GLANBROOK (Feb. 12) -- An offensive eruption, spearheaded by Noah Bollert's extraordinary four-goal performance,  launched the Glanbrook Rangers to an 8-1 victory over the Niagara RiverHawks and into the second round of the Bloomfield Division playoffs. 

Bollert, along with linemates Noah Matteson and Connor McQuhae, steamrolled over the RiverHawks, combining for an astonishing 15-point aggregate:  Bollert added three assists to his goal tally, while Matteson contributed two goals and four assists and McQuhae chipped in with a goal and an assist.

The outburst put an exclamation mark on a series that had up till now been characterized by tight checking and hard physical confrontation.  Three of the matches in the five-game set (apart from a 6-1 Glanbrook win in Game 2) were decided by one goal, with the previous two encounters going to overtime.  

But this contest broke that pattern with a vengeance.  Bollert registered his first two goals at 7:19 and 8:17.  But after Zachary Pettit gave the RiverHawks a bit of a lift with a power-play marker at 9:32, the roof fell in on the visitors.  In a second-period blitz, Matteson, McQuhae and Bollert (with his final two goals coming like a lightning strike just nine seconds apart at 18:17 and 18:26) seized control of the game and quashed the RiverHawks' fragile hopes of a series rally.  

"We didn't go outside ourselves," said Rangers' coach Mike Christian,  accounting for the difference between this game and the erstwhile games in this matchup.  "We stuck to our game plan and everybody did a great job." 

After the issue was essentially decided, all that remained for the Rangers was to not make any catastrophic mistakes through the remaining period, which they did ... although Glanbrook goaltender Matt Lukic was called upon to make key saves on the few chances that the RiverHawks managed to muster.   And just to make sure, Matteson and Cooper Hood added a little extra security with goals at 1:31 and 13:26 respectively.     

All in all, it was a commanding effort by the Rangers' top-scoring trio, but Christian was quick to assert that they weren't the sole reason for the conquest in this game or the series as a whole.

"We've got 23 guys who can all play a role and make a difference," he said.  "They can go up against anybody." 

The Rangers' second round opponent will likely be the Hagersville Hawks, who currently hold a 3-0 lead over the Port Dover Sailors and can wrap things up with a win in Game 4 tonight (Thursday, Feb. 13). 

NOTES:  Defenceman Jamie Caruso also had three assists, boosting his post-season offensive output to nine points, third behind Bollert's 14 and Matteson's 11 in the Rangers' scoring table ...  Glanbrook's power play was successful on two of their four opportunities for a series total of 9-for-30, a 30 per cent success rate.   

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