The Ripley Wolves are on the brink of elimination after suffering a 6-3 loss in Game 4 on Saturday.
The Thundercats scored three in the final half of the first period to lead 3-0 after one. The Wolves battled back in the second with goals from Patrick Weijack and Patrick Looby, with assists to Jarred Colling, Tyson Soers and Nick Seiler, to close the gap to 3-2 after two periods.
Any hopes of a comeback were quashed in the first two minutes of the third when the Cats pumped two behind Wolves goalie Jason Hamilton, stretching the lead to 5-2. Garrett Satosek would add one more for the Wolves, from Colling and Seiler, and the game ended in a 6-3 score.
Durham now leads the best-of-seven semifinal 3-1, and the Wolves will try to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Saturday, March 10, in Ripley, at 7 p.m.
Game 6, if necessary, will be Sunday, March 11, in Durham, at 1:30 p.m. Game 7 would be Tuesday, March 13, at 8:30 p.m., in Ripley, if it goes the distance.