The Truro Bearcats are off to the Eastlink South Division Final after a six game series win over the Amherst Ramblers. Truro will face another longtime rival in the next round in the Pictou County Weeks Crushers, who defeated the Summerside Western capitals in five games.
The semi-final series didn’t start well for Truro, who dropped an 11-1 decision at Amherst Stadium in Game 1. Goals from Kiefer Lyons and Matt McRae gave the Ramblers a 2-0 lead after the 1st period. They added four more goals in the 2nd period as McRae, Mathis Perron, Liam Travis, and David Lebel found chased Bearcats goaltender Jack Milner from the game. Amherst continued to score in bunches in the 3rd period against goaltender Rylan Benner as Jack Hayne, Kiefer Lyons (powerplay), Jack O’Blenis picked up goals, in addition to two from Christian Reardon. Eric Halliday broke the shutout with a powerplay goal for Truro in the final minute of the game. Lyam Leblanc made 24 saves for the win.
Back on home ice for Game 2, the Bearcats were determined to tie the series and jumped out to an early lead as Isaac Arsenault scored at 4:11 of the 1st period. Perron scored twice to give the Ramblers the lead, but a goal from Truro captain Zachary Marquis sent the teams to their dressing rooms tied 2-2. Amherst went up 4-2 midway through the 2nd period with a goal from Mark Corbett at 5:52 and a hat trick goal from Perron at 7:30. Truro, however, responded with five straight goals. Liam Welsh and Eli Baillargeon had powerplay goals at 16:37 and 18:44 to tie things at 4 after two period. Welsh, Baillargeon, and Kevin Walker gave Truro a 7-4 lead in the 3rd, which chased goaltender Lyam Leblanc from the game. McRae scored to get Amherst back within two, but Baillargeon picked up a hat trick goal into the empty net to finish off an 8-5 win and tie the series at a game apiece. Milner made 31 saves in the victory.
The Ramblers took the early lead in Game 3 as Corbett scored at 13:25 of the 1st period and Charles-Antoine Lavallee scored just 20 seconds into the 2nd period. Baillargeon cut the lead in half at 2:48 of the middle frame, but Corbett restored the two-goal lead at 11:36. The Bearcats forced overtime with goals in the 3rd period from Welsh at 16:36 and Jake Todd at 17:55, but Lavallee gave the Ramblers the 4-3 win on a deflection from a point shot by Owen Aura in double overtime. Milner made 51 saves in the loss, while Leblanc bounced back with 33 saves for the win.
Xavier Farrah got his first start of the series in Game 4 for Amherst. Baillargeon and Owen Sparkes scored in the 1st period to give the Bearcats 2-0 lead. Corbett brought the Ramblers back within a goal, but Baillargeon scored again at 11:33 of the 2nd period to give Truro a 3-1 lead. Amherst would again cut into the lead as Lavallee scored at 19:10. Amherst tied things up just 48 seconds into the 3rd period. In the end, a point shot from Ben Lindsay was deflected past Farrah by Marquis with just 1:52 left in the game to give the Bearcats a 4-3 win and tie the series at two.
Truro continued to show their resiliency in Game 5 back in Amherst. They held a 2-1 lead after the 1st period on goals from Marquis and Todd. Lavallee scored shorthanded for Amherst, and the Ramblers then took over in the 2nd period with four goals. Lavallee finished off a hat trick with another shorthanded goal to go with a powerplay goal. Corbett and Perron picked up the other goals. In the 3rd period, Marquis and Welsh scored at 7:15 and 9:39 to get back within one, and former Rambler Owen Sparkes tied things up at 18:17. The game would go to double overtime for the second straight game in Amherst, but this time Truro would come out on top as Sparkes got his second goal of the night for a 6-5 win and a 3-2 series lead. Milner made 34 saves for the win, while Leblanc made 38 saves in the loss.
With Amherst fighting to extend their season and Truro looking to avoid a Game 7 back in Amherst, Game 6 was the tightest defensive game of the series. Todd opened the scoring with 43 seconds left in the 2nd period. The goaltenders were both outstanding, making key saves throughout the night. Todd finished off the game and series with an empty net goal at 19:26. Milner posted a 28-save shutout, while Leblanc made 25 saves in the loss.