Sunday’s game between the Oakville Blades and the Burlington Cougars was game one of the best of three between the clubs.
Heading into this series, the Cougars were the heavy favourite to win the series as they finished in the top spot in the Ontario Junior Hockey League's west division, and the Blades placed fourth.
After the national anthem was performed, the stage was set for the first game of what was sure to be a great series.
The first period was just what you would expect from these longtime bitter rivals - great plays by both teams, big hits going both ways, and both goaltenders performing very solidly in-between the pipes.
Both teams played a solid first 20 minutes, with the first period ending 0-0.
The second period is when the scoring finally started.
Nearly 13 minutes into the second period, Burlington scored the first goal in the game when Sterling Wolters shot from the point, assisted by Jack Richard and Isaac Faccio. His goal was the only one in the period with the frame ending 1-0 for Burlington.
In the third period, the Cougars took over the game.
On a 5 on 3 powerplay, the Cougars scored again when Joel Chauvin tapped in a puck at the side of the net to make the game 2-0.
Shortly after the Chauvin goal, Jack Richard tipped in a Kaleb Thissen point shot, extending the Cougars' lead to 3-0.
Richard also added an empty netter to lock up a 4-0 win for the Cougars, giving them a 1-0 series lead in the best of three series.
After this game, the Blades are back at Sixteen-Mile Creek Complex on Tuesday, April 12.