Menace Analyst – Mikayla Guarasci
Milton Menace Preview: Menace vs Burlington Cougars, Round 1 Game 5- March 17, 2024
The Milton Menace are looking to bounce back on Sunday when they welcome the Burlington Cougars to town for game five of the first round. The Menace suffered their first loss of the playoffs on Friday and currently lead the series 3-1.
In game four, the Menace fell 3-2 in overtime, giving the Cougars life as they sit on the brink of elimination. Burlington opened the scoring in the first period, taking an early lead. Justin O’Donnell tied things up for Milton in the second, but just minutes later, Burlington scored on the power play. With less than four minutes remaining in regulation, Owen Kindree scored his first of the playoffs to take the game to overtime. The Cougars scored 15:11 into the extra frame to claim the win and send the series back to Milton for a game five. Glen Crandall made 50 saves in the loss. Friday marked the team’s first loss after four straight wins as Burlington broke a five-game losing streak.
Starting strong will be critical for the Menace in Sunday’s game. They were outshot 21-11 in the first period of Friday’s game and went into the intermission down by a goal. Although Milton has done a great job moving on from losses this season, their ability to put a tough game behind them will be more crucial in the playoffs. Game five will test this, and a strong opening period is the best way to dull their opponent’s momentum. Burlington has yet to beat Milton at the Milton Memorial Arena this season and will be searching for that win to keep their season alive.
Spend St. Patrick’s Day with the Menace as they hope for some luck to help them advance to the second round. The Menace need you in the stands, so grab your tickets now. If you can’t make it out, you can stream the game live on FloHockey. There will also be game updates on the Menace’s social media accounts.