SPRINGDALE, NL — There will be a new champion in the Central Newfoundland Senior Intermediate Hockey League this year.
The Springdale Braves completed the sweep of the two-time defending champions, the Northeast Sabres, Saturday night in Springdale. The 5-2 victory kept the expansion Braves undefeated against the regular season champions on the season — 4-0 record on the season and 3-0 in the playoffs.
Facing elimination, the Sabres needed to play desperate, but it was the hometown team that struck first.
Scott Doody scored the first of his three straight goals for the Braves with just over four minutes gone in the game. He made it 2-0 early in the second period.
The Sabres got a goal from Ryan Parsons less than 40 seconds later, but another from Doody and Ryan Cull’s goal with 18 seconds left in the second period put the hometown guys ahead by three with just 15 minutes to play.
Trenton Johanson, who also had an assist in the game, scored his seventh goal of the three-game sweep to make it 5-1 with under five minutes to play.
Jordan Humphries scored a meaningless goal for the Sabres with just 11 seconds remaining.
The Braves will play the Twillingate Combines — who swept the Exploits Blades in three games in the other semi-final series — for the championship. The three-out-of-five series start in Twilingate Saturday evening. Game 2 will be Sunday afternoon. The series will resume with two games in Springdale the following weekend.
See coverage of other semi-final series: Season ends for Blades
See coverage of last weekend's games: Springdale Braves on brink of Central Newfoundland Senior Intermediate Hockey first-round win over defending champion Northeast Sabres
