Photo/MIKE MALONEY THE GIRLS OF Boston Pizza and Perfectly Pampered Princess didn’t let the temperature get in the way as the two teams ‘turned up the heat’ some more on the soccer pitch during Girls Under 8 action on Tuesday evening. What a difference a year makes. This time last year a less than focused group of Northmen players watched the Junior B play-offs unfold from the sidelines after having failed to earn them selves a berth in the post season.

Not so, this season. A scrappy, tenacious and determined MacMaster Pontiac Buick GMC Northmen squad stepped up another rung on the play-off ladder after eliminating Welland with a convincing 8-5 win to clinch their best -of-five series three games to one.

Playing before a enthusiastic crowd of home town supporters at the Tony Rose on Monday night, the Northmen were more than ready to finish things off with the Warlords having dropped game three of the series 7-5 two nights earlier in Welland.

Jumping out to an early lead on a goal by Kyle Kallay at the oneminute mark of the first, followed in succession with a pair off the stick of captain Dustin Caravello, the Northmen never looked back.

Welland refused to roll over for Orangeville and, like a dog with it's back to the wall, snapped back with two that narrowed the margin to one heading into the second frame.

With tempers rising about as fast as the heat in the rink, the game had the makings of another barn burner like game two the week before a three goal Northmen scoring burst over a minute nearing the midway point would prove to be the turning point of the game for Orangeville.

First it was Shayne Snider at 8:17 snapping an over head shot to the short-side after a drive in from the right side before a quick set-up off the draw to Kallay seconds later made it 5-2. Next it was Caravello with his third of four on the night scoring what would prove to be the game winner at 9:25 off a heads up pass from Travis Szabolcs that seemed to be the straw that broke the Warlords back.

Szabolcs added insult to injury minutes later when he combined with the Caravello brothers Niall and Dustin, waltzing in and across the crease, biding his time waiting for Welland goalie Connor Danko to commit before dropping Orangeville's seventh goal into the Warlords net.

Welland would get some spark back after a power-play goal to end the second and then with Tyler Tanguay picking his way through the Northmen defense once more to make it 7-4 a minute fifty into the third; but Michael Cregan, with the scent of victory creeping onto the floor, held Welland to just one more goal after Caravello's fourth and ran out the remainder of the game to take the game and series with the 8-5 win.

For Northmen coach Burman, the victory was sweet after the animosity that started to build between these two teams back when they met for the first time during the regular season back in April.

Admitting that the series was a little tighter than he had thought it might be, Burman gave credit to Welland for their effort. 'They are a really good lacrosse team, they play hard, have a lot of good sticks and gave us a good run."

He had only good things to say about his own players, as well, With the exception of game three Friday night in Welland, he said "we played hard, we played our style of game and did what we had to do and that is why in the end we came out successful".

But another key to that success was also the goaltending of Michael Cregan who came in and replaced starter Curtis Rydall between the pipes partway through game one and has stayed there since.

Cregan down plays his part in the Northmen win.

All I really wanted was to play and a chance to show what I can do. Playoff experience is what I live for."

Citing the teams effort over his own, Cregan says the wins came as a team effort. "We knew if we played our game and stuck to the plan, we would win. This is a team game and not an individual game".

For the Northmen now though, the challenge gets bigger as they go on to meet the undefeated Six Nations Rebels in the next play-off round.

Game one of the series goes in Six Nations on Friday before the two teams head back to the Tony Rose where they will take to the floor in game two on Sunday night.