It took until nearly Tuesday for the Richmond Sockeyes to turn their opening round series with the Grandview Steelers into a best-of-three affair.
It was 20 minutes before midnight when Austin Cook scored in triple overtime to give the Sockeyes a 5-4 victory on Monday at Minoru Arena. The best-of-seven series, now tied at 2-2, continues tonight at the Burnaby Winter Club, before the teams come back to Richmond for game six on Thursday at 7 p.m.
A wild game four saw eight goals scored in the opening 35 minutes, followed by a 74 minute dry spell before Cook’s heroics. Both teams had plenty of chances to break the deadlock earlier, especially the Sockeyes who enjoyed a lengthy two-man advantage in the third period.
Meeting for the fourth consecutive year in the Pacific Junior Hockey League quarter-finals, the series has featured tight-checking affairs at the Burnaby Winter Club and more wide open hockey on the larger Minoru ice surface.
Grandview took game one 3-1, then the Sockeyes rocked the league’s top defensive team in a dominating 7-1 home ice victory 24 hours later.
It was back to mostly defensive hockey on Sunday as the Steelers held off the Sockeyes for a 3-2 win. Adam Rota’s power play goal, midway through the second period, proved to be the winner after Brodie Crawford pulled Richmond within a goal with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Game five saw homegrown product Arjun Badh and Rota lead their respective teams with two goals each. Brett Gelz and captain Tyler Andrews also scored for Richmond.
Seven different Sockeyes scored in the game two rout with Connor Anderson leading the way with a goal and two assists. Gelz and Andrews each enjoyed two point nights as Richmond chased Steelers goalie Matteo Paler-Chow midway through the second period with four goals on 18 shots.
The winner of this series will play the Delta Ice Hawks or North Vancouver Wolf Pack in the Tom Shaw Conference finals. The Ice Hawks lead the Wolf Pack 3-1, with game five in that series slated for Friday night.
