BRANTFORD, ONT – The Brantford Titans hosted game 2 of their second round series against the St. Catharines Falcons on Sunday looking to get even after the Falcons took game 1 by a score of 5-2. The game on Sunday was the first GOJHL semi-final game played in Brantford in franchise history. Carter Vicente was back between the pipes for the Titans while Hayden Jeffery made the start in goal for the Falcons.
This game would have a really good pace early on as both clubs would get some grade A scoring chances but neither team could find the back of the net. Matt Fries would take the first penalty of the game at 6:07, giving the Titans the first power play chance of the game. Both units would get their looks on goal but they could not solve Hayden Jeffery. Falcons would kill off the penalty and then 22 seconds later, Treyson Dewar would race into the Titans zone up the left side and beat Vicente clean on the glove side to give St. Catharines a 1-0 lead, 6:07 into the first. Titans would continue to get chances in the offensive zone throughout the middle part of the first period and it would lead to the Titans first goal. Ethan Szabo walked out from the goal line and fire it glove side to tie the game at 1. Jeffery would get about 65% of the shot but it just trickled past him and the post. Adam Stipan recorded the only assist. Just 1:25 later, the Titans would strike again. The initial shot was stopped by Jeffery but the rebound was potted home by Adam Stipan to give the Titans their first lead of the series. Hard work pays off for the Titans in the opening frame as they would take the 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Ethan Szabo and Titus Muhn collected the assists on Szabo’s fifth goal of the postseason. Shots after 20 minutes favoured St. Catharines 8-7.
As the two teams got set at centre ice to begin the second period, Jack Pancoe and Brendan Grenville exchanged slashes and words trying to set the tone for the period. Five seconds would tick off the clock and the officials would blow the play dead, issuing penalties to both Pancoe and Grenville. Pancoe got called for slashing and Grenville was taken off for unsportsmanlike conduct. Falcons would still operate on the power play that carried over from the first but they couldn’t score with the extra man on the ice. The Falcons would start to really apply the pressure as the second period moved along. They had a ton of point blank chances on goal but Carter Vicente looked like a brick wall in the middle frame. 10:09 into the second, there would be a scramble in front of Vicente and the only man to find the puck was Easton Poirier, who would tie the game at 2. Nathan Duplessis and Cameron Lowe collected the assists. The rough stuff would continue throughout the second period but we wouldn’t see another penalty called until there was 1:41 to go as Mason Takacs got called for holding, giving St. Catharines another late period power play. Falcons could not find the back of the net and the remaining 19 seconds on the man advantage carried over to the third period. Shots after forty minutes favoured the Falcons 20-17.
To the third, Titus Muhn would get called for hooking giving the Falcons their fourth opportunity on the power play and they would convert for the first time in the game. Ally Mostafaie beats Vicente to put the Falcons in front 3-2. Trent Gates collected the lone assist. Titans would answer very, very quickly. Zach Gratton scored his first of the playoffs just 24 seconds later to tie the game at 3. Quinton Kim-Lemay and Kaleb Frank picked up the assists. In the late stages of the third, Tyler Crisostomo turned the puck over at the side of the net, Grenville took it and gave it right to Cameron Lowe who beat Vicente five hole to put the Falcons back in front by 1. Titans looking for the equalizer late, controlled the puck for the last two and half minutes trying to beat Jeffery. They won every offensive zone draw and got numerous looks on the net but they could not beat Jeffery. With 6.1 seconds to go, the Titans would be awarded a penalty shot as one of the Falcons defenders would close his hand on the puck in the crease. Ethan Szabo would take the penalty shot for the Titans. With both benches standing, Szabo grabbed the puck at centre, streaked up the left side of the ice and went back hand as he came across the front of the net but Hayden Jeffery would make one last save to help his team to victory. Falcons win it 4-3 and now lead this best of seven series 2-0. Final shots favoured St. Catharines 30-29.
Game 3 is on Monday in St. Catharines with game 4 taking place on Thursday at the Gretzky Centre.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qEEqQyCjwY
