Bandits win, end series

By Greg Gulas

Mahoning Valley fell in overtime to St. Louis, 5-4.

BOARDMAN — Patrick McCudden’s goal 7:19 into overtime helped lift the St. Louis Bandits to a thrilling, 5-4 victory over the Mahoning Valley Phantoms as they captured the North American Hockey League’s North Division crown Friday at the Ice Zone.

With the win, St. Louis wins the best-of-five series three games to one.

“This was one great hockey game from start to finish. You play 58 games in the regular season and of course you want to win every one and while both teams already knew that they were heading to the Robertson Cup, they weren’t thinking that in the overtime session,” Bandits coach John Cooper said.

“Every shot in overtime is a good shot, but Patrick’s [McCudden] happened so fast, if you blinked you probably missed it. He got the puck it in his wheelhouse and it just went in.”

Cooper said a big key was getting an early lead.

“Mahoning Valley is a good, proud team and they showed plenty of character,” he said. “They battled back to score three goals in the third period to force overtime, but our guys just hung in there. They didn’t quit or get down when they mounted their comeback.”

Mike Hull’s fourth goal of the playoffs just 5:40 into the game gave the Bandits the early lead, but Mahoning Valley’s Brent Dexter knotted the score at 1-all with his wrister at 9:27 of the period.

When Mike Merrifield notched the first of his two goals on the night at 13:02, St. Louis took a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission.

Andrew Hamburg, who assisted Hull on St. Louis’ first goal, slipped his shot past Phantoms goalie Garrett Bartus at 12:23 for the only score of the second period as the Bandits built a 3-1 lead with 20 minutes remaining.

Like they have done all season long, Mahoning Valley slowly and methodically mounted its comeback, pulling to within a goal at 3-2 on a Kyle Bailey power play goal (6:04) and then tying the game at 3-all when John Houston, who also had two assists in the game, scored his first playoff goal just 1:23 later.

Merrifield’s second goal of the game with 10:17 remaining (his seventh in as many playoff games) gave the Bandits the brief 4-3 advantage, but when Alden Hirschfeld slipped his shot past Bandits goalie Mike Johnson with three minutes left in the contest, the score proved to be enough to force the overtime session.

That set up McCudden’s game winning tally in overtime.

“It comes down to doing the little things if you expect to win and we just didn’t do that tonight,” said Phantoms coach Bob Mainhardt. “I expect us to execute better and make the necessary adjustments as we now get ready for the Robertson Cup.”

Houston, who notched his first three points of the playoffs, was disappointed in the outcome.

“This is a tough loss to take because it happened in our own barn,” he said. “I give my teammates all the credit for my success tonight. They helped out tremendously and I got a couple of lucky bounces. It just wasn’t to be for us tonight.”

The Bandits held a 43-37 shot advantage.

The Phantoms will leave Monday morning for St. Louis and the Robertson Cup, which begins on Wednesday at the Hardees Iceplex in Chesterfield, Mo.

The Phantoms will take on the South Division winner (the winner of the Topeka-Fairbanks series) at 4 p.m.