Preds, Voyageurs even after two
Wed Feb 27, 2008

By: Jason Chamberlain

The Port Hope Predators and the Kingston Voyageurs are tied at one game apiece in their East Division semi-final series.

It's another example of how evenly matched the two clubs are. Kingston owned a 4-3 advantage in the regular season series between the two clubs, but both teams put 28 goals on the scoreboard. The teams are still tied in that regard, with Kingston winning game one by a 5-2 score on Feb. 23, only to have Port Hope answer back the next day with a 5-2 home win of their own.

"We're the underdog, but barely," said Coach Brian Drumm. "We're so close."

The Preds may have suffered from a bit of fatigue in game one, coming off their four game defeat of the Lindsay Muskies. The Voyageurs had fresh legs and used them to their advantage in their first game of the post season. They also received an assist when one of Port Hope's best players, Tyler Miller, was injured in a freak accident when a Kingston player's skate blade sliced the back of his ankle. Though the blade missed his Achilles tendon, the injury still forced Miller to the sidelines for game two.

"I think we faded off after Miller got hurt," said Drumm of the first game. "It was a scary incident, and there was a lot of blood loss. I think it shook our guys up. Seeing one of our best players get injured, it's tough."

Drumm hopes to have Miller back in the lineup before the series is over, but even if he can't return, the Predators still boast an explosive offence.

"Our scoring is pretty spread out. Kevin Parker got his first two goals of the playoffs (in game two), (Mitch) Moffatt can score, Brooks Mejia is playing well, Jeremy McCarty got a big goal. We've got all kinds of guys who can score."

When they're not putting the puck in the net, the Preds are focused on keeping it out of theirs, and in game two they employed a crash and bang style that stymied the Vees. "Our defence tightened up," said Drumm. "We had a physical presence in game two, which made it tougher for Kingston to enter the zone. If we play like that, we'll have opportunities to win."

The saying goes that goaltending wins championships, and the Preds have received solid netminding from late season pickup Billy Stone. "This series will boil down to two things," said General Manager Tim Clayden. "Which team has more heart and which team gets goaltending. The team that brings and gets both, wins."

To that end, Clayden believes it's time for Stone to shut the door on the Vees. "I brought Billy in here because I think he is a premiere goaltender at this level, and now its time for him to get it done," he said. "Billy came here for this exact situation."

The series will continue in Kingston on Thursday, Feb. 28, before returning to Port Hope for game four the following night at 7:30 p.m. With the clubs neck and neck so far, no one involved expects a quick series.

"She'll be a tough one," said Drumm. "It'll go right to the wire."