Survival mode has been good to the Trenton Golden Hawks in their OJHL East Conference Semifinal Series.
The Hawks followed up a Game 4 victory with a 3-2 triumph in Game 5 on Sunday at the Duncan McDonald Community Gardens over the Newmarket Hurricanes to reduce their series deficit to 3-2.
A tight game was broken by a Lucas Digiantommaso snap shot top shelf off the rush for the winner with 4:25 remaining in the third period for his team-leading seventh of the postseason.
The game started with zeroes on the board after the first period, despite Newmarket’s 15 shots on a stellar Colton Drillen-Roach.
Trenton gave its goaltender some necessary support through Jamie Darlison on a rebound goal off a play started by the speed of Andrew Wycisk for his fourth of the playoffs.
Casey Bridgewater added the second assist on the opening goal at 8:52 of the second period.
Newmarket came back with a fight and a tying goal courtesy of Kristian Lamanna at 11:20 into an open Trenton net, but the Hawks had one more note to hit in the middle frame.
Darlison fired home a shot on the glove-side on a leaning Carter Froggett, back in the net after being pulled in Game 4, on a harmless looking play started by a pass across the ice from Daylen Moses after a puck was stuck along the boards near the Trenton bench.
Candon O’Neill assisted as well on the marker with around a minute to play in the period.
The ‘Canes pressed for and nabbed the tying goal on a Matthew Babiy marker, sticking home a loose puck behind Drillen-Roach.
The goal set the stage for Digiantommaso’s heroics.
The Oakville product took a feed from Darlison and whistled a high shot to the glove-hand corner on Froggett for the winner.
The Hawks finished the game on a four-minute double minor and will take momentum into Game 6 Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. back at Ray Twinney Complex in Newmarket aiming for a seventh game at home.
