The Ingersoll Carmeuse Lime Express won both their games on
Saturday to advance to the Mooretown International Siler Stick final on Sunday.
Ingersoll would face off against the Lincoln Blades in the third and final round robin game on Saturday afternoon in Mooretown with first place in pool play at stake. The game would start of slowly for the Express with Lincoln scoring the only goal of the first period. When the teams took to the ice for the second period, the Express found their rhythm scoring 6 times while only allowing 1 to go up 6-1 after two. Scoring for Ingersoll in the second were Qwerty Dei with two, Tyler Goyette Derek Johnson, Ryan Cooper and Kirk Meek. Dei’s second goal would come with less than a second to play in the period. Carter Franklin would score the only goal of the third period while goaltender James Allison would shut the door as Ingersoll skated away with a 7-2 victory. Qwerty Dei would lead Ingersoll with four points including two goals and two assists. The win clinched first place for Ingersoll by one point over Listowel.
In the semifinal game on Saturday night the Express would face the New Castle Stars looking to avenge their only loss of the tournament in the first game of the round robin. This would be a sprited affair right from the opening faceoff. Ingersoll would dominate early but were unable to find the back of the net. The rest of the first period featured back and forth action. Late in the first period, Ryan Cooper would be strong on the forecheck, gain control of the puck then feed Kirk Meek with a pass from behind the New Castle net. Meek would fire a wrist shot past the Stars goalie to put Ingersoll up 1-0. The second period would feature more of the same. The Express penalty killing would be tested midway through the second period as they found themselves in a 2 man shorthanded situation. Some excellent penalty killing and some timely saves would allow Ingersoll to escape the period without allowing a goal and cling to a 1-0 lead heading into the third. The third period was nail biting for both teams fans. With 7:22 left in the third, Dereck Johnson would find Kyle Rachar open at the blue line who fired a low shot which the New Castle goalie made the save but Carter Franklin was there to put in the rebound to give the Express a 2-0 lead. With Ingersoll already short a man, Ingersoll was going to be called on another penalty. Before the Express could gain control of the puck, New Castle would score with 1:21 remaining in the third period. Due to the delayed penalty, Ingersoll would find themselves shorthanded again for the last 1:21. Again some excellent penalty killing and strong goaltending prevented New Castle from scoring, allowing Ingersoll to skate away with a hard fought 2-1 victory. This game featured outstanding goaltending form both New Castle goalie Quinton MacArthur and Ingersoll goalie Ryan Calder.
In a rematch of Friday’s game, Ingersoll will face the Listowel Cyclones in Sunday’s championship game for the Juvenile B division at 1:00 pm in Mooretown.