Bantam Flyers all tied up heading to Dundalk this coming weekend

Craig Bakay | Feb 26, 2020

The Frontenac Bantam Flyers find themselves all tied up with the Dundalk Storm at a win apiece heading to Dundalk next weekend for the third and fourth games of their six-point total series OMHA Playdowns semi-final.

On Saturday at Frontenac Arena, it was all Flyers, as they downed the visiting Storm 4-0 on goals by Aaron Doak Anorae Hugheson, Andy Campbell and Carter Street.

Sunday was a different story, with Dundalk coming out on top 2-1.

But the story of Sunday’s game was penalties, as in the Flyers playing much of the game short-handed.

The first period was scoreless and went quite quickly. The Flyers took an interference penalty midway through the period and then were assessed another as the period was about to end. The crowd didn’t seem to agree with either call but then home crowds seldom do.

In the second, just as the interference penalty expired, the Flyers were penalized for too many men on the ice — a questionable call where the replacement stepped on the ice just as the penalized player was returning to the bench. Technically a penalty perhaps, but not something you see called very often at any level. Just as that penalty was expiring, the Flyers were called for boarding and the crowd was howling.

That was followed a bit later with offsetting penalties and shortly after that, the Flyers finally got their first power play of the game.

But one rush later, that got evened up with Carter Street being assessed a major for tripping on what certainly appeared to be a legitimate hip check that sent the Dundalk player to the ice, where he lay for a minute or two, which brought a visit from the trainer.

With the Flyers suffering a rare moment of disarray, Dundalk opened the scoring.

But with 1:22 left in the second, the Flyers actually got another power play, which Anorae Hugheson capitalized on to tie the score at 1-1.

In the third, Frontenac was again short-handed but goalie Lucas Steele stood on his head to keep his net clear, stopping two point-bland breakaways and adding a couple of beauty saves until, at 4:11 with the teams playing four skaters a side, Dundalk scored on a wicked shot and it was 2-1.

With 1:28 left, the Flyers pulled Steele and despite two excellent chances, couldn’t put one in.

The game ended with a bit of a scuffle in front of the Dundalk net.

“It’s tough to score goals when you play three-quarters of the game with somebody in the penalty box,” said coach Chris Nicholson. “But I thought the boys played well and played hard despite spending too much time in the penalty box.

“Our goalie, Lucas Steele kept us in this one though.”

That he did and it could very well be argued that the officiating was questionable most of the time.

But, Nicholson is optimistic they can put this behind them and perhaps win it in Dundalk.

“We were extremely confident going into this weekend,” Nicholson said. “And we’re still confident going into next weekend.

“We can totally play with this team.”

The next bantam game (if necessary) at Frontenac Arena is scheduled for March 7 at 4:30 p.m.

The winners of this semi will go on to face the winners of the BCH Ice Dogs-South Huron Sabres in the final.

The other Frontenac team still alive in the playdowns, the Peewee Flyers, open up their semi-final series against the Shelburne Wolves this coming Friday in Shelburne and return to Frontenac Arena March 6 at 3 p.m.