The Six Nation Rivermen are one win away from participating in the Presidents Cup tournament to be played in St. Catharines this year. The all-important Game #3 is scheduled for Saturday, August 15th at the Gaylord Powless Arena with an 8 pm start.
Should the Merchants battle back, Game #4 will head back to the Luther Vipond Arena and if a game #5 is required, it will be played Tuesday night, Aug. 18th at the GPA at 8 pm.
The Presidents Cup has not been in Six Nations hands since the Ohsweken Wolved defeated the Akwesasne Thunder for it in 1996. Looking back further, the Brantford Supertests, which were mainly Six Nations players playing out of the Brantford Arena, held the Cup in 1968 and 1969. Two years earlier, in 1964, the Ohsweken Warriors paraded the cup down Chiefswood Road.
Last year the Rivermen came close, winning Silver after losing in the final to the Onondaga Redhawks of the Can-Am., but this year, they want to bring that tall good-looking trophy back to Six Nations.
After falling apart in Game #1, losing 11-2, the Brooklin Merchants put in a better showing Sunday for Game #2 at the Luther Vipond Arena.
The Rivermen and the Merchants kept the game close throughout the game, which ended 3-2 for Six Nations after the first period and 6-6 after the second.
Mike Miller broke the tie for the Rivermen at 36 seconds of the final frame but Jordan Sanderson and Brad Levick put the Redmen ahead 8-7 by the 7:10 mark. The Rivermen regrouped and Cory Bomberry went to work to ensure the win with two third period goals for his game hat-trick, plus one.
Kyle Childerhaus also added a goal for Six Nations to put a two-goal cushion under their lead. Levick drew Brooklin to within one, but could not find the last goal they needed to send the game into OT, allowing the Rivermen a10-9 win and a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-five series.
Also scoring for Six Nations were Roger Vyse, with two, and Wayne VanEvery with one.
The Sr. B Rivermen overwhelmed the Brooklin Merchants by the score of 11-2. in Game #1 of the league championship’s played at the Gaylord Powless Arens in Ohsweken, Friday night.
Angus Goodleaf was in goal and played a solid 60 minutes turning aside the few very good chances Brooklin had. The Rivermen defense didn’t give the Merchants much time to set up in the offensive zone with close checking creating several turnovers. Goodleaf also chipped in offensively with five assists from the crease.
It was a rough and tumble game for both sides as referee Andrew Ecclestone did his best to keep a lid on the spirited affair, calling 16 penalties against Brooklin and 30 against the Rivermen.
Once again the one-two punch of Wayne VanEvery (4G,1A) and Roger Vyse (2G-5A) accounted for much of the Rivermen’s attack. Marty Hill had a hot stick as well scoring three and assisting on another. Also contributing were Delby Powless (1G,3A) and Stu Martin (1G). Steve Bourden and Dan Ransom scored for Brooklin.
There was a little more room on both benches by the end of the game with Dan Vyse and Brock Boyle being tossed for the Rivermen, and Nick Loyst and Marl Debrone sent to the showers for Brooklin.
