NEWS

 

The Toronto Patriots continue to lead the OJHL standings as teams head for Feb. 24 – the final day of the regular season. (Photo by Shawn Muir / OJHL Images)

By Ron Valentine

You want playoffs, Ontario Junior Hockey League fans?

Hold on.

There are still races to be decided before the regular season ends Feb. 24.

The Aurora Tigers take a four-point lead in the North; the Wellington Dukes are 10 up on the Kingston Voyageurs in the East; the Toronto Patriots lead the South by four but have played three games fewer than the North York Rangers and the Georgetown Raiders with the wobbles far behind them have won nine of their last 10 and lead the West by a comfortable 13.

The battle continues in the North/East with the Pickering Panthers and Whitby Fury looking to be active after February and in the South/West it's still a race between the Orangeville Flyers, Burlington Cougars and Mississauga Chargers for the last playoff position.

Andrew Petrucci of the Patriots and Aurora’s Jake Bricknell go head-to-head in the scoring leadership battle both on 80 points. 

With the playoffs approaching, I have listed the teams by conference standings for this week’s review. In these seedings, the top teams in each division are ranked first and second based on points. 

 

NORTH/EAST

1. WELLINGTON DUKES, 64 points - Just one contest this week and it was a squeaker loss, 4-3 to the Tigers at the Dome. Mitch Mendonca put them ahead with a power play goal in the first and Mitchell Martan got two in the third, 59 seconds apart, giving him 21 for the campaign and putting his club up by one. Martan just committed this week to the Canisius College Golden Griffins for next season. He will be looking at a two-game suspension, however, for a penalty he picked up at the end of the evening's entertainment. It was just the team's ninth regulation loss in 45 games played.

 

2. AURORA TIGERS, 62 points - A loss, a win and a double overtime victory this week for the No. 1 team in the North. It did not start well with a 5-1 setback in Cobourg, with Joseph Mizzi getting the goal. They moved back into sole ownership of first in the division, winning 4-3 in Wellington. They had two goals in the second and two more in the third, including Jake Bricknell's winner with just under six minutes left in the match. Elijah Gonsalves, Anthony Romano and Rizvan Mansurov completed their scoring. With Bradley Van Schubert under suspension, Jack Irvine was in goal and got the win on 33 saves. They needed 66 minutes and 19 seconds to beat Buffalo on Mizzi's 14th of the season in just 18 contests as a Tiger. Luca Esposito and Austin Eastman (his 11th. and 32nd point in 15 games) had the others in the 3-2 win. Van Schubert was back in net with 22 stops. Bricknell and Chris Giroday chipped in with two assists each. I had a chance to have a chat with Jake and while he admits 100 points would be nice it's more important for the Tigers to grab that first overall position in the conference than worry about individual statistics, he says. After winning the RBC last season with Cobourg, it's great to be back right in the thick of things with his current team, he notes. Teams find it tough coming onto the Tiger's small home ice and he wants it to stay that way. He is looking forward to having a full-strength squad at the start of the playoffs He wants to continue to lead the way and set the tone for his teammates on the ice.

 

3. NEWMARKET HURRICANES, 58 points - For the third straight game, the 'Canes posted a shutout victory, this time 3-0 over Cobourg at home. Kristian Hufsky was the goalkeeper of record and he made 32 stops. Alex Ierullo, Ryan Hunt and an empty-netter from Cole Thiessen did the damage. That streak ended Friday in Pickering as they dropped one to the Panthers 3-2. Owen Ramsay, notching his 25th. of the season and Jackson Savery had their goals. A visit to the Junior Canadiens Sunday and with a win they could climb to within two of the Tigers. Coming into the contest the two teams were just one point apart and the game reflected that stat with the clubs tied 1-1 after two complete. The J.C's got two in the third for the 3-1 decision. Dimitri Mikrogiannakis' power play goal was No. 9 for him. Eleven games to go for both the Hurricanes and Aurora.

 

4. KINGSTON VOYAGEURS, 54 points - A large win over Trenton at home by a 6-1 score opened the week for the Vees who were led by two goals and one assist from Robert Clerc. Josh Leblanc added four assists and Trevor Withers repelled 34. The Vees had two goals before the game was a minute old and led 4-0 after one. The week ended with a visit to Stouffville where Andrew Farrier recorded his first shutout of the season with the Montreal native saving 31 Spirit shots on net. Clerc had a goal, his fifth game winner of the season, to move him up to 23, tied with Leblanc, plus he added a couple of assists.

 

5. MARKHAM ROYALS, 51 points - The team got no reward for their trip to Trenton ending up on the wrong end of the 7-2 scoreline. Shots on goal were the only even thing in this game (30-30). Kosta Likourezos had a goal and an assist.  A Sunday matinee in North York was close as expected and sixty minutes was not enough time to decide a winner. It did not look good for the Royals in the third when they trailed 3-1 but goals from Likourezos and Sam Marit just over a minute apart forced the extra time. Bain Cunningham opened the scoring with his 14th. They had to be satisfied with just the one point as the Rangers scored in the second OT period for the 4-3 win.

 

6. TRENTON GOLDEN HAWKS, 48 points - The 'Hawks had a rough night in Kingston, down 4-0 after less than seven minutes they could not get back into it. Chris Karabassis had their lone goal in the 6-1 defeat. A turn-around 24 hours later, though, on home ice, as they toppled Markham 7-2 with Carter Poulin who had a big bounce back after being pulled early in the loss to the Vees as he saved 28 for the win. Karabassis found the net again and now has four goals and nine points in five games played. Tiger McDonald had a goal and four assists in this one as the team came through on four power play goals on six chances. They wound up the busy week Sunday in the town of Pickering with Ajax native Kevin Stiles putting them ahead in the first and getting into double figures for goals on the season. It was tied 1-1 after two. Max Ewart got his club-leading 22nd. but it was not enough as they ended up on the wrong end of the 3-2 scoreline.

 

7. COBOURG COUGARS, 46 points - A great start to the week with a 5-1 home triumph over the Tigers. Mathieu Hebert's goal late in the opening period would prove to be the winner. It was his second in his third game with the team. Jorgen Johnson had a busy time in net turning back 34 Aurora shots on goal. Jacob Black got his 13th, tying him with George Miranda and Connor MacEachern for the club lead. They were aided by power play goals from blueliners Bryce Martin and Dominic Della Civita. Not so good Thursday night in Newmarket where they were shut out 3-0.

 

8. PICKERING PANTHERS, 43 points - The club took another huge stride toward a playoff position with a 3-2 win over the highly-ranked Hurricanes in Pickering. Davis Teigen-Katsumi scored the game winner inside the last five minutes of the third for the dramatic victory. Brock Traill had his eighth goal as a Panther. Sunday, they said hello to the Golden Hawks and fell behind 1-0 in the first but got that one back courtesy of Joseph Franzin's 11th. goal and 40th. point of the season (third in League scoring for defencemen). It was all even at ones going into the third but then Andrew Hughes got to work with two, the first on the powerplay. He now has 14 for the Panthers and 24 on the total season. Josh Argier chipped in with two assists in the important 3-2 victory, their 20th of the season. It was their fourth consecutive game at home and they won all four and in each one they scored three goals. they have been involved in 21 one-goal games this campaign plus one tie.

 

9. WHITBY FURY, 37 points - Still in the race for a postseason berth, the Fury took a 4-2 win in Stouffville. Rory Milne's early third period tally was the decider. Liam Robertson had a goal and an assist. After recording just five points in his first 18 games he now has 14 goals and a like number of assists. Alex Horawski got the win with 29 stops. A home game Sunday afternoon against Lindsay was another must win situation and they came through with the 5-1 victory. Greg Smith had three goals, the former Aurora Tiger getting two in the first and one in the third. Luke Pearson got the 'W' making 24 saves.

 

10. STOUFFVILLE SPIRIT, 18 points-  Home ice against the Milton IceHawks looked promising but they fell 4-1 to the last place team in the West. Ian Vucko got a power play marker late in the first frame but that would be it on this night. Two more home games against Whitby on Saturday and Kingston on Sunday yielded nothing more with the Fury winning 4-2 and the Spirit getting goals from Kosta Manikis and a very late one from Darius Kondrotas. Against the Vees, they could not solve Andrew Farrier and the final was 4-0.

 

11. LINDSAY MUSKIES, 14 points - Nothing doing Friday night at home as they fell to the West Division-leading Raiders 7-0. Sunday in Whitby a 5-1 loss to the Fury, who are still very much in the hunt for a playoff berth. Braydon Leeking connected for goal No. 13. Nine games left in a tough season for the Muskies.

 

 

SOUTH/WEST

1. TORONTO PATRIOTS, 72 points - Just one contest this week for the league leaders – an emphatic win over the St. Mike’s Buzzers by a 7-2 count. Bluleiner Nicholas Favaro led the way with two goals, including the game winner and Andrew Petrucci had a goal and two helpers to reach the 80-point mark including 41 goals. Ten games remaining and 20 points to the century mark - will it be? I spoke to Andrew and he mentioned that reaching the 50-goal mark (nine to go) was probably more important to him than reaching the 100-point plateau. He is very happy to have committed to RIT – a perfect fit for him, he says, but the goal now is first overall for the Patriots in the S/W Conference. He feels this edition of the Patriots is the most dedicated and committed group of players he has played with. He credits linemates Lee Lapid and Oliver Benwell for a lot of his success this season and points out that the addition of two positive character guys in Kyler Matthews and Max Routledge from Mississauga at the trade deadline has given them much more strength down the stretch and into the post-season.  

 

2. GEORGETOWN RAIDERS, 65 points - No problem in Lindsay as they shutout the Muskies 7-0 with ex-OHLer Troy Timpano getting his first as a Raider stopping 29. Scoring was well distributed with seven different players contributing. Dominic Dumas netted his first for his new team. Jason Smith tallied number 26. Saturday night at home to divisional rivals, the Flyers, Dumas opened the scoring in the second frame followed by a goal from Jonathan Hampton. In the final frame Andrew Court added one for the 3-0 win. Nathan Torchia was busy enough in the shutout making 33 saves. The victory marked their ninth in the last ten games. 31 wins now for the campaign.

 

3. NORTH YORK RANGERS, 68 points - Saturday night in Mississauga, the Rangers fell behind in the first minute but goals from Locust Hill native Matthew Hubbarde in the first and Josh Dame with just over seven minutes remaining on the game got them the 2-1 win. Jett Alexander made 27 saves for win number twelve. Markham were in Sunday for tea and the Rangers could not hold on to a 3-1 third period lead and went into OT and in the second session Graydon Gottschalk was the hero giving them the 4-3 win. The Rangers built up their lead on goals by Gottschalk, Davis Park and Noah Jordan. Two big points and they are now just four behind the Patriots but they have played three more games, second in the Division might be more realistic. Captain Kyle Clarke was very happy with the 'huge' overtime win over the Royals. They have been in many tight games throughout the season, he says, and although they do not have the big goal scorers and point producers on the club (Jess Tucker leads with just 38 points) everyone is able to chip in and get the job done. They are focused, Kyle added, everyone has bought into the system and both goalies have been excellent, the best duo in the league. (Colby Muise has 19 wins with a GAA of 1.70 and Alexander has 12 victories and a 2.04 GAA- second and fourth, respectively in the League).  

 

4. OAKVILLE BLADES, 63 points - No games this week for the Blades but two players saw action in Mississauga in the CJHL Prospects game: blueliner Matthew Kellenberger and goalkeeper Christian Purboo who played the second half of that event. Three home games next week in a row with a rescheduled contest against the Tigers on Thursday, Burlington in on Friday and St. Michael's on Saturday night. These games will be large for the Blades as the fourth-place club in the South will start their playoff series on the road.

 

5. TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS, 61 points - A single contest this week for the J.C's and they had a tough opponent in the Hurricanes who were looking for that top spot in the North and the Conference. At the 'Pond', Georgetown native Chase Spencer connected for his second of the season to put them ahead 1-0 in the second period but Newmarket would tie it up going into the final twenty minutes. Chad Lopez, scoring his fifth in his last six games, put them ahead and Jason Pineo added the insurance marker for the 3-1 win.

 

6. BUFFALO JUNIOR SABRES, 52 points - Putting up a good fight in Aurora the Juniors went down in a 3-2 2OT final. Trevor Peca, son of Michael, had a shorthanded marker and Bryan Zurowski posted his ninth goal of the season. A divisional matchup with Burlington at the HarborCenter Sunday was not a memorable one for the Sabres who go behind the eight-ball by finishing the first frame down 4-1.The Cougars added three more in the second. In the third this one got ugly with Colton McKenna assessed five minute majors for cross-checking and fighting but there was no more scoring. Final 7-1. Zach Nazzarett had their goal, five minutes into the contest, his 15th goal and 35th point of the season.   

 

7. ST. MICHAEL'S BUZZERS, 46 points  - The club met with tough resistance in Milton Friday night but did come away with a 5-4 extra time win. Forty-eight seconds into the overtime, Nicholas Zabaneh made it an even dozen goals for the season with his second game winner. Dylan Jackson opened the scoring with his 27th. of the campaign, his first one this season scored shorthanded. A trip to the Westwood to play the division leaders, the Toronto Patriots, was on tap for a Saturday night and they took the brunt of the No. 1 team's offense in a 7-2 loss. Carm Alberga and Jonah Alexander had the goals.

 

8. ORANGEVILLE FLYERS, 40 points - A four-pointer at the Appleby against the Cougars went the Flyers' way in a 4-1 victory. It gave them a big boost to their playoff hopes. Hudson Lambert, who leads the OJHL in points scored by a defenceman, had the opening goal and Michael Hill and Max Steeves added two in the second with Rocco Andreacchi (No. 14) getting the empty-netter to complete the scoring. Eric Doner made 21 saves for the win, his fourth. A tough one Saturday night at the Alcott where they could not muster a goal in their 3-0 setback. They still have the last spot in the S/W Conference playoffs and have seven left to play.

 

9. BURLINGTON COUGARS, 37 points - The Cougars missed a chance to get closer to the Flyers of Orangeville in the race for the final playoff spot as they were bested 4-1 at home by that club on Friday night. Noah Doyle had the goal. Another opportunity, in Buffalo for a Sunday matinee and this time they came up with a monster game with Noah Kalsner-Lowe getting a goal and adding three assists while Josh Leblanc scored twice and added an assist as they overpowered the Sabres 7-1. Andrew Salt got into a late third period scrap. Justin Richer had a strong game in goal stopping 34 shots.That's three straight victories on the road for the club. Now if they could just reproduce this form at the Appleby where they have not won since early November! Ten games to go. 

 

10. MISSISSAUGA CHARGERS, 35 points - Just one game this week and it was a close one with Kyle Lewis getting them off to a good start scoring at the 53 second mark but a 45-save performance from Luca Durante was not enough to get them any points in the 2-1 final against North York in a closely-fought contest. Quickly running out of games, now just nine remain on the regular-season docket. 

 

11. MILTON ICEHAWKS, 9 points- A good week for the cellar-dwellers with a 4-1 win in Stouffville, their second road victory of the season. Zac Sirota, Brett McInall, Will McQueen, on the power play, and Martin Nowysz had the goals and Noah Battaglia made 32 saves. Eleven different 'Hawks got a point in this one. At home on Friday they got a singleton in a tough 5-4 overtime loss to St. Michael's. They found themselves down 1-0 after the first period but, with his first goal of the season, Clark Hiebert and Sirota put them ahead early in the second. The Buzzers got the next two but Brett McInall tied things up and then they went ahead on a goal from Matteo DiGuilio, only to see the visitors tie it up and score the decider in the extra time. Sirota has now joined Brandon Lucchesi in double figures for goals scored, both have 10. Full marks to the 'Hawks for hanging in there!