Another close game, but as has been the case all season, the Panthers played hard but just couldn’t convert their scoring opportunities. Trenton opened the scoring just 1:25 into the game, as Souliere found the net off assists from Kuipers and Darlison. The Golden Hawks extended their lead to 2-0 at 8:20 of the second period, with Matthews scoring off a setup from Taylor and O’Neill.
Pickering finally broke through at 3:34 of the third, as Alex Colangelo won a faceoff deep in the Trenton zone and pulled the puck back to Ryder Dagenais, who blasted a slap shot into the Hawks’ net. Wilson also picked up an assist on the goal.
That was as close as the Panthers would get, as Trenton restored their two-goal lead at 10:08, with Taylor scoring off an assist from McDowell. Pickering pressed in the final few minutes, coming close a number of times—including with the goalie pulled—but couldn’t find the back of the net again.
Shots on goal were 37-28 in favour of the Golden Hawks, with Ian Michelone making 34 saves in net for the Panthers.
The Panthers now have the difficult task of trying to win Game 5 in Trenton on Tuesday night, March 18th, at 7:30 PM to bring the series back to Pickering on Tuesday afternoon.
