Game 6 of the Hasty Ps Cup (presented by Trent Valley Distributors) was the first of three games, where the Wellington Dukes could claim the trophy. Heading into the Wednesday afternoon contest, Wellington had a 7 points to 3 lead in the 8-game Summit Series. Regardless of the outcome, all 8 games will be played, however if Wellington took game 6, the final games did not change that result.
For the first time in the series, the Dukes did not score in the first period, in fact neither team did. It was fast paced with tight checking, and shots finished 10-8 Wellington. Although there was no scoring, it was one of the most enjoyable periods of the series to date.
In the second period, the tension was like a playoff game. Although players are not able to body check, the hard puck pursuit and line matching continued. Both goaltenders Joe Ranger (Trenton) and Eli Shiller (Wellington) were called upon to make some big saves for their clubs. The referee combination of Chris Galway and Brandon LaBarge allowed both teams to play, keeping the pace quite quick. The game was scoreless after 40, and shots were in favour of Trenton in the second, 14-8.
To start the third frame, it felt like one goal might be enough. Both teams fired shots from everywhere, hoping something might bounce their way. The game was a stark contrast to game 5, where both teams hit the back of the net six times a piece.
When the Dukes went to the box, former Niagara Ice Dog Andrew Bruder went to work. He took a saucer pass from Stefan Dobrich and fired a rocket bar down. It was the first time in the series that Wellington did not score first.
With less than a minute to go, with the net pulled, James White ripped a wrister that got behind Joe Ranger, but sat on the line. Brannon Butler came to the rescue swiping the puck from off the red paint. The Dukes would pressure, however the GHawks blocked several late game shots, and took it game 6, 1-0.
Final shots in the third were 13-6 Trenton, for a final of 35-24 for the G-Hawks. Wellington leads the points base series 7-5.
Trenton Head Coach Peter Goulet says Joe Ranger was huge in goal. “In his first two games, some players may have been judging him, but the fact of the matter is that he has not played hockey in ten months. He was our rock. That was a great start, but we have two more to win. We can enjoy this today, but our focus has to turn to Friday.”
Wellington Bench Boss Derek Smith says, “that was the best hockey in this series from top to bottom. Both teams came ready to play. The pace was high, the energy was high, the emotion was high, and it was tight. That is all you can really ask for.” Smith added, “Our goaltending has been outstanding to this point. Anyone who has gone in the next has given us a chance to win. Shiller was great this afternoon. He made some huge saves and really battled in the crease.”
Ben Woodhouse of the Dukes says, “both teams competed extremely hard. They are a good team; we are a good team. You have to expect a good battle between us. As the series goes on, things have tightened up. You play some players a certain way, begin to line match more. In the end, you must put the puck in the net.”
Trenton’s tender Joe Ranger stopped 24 shots and said, “That was a great game by the entire lineup. We fought hard, there were a ton of blocked shots, hard back checking, active sticks. It was a complete team win. The goal is to carry this momentum into Friday. We are going to take it one game at a time. You cannot win the series in a game. We need to recover, get in a good skate, and prepare for game 7.”
There are just two games left in the 8-game series. Game 7 goes Friday at 1:30 p.m., once again in Trenton. The game will see the G-Hawks change their name and their uniforms to become the Trenton Snowbirds, in honour of former Trenton resident, Snowbird Captain Jennifer Casey.
The game goes to air on YourTV (Cogeco 4/700)
