Slammers shut out Western Capitals in game three, sweep series in game four on PEI

Chris Rygus shares a laugh during game three between the Woodstock Slammers and Summerside Western Capitals on Friday, March 23rd. The Slammers swept the series against the Caps in four games.

The Woodstock Slammers shut out the Summerside Western Capitals by a devastating 6-0 score on Friday, March 23rd on home ice. 

The game three victory over the Caps put the Slammers another step closer to clinching the Meek Division title. 

Connor Tresham led the Slammers with one goal and three assists in Friday night's contest. Evan Carmody, Sam Caldwell and Nick Huard each helped with one goal and one assist. 

Evan Carmody opened the scoring just over a minute and a half into the game, allowing the Slammers to have an early 1-0 advantage. 

Bradley Greene slipped a goal past Landon Noel at 10:15, increasing Woodstock's lead to 2-0. Nick Huard scored at 14:11, bumping the Slammers up to a three-goal lead after period one. 

Sam Caldwell scored at 18:54 in period two. In period three action, Connor Tresham scored just over four and a half minutes into the third frame, increasing the score to 5-0 in favour of the Slammers. 

Andrew Langan scored Woodstock's game-winning goal at 12:10 in period three. 

The Slammers were presented with two power play opportunities, failing to score on any of them, while the Western Capitals went 0 for 4 on the power play. 

Matt Murphy faced a mere sixteen shots in two periods, being replaced by Sam Renault in the third period. Renault only faced eight shots in the third frame. 

Landon Noel saw just over 44 and a half minutes of action in the match, refusing 28 of 33 shots before being replaced by Jared Kelly, who stopped five of six shots he faced for the remainder of the game. 

Ryan Purvis

Woodstock Slammers Head Coach Jason Tatarnic communicates the message to his players during a time-out.

Sam Renault

Zach Shannon

Sam Caldwell

Ryan Purvis

Brandon Leonardo

Slammers Defeat Western Capitals 5-2 in game four, sweep series

The Woodstock Slammers got their brooms out and swept their second series in the 2012 Kent Cup Playoffs. 

A 5-2 defeat over the Summerside Western Capitals on Sunday, March 25th allowed the Slammers to clinch the 2012 Meek Division title. 

Tim Campbell led the Slammers with one goal and two assists. Ben MacSwain left his mark on game four also, scoring twice in last Sunday's match in Summerside. 

Marshall Ellis had one goal and one assist for the Western Capitals. 

Mike Szmatula scored a shorthanded goal at 4:18, giving the Caps a 1-0 lead for the first period. 

Ryan Purvis tied the game at one only thirty one seconds into period two, getting the Slammers on the board. Ben MacSwain scored three minutes into the second period, breaking the tie in the Slammers' favour. MacSwain scored just over six minutes later, increasing Woodstock's lead to 3-1. 

Slammers' captain Andrew Langan scored a shorthanded goal at 15:15, making the score 4-1 for the Slammers after period two. 

Tim Campbell scored on a power play nearly three and a half minutes into the third frame. Marshall Ellis netted Summerside's second goal at 14:41, but it was too little too late for the Western Capitals. 

Matt Murphy stopped 19 of 20 shots faced in nearly 43 and a half minutes, being replaced by Sam Renault. Renault refused 4 out of 5 shots faced while minding the posts for the remainder of the game. 

Landon Noel got just over 29 minutes of ice time for the Western Capitals, saying no to 18 out of 21 shots faced. He was replaced by Jared Kelly, who blocked 12 of 14 shots faced in the remaining 31 minutes of the contest. 

Slammers head coach Jason Tatarnic was pleased with his team's performance and their clinching of the Meek title. Tatarnic also looked forward to the next series, in which the Slammers will battle for the MHL title, the Kent Cup. 

"I thought we adjusted well to the Caps' game plan in the second period and we were able to create some offensive opportunities and capitalize," Tatarnic stated in a press release on the Slammers' website. "With the win, we have an opportunity to compete for the Kent Cup. We know we will face a good team in either the Amherst Ramblers or the Yarmouth Mariners, and [we] will prepare accordingly." 

Slammers' Opponent for Kent Cup Final Determined

The Yarmouth Mariners shut out the Amherst Ramblers 2-0 on Saturday, March 31st. 

The Yarmouth-Amherst series was close, with the Mariners coming out as the victor. Yarmouth won the series 4-3 in the end. 

As a result of their victory last night, the Mariners have taken home the Bent Division title and will be competing against the Slammers for the 2012 Kent Cup. 

The Slammers will have the luxury of home-ice advantage in the series as a result of their record being the best overall in the MHL during the regular season. 

Game number one of the Kent Cup Final series is scheduled for Wednesday, April 4th at 7:30 pm at the Carleton Civic Centre in Woodstock.