Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like home.
On Friday night, two teams looked at the term ‘home’ in two very different ways – the Toronto Rock closing out a chapter in their third home in five seasons; and the Halifax Thunderbirds clinching a home playoff game for the first time with a 16-9 win.
GOING HOME
With the loss Toronto wraps its one and only season at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga. The Rock finish the stint with a 2-7 record. Toronto forward Josh Dawick admitted postgame, “We haven’t given them the most the cheer about this season,” but added, “It means so much that they’ve stuck it out with us.”
Toronto are scheduled to return to the newly-renovated FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton next season.
Trailing 4-1 after the first quarter, the Rock matched four Thunderbirds goals trailing just 8-5 at halftime, but being outshot 31-18. Dawick’s second of the night sparked a third-quarter run which eventually tied the game at eight but not before Cody Jamieson completed a hat trick in the final minute.
Troy Holowchuk was incredible in the third allowing one goal on 21 Halifax shots. Halifax head coach Mike Accursi praised the Rock netminder telling ILWT postgame, “He was amazing. That’s probably the best I’ve seen him play.” Eventually, Holowchuk was pulled in the fourth quarter allowing 16 goals off 68 shots in 56 minutes.
Accursi, who gained win No. 50 as a head coach, added, “We just needed to continue to wear him down and eventually they were going to start dropping, and in the fourth quarter, they did.” And did they ever.
Especially for Dawson Theede who tallied three goals and three assists in the 7-1 period alone – part of a career-high four goals and 10 points. “He continues to be a big truck running downhill,” said his coach. “We really missed him when he was out of the lineup this year for a little bit. He’s come back and been a difference-maker for us.”
HOME COOKIN’
Dawick’s second goal was No. 40 on the season, becoming just the ninth Rock player to reach the milestone. “I’d trade it to be in the playoffs,” he said. “It is cool to look at some of the other Rock 40-goal scorers and to be in the same sentence as some of those guys, is pretty cool and pretty special.” Dawick finished the night with four points (2,2).
Toronto was led by Chris Boushy’s five-goal performance against his former team.
Halifax’s fourth goal of the second quarter saw Cody Jamieson streak off the bench for his second goal of the night. Randy Staats picked up his second (of five) assists, giving him 400 for his career.
COMING HOME
The win clinched third place in the standings for Halifax, and a home playoff game for the first time since moving to the Maritimes. “It’s something we set as a goal from the beginning of the year,” said Accursi. “I’m excited for our team, I’m really excited for Curt Styres who treats us amazing and has given us an opportunity to play in Halifax.”
The Thunderbirds have never missed the playoffs in Halifax, but have also never hosted a postseason game at Scotiabank Centre.
