Page 9 - March 16, 2017

Thursday, March 16, 2017 Sports The Independent Page 9 Brent Sauve uses his feet to move ahead as the Squires thumped Mapleton-Minto 9-1
Sunday at home to move to the WOAA nal.
Heather Wright Photo
Squires take on Radars in nals
The Independent Staff
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It’s been a long time since the Petrolia Squires made it to the nals.
rivals - the Clinton Radars. The Radars turfed the Squires from the second round last season and Goodacre thinks this time will be different. Goodacre says the Radars have about seven top-rated players and two strong lines. The Squires, he says, have four strong lines of about equal strength. “They’re going to get tired and provided we stay out of the penalty box, we should do well.”
Long-time Captain Jeremiah Goodacre was on the 2009-2010 team that faced Elora in the nals. “It’s been a while,” he says with a grin. But after a convincing win at home Sunday, it appears the Squires are ready to do some damage.
The Squires bucked the trend of road team victories last Saturday night in the series against Mapleton Minto to punch their ticket to the nal. Petrolia hammered the 81’s 9-1 Sunday.
Goodacre says that has been a problem this year. “If we play ve on ve hockey, I believe we have a very good chance to win.”
Up until game six, the visitors had won the ve previous games in the best-of-seven series, but the Squires came out of the gate quickly in what turned out to be the decisive game with ve goals in the rst period en route to the series-clinching victory.
It might not be pretty. Goodacre says there isn’t a lot of love lost for Clinton. “We respect them like crazy and we hate them like crazy.”
Jason McPhail led Petrolia with a four- goal performance, while Dan Veenema and Corey Pawley each had two goals and an assist. Steve Farlow had the other Squires’ goal.
Only one point separated the third place Squires and the fourth place Radars in the regular season standings with the differ- ence being a game awarded to Petrolia early in the season due to Clinton’s use of an ineligible player. The Radars had won the game, 5-3.
Brandon Campbell blocked 37 shots for the goaltending victory.
And he says going into the Radar’s barn can be intimidating. They routinely pack 1,300 people in the place with rabid fans tossing beer and water bottles at the players.
Ryan Trottier set the stage for the series- clinching win on home ice with a shorthand- ed overtime marker to give the Squires a 2-1 win in Drayton on Friday night.
“We’re hoping our barn can be just as intimidating... When we have a full barn our fans can be very passionate and as intimi- dating as they can.”
Goodacre says this is the most talented team he’s played with over the last 19 years. “It’s a far deeper team than it used to be,” he tells The Independent. “It is de nitely the deepest, most talented group I’ve been a part of.”
And Goodacre says the Squires are ready for the ght to the nish. “In past years, we got to the playoffs because of grit,” he says. “This year, if we continue with the grit and with the talent that we have, then we will be successful.”
That should serve them well facing their
Dates set for Mooretown Midgets nal
The Independent Staff
Kincardine for games on March 24 and 25, the Flags will enter- tain the Kinucks for game ve,
The Mooretown Midgets will host the rst two games of the OMHA Midget “B” nal against Kincardine this weekend at the Moore Sports Complex.
Game one is Saturday at 7 pm, followed by a Sunday afternoon encounter at 2:40.
if necessary, on Sunday March 26 at 4 pm.
After the six-point series shifts back to