The Norwich Merchants relied on the sparkling performance of Matt McGonigle in net to grab a 2-1 win against the Simcoe Storm.

With the win, Norwich evened the series at 1-1 in the best of seven showdown.

Simcoe's power play was ineffective against the Merchants' penalty kill, which allowed one goal while shorthanded.

The referees were busy during the game, as 26 penalties were assessed during the course of the contest.

Norwich could not produce up to it normal offensive output. The Merchants average four goals per game. The Storm were unable to stop Norwich from sending pucks towards the net, and the Merchants eventually piled up 38 shots on goal. Norwich got an offensive boost from its blueliners, who contributed two goals during the game. The Merchants were forced to rely heavily on their penalty kill unit throughout the game, as they racked up 36 penalty minutes. The leading offender was Tom Brady, who totaled 12 minutes in penalty time with one minor and one misconduct.

Norwich was helped by Jakob Schira, who racked up one goal. Schira scored on the power play 10:36 into the third period to make the score 2-1 Norwich. The Merchants had gained a power play chance when Pat Fergus was whistled for goalie interference. Jesse Cave provided the assist. Nick Burdett also scored for Norwich. More assists for Norwich came via Jake Jefferies, who had one and Bryan Phillips, who had two.

Simcoe's offense efficiently hummed along to the tune of 37 shots put on Norwich's net. The Storm could not stay out of the penalty box, as the team accrued 26 minutes in penalties during the game. The leading offender was Braden Shand, who totaled four minutes in penalty time with two minors.

Other players who recorded assists for Simcoe were Josh Bint and Merritt Crumback, who contributed one each.

The Merchants' McGonigle stopped 36 shots out of the 37 that he faced. Norwich registered one goal on seven power play opportunities. Alex Gegeny turned away 36 pucks between the pipes for Simcoe.