The Picton Pirates had a bounce in their stride Sunday night and it resulted in the local Provincial Junior Hockey League club bouncing back into their Tod Division finals series against Port Hope.

The Pirates had seven different goal scorers in Sunday’s Game 3 win over the visiting Panthers to insert themselves back into the best of seven set.

Landon McLellan and Ian Harrison work in the corner during Game 2. (Gazette Staff)

Sunday’s 7-2 win was a key sign of life from the locals who went down to defeat a night prior in Port Hope in Game 2 by a score of 6-2.

The Panthers stole home ice on Thursday night in Game 1 win a 2-1 overtime win.

But on Sunday, Picton scored early and often to outpace the Panthers in a back-to-back situation.

Picton’s rookie callup Carter McKee would jam home a Jack Dow feed on the power play at 4:01 of the first to break the Ice in Game 3 but former OHLer Issac Langdon would ring the back bar of the Picton net on a Panthers power play at 10:47 of the first.

Picton’s Nick Kirby would re establish the Pirate lead at 16:27, picking the corner behind Panthers starter Sam Dingle but Cole Kimble’s unassisted effort just under a minute and a half later would tie the game up at 2-2.

In the second, the Pirates would forge ahead again but there would be no further response from the visitors.

McKee would set up Dow on the door step at 1:39 of the second to push Picton head to stay.

At 8:09, Gerrit Kemper’s would pick low blocker side on Dingle to push Picton ahead to a 4-2 lead and then McKee and Kempers would whack away at a loose puck in front of Dingle before Geoff Boates would bang home his first of of the playoffs at 98 seconds later.

Picton captain Landon McLellan would convert at the 13:58 mark of the second, leading a power play rush before beating Dingle high glove side to make it a 6-2 spread.

Picton’s Caleb Martin keeps a close eye on Port Hope’s Carter Clarke. (Gazette Staff)

In the third with Dingle on the bench in favour of Ethan Babin, Cole Stevenson would fire home a Zack Brooks pass at 12:16 to finalize the scoring at 7-2.

A night prior at the Jack Burger Sports Complex in Port Hope, the teams were close until the final minute of the second stanza when the hosts pulled away.

McLellan’s 6th of the post season would give Picton a lead at 11:18 of the first but Chris Brydge’s seeing eye volley from the blue line at 14:10 tied the contest. 

Picton looked in fine form to recapture the lead late but Langdon would convert on a short handed breakaway with 61 seconds left in the first to give the hosts their first lead of the game.

Early in the second, McLellan would find Dow on an odd man rush to tie the game at 2-2 but less than a minute later, Connor MacGregor would bang home a Langdon feed to make it 3-2.

The Pirates had chances to get back to square in the second but Dingle was equal to the task.

Then, with less than a minute to go in the frame, MacGregor would set up Brydges at 19:02 and then score at 19:13 to put the Panthers out of reach at 5-2.

Kimble would score a solo effort in the third to make it 6-2.

On Thursday, a capacity crowd at Huff Estates Arena was treated to a thrilling game of hockey that just didn’t go the host’s way.

Port Hope’s Josh Sainthill would tuck home a back handed goal off a broken play in front of Picton’s Brady Spry with less than five minutes to go in the first to make it a 1-0 lead for Port Hope after 20.

In the second, it was Picton’s turn to respond and McLellan would tee up Zack Brooks how beat Dingle upstairs at 3:11 to square the affair at 1-1.

Neither team would find the back of the net in the second or the third period as both Dingle and Spry were outstanding in their respective nets.

At the 5:27 mark of the overtime period, Kimble would tip home a point shot past Spry to give the visitors a 2-1 win.

The teams return to the Jack Burger Sports Complex on Wednesday night for Game 4 and then play Game 5 at Huff Estates Arena on Thursday.

-Staff