Golden Horseshoe playoff preview and predictions
The Fort Erie Meteors and Port Colborne Sailors meet in one of three best-of-seven quarter-final playoff matchups beginning this week. Photo: BILL POTRECZ
It’s finally playoff time in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League this week following six months and 50 regular season games.
Three best-of-seven quarter-finals series get underway this week in the Golden Horseshoe Conference as the Fort Erie Meteors take on the Port Colborne Sailors, the St. Catharines Falcons square off against the Pelham Panthers while the Welland Junior Canadians tangle with the Hamilton Kilty B’s.
The first place Caledonia Corvairs will sit the first round out with a bye before taking on the lowest-ranked team in the semifinals.
Fort Erie vs. Port Colborne
The Meteors just completed the most successful regular season in the history of organization with 36 wins and appear to have a legitimate chance to win the organization’s first Golden Horseshoe championship.
The Mets dominated Port Colborne in the regular season, taking six of seven games and outscoring the Sailors 33-11.
The Meteors will be fully healthy with the exception of top rookie rearguard Andrew MacNiel, who was injured last week versus St. Catharines and will be out for the first round.
The Sailors got off to a strong start this season but ended up struggling and shipping out most of their veteran talent at the trade deadline in an effort to rebuild. The Sailors finished in last place with a 12-33-4-1 record, dropping 13 in a row toward the end of the season.
Fort Erie top scorers: Kyle Adamo 25-32-57; Liam Beamish 27-29-56; Blake Hall 15-37-52.
Fort Erie goaltending: Charlie Burns 2.46 GAA, .914 save percentage; John Lloyd 2.13 GAA, .913 save percentage.
Port Colborne top scorers: P.J. Alexander 11-18-29; Mitchell Yates 5-16-21; Cameron Golovin 9-7-16.
Port Colborne goaltending: Isaac Gravelle 3.96 GAA, .906 save percentage; Lucas Cardiff-Bilodeau 4.81 GAA, . 894 save percentage.
BPSN predicts: Fort Erie in 4.
Game 1: Saturday, March 9 at Fort Erie, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Monday March 11 at Port Colborne, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: Wednesday, March 13 at Fort Erie, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Friday, March 15 at Port Colborne, 7:30 p.m.
*Game 5: Saturday, March 16 at Fort Erie, 7 p.m.
*Game 6: Monday, March 18 at Port Colborne, 7:30 p.m.
*Game 7: Tuesday, March 19 at Fort Erie, 7:40 p.m.
*if necessary
St. Catharines vs. Pelham
The Falcons won all seven games of the regular season matchup, including a 5-4 overtime victory to wrap up the season Sunday. The Falcons outscored the Panthers 41-16.
The Falcons will be without Tyler Hunt and Marcus Harris, each serving the second game of their two-game suspensions, for Game 1 of the series.
The Falcons boast a deep, experienced lineup from top to bottom and a solid young goaltender in Hayden Jeffery.
The Panthers won 14 games under new coach Zac Rinaldo this season and have a strong netminder in Aidan Thomson, who has spent time in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Carter Vicente provides more than capable depth.
Rinaldo chose not to reveal his roster situation.
The Panthers will work hard but the Falcons are too talented.
St. Catharines top scorers: Caleb Thompson 27-25-52; Tyler Hunt 23-22-45; Brenden Anderson 23-22-45.
St. Catharines goaltending: Hayden Jeffery 2.49 GAA, .925 save percentage; Cal Gardner 2.37 GAA, .927 save percentage.
Pelham top scorers: Brendan Grenville 15-23-38 Aiden Cupelli 21-13-34; Connor Clark 13-16-29.
Pelham goaltending: Aidan Thomson 4.03 GAA, .892 save percentage; Carter Vicente 3.63 GAA, .913 save percentage.
BPSN predicts: St. Catharines in 4.
Game 1: Friday, March 8 at St. Catharines, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday, March 10 at Pelham, 2:45 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, March 12 at St. Catharines, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Thursday, March 14 at Pelham, 7 p.m.
*Game 5: Friday, March 15 at St. Catharines, 7 p.m.
*Game 6: Sunday, March 17 at Pelham, 2:45 p.m.
*Game 7: Tuesday, March 19 at St. Catharines, 7 p.m.
*if necessary
Welland vs. Hamilton
This should be the most competitive of the three series, with the Jr. Canadians taking the Kilty B’s four games to three and outscoring the defending Golden Horseshoe playoff champions 21-20.
The Junior Canadians got off to a rough start but experienced a huge turnaround under a new coaching staff headed up by former Falcons coach Trevor Lariviere and ex-NHL forward Chris Gratton.
The Junior Canadians have played a much more structured game under the new coaches but still struggle to score enough goals.
The Kilty B’s have had an uneven season and are much tougher at home where they went 15-9-1 as opposed to 9-13-3 on the road.
This one could easily go the distance.
Hamilton top scorers: Dom Deligeorgis 11-31-42; Anthony Giacalone 17-18-35; Brett Henderson 13-17-30.
Hamilton goaltender: Gabe Longo 3.43 GAA, .888 save percentage; Vlad Visan 2.56 GAA, .924 save percentage.
Welland top scorers: Jack Ryan 23-12-35; Joshua Cacciola 10-19-29; Matthew Coates 10-18-28.
BPSN predicts: Hamilton in 6.
Game 1: Thursday, March 7 at Hamilton, 7 p.m.
Game 2 Saturday, March 9 at Hamilton, 7:15 p.m.
Game 3 Sunday, March 10 at Welland, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, March 13 at Welland, 7:30 p.m.
*Game 5: Thursday, March 14 at Hamilton, 7 p.m.
*Game 6: Sunday, March 17 at Welland, 7 p.m.
*Game 7: Monday, March 18 at Hamilton, 7 p.m.
*if necessary
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