OHSWEKEN – The defending Presidents Cup Champions, the Six Nations Rivermen, took four points this past weekend with a 10-6 road win Friday night in Ennismore, and an 11-9 OT win Sunday, at home.
The Titans pushed Rivermen into overtime with a third period rally. Stu Hill and Roger Vyse scored first period goals, but Oakville battled back in the second outscoring Six Nations 5-4 for a 6-5 two period score in favour of the Rivermen.
Hill took over in the middle frame scoring three while Vyse added his second of the game on a powerplay from Travis Bland with 5 seconds remaining.
Vyse was awarded a penalty shot, which he scored on to open the third period with Wayne Hill and Jesse Johnson putting the game on ice, or so they thought. Oakville was not ready to poll over and scored the next four goals in succession to force an overtime period.
The near miss, seemed to wake up the Rivermen and in the OT period Cory Bomberry scored what would stand as the game winner on a powerplay from Vyse and Bland. Wayne Hill made it official with an unassisted, empty netter.
Last Friday night, the Rivermen padded their first place perch by defeating the Ennismore James Gang, 10-6 in Ennismore. But even a four-point spread over second place Brooklin left no breathing room.
The James Gang took a 3-0 lead over the Rivermen before Wayne Hill and Jesse Johnson closed the gap before the end of period one. Jake Bomberry took a down-floor pass from goalie Grant Crawley to even the score at 3-3, at 2:40.
Stu Martin, Logan Kane and Jacob Crans also scored second period goals for the Rivermen to end the second period with Six Nations leading by a narrow 6-5 score when the Gang scored two behind Crawley.
The Ennismore fans thought they were witnessing a win for the home team when Ryan McCrory evened the score again by coming out strong and surprising the Rivermen at 56 seconds of the period.
Six Nations had something to say about that, however. Rodd Squire Jr. tied it up again and Travis Bland, Wayne Hill and Logan Kane picked up the final four goals of the game.
The final two games of the regular season will be important to both the Rivermen and the Brooklin Redmen in a home-and-home series starting July 9, in Brooklin and culminating on Sunday July 10 at 4 p.m., at the Gaylord Powless Arena.
The Rivermen are first with 24 points and the Redmen are only two points behind but hold a game in hand.
