Mid-term junior B progress report
The Niagara Falls Canucks and St. Catharines Falcons have been the class of the Golden Horseshoe Conference for the first half of the season. Photo by: MIKE DIBATTISTA
It’s hard to believe but it’s already the halfway point of the Golden Horseshoe junior B hockey season which means one thing — it’s time for BPSN’s annual mid-term report card.
Teams will be graded based on a combination of their record in the first half combined with their talent and expectations.
Let the debate begin.
Niagara Falls Canucks
First place 23-3-0-1
The Canucks lead the entire GOJHL in winning percentage at .870 and have established themselves as the front runner for their first Golden Horseshoe title since 2010-11.
The Canucks also lead the GOJHL in team scoring by a wide margin thanks in large part to the trio of Justin Kyle (19-36-55), Ben Evans (21-33-54) and Mitch Mendonca (20-25-45) who are second, third and tied for fourth in league scoring, respectively.
Toss in defenceman Dillon Hill, who is having a monster season with 45 points through 27 games, and a strong supporting cast, and the Canucks have offence to spare.
At the other end of the ice, goaltender Zach Moore has been solid as rock with a 2.41 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
The Canucks have set the gold standard for contenders in the first half of the season.
Grade: A+
St. Catharines Falcons
Second place 19-3-0-2
The Falcons are second in the Golden Horseshoe and second overall in the GOJHL with a .833 winning percentage
Following an uncharacteristically slow start, the Falcons have reeled off a 30-game streak with at least one point.
The Falcons have developed a solid attack led by Jacob Roach (13-30-43), Carson Edwardson (19-14-33) and Christian Girhiny. Girhiny has been on fire since joining the club from the Erie Otters with an astounding 18 goals and 33 points in just 13 games.
The Falcons also feature a good mix on defence led by slick Andrew Somerville and tough Adam Pys.
Jack McGovern (1.92) and Dillon Lamarche (2.65) have more than held up their end in goal.
The Falcons should once again be a force come playoff time.
Grade: A
Pelham Panthers
Third place 16-10-0-2
The Panthers have put together a solid first half with 16 wins after accumulating only 17 victories all of last season.
The Panthers have a solid 1-2 punch in goal with Brandon McCorriston (2.44) and Nicholas Kidd (2.91) as well as a good depth on defence led by Adam Scholz, who is off to a great start with 24 points in 28 games.
The offence gets the job done by committee led by Matt Ruigrok (8-25-33), captain Thomas Young (12-15-27) and Noah Caperchione (12-15-27).
Pelham coach Mark Barrick has instilled a solid work ethic and team-first attitude.
The Panthers could be a sleeper come the post-season.
Grade: A-
Hamilton Kilty B’s
Fourth place 16-9-0-1
The Kilty B’s got off to a torrid start with eight wins in their first nine games before coming back to the pack.
The Kilty B’s take care of their own end first — they are second in goals permitted to St. Catharines — thanks to a strong goaltending tandem of Cal Schell (2.03) and Marco Constantini (2.66).
T.J. Hughes (13-23-26) leads the offence and is augmented by defenceman Tanner Brennecke (5-25-30), Marino Moro (9-14-23) and mobile rearguard Derek Raposo (2–19-21).
Hamilton head coach Ken Peroff is a no-nonsense bench boss who demands hard work.
The Kilty B’s won’t go quietly in the playoffs.
Grade: B
Thorold Blackhawks
Fifth place 12-12-1-1
The Blackhawks won their first two games of the season, then ran into serious injury trouble which resulted in a six-game losing streak.
The Hawks rebounded as their injured players returned to action and have clawed their way back to the .500 mark.
The Blackhawks don’t have a legitimate sniper and rely on depth through their four lines to put the puck in the net.
Owen Allan (11-14-25), Trevor Neumann (9-11-20) and Brendan Charlton (9-11-20) lead the offence while defenceman Nick Gidney has come on of late and is fourth in team scoring with eight goals and 18 points in his 22 games.
Rookie Chase Grsic (2.45) has been a good addition in goal teaming with starter Anthony Tremonte (3.37).
The Hawks will need to find more scoring from within or add more offence to move into the top four.
Grade: C+
Fort Erie Meteors
Sixth place 8-17-0-2
The Meteors got off to a tough start with just one win in their first 10 games but have managed to turn their season around.
The Meteors can sneak up on a team — they defeated the Niagara Falls Canucks in double overtime and picked up a point in an overtime loss at St. Catharines last week — and work hard to compete with limited resources.
Marco Lariccia (9-18-27) leads the offence followed by former Falcon Evan Miller (14-10-24) and Drew Passero (5-15-20). Luca Marcellitti (4-18-12) and Evan Wagner (4-7-11) have provided some offensive spark from the blueline.
The Meteors have permitted too many goals (122) compared to just 75 goals for.
The Meteors are the Meteors. They compete and develop, but are not serious contenders come the post-season.
Grade: D
Welland Junior Canadians
Seventh place 7-17-0-2
The Junior Canadians have endured a seven-game losing streak and have lost twice to the Lockport Regals, who have just three wins so far this season. As well, they have yet to win a game on the road.
Head coach Keith Osborne likes to preach defence and build from the net out, but the Junior Canadians have permitted 121 goals, far too many to be taken seriously as a legitimate contender.
Former Falcon and Canuck Matt Baumann leads Welland in scoring with 25 points in 26 games while Kellan Rosenbaum (4-19-23) and ex-Blackhawk and Canuck Matthew Maidens has nine points in 10 games since being picked up from Niagara Falls.
Alex Vendette (4.03, .911 save percentage) has seen more than his share of rubber in goal and has performed admirably.
The Junior Canadians don’t have enough offence and give up too many goals to be considered as a threat.
Grade: D-
Lockport Regals
Eight place 3-22-1
The numbers just don’t add up for the Regals who have scored the fewest goals, permitted the most and have yet to win on the road.
The Regals aren’t as inept as past incarnations of the organizations, but simply don’t have the talent or depth to contend on a consistent basis.
Grade: F
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