Voodoos lose heartbreaker in Dudley-Hewitt Cup semifinal

The Georgetown Raiders (OJHL) built an early two-goal lead then had to withstand a late push by the Powassan Voodoos (NOJHL) to pull out a narrow 2-1 victory Friday in semifinal action at the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canadian Jr. A Championship in Trenton, Ont.

The result means there will be an all-Ontario Junior Hockey League DHC final between Georgetown and the host Trenton Golden Hawks, who earned a berth right to Saturday’s title game by finishing first in round robin play.

Friday’s contest saw a tricky bounce pay immediate dividends for Georgetown 80 seconds into the match-up with Jack Jacome having an open side to deposit the night’s initial tally and give the OJHL champions the early lead.

The Raiders added another a couple minutes later breaking into the Voodoos’ zone with the rebound of a Jacome attempt finding Josh Crocker at the top of the crease as he snapped a shot that beat Powassan starter Nate McDonald.

The NOJHL-winning Voodoos’ best chance in the first period came about 12 minutes in with Tyson Gilmour feeding Gabriel Rheault on a two-on-one, but the paddle of Raiders’ netminder Josh Astorino denied the opportunity.

Moments later it was McDonald who came up big stopping Keegan Blasby on a partial breakaway and a Matt McJannet blast from the high slot.

A slew of minor penalties throughout the final two periods saw multiple power play opportunities for both sides, but with McDonald being the busier of the two netminders and making numerous big stops to keep his club in the game.

A late two-man advantage helped Poswassan get on the board with 2:29 remaining in regulation as defenceman Dayton Murray walked into a one-timer and blasted one past Astorino from the right point.

The Voodoos pulled McDonald a number of times in the final minutes in an effort to knot the affair and force overtime, but a stingy Raiders’ defensive corps and a couple of key stops by Astorino helped Georgetown hold on for the triumph.

McDonald’s 42-save performance easily earned him his club’s player of the game nod, despite the season-ending setback as the NOJHL MVP made a number of quality stops from point blank range.

Astorino was equally as solid for his side, when called upon, as he handled 21 of the 22 attempts fired his way.

Jacome’s two points helped earn the highly-skilled forward earn top play honours for the Raiders.

Awaiting the DHC winner will be a berth into the RBC Cup Canadian Jr. A Championship, May 13-21, in nearby Cobourg, Ont., which will be hosted by another OJHL club, the Cobourg Cougars.

The Raiders will meet the defending champion Trenton Golden Hawks in the final tomorrow. The Hawks boast Powassan native Lucas Brown and North Bay native Michael Silveri on their roster.