NEWS

Kingston Voyageurs (3) vs. Newmarket Hurricanes (5)

Regular season series:
10/18/12 Newmarket 4 at Kingston 0
11/04/12 Kingston 0 at Newmarket 2
12/02/12 Newmarket 1 at Kingston 0
01/20/13 Newmarket 2 at Kingston 1
02/03/13 Kingston 7 at Newmarket 2
02/21/13 Kingston 3 at Newmarket 2

The North-East Conference final pits two of the more respected and accomplished franchises within the OJHL. Suffice to say, both the Newmarket Hurricanes and the Kingston Voyageurs are accustomed to residing amongst the league's upper echelon for the better part of a decade.

To speak to the brilliance of both clubs, the 'Canes and Vees have continued their winning ways through recent ownership transfers and the replacement of long time and respected coaching staffs.

Although the season series between these two clubs was very much skewed in the favour of the Newmarket Hurricanes, goaltending will once again be key in the advancement to the Buckland Cup.

Playoff Success:
Kingston eliminated Wellington in the first round, then dispatched Cobourg in five games.
Newmarket defeated Whitby before crushing Lindsay in a four game sweep.

Keys to victory:

Kingston:
-Likely the strongest willed club in the OJHL, the Vees will have their resolve tested in this series. Will character and determination continue to be a staple of this hard working group? Will the Vees try to break the spirit of the Hurricanes early?
-Kingston's depth up front and timely scoring from multiple sources must continue for the Vees to succeed.
-The Vees defence, one of the best in the league, must keep the game plan simple. Keep the 'Canes to the outside and along the walls, as well as blocking shots and clearing out in front of the net so goalie Charlie Finn can do his job.
-Vees last year player, Junior Harris, must play smart and be better than, or equal to that of Newmarket's Daniel Leavens.

Newmarket:
-Newmarket must continue with their new found consistency. Keep the mojo rolling!
-Get production from the power play. Kingston will likely take their fair share of penalties. These precious opportunities can't be squandered. They also need to watch out for the aggressive Vees penalty kill. Kingston has three shorthanded goals in just 10 playoff games.
-Spread the scoring around. Point production must come from more than the first two lines. Unlikely heroes might be needed for the 'Canes to survive and advance.
-Goalie Matthew Wintjes will have to be better than his Kingston counterpart.  f not, this series likely won't fall Newmarket's way.

Positionally:
Forwards: Although neither team is blessed with an abundance of scoring, Kingston likely has the superior depth. At the very least, the Vees tend to roll the lines more than Newmarket

Defense: The Hurricanes back end is talented, yet Kingston clearly has the best defence in the entire OJHL. Kingston goalie Charlie Finn is often blessed with having a clear view of mostly pucks put on net.

Goaltending: Charlie Finn of Kingston was Team Canada East starter and is probably the best goalie in all of Junior A hockey in Ontario and points east.