OJHL's Kingston Voyageurs savour comeback from 3-0 series deficit against Aurora Tigers

From losing their coach late in the season, to injuries during the playoffs, the Kingston Voyageurs built a deep well of resolve on the way to surmounting an 3-0 series deficit and ousting the nationally ranked Aurora Tigers in the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Voyageurs completed one of sport's more improbable feats on Tuesday, winning 6-2 in Game 7 over the Tigers, who were No. 3 in the Canadian Junior Hockey League's rankings. It's the first time since 2010 an OJHL team has overcome a three-game deficit. It's a safe bet the feat likely hasn't been pulled off by a team whose coach was suspended at the end of the regular season. The Vees, paced offensively by Robert Morris University recruits Adam Brady and Alex Tonge, had to adapt after coach-GM Colin Birkas was suspended by the OJHL at the end of the regular season, with assistants Dan Clarke and Ben Munroe assuming the reins.

All things considered, being one loss from elimination after a Game 3 loss didn't seem like the end of the world.

"We had a couple injuries and then a suspension in the middle of these series, with [18-year-old forward] Matt Hoover being a gone for a couple games," overage forward Ryan Watson said on Wednesday. "And then no coach and being down three games to nothing to the third-ranked team in the country, we really had to come together like no group of guys I have ever played with before.

"We have a really old team this year, nine 20-year-olds, and a lot of 19-year-olds, including many who are moving on to school," the Grand Bend, Ont., native added. "So there were a lot of us who were going to be playing our last game whether it was Game 4, 5, 6 or 7, Not one of us was ready for it to be our last game. Our young guys also really realized it would meant a lot for us to keep playing."

Watson recalls the usual three-hour trip home from Aurora to Kingston "felt a lot longer" after the 5-1 loss in Game 3 on March 17 left the Vees one loss from going their separate ways. Not much to needed to be said.

"There was just a realization we needed to bring way more than we had been bringing if we wanted to continue playing," he said. "We had to figure out something."

The first two games had each gone to double overtime and as Tonge put it, "we had no bounces, so we figured we would get one here or there." Following Game 3, Aurora defenceman Kyle Locke was suspended for the series' duration for a headshot on the Vees' Corey Caruso during double OT of the second game. With Caruso's absence providing a rallying point and Locke out of the picture, the Vees put a touchdown on the scoreboard in 7-6 and 7-1 wins.

"Our veterans just stepped up," said overage winger Cole Bolton, who chipped in during a five-goal first period in the series clincher. "[Left wing] Spencer Green, he just took it into his own hands. Our captain, Michael Crocock, he was vocal. Everyone stepped up and that's the way it's got to be when you don't have your head coach behind the bench.

"Our coaches, Benny [Murnoe] and Dan Clarke did a great job reminding us, 'we can do this, we've had four-game win streaks all year — what's one more?' "

The 28-year-old Munroe, who played for the Vees and had a four-year university hockey career with the Queen's Golden Gaels, had the daunting task of replacing the fiery Birkas behind the bench. Sagely, he knew better than to try to mimic the head coach, instead letting his veteran team provide a good portion of the emotion.

"It's been tough," he said. "Colin's a tough guy to duplicate, but we've had a pretty tight staff and tight team all season long. It's not like a lot has changed, as systems go. Not a lot charges technically. We miss his voice on the bench and in the room and we miss his guidance, but a lot of stuff is already instilled at this point.

"As far our guys go, it's been a special season," Munroe added. "It's been an up-and-down season, but we have had some special comebacks. We knew we had the ability to do it. It was just a matter of coming together and doing little things."

'We deserve a bounce like this'

While Aurora was shuffling three goalies, including former OHLer Blake Richard, Kingston got money goaltending  on home ice in Game 6. Daniel Urbani made a string of late third-period saves to keep Aurora from popping in the series-winning goal, sending the game to overtime. With that bullet dodged, the Vees, as Bolton put it, "dictated play" in the sudden-victory session and won 3-2 on a goal by Brady.

"Once we got to Game 7, I thought there was no way we were going to lose," Bolton said.

Tonge scored 10 seconds into the game, to the delight of 100-plus Vees fans who made the trip on a couple of fan buses. Aurora replied, but the Vees smelled blood with the Tigers using Richard, the third starting goalie of the series. By first period's end, it was 5-1.

"Their goaltending seemed to struggle, so we just decided to throw everything on net and ended up with five goals in the first 18 minutes," said Tonge, whose 17-year brother, Princeton University commit Colin Tonge, also scored in Tuesday's decider.

"Our fans, our booster club, our supporters, they were just as loud as anyone there," Alex Tonge added. "It's been huge for organization. We deserve a bounce like this with what we've been going through. We just never quit on ourselves and buckled down."

Munroe averred that Birkas' ban, which is being appealed, ultimately brought the Vees "a little closer." They were also emboldened by how fans rallied around the team.

"When you have that kind of support, getting texts, Tweets and Facebook messages before the game, people in Kingston letting us know they're on our side, it's definitely big," Bolton said.

The win sends Kingston to the North-East Conference final against the Trenton Golden Hawks. The series begins Friday.

"It means a lot to do this in my final year" Watson said. "Being so close to elimination, you start to think about what's going to happen when the season is over, but now we get to keep playing for a couple more weeks. It feels awesome.

"Just with where we were, it didn't seem like a highly probable thing that we could come back."

It is the second year in a row a junior hockey series involving a Kingston team has included a comeback from an 0-3 deficit. The Peterborough Petes turned the tables on the OHL's Frontenacs last spring.

Those Petes were emotionally and physically drained and lost 4-0 in the following round. Munroe wants to make sure that will not become a precedent.

"It's definitely something special," he said. "We're really trying to get over the high and focus on our next task."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.