Ontario Hockey Association

Elmira 4 at Tecumseh 5 (OT)

Justin Hogan (right) scored at 5:03 of the first overtime to give the Tecumseh Chiefs a 5-4 win over the Elmira Sugar Kings in the opening game of the 2008 Sutherland Cup final in front of 583 spectators at Tecumseh Arena.

The game required an extra period after the Sugar Kings rallied for two goals in the final four minutes to erase a 4-2 Tecumseh lead.

Justin Smith had scored two goals 1:51 apart midway through the third to break a 2-2 tie and put the Chiefs up by two before the Elmira rally. Jeremy Hilliard scored his second of the game at 16:32 to bring the Sugar Kings to within one, and Garrett Rank tied it at four with 1:28 remaining in the third.

The two teams traded goals in each of the first two periods as the Chiefs led by period scores of 1-1 and 2-2.

Matt Rehman assisted on Hogan's overtime winner for his third assist of the game. Jeff Broderick had the other assist for his second of the game. Boderick has now been in on both of Tecumseh's overtime goals in the Sutherland Cup competition. He scored the OT winner versus the Thorold Blackhawks in the opening game of the round robin series.

Hilliard added an assist for a three-point night to lead the Sugar Kings. Brock Zinken had a goal and two assists, and John Lunney added a pair of helpers.

Chiefs netminder Jonathan Hunter stopped 35 of 39 shots faced for the win. Dan Morrison made 49 saves -- including 21 in the first period -- for the Sugar Kings as they were outshot 54-39 in the game.

The match-up between the two clubs appears to be a good one for the Chiefs offense. In the three Sutherland Cup meetings to date, the Chiefs have averaged 5.3 goals and 48 shots on goal against the Sugar Kings. In Elmira's 16 games en route to their Midwestern championship, they had allowed an average of 2.8 goals and 35.5 shots on goal per game.

The Chiefs have now won eight of their last nine games -- including five straight at home -- since losing the opening game of the WOHL final against the London Nationals.

Game two of the best-of-seven Sutherland Cup championship series is Sunday night at 7:00pm in Elmira, where the Sugar Kings are 8-3 in the post-season. The Chiefs are 6-2 in eight playoff away games.