Games 4 and 5 between the Lundar Falcons and Selkirk Fishermen stole the spotlight of all Capital Region Junior Hockey League first-round playoff action last week.
In Wednesday’s Game 4, it was the Falcons who forced a winner-take-all Game 5 thanks to a 1-0 victory at Lundar Arena.
Netminder Dylan Leclair was unbeatable in Game 4, stopping 47 shots, while Dylan Care scored with 6:31 left in the third period to even the best-of-five series at two games apiece.
That set the stage for another tight-checking game with the series — and a trip to the CRJHL semifinals — on the line Friday night at the Selkirk Recreation Complex.
Game 5 stayed scoreless until the third period once again, with both Leclair and Selkirk’s Johnny Enns-Demchuk bringing their best in net.
Then, with 11:53 remaining, Selkirk’s Ashton Schroeder broke the deadlock with a power-play goal to put the Fishermen ahead 1-0.
His tally was quickly followed by a Connor Bruyere goal, giving Selkirk some insurance in the form of a 2-0 lead.
Things then got chippy, with fighting majors and misconducts handed out to both sides in the final minutes.
Lundar made one last push but was unable to beat Enns-Demchuk, who finished with 35 saves to shut out the Falcons 2-0 and close out the series.
With the win, Selkirk moves on to face the Beausejour Comets in a best-of-seven semifinal series, while Lundar’s season comes to an end — along with its streak of seven consecutive semifinal appearances.
The game also officially concludes the junior careers of Falcons players Gavin Miller and Liam Russell, who played a combined 10 seasons in the league.
