Ontario Hockey Association

Even their best effort wasn't quite good enough for the Wallaceburg Lakers.

Despite playing by far their finest game of the series Wednesday, the Lakers couldn't avoid being swept in the Great Lakes Junior 'C' Hockey League final.

The Essex 73's rode an early two-goal lead to a 2-1 win in Game 4 at Wallaceburg Memorial Arena.

Head coach Mark Davis was nervous the Lakers might buckle after falling behind, but they refused to wilt.

"Our kids played outstanding," Davis said.

Ryan Lounsbury scored their only goal less than a minute into the second period on a power play.

The Lakers kept pressing for the rest of the period while outshooting the 73's 16-9, but they couldn't get the tying goal.

"Everyone was fired up," Lounsbury said. "We were going hard, but we just weren't getting the bounces.

"We never gave up and that shows a lot of character. Everyone has a heart the size of the room."

The Lakers were making their first trip to the championship since 2001, while the 73's were in the final for the seventh straight year.

Essex has won four straight titles and six of the past seven.

"They're a hell of a hockey club," Davis said. "They're the best. They're huge, they don't stop working and they block a lot of shots."

Celebrating a championship never gets old for 73's captain Dan Croft, a five-year veteran.

"Every year we do it a different way, different guys," he said. "It seems like it's new every time."

The 73's built their 2-0 lead on power-play goals by A.J. Sweet and Mike Roach in the first six minutes to quiet the Lakers fans.

"They came out hard," Essex defenceman Anthony Iaquinta said. "Their backs were against the wall. Fortunately enough, we came out quickly, got two goals and held on for the win."

Twelve of Essex's 19 goals in the series came with a man advantage, one big reason the 73's were able to win in four games.

The Lakers managed just four goals in the series.

"Coming into the series, we weren't expecting to do this," Croft said about the sweep. "We expected a long, hard-fought series. They just took a few too many penalties and it ended up costing them."

Sweet opened the scoring at 2:21 and Roach followed at 5:41 before the Lakers had even taken a shot.

On Tuesday, Davis and assistant coach Paul Grealis were ejected for separate incidents during Game 3 in Essex.

Despite being whistled for the two early penalties in Game 4 and having two goals waved off, Davis praised referee Jim Hawthorne for Wednesday's contest.

"That's playoff hockey right there because they let us play," he said. "That was a great game."

The Lakers enjoyed four straight power plays after falling behind. Lounsbury scored on their fourth at the 56-second mark of the second period.

"When we popped that goal, I thought we were going to win that hockey game," Davis said. ". . . (But) their goalie stood on his head."

Branden Robitaille of the 73's and Ryan George of the Lakers each made 21 saves.

The Lakers took some solace in pushing the 73's to the final buzzer. "We're just as good as them if we play our game," Lounsbury said. "It makes it a little easier, but it's still tough."

The 73's went 2-for-5 on the power play. The Lakers were 1-for-6.

Essex advances to the Ontario Hockey Association semifinals.