Meteors set for Sutherland Cup round-robin
The Fort Erie Meteors are in uncharted waters as they prepare for the Sutherland Cup round-robin playoffs.
Fresh off their dramatic Game 7 win over the Caledonia Corvairs Monday for their first Golden Horseshoe Conference championship, the Meteors now prepare to take on the St. Marys Lincolns and Listowel Cyclones with the top two teams advancing to a best-of-seven final for the junior B championship of Ontario.
“You definitely have to prepare for them but it’s more about what we do in our house to take care of things,” Meteors general manger/coach Nik Passero said. “It’s a little bit of both. Lean on some people that I know and their thoughts on it and make sure we’re ready.”
The Meteors took a well-deserved day off Tuesday and were back on the ice Wednesday in preparation for their first game in Listowel Friday.
“A couple days of practice here and we’ll be ready to go,” Passero said. “It’s been a great 36 hours for our group. The boys deserve it but it’s time to get back to work.”
Passero said the Meteors are anything but satisfied with just the Golden Horseshoe crown.
“We had a huge goal at the beginning of the year, to win it all, and that doesn’t change. It’s nice to win some hardware along the way, but we know what’s at stake,” Passero said.
The Cyclones captured the Midwestern Conference championship defeating Stratford in five games in the final. They also swept Ayr and Caledon along the way.
“Listowel is very detailed and they defend hard. Very similar to us,” Passero said.
The Cyclones finished in first place in the regular season with a 38-9 record and led the entire Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in fewest goals permitted with 103.
The Lincolns placed second in the regular season with a 33-11 record and defeated the London Nationals in seven games to win the Western Conference title after sweeping Sarnia and Strathroy in the first two rounds.
“St. Marys is high scoring with a good goalie. They both provide different challenges for us but we’re going into two great barns and two great hockey communities so that will be a lot of fun,” Passero said.
Passero said the Meteors are looking at every game of the round robin as a must win.
“You have to take care of your own business,” he said. “It starts Friday. Take care of business and go on from there.”
Sutherland Cup round-robin schedule
Friday, April 19
Fort Erie at Listowel, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 20
St. Marys at Fort Erie, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 21
Listowel at St. Marys, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 24
Listowel at Fort Erie, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 26
Fort Erie at St. Marys, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 28
St. Marys at Listowel, 7:30 p.m.
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