It’s the most wonderful time of the year…… Of course, I’m talking about playoffs.  As my Dad would say, you just played 50 exhibition games and now the real season starts.  The post-season is like a blank slate, it doesn’t matter how you got here, it just matters that you did.

This is your first round preview.

London Nationals (1) vs. Strathroy Rockets (8)
 

London was a favourite all season and really nobody is surprised with where they finished.  They did have a bit of a slow start to the season, trailing Leamington, but eventually caught up with the Flyers and passed them in the standings for first, which is where they stayed.  In the last few weeks though, the Nationals faltered and went on a 6 game losing skid, which nearly cost them the top spot.

Some of London’s pick-ups throughout the season were Mitchell and Jack Webb from St. Catharines of the Golden Horseshoe Conference, goalie David Ovsjannikov from the OHL, Riley MacRae from the QMJHL, and Tyson Kielt from St. Marys.  

They also got Jordan DiCicco back from the OJHL, which significantly strengthened their defence.  DiCicco played in London as a 16 year old and then went to the Cobourg Cougars last year, winning the RBC Cup.

In net, the Nats have David Ovsjannikov and Zach Springer.  Their numbers and stats are pretty close to identical.  Ovsjannikov finished the regular season with a GAA of 2.12 and save percentage of 0.915.  Springer, who joined the Nats after playing for the Kingston Voyageurs of the OJHL the past 2 seasons.  His numbers are 2.21 GAA and 0.917 save percentage.

As expected, the top 4 scorers on the team are Brandon Glover (18G, 45A), Max Vinogradov (22G, 30A), Brenden Trottier (12G, 32A) and Carson Brookshaw (14G, 27A).  But, they have pretty even scoring throughout their lineup.  

Strathroy had yet another rough and tough, inconsistent season.  The Rockets had half their team return from last year, but couldn’t seem to pull it together.  They just made it in the post-season, but like I said, it doesn’t matter how you got there, just that you did.

Returning were 3-year vets TJ Harris and Matt Stevens.  Harris started the season scoring in the first 8 games.  He finished second in team scoring with 25 goals and 23 assists, behind Spencer Allen with 21 goals and 28 assists.

Third in team scoring is 4th round London Knights draft pick Emmet Pierce.  As a 16 year old rookie on a the team, he’s enjoyed a great season with 15 goals and 17 assists.

In net, the Rockets had 3-year GOJHL vet Zack Weir and local rookie Josh Diamond.  Along with the rest of the team, Weir struggled this year and left before the January 10 deadline, being replaced by Vince Michelizzi from Newmarket Hurricanes of the OJHL.  

Past Results                          

09/20/17    Strathroy 2 at London 5   
11/08/17    Strathroy 5 at London 4   
11/11/17    London 5 at Strathroy 0   
01/13/18    London 4 at Strathroy 2   
02/17/18    London 4 at Strathroy 1   
02/21/18    Strathroy 2 at London 3   

Series Schedule

Game 1    February 28, 7:30 pm        Western Fair

As of writing this, the full schedule is not available

Leamington Flyers (2) vs. Komoka Kings (7)
 

At the start of the season, it looked like Leamington was the team to beat, and they still could be.  They took off at the start and then cooled off a bit and dropped in the standings.  Just as it appeared in January that London was running away with first place, the Flyers had a late season surge and came very close to taking first from the Nationals.

The Flyers had about half their roster return from last season.  During the off-season, they picked up Maddox Rychel from LaSalle and Cody Schneider from Strathroy.  Rychel had 16 goals and 29 assists on the season for second in team scoring.  Schneider scored 37 points with 23 goals and 14 assists.  Griffin Robinson lead the team with 33 goals and 22 assists, a 21 point increase over last year.

In goal, Leamington has the tandem of Noah Hedrick and Connor Meyerink.  Heading into playoffs, they have the same GAA, 2.65, Hedrick’s save percentage is 0.908 whereas Meyerink’s 0.917.

Komoka Kings are the former Lambton Shores Predators.  They moved to Komoka during the off-season.  The Kings stayed in the lower half of the standings this year.  

They had some roster issues but still managed to be competitive most nights.  Team leading scorer is 16 year old rookie Joel Mazzilli.  Not only was he Komoka’s leading scorer, but he led all rookies in the entire GOJHL with 39 goals and 28 assists.

Other scoring leaders are Wes Dobbin (24G, 37A), Andrew Kim (9G, 50A) and Isaac McLean (25G, 29A).

Komoka’s goalies are Avery Hartwick and Regan Gies.  Hartwick enters play-offs with a 3.78 GAA and 0.881 save percentage.  Gies GAA is 4.25 and has a save percentage of 0.877.

Past Results                             

09/28/17    Komoka 3 at Leamington 6     
10/21/17    Leamington 3 at Komoka 3 OT  
11/09/17    Komoka 2 at Leamington 4     
12/16/17    Leamington 2 at Komoka 2 OT  
01/25/18    Komoka 3 at Leamington 5     
02/24/18    Leamington 4 at Komoka 3     

Schedule

Game 1    March 1, 7:10 pm    Leamington Kinsmen Recreation
Game 2    March 3, 7:15 pm    Komoka Wellness Centre
Game 3    March 4, 7:10 pm    Leamington Kinsmen Recreation
Game 4    March 6, 7:15 pm    Komoka Wellness Centre
Game 5    March 8, 7:10 pm    Leamington Kinsmen Recreation
Game 6    March 10, 7:15 pm    Komoka Wellness Centre
Game 7    March 11, 7:10 pm    Leamington Kinsmen Recreation

LaSalle Vipers (3) vs. Chatham Maroons (6)
 

LaSalle started the season with a new coach after Bill Bowler stepped down to focus full-time on his role with the Windsor Spitfires.  John Nelson resumed head coaching duties after 6 years.  He coached the Vipers in 2010, guiding them to a Sutherland Cup Championship.  

The Vipers were led by Conference MVP and 4-year vet Manny Silverio.  He scored 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points this season.  He was 3 points back of the Conference scoring title.

Other leaders on the team are Tyler Russell (19G, 26A), Brett Vorshuk (18G, 16A) and Eric Kirby (15G, 18A).  On the blueline, they’re led by Frank Zak and rookie Gianluca Pizzuto.

Veteran goalie Dershahn Stewart led the Vipers to a 3rd place finish.  He finished the season with a record of 22-13-1.  His GAA was 2.57 and save percentage 0.917.  His backup this season was James Walker.  His record was 10-4 with a 2.98 GAA and 0.880 save percentage.

Chatham was consistently a middle of the pack team this season.  They had some struggles, but managed to stay in the hunt with the rest of the teams.  

Chatham picked up Dane Johnstone from St. Thomas before the season.  Johnstone has had a breakout season with 26 goals and 44 assists.  The other star for the Maroons is Bryce Yetman, scoring 37 goals and 30 assists in his second season with the team.

Since November, Chatham has had 3 goalies on their roster with Ryan Wagner, John Massara and Lucas Patton.  Wagner has seen the most action in net at 35 games.  The other 2 have played 9 games each.  Wagner’s stats are 3.34 GAA and 0.907 save percentage.  Massara has a GAA of 3.90 and save percentage of 0.883.  Massara hasn’t played since January 7.  Patton has a 4.37 GAA and save percentage of 0.871.  

Past Results                           

09/20/17    Chatham 2 at LaSalle 4     
10/22/17    LaSalle 3 at Chatham 4 OT  
11/08/17    Chatham 4 at LaSalle 9     
12/06/17    Chatham 1 at LaSalle 4     
12/10/17    LaSalle 1 at Chatham 4     
02/18/18    LaSalle 0 at Chatham 7     

Schedule

Game 1    February 28, 7:00 pm        Vollmer Rec Complex
Game 2    March 1, 7:00 pm        Chatham Memorial Arena
Game 3    March 3, 7:00 pm        Vollmer Rec Complex
Game 4    March 4, 7:00 pm        Chatham Memorial Arena
Game 5    March 7, 7:00 pm        Vollmer Rec Complex
Game 6    March 8, 7:00 pm        Chatham Memorial Arena
Game 7    March 11, 7:30 pm        Vollmer Rec Complex

Sarnia Legionnaires (4) vs. St. Thomas Stars (5)
 

Sarnia had a pretty typical season, flying under the radar.  They were middle of the pack for most of it, but came on strong at the end.

The biggest boost to the Legionnaires lineup was Brock Perry returning from the QMJHL.  Perry played for Sarnia in the 15-16 season.  This year he has scored 19 goals and 34 assists.

Rookie Greg Hay joined Sarnia from Mooretown Jr. C and hasn’t disappointed.  In 49 games played he has 26 goals and 21 assists, good for 2nd in team scoring.  Another standout rookie is Jon Sanderson, scoring 20 goals and 23 assists.

The Legionnaires rely on Will Barber and Blair Coffin between the pipes.  Barber played last season for the Milton Ice Hawks of the OJHL.  In 28 games, he posted 14 wins, 11 losses and 1 tie, a GAA of 3.24 and 0.909 save percentage.  Coffin is a Sarnia Sting draft pick.  He won 14 games and lost 9.  His GAA is 3.39 and save percentage is 0.900.

St. Thomas spent the season in the middle of the pack.  At the end of the season, they were fighting with Sarnia and LaSalle for 3rd place, but ended up in 5th.  They finished just 1 point behind the Legionnaires.  

Leading the way was 2nd-year vet Kevin Hu.  Hu led the entire Western Conference with 38 goals and 42 assists this season, 14 points more than last year.

On the blueline Curtis Ferreira leads his team.  He’s a 3-year vet who’s consistent on the back end.

The Stars picked up Anthony Hurtubise in net.  He previously played for Lambton Shores for 2 years before going to Lambeth Jr. C last season.  He’s got the most games played with a record of 15-10-2 and boasts a GAA of 2.94 and save percentage of 0.903.

They started the season with Kodie Oude Vashaar from Buffalo and St. Catharines from the Golden Horseshoe.  They replaced him in December with Jesse Hodgson.  Hodgson finished the season with a record of 7-3-1.  His GAA was 2.09 and a 0.931 save percentage.

Past Results                             

09/21/17    St. Thomas 3 at Sarnia 5     
09/24/17    Sarnia 4 at St. Thomas 7     
11/09/17    St. Thomas 4 at Sarnia 3 OT  
12/08/17    Sarnia 1 at St. Thomas 5     
12/21/17    St. Thomas 2 at Sarnia 5     
02/23/18    Sarnia 4 at St. Thomas 1    

Schedule

Game 1    March 1, 7:10 pm    Sarnia Arena
Game 2    March 2, 7:30 pm    St. Thomas Timken Rink
Game 3    March 4, 7:10 pm    Sarnia Arena
Game 4    March 6, 7:30 pm    St. Thomas Timken Rink
Game 5    March 8, 7:10 pm    Sarnia Arena
Game 6    March 9, 7:30 pm    St. Thomas Timken Rink
Game 7    March 11, 7:10 pm    Sarnia Arena

St. Marys Lincolns (9)

St. Marys finished the season 1 point out of the playoffs.  This is the 3rd time they have missed the playoffs since the 11-12 season.

At the trade deadline, the Lincolns overhauled half of their roster.  They retained leading scorer Dalton Bancroft who scored 21 goals and 18 assists.  In November they picked up Michael Andrews from Clarington Toros AAA.  With the Lincolns he scored 14 goals and 11 assists.  

St. Marys had 3 goalies at the end of the season.  They started with Tristan Lewis and Evan Morrison.  At the deadline, they picked up Jacob Hutchings.  Hutchings spent the earlier part of this season in the NOJHL and he split last year between Guelph of the Midwest Conference and the OJHL.

I trust that St. Marys can turn things around in the seasons to come.

So that’s your preview.  I will see you all at the start of the 2nd round.  Until then….

Stacy
@TheRocketGirl16