CHARLOTTETOWN – Down by a goal after two periods, the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild went wild in the third, scoring four goals and earning a 5-2 win over the Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride in Game 4 on Wednesday.
Kensington leads the best-of-seven major midget matchup 3-1. Game 5 of the Island final goes Saturday, at 7:30 p.m., in Kensington.
Ryan Richards netted the tying goal and the insurance goal 11 minutes apart, and cemented Kensington in the win column. Marc Richard got credit for the game-winning goal.
Click here for preview story of Game 4:
“We’re certainly not in the driver’s seat,” said Richards. “Still got to win the series. We’ll say we’re in the driver’s seat when we have (won the series). I think we’re pretty focused on Game 5. We know what we have to do to win.”
Click here for story on Game 3:
Click here for story on Game 2:
Click here for story on Game 1:
Strong start
Charlottetown got the start it wanted, playing fast and loose in the first period, and controlling much of the action.
But Zac Arsenault of the Wild dampened the Pride’s enthusiasm with the opening goal just over four minutes in. Kensington took a 1-0 edge into the first intermission.
In the second frame, Charlottetown came out with fire in their skates, eventually taking the lead on goals by Connor MacGregor and a nice breakaway effort by Kennedy Gallant. By the end of the period Charlottetown had a 2-1 advantage.
Then the third came around and Richards tied things at 5:41. But from 13:02 till 18:30, the Wild scored four times and salted away the game.
Even at 2-2 Charlottetown was still in it, but that short stretch killed the squad’s chances, said captain Grant MacAdam, whose team has to pull off what Kensington did last year and win three straight for the Island crown.
“We just stopped playing our game we have to play 60 minutes and we played about 50 of those 60. That (stretch) cost us the game,” MacAdam said. “We just have to play the way we can. Come out in the first 10 minutes (of Game 5) ready to play and capitalize on our chances.”
Evan Gallant added the fifth goal late in the third.
Caleb Coyle stopped 25 of 27 shots for the win. Erik MacInnis kicked aside 36 of 41 attempts for the Pride.
