The top-seeded Northumberland Stars are heading to the South Division Final after a hard-fought 3-0 series sweep of the fifth-seeded St. George Ravens.

Despite the sweep, this series was tighter than the scoreline suggests. St. George pushed physically, capitalized on special teams early, and forced Northumberland to earn every inch of ice.

The Stars now move on to face the second-seeded Durham RoadRunners, who also swept their semifinal series. A full recap of that series and a preview of the South Division Final will follow soon.

Game 1: Northumberland 5, St. George 4 (OT)

The series opened with drama at Gaukel Memorial Community Centre, and it took overtime for the Stars to escape with Game 1.

Period 1

Tristan Miron opened the scoring just 1:21 in on the power play. Daniel Tremblay answered later in the frame with a man-advantage goal of his own, setting the tone for a special teams battle.

The physical edge was evident immediately, with early misconducts and steady tension.

Period 2

St. George grabbed momentum with goals from Brady Conrad and a power-play marker from Nathaniel Goodbrand, taking control midway through the game.

Miron responded late in the period off a Ryan Boon setup to cut the deficit and keep Northumberland within striking distance.

Period 3

Landon McDougall extended the Ravens’ lead at 6:54, and St. George appeared poised to steal Game 1.

Miron completed his hat trick at 18:34 to pull the Stars within one. Then, with just seven seconds remaining in regulation, Brayden Bowen buried the tying goal to force overtime and stun the home crowd.

In overtime, Zennon Edwards ended it at 16:37, finishing a feed from Dawson Hettiarachchi to give Northumberland a crucial 1-0 series lead.

Three Stars

1st Star: Tristan Miron – 3G
2nd Star: Alessandro Gruosso – 48 saves
3rd Star: Brayden Bowen – 1G, 1A

Miron’s hat trick and Bowen’s late equalizer shifted the tone of the entire series.

Game 2: Northumberland 4, St. George 1

Back at the Keeler Centre, the Stars leaned on structure and goaltending.

Period 1

Dario Alimonti scored twice in the opening frame, including an unassisted effort, to establish early control. Dylan Abendschon briefly brought the Ravens within one.

Period 2

Dawson Hettiarachchi extended the lead, and Brayden Bowen added insurance late in the period.

Period 3

Northumberland locked things down defensively.

Nick Mayne stopped 35 of 36 shots, earning 1st Star honors with a .972 save percentage performance.

Three Stars

1st Star: Nick Mayne – 35 saves, .972 SV%
2nd Star: Dario Alimonti – 2G
3rd Star: Alessandro Gruosso – 42 saves

Game 3: Northumberland 7, St. George 3

With a chance to close out the series, the Stars delivered a third-period avalanche.

Period 1

Mitchell Quesnel opened the scoring on the power play. Nole Hoyles responded for St. George to keep things even after one.

Period 2

The teams traded goals before Ryan Boon struck late in the frame to give Northumberland momentum entering the third.

Period 3

Northumberland broke it open.

Power-play goals from Zennon Edwards and Dawson Hettiarachchi ignited the surge. Brayden Bowen followed seconds later. Quesnel added his second of the night, and Boon capped the night with another power-play marker.

Five third-period goals ended the series emphatically.

Three Stars

1st Star: Ryan Boon – 2G, 3A
2nd Star: Nick Mayne – 35 saves
3rd Star: Mitchell Quesnel – 2G

Goaltending Battle

Alessandro Gruosso faced relentless shot volume all series, including 53 shots in Game 1 and 49 in Game 3. His performance kept the Ravens competitive throughout.

For Northumberland, Ivan Kremnev handled Game 1, while Nick Mayne stabilized Games 2 and 3 with calm, efficient performances.

Key Performances

• Tristan Miron – Hat trick in Game 1

• Ryan Boon – 5-point Game 3

• Mitchell Quesnel – Multi-goal Game 3

• Dario Alimonti – 2 goals in Game 2

• Zennon Edwards – Overtime winner

The Stars’ power play became the defining factor, especially in Game 3’s third-period eruption.

Series MVP

Ryan Boon – Northumberland

Boon’s consistency across all three games and his dominant five-point performance in the clincher make him the Series MVP. His playmaking and timely scoring elevated Northumberland’s offense when games were tight.

Implications

The sweep sends a message, but the series revealed areas Northumberland must clean up — particularly discipline and defensive lapses under pressure.

Against Durham, those margins will tighten.

What’s Next?

The Stars now advance to face the Durham RoadRunners in the South Division Final. Both teams enter undefeated in the semifinals.

The South just got very serious.