It didn’t take long for Stouffville to make a statement in Game 6 as they scored twice in just over two minutes of play in the first period, the first one a PP goal. The Panthers didn’t flinch and stuck to their game, coming close a number of times in the period, but it ended 2-0 in favour of the Spirit. There was no scoring in the second and at the intermission, Pickering held a 28-15 shot advantage over Stouffville.
The third period was one of the most exciting periods we have seen in the Den this season. At the five-minute mark, Angelo Protopapas (3) found a hole through the goalie on a screened shot from the left faceoff circle and all of a sudden the Panthers had life. Charlie Key (3) tied it up a couple of minutes later, finding an opening on the short side. It was back and forth from that point on, with both teams having scoring chances, knowing that the next goal might be all that was needed.
Then, at 14:22, Stouffville was awarded a penalty shot. Zach Corte, their second-leading scorer during the regular season, was blanked by Anthony Sciere and the Panther bench went wild in celebration. Gabe Ciarallo (2) finally broke the tie, scoring what proved to be the winning goal from a goalmouth scramble at 19:28. Charlie Key finished it off, sending the puck into an open net from the ensuing faceoff. Five Spirit penalties and a number of ejections occurred in the final 30 seconds of the game as Stouffville’s frustrations boiled over.
Anthony Sciere made 26 saves for the Panthers and was undoubtedly the star of the series. Pickering now moves on to play the Newmarket Hurricanes in the East Conference finals.
