Nickel Barons bounced from playoffs

Through Games 1 and 2 of their NOJHL quarter-final series with the Sudbury Nickel Barons, the players and staff of the Elliot Lake Wildcats felt there was another gear they could reach.

Through the final four games, that higher gear was evident. Elliot Lake completed a comeback from a 2-0 series deficit on Sunday evening in Copper Cliff, reeling off their fourth straight win with a 4-0 whitewash of the Nickel Barons.

In fact, the Wildcats blanked the Sudbury crew in three of the final four games, outscoring coach Jason Young and company 10-0 in the two-game weekend set. Elliot Lake netminder A.J. Smith made it back-to-back shutouts, turning aside 35 shots and increasing his post-season save percentage to a staggering .950 figure.

First-period goals by Liam Blais and Connor Scott provided Smith with all of the support he would need, with Adam Baxter and Cole Hepler rounding out the scoring for the winners with tallies in the second and third period respectively.

It wasn't much closer Saturday night in Elliot Lake, as the Wildcats exploded for four goals in the second period, running away from the visiting Nickel Barons. Aaron Carmichael and Scott scored two goals apiece for the homeside, with Shane Woolsey and Kyle Salmon adding solo markers.

The situation for Sudbury was aggravated with the loss of stalwart defenceman Sheehan Kirkwood, sidelined with an injury midway through Game 4, and veteran forward August Jarecki, suspended for two games after incurring another checking-to-the-head penalty Saturday in Elliot Lake.

The Wildcats will now face the Soo Thunderbirds, after the NOJHL West Division champions swept aside the Blind River Beavers in four straight games, outscoring the team that went winless in 2014-2015 by a combined total of 41-1.

Elliot Lake finished four points back of Sault Ste. Marie, posting a record of 38-11-2-1, compared to 38-7-1-6 for the T-Birds. The Cochrane Crunch and Powassan Voodoos are meeting in the East Division finals, after the teams respectively sent Abitibi and Kirkland Lake to the sidelines.