Royals Force Game 7 With 7-2 Win At Home
With their backs to the wall, the Richmond Royals beat the Carleton Place Jr. Canadians 7-2 at the Richmond Memorial Community Centre Sunday night.
The win tied their Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League Richardson Division final series at 3-3. The seventh and deciding game will be played in Carleton Place Tuesday night.
Two things stood out in the Royals win. First, the players who provided the offence were not from their first line, which has been putting up big numbers throughout the Junior B playoffs. EOJHL playoff scoring leader Dylan Rorwick was help to just one assist, while linemates Tyler Hames and Tyler Branchaud were kept off the scoresheet completely.
The second thing that stood out was that the Royals played the best period of their 2023-24 season. In the second period, Richmond had 25 shots on goal, which was the Jr. Canadians’ total for the entire game. Richmond outshot Carleton Place 47-25 on the night.
The Royals opened the scoring in the first when Leo Kluchert scored his first of the playoffs from Jackson Dallaire and Cameron Donaldson.
In the second, Trent Poitras scored from Reid Johnston and Sam McElheran; Drew Russett scored from Giulio Carulli and Donaldson; and then Theo Avila scored from Connor Platt. For all three scorers, the goals were their second of the playoffs.
With a 4-0 lead, the Royals then got a big break as Carleton Place forward Jaxon McVie-Stevenson, who has been their best player in the series, took a five-minute major for a check to the head.
That set up what turned out to be the best power play of the season for the Royals, who scored three goals to make the score 7-0.
Christian White scored two goals, with Reid Johnston and Cameron Donaldson assisting the first, and Dylan Rorwick and Parker Stretch assisting the second. Thirteen seconds after the second goal of the five-minute power play, Reid Johnston scored from Donaldson and Connor Buffam.
In the third period, Liam Colvert and Hunter Robitaille scored for the Jr. Canadians to make the score 7-2.
Donaldson was the first star for his four assists, while Sam Nolan made 23 saves to earn second star honours. Robitaille, the son of former NHL player Randy Robitaille, who spent his 10-year career in Boston, Nashville, Pittsburgh, New York (Islanders), Atlanta, Minnesota, Philadelphia and the Ottawa Senators, was the third star after netting his third goal of the playoffs.
Tuesday’s game in Carleton Place has a 7:15 p.m. puck drop. The winner advances to the Bogart Cup final to play the winner of the Martin Division finals. The Casselman Vikings lead the Ottawa West Golden Knights 3-2 with Game 6 in Casselman Tuesday.
