Round 2 Recap - Semi Final 1

The first semifinals pitted a pair of EHJGHL maintstays, as first-placed Shooters Bar & Grill took on CKG Elevator.

In the first game, Shooters trailed 1-0 early on a goal by Tyson Aalders  on a nifty feed from Stuart Lenehan, however the deficit was quickly erased by goals from Nick Watson (assst to Jeff Taylor), Kyle Dillman (assist to Connor Hilton) and Jarret Johns (assist to Tyler Doyle and Kyle Miller).

CKG would come out of the gates quickly in the second period, evening the score on goals by Billy Hartley (assist to Matt Doudelet and Josh Hilton) and Aalders, again from his running mate, Lenehan. Undeterred, Doyle would add his second of the game with 3:27 remaining in the second, and Waverly's Cam McDonald potted a late marker with 1:56 remaining, giving Shooters a 5-3 lead after 2. The teams traded goals in the third, with CKG marksmen Lenehan, Hilton and Hartley tallying, while Miller and Taylor responded for Shooters who were able to hold on for a 7-6 win.

In Game 2, a motivated CKG squad overcame an early 3-2 deficit in the first period and simply outgunned Shooters with 7-second period goals to cruise to an easy 9-3 victory and even the series. Scoring for Shooters was Ryan Poirier (assists to Miller and Doyle), Doyle (assisted by Miller) and Hilton (assisted by Josh MacKiel) while Lenehan led the way for CKG, coming away with a whopping 5 goals and 2 assists. Doudelet and Aalders each had a pair of goals, while Billy Hartley chipped in his third of the postseason.

The tables set for a one-game winner take all, Shooters looked to be the first team to overcome the "regular season champion curse" and give itself a chance to come away with the league hardware. Hartley scored the only goal in the first at 4:09 as CKG took a 1-0 lead into the intermission. Doyle would respond for Shooters, drawing the home team even, but perrenial scoring threat Aalders quickly responded 1:30 later, putting the defending champion back on top, which would hold up as the eventual game winner. Despite mounting pressure from Shooters, Kinnon MacMillan shut the door, further separating himself from the pack in terms of goalie statistics for the post-season. MacMillan had 25 saves in the win, while John Korecki responded with 21 saves for the loss. CKG would go on to tack on insurance markers in the third period, as Cory Pettipas, Hartley and Evan Dickie put this one to bed, ensuring that CKG would not be denied its bid to defend the Keith Miller Cup.