GOJHL: Golden Horseshoe Conference playoffs set to get under way
Graphic: Courtesy of Phil Den hollander, GOJHL
GOLDEN HORSESHOE CONFERENCE
Playoff action in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Golden Horseshoe Conference gets under way tonight as the Conference’s top team, the Caledonia Corvairs face off against the Buffalo Regals.
Here is a look at the first round matchups in the GOJHL’s Golden Horseshoe Conference.
See the full bracket and schedule here:
(1) Caledonia Corvairs vs. Buffalo Regals (8)
The Caledonia Corvairs were an offensive powerhouse all season long in 2019-20, which led the team all to top spot in the Golden Horseshoe Conference. Caledonia had five players with 50 or more points in the regular season (Tyler Burnie, Ryan Wells, Ryan Littlejohn, Joel Mazzilli & Nick Giunta) which helped lead them to a conference-best 251 goals. In net, goaltender Aidan Hughes appeared in 64 per cent of the team’s games and will likely get the nod to start the series against Buffalo.
Buffalo clinched the final playoff spot in the Golden Horseshoe Conference. The Regals put up a 10-34-2-4 record for 26 points in the regular season. The team defeated the Welland Jr. Canadians 4-1 Feb. 19 in what was the Regals’ final game of the regular season. Caledonia and Buffalo last faced one another Jan. 29 and the result was a 10-0 Corvairs win.
(2) Niagara Falls Canucks vs. Fort Erie Meteors (7)
This postseason’s 2 vs. 7 opening round features the Niagara Falls Canucks and Fort Erie Meteors. Niagara Falls posted an impressive 72 points in the regular season, which was 11 fewer than the team’s 2018-19 point total. In the regular season, Andrew Bruno was third in league scoring with 93 points. Bruno and his Canucks teammates will hope to continue to produce offense in the opening round.
For a second consecutive season the Fort Erie Meteors are the Golden Horseshoe Conference’s seventh seeded team. The Meteors improved on its 2018-19 win total, having won 15 of its 50 games. In 2018-19 they won 14. Marco Lariccia led all Meteors players in scoring with 50 points. Goaltenders Dalton McBride and Jacob Hearne split the goaltending duties in the regular season.
Game 1 of the series is Feb. 28 in Niagara Falls.
(3) St. Catharines Falcons vs. Pelham Panthers (6)
The first round series between the St. Catharines Falcons and Pelham Panthers kicks off Feb. 28 with Game 1 hosted in St. Catharines. The Falcons found themselves in third place at the end of the regular season after going 33-15-2-0 in 50 games. As suspected, the Falcons boasted third place winning percentage.
Pelham finished the year sixth in the Golden Horseshoe Conference and unfortunately lost six straight games to finish the regular season. They last faced the Falcons Feb. 9 and the result was a 6-1 St. Catharines win. Devin Sanders led all panthers with 13 goals and 39 points, while the team’s top goaltender was Nick McGowan who was 9-12-0 with a .917 save percentage.
(4) Hamilton Kilty B’s vs. Thorold Blackhawks (5)
Thirty-one wins in the regular season helped the Hamilton Kilty B’s claim fourth spot in the Golden Horseshoe Conference standings. Hamilton fell one spot in the standings this year after finishing third last season. In 2019 the Kilty B’s made it as far as the Golden Horseshoe Conference semifinals before falling to St. Catharines in six games.
Thorold was nine points back of the Kilty B’s in the regular season. The Blackhawks allowed the fifth-least goals in the conference with 161 in 50 games thanks to goaltenders Noah Fortuna and Chase Grsic who both had save percentages .910 or higher. Nicholas Rubino led the team with 52 points.
The series begins Feb. 27 in Hamilton.
