For the fourth time in the last six years, the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts will play for the Herder Memorial Trophy.
The Cataracts downed the visiting Gander Kelly Ford Flyers 3-1 Saturday night in Grand Falls-Windsor to take their best-of-seven Newfoundland senior hockey Central Division final 4-2.
The Cataracts will play either the Clarenville Ford Caribous or Southern Shore Puglisevich Breakers for the Herder and 2019 provincial senior hockey title. Those teams are meeting in the Eastern Division final, which begins Sunday evening in Clarenville.
On Saturday, before a big crowd at the Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium Danny Wicks, Sam Hounsell and Michael Cole scored as the Cataracts carried a 3-0 lead into the third period.
Jordan Escott had the Flyers’ goal.
The Cataracts won three straight Herders from 2014 to 2016, but didn’t make the provincial final the last two years.
It will be some time before Grand Falls-Windsor will know its Herder opponent; if it goes a full seven games, the Caribous-Breakers series wouldn’t finish until April 2. While the Central Division playdowns only involved the Cataracts and Flyers, the Eastern Division playoffs began with four teams and features two rounds.
Game 2 of the Eastern final is Wednesday night at the Southern Shore Arena in Mobile and then switches back to the Eastlink Events Centre in Clarenville Friday night.
