The Hornets took the first three games in the best-of-seven series against the Erin Shamrocks in a wild sweep over the weekend and into Monday night.
The series opener at the New Tec Rec Centre in Alliston started out a little slow as the Hornets got their legs back and a scoreless first period fired up the 400-plus crowd for the rest of the game.
Brayden Abraham opened the scoring for Erin with 13:03 on the clock in the second period.
Zenon Bylow tied it up for the Hornets a few minutes later.
By the end of the second, Erin was ahead by two when Paul Jannetta beat Alliston netminder, Troy Dowswell on a breakaway and Abraham got his second of the game on a power play with 36 seconds left in the frame.
Alliston forward Kyle McDowell took the feed from team captain Robbie Rutledge in the third period to get the Hornets second. He followed up late in the period with just 1:07 left on the clock and scored to force the game into overtime.
The league has a full 20-minute, five-man overtime period during playoffs.
McDowell got the hat trick and the win eight minutes into overtime when he found himself alone and charged in to beat Erin goalie Colin Baird.
Hornets head coach Darrin Shannon said the down time for the team prior to the series wasn't that big of a deal.
"We were off for three weeks so it was a concern. It took a little while for us to get going, but I think we played a decent game," Shannon said after Friday's game. "I expected them (Erin) to come out hard. They just won a series and they're a good team."
Shannon said McDowell's hat-trick performance was a quality play but also expressed confidence in the rest of the team.
"We needed someone to step up and be the difference maker, and tonight he did it. Hopefully he can do it again, but if not there will be someone else who will step up and do it."
The second game of the series took place at the Shamrocks’ home barn in Erin on Saturday night.
After a 1-1 tie at the end of the first period, the Hornets unleashed a storm on the home team, scoring four more in the second and an additional four in the third for a final 9-2 score.
Eight Alliston players got the points for goals including a deuce from Cole Parker.
The return to Alliston on Monday ended with a 6-1 when the Hornets dominated the game from the get-go.
Brett Eeles opened the scoring at 16:35 and 47 seconds later Kurtis Brossard caught the Erin goalie out of position and tipped the puck with a back-hand that put the Alliston squad up by two.
Jason Campeau fired a hard shot from the point to finish the frame with three on the board for the Hornets.
Erin's only goal came midway in the first from Mitch Christopher who went to the outside and picked off the right-hand corner of the Alliston net.
The Hornets picked up three more in the second, including a pair from top scorer Zenon Byblow and a single from Joel Thompson.
The win leaves the Hornets in good position to finish the series in four and move on to the finals.
In the other GMOHL semi-final series, the Penetang Kings are leading the Fergus Devils two games to one going into the fourth game on Wednesday.
Game four of the Alliston/Erin series is tomorrow night (Wed., Feb. 25), in Erin with the puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m.
If the Shamrocks are successful in holding off the Hornets, game five will be in Alliston this Fri., Feb. 27, with the puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
