NEWS

JANUARY 30 – Hello Hockey Fans and welcome to the first round of the Georgian Bay Mid Ontario Junior C Hockey League (GBJHL) Playoff Preview.

With four series set to take place over the next two weeks you can be sure that you’ll be able to get your fill of the GBJHL. The standings look different than last year but the teams remain the same. Please note that the league’s top ranked Alliston Hornets have to wait for Series A1 to finish their best of three games between the Fergus Devils and Huntsville Otters to decide who will play in the best of seven series.

Without any further delay, let’s get this thing started off.

SERIES A1
(8) FERGUS DEVILS vs. (9) HUNTSVILLE OTTERS (Best of three games to see who plays Alliston)
SEASON SERIES: Fergus won season series 4-0
SEASON RECORDS: Fergus (12-27-1=25 points), Huntsville (8-30-2=18 points)

The Fergus Devils and the Huntsville Otters will hit the ice for a quick best of three series to see who will move on to face the league’s top team in the Alliston Hornets.

With 25 points to their season and a 12-27-1 record the Fergus Devils head into this series with some confidence in the fact that they won all four meetings this year against the Otters. The Otters on the other hand have seen their fair share of struggles, with just 18 points and a 8-30-2 record. We’ll see what happens when these two teams clash in this best of three series.

The Devils leading scorer James Murray (17 goals, 12 assists) will head into the series looking to notch a few more points on his season long statistics. Make sure to keep an eye out for Defenseman Mackenzie Clevland (7 goals, 14 assists) and partner James McLeod (7 goals, 13 assists) who will certainly do what they can to shut down the top opposing players. In goal, the pairing of Alex Elliot and Parker Merkley will do what they can to keep the goals out of their own net.

On the Otters side of the ice the coaching staff will certainly look to play forward Carter Tracey (19 goals, 19 assists) and teammate Jay Dix (17 goals, 21 assists). Both players will certainly do what they can to add some goals and try to get a big upset win over their opponents. On the back end, defenseman Jack Campbell (5 goals, 6 assists) will get a tone of ice time as he does what he can to turn down top scorers on the Devils squad.

SERIES B
(2) STAYNER SISKINS vs. (7) SCHOMBERG COUGARS
SEASON SERIES: Stayner won season series 6-2
SEASON RECORDS: Stayner (26-11-1-2=55 points), Schomberg (14-20-5-1=34 points)

Get ready to watch a fantastic series take place when the Stayner Siskins and the Schomberg Cougars take to the ice against each other to find out who will move on in this best of seven series.

The Siskins head into this series as the favorites having won themselves a second place ranking in the league with a 26-11-1-2 record and 55 points on their season. The Cougars on the other hand have seen their fair share of struggles this season, finishing seventh place with a 14-20-5-1 record and just 33 points. In their season long series the Siskins managed to win six of eight games and will head into this series with that statistic and confidence in mind.

This season, Siskins leading scorer, Assistant Captain Justin Reid (20 goals, 34 assists), certainly provided the home fans with something to look forward too. Look for Reid along with teammate James Mense-Dietrich (25 goals, 17 assists) to be key factors in a Siskins round one victory. On the back end, defenseman Hayden Shakleton (6 goals, 19 assists) is going to be a solid contributor as a key factor in the clubs power play. No doubt that goaltender Taylor Trace will get the start in this series, he’s played fantastic this season.

The Cougars coaching staff will look for big things out of this seasons leading point producer on their club, Colton Wood (22 goals, 19 assists). Secondary scoring will need to come from Tyler Simmons (21 goals, 12 assists) if the team hopes to pull off a big upset in this series. On the blue line, defenseman Colin Haveman (1 goal, 15 assists) is certainly going to see a tone of ice time while his partner Andrew Mackenzie (2 goals, 12 assists) can expect a similar playing time. Count on goaltender Taylor Ewart to get the start in net with backup Sergey Kuklev most likely seeing some game time action before this series is over.

SERIES C
(3) MIDLAND FLYERS vs. (6) CALEDON GOLDEN HAWKS
SEASON SERIES: Midland won season series 4-0
SEASON RECORDS: Midland (25-14-1=51 points), Caledon (19-19-1-1=40 points)

The Midland Flyers and the Caledon Golden Hawks promise to provide all fans who make it out to this series with a fantastic show.

This best of seven series gets underway on Friday night in Caledon and you can expect big things from both teams. The Flyers head into this series with a much better record of 25-14-1 and 51 points to their season, while the Golden Hawks managed to earn themselves 40 points this year with a 19-19-1-1 record. In their season long series the Flyers managed to win all four of their contests against the Golden Hawks, thus giving them the upper hand in this series.

You can bet that forward Curtis Warren (46 goals, 24 assists) is going to head into this series with confidence in himself and his Flyers teammates. Warren was nothing short of amazing this season with the puck and will certainly do the same thing in the post season. Forward Jon Meeks (15 goals, 27 assists) will do what he can to put the puck in the net for his club. On the blue line, defenseman Jason Leigh (5 goals, 49 assists) is going to be key in almost all game situations, bringing a fantastic sense of offense to his game. Assistant Captain Jonathan Goldsworthy (9 goals, 22 assists) will certainly show his leadership on and off the ice during this series. Count on goaltender Connor Akins to get the start in between the pipes for the Flyers club.

The Golden Hawks head into this series with a big upset on their minds. You can count on the playing time for the clubs leading scorer Chris Mete (15 goals, 15 assists) to increase throughout the series. Daniel Cafagna (18 goals, 11 assists) is going to need to bring his best efforts with him if his team is going to pull of this upset. Defenseman Joseph Celebre (6 goals, 16 assists) will be a key factor in this series and must be used to provide offense and at the same time used as a shutdown man for the oppositions top scorers. The goaltender getting the start in this series for the Golden Hawks will most likely be Joseph Bonsignore but you can bet that Paul Favaro will see some ice time before this series is over.

SERIES D
(4) PENETANG KINGS vs. (5) ERIN SHAMROCKS
SEASON SERIES: Penetang won season series 3-1
SEASON RECORDS: Penetang (21-15-3-1=46 points), Erin (20-15-4-1=45 points)

In what is the closest series in terms of the points in the regular season, the Penetang Kings and the Erin Shamrocks look to relive old rivalries when they hit the ice against each other on Friday night.

This year these two teams played four games against each other and the Kings were the ones who won the season long series 3-1. That means nothing heading into this series however as we all know the post season is a completely different hockey game. The Kings finished their regular season with 46 points and a 21-15-3-1 record while the Shamrocks managed to earn 45 points with a 20-15-4-1 record of their own. With just a single point separating these two clubs in the standings, you can bet this is a series you won’t want to miss out on watching!

The Kings leading scorer this season Matt Fischer (25 goals, 31 assists) promises to bring that same scoring game he’s had all season with him in this series and you can bet the team wants that. Sammy Gagnon (26 goals, 20 assists) will be a tough forward for the opposition to stop and chances are he’ll sneak a few pucks past the oppositions net minder before the series is over. On the back end, defenseman Hayden Cole (15 goals, 32 assists) could very well be the most dangerous player in this series, count on him to execute timely goals and assists throughout this best of seven series. In net Adam Redgate will most likely get the start for his club.

Josh Sguigna (33 goals, 20 assists) was  the Shamrocks leading scorer this season and chances are he will be throughout the post season for his team.  Forward Kevin Gergely (12 goals, 24 assists) will certainly be a marked man by the opposition throughout this series and will no doubt do what he can to be a key factor in a Shamrock victory. On the blue line, defenseman Mackenzie Sealy (3 goals, 15 assists) will need to play some of his best hockey of his career for his team if the Shamrocks are to win this series. Count on goaltender Dean Daquano to get the start in goal for his club.

With all four series ready to begin tonight, you’ll want to take note of your favourite clubs to watch before the puck drops! To the nine teams in the GBJHL, we wish you good luck, play hard and play fare on your quest to hoist the OHA Schmalz Cup.  May the best team win!

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