Feb 15, 2025 | Winterhawks News | 461 views
Shields Wins Game 4
Matt Shields scored in overtime as the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks came from behind once again to defeat the Tavistock Royals.
The Winterhawks erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to take a 5-4 overtime win and a 3-1 series lead over Tavistock.
The 'Hawks started out slowly again as bus legs got the best of them, with Tavistock jumping out to a 1-0 lead just 1:25 into the game.
Theo Peckham got the 'Hawks on the board midway through the first as Justin Donnelly won a draw back to the Winterhawks defender, Peckham threw a shot through traffic past Tavistock goalie Grahame Noye to tie the game at 1-1.
The Royals got it back quickly on the power play to take a 2-1 lead after the first period.
Another slow start put Tavistock up 3-1, but the Winterhawks power play went to work shortly after as Medric Mercier fed a shot though traffic to cut the Royals lead to 3-2.
The good vibes were short lived as Tavistock went back up by two just under a minute later to give the Royals a 4-2 lead after two.
Leave it to one of the Winterhawks all-time greats to start the third period comeback.
Brent MacDermid broke in off the left side late on the power play and buried a shot just 1:35 into the third to make it a 4-3 Tavistock lead.
The Royals lead held until a Winterhawks power play late in regulation, when Jordan Vanhaelesmeech picked up a puck at the side of the net and buried it to tie the game at 4-4.
The game should have gone straight to overtime from there, but the Royals picked up another power play on an blatant dive with 30 seconds left in regulation.
The Winterhawks killed off the penalty and that set up the winner as Justin Marlowe went in two-on-one with Shields.
Marlowe fed a centering pass to Shields, who had plenty of time to bury the feed to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 win.
With two overtime wins this weekend, the Winterhawks now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 over Tavistock.
Game 5 will be this Friday night, February 21st, with an 8:30 p.m. start in Tavistock.
Winterhawks fans are encouraged to join us at the Three Sheets Tap Room to watch the game.