BROOKLIN – The Six Nations Rivermen will not keep the Presidents Cup they won last year after losing in three straight games to the Brooklin Merchants.
The series began with an 8-6 Brooklin win at the Luther Vipond Arena. That was followed by a heartbreaking 11-10 loss in Game 2 of the best of five series at the ILA at Six Nations setting up for last Friday’s must win for the Rivermen in Brooklin.
Six powerplay goals later, and even with Roger Vyse’s five-point night, the Merchants were raising the Clare Levack Memorial Trophy as the OLA A Sr. B Champions and the Rivermen were packing their equipment onto the bus for the long ride home.
Dwayne Porter gave the Rivermen a bit of a jump-start with the first goal of the game, shorthanded, from Travis Bland and Vyse only10 seconds into the game. The Merchants shook that off and netted two of their own before Vyse scored his first of the night. The Merchants added two more by the end if the first period to carry a 4-2 lead into the second period.
Brooklin extended their lead to 10-6 in the second, four of their goals came on powerplays and another shorthanded as the Six Nations special teams were nonexistence.
Brooklin put up a wall in the third period keeping the Riverman outside. Jay Winder put the lid on it for Brooklin at 12:15.
The Rivermen had a very good season this year and will regroup to win back the Cup in 2017.
