Playoff Preview Game Ends in Victory for the Merchants

By Mark Stehlin

On the day the Brooklin Merchants learned they would be hosting the 2025 Presidents Cup (the team's 25th anniversary) they welcomed the Hamilton Bengals to the Luther Vipond Memorial Arena for their final regular season home game. In this third meeting of 2024, the Merchants now hold a 3-0 record over the Bengals with a 13-10 win, preceded by wins of 13-8 and 9-8.  Last night's game was a playoff preview as these squads will meet in the opening round likely to begin next week.  The Merchants (13-2-0) wrap up the regular season with a Saturday evening road trip to Stayner to visit the Clearview Crushers (3-10-1).

- photo by Mark Stehlin

The game started just as head coach Ryan Degerdon drew up.  His charges rattled off six unanswered goals to take a commanding 6-2 lead into the first break. Starting goalie, Deacon Knott, locked down his net to any offensive threat by the Bengals.  With the scoreboard displaying a score of 6-0, Hamilton coaches pulled starting goalie Sam Haynes and replaced him with Chase Cosgrove. This move had the desired effect as it sent a spark of energy to Bengals players that had been lacking. 

- photo by Mark Stehlin

The middle frame was closer on the scoreboard. Nova Scotia native Zac Carrigan netted a hat-trick for the homeside who took the period by a final of 5-4 giving them an 11-6 lead after two periods.

The Bengals came to play and wanted to make their own statement with playoffs looming. In a two-minute span to open the final frame they netted three straight to close the gap to 11-9 and fans settled in for a thrilling end to the game in a hot, sticky night at the old barn on Winchester Rd E.  The teams traded goals and chances down the stretch. With the Merchants up 12-10 and defending successfully, Jacob Hickey scored with 0:49 on the clock to seal the 13-10 win for Brooklin.

Head Coach Ryan Degerdon said "I expected that start by this team."  He told the team "it's great to be up but let's not get too high, just keep doing what got us here."

Defensive Coach Mark Debrone said, "the first period was one of the best defensive periods these guys played all season."

He added, "there were a few times in the second where we gave up second chances, Knott would make a save and the ball would bounce back to their sticks instead of ours. I felt we were able to clean that up and we will continue to push the guys to make sure these little mistakes are dealt with quicker."

Degerdon added "we've been consistent in our message, this isn't about me or Mark, this is a team-first approach. With the playoffs starting it's clear what we want, wins that take us to the Ontario championship and the President's Cup."

Scoring for the Merchants -  Costello (0,1), Renaud (0,3) Hambly (1,0) Carrigan (3,0) Goodchild (0,1) Boyd (3,0) McCrory (0,1) Elliott (2,2) Pullera (0,1) Leclerc (0,1) Morgan (1,2) Pipher (1,4) Hickey (2,2)

Final week to register for the BLC/MLC golf tournament on Monday July 22 at Wolf Run GC. The tournament will feature a $ 25,000 hole in one contest courtesy of Special Benefits Insurance Services. Check with Gavin Prout at gavin@sbis.ca for all details.