March 22, 2009
by Garrett Hamel

When Travis Saltz scored his second period goal in game 5 of the North Division Final series against the Elliot Lake Bobcats, it was not only his third of the game, but also the goal that would send the South Muskoka Shield to the Russell Cup Final Championship series.

Shield and Bobcats players and personnel shake hands at the conclusion of the North Division Final series. The Shield took the series 4 game to 1 in front of a home crowd at the Gravenhurst Centennial Center.

At the time of the victory the Shield were unsure of who they'd be facing in the finals as the Innisfil Lakers managed to push the Deseronto Storm to a game 6 the next day in Deseronto. However, The Lakers could not find it in them to continue battling back from an early 3-0 series deficit as they lost in overtime by a score of 4-3 the very next night.

This sets up the first Russell Cup finals that the Bradford Rattlers will not be a part of. Also, it promises to be the most tightly contested Championship series in the GMHL's three year history. In years past it was no question that the Bradford Rattlers were the favourite to win as they were dominant in their first two years of play.

An interesting story line to this series is that the Deseronto Storm and South Muskoka Shield were eachother's first ever playoff opponent back in 2007. In that series the Shield were a heavy underdog but managed to keep all the games close (even taking two of them to overtime) before getting swept in four games. Despite its short length, that series spark a very strong dislike for the opposong club. Remaining Shield players from that series include captain Chris Vandertas and defensemen Jesse Goheen and Dylan Cote. It is no doubt that the relatively unknown rivalry has made it way through the dressing room with these veterans still there to tell the tales. Remaining players on the Storm include include captain Brad Clark, Tyler Dever, and Andrew Bobas among others.

Another Interesting sidenote to this series is the challenge issued between Gravenhurst mayor John Klinck and Deseronto mayor Norm Clark. The mayor of the losing town will have to buy the mayor of the winning town a box of his favourite wine and wear the opposing teams jersey to a town council meeting.

Make sure to check back soon for the Russell Cup Championship series schedule.