Blades Eliminated by Bullfrogs

Hugo Belanger scored a power-play goal 1 minute 2 seconds into sudden death to give the Bullfrogs a 1-0 mini-game victory at the Pond on Monday and eliminate the Blades from the Roller Hockey International Western Conference semifinals.

The Blades forced the 12-minute mini-game earlier Monday with a 5-2 victory in Game 2 of the playoff series.

The Bullfrogs will play host to the San Jose Rhinos in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Friday at the Pond. It is the fifth consecutive time Anaheim has eliminated Los Angeles from the playoffs.

The Blades’ Kevin St. Jacques and Doug Ast returned for Game 2 and the mini-game after missing the series opener with injuries.

The two spearheaded a fourth-quarter surge for the Blades, with St. Jacques scoring two goals and Ast adding an assist in the quarter to help extend the Blades’ season.

St. Jacques gave the Blades a 3-2 lead 3:15 into the fourth quarter of Game 2, scoring off a rebound from a shot by Ast. Five minutes later, St. Jacques scored again, this time on a breakaway after teammate Ross Harris forced the puck loose with a big check at center court.

Harris finished off the scoring with an empty-net goal with 28 seconds remaining and Los Angeles goalie Jeff Ferguson and the defense made the lead stand up.