Breakers eyeing 2nd straight Herder title as series shifts to Southern Shore
Games 3, 4 and a potential Game 5 will be played in Mobile this weekend
Hockey fans on the Southern Shore are ready to blow the roof off the Ken Williams Memorial Southern Shore Arena, their team two wins away from Newfoundland and Labrador senior hockey glory.
The Southern Shore Breakers lead the Herder Memorial Final two games to zero over the Deer Lake Red Wings, securing 4-1 and 4-3 wins on April 14 and 15.
Games 3 and 4 will be played on Friday and Saturday in Mobile, where Breakers general manager Ian Sullivan expects a sold-out arena. Game 5 will be played Sunday if Deer Lake wins one of the two games.
"It's like myself now, everybody, got butterflies in their stomachs and they can't wait to get up to the Ken Williams Southern Shore Arena and pack the house up there," Sullivan said.
"I'd say Friday night we'll be sold out. It will be the biggest crowd at Southern Shore Arena in an awful long time. Probably since the late '90s when we were playing for Herders."
Sullivan said the arena's phones have also been ringing off the hook as Deer Lake fans look to secure tickets before making the drive across Newfoundland. He says that's one of the things that makes the Herder final special.
"It's all about your community team, your local boys and all that and everybody," he said.
"Everybody got a soft spot for the Herder in their heart right across the island.… It's something that everybody wants to be a part of."
This year's Herder final matchup marks the first time the Breakers are facing the Red Wings. The Breakers are defending champions after claiming the trophy in 2022, while Deer Lake, the champions of the West Coast Senior Hockey League, last won the Herder in 2005.
Deer Lake would need to win two games in Mobile to push the series back to the west coast.
With files from On The Go