The Elora Rocks beat the Petrolia Squires 3-2 in Petrolia on Saturday to win their third WOAA Senior AA hockey title in the past six years.
The Rocks won it all in 2005, 2007, and finished in the finals two other years in an exceptional run of hockey.
The series against Petrolia seemed to be headed for a seventh-game barn burner. The Rocks won their two home games 5-4 and 5-3, but lost 5-1 and 5-0 in the second and fourth games in Petrolia.
But, on Friday night, with an arena jammed to the rafters, the Rocks took command on a shorthanded goal, got production from just about everywhere in the lineup, scored on the power play, and took a 3-2 lead to Petrolia.
They led the sixth game 2-1 after a period, and never really looked back in locking up the title.
The Rocks had the winning edge and playoff advantage of the extra home game thanks to a stellar season.
They knocked off defending champion Saugeen Shores Winterhawks in the third round of the playoffs in four straight games. That series was closer than the sweep might have indicated, and Elora won the first and third games at home, but both went to overtime before they were decided in sudden death.
In the quarter finals, the Rocks defeated the Ripley Wolves in six games, again not losing at home.
In the first round, Elora defeated the Shallow Lake Crushers in a best of five series that lasted only three games.
The Rocks scored twice in 24 seconds apart late in the first period Saturday and never looked back.
James Edgar, an Elora fan target throughout the series, scored the opening goal midway through the first period.
But Elora’s Richie Colwill and then Ken Dunn scored to put Elora ahead .
Mike Brito connected on a power-play in the second to extend the lead. Chris McPhail scored at the end of the second to make it close, but the third was scoreless, despite a desperate attempt by Petrolia to tie the game, pulling goalie Justin Day with two minutes remaining.
Blake Sinclair faced 28 shots for the Rocks while Day had 26 at the Petrolia end.
John Lunney, who had missed the first three games with an injury, assisted on two of the Elora goals while Steve Walter, Pat Shantz, Rob Bauman and Jeremy Machin each had one assist.
