Hounds Prevail In Game 6

[OblivionWalker 289]

Game six of the Founders Cup finals brought an end to the tightly fought series between the Mississauga Hounds and the Ottawa Lynx. A surprise visitor to the finals, the Hounds jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the Lynx, but thing seemed to be turning to the Lynx favor especially during a wild game four that saw the game going to septuple overtime before the Lynx finally won.

 

With the team having gone down 2-0 in their previous series before storming back to win 4 straight, it was reasonable to think the Lynx had a good chance to come back and complete the reverse sweep. But Clapdown Bardownski III, with help from Slava Kovalenko and Nikita Yolishev, put that dream to rest for good with a goal in their first overtime period.

 

"It feels unreal." a delighted Kovalenko said when we were able to catch him for a moment amidst the team celebrations. "I was really hoping that we were going to be able to do this. Bringing the cup back to Mississauga was the ultimate goal for me before I left for Warsaw, and the team and I were able to do it. We played against some really great teams, and it wasn't an easy road. We weren't even projected to be here, but we were able to come together and make it happen anyway."

 

When asked how it had felt to play against his friends on Ottawa, such as Brandon Petan Jr. and River Harrington, Kovalenko was matter of fact. "It wasn't easy, at times. I know both of them pretty well and if I had the choice, I'd rather be on their side than not. But we don't always get to choose what happens. We still have to play hard and show out for our teams. They're great players, both of them and I'm expecting some battles when we're all up in the VHL. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them on and off the ice and that's how it's always going to be."

 

Kovalenko's family was in attendance, including his grandparents, Artem and Irina Kovalenko, who were instrumental in Kovalenko getting his first pair of skates when he was little.

 

"I wouldn't be here without them." Kovalenko said, clearly emotional. "They were some of the first people who really believed in me, and it was Dido and Baba who helped out when I was hitting growth spurts and growing out of my equipment really fast. To have them here to see this is more than I could have possibly asked for."'

 

The celebrations are already starting back in Mississauga and the Hounds will surely be welcomed back home with great fanfare. This is the first time the Hounds have won the Founders Cup in six seasons and with much of their team coming back next season, it stands to reason that they'll have a good foundation to build upon, but it does beg the question as to who will step up to fill Kovalenko's shoes as the captain.

 

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Edited December 6 by OblivionWalker