BRIDGEWATER – The Amherst CIBC Wood Gundy Ramblers took care of business Friday night in Bridgewater.
Down 3-1 in their best-of-seven, Eastlink South Division semi-final series, they kept their season alive by beating the South Shore Lumberjacks 4-3 in overtime.
“The boys put it on the line tonight. We played desperate today, and that’s the way you have to play when your back is up against the wall,” said Jeff LeBlanc, Ramblers coach and general manager, following the game.
It’s easy to get nervous when your back is up against the wall but LeBlanc said the message to the team was to ‘play loose.’
“You have to take it period-by-period and game-by-game, and I thought we played loose tonight and played with confidence, and that was good to see.”
First Period
By 7:45 into the first period, South Shore was up 2-0, but Layton Parsons scored with 3:13 left in the period off a set-up from Will Bower and Brady Griffin-Hefford, making it a 2-1 game at the end of the first.
Second Period
The Ramblers tied the game 2-2 at 1:28 into the second period with Jake Barter scoring off a pass from Jordan King. South Shore went up 3-2 with 25 seconds left in the second period.
“We were down by a goal after the second period and gave up a goal with less than a minute left in the second, and for the kids to rebound in the third was great to see,” said LeBlanc.
Third Period
The Ramblers scored the only goal of the third period, tying the game 3-3 and forcing overtime. Jordan Renaud scored the goal with Jordan King, once again, supplying the feed.
Overtime
Will Lafford scored the game winner for the Ramblers at 2:04 into the overtime frame off passes from Bower and Barter.
Winning Game 5 in overtime is nice but LeBlanc won’t be satisfied until they win Game 7.
“I was talking to a friend after the game and he said you must be some excited, and I kind of looked at him and said, ‘I’ll be excited after we win Game 7,’” said LeBlanc. “It’s like I’ve said all playoffs long, you can’t let your highs get too high or your lows get too low.”
LeBlanc says the team will enjoy the win but will have a meeting on Saturday to discuss Game 6.
“The boys did the job. That’s one win but we need the next one to keep the season going, and there’s no doubt in my mind our best game is coming,” said LeBlanc. “Sunday’s game is going to be a big one. I think it will be the biggest crowd of the year. We need to win and we know that the crowd is going to be behind us.”
Goaltending
Joel Goguen played between the pipes for Amherst Friday night, stopping 26 of the 29 shots he faced. Mackenzie Janes stopped 36 of the 40 Ramblers shots he faced.
Game Attendance
Game attendance at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater Friday night was 1,363.
Upcoming Games
The Ramblers are back home at Amherst Stadium for Game 6 on Sunday at 7 p.m.
Game 7, if necessary, is back in Bridgewater Monday night at 7 p.m.
