Brandon Volpe scored twice, including the game winning goal with 8:06 left in the third period, to lift the Grandview Steelers past the Richmond Sockeyes 3-2 on Wednesday.
The win puts the Burnaby-based Steelers in a 3-2 series lead, with Game 6 slated for tonight (Thursday) in Richmond.
His third goal of the Pacific Junior B Hockey League quarterfinal series was set up by Braeden Gurney and Timothy Chow. Earlier, he had opened the scoring on an unassisted powerplay marker in the second period. The Sockeyes tied it up before Nicolas Bizzuto restored the lead early in the third. With 10 minutes to play, Richmond again tallied to make it 2-2, setting the stage for Volpe's winner.
Kicking out 27 saves, Cole MacInnes continued to be a steady influence for Grandview, despite falling behind in the series 1-0 and 2-1.
Now they have the hammer -- a seventh game, if necessary, would be played Sunday, 4 p.m. at the Burnaby Winter Club.
Thanks to a strong offensive showing on Sunday, the Steelers deadlocked the quarterfinal series with the Sockeyes at 2-2.
Sunday’s 8-5 win didn’t come easy, however, as the Burnaby-based Steelers had to shake off a 3-0 deficit in the first period before lighting the lamp.
They countered with six straight goals to lead 6-3 entering the third, providing coach Aldo Bruno with their best offensive showing in 2016.
“We kind of broke out (Sunday), but it wasn’t the start we were looking for,” said Bruno of the three-goal deficit. “I liked that we showed some persistence and determination.”
Grandview’s goals came in flurries. Richmond led 3-0 after 15 minutes, but the Steelers counted three goals in 2:09 to tie it - including two powerplay tallies by Jeffrey Wong and Volpe.
In the second period, Ian Prevost, with a shorthanded marker, Jake Holland, on the man-advantage, and Chow gave Grandview a solid lead in a span of 2:17. While Richmond would pull within two, the Steelers held its ground to deadlock the best-of-seven series. Chow finished with two goals on the day.
Richmond won Games 1 and 3 by 2-1 and 4-2 scores, while Grandview took the second game 4-3 in Richmond.
