Timmins Rock forward Kaeden McArthur rips a shot past Soo Thunderbirds goalie Nathan Maguire for his fifth goal of the playoffs during the second period of Game 7 of their NOJHL quarterfinal series at the McIntyre Arena, Tuesday night. McArthur’s goal, which gave the Rock a 3-0 lead, would stand up to be the game-winner as the Rock went on to defeat the Thunderbirds 5-2 and take the series 4-3. They will now move on to face the Hearst Lumberjacks in the semifinals. Photo by THOMAS PERRY /The Daily Press
For the sixth time in the seven-game series the team that scored first went on to earn the victory
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
Bring on the Hearst Lumberjacks!
The Timmins Rock earned a berth in the NOJHL semifinals by defeating a stubborn Soo Thunderbirds squad 5-2 in Game 7 of their quarterfinal series at the McIntyre Arena, Tuesday night.
For the sixth time in the seven-game series the team that scored first went on to earn the victory.
“Pretty much every game this series we have had slow starts, so it was nice to get a quick start,” said Rock forward Kaeden McArthur, who would go on to score the game-winning goal.
“That’s kind of what fueled us for the rest of the game.
The Rock jumped out to a 1-0 lead 8:26 into the contest when blue-liner Matthew Kim pounced on a loose puck and ripped a slap shot past Nathan Maguire who didn’t see the puck until it bounced off the twine behind him and back out of the net.
It was Kim’s first goal of the playoffs.
Lucas Lowe doubled the Rock lead seven minutes later when he snapped a seeing-eye wrist shot past Maguire at a nearly impossible angle for his first goal of the playoffs.
The middle frame saw the Rock net a pair of power-play markers to once again double their advantage.
McArthur ripped a shot past Maguire from in close to record his fifth goal of the playoffs.
“We were working the puck around on the power play and a shot got through, hit the goalie and a couple of sticks hit it (the puck) and it went right to me in the slot,” McArthur said.
“I put it in a wide-open cage. I just wanted to get the puck on net and I saw an open opportunity. I shot it right where it needed to go.”
Captain Braedyn Cyr then added his fourth goal of the playoffs, capitalizing on a rebound to stuff the puck past Maguire.
The Rock carried that 4-0 lead into the third period, looking to kill the clock and protect their advantage.
But with their season on the line, the Thunderbirds stepped up the pressure and capitalized on a pair of man advantage situations.
Trailing by three goals, the Thunderbirds were handed a golden opportunity to close the gap. With Rock forward Evan Katic (slashing) and Kim (cross-checking) in the penalty box, they pulled Maguire in favour of an extra attacker to turn a two-man advantage into a three-man advantage.
The moved paid off, as James Legler netted his first goal of the playoffs to get the Thunderbirds on the scoreboard.
Aiden Atkinson followed with his fifth goal of the playoffs to cut the Rock lead to 4-2.
Still trailing by a pair of goals later in the period, the Thunderbirds once again pulled Maguire in hopes of creating a little more magic.
This time, however, the move backfired as Rock forward Nolan Masson deposited his second goal of the playoffs into the empty Thunderbirds net to close out the scoring.
McArthur played on a line with Lowe and Maxx Hamelin again Tuesday night and the trio once again proved to be effective despite lining up against the Thunderbirds top checkers.
“We practice together all the time and we know where each other is going to be out on the ice,” he said, explaining the unit’s success in the seven-game series. “We know the right plays to make.”
McArthur was not surprised in the least by the Thunderbirds push back at the end of the contest.
“It was do or die, so we knew they had to get something going,” he said. “We got into a little penalty trouble and they capitalized on it, but at the end of the day, we came out on top.”
The Rock and the Hearst Lumberjacks have had some intense battles, both during the regular season and the playoffs, over the years.
“It is going to be fun and the crowds are going to be good,” McArthur said. “It is going to be a great atmosphere.”
Thunderbirds coach Cole Jarrett was naturally disappointed to see his team’s season come to an end, but he is proud of how hard the competed in Game 7 and the earlier six games of the quarterfinal series.
“I thought it was a great series,” he said. “I just said to (Rock coach and general manager) Brandon (Perry) we both agreed after Game 1 it would probably end up here in Game 7.
“It is a testament to both teams and all the players involved. It was a hard-fought series, chippie at times, but a hell of a series, skill wise. Some of the best our league has to offer.”
Indeed, all three other quarterfinal series resulted in four-game sweeps, while the Rock and Thunderbirds produced seven action-packed games.
“It is a testament to their group and what they are able to do every year and for our group, as well,” Jarrett said.
“We are obviously disappointed with the result, but we know we will be back (competing for championships) and we are happy with the effort our players gave.”
The coach admitted Tuesday’s defeat will sting for a bit, but at some point they will have an opportunity to reflect on the season and all the good things that happened.
“Nate Maguire, our goaltender, has been unbelievable for us all year,” Jarrett said, when asked which Thunderbirds caught his eye, Tuesday night.
“Obviously, Declan Gallivan, with what he has been through, you can’t even put into words what it means to see him out here on the ice, with a group of guys he loves being around. We are ecstatic he is able to play the game he loves and we are happy to be here for him.”
Perry was able to breathe a sigh of relief following Tuesday night’s Game 7 victory.
“That was a hell of a series against a very good hockey team,” he said.
The coach was finally happy with the way his Rock players started the contest, as well.
“It is just home cooking,” he said. “With this crowd (1,011 fans) it was easy to get some energy.”
Perry noted the travel (438 kilometres one way) involved in the seven-game series was tough on both teams.
“But what a series,” he said.
It might have been easier for the coach to name the Rock players who didn’t impress him, Tuesday night.
“Our penalty killers were fantastic, (Ryan) Armitage, Nolan Masson, Thomas Beard,” Perry said. “They had a tough matchup against Atkinson and Legler every second shift, plus they were killing penalties. Those guys were awesome.
“McArthur and Hamelin offensively set the pace for us. Those guys were great, as well. I thought Edan Etheridge was really good tonight.
“All six of our D were good and I thought our best player was Frédéric Cousineau.”
The Rock got goals from two blue-liners, Kim and Cyr, which helped take some of the pressure off the forward units.
“We don’t care who gets them (goals), let’s just get them, but it is always a bonus when other guys chip in offensively,” Perry said.
“The top lines on any team draw the tough matchups (against the other team’s best checkers). So, any time you can get depth, from the backend, anybody contributing offensively, it is always good.”
Perry was impressed by what he saw from the Thunderbirds, as well.
“Obviously, they have some great players over there, guys like Atkinson, Legler and (Deven) Jones-McDonald,” he said. “Those guys are as good as anybody in our league.
“They are a handful, really hard to match (up against). Then, on top of all that, they are one of the hardest matchups you can have in the league because of how well coached they are. The details of their game are so strong. It is hard to prep for. They get on top of you. They are tough. They work hard and they are just a really, really good hockey club.”
The Rock will face a very familiar foe in the semifinals in the Hearst Lumberjacks, but Perry is confident his squad can find success.
“We are going to play differently, obviously, but we are thinking about Game 1 right now,” he said. “We need to get rested and get healthy because it is probably going to be a quick start.”
Cousineau stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced to earn his fourth win of the playoffs.
Maguire, who turned aside 28 of the 32 shots the Rock directed his way, was tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The Daily Press three stars of the game were McArthur (one goal, one assist), Cousineau (29 saves, win) and Kim (one goal) … The Rock went 2-6 on the power play, while the Thunderbirds were 2-7 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the McIntyre Arena was 1,011 … Rock forward Maxfeld Shin served the one-game suspension to picked up for being assess a five-minute major for boarding in Game 6 on Sunday. Thunderbirds forward Gavin Killoran served the second game of the three-game suspension he picked up for being assessed a match penalty for head contact in Game 5, on Friday … The NOJHL has not yet announced the dates for the Rock’s semifinal series against the Hearst Lumberjacks. The other semifinal series will see the Cubs hosting the Soo Eagles, starting on Thursday.
