By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
The Ridgetown Royals took the first step on their road to an American Premier Hockey League Governor’s Cup with a 7-2 victory over the Thousand Island Raiders on Saturday in Clayton, N.Y., in the first playoff game in team history.
But if the Royals want to win a championship, it will have to come on the road.
The Royals will not return to the friendly confines of the East Kent Memorial Arena for the duration of the playoffs, where they went 12-0 in the regular season.
Beginning with Game 2 against the Raiders this Saturday – and Game 3 on Sunday, if necessary – the Royals will play all remaining home playoff games at the Ken Houston Memorial Agriculture Centre in Dresden.
No, the Royals are not moving to Dresden permanently, but there is no weekend ice time available at the Ridgetown arena for the rest of March to accommodate the Royals’ playoff schedule.
And with the ice coming out of the Ridgetown arena at the end of March – as always – the Royals are forced to play all semifinal and final home games in Dresden, should they keep advancing.
Saturday’s Game 2 against the Raiders is a 7 p.m. start, with Sunday’s Game 3, if necessary, also starting at 7 p.m.
The ice isn’t available in Ridgetown this weekend because of the annual Fun Daze tournament. The APHL does not play weekday games.
In Saturday’s opener in Clayton, N.Y., the Royals spotted the Raiders the first and last goals of the game but reeled off seven straight goals to win their debut playoff game.
Six different Royals had goals, led by Malcolm Campbell, who scored twice and added an assist. Landon Hoskins had a four-point night with a goal and three assists, while Brody Fraleigh and Ian Campbell had a goal and two assists each.
Nolan VandenBoorn had a goal and an assist, Ryan Wilson also scored, while John McKillop had two assists, Jeremy VandenBoorn and Dave Beenackers had one each.
It took just 57 seconds for Ryan Wilson to score the tying goal midway through the first period after Ezekiel Endy’s goal for the Raiders at the 9:41 mark.
Malcolm Campbell followed Wilson, scoring the go-ahead goal just 47 seconds later.
Hoskins upped the lead to 3-1 with a late first-period goal.
Fraleigh and VandenBoorn scored four minutes apart midway through the second period before Malcolm Campbell scored again on the power-play to give Ridgetown a 6-1 lead.
Ian Campbell netted the Royals’ seventh straight goal midway through the third.
Matt Morgia scored the Raiders’ second goal with under four minutes to play.
Nolan Hakr stopped 28 of 30 shots for a win while the Royals fired 61 shots at the Raiders.
Both teams had two minor penalties while there was one fight as the Royals’ Shawn Noah tangled with the Raiders’ Nate Thompson late in the second period.
The series winner will meet the winner of the Buffalo Tempest-Wooster Bulls semifinal set.
Buffalo blanked Wooster 3-0 on Saturday, as the second game was played on Sunday.
If the Royals advance to the best-of-three semifinals, the first game will be in either Buffalo or Wooster, Ohio, on Saturday, March 28.
With the APHL not scheduling any playoff games over the Easter Weekend (April 3-5), the Royals would host Games 2 and 3, if necessary, on the April 11-12 weekend.
If the Royals advance to the best-of-five championship final, they would host the first two games on the April 18-19 weekend, go on the road for the next two games on the April 25-26 weekend, and if a fifth game is needed, it will be played on the May 2-3 weekend.
The Royals finished first overall with a 19-5-0 record to clinch home ice through the playoffs.
The Royals took advantage of the small confines of the East Kent Memorial Arena to put together a physical game plan, which led to a 12-0 record as they outscored the opposition 121-30, including seven games with double figures in goals.
Three of those wins came against their first-round playoff opponent as they outscored the Raiders 43-7.
The ice traditionally comes out of the East Kent Memorial Arena – along with Bothwell, Wheatley, Tilbury, Wallaceburg and Chatham Erickson – at the end of March.
Spring ice is available in Blenheim, Dresden and Chatham Thames Campus while Chatham Memorial Arena remains open for as long as the Maroons are in the playoffs.
Rob Pollock, Director of Parks & Recreation, told the Ridgetown Independent that the Royals were offered dates in Ridgetown through the rest of March to accommodate their playoff schedule.
“However, the only dates that worked conflicted with an annual tournament held at the arena, in which the tournament has priority,” Pollock said. “The Royals accepted ice time in Dresden on the required dates.”
The Parks & Rec Department, however, cannot keep the ice in the Ridgetown arena for the duration of the Royals’ playoffs, as they do to accommodate the Maroons at Chatham Memorial.
“We are not able to guarantee acceptable ice and humidity conditions in Ridgetown as temperatures increase in April,” Pollock said. “The Royals have accepted ice time in Dresden for further playoff games should they advance.”
