Game 1 of the Greater Metro Jr. A Hockey League North Division semi-final series was a Battle of Bradford.
Both the Bradford Rattlers and Bradford Bulls pushed their way through to Round 2 and faced off on Tuesday night in the BWG Leisure Centre’s Blue Rink.
A crowd of about 200 came out to cheer on both teams, in what will be a ‘Home and Home’ Best of Five series, with all games played at either the Leisure Centre or the Bob Fallis Sports Complex.
And the teams came out prepared to battle for supremacy, in a long-standing rivalry.
The Bulls were first on the scoreboard, with a goal by Liam Silva (#8) on assists by Shawn Soliman (#17) and Zachary Lewis (#24), about three and a half minutes into the frame.
The early 1-0 lead for the Bulls led to a flurry of Rattler attacks on net, successfully fended off by Bulls’ goalie Travis Smith (#30). The Bulls carried their 1-0 lead into the second, but it was the last time they would hold the lead.
In Period 2, the Rattlers finally solved the puzzle of the Bulls’ goalie, with Michael Hill (#91) scoring a goal 3:16 minutes into the period, from Rizvan Mansurov (#9) and Tikhon Ashikhmin (#55) to even the score.
It was shortly after the tying goal that a hard bodycheck sent Bulls Defenseman Josh Booker (#6) headfirst into the glass. He went down and stayed down, and had to be carried off the ice by paramedics.
When play resumed, the Bulls came out looking for vengeance – but all they found was the determined barrier of Rattler goalie Andrei Berezinsky blocking all shots and a solid line of Rattler defenders. Tempers flared, and the action got more physical.
It was a Bulls' penalty, about 12 minutes into the period, that gave the Rattlers their next opportunity. Hill scored again from Mansurov and Ashikhmin on the power play, giving the Rattlers a 2-1 lead.
In the Third, both teams pressed hard, but the scoring was all Rattlers. Around the halfway mark, Vadim Frolov (#13) notched one, on assists from Florian Schaller (#18) and Maxim Tsegelnik (#21), to make it 3-1 for the Rattlers.
The Bulls never quit and both sides pressed hard. In the final minute of play, the Bulls’ goalie Travis Smith was pulled to give the team the extra attacker. That's when Rattler Defenseman Tyler Baxter (#17) sent a slow but well-aimed shot down the ice and into the empty net. Assists went to Martin Nagy (#10) and Mansurov.
Rattlers won the Game, 4-1.
Stars of the Game all went to Rattlers players: Star #1 to goalie Andrei Berezinsky, Star #2 to #91 Michael Hill, for his two goals of the night, and Star #3 to Forward Rizvan Mansurov (#9), who recorded.3 assists.
Game 2 takes place tonight, at the Bob Fallis Centre, 8 p.m.
The winner of this series will go on to face the winner of the other North Division Semi-final, between the top-ranked Temiskaming Titans, and the Ville-Marie Pirates, to determine the North Division Champions.
Note: Information received from the Bradford Bulls indicates that Josh Booker suffered a concussion, but will be okay.
