Overtime loss sidelines minor atom A Tigers

Carter Kipp and Mitchell Tomaino each scored a goal in regulation but the Welland Niagara Street Pharmacy Tigers were unable to generate any offence in overtime in a 3-2 loss to Riverside that eliminated Welland from contention for an Ontario Minor Hockey Association major atom A championship. Riverside won the best-of-five, six-point quarter-final series three wins to one after splitting the first two games and scoring a 5-1 victory in Game 3. Kipp replied for Welland in the loss. Kaleb Seguin accounted for the Tigers offence in a 3-1 loss in the series opener, while Nicolas DiPietro, Mark Gibson and Tomaino netted goals in a 3-2 victory in Game 2. Riverside, ranked fifth in the province, entered the series against the 34th-ranked Tigers as the clear favourite. Welland went 4-1-1 at the Niagara qualifying tournament held in Niagara Falls after finishing sixth in the 11-team league with a 14-10-5 record. DiPietro, with two goals; and Tomaino scored in a 3-2 defeat of Glanbrook, Tomaino in a 1-1 tie with Garden City, while Stanley Mannell earned the shutout Isaac Khan, Gibson and Kipp scored goals in a 3-0 victory over Fort Erie. The Tigers rebounded from a 3-0 loss to Grimsby in their final preliminary-round game by doubling Glanbrook 2-1 in the semifinals, on goals from Gibson and Khan; and defeating Garden City 4-2 for the championship. Tomaino, with two; DiPietro and Seguin scored for Welland.