Ironmen to meet Patriots after series victory over Bulldogs

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Friday night was one to remember for the Wingham Ironmen, as they defeated the Kincardine Bulldogs to punch their ticket to the second round of the playoffs and goaltender Garrett Golley was honoured as the winner of the conference’s Most Valuable Player and Top Goaltender Awards.

 

The Ironmen will now face the first-place Mount Forest Patriots in the second round of the playoffs, with the first game already under their belts, played on Wednesday night, though a score was unavailable at press time.

 

The series continues on Friday night with game two in Wingham at 8 p.m., followed by game three, the final game scheduled right now, is set for Saturday in Mount Forest.

 

The Ironmen earned their position in the second round of the North Pollock Division of the Provincial Junior Hockey League playoffs last Friday night with a 4-3 overtime win over the Kincardine Bulldogs. The victory gave the Ironmen a four-games-to-one series victory over the Bulldogs.

 

As mentioned, prior to the game, Golley was honoured with two of the conference’s most coveted awards. He won, in part, thanks to breaking the league record for shutouts in a season, registering nine in the 2022/2023 season while posting a record of 23-8-2-1 and a goals-against average of 2.29 and a save percentage of .914.

 

Kyle Stanbury scored a hat trick in the game to propel his team to victory, including the game-winning overtime goal, scored just five minutes into the first overtime period.

 

Stanbury opened the scoring at 4:12 of the first period with a power play goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Matt Tolton. Kincardine evened the score at one before the period ended, however, when Steven Grant scored his second goal of the playoffs on the power play, unassisted.

 

To open the second period, Coleson Fischer scored his first goal of the playoffs at 1:07 of the period, assisted by Kyle Stanbury.

 

Kincardine roared back less than a minute later when Gavin Downs scored his first goal of the playoffs at 1:50 of the period, assisted by Jake Ertel and Gavin Gibbons. 

 

The teams exchanged goals again in the third period. Kincardine’s Kieran Moore scored his first goal of the playoffs at 5:31 of the third period, on the power play, assisted by Steven Grant and Liam Colhoun, followed by Stanbury scoring his fourth of the playoffs and second of the game at 11:02 of the period, assisted by Dawson Fahrer.

 

In the first overtime period, Stanbury scored his third goal of the game and fifth of the playoffs at 5:20, unassisted, to win the game and the series for the Ironmen.

 

Garrett Golley earned the win for Wingham in the Ironmen net, stopping 23 of the 26 shots he faced, while Carter Garvie was handed the overtime loss for the Bulldogs, stopping 39 of 43 shots.

 

Jake Ertel of the Bulldogs was called for the first penalty of the game, a slashing infraction, at 2:24 of the first period. Wingham’s Dawson Fahrer was called for interference at 13:56 of the period, followed by a cross-checking call against Wingham’s Turner Mckenzie at the 15-minute mark of the first period, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called against Kincardine’s Carter Servais and a roughing penalty called against Wingham netminder Garrett Golley, both at 15:14 of the first period. Matt Tolton served the penalty for Golley.

 

In the second period, Kyle Stanbury was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 3:45 of the period, followed by a cross-checking call against Wingham’s Jonah Burley.

 

Kincardine’s Steven Grant and Carter Servais were called for roughing after the whistle and slashing, respectively, and Matt Tolton of the Ironmen was penalized for roughing after the whistle, all at 8:19 of the period. 

 

Four penalties were then handed out at 11:55: roughing after the whistle calls against Steven Grant and Carter Servais of the Bulldogs, and a roughing penalty against Wingham’s Dawson Fahrer and interference called against Garrett Golley, which was served by Nigel Kreager.

 

Kincardine’s Wilson Shipp had the final penalty of the period, a charging call, at 13:27 of the second.

 

Nate Bloemberg of the Ironmen served the only penalty of the third period, a holding-the-stick call at 5:07, and Kincardine’s

 

Austin Waite had the only penalty of the overtime period, being called for tripping at 1:34 of the period.