The Ridge Meadows Flames won the first game of their best-of-seven Pacific Junior Hockey League championship series on Thursday night, as they beat the Delta Ice Hawks 2-1.
It was Delta’s leading scorer Brayden Sinclair who got the first goal of the Stonehouse Cup, just 1:12 into the game. But from there, Ridge goaltender Cam Connolly was perfect.
This is absolute 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Derek Bedard (@DerekFlamesGM) March 22, 2023
Cannot wait for tomorrow! https://t.co/FywV0GAugz
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There was less than five minutes left in the second period when defenceman Brandon Osborne scored his first goal of the Junior B playoffs to knot the game 1-1, when his shot from the point found the top of the net.
Flames forward Zack Lagrange got the game winner midway through the third period, as he redirected a shot from Cohen Muc.
Lagrange had a goal and an assist, and the Pitt Meadows product was chosen as the game’s first star.
Connolly made 44 saves on 45 shots, and was named the second star. Connolly now has an impressive record of nine wins and one loss through the playoffs, with a 0.938 save percentage.
The second game of the series will also be at Delta’s home barn, the Ladner Leisure Centre, on Saturday, March 25 at 7:35 p.m.
After that, the next two games of the series will be at the Flames’ own Cam Neely Arena, starting on Monday, March 27 at 7:45 p.m. Game four will be Wednesday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Game 5, if necessary, would be back in Ladner on Thursday, March 30.
Game six would be back at Cam Neely Arena on Saturday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Game seven has yet to be scheduled.
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