R’Hawks open playoffs with 2 wins

The Niagara Falls RiverHawks visited the Hamilton Huskies Jr. Blues Sunday night with a chance to gain a stranglehold on their opening-round Provincial Junior Hockey League playoff series.

On Saturday night in Niagara Falls, fifth-seeded Niagara doubled No. 4 seed Hamilton 2-1, to take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven South Bloomfield Division quarter-final.

Karl Lavoie, on the power play, and Dante Massi scored for the R’Hawks. Patrick Vulgan replied for the Blues.

Shots on net were 37 aside. Niagara finished Saturday night’s game at Gale Centre 1for-7 on the power play.

Hamilton went 0-for-6 with a man advantage.

Game 4 goes Tuesday night at the Gale Centre.

P. Kings 3, Mudcats 0

At Dunnville, Riley Maskell stopped all 18 shots he faced backstopping visiting Grimsby to a victory and a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven Provincial Junior Hockey League quarter-final.

The second-seeded Peach Kings drew first blood,

It is their opening-round series and they f ace the seventh-seeded Mudcats.

They had goals from Jacob Balca, Evan Brown, on the power play; and Andrew Ceolin, into an empty net.

Grimsby outshot Dunnville 36-18 and went 1-for-6 on the power play. The Mudcats were 0-for-6 with the man advantage.

The first-round series resumed Sunday night in Grimsby.