NEWS

 

 

If ever there was a team that could feel comfortable heading into a first-round series, it might be the 2017-18 Toronto Patriots.

Their list of accolades this year is long.

It includes a 40-win campaign, one that earned the team the first ever Brant Snow Trophy for the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s regular season champion. It features the league’s goals and points champion (and the national points runner-up) in Andrew Petrucci, the league’s assist leader in Dante Spagnuolo, and an incredible eight forwards with 50+ points. Toronto has a goaltender in Tyler Fassl with the second most victories in all of Canada, and a team that scored 116 more goals than it gave up. The list goes on.

Yet according to Toronto assistant coach Mike Daley, comfort is the last word the No. 1 seeded Pats are using heading into a Round 1 playoff series against a young-yet-plucky Orangeville Flyers group.

“We basically have to start fresh,” he said.

“Sure, we were pleased with the regular season: we saw some guys reach some individual goals, and we hit some team ones, but when you get into the playoffs there has to be a reset button, because everybody is back at even again.

“We are certainly not looking past the Orangeville Flyers,” he added, “and even though we had some good success against them in the regular season, we know they have some very good hockey players over there. Justin Teakle is a very good coach, and I am sure he is preparing hard for us; we know the Flyers will be ready for us in Game 1.”

The Pats took all four regular-season contests with the Flyers by a combined score of 26-9, but that stat means little, as not only is it a blank slate in the playoffs, but the two teams have not squared off since New Year’s Eve.

Not only that, but Teakle’s young group have been very much improved in the 2018 calendar year, earning seven wins and an overtime loss in their last 11 contests stretching back to Jan. 20. They also enter the playoffs on a three-game winning streak, which includes an impressive 5-3 win over a loaded Markham Royals team in Markham on Feb. 16.

“The first thing we noticed is their skating ability, they are a very quick team,” said Daley.

“They transition fairly well, and they can be a nightmare shorthanded. They have guys that have a sneaky amount of skill that don’t always shine, but there are lots of guys that people in the league don’t realize over there. There are a lot of weapons on that team that can hurt you if you’re not paying attention, and though the match-ups this year have gone our way, their guys have not gone unnoticed by us.”

On top of the list of Flyers to watch will be Hudson Lambert, the league’s defenceman regular-season scoring champ. The ’98 birth-year from Richmond Hill is committed to attend Canisius College in NCAA Division I hockey next year, joining Toronto forward Lee Lapid, and has a big shot that is paired with good size, and a mean streak in the trenches.

Orangeville’s leading goal scorer Vincent Bonaiuto, who put home 21 this year, played with Pats’ forward Dante Spagnuolo in their last years of midget with the Richmond Hill Coyotes, while starting goaltender Eric Doner has been scintillating since he was added to the Flyers mid-season, posting a 2.44 goals-against-average, and a .928 save percentage in 21 appearances.

But in spite of all that the Flyers have to offer, the Pats, the nation’s No. 6 ranked team, know it’s all about executing their game plan, and building one day at a time.

“Our players have done a great job adapting to the style, and brand of hockey that John Dean has brought in here,” said Daley.

“They have done such a great job of listening and learning from us this year, so to me it’s not about consistency, it’s about a consistent growth pattern. We talk about a fresh start in some ways, but we also want to see, and are excited to see, that growth continue. The rankings are what they are, they don’t mean a thing when the puck drops, and I am being honest when I say I don’t think anyone in our dressing room has talked about it all year.”

The Pats and Flyers will open their series Thursday, March 1 at 7:30 at Westwood Arena. Stay tuned to the Pats twitter account and website for the full Round 1 schedule. - Jamie Neugebauer

Image courtesy OJHL Images