Adam O’Marra of the Trenton Golden Hawks and John McKinney of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens focus during a regular season game in Trenton. Their teams will meet in the second round of the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs beginning Friday night. (Photo by Amy Deroche / OJHL Images)
BY RON VALENTINE
The ‘great eight’ are now ready to rock and roll in the second round of the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s playoffs.
Also known as the OJHL quarterfinals, they open Friday night on all fronts.
First, let’s look at the two matchups in the Eastern Conference...
The top-seeded TRENTON GOLDEN HAWKS will take on the sixth-seeded TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS. In their meetings in the regular 56-game season the Golden Hawks came out on top in the first three, winning 5-4, 6-0 and 6-5 in overtime before the JC’s took the last one 5-3 at the ‘Hanger’. In advancing to round two Trenton swept the Stouffville Spirit in four while the Jr. Canadiens got past the Wellington Dukes in five games after losing the first one.
Leading postseason point getters for Trenton are Blainville, Quebec native David Fournier with two goals and seven points, Adam O’Marra, two goals and four assists and Lucas LaPalm, three goals and five points. In net Ben Bonisteel sports a 2.25 goals against average.
Head Coach Derek Smith: “JRC have been playing some great hockey these past few months and it’s going to be a fast, physical series. They are a well-rounded but very high-octane offensive team with quite a few game-changers up front. The boys are looking forward to the challenge and we know we are going to have to be at our best every shift.”
Stirling’s Lucas Lapalm, an assistant captain, has one word for the series: “Aggressive. This will be a fun series for the fans of both teams to watch and it will be great to participate in as a player. Both teams are tops offensively and on the back end. Should be a good time.” Rookie Thomas Kuipers, from Carrying Place ON, wants to carry on where his team left off: “Every game will be a battle against them. They are a fast, skilled team but so are we. I’m confident we can get it done as we look to build off the momentum from our last series.” Captain O’Marra summed it up: “The Jr Canadiens are a well-balanced unit who knocked off a really good team in Wellington. We will have to play our best to win the series.”
For the Junior Canadiens, ex-Pickering Panthers’ captain Nicholas Athanasakos, Burlington-born Nathan Phillips and Luc Malkhassian have three goals to their credit so far in the playoffs with Athanasakos leading the way in points with seven. OJHL rookie and ex-QMJHLer Sergei Litvinov has started all four of their five games in goal and he has a GAA of 1.73.
Blueliner Will Gourgouvelis scored the winner in game five against the Dukes: “Scoring that goal was a great feeling. Wellington is a very structured team and they definitely made things tough for us. We go into the next round confident. Trenton is a very talented team and it will be a good test for us, however if we play our game we will continue to prove people wrong.”
Head Coach David DeMarinis: “It was a good series (against Wellington) and we’re expecting nothing less from the Golden Hawks. They have a ton of offense up and down their lineup and they have a very big back end. It will make for a good series.”
The No. 2 seeded St. MICHAEL’S BUZZERS will play the COBOURG COUGARS, who finished in fifth place in a close-fought regular season. Previous meetings have seen the Cougars win 6-1, 5-2 and 2-1 with the final game going to the Buzzers 6-5 in extra time. The Buzzers, however, finished the season strong with an 11-game winning run which they extended to 15 as they got through to the second round, sweeping the Markham Royals in four games with three of those going into extra time. The Cougars got past the Haliburton Huskies four games to one, outscoring them 21-9. This series features the two rivals closest together with 118 kilometers between their respective arenas.
For St. Michael’s two players, Jonathan Morello and David Elmy, have 10 points to date with Morello scoring six times and Elmy five. Jesse Venturo has two goals and five assists. Jacob Gorinsky has completed all four games and has a GAA of 3.12. Morello noted: “The team is really looking forward to the series with Cobourg. We know they are strong and they will make it a very competitive series for sure.but I’m really confident in our group to push through.”
Head coach/GM Rich Ricci knows it won’t be easy: “We are looking forward to a tough series with the Cougars. Like Markham, they have some elite offensive players that can score.” Captain Brandon Cohen, with 154 regular season and playoff points going into the series: “Our confidence level is the same because the team has done a very good job at staying composed and level-headed. We take everything one day at a time… Personally, I really like the matchup but it will be a good battle.”
The OJHL’s regular season scoring leader, Trevor Hoskin’s 10 points are tops for the Cougars. Utopia’s Jordan Fuller has three goals and three assists while captain Andy Reist and recent defensive addition Jonathan Kapageridis both have five points. Hoskin, Fuller, Reist and local hero Logan Kelly all have three goals.
Like the other head coaches, Cougar alumnus Connor Armour can’t wait to get it on: “We’re looking forward to Round 2 and battling St. Mike’s. They have a really good club and it will be a very exciting series.” Former Aurora Tigers captain and ex-Junior Canadien Lucas Stanojevic echoed the bench boss: “The Buzzers are a team that we have matched up well against all season and at the same time they have been playing great hockey. It could be a long series.” Cobourg’s own Kelly: “We play a team we’ve been battling all year. At this point in the season we know they will be giving their best game every night so we are just looking to continue to play our brand of hockey and continue to do what made us the winners in round one.”
In the Western Conference, the top overall seed, the COLLINGWOOD BLUES will face off against the Centennial Cup hosts, the OAKVILLE BLADES, who finished fourth in the regular season. In the four meetings the two teams split victories with Oakville winning 3-2 and 2-1 and Collingwood by 1-0 and 2-1 counts. The losses were two of only seven on the campaign for the Blues. To get out of round one the Blues swept the Brantford 99ers, allowing just five goals against while the Blades got past the Buffalo Junior Sabres in six games, outscoring them 26-10.
In postseason scoring for the Blues, Spencer Young leads the way with three goals and seven points. Also with three goals is forward Mark McIntosh. Captain Dylan Hudon has two goals and five points. In goal, Oakville native Noah Pak continues to be tops in the OJHL with a 1.13 GAA after four games with one shutout included and a save percentage of .957.
Head Coach Andrew Campoli is under no illusions: “Oakville has had a good season and all the games we have played against them have been tight. They have a lot of talent and they come at you fast. Our focus is going to be playing to our identity and ensuring we execute our game plan. We’re looking forward to game one in front of our great fans on Friday.”
Noah Tyrrell, obtained from the North York Rangers at the trade deadline, leads Oakville in playoff scoring, registering six goals and 11 points. Blueliner Eric Bonsteel has nine points and Max Donohoe, another former Ranger, is on eight. Gavin McCarthy has played all six games making 222 saves in net while recording a 1.49 GAA with one shutout.
Blades head coach Scott McCrory is not daunted by the Blues: “We know we can beat them but we have to be fully prepared. We have to keep an eye on their high-scoring forwards. We are finally healthy on the blueline and Jacob Crisp, after some time up front, will be back there to make us even stronger.
“The additions we made have worked out well for us, Tyrrell is a workhorse and scorer, Kenny Belanger from the Soo is a power forward with sweet hands and Dawson Doner (former captain of the Caledon Admirals) has become the guy that makes sure all the players are up for the game. Despite our success against them, we still go in as the underdogs so we have to be patient, prevent odd man rushes and as the old adage says, let the chips fall where they may.”
Luke Johnston, back after a suspension, agrees with the coach: “The guys are ready to play. We are willing to accept the challenge and give them a run for their money.”
The meeting of the second and third seeds sees the MILTON MENACE and the LEAMINGTON FLYERS tangle. The Menace got through by beating the Burlington Cougars in five while the Flyers got past the Georgetown Raiders in the minimum number. In regular season action in back-to-back games in September, the second one at the Governors’ Showcase in Buffalo, the clubs played to a 4-4 tie and the Flyers prevailed 5-4. Milton won Game 3 3-0 and the fourth meeting 4-3 in overtime.
For the Menace, Aidan Puley, Nicholas Wehera and Connor Driscoll all are on five playoff points. In goal, ‘Bionic man’ Forbes Andersen and ‘Iron man’ Glen Crandall have combined for a GAA of 2.09.
Head coach Dan Del Monte knows it won’t be easy, they are coming off a physical series with the Cougars: “We know it will be a tight series with Leamington. We had four games against them this season that were really competitive and I’m sure the next games will be no different.” Captain Connor: “They have a great atmosphere in Leamington as do we, so that will make for a lot of fun for us. It will be a good test for our team and I know the boys are already ready for Friday.”
On the Leamington side, captain Cayden Faust has eight points in four games. Chris O’Flaherty, who posted three game winners, and Cameron Arquette lead the way with four goals. Sebastian Gatto, with one shutout to his credit, had a GAA of 2.07 and a save percentage of .933.
Head coach Dale Mitchell: “We have had some close games with the Menace this season. It was great to see our guys put the end of the regular season behind us and execute our plan in Round 1. Milton are well coached and they play a structured game, they are dangerous around the net so we can’t afford to take any shifts off. It’s nice to see the crowds coming out in Milton so it should be great for both great fan bases to watch some exciting OJHL hockey. Continued appreciation to our loyal fans that followed us on the road as well as at home in our first playoff series against the Raiders.”
Follow Ron Valentine on X @ronandlynda
