Adam Prudhomme
Editor
The Napanee Raiders’ quest for a Schmalz Cup came to an abrupt end on Thursday night in Port Hope, falling 6-5 to the Panthers in Game 6 of the Tod Division semifinals.
Napanee came into the game hoping to stave off elimination for a third straight time and push the series to a winner-take-all Game 7. Both offenses came out flying in the opening 20 minutes, each side alternating a pair of goals. Drew Clapperton and Josh Sainthill scored for Port Hope while Reid Lambert counted with two for Napanee.
Marshall McFarland gave the Raiders their first, and ultimately only, lead of the game with a power-play strike at the 7:14 mark of the second period. The advantage was short lived however as Port Hope rattled off a string of three unanswered goals in a span of two minutes and six seconds courtesy Isaac Langdon, Carter Clarke and Cole Kimble.
The Panthers didn’t let up from there as Sainthill potted a goal 1:21 into the third to put his team up 6-3.
Napanee didn’t let their season end without a fight as Ryan Kidd scored just over two minutes later to cut the lead down to two. Noah Westwater brought the Raiders to within one with three minutes left to play. The comeback attempt fizzled from there however, as the Panthers held on for the wild win.
Bailey Maracle took the loss, allowing all six goals on 48 shots. Joseph Clark earned the win with 28 saves.
For Napanee, the first round exit comes as a disappointing end to a season that started with 16 straight wins and finished with just six losses in 41 regular season games. After cruising to first place, they entered the semifinals as heavy favourites over the Panthers, who finished a distant fourth, a full 24 points back of Napanee. The Panthers did however come into the series having played a quarter-final playoff series while the Raiders had a two-week layoff between games.
The loss spells the end of the junior careers for overagers Payton Gauthier, Westwater, Maracle and Soren Zamuner.
As the Raiders are left to reflect on what could have been, the Panthers will now prepare for the league finals. They’ll await the winner of the Picton Pirates and Amherstview Jets semifinal series. Picton, who also entered their series as underdogs, currently leads that series 3-2 after picking up a crucial 4-3 overtime win in Amherstview on Thursday night.
They’ll have a chance to close out the series Saturday on home ice at 7:30 p.m. If the Jets can prevent a Pirates clinch, Game 7 would go Sunday in Amherstview at 1:30 p.m.