Falcons hope to regain series lead on home ice
Hamilton Kilty B’s hand St. Catharines its first defeat of the junior-B hockey post-season
Jack Gatecliff Arena will have had 1,124 days to prepare for the first unior-B playoff final game in St. Catharines by the time the puck drops Friday night.
In comparison, the 84-year-old’s primary tenants will have had less than two days to regroup from their first loss of the 2021-22 Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League postseason.
On Wednesday night, the No. 1 seed Hamilton Kilty B’s jumped out to a 3-0 lead and doubled the second-seeded St. Catharines Falcons, 4-2, to even their best-of-seven Golden Horseshoe Conference final at one win apiece.
Head coach Tyler Bielby, whose Falcons took a 6-2 decision in the series opener, also on the road, said his team took the ice knowing Hamilton didn’t want to go down 0-2 heading into Friday night’s game at The Jack.
“We knew we were going to play a really hungry team in Game 2,” he said. “They don’t have much experience losing in their own barn.”
The loss was Hamilton’s first of the playoffs and only second at home since the start of the season.
“Hamilton was coming off a Game 7 and Game 1 seemed like a bit of a feeling-out process for both teams. Last night, we could see that intensity pick up on both sides.”
After a scoreless opening period, Hamilton needed only 4:20 to jump out to a 3-0 lead in the middle frame.
“We had some mental lapses for the better part of 10 minutes in the second period. That cost us,” Bielby said. “Against a team that strong, that’s a tough hole to dig out of. We are proud of the way our boys did dig deep as they faced adversity for really the first time in the playoffs, and at least worked hard for the second half of that game.”
Bielby, behind the bench for the first time after serving a threegame suspension, thought the Kilty B’s had an “extra spring in their step” coming off their defeat in Game 1.
“We have to assume that they felt it and didn’t like it, and that they were going to respond,” he said.
“At this stage of the game, we’re seeing the true look of both teams. If you can’t be leaving it all on the table right now, you should be playing a different sport,” Bielby said.
The second-year head coach’s No. 1 message after Wednesday night’s loss? Hard work trumps skill at this point of the season.
“Just understand that, when you decide to put your head down and really be determined to outwork the guy beside you, that’s when good things will happen this time of year,” Bielby said. “Skill will get you so far, but right now I’m a big believer that you have to show up every shift wanting it more.
“I thought in the third period we showed that a little bit. We have to make sure we continue that momentum.”
Nolan Underwood, on the power play, Luke Johnston, Sam Shakes and Justin Monteith scored for the Kilty B’s. Jonah Boria, also on the power play, and Chris Reid replied for the Falcons.
St. Catharines outshot Hamilton 37-28 and each team scored once on the power play: The Falcons were 1-for-3 and the Kilty B’s were 1-for-4.
Game 4 is Tuesday at The Jack with the fifth game the following night at Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena in Hamilton. Games 6 and 7, if needed, will be played Friday, May 13, in St. Catharines, and Sunday, May 15, in Hamilton, respectively.
Falcons Feathers
On Sunday, April 7, 2019, the Falcons defeated the Niagara Falls Canucks 6-2 in the last Golden Horseshoe final game played in St. Catharines … The playoffs were cancelled due to COVID-19 after the opening round the following year, as well as for the entire 2020-21 season … The Falcons came into Wednesday night’s game in Hamilton with a 9-0 record in post-season play this season.