OHL Playoffs - Day 16

Oshawa 6 Niagara 4 - Series tied 1-1

If game 2 was any indication, this is going to be a long hard fought series.

Alex Friesen scored for the visiting Ice Dogs just 2:43 into the contest with an unassisted marker and first of the playoffs. Oshawa bounced back with a powerplay goal at 5:36 Alain Berger notched his 5th of the playoffs from Calvin de Haan and Christian Thomas.

Oshawa took a 2-1 lead with another powerplay goal by Thomas, his 6th of the playoffs, at 9:38 set up by de Haan and Nicklas Jensen. Niagara would tie it on a powerplay of their own when Ryan Strome scored his 3rd of the playoffs from Friesen and Freddie Hamilton. And that would end the scoring in the first period.

Jensen would restore the Generals lead on the powerplay when he notched his 6th goal at the 11 minute mark with the assists going to de Haan and Berger. Darren Archibald would tie it again just 40 seconds later with his 6th set up by Steven Shipley and Myles Doan. The second period would end tied at 3.

Mitchell Theoret would give Niagara the lead 6:15 into the 3rd when he scored his 2nd of the playoffs on a set up by Victor Terreri. That lead was short lived as Jensen notched his 2nd of the game and 7th of the playoffs to notch the score up at 4 a piece. The lone assist went to Andy Andreoff.

Boone Jenner would score unassisted at the 8:30 mark to give Oshawa the lead for good. It was Jenner's 5th of the playoffs. Thomas would add an insurance goal at 12:45, his 7th, from Tony DeHart.

Niagara would go 1 for 7 on the powerplay while Oshawa was 3 for 5. Niagara's Mark Visentin stopped 28 of 34 shots while Peter DiSalvo stopped 37 of 41.

Game 3 goes back to Niagara on Monday

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Owen Sound 3 Plymouth 2 - Owen Sound leads series 2-0

A tired Whalers squad finally got some rest and things looked pretty good for them for a while in this game.

Colin MacDonald scored his 1st of the playoffs at 13:51 of the first period to give the Whalers a 1-0 lead. Alex Aleardi and Austin Levi would be credited with the assists.

Tha score would hole up until 17:02 of the second period when Stefan Noesen scored his 7th of the playoffs to make it 2-0 with the only assist going to Dario Trutmann.

But with 2 minutes remaining in the second, things fell apart for the Whalers. Andrew Shaw scored his second of the playoffs to cut the lead to 2-1 from Geoffrey Schemitsch. Then, just 52 seconds later, Liam Heelis notched his 4th from Matt Petgrave and Schemitsch to send the teams to the dressing rooms tied at 2 for the third period.

The lone goal of the third came at 4:51 when Joey Hishon and Garrett Wilson set up Roman Berdnikov for his 2nd of the playoffs.

Owen Sound went 0 for 3 on the powerplay while Plymouth went 0 for 2.

Both goaltenders faced 31 shots with Scott Stajcer making 39 saves and Scott Wedgewood making 28 saves.

Game 3 goes Monday back in Owen Sound.

boxscore

Two junior hockey players suspended for eight games for methylhexanamine violations

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) announced today that two junior hockey players were each assessed an eight-game suspension for anti-doping rule violations. The violations resulted from urine samples collected during in-competition doping control in November 2010 which revealed the presence of methylhexaneamine, a prohibited stimulant.

Under the rules of the CHL Anti-Doping Policy, Plymouth Whalers’ player Alexander Aleardi and Saginaw Spirit player Ryan O’Connor were each assessed an eight game suspension for a first violation for using a prohibited substance.

Full story here

Alex Aleardi MIA ?

What was a promising start in the early going of the season for the Farmington Hill Michigan native has quietly turned into Average for Alex Aleardi of the Plymouth Whalers.

Through 30 games Aleardi has 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points. His 15 goals are just 1 shy of a career high for him. But Aleardi possesses excellent passing abilities and his 12 assists lead you to believe that either a) his teammates are not finishing or b) he's not passing as much as he should.

When you take into consideration that Aleardi scored 7 of his 15 goals in the first 3 games of the season (along with 1 assist) you have to question his 8 goals and 11 assists in his last 27 games.

There is everything to love about Aleardi's game. He possesses top knotch speed. His puck possession is above average. He is tenacious. He'll take the puck to the net. He has excellent playmaking ability. He's solid in his own zone. He can score. And on and on.

Some say it's his 5'10" 170 pound frame. But he doesn't play like that. Sure he can be knocked off the puck easily when he holds onto it too long. And maybe that's the problem. He has the vision to use his teammates more and quicker, but it's just not happening.

It's a stretch now to assume that Aleardi can reach the 80 points predicted/expected of him this season and thus will continue to drop him in rankings every where.

Kingston Frontenacs and Plymouth Whalers players update

It was an exciting game this afternoon between these two clubs. Plymouth had a 5-1 lead until Kingston came back to tie it. Plymouth eventually won it in overtime making the comeback incomplete.

Kingston's Alan Quine finally got the monkey off his back today scoring not once, but twice. the former second overall pick in the Priority Draft started to show some confidence after his first goal setting up team mates over and over again. His deceptive shot got him the goals today. A beautiful wrister from the half boards for his first, and his ability to roof the puck in close to the net for his second.

Plymouth's Alex Aleardi Showed why he is all that is said of him. Good puck possession player that's willing to take it to the front of the net. I think he is underrated as a skater.  He's an excellent passer that finds his open teammates. If i have any knock against him it's that he doesn't use his passing abilities more often.

Plymouth's Stefan Noesen is everything that he's made out to be. He's gritty and plays hard rarely loosing a battle. A good skater with nice hands. He scored twice today and set up the overtime winner after battling hard and making the perfect pass for the winning goal.

Nick Malysa is an absolute monster defensively. He gets plenty of PK time and when the Whalers have to play defensive, he's usually the first one on the ice. He's actually a pretty good skater and is more than adept at moving the puck out of his own zone.

Alex Aleardi Interview

Here's an interview with Alex Aleardi on OHL Radio after he was named player of the week for Sept 26/10

Alex Aleardi Named OHL Player of the Week

The Ontario Hockey League today announced that forward Alex Aleardi of the Plymouth Whalers is the OHL Player of the Week following the first week of regular season action ending September 26.  Aleardi led the league in scoring with eight points including seven goals and one assist with a plus-minus rating of plus-4 in three games.

Aleardi had two hat-trick performances and was twice named first star of the game including opening night against the Windsor Spitfires, and Saturday night against the Barrie Colts.  He added an assist on Thursday to factor in on all four Whalers’ goals despite a 5-4 shootout loss to the Spitfires to open the regular season, however his three goals on Saturday helped the Whalers earn their first win of the season by a 6-2 score over the Colts.  He also recorded a goal Friday night despite a 3-2 loss to the London Knights.

Aleardi, an 18-year-old from Farmington Hills, Michigan, is playing in his third OHL season and first with the Whalers after being acquired from the Belleville Bulls just prior to the start of the season.  Last season he recorded 41 points in 64 games scoring 16 goals and 25 assists splitting time with the Bulls and Kitchener Rangers.

Windsor Spitfires’ forwards Zack MacQueen and Alexander Khokhlachev were also considered for the award after each recorded six points in three games.  MacQueen’s two goals and four assists and Khokhlachev’s three goals and three assists led the defending champs to a pair of victories on the OHL’s opening weekend.  In goal, Philipp Grubauer of the Kingston Frontenacs finished the week with a goals-against-average of 2.00 and save percentage of .954 highlighted by a shutout victory with 44 saves Saturday as first star in a 3-0 win over the Belleville Bulls.

3 Stars for week ending Sept 26, 2010

Also new this year is my 3 star selection from the previous week in the OHL. Once again, we are only looking at 2011 draft eligible players.

1^st – Alex Aleardi – Plymouth Whalers.  Aleardi exploded offensively with 7 goals and 1 assist in three games which includes 2 hat tricks. If you go back to Aleardi’s last pre-season game, he has 12 goals in 4 games. He leads the league in both goals and points in the young season.

2^nd -  Alex Khokhlachev – Windsor Spitfires.  Khokhlachev is living up to early expectations.  In 3 games the rookie Russian star has 3 goals and 3 assists in 3 games in leading the Spitfires.

3^rd – Gabriel Landeskog – Kitchener Rangers. Landeskog had a hat trick in his first game and had 3 goals and an assist in 2 games. He played solid in all 3 zones and played in every situation and was almost always the best player on the ice every shift.

Alex Aleardi

Alex Aleardi - Plymouth Whalers
5'9 - 150 lbs

Aleardi was acquired earlier in the week from the Belleville Bulls after leading the OHL in goals during the preseason. In my report following the pre season, i warned of that stat because 5 of those goals came in one game. This was Aleardi's second trade in less than a year, being previously acquired by Belleville from Kitchener.

Well, fast forward to last night in the season opener where he scored 3 times and added an assist putting his team ahead 4-1 against defending champion Windsor. The Spitfires though, came back to win the game 5-4.

Aleardi brings speed and offense to a Plymouth team lacking at the center position. He will center one of the top two lines for the Whalers. Which one will depend on whether Tyler Seguin gets returned to junior or stays with the Boston Bruins.

The question with the diminutive Aleardi is whether he will break out offensively. He had 16 goals and 41 points in 64 games between Kitchener and Belleville last season, with the bulk of it coming after he was traded. That, and his preseason showing indicate that he will.

After his trade, Whaler coach and GM Mike Vellucci said "With Alex, it's just speed and more speed. He's a very tenacious player, plays a very in-your-face style, and he can score."

Playing alongside Gerrett Meurs this season (3 assists last night) the two could be an explosive offensive duo this season and will draw plenty of looks from NHL scouts.

The OHL season Begins Thursday

With the OHL season beginning Thursday, here's a look back at the pre-season and some of the performances.

Seth Griffith - London Knights. A year ago, I was telling anyone who would listen, that Griffith was under the radar and was going to turn heads this season. He tore it up for the Jr. B St. Mary’s Lincolns before being called up to the Knights with 15 games remaining last season. This preseason, the offence centered around Griffith on a Knights team struggling to find offence. He recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 preseason games and I believe he can improve on that with the return of Jared Knight. It just solidifies him as my pick for top sleeper.

Alex Khokhlachev - Windsor Spitfires. What was considered to be a dogfight between Khokhlachev and Vladislav Namestnikov as the top Russian turned out to be the exact opposite. While Namestnikov struggled to find his game in London, Khokhlachev lit up the OHL with 4 goals and 9 assists in 6 games. He certainly found his game in North America and you have to imagine if guys like Ryan Ellis and Cam Fowler return to junior, it can only help him.

Nick Cousins - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The super fast goal scorer showed why he shouldn’t be playing in the shadows of Daniel Catenacci. He showed off his speed and why he’s been a goal scorer  everywhere he’s played netting 5 goals in 7 games. He showed he has the potential and capability of out producing Catenacci for the Soo this season.

Josh Malecki - Windsor Spitfires. Invited to camp on a tryout, and only just signed by the Spits just yesterday, Malecki showed he can compete and actually play well. He started in 4 games for the Spits with a 3-0-1 record, 2.98 GAA and .903 SV%. He obviously won’t get much playing time in Windsor with the “next great netminder” Jack Campbell in Windsor. GM Warren Rychel said that he will be splitting time between Windsor and Detroit Compuware.

Ryan Strome - Niagara Ice Dogs. Strome had a very good preseason for a youthful Ice Dogs team, recording 3 goals and 6 points in 6 games. He skating ability, speed, and offensive touch were evident along with his ability to play the defensive game. He didn’t add enough bulk in the off-season and will have to work on that, but there is no doubting all his other assets.

Alex Basso - Belleville Bulls. Often compared to P. K. Subban, Basso will be counted on to provide offence from the defence along with fellow defenseman  Steven Strong. And he did just that. In six games he scored twice and added 7 assists while quarterbacking the powerplay. Strong himself contributed 2 goals and 5 assists. Both will be integral parts of a Bull’s resurgence, and with last years rookie of the year Matt Puempel potting goals for the Bulls, especially on the powerplay, it will only help Basso’s stock increase for the 2011 draft.

Alex Aleardi - Belleville Bulls. We have to give Aleardi a mention here since he led all OHL’ers in goals in the preseason with 8 in 6 games. But 5 of them came in an outstanding performance against Oshawa where he scored all 5 of his teams goals in a 5-4 win. The small but gifted forward could be looking at an 80 point season with the Bulls.

There are just to many outstanding performances to mention them all. But what this pre-season tells us is that it will be a strong and competetive OHL season and the OHL will once again lead the way in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Will the pre-season surprises keep it up over the course of the season? Will those that dissappointed find their game and step up when it counts? Only time will tell.  So head out to an OHL arena and support these future stars and enjoy a good hockey game. You won't be dissappointed.