Ontario Hockey Association

The Wallaceburg Lakers are going to the Great Lakes championship series for the first time in seven years.

They defeated the Mooretown Flags 5-3 on Tuesday night before a near-capacity crowd at the Moore Sports Complex.

The Lakers won the best-of-seven Great Lakes Junior 'C' Hockey League semifinal in four straight games.

Wallaceburg now moves on to the final against the Essex 73's, who defeated Belle River 5-2 last night to win their semifinal 4-1.

The Lakers rallied for the victory with three unanswered goals.

Head coach Mark Davis credited his veterans with settling down the players after falling behind in the second period.

"Justin Durston was on the bench saying, 'It's a 3-2 hockey game. Why are you getting worked up?'" Davis said.

Chris Lalonde banged home a rebound on a power play for a 3-3 tie with 52 seconds left in the second period.

Durston converted a centring pass on a two-man advantage for the winning goal in the third at 7:29.

Mooretown had a couple of chances in the final 10 minutes, but was unable to find the equalizer.

"We had to block some shots," Davis said. "It was close. They got the puck out front a few times and had a few miscues. ...

"We were probably squeezing our sticks too tight, but we got the job done and that's what matters."

Nash Lozon of the Lakers put the game away scoring into an open net with 19 seconds left.

Flags head coach Bruce Aberhart felt his team responded well after losing 10-1 in the series opener.

"The last three games were all very tight," he said. "A bounce here or there and it could have been a different story. This was not your typical four-game sweep."

Aberhart also gave credit to the Lakers.

"They were a little stronger with a little more experience," he said. "They didn't get into a panic mode. They were able to control the tempo of the game and that should serve them well against Essex."

The teams split four goals in the opening period.

The Lakers took a 1-0 lead just 14 seconds after the puck was dropped when Anthony Walker deflected home a goal-mouth pass.

Mike Burns of the Flags tied the game at 3:32 on a power play.

Mooretown took its first lead at 18:48 when Matt Harkins fired a loose puck over the shoulder of Lakers goalie Ryan George. But that lead lasted only 29 seconds before Justin Young tied the game for the Lakers when his shot from the point changed directions and just trickled over the goal-line.

The Flags went ahead 3-2 at 2:40 of the second period on a power play. Matt Beer took a centring pass and whipped a backhander into the top of the net.

"We were kind of getting a little excited on the bench and had to calm the boys down," Davis said. "Then we tied it up 3-3."

George made 27 saves. Justin Belanger made 39 stops for Mooretown.

Wallaceburg was two-for-11 on the power play and Mooretown two-for-eight.

Davis said it was not an easy victory.

"Mooretown came out with a lot of fire tonight," he said. "They played desperate hockey. We had a 3-0 lead and I think we laid back a bit. It took awhile to get us settled down. We had a good chat between the second and third periods and the kids responded in the third."

Wallaceburg has yet to lose in post-season play with a perfect 8-0 record.

Davis looks forward to the final with Essex.

"They are a big, strong team," he said. "But we've competed with them this season. In four games, we won one, tied one and lost two. It's going to take a lot of hard work and a little luck. You just can't afford to take a shift off against them. It should be a great series."

The 73's are making their seventh straight trip to the final. They won five of the previous six years, losing only to the Dresden Kings in 2004. 
The Lakers haven't been to the final since making four straight appearances from 1998-2001.