A disappointing game two didn't stop the Blades on Tuesday, crushing the St. Michael's Buzzers by a score of 6-1 on Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead in the southwest division playoff series.
With the series returning to Sixteen Mile Sports Complex on Tuesday, the Blades were looking for a strong effort after a disappointing 6-0 loss on Saturday. Back on the bigger ice, the Blades always seemed to be more competitive, as shown by their 2-1 victory on Friday that opened the series.
It took the Blades a little bit to get going; but when they did, they were tough to contain. With just a couple of minutes left in the first, Ryan Foss made a few nice moves that got the puck into the offensive zone, then sent it off to Jackson Bales. Bales then found Ian Blacker at the point, whose slap shot was beautifully tipped in by Drew Worrad that made it 1-0 Blades.
With Toronto Maple Leafs legend Wendell Clark in the crowd, the Blades were hungry for more. With just a minute off the board, University of Vermont commit Bryce Misley broke in all alone on the breakaway, beating former Blades goalie Mark Manolescu with a shorthanded backhander that made it 2-0 Blades.
The Buzzers managed to break Brendan McGlynn's shutout off a strange goal. Cameron Wright took the right opportunity in front after Austin Clapham passed to his teammate in front, who fired it off a Blades defender and in for the Buzzer's first goal.
The Blades were quick to take back their two goal lead. With just over four minutes left in the middle frame, Jackson Bales got a shorthanded marker of his own after taking a pass from Josh Kosack in front for the 3-1 goal.
The Blades' special teams were key and with a minute and a half left in the second, Oakville was able to take the 4-1 lead. Kosack added another point to his total, making an incredible spin at the doorstep that fed Ryan Foss in front, who fired it home for his second of the post-season and Oakville's fourth of the contest.
The third period was physical, capped with a 45 second fight between Peyton Reeves and Mike Pellegrini. There was momentum in Oakville's game, who got a goal out of Kosack after a tremendous pass in front by Misley. It gave the Blades a 5-1 lead with half the period still to go. Oakville did a great job of limiting any potential scoring chances by the Buzzers, who elected to go with Jake McGrath in net for the final 20 minutes of play. Kosack scored his second goal of the game and fourth point of the night with seven minutes to go to make McGrath's brief appearance even worse, finishing off the game with a 6-1 victory.
With the win, Oakville heads into game four with a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven playoff series against the Buzzers. Game four will take place at St. Michael's College Arena on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm, a game that should be entertaining for the full 60 minutes. The two rival teams will return to Sixteen Mile Sports Complex at 7:30 pm on Friday night, March 11, 2016, hope to see you there!