Junior Jottings

Back on Janaury 11th, right after the OHL trade deadline, I wrote a blog on this fine website, looking back at the deals that had been made and offering up a prediction for the rest of the season and overall playoff results. To save you the trouble of having to go back and check for yourself, I have taken the liberty to copy and paste the exact quote from that blog for you. Here it is.......

"I know it's getting a little late to make New Year's predictions, but it says here, as this is being written on January 11th, that the Icedogs go about 24 and 5 in their final 29 games, which will easily be enough to catapult them into first place overall in the Eastern Conference."

Wow......just tallied up the last 29 games for the Niagara Icedogs, and surprise, surprise, the Icedogs went "24-5" in their last 29 games. (why this uncanny predicting ability has not translated into a major win on pro-line after years of trying is inexplicable).

So with all due respect to Wiarton Willie, who by the way was bang on with his forecast of an early spring, (I believe, looking at my family tree, he and I are distant cousins), it's time to once again gaze into the crystal ball and offer up the following prognostications for the OHL post season....

Eastern Conference.....Niagara over Oshawa in 6. The team from the East that scares me the most is Oshawa. They are arguably the best 8th place team in either Conference we've seen since the Icedogs moved to Niagara. From a sheer entertainment perspective , this series is far more intriguing than maybe any other OHL first round series, and not just because of the Lucas Lessio factor, although that will be fun. The Generals play about as close to old school hockey as the OHL allows these days, but what may be their eventual downfall is the Niagara power play. If the Generals run into any penalty problems, and they were the most penalized team in the East, the Niagara power play will have them for breakfast. If they can play with that edge without going over it, this could be a longer series than most expect. In the end though, goaltending, special teams and depth on defence and at forward will carry the Icedogs to a series win. Can't wait to see what happens in this one......

Ottawa over Belleville in 7. Not sold on the 67's,especially with the loss of John McFarland up front, Malcolm Subban will literally have to stand on his head for the Bulls to be close, Belleville will work hard and keep it close, but in the end, after a scare, Ottawa will move on

Barrie over Mississauga in 7. Even with the devastating loss of Team Canada forward Tanner Pearson, the Colts should have enough to put away the Majors in a long, drawn out series. James Boyd deserves consideration for coach of the year honours for what he has done with such a young Mississauga roster, the Majors goaltending has been superb, but the Colts still have more offence than the Majors, and that should carry them to round two, although it won't be easy at all.

Brampton over Sudbury.....no wait, Sudbury over Brampton, naw, Battalion, nope, Wolves.....ah screw it, I'm literally tossing a coin in the air on this one. Love both teams. Can't go against my Wolves, want a trip to my Northern homeland in round two....but like the Wolves, Brampton is so well coached too and play playoff type hockey all year........here goes the coin.....heads Brampton, tails Wolves.....it's up and.......heads....Battalion in 7.....

In the West......London over Windsor in 5.....good rivalry, just not this year for the Spits....although as a ps on this one, how much does London goalie Michael House have left in the tank for the playoffs.....sheesh, he's worked harder this year than Don Cherry's dry cleaner....

Plymouth over Guelph in 5....Next year, the result is reversed. Storm on the right track, Whalers too big, too deep right now not to roll into round 2.....

Kitchener in 7 over Owen Sound. No Mike Halmo for the Attack in this series. Attack get screwed big time by the OHL in this one. Clean hit, 10 games, goodbye Owen Sound captain, goodbye once again open ice body checking, goodbye Attack playoff chances. But not without a tremendous battle. Owen Sound showed great heart and courage last year in winning the OHL championship, and will display that same tenacity this year against one of the teacher's pets of the Ontario Hockey League. But the Rangers move on.....

Sarnia over Saginaw in 7......nope, Spirit in 7.....wait, where's that stupid coin again.....Everything in this series depends on the health of the Sting's Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk, although he's coming back from a long, long
layoff and won't be close to mid season form. If they play, Sting win, if they don't Saginaw goes to round 2.....
Coin is up...head Spirit, tails Sting...and it's.....heads, Saginaw on to round 2......

just a few quick notes.....Icedogs games are now heard on-line at LSNRADIO.COM and as of a couple of weeks ago, on the Giant Fm's website, "GIANTFM.COM", and will be throughout the playoffs. I know some fans had been wondering about tailgate parties, happy to say they are coming, stay tuned to LSNRADIO.COM and Giant FM for more details.....

And finally, have been lucky enough to catch some of the GOJHL Golden Horseshoe playoffs. Love the fact the St. Catharines/Thorold rivalry is being renewed. From an Icedogs angle, former Niagara forward Johnson Andrews has been simply a dominant force for the Falcons. I have no idea what Johnson's plans are for next year hockey wise, but I can only hope he decides to pursue a pro career.He plays hockey the way it should be played, and while he may have to start on a lower rung, it would be just a matter of time before his skill, toughness, size and leadership brought him to a higher lever in the pro ranks. I predict, if he chooses to do so and sticks with it, he'll have a long rewarding professional hockey career........and keep in mind, I also predicted the Icedogs would go 24-5 the rest of the season, back on Janurary 11th.....

Enjoy the playoffs.....
Chuck