It wasn’t pretty, but the MBRP Major Midget Otters were able
to find a way to finish off the South Muskoka Bears in Game 3 to complete a
first round series sweep. After trailing for the better part of three periods,
Huntsville scored two goals in quick succession to stun the Bears and skate
away with a 2-1 victory.
Huntsville entered the game knowing they had an excellent chance to close out the series on home ice; South Muskoka however, had other plans. The Bears got on the board four minutes into the first period with a bobbled shot that fooled goaltender Tyler Miller. South Muskoka clung to their first lead of the series, trying desperately to pull away early. Numerous odd-man rushes were turned aside by Miller, including one fantastic save with the puck sitting right on the goal line. Huntsville struggled to generate any momentum and could not seem to find any flow to their game despite two power play opportunities in the first frame.
The second period was much of the same as the Otters were unable to convert on their sporadic scoring chances. South Muskoka took a 1-0 lead into intermission, 15 minutes away from sending the series back to Bracebridge for Game 4.
The third period saw both teams come to life and start to trade end-to-end chances. The new pace was more similar to what fans had been treated to in Games 1 and 2. As the clock ticked down Huntsville still could not find an equalizer, fortunately for the Otters a series of breaks would turn the tide their way in dramatic fashion.
With just under six minutes to play Huntsville collected the puck off a turnover in their zone. Nick Lavigne took off and flew down the wing to score his third goal of the series with a perfectly placed shot; assists went to Blake Schmitz and Ethan Murdy. The goal seemed to bring the Huntsville bench to life and undoubtedly frustrated South Muskoka. Following the turn of events the Bears found themselves two men short, which would ultimately be their undoing. On the ensuing power play Murdy made a brilliant move to slide the puck five-hole and give his team a 2-1 lead with four minutes left. Captain Connor White garnered the only assist on what turned out to be the series-winning goal.
Unfortunately for South Muskoka the penalties did not end. Playing short-handed for the remainder of the third period prevented the Bears from mounting a comeback, and Huntsville was able to close out the game. In what was billed to be a series that would surely go the distance, the Otters managed to win three straight nail-biting games with contributions from the entire roster. Credit goes to the South Muskoka team who were realistically one or two bounces away from a completely different outcome.
The Majors will now match up against the Collingwood Blackhawks in the OMHA quarterfinals. Huntsville managed a 4-2 win and a 2-2 tie earlier in the regular season against the Hawks, setting the stage for what will be another very evenly matched series.