NEWS

By: Chris McLachlin, OHA Media
Photo: Colleen Wiendels Photography

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a look at the GOJHL, let’s dive in and see what’s been happening.

The GOJHL held their Top Prospects Games in Ancaster on December 28 and showcased the league’s top 16 (2000’s) year old players in one game and the league’s top 17 and 18 (98/99’s) year old players in the other game. In the 2000’s game it was Team 2 beating Team 1 8-3 and in the 98/99’s game, Team 1 beat Team 2 4-3. Click here for the results and rosters from both games.

With the season coming down to the final 2 months, most teams have between 13 and 17 games remaining and lots of playoff positions are still up for grabs in all 3 conferences. The Caledonia Corvairs have extended their lead on top of the Golden Horseshoe Conference as the top 4 teams in the conference have breathing room behind them, but there is a real close race for spots 5 through 8. In the Midwest the first place Listowel Cyclones have gained some separation from the second place Elmira Sugar Kings, but there is a log jam from 2nd to 5th as any team that gets hot down the stretch can move up and any team that slumps could end up without home ice in the first round. In the Western Conference the LaSalle Vipers lead but the London Nationals, Chatham Maroons and Leamington Flyers are all in the mix to claim first by the end of the regular season.

GOLDEN HORSESHOE CONFERENCE 
The Caledonia Corvairs (65) have a firm grasp on first place in the ‘Shoe as they have won 7 straight games and 9 of their last 10, including a come from behind 4-3 win in St. Catharines on Friday night. The St. Catharines Falcons (57) have 2 games in hand over the Corvairs but now trail by 8 points after back to back losses. The Falcons were still 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and have a 9-point lead over the Niagara Falls Canucks (48). The Canucks are riding a modest 2-game winning streak and have won 7 of their past 10 to solidify their third place position. The Ancaster Avalanche (41) have played .500 hockey in their past 10 and are 9 points ahead of Welland for 4th in the conference. The Welland Jr. Canadians (32) have struggled of late, going 2-7-0-1 in their past 10 games and have opened the door for the Fort Erie Meteors (28) and Thorold Blackhawks (27) to move closer as both teams have identical 4-6-0-0 records in their past 10 games. In 8th place, the Pelham Panthers (20) are 2-7-01 in their past 10 and one of those losses came at the hands of the Buffalo Regals (2) who picked up their first win of the season last Tuesday, 3-2 against the Panthers.

Top Performances (Jan. 2-8):
Goals: 3 – Owen Green (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6
Assists: 2 – Brandon Lindberg (Caledonia) vs St. Catharines Jan. 6, Greg DiTomaso (St. Catharines) vs Caledonia Jan. 6, Lucas Smilsky (St. Catharines) vs Caledonia Jan. 6, Patrick McCabe (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Ted Davis (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Jag Masters (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Dillon Hill (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Tanner Brown (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Andrew Barbeau (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Nicolas Elia (Thorold) vs Pelham Jan. 6, Brendan Charlton (Thorold) vs Pelham Jan. 7, Ryan Punkari (Caledonia) vs Fort Erie Jan. 7
Points: 3 - Greg DiTomaso (1G, 2) (St. Catharines) vs Caledonia Jan. 6, Lucas Smilsky (1G, 2A) (St. Catharines) vs Caledonia Jan. 6, Owen Green (3G) (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Phillip Chadder (2G, 1A) (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Ted Davis (1G, 2A) (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, Austin Wright (2G, 1A) (Niagara Falls) vs Buffalo Jan. 6, 
Saves: Tyler Shotwell (L) (Buffalo) vs Niagara Falls Jan. 5
Shutout: 31 SV – Daniel Chenard (Caledonia) vs Fort Erie Jan. 7

MIDWESTERN CONFERENCE
The Listowel Cyclones (57) have extended their lead on top of the Midwest, with a 7-2-1-0 record in their past 10 games and now stand 8 points clear of second place Elmira. The Elmira Sugar Kings (49) have been chasing Listowel all season and now find themselves only 3 points ahead of Cambridge for 2nd, even though the Sugar Kings have won 6 of their past 10, the same as the Cambridge Winter Hawks (46), but the Winter Hawks have lost 2 overtime games to grab 2 extra points. Teams are closely bunched in the Midwest, as the Kitchener Dutchmen (44) are 5-4-1-0 of late, the Waterloo Siskins (42) have slumped in their past 10, going 3-4-1-2 and the Stratford Warriors (39) who have won 6 of 10 are all within 5 points of one another. The Guelph Hurricanes (25) have moved back to 7th after ending an extended winless streak and have now won back to back games against Stratford 7-5 and Elmira 5-3. The Brampton Bombers (22) have played better of late, going 4-5-0-1 in their past 10 games to keep them in the final playoff position ahead of the Brantford 99ers (15) who have earned just 6 points in their last 10 games, compared to 9 for the Bombers.

Top Performances (Jan. 2-8):
Goals: 2 - Curtis Abbott (Stratford) vs Kitchener Jan. 3, Mitch Deelstra (Listowel) vs Brampton Jan. 6, Jay Dekker (Brantford) vs Stratford Jan. 6, Trevor Dulong (Stratford) vs Brantford Jan. 6, Ryan Nicholson (Stratford) vs Brantford Jan. 6, Mitch Hoelscher (Elmira) vs Waterloo Jan. 7, Anthony Kotsovos (Stratford) vs Guelph Jan. 7, Anthony Mota (Guelph) vs Stratford Jan. 7, Riley Macrae (Cambridge) vs Brampton Jan. 8, Anthony Mota (Guelph) vs Elmira Jan. 8, Mitch Hoelscher (Elmira) vs Guelph Jan. 8
Assists: 3 – Keaton Ratcliffe (Stratford) vs Kitchener Jan. 3, Keaton Ratcliffe (Stratford) vs Brantford Jan. 6, Tyler McBay (Elmira) vs Waterloo Jan. 7, Josh Slegers (Elmira) vs Waterloo Jan. 7, Jake Brown (Elmira) vs Waterloo Jan. 7, Mitchell Morrison (Guelph) vs Stratford Jan. 7
Points: 4 – Anthony Mota (2G, 2A) (Guelph) vs Stratford Jan. 7, Mitchell Morrison (Guelph) vs Stratford Jan. 7
Saves: 57 – Jake Fleming (L) (Brampton) vs Listowel Jan. 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE
The high-flying LaSalle Vipers (55) have lost their last 2 games and have opened the door for the London Nationals (51) who have played 2 fewer games and now only trail the Vipers by 4 points for top spot. The top for teams in the Western Conference have all been playing great hockey the past 10 games, LaSalle is 7-3-0-0, London is 8-2-0-0, the Chatham Maroons (49) are 7-3-0-0 and the Leamington Flyers (47) are 7-1-1-1. These four teams will be fighting for the top 4 playoff spots from now until the end of the season on February 26. The slumping Sarnia Legionnaires (35) hold 5th place but have won only once in their past 10 games, behind them the Strathroy Rockets (28) are 3-6-0-1 in their last 10, while the St. Thomas Stars (27) are 4-4-1-1 in their past 10 and the St. Marys Lincolns (25) are 5-5-0-0. The Lambton Shores Predators (17) have only one win in their past 10 games but they are still within reach of the 8th and final playoff position but they will have to string a few wins together to catch any of the teams above them before the end of the season.

Top Performances (Jan. 2-8):
Goals: 2 – Kenny Chisholm (St. Marys) vs LaSalle Jan. 4, Kevin Gursoy (Chatham) vs St. Marys Jan. 6, Bill Moskal (St. Marys) vs Chatham Jan. 6, Austin Kemp (London) vs Chatham Jan. 8
Assists: 3 – Brenden Trottier (London) vs Chatham Jan. 8
Points: 3 – Adam Keyes (1G, 2A) (St. Thomas) vs Strathroy Jan. 6, Ethan Nother (1G, 2A) (London) vs Chatham Jan. 8, Brenden Trottier (3A) (London) vs Chatham Jan. 8
Saves: 50 – Tynan Lauziere (L) (Lambton Shores) vs London Jan. 4

This Week: 28 games, including: two of the top teams in the west clashing on Thursday night as the London Nationals travel to Leamington to face the Flyers; another Midwest showdown on Friday night as the Elmira Sugar Kings take another crack at catching the first place Listowel Cyclones; and on Sunday the Niagara Falls Canucks host the St. Catharines Falcons as they try to close the gap on second place in the ‘Shoe.

For more news, standings and stats, visit: www.gojhl.ca.