NEWS

(pictured - Adam DiBrina of the Aurora Tigers flys over netminder Kevin Entmaa while attempting to stop Toronto Lakeshore's Marcus Rose en route to a 5-4 victory and a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven OJHL Championship Series - photo credit: Andy Corneau/OJHL Images)

The Aurora Tigers tried to dig themselves out of a three-goal hole, but the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots held on for a 5-4 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven OJHL Championship Series.

Prior to the game, the OJHL honoured the very best of the 2013-14 season with its 4th Annual OJHL Awards Ceremony.  Congratulations to all all award winners this year on the well-deserved honours!

A fairly evenly played first period saw the Tigers open the scoring on a deflected shot from pointman Mihkel Poldma that found its way to Curtis Warren in the slot and he fired it past a surprised Evan Buitenhuis.  The lead would not last, however, as the Patriots found their scoring touch in the final two minutes of the frame, scoring back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead into the break.  First, Marcus Rose buried a rebound off a deflected shot by Jacob Hayhurst to knot the game at one, and just 30 seconds later, Andreas Tsogkas picked off a Poldma pass and made no mistake on the partial breakaway.  Shots were 13-11 in favour of the home side after one.

Toronto did not let up in the second and again fired home two quick goals early in the period to take a commanding 4-1 lead.  After his wrap-around attempt was stopped by Entmaa, as well as the rebound off Tsogkas, Rory Bell buried his ninth of the post-season.  A minute and a half later, Rose notched his second of the game, deflecting a point shot from defenceman Cory Lauer and the Patriots were seemingly off to the races in game two.  The Tigers cut the lead in half as rookie sensation Eric Williams walked the blueline and found captain Robert Angiolella with a cross-ice pass in the slot and he snapped home his eighth of the playoffs.  Once again with the period coming to the end, Toronto Lakeshore put what seemed to be another nail in the coffin as Marcus Rose continued his stellar game, finding Doug Bonar with a cross-crease pass for a shorthanded goal and a 5-2 lead entering the intermission.  Shots once again favoured the Patriots 15-11 in the stanza.

James Richmond was not named the OJHL Coach-of-the-Year for nothing and his intermission pep-talk seemed to work as Aurora came out flying in period three, taking the play to Toronto and outshooting them 15-6 with back-up Andy Munroe now between the pipes.  First Curtis Warren picked up his second of the game and team-leading 10th of the playoffs when he found himself alone in the slot once again.  Less than a minute later with the Tigers pressing hard, Buitenhuis stopped the first two point-blank shots, but couldn't stop Dylan Sikura who found himself alone at the side of the net for the second rebound attempt.  Aurora continued the pressure but could not find the back of the net again and the Patriots took home a 5-4 victory and now have a 2-0 lead in the series.

Final shots in the game favoured the visitors after their third period barrage, 37-34, while Marcus Rose was named the game's first star with a three point effort in front of 420 spectators.  Doug Bonar, who potted the game-winner for the second consecutive game was the second star, while Aurora's Curtis Warren was star number three with a pair of goals.

Game three in the series takes place tonight, Monday, April 14, 2014 at Canlan Ice Sports - York with puck-drop scheduled for 7:30pm.