It’s do-or-die tonight for the Orillia Terriers.
The local Jr. C hockey team is hoping for seventh heaven on home ice while the upstart Schomberg Cougars are hoping to cap a stunning upset in enemy territory.
After six games in the teams’ opening-round Provincial Junior Hockey League playoff series, the teams are deadlocked 3-3. Game 7 goes tonight at Orillia’s Rotary Place.
Schomberg, which finished 25 points behind the Terriers in the regular-season standings, jumped out to a fast start in the series and built a 2-0 series lead.
However, the resilient Terriers stormed back to win three straight games to put themselves back in the driver’s seat.
The Cougars would not roll over on home ice. With a chance to win the series, Orillia came out a bit flat at the Trisan Centre in Schomberg Thursday night, dropping a 3-1 decision to the host Cougars.
After a scoreless first, Schomberg broke the ice 1:48 into the second period with a power-play goal.
Terriers captain Owen King failed to score on a penalty shot midway through the period and then Schomberg scored a back-breaking, short-handed goal with just nine ticks left on the clock that gave them a 2-0 lead after two.
In the final stanza, the Terriers made a strong final push, outshooting the Cougars 19-9. But Schomberg took advantage of a power-play chance with less than eight minutes remaining to stretch their lead to 3-0.
The Terriers did not quit and pulled their goalie in favour of an extra attacker with more than five minutes remaining. Josh Brown scored to cut the lead to 3-1, but that was as close as the Terriers would get.
Zach Levac stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Terriers, while Schomberg goalie Curtis Boothe was almost perfect, stopping 34 of 35 shots directed at his net.
The difference in the game was special teams; Schomberg scored a power-play goal and a short-handed goal, while Orillia went 0-for-7 on the powerplay.
Now, it all comes down to one game, winner-take-all.
“We need the fans to come out and help us win Game 7,” said Terriers GM Andrew McDonald.
Game time tonight is 7:30 p.m.
