Mariners Eliminate Rockets in Game 4, Advance To NPHL Finals

MANOTICK, ON –  The Manotick Mariners have done it. In a hard-fought and emotional series against their conference rivals, the North Dundas Rockets, the Mariners won the series 3–1, capped off by a dramatic 3–2 overtime victory in Game 4 to eliminate the defending champions and punch their ticket to the league final.

Much of the colour and detail from the final two games comes courtesy of longtime local hockey trivia expert and author Liam Maguire, whose recap captured the intensity of the series below.

Game 3 – Mariners Take Series Lead at Home

Saturday night in Manotick saw an overflowing crowd at the Manotick Arena as the Mariners battled for control of the series. Despite missing several key players — including defenseman Ben Finkelstein, who was unable to return from the United States in time, along with Ryan Lough and Émile Poirier — the Mariners delivered a determined effort and earned a 4–2 victory.

The opening period was scoreless, but the pace of play was high and physical.

Jake Cardwell opened the scoring for Manotick early in the second period. Later in the frame, fans witnessed a quick offensive burst with three goals in just 1:53.

• Branden Makara extended the Mariners’ lead to 2–0.

• Just 23 seconds later, the Rockets responded with a goal from Chris Kushneriuk.

• Only 90 seconds after that, Grant Cooper restored the two-goal lead for Manotick.

The Rockets pushed back again in the third period when Kevin Lough scored a shorthanded goal to cut the lead to one. But once again, the Mariners had the answer — Makara struck just 26 seconds later, scoring his second of the night to make it 4–2, which would stand as the final.

The win gave Manotick a 2–1 series lead heading into Sunday’s potential clincher.

Game 4 – Lough Ends It in Overtime

As Liam Maguire noted in his recap, the hardest game to win is often the one that ends a series.

Playing at home in Chesterville, the Rockets came out with urgency and controlled much of the early territorial play in the first period. Despite the pressure, goaltender Berk Berkeliev made several key saves, including a breakaway stop on Fabian Walsh, to keep the game scoreless after one.

The second period featured some of the best hockey of the entire series.

Nicholas Hamre capitalized on a turnover to give the Mariners the first goal, but the Rockets responded when Andrew Radjenovic buried a rebound on the power play to tie the game 1–1.

Both goaltenders — Berkeliev for Manotick and Matt Jenkins for North Dundas — were outstanding, turning aside multiple high-quality chances.

Early in the third period, Manotick regained the lead when Grant Cooper scored on the power play, assisted by Émile Poirier, making it 2–1 Mariners. But the Rockets answered again with a power-play goal from Kevin Domingue, setting up a tense finish.

With neither team able to break the deadlock in regulation, the series headed to overtime for the first time.

And then came the moment that sealed the series.

In what Maguire described as a “perfect case of serendipity,” Brett Gustavsen — a former Rocket and fan favourite target in the rivalry — flipped a pass up the middle to longtime linemate Ryan Lough, springing him on a breakaway. Lough executed a perfect forehand-backhand move and slipped the puck through the goaltender’s legs.

Goal. Series over.

Ryan Lough scored the overtime winner at 16:10, giving the Mariners a 3–2 victory and the series 3–1.

Manotick’s win was made even more impressive by adversity on the blue line. The team started Game 4 with only five defensemen, and that quickly dropped to four after Gregg Burmaster blocked a shot and broke a finger.

Huge credit goes to Jake Cardwell, Corey Tam, Nathan Merrett, and Jacob Renaud-Viau, who logged heavy minutes and battled through nearly four periods of hockey to secure the win.

Moving on to the NPHL Finals

With the victory, the Mariners advance to the league final where they will face the Tweed Oil Kings, a team that fought through the top two seeds in the West to reach the championship round.

If the conference final proved anything, it’s that the Mariners are ready for the challenge.

After finishing first in the standings, defeating the Rockets twice in the regular season, and now eliminating the defending champions in the playoffs, Manotick has firmly established itself as the team to beat.

And as Liam Maguire put it in his recap:

“What a game, what a series, what a win.”

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