Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Though they may still be on the ropes, the Napanee Raiders didn’t fall to the mat just yet, beating the Port Hope Panthers 4-2 in Sunday’s Game 4 of the Tod Division Jr. C hockey semifinals.
That road win allowed the Raiders to live to see at least one more game, now down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The Panthers came out keen to end the series as Isaac Langdon scored on the power-play just 1:28 into the game to be put the home team up 1-0.
Christos Chronis responded for Napanee just shy of the five-minute mark with a power-play goal of his own.
Cater Clarke gave the Panthers a brief lead in the second, scoring at 14:03. Ben Carter responded for Napanee at 16:44.
That score held until the midway point of the third when Noah Westwater put the Raiders in front with a power-play tally. Westwater added a huge insurance goal with just one second left in the game, icing an empty-net goal to ensure the Raiders would live to see another day.
Raider goalie Bailey Maracle came up big when his team needed it most, turning away 44 shots. Panther goalie Joseph Clark meanwhile, who had won all three games heading into the night, saw a much lighter workload with just 22 shots on the night.
The Raiders will look to keep clawing their way back into the series on Wednesday when they return to home ice for Game 5. Puck drop at the SPC is set for 7:30 p.m.
If they can keep the Panthers from clinching they’d have a chance to tie the series the next night in Port Hope. Puck drop for Thursday’s game, if necessary, would be 8 p.m.
Meanwhile in the Tod Division’s other series, the Amherstview Jets went up 2-1 in their best-of-seven series with a 3-0 win over the visiting Picton Pirates on Sunday night.
Home ice has been crucial through the first three games as the visiting team is yet to so much as score a goal, let alone win a game. The Jets blanked Picton 3-0 in Game 1 at the W.J. Henderson Arena before the Pirates shut them out 2-0 in Thursday’s game at the Prince Edward Community Centre.
The Pirates will have to hope that trend continues Tuesday when the series shifts back to Picton. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. Game 5 will go Thursday in Amherstview at 6:30 p.m.