The Owen Sound Attack and Kootenay Ice entered their first game of the Memorial Cup as two teams with similar styles that led both teams to their respective league championships. But on this night it was the Attack that schooled the Ice from the goaltending right on out.
Andrew Shaw fought for a puck behind the Kootenay net and fed it to a wide open Robby Mignardi who fired a perfect shot to beat Kootenay goaltender Nathan Lieuwen to put the Attack up 1-0 at 16:49 of the first period.
Roman Berdnikov would fire a low wrister on the short side to beat Lieuwen at the 3:30 mark of the second to put the Attack up 2-0. That would be all the scoring in the second.
The Attack would score three times in the third to take the victory. While short handed, Andrew Shaw would pick off a pass and send Mignardi in for his second of the game to add to the Attack lead. Mignardi is an undrafted free agent and with his MVP playoffs in the OHL and early production in the Memorial Cup, you would think plenty of OHL teams will be calling soon.
Kootenay defenseman Brayden McNabb would be tabbed with a 5 minute major and game misconduct when he caught Joey Hishon in the head with a high elbow. The play will be under review and possible disciplinary action should be known on Sunday.
The Attack would score two goals on the ensuing powerplay, the first by Andrew Fritsch followed by Garrett Wilson on a two man advantage. Fritsch, who is eligible for the 2011 NHL entry Draft, missed most of the OHL playoffs, but he adds another dimension to the Attack offense and will play a key role moving forward.
Jordan Binnington was solid and made key saves for the Attack when he had to in making his 29 saves for the shut out. There was somewhat of a goaltending question mark or controversy, call it what you will, but there should be no question now, barring a complete meltdown, that Binnington is the man in goal.
Showing posts with label Andrew Fritsch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Fritsch. Show all posts
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Memorial Cup : Owen Sound Attack
The Attack finished the regular season first in the Western Conference and second overall In the OHL. They appear in the Memorial Cup as the OHL Champions. They were second in the OHL with 283 goals scored in the regular season and sixth in goals against with 215.
How they got here :
Round 1 : Beat the London Knights 4-2. It took overtime for the Attack to win game 1 at home 3-2. Game 2 moved to London and the Knights took that game 5-1. Back in Owen Sound for game 3, the Attack prevailed with a 5-3 victory. In London for game 4 once again, the Knights took the game 5-2. The Attack would shut out the Knights in games 5 & 6, 6-0 at home and 1-0 in London.
Round 2 : Owen Sound would sweep the Plymouth Whalers 4-0. They were victorious in over time in game one, 4-3 at home. Game two was in Plymouth with the Attack pulling out a 3-2 victory. Games 3 and 4 both ended in 4-1 scores, with game 3 being at home and game 4 in Plymouth.
Round 3 Owen Sound would defeat the Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 1 to win the Western Conference Championship. Game one was all Owen Sound as they took the game 8-1 on home ice. Windsor would win game two on home ice 4-2. Owen Sound would take game three back at home 6-4 and game four back in Windsor 3-2. They would close out the series with a 10-4 pasting at home.
Round 4 : Owen Sound would win the series 4-3 over the Mississauga St Mikes Majors capturing the OHL Championship. After losing the first two games 5-2 and 6-2 on the road and at home respectively, they would take the next two in Overtime. Game three was 6-5 in Mississauga while game four was 2-1 at home. Mississauga would take the series lead once again with a 7-3 win at home. Owen Sound would tie it with a win on home ice itself with a 3-2 win. And the stage would be set for an epic game seven show down that went into overtime with the Attack taking it 3-2, and with it the title of OHL Champions.
There may be more questions about the Attack heading into the Memorial Cup than answers right now. First and foremost is who will be the goaltender of choice? Jordan Binnington would seem to be the logical choice. He came in and closed out the Majors in game 6 and 7 after not playing for over a month after being scratched after game 4 of the Knights series in favor of Michael Zador and then the returning Matt Stajcer who was out with an injury.
When Stajcer was out for most of the season, Binnington carried the team to the top of the Western Conference. But he faltered in round one but did come back with a vengeance in the finals. And there is power forward and 28 goal scorer Andrew Fritsch who only played in 7 playoff games, missing most with an injury. He too returned for the final two games of the Finals.
Fritsch can and will provide open ice for Joey Hishon, who's goal production dropped dramatically in the playoffs with only 5 goals. The Attack will need more from Hishon in this tournament and that's where Fritsch may just come in.
Including Binnington, Owen Sound has a handful of draft eligibles available for the first time for the NHL Entry Draft. here's a look at their stats:
Hard to determine whether winning the OHL title will be a motivation for Owen Sound or whether they will suffer a let down after winning what to a man they called "the more important title".
My gut tells me they are looking at third place.
How they got here :
Round 1 : Beat the London Knights 4-2. It took overtime for the Attack to win game 1 at home 3-2. Game 2 moved to London and the Knights took that game 5-1. Back in Owen Sound for game 3, the Attack prevailed with a 5-3 victory. In London for game 4 once again, the Knights took the game 5-2. The Attack would shut out the Knights in games 5 & 6, 6-0 at home and 1-0 in London.
Round 2 : Owen Sound would sweep the Plymouth Whalers 4-0. They were victorious in over time in game one, 4-3 at home. Game two was in Plymouth with the Attack pulling out a 3-2 victory. Games 3 and 4 both ended in 4-1 scores, with game 3 being at home and game 4 in Plymouth.
Round 3 Owen Sound would defeat the Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 1 to win the Western Conference Championship. Game one was all Owen Sound as they took the game 8-1 on home ice. Windsor would win game two on home ice 4-2. Owen Sound would take game three back at home 6-4 and game four back in Windsor 3-2. They would close out the series with a 10-4 pasting at home.
Round 4 : Owen Sound would win the series 4-3 over the Mississauga St Mikes Majors capturing the OHL Championship. After losing the first two games 5-2 and 6-2 on the road and at home respectively, they would take the next two in Overtime. Game three was 6-5 in Mississauga while game four was 2-1 at home. Mississauga would take the series lead once again with a 7-3 win at home. Owen Sound would tie it with a win on home ice itself with a 3-2 win. And the stage would be set for an epic game seven show down that went into overtime with the Attack taking it 3-2, and with it the title of OHL Champions.
There may be more questions about the Attack heading into the Memorial Cup than answers right now. First and foremost is who will be the goaltender of choice? Jordan Binnington would seem to be the logical choice. He came in and closed out the Majors in game 6 and 7 after not playing for over a month after being scratched after game 4 of the Knights series in favor of Michael Zador and then the returning Matt Stajcer who was out with an injury.
When Stajcer was out for most of the season, Binnington carried the team to the top of the Western Conference. But he faltered in round one but did come back with a vengeance in the finals. And there is power forward and 28 goal scorer Andrew Fritsch who only played in 7 playoff games, missing most with an injury. He too returned for the final two games of the Finals.
Fritsch can and will provide open ice for Joey Hishon, who's goal production dropped dramatically in the playoffs with only 5 goals. The Attack will need more from Hishon in this tournament and that's where Fritsch may just come in.
Including Binnington, Owen Sound has a handful of draft eligibles available for the first time for the NHL Entry Draft. here's a look at their stats:
Hard to determine whether winning the OHL title will be a motivation for Owen Sound or whether they will suffer a let down after winning what to a man they called "the more important title".
My gut tells me they are looking at third place.
Monday, May 16, 2011
A Look Back At The Finals And The Draft Eligible Players
It's often said that the playoffs, or "big games" can solidify or hurt a players rankings for the NHL Entry Draft. So how did they all do for the Champion Owen Sound Attack and runner up Mississauga St Mikes Majors? Lets take a look.
Jordan Binnington - Owen Sound. Binnington came into the season as one of the top ranked goalies in the OHL for the draft. He was suppose to be the back up to number one Scott Stajcer. When Stajcer went down with a season ending injury (for the regular season at least), Binnington took over and lead the team to first place in the Western Conference.
He appeared in 46 regular season games with a 27-12-4-1 record and posted a 3.05 GAA and .899 Save Percentage. Binnington got of to a bad start in the playoffs in round one against the London Knights and was replace by Michael Zador and eventually Stajcer, who led the Attack to the OHL Championships.
Down 3 games to two, Coach Reeds decided it was time for Binnington, who hadn't started a game in over a month. He stole game 6 and was sharp when he had to be in game 7 to bring the championship to Owen Sound for the first time.
Binnington finished the playoffs with a 4-2 record, a 3.21 GAA and .894 save percentage. And he proved that when the stakes are high, he's capable of putting in a top notch performance.
Stuart Percy - Mississauga Majors. Percy finished the playoffs solidifying all the things that were the hype of the 15th overall pick in the Priority draft and then some.
He's a very solid defensive defenseman with the potential to provide some offense with the ability to log a lot of minutes. He's a mobile skater but will use his on ice vision and excellent passing ability to move the puck forward. That may have more to do with coach Cameron's philosophy than a lack of confidence in his own abilities, or it could be a little of both. Which should make Percy an interesting project for whoever selects him in the NHL draft.
In 64 regular season games, Percy netted 4 goals and 29 assists and was an astounding plus 50. In 20 playoff games he added 2 goals and 10 assists and was a plus 11 which put him on pace to exceed his regular season totals. In this observers eyes, Percy increased his stock.
Andrew Fritsch - Owen Sound. Hard to judge what the playoffs will do to Fritsch after missing time with injury and being a healthy scratch. Coming over from Niagara Ice Dogs, Fritsch had the promise of playing a power forward with goal scoring ability as he had 28 goals and 35 assists in 64 regular season games followed by 2 assists in 7 playoff games.
Not noted for his playmaking abilities, ask any Owen Sound fan who followed the team and they will tell you that they think that the lack of goal production by Joey Hishon in the playoffs (5 goals in 22 games) can be directly attributed to Fritsch missing time.
I think teams will have to look past the playoffs when looking at Fritsch, but you can't ignore the fact that having him in the lineup for the final two games may have opened up some space for his team mates.
Joseph Cramarossa - Mississauga. Cramarossa's offensive numbers dropped in the playoffs. In 59 regular season games he had 12 goals and 20 assists while he was 2-2 in 14 playoff games.
But what he did show in the playoffs was his ability to bring his compete level up for big games. One word: Tenacity. He never gave up on a play, fought for the puck with every ounce of energy he had, was solid in the face off circle and played an all around excellent defensive game.
Cramarossa will never dazzle you with his offensive prowess, but he will give you a solid two way game and won't be a liability to his team.
Jordan Binnington - Owen Sound. Binnington came into the season as one of the top ranked goalies in the OHL for the draft. He was suppose to be the back up to number one Scott Stajcer. When Stajcer went down with a season ending injury (for the regular season at least), Binnington took over and lead the team to first place in the Western Conference.
He appeared in 46 regular season games with a 27-12-4-1 record and posted a 3.05 GAA and .899 Save Percentage. Binnington got of to a bad start in the playoffs in round one against the London Knights and was replace by Michael Zador and eventually Stajcer, who led the Attack to the OHL Championships.
Down 3 games to two, Coach Reeds decided it was time for Binnington, who hadn't started a game in over a month. He stole game 6 and was sharp when he had to be in game 7 to bring the championship to Owen Sound for the first time.
Binnington finished the playoffs with a 4-2 record, a 3.21 GAA and .894 save percentage. And he proved that when the stakes are high, he's capable of putting in a top notch performance.
Stuart Percy - Mississauga Majors. Percy finished the playoffs solidifying all the things that were the hype of the 15th overall pick in the Priority draft and then some.
He's a very solid defensive defenseman with the potential to provide some offense with the ability to log a lot of minutes. He's a mobile skater but will use his on ice vision and excellent passing ability to move the puck forward. That may have more to do with coach Cameron's philosophy than a lack of confidence in his own abilities, or it could be a little of both. Which should make Percy an interesting project for whoever selects him in the NHL draft.
In 64 regular season games, Percy netted 4 goals and 29 assists and was an astounding plus 50. In 20 playoff games he added 2 goals and 10 assists and was a plus 11 which put him on pace to exceed his regular season totals. In this observers eyes, Percy increased his stock.
Andrew Fritsch - Owen Sound. Hard to judge what the playoffs will do to Fritsch after missing time with injury and being a healthy scratch. Coming over from Niagara Ice Dogs, Fritsch had the promise of playing a power forward with goal scoring ability as he had 28 goals and 35 assists in 64 regular season games followed by 2 assists in 7 playoff games.
Not noted for his playmaking abilities, ask any Owen Sound fan who followed the team and they will tell you that they think that the lack of goal production by Joey Hishon in the playoffs (5 goals in 22 games) can be directly attributed to Fritsch missing time.
I think teams will have to look past the playoffs when looking at Fritsch, but you can't ignore the fact that having him in the lineup for the final two games may have opened up some space for his team mates.
Joseph Cramarossa - Mississauga. Cramarossa's offensive numbers dropped in the playoffs. In 59 regular season games he had 12 goals and 20 assists while he was 2-2 in 14 playoff games.
But what he did show in the playoffs was his ability to bring his compete level up for big games. One word: Tenacity. He never gave up on a play, fought for the puck with every ounce of energy he had, was solid in the face off circle and played an all around excellent defensive game.
Cramarossa will never dazzle you with his offensive prowess, but he will give you a solid two way game and won't be a liability to his team.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Owen Sound 3 - Mississauga 2 : It's Down To Winner Takes All
The series is tied at three. There's one game remaining. The winner gets the Robertson Cup as OHL Champions, the loser goes on to the Memorial Cup with heads held high knowing they put up quite the battle. Insert all the cliche's here: Loser goes home, winner takes all, Whatever it may be, it's been a hotly contested final.
Jordan Binnington made what some consider a surprise start after not starting for over a month, Andrew Fritsch was in the lineup for Owen Sound after a 28 goal campaign. Joey Hishon popped in just his fifth goal of the playoffs, but it came when the Attack needed it most.
The Mississauga power play that was clipping at a 45% success rate in the series was solved for the most part. And the Attack power play which was successful in just 20% of its opportunities came through.
Maxim Kitsyn got the ball rolling for Mississauga on the power play with his tenth goal of the playoffs at 13:50 of the first from Jordan Mayer and Brett Flemming to put the Attack up 1-0. It was the only scoring of the period which saw Mississauga dominate.
The Majors out shot the Attack 16-5 in the opening period and if not for Binnington's heroics, the score could have been much different. The Majors converted on one of their two power play chances while the Attack had none in the first period.
The Attack would tie it at 9:48 of the second with a power play goal of their own when Garrett Wilson was set up by Matt Stanisz and Hishon. It was Wilson's 11th of the post season. Hishon would then give the Attack the lead with his goal. Robby Mignardi and Hishon would draw the assists and the Bayshore Arena in Owen Sound was alive and loud.
The period would end with the Attack up 2-1 and having out shot the Majors 15 12 in the period while going 1/1 on the power play and keeping Mississauga 0/3 in there's including killing off a two man advantage early in the period.
Geoffrey Schemitsch would put the Attack up 3-1 with an unassisted power play goal, his first of the playoffs, at 7:27 of the third. Then with 1:11 remaining in the third, Devante Smith-Pelley would score his 15th from Rob Flick and Casey Cizikas to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
But that's how the game would end and the series would be tied. Mississauga held the shot advantage for the game at 43-33. The Attack's power play finished the game at 2/2 while the Majors were 1/6.
Binnington was named the games first star and there should be no question he will get the nod for game 7. And game 7 goes Sunday at 2:00 pm at the Hershey Center in Mississauga where the Robertson Cup will be handed out to the victorious team. Early favorites for the MVP award have to be Devante Smith-Pelley for the Majors and Robby Mignardi for the Attack. But don't be surprised if Binnington steals another game, that he gets some consideration. But only playing two games in a month may hold him back.
Jordan Binnington made what some consider a surprise start after not starting for over a month, Andrew Fritsch was in the lineup for Owen Sound after a 28 goal campaign. Joey Hishon popped in just his fifth goal of the playoffs, but it came when the Attack needed it most.
The Mississauga power play that was clipping at a 45% success rate in the series was solved for the most part. And the Attack power play which was successful in just 20% of its opportunities came through.
Maxim Kitsyn got the ball rolling for Mississauga on the power play with his tenth goal of the playoffs at 13:50 of the first from Jordan Mayer and Brett Flemming to put the Attack up 1-0. It was the only scoring of the period which saw Mississauga dominate.
The Majors out shot the Attack 16-5 in the opening period and if not for Binnington's heroics, the score could have been much different. The Majors converted on one of their two power play chances while the Attack had none in the first period.
The Attack would tie it at 9:48 of the second with a power play goal of their own when Garrett Wilson was set up by Matt Stanisz and Hishon. It was Wilson's 11th of the post season. Hishon would then give the Attack the lead with his goal. Robby Mignardi and Hishon would draw the assists and the Bayshore Arena in Owen Sound was alive and loud.
The period would end with the Attack up 2-1 and having out shot the Majors 15 12 in the period while going 1/1 on the power play and keeping Mississauga 0/3 in there's including killing off a two man advantage early in the period.
Geoffrey Schemitsch would put the Attack up 3-1 with an unassisted power play goal, his first of the playoffs, at 7:27 of the third. Then with 1:11 remaining in the third, Devante Smith-Pelley would score his 15th from Rob Flick and Casey Cizikas to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
But that's how the game would end and the series would be tied. Mississauga held the shot advantage for the game at 43-33. The Attack's power play finished the game at 2/2 while the Majors were 1/6.
Binnington was named the games first star and there should be no question he will get the nod for game 7. And game 7 goes Sunday at 2:00 pm at the Hershey Center in Mississauga where the Robertson Cup will be handed out to the victorious team. Early favorites for the MVP award have to be Devante Smith-Pelley for the Majors and Robby Mignardi for the Attack. But don't be surprised if Binnington steals another game, that he gets some consideration. But only playing two games in a month may hold him back.My prediction pre-series was Mississauga in 6 games. Well it's gone 7 and I'll stay with Mississauga to take the championship.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Mississauga A Victory From Championship After 7-3 Win Over Owen Sound
The Mississauga St Mikes Majors are just one win away from the OHL Championship after a decisive 7-3 victory over the Owen Sound Attack last night at the Hershey Center in Mississauga.
Michael Zador got the start in goal for Owen Sound, while who else but JP Anderson got the start for Mississauga. Zador's night didn't go to well, but more on that later.
Rob Flick got the ball rolling for Mississauga at the 6:57 mark with his 8th goal of the playoffs with the lone assist going to Riley Brace. Justin Shugg followed that up with his 9th on the power play from Stuart Percy and Casey Cizikaz at the 9:01 mark of the first period.
It would also be just the 6th shot on goal for Mississauga at the time and it marked the end of the night for Zador as Coach Mark Reeds yanked him in favor of Scott Stajcer. The Hershey Center had a throng of Attack fans who made the trip for the game, and many asked each other why Zador got the start to begin with.
Shortly after the switch, the Majors took a 3-0 lead when Maxim Kitsyn scored his ninth from Michael D'Orazio and Brett Flemming. It was the Majors second power play goal of the period. Devante Smith-Pelly would make it 4-0 with his 12th goal from Cizikas and Flemming at 15:46.
However, Owen Sound would get two goals back before the close of the period. At 17:06 Jarrod Maidens would get his 4th to make it 4-1 from Liam Heelis and Jesse Blacker. Then, 2:02 later, the Attack would pull within 2 when Keevin Cutting scored his second from Garrett Wilson and Cameron Brace to close out a wild first period.
Mississauga would direct 8 more shots at Stajcer in the opening frame and go 2/3 on the power play. Owen Sound had 16 shots at Anderson and were 0/1 on the power play.
The second period saw no scoring as Mississauga would out shoot Owen Sound 12-9 in the period. Mississauga's penalty killing was again perfect thwarting Owen Sound on one opportunity while having none of their own.
But just 1:19 into the third a power play marker by Robby Mignardi put Owen Sound on the verge of a comeback. It was Mignardi's 15th of the play offs. Joey Hishon and Blacker assisted on the goal that made it 4-3.
At 11:46 Shugg scored his second of the game to put the Majors back up by two with Smith-Pelly drawing the assist. After that, all hell broke loose with 14 penalties being called the rest of the way. There were just eight in the first two periods.
Smith-Pelly would notch two power play goals to complete the hat trick. The first came at 14:49 from Percy and Cizikas. His second of the period came 16:17 from Shugg and Marc Cantin. That made it 7-3 and closed out the scoring.
The game would end with the Majors out shooting the Attack 35-30. Owen Sound was 1/3 on the power play on the evening while Mississauga was 4/6.
Just as the Attack fans were questioning Zador's start in the first period, they began questioning Stajcer at the end of the game and some suggested that it's time for Jordan Binnington to make a start. Binnington is one of the top ranked OHL goalies for the NHL Entry Draft in June and hasn't made a start since giving way to Zador since round one against the London Knights.
Binnington has dressed as a backup once in the final series to Stajcer. When Stajcer got injured early in the season, it was Binnington who carried Owen Sound the rest of the way and to the top of the Western Conference standings. Some feel it's time to give the net back to him.
The problem this presents to Reeds is there is no tomorrow, unless he is strictly looking towards the Memorial Cup. But for the OHL Championship, it's one loss and go home. That's quite the risk to take on a goalie who's last complete game start was March 29th.
My guess is that Stajcer will get the nod for game six. He's the number one and has the experience. But, Binnington will back him up instead of Zador and should Stajcer falter, Binnington would get his chance. But I wouldn't wager any money on that.
The other question facing Reeds: "Is it time to start Andrew Fritsch?" He's only dressed for 5 playoff games this year and has two assists and is a plus three. But he had 28 goals and 63 points in 60 games this season and its obvious the Attack need help scoring goals, especially on the power play.
Mind you, he had only dressed for four games because he was out with a lower body injury, but he did make one appearance on May 3rd in this series, a 5-3 Majors win. Some say Joey Hishon's lack of goal production is due to the absence of Fritsch. But if he re-injured himself the Attack are being quiet about it and Hishon's scoring woes will continue.
boxscore
Friday, April 29, 2011
OHL Final Preview
Owen Sound visits Mississauga for game one of the OHL Finals and the chance to hoist the J. Ross Robertson Cup beginning Tuesday May 3, 2011.
Both teams are coming off of 4-1 series victories. Mississauga took care of the Niagara Ice Dogs and suffered their only defeat through three rounds of the playoffs to date. Owen Sound knocked off the defending Robertson and Memorial Cup Champs while suffering only 3 losses through the playoffs.
This will be both teams first appearance in the OHL finals, although the Attack have been their before and won in 1986 when they were the Guelph Platers. The Majors have also won the Robertson Cup and the Memorial Cup back in the old OHA days when they played in Toronto. The current Majors franchise was revived in 1996.
The two teams squared off just twice in the regular season with Mississauga winning both contests. The first was on November 29 in Owen Sound with a 4-2 victory. JP Anderson was in goal for the Majors and stopped 26 of 28 shots. It was a costly loss for Owen Sound. Starting goalie Scott Stajcer stopped just 4 of 8 shots and left the game after the first period with an injury and didn't play again until late in the first round of the playoffs. Jordan Binnington came on in relief and stopped all 18 shots he faced and then carried the Attack the rest of the season.
Justin Shugg led the way offensively for the Majors with 2 goals and an assist. Marc Cantin and Mika Partanen would add the other goals. Devante Smith-Pelly had a single assist in the game. Andrew Fritsch led the way for Owen Sound with both their goals. Leaders Joey Hishon and Garrett Wilson had assists in that game.
The rematch was in Mississauga just eight days later with the Majors taking that one 6-3. Anderson would stop 34 of 37 shots while Binnington stopped 24 of 29 for the Attack.
Smith-Pelley tallied 2 goals and an assist while Casey Cizikas, Joseph Cramorossa and Riley Brace each had a goal and an assist for Mississauga. For Owen Sound, Garrett Wilson had a pair of goals while Joey Hishon had a pair of assists.
Here's a look at the playoff leaders, and their draft eligible players through the playoffs.
For Owen Sound's 15 games:
Garrett Wilson 9 goals 9 assists
Robby Mignardi 9 goals 7 assists
Joey Hishon 4 goals 12 assists
Andrew Fritsch 0 goals 2 assists (4 games played)
Cameron Brace 1 goal 4 assists (12 games played)
For Mississauga's 13 games:
Maxim Kitsyn 7 goals 7 assists
Jordan Mayer 5 goals 7 assists
Devante Smith-Pelly 7 goals 4 assists
Mika Partanen 2 goals 3 assists
Stuart Percy 1 goal 3 assists
Joseph Cramarossa 2 goals 1 assist
The goaltenders in this series have spectacular playoff numbers although Binnington's aren't that great. Owen Sounds Michael Zador leads all goalies with a 1.10 GAA and .958 SV%. JP Anderson is second with a 1.68 GAA and .931 SV%. Scott Stajcer is fourth with a 2.08 GAA and tied with Anderson with a .931 SV%. Binnington has a 3.88 GAA and .864 SV%. Owen Sound has used all three goalies in these playoffs.
The keys for Owen Sound are going to be difficult to come by. Hishon will have to provide more goal scoring. Stajcer is going to have to be a wall in goal. They can't afford to take undisciplined penalties against the Leagues second best power play and are going to have to find a way through the leagues best penalty kill when they get their chances.
For Mississauga its the same as its always been. Play their own game. The leagues best offense has 7 players with double digit scoring and the leagues best defense is allowing less than 2 goals per game.
With Mississauga being the host city for this years Memorial Cup, both teams are automatically entered this year, win or lose this series. But neither team wants in via the back door. To a man, both teams want this series and head to the Memorial Cup as Champions.
I've been lucky enough to be 10 for 14 selecting winners in these playoffs, so now it's prediction time. I think I'll have to go with the experience, leadership and depth in this one.
Mississauga in 6 games.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Owen Sound 10 Windsor 4
Prediction: Owen Sound in 7
Owen Sound captured the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as the Western Conference Champions with a 10-4 shellacking of the Windsor Spitfires.
Owen Sound will now face the Mississauga St Mikes Majors for the OHL Championship and the J Ross Robertson Cup. And because Mississauga is the host city of the Memorial Cup, both teams automatically move onto the Memorial Cup.
Things started out well for Windsor when Alex Khokhlachev score his ninth of the playoffs just 2:12 into the contest. But Matt Petgrave would tie it with his first of 3 on the night and first of the playoffs at 5:31. Brady Vail would restore the Windsor lead with his second at 9:38 before Joey Hishon would tie it at 12:27 with just his fourth of the playoffs. The teams would end the period all even at two apiece.
Petgrave would then score the only two goals of the second period. The first came at 14:41 and the second, on the power play at 19:44 to complete the hat trick and send Owen Sound to the locker room with a 4-2 lead.
Owen Sound took over in the third. Mike Halmo scored his second of the playoffs at 4:32. And as Windsor tried to open things up to get back in it, Owen Sound dominated the scoreboard. Garrett Wilson would make it 6-2 at 5:48. Andrew Fritsch assisted on the goal, his first game since round one against the London Knights.
Vail would score his second of the night for Windsor at 6:02 to make it 6-3 but at 7:11 Andrew Shaw would score back to back with his seventh and eighth of the playoffs. His second came at 11:03 on the power play.
Halmo would score his second of the night on the power play at 15:31 and Jarrod Maidens would add another power play marker at 16:22, his third of the playoffs to make it 10-3.
Vail would score his third of the game for Windsor short handed to close out the scoring.
Scott Stajcer faced 35 shots for Owen Sound while Jack Campbell faced 38 for Windsor. Jordan Binnington dressed as back up for Stajcer.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Playoff Preview - Round 2 - Western Conference
Seeing that I was only 5-8 in the first round, I should avoid making predictions. But why stop now? But first, a look at the two series.
Owen Sound (1) Plymouth (6) - Plymouth won series 1-0-1
Plymouth is coming off of a hard fought 7 game series against the favored Rangers While Owen Sound had a 6 game series win against London. The Whalers will once again be the underdogs in this one, but dont take them lightly.
Here's what their draft eligibles did against each other in the season series.
Stefan Noesen - pointless
Alex Aleardi - 0G 2A
Garrett Meurs - pointless
Rickard Rakell - 0G 1A
Andrew Fritsch - 1G 0A
Cameron Brace - 0G 0A
Prediction: Plymouth in 6 games
Saginaw (2) Windsor (4) - Saginaw won season series 4-1-1
Windsor is coming off of a 7 game seasaw battle with Erie while Saginaw is coming off of a 6 game set with Guelph.
Here's a look at what the draft eligible players did against each other.
Alex Khokhlachev - 2G 4A
Vincent Trocheck - 2 G 7A
Brandon Saad - 0G 2A
Prediction: Saginaw in 6 games
Owen Sound (1) Plymouth (6) - Plymouth won series 1-0-1
Plymouth is coming off of a hard fought 7 game series against the favored Rangers While Owen Sound had a 6 game series win against London. The Whalers will once again be the underdogs in this one, but dont take them lightly.
Here's what their draft eligibles did against each other in the season series.
Stefan Noesen - pointless
Alex Aleardi - 0G 2A
Garrett Meurs - pointless
Rickard Rakell - 0G 1A
Andrew Fritsch - 1G 0A
Cameron Brace - 0G 0A
Prediction: Plymouth in 6 games
Saginaw (2) Windsor (4) - Saginaw won season series 4-1-1
Windsor is coming off of a 7 game seasaw battle with Erie while Saginaw is coming off of a 6 game set with Guelph.
Here's a look at what the draft eligible players did against each other.
Alex Khokhlachev - 2G 4A
Vincent Trocheck - 2 G 7A
Brandon Saad - 0G 2A
Prediction: Saginaw in 6 games
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Some lessor knowns to watch Part III
5'11" 160 lbs
Strome split time between the Barrie Colts and the Ice Dogs collecting a total of 8 goals and 19 assists in 61 games with 61 PIM.
Strome is a good skater with good speed. He controls the puck and the play very well and has poise in tight areas. He has high offensive potential while playing a very good 3 zone game.
He will really need to add some size to continue to the next level
6' 180 lbs
The big strong forward has the ability to be a productive power forward. Has goal scoring ability and is known more for that than his playmaking. In 62 games for the Ice Dogs he scored 11 goals and added 7 assists. His 13 PIM is an indication that he needs to use his body more.
The 3rd round pick of the Ice Dogs recorded 71 points in 59 games last season for the Brantford 99ers.
6' 175 lbs
McDowell is the second of the 3 Generals d-men to keep an eye on. He brings the exact same thing to the game as Hope does with more offensive potential.
McDowell passed on a scholarship to Michigan State to go the OHL route. In 50 games in his rookie season, he scored 3 goals and added 6 assists.
Colin Suellentrop - Oshawa Generals
6'1" 193 lbs
Colin is the third of the “Big Three” on the Oshawa blue line. In 54 games, he scored one goal and added 5 assists to go along with 74 penalty minutes. Of the three he is the most physical and the better skater.
His reach and his skating give him the edge on the defensive part of the game.
Kyle Hope - Oshawa Generals
6'2" 177 lbs
The 3rd round pick will be one of three young defensemen to watch in 2010-11. He is a smooth skating PMD with offensive upside. He is a big kid who will have to add some mass to his frame.
Despite his 165 LBS, he has been a physical presence on the blue line. As he grows into his 6’2” frame, it will only get better.
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