Amherst, N.S. (May 4, 2019) – It was heartbreak for the Fred Page Cup hosts at Amherst Stadium as the Ottawa Jr. Senators defeated the Amherst Ramblers with a last-second goal for a 4-3 victory.
Ottawa will have a chance to defend their 2018 Fred Page Cup title as they face the Princeville Titan in the final on Sunday afternoon.
Ottawa controlled the early action inside Amherst's zone as the game got underway.
Rambler goaltender Matt Williams made a save on a point shot, but the rebound found its way to Christopher Piché opened the scoring.
Amherst pushed back after the goal, forcing Francois Boisvert to make a handful of key saves to keep the score at 1-0 for Ottawa. Shots were 18-9 in favour of the Jr. Senators after the opening frame.
The Ramblers got off to a good start in the second period, doubling their shot total from the 1st period in the first seven minutes.
The highlight was a goal from Amherst's Casey Fox, who took a shot to the right of Boisvert and beat the Ottawa goaltender far side to tie the game 1-1 at 6:07.
Ottawa regained the lead at 9:14 as Darcy Walsh took a shot from the slot and beat Williams. The Jr. Senators extended their lead to 3-1 with a powerplay goal. Bailey Brant's point shot was deflected down low by Thomas Freel at 13:23. By the end of the period, Ottawa outshot Amherst 16-12 and held a 34-21 shot advantage overall.
Amherst cut the lead to 3-2 at 7:00 of the 3rd period. Boisvert made the initial save on a shot from Casey Fox, but the rebound was tucked in by Matt Green.
With just under six minutes in the period, Ottawa's Élie Boulerice rang one off the post that could have given a two-goal lead back to the Jr. Senators. Then at 17:19, off a faceoff, Cole Waugh sent the fans Amherst Stadium into a frenzy with a goal to tie the game 3-3.
Overtime in the semifinal seemed a certainty, but with the clock running out Ottawa's Noah Rowe slid the puck past Williams into the Amherst goal as the buzzer sounded.
The officials said it was a good goal, then huddled and confirmed their decision for a 4-3 final.
The shots on goal for the game were 44-34 for Ottawa. Players of the game were Casey Fox of the Ramblers and Walsh of the Jr. Senators.
Ottawa now advances to the Fred Page Cup Final at 4 p.m. on Sunday against the Princeville Titan, who went undefeated during round robin play.
The action is live on Eastlink Community TV channels 10 and 610, as well as online on HockeyTV.
The winner of the Fred Page Cup will advance to the National Jr. A Championship in Brooks, Alberta from May 11th to 19th.
Earlier in the day, three awards were presented during a luncheon at the Amherst Fire Hall. Titan goaltender Mathieu Bellemare won Fred Page Cup MVP. He posted a tournament-leading 3-0-0-0 record, 1.65 GAA, and .950 save percentage, along with one shutout in the round robin. Princeville’s Alex Plamondon (4G, 1A) and Ottawa Jr. Senators’ Darcy Walsh (1G, 4A) were co-winners of the Top Scorer Award. Ottawa’s Kyle Jackson was awarded Most Sportsmanlike. The All-Star team will be announced during tomorrow's final.
