The Rats fell behind 4-0 and couldn’t score until 3:24 was left in the third period when Tyler Dixon connected on a power-play goal.
The loss means the Jaguars move onto the Maritime North Junior Hockey championship scheduled for Springhill beginning March 29.
The teams battled to a scoreless draw in the opening period before Metro tallied twice in the second period and added two more in the third period before the Rats were able to find the net.
Despite the loss, the Rats held a 36-34 advantage in shots on net.
The March 25 game came after a four-day break, mainly due to weather delays, after the teams played four games in five nights. The most recent prior to March 25 being a 3-2 loss in overtime to the Jaguars in Halifax on March 20.
The Rats were outscored 23-20 in the six games of the series. In the March 20 overtime loss, the Jaguars scored with 2:26 left in overtime.
With the exception of the overtime goal, all the game’s scoring was done in the second period with Mitchell Urquhart tying the March 20 game at 2-2 for the River Rats with only 1:41 to play. Logan Cleveland scored the first goal for Avon.
The Rats had a power-play opportunity in the overtime period but could not take advantage and just 38 seconds after the power-play was over; the Jags scored the overtime winner. Metro outshot Avon 44-34.
The River Rats tied the series 2-2 on March 19 at home with a 6-4 win. Justin MacLellan scored a pair for the Rats while Mitchell Urquhart and Adam Ferguson added single goals. Falmouth’s Brett Wallace scored one and added an assist for the Jaguars who outshot the Rats 52-43.
The Jaguars with a pair of goals in the game’s final seven minutes took a 2-1 series lead with a 4-3 win in game 3 in Halifax March 18. The River Rats led 3-1 in the second period when Adam Ferguson and Justin MacLellan scored 14 seconds apart. Allister Avard scored the Rats other goal.
Despite the series loss on March 25, the Rats had an outstanding season with numerous players wanting to play in Windsor. The Rats are already looking forward to the 2017-2018 Nova Scotia Regional Junior Hockey League Season, with one goal in mind and that is a trip to the Maritime North Junior Championships in the spring of 2018.
