By Steve Fitzsimmons /
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Windsor Spitfires
The number one seed in the conference got through the first round in four games, sending the Erie Otters packing. LW Taylor Hall, expected to be one of the top picks in the 2010 NHL Draft, was unstoppable, scoring six times and adding four assists in four games. RW Zach Kassian, a trade deadline acquisition who had just returned from a suspension, looked very good with two goals and six points. Likewise for RW Dale Mitchell, a Toronto Maple Leafs draft choice. G Philipp Grubauer was good, but not great, with a 2.55 GAA and a .896 save percentage. Erie was able to score goals against him, but Windsor was just too deep. The Spits now take on the Plymouth.
London Knights
The club proved that winning 49 regular season games wasn’t an accident, as they took down the Guelph Storm in five games, executing serious defensive zone pressure and clicking on the powerplay with an eight-for-29 performance. C Nazem Kadri, the Toronto Maple Leafs first rounder, led all OHL players in round one, torching the Storm for four goals and 14 points in five games. RW Jared Knight, a gritty second-year guy who notched 36 goals in the regular season, kept his offensive game going with five goals and nine points. Diminutive C Daniel Erlich also had a strong first round, with five goals and nine points. Defensively, Steve Tarasuk, Michael D’Orazio, Scott Harrington and Kalle Eklund were very solid, limiting the time and space Guelph players were afforded. G Michael Hutchinson was solid, but not a difference maker, but didn’t need to be for London to prevail. They now tackle the Kitchener Rangers.
Kitchener Rangers
Had to face a serious obstacle in G Ed Pasquale, who was spectacular for Saginaw, but Kitchener ultimately prevailed in six games. One of the big reasons for their victory was the play of their own goalie Brandon Maxwell, who showed he’s capable of taking the ball and running with it, as he was brilliant in round one. He posted a gaudy .939 save percentage and a miniscule 2.00 GAA. There were questions about Maxwell heading into the playoffs and the consistency of his game, but he answered those questions in spades. C Jeff Skinner, a 50-goal scorer in the regular season, was solid with three goals and five points, while LW Jeremy Morin contributed three goals and four points. LW Chris McKinnon, seeing his first ever playoff action after four OHL seasons, looked like he was trying to do too much early in the series, but settled down and posted one goal and five points. D Dan Kelly, who is not known so much for his offence as his defence, popped a couple goals and four points. Kitchener will now match up against the London Knights.
Plymouth Whalers
Had a tough opponent in the scrappy Soo Greyhounds, but were able to prevail in five games. C Phil McRae, a trade deadline acquisition from London, was dominating in round one, registering six goals and 11 points in five playoff games. He picked a great time to come alive offensively, after notching a luke warm 14 points in 19 regular season games with Plymouth. C Tyler Seguin, expected to be one of the top selections in the 2010 NHL Draft, did nothing to hurt his case, with five goals and 10 points in five games. RW Ryan Hayes was a huge surprise with his contribution in round one. After notching 16 goals and 35 points in 50 regular season games, he took his game to a new level, with four goals and 11 points and was plus-7. G Matt Hackett was very sharp against the Soo, putting up a 2.38 GAA and .940 save percentage. Plymouth now meets the Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires.
Soo Greyhounds
Plymouth was a tough challenge for the young Greyhounds, as they could not find a way to score consistently against G Matt Hackett. Their own G Robin Lehner got lit up in this series, posting a 4.29 GAA and a very tough .874 save percentage. Lehner, a second round pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL Draft, had an excellent regular season, but was left to fend for himself, as Plymouth broke down the Soo defence for some serious scoring opportunities. LW Tomas Rachunek led all Soo players in points, with two goals and four points. That’s pretty good for a guy who had only five goals and 22 points in 61 regular season games. LW Vern Cooper, a point-a-game player for the Soo in the regular season, was able to add two goals and three points against his former team.
Saginaw Spirit
The team got an outstanding performance in goal from Ed Pasquale, who posted a .941 save percentage and 2.33 GAA. He was brilliant and kept his team firmly in this series. They just were unable to get much timely scoring and their big guns had trouble scoring. C Jordan Skellett, who had 88 points in the regular season, was limited to one goal and three points. RW Jordan Szwarz, a 28-goal scorer during the year, notched only one goal. C Tyler Murovich was able to post some points, with two goals and five points in six games, to lead the team in scoring. Rookie C Vince Trocheck, looks like a very promising young player and had two goals and four points. D Ryan O’Connor notched four points in six games from the back end, but the team just couldn’t beat G Brandon Maxwell consistently enough to prevail.
Guelph Storm
Hopes were high for the club, after they won nine of their last 10 games in the regular season. Things looked promising early, but in the end, Guelph couldn’t handle the solid defensive coverage and the excellent powerplay that London presented. The club took a significant number of undisciplined penalties, getting torched for eight powerplay goals in five games. G Brandon Foote was not able to don his cape and be Superman, as he played an average series and was unable to steal a game. C Mike Latta led Guelph in scoring with nine points in five games. C Peter Holland had three goals and eight points, but five points came in Guelph’s only victory. RW Taylor Beck, a 93-point player in the regular season, contributed six points in five games.
Erie Otters
Had the unfortunate task of facing the Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires in the first round, getting swept aside in four games. Goalies Adam Courchaine and Ramis Sadikov allowed 21 goals in four games, but battled and did what they could against a much stronger and deeper opponent. C Mike Cazzola, who had a dream season with 36 goals and 86 points in 68 regular season games, was by far the most effective Otters player, with two goals and five points in four games. RW Shawn Szydlowski also showed well against Windsor, notching one goal and five points in four games. Others chipped in offensively, but the depth of scoring wasn’t near enough to challenge the champs.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Barrie Colts
The OHL Regular Season champs were dominating against the Sudbury Wolves, sending them packing in four straight games. The got some outstanding performances from several of their top players. RW Bryan Cameron, the OHL’s goal scoring leader in the regular season with 53, continued scoring, with six goals and nine points. C Alex Burmistrov, a potential first round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, was very dangerous offensively, with five goals and eight points in four games. D Alex Pietrangelo, who played nine games with the St. Louis Blues this season, was a serious force with one goal and eight points and a plus-6 rating. The Colts now await their match-up for round two.
Ottawa 67’s
The club was able to dispatch the Niagara Ice Dogs in five games. RW Tyler Toffoli, a 37-goal scorer in the regular season, led the way offensively with five goals and seven points. F Corey Cowick, scored four goals in the clinching game and had five overall. LW Anthony Nigro, a point a game player in the regular season, did what you’d expect in scoring a point a game, with five points in five games. G Chris Perugini and G Peter Mrazek combined to deliver some excellent goaltending and will now face a tougher test |