The Fort Erie Meteors had no trouble turning the page following a tough overtime loss Friday.
The Meteors rebounded with a solid overall effort to defeat the St. Catharines Rankin Construction Falcons 4-1 Saturday night in Fort Erie to even their Greater Ontario Hockey League best-of-seven semifinal playoff series 1-1.
Fort Erie head coach/general manager Nik Passero loved his club’s resiliency after dropping a 3-2 decision to open the series.
“What’s funny about coaching kids is it hurts the coaches way more than it hurts the players,” Passero said. “I didn’t have an appetite today and I’m sure these kids just woke up and knew that they had another game. So that’s what’s nice about coaching kids. They’re not as cynical as maybe the staff is.”
The Meteors set the tone early, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead by the seven-minute mark of the second.
“I just think we played a little more poised with the puck,” Passero said. “But I thought they were very similar games. We defended hard, and yesterday we got scored on in overtime on the power play.
“I thought on the big rink today, we really skated them hard. They were ready for it early, and we scored those big goals in the third period early, kind of pushed it out of reach, but it was a battle all night.”
It was a crucial win for the Meteors, who could have quickly found themselves in a 2-0 hole to start the series.
“I just said to the guys that it happened so fast we can’t let it slip,” Passero said. “We’ve got to play hard, and the guys really stepped up. We got some big goals from guys that have been working hard, and our top guys were our top guys.”
The Mets also got a goal from defenceman Alex Masotti, who now has four goals in postseason action after netting only three all season.
“Alex has had a really tough season,” Passero said. “He got sick early on. He had mono and a really tough time getting healthy. Then he got hurt and it was his first time away from home.
“A really good kid and he was not in our lineup to start the playoffs, but he’s done his job. He’s pitched in and scored some big goals for us. He’s a big kid that plays with some energy and it’s good to have him out there.”
Masotti, a 17-year-old Newmarket native, was thrilled to chip in on offence.
“It feels great. It didn’t happen a lot regular season, but it’s clicking now, so it’s the perfect time,” he said. “Our top guys, they score — they’re unreal — but they can’t do it all the time. We’ve got to help out.”
Masotti, who was a first-round selection of the Erie Otters in the 2025 U18 draft, is thrilled just to be playing at all.
“I mean, it’s great. Being sick and out was not good at all,” the said. “I missed hockey, but it feels great to be back and help contribute.
“I took some time off (with the mono), mainly just rest, but it was hard. I mean, I watch the games at home and everything, but it’s tough to not be around the boys. And then coming back, it feels great.”
The Falcons trailed only 2-1 after two, but offered little pushback in the third.
“It was a little bit of everything,” Falcons head coach/president of hockey operations Tyler Bielby said. “I think we were trying. Our legs weren’t matching our brain. We were fighting the puck. It was definitely an off night for our team. We had a chance to show up in the third and make it right, but an early goal for them just ended up being too much for us to overcome.”
Bielby did not seem overly concerned with the off night.
“There’s more in us, but I’m proud of this group. We’ve been proud of this group all year. We’re going to throw this one away, and we’re going to be ready on Monday.”
