(Walpole, MA) -- The Walpole Express Jr. A team’s season came to a crushing end with a 3-1 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Monday night, March 9, in Cromwell, Conn. The Express forced the game with a thrilling 3-2 OT win in game two on Saturday night in front of a standing-room-only capacity crowd at Iorio Arena.

In that game, it was the play of goaltender Rich Stine with 40 saves that made the difference for the Express. He was able to keep the Wolf Pack at bay long enough for Charles LaChance to find the back of the net with just over six minutes left in OT.

With the game two win, the Express hit the road for game three in Connecticut. In an up and down battle with both teams scoring first-period goals, the game was deadlocked until 5:34 of the third period when the Wolf Pack’s Cameron Chinnery put Hartford on top for good. They’ll move on to the next round against the NY Bobcats.

"Our boys gave me all they had,” said Coach Mark Kumpel. “We battled right to the end and I'm proud of the way we bounced back after we stumbled in game one. Unfortunately, we just came up short in game three and couldn't find a way to beat Hartford goalie Randy Wolcott.”

While the A team’s season has ended, the Express Jr. B team moves on to the next round of the MJHL playoffs after rallying from a 0-1 deficit against the Portland Jr. Pirates to take games two (5-3 in Portland) and three (5-2 at home).

"Portland stunned us on Friday, that’s for sure,” admitted Coach Tony Dalessio. “They out-worked us and forced us into bad situations from which we couldn't recover. Fortunately, we were able to battle back. We know we need to play more consistently in the next round, and hopefully we learned something from having our hand forced.”

“The Pirates gave us all we could handle,” Dalessio added. “Coach Ryan McGrath and his kids should be proud of the way they played down the stretch."

The Express Jr. B next face the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack with a guaranteed trip the USAH Jr. B Nationals and the Keegan Cup Final Four on the line. Game one of the Express vs. Wolf Pack series is set for Saturday, March 14 at 8:30 pm at Iorio Arena.