. In the latter half of the third period, Toronto’s Julia Szulewska would beat Carmen Lasis for the game-winning goal, sending the Varsity Blues to the McCaw Cup Championship game and giving them a spot in the U Sports National Championship tournament in Charlottetown, PEI.  The Mustangs’ season is now over. Best of luck to all the graduating Mustangs players in their future endeavors, and congratulations to the rest of the team on a solid season.

The men’s hockey team were looking to close out their OUA West Finals series in Guelph on Saturday evening after an exciting 4-3 win in Game #1. Guelph would dominate Game #2, holding Western to just six shots on goal through two periods, coming away with a 6-1 win. That would force Game #3 in London on Sunday evening. Guelph would lead 1-0 after the first, but Rylan Bechtel and Cordell James would score in the second to give Western a 2-1 lead after 40. Guelph would respond with two goal 33 seconds apart early in the third period to seize a 3-2 lead. With 1:40 left on the clock, Stephen Desrocher would score for the Mustangs, sending the OUA West Final to sudden-death overtime. Late into the second overtime period, former captain of Team Denmark’s Junior team, Mikkel Aagaard notched his second goal of the game to send his Gryphons to the Queen’s Cup Championship game. The Mustangs will now head to Ottawa on Friday to play the Carleton Ravens in the OUA Bronze Medal Game, with the winner earning a wild card spot in the National Championship.

 

Volleyball

The Western Mustangs men’s volleyball team hosted the Toronto Varsity Blues at Alumni Hall for the OUA quarterfinals on Saturday. Western was second in the West at 13-5, while the Blues were third in the East at 12-6. Western also won their only regular season match against Toronto. The two teams would duke it out in a five-set thriller, with the Varsity Blues taking set #5 15-8, sending them into the OUA Final Four. The Mustangs lost their fifth straight OUA quarterfinal match. Congratulations to the Western Mustangs men’s volleyball team on a strong regular season!

The women’s team hosted the Queen’s Gaels for the third straight year in their OUA quarterfinal match. Western would take the match in four sets, advancing to their fifth straight OUA Final Four. They will play the 17-2 Ryerson Rams who finished atop the OUA East. One of the Rams’ losses though, came against the Mustangs in their only meeting of the regular season, and Western has now won nine straight matches dating back to January 25th.

 

Category: Greg Bowman Recaps