Around the OHL

In the third of the quarter final games today, the winner would go on to face Sweden in the semi finals. And if this game didn’t have you on the edge of your seats regularly, I don’t what would.

Canada played a near perfect first period, getting on top of the Finnish defence, keep close gaps and causing turnovers. But it wan’t enough in the end to keep the high flying Finns at bay.

Travis Konecny got things started for Canada 5:21 into the period. John Quenneville puck up the puck behind the Finnish net, sent a pass out to the oncoming Konecny, and he fired home a one-timer for a 1-0 lead.

Dylan Strome would give Canada a 2-0 lead 5:38 later. Julien Gauthier would fire a shot that goaltender Veini Vehvilainen wasn’t able to coral. Strome pulled the puck back past the goaltender’s left pad and banged it home.

Patrik Laine would pull the Finns to within one with just 11 seconds remaining in the opening frame in a goal Canadian goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood would probably have back. Finland would outshoot Canada 9-8 in the period.

Finland would tie the game 6:18 into the period. Antti Kalapudas would enter the Canadian zone, but defenseman Brandon Hickey would fall and Kalapudas would face Blackwood head on. The Finnish shooter made no mistake and the game was even.

Less than a minute later the Canadians thought they had taken the lead. The officials on the ice ruled no goal and video review could not find conclusive evidence that the puck crossed the line.

But just 11 seconds after the review, Canada did take the lead as Jake Virtanen found Lawson Crouse who fired a shot past Vehvilainen. That would be the end of the Finnish goaltender who allowed 3 goals on 10 shots and he was replaced by Kaapo Kahkonen.

At 15:44, Finland’s lethal powerplay went to work. Aleksi Saarela scored a weak goal as he fired from a bad angle. Blackwood failed to hug his post and the shot found the hole, went off of Blackwood and into the back of the goal.

Finland would take it’s first lead just 1:33 later. Olli Juolevi, who had a very good game for the Finns and Saarela would set up Julius Nattinen who would beat Blackwood glove side and close the period out with the Finns up 4-3.

The third period would be the Mitch Marner show. Marner tied the game at 4 with a powerplay goal 3:14 into the period. Brayden Point moved in from the right, sent a pass to Marner who put in the backhander while cutting to the middle.

Finland would take a 5-4 lead at 4:21 when Laine sent a long, perfect pass to Jesse Puljujarvi streaking down the right side. Blackwood would make the original save but Sebastian Aho was Johnny on the spot to knock home the rebound.

Point and Marner would team up again at 5:57 of the period on the powerplay. Point found Marner who moved in, and with a little toe drag eluded a Finnish defender and fired a perfectly placed shot to beat Kahkonen. 

That’s when things fell apart for Canada with some selfish and untimely penalties.

While on a man advantage of their own, Virtanen would haul down a Finnish penalty killer As the Finns moved up ice, he took a second penalty by slashing the stick out of the hands of the Finnish player and Canada would be down a man for 3:05.

But it wasn’t over yet. Joe Hicketts would try and send the puck the length of the ice, but his high clear would go over the glass and now Canada would be short two men.

And Laine would make them pay on the powerplay before Virtanen’s second penalty was over. Canada would kill the remainder of the powerplay, and later pull Blackwood for an extra attacker, but could not get the equalizer.

Marner was named Canada’s player of the game while Laine was named Finland’s.

Hicketts, Strome and Matt Barzal were named Canada’s 3 best players for the tournament.

The second of the quarter finals was a lopsided score as the Swedes beat the Slovaks 6-0 to move on to the semi finals and face the winner of Finland and Canada.

Sweden would once again play without William Nylander as he is recovering from a concussion. Linus Soderstrom, who had the only shutout in the tournament coming into today, recorded his second shutout.

Adrian Kempe, Axel Holmstrom, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Jens Looke, all had two points apiece for the Swedes who have yet to lose a game.

Forsbacka Karlsson was named player of the game for Sweden while Adam Huska, who faced 50 shots in the game, was the player of the game for Slovakia.

Denmark goaltender Thomas Lillie was nothing short of brilliant in this game and gave the Danes the opportunity to put a scare into the Russians in the first quarterfinal game of the tournament. Earlier, Switzerland beat Belarus 5-1 in the first game of the best of three relegation round.

With the win, Russia goes on to face the winner of the USA and Czech Republic game.

Russia would get on the board first 2:49 into the game. Yegor Korshkov would pick up a loose puck behind the Denmark goal. His wraparound goal would beat Lillie and the Russians had a 1-0 they would take to the dressing room. They would outshoot the Danes 10-6 in the period.

The Danes would tie the game with an early goal of their own at 2:37 of the second period. Markus Jensen would take a Jeppe Holmberg pass, cut across goal of Alexander Georgiev and put home the equalizer.

Denmark would take a 2-1 lead at the 9:20 mark. Alexander Polunin would fire a shot from the left boards that Georgiev kicked out to his left. Unfortunately for the goaltender, it went right to Thomas Olsen who put it into a yawning cage.

The Danes would hold the lead going into the third. Once again, Russia outshot Denmark, this time 11-9.

Artur Lauta would tie the game 12:31 into the third. Alexander Dergachyov would find Lauta in front of the goal and his shot just beat Lillie’s glove.

The biggest scare for the Russians came with 5:24 remaining as the Danes took a 3-2 lead. Anders Krogsgaard would fire a shot from the point. Emil Christensen would coral the rebound and fire a high backhander into the net.

But the Danes’ hearts were broken with 44 seconds remaining and Georgiev on the Russian bench for the extra attacker. Vladislav Kamenev would beat Lillie high on the blocker and the game would go to overtime. The Russians outshot the Danes 20-4 in the third.

Exactly half way through the overtime, Ivan Provorov would gain the Danes’ zone. He sent a pass to Andrei Svetlakov. Kamenev, standing in front of the Danes’ net, made a subtle yet smart move taking a step back to get himself open. Svetlakov found him open and Kamenev fired home the winner.

Kamenev and Lillie were named the players of the game for their respective clubs.

Lillie, Matthias Lassen and Alexander True were named Denmark’s top three players of the tournament. Denmark will finish 8th.

The opponents for the playoff rounds were already determined before this game, but the Canadians needed a victory just for the sake of confidence.

For the first time in 18 years, the Canucks lost 2 games in the preliminary round. On the flip side, the Swedes won their pool for the ninth consecutive year and it was their 36th consecutive preliminary round victory.

Canada will now go on to face Finland in the playoff round while Sweden faces Slovakia – the squad that beat them last year for Bronze. The United States will meet the Czech Republic while Russia takes on Denmark. Belarus and Switzerland will battle it out in the relegation round.

Gustav Forsling was named player of the game for Sweden while Travis Konecny was picked as Canada’s player of the game. William Nylander sat out another game for Sweden, and why not? This was a meaningless game for the Swedes and they prevailed anyway.

Alexander Nylander would get the Swedes on the board first with a powerplay goal 4:37 into the period. Rasmus Asplund ripped a shot from the left circle. Mackenzie Blackwood kicked out a rebound that found its way to Nylander. The slick Swede would slide it past Blackwood’s skate.

Again on a powerplay, the Swedes would go up 2-0. Forsling would rip a wrister from the left faceoff circle past Blackwood’s glove at the 7:08 mark.

Canada would get some life at 15:51. Thomas Chabot fired a shot from the point that was stopped by Sweden’s goaltender Linus Soderstrom. Mitchell Stephens dashed towards the rebound and knocked in the rebound.

Axel Holmstrom sent a beautiful pass from behind the goal to Adrian Kempe in the right faceoff circle who got it off his blade immediately and beat Blackwood at 13:38 of the second for a 3-1 lead.

With 7:09 gone in the third period, Sweden would go up 4-1 when Anton Karlsson would put a backhander behind Blackwood as he was falling.

Canada got a little life when Mitch Marner scored on a 5 on 3 powerplay with 5:50 remaining. But that’s as close as they would get. Asplund would add an empty netter with 11 seconds remaining.

Toronto, ON – The second half of the 2015-16 Ontario Hockey League season is underway and continues with 24 games today through Sunday.

 Here’s a look at what’s going on around the league:

AT THE RINKS:

IceDogs host New Year’s Eve Skate on Thursday: Skate with your favourite IceDogs on New Year’s Eve after they battle the Kitchener Rangers. All in attendance are welcome to bring their skates and meet the players post-game.

Limited edition 60th anniversary Petes magazine on Thursday: Fans in attendance in Peterborough on Thursday will receive a special commemorative 60th anniversary Petes magazine courtesy of Peterborough This Week. For more information on this limited edition magazine, please visit gopetesgo.com.

Eventful weekend in Flint: Bring two non-perishable food items to the Dort Federal Event Center on Saturday when the Firebirds host the Windsor Spitifres and receive $2 off your game tickets! Sunday’s home game against Sault Ste. Marie is Dort Federal Credit Union Family Night, featuring free thunderstix for the first 2,000 fans, face painters, balloon twisters, bounce houses and plenty of fun for everyone!

Michael McLeod bobblehead giveaway in Mississauga: Don’t miss your chance to go home with a bobblehead collectable featuring one of the OHL’s rising stars! Michael The first 2,000 fans through the doors on Sunday in Mississauga will receive a free Michael McLeod bobblehead!

Skate with the Spitfires on Sunday: Meet your favourite Spitfires following Sunday’s tilt against the Saginaw Spirit! All fans in attendance are encouraged to bring skates to the game and hit the ice with the Spitfires following the final horn! Fans 16 years and younger require a helmet and skates in order to enter the ice surface.

COMMUNITY CORNER:

Otters’ 20th anniversary fan vote continues: The Erie Otters are letting the fans have their say! Chris Campoli and Travis Dermott have been voted as the best defencemen in Otters history and now the goalies are up to a vote! Choose between Jaroslav Janus, Devin Williams, Steve Valiquette, T.J. Aceti, J.F. Perras, Ramis Sadikov, Adam Munro and Josh Disher. Vote today!

OHL TALENT SHINES AT WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP:

OHL players are prominent performers for their respective countries at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Helsinki, Finland. Through Wednesday, Alexander Nylander (Sweden/Mississauga Steelheads), Matthew Tkachuk (United States/London Knights), Dylan Strome (Canada/Erie Otters), Christian Dvorak (United States/London Knights) and Olli Juolevi (Finland/London Knights) have all recorded over a point-per-game in the tournament. A total of 28 OHL players are listed on tournament rosters. For scores, statistics and stories, please visit worldjunior2016.com.

TORONTO JR. CANADIENS WIN MARLIES HOLIDAY CLASSIC TOURNAMENT:

The Toronto Jr. Canadiens came away as winners of the Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic Tournament defeating the Toronto Red Wings 3-2 in Wednesday’s final. Draft eligible defenceman Ryan Merkley took MVP honours as the Jr. Canadiens, who were ranked third in last week’s OHL Cup Minor Midget Top 10 Rankings, came away victorious in the 50-team showcase. For scores and stats visit torontomarlboros.com.

GETTING ON THE BOARD: FIRST OHL GOALS IN 2015-16:

Check out the players who have scored their first OHL goal in the past week! 119 different players have accomplished the milestone this season! Click on a player’s name below to watch his first OHL goal!

Tyler Burnie, Nick Grima, Ondrej Kachyna

ROGERS HOMETOWN HOCKEY TOUR MAKES STOPS IN SARNIA AND OSHAWA:

The Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour made stops in Sarnia and Oshawa in recent weeks, documenting a pair of the OHL’s outstanding hockey communities with great stories and content that can be found at hometownhockey.com. Check out features about the history of the Sarnia Sting that includes bright stars such as Steven Stamkos, and a story highlighting the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup Champion Oshawa Generals.

ALUMNI NOTES:

8 OHL grads win Spengler Cup gold: OHL graduates Mark Cundari (Windsor Spitfires), Trevor Carrick (Sudbury Wolves), Derek Roy (Kitchener Rangers), Daniel Paille (Guelph Storm), Manny Malhotra (Guelph Storm), Cory Emmerton (Brampton Battalion), Tom Pyatt (Saginaw Spirit) and Matt D’Agostini (Guelph Storm) have won Spengler Cup gold with Team Canada. The Canadians defeated host HC Davos 4-3 on Thursday as D’Agostini provided the winning goal midway through the third period. Pyatt and Roy also scored to help Canada capture a 13th Spengler Cup title and first since 2012.

Subban transforms hospital into ‘Winter Wonderland: OHL graduate P.K. Subban continues to do great things in the Montreal community. His latest humanitarian work has seen him transform a hospital into a children’s winter carnival. Subban, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman in 2013, played four OHL seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 2005-09.

Toffoli leading NHL plus/minus: Ottawa 67’s graduate Tyler Toffoli, fresh off his second career NHL hat-trick on Monday, currently leads the NHL in plus/minus with a plus-22 rating. The 23 year-old from Scarborough, ON, is currently fifth in goals with 18 on the season paired with 11 assists for 29 points in this, his third full NHL season. Toffoli, who twice had 50+ goal seasons in the OHL, was a two-time Jim Mahon Trophy recipient as the OHL’s top scoring right winger. He also won the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league’s leading scorer in 2011. Toffoli also received the Red Garrett Memorial Trophy as the AHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2013 after recording 333 career points (163-170–333) in 252 career OHL regular season games with the Ottawa 67’s from 2008-12.

Jeremy Smith named AHL Player of the Week: Niagara IceDogs graduate Jeremy Smith has been named the AHL Player of the Week. Smith backstopped the Wild to their first winning streak of the season last week, turning aside 52 of 54 shots in consecutive victories over Central Division foes. Smith has made 16 appearances for Iowa in 2015-16, going 3-10-2 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. A seventh-year pro, Smith has a record of 112-81-17 in 221 career AHL games with Iowa, Providence, Springfield and Milwaukee, compiling a 2.45 GAA and a .916 save percentage while recording 12 shutouts. The native of Brownstown, Michigan played four OHL seasons between Plymouth and Niagara from 2005-09, going 61-39-4-6 with a 3.16 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 122 career regular season appearances.

KEY WEEKEND MATCHUPS:

Hamilton Bulldogs (14-17-3-0) vs. Erie Otters (29-4-1-0)
Saturday January 2 at Erie / Sunday January 3 at Hamilton

A good test awaits the Hamilton Bulldogs this weekend as they enter having won three of their past four contests, setting their sights on playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.  The Bulldogs will face an Otters club without star performers Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Erik Cernak who are all away at the World Junior Hockey Championship as they try and make the most of their opportunity to defeat the best in the West. Goaltender Charlie Graham has been solid of late, helping the Bulldogs earn a point in each of his seven December starts.  The Otters continue to find success despite being shorthanded of late. They’ve bounced back from a loss to Sudbury with wins over Sarnia and Guelph heading into the weekend.

North Bay Battalion (17-13-1-2) vs. Barrie Colts (20-12-0-1)
Saturday January 2 at Barrie / Sunday January 3 at North Bay

North Bay and Barrie clash on Saturday in a matchup of two competitive clubs battling in a closely contested Central Division. The Battalion had a five game winning streak snapped at the hands of Owen Sound on Tuesday, but have been playing good hockey of late as they trail first place Barrie by four points in the division. The Colts defeated Niagara in a shootout on Monday as newly acquired goaltender David Ovsjannikov made 41 saves in the win. Veteran forwards Kevin Labanc, Justin Scott and Anthony Stefano continue to produce as the Colts keep their eyes on the Central Division crown.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Thursday December 31
Mississauga at North Bay – 1:00pm
Sault Ste. Marie at Windsor – 2:05pm
Sarnia at London – 4:00pm
Ottawa at Erie – 6:00pm
Kitchener at Niagara – 6:00pm
Guelph at Peterborough – 6:05pm
Sudbury at Barrie – 7:30pm

Friday January 1
Mississauga at Owen Sound – 2:00pm
Sudbury at Oshawa – 2:05pm
Peterborough at Kingston – 7:00pm
Guelph at Kitchener – 7:30pm

Saturday January 2
Hamilton at Erie – 7:00pm
Ottawa at Niagara – 7:00pm
Sault Ste. Marie at Saginaw – 7:05pm
London at Sarnia – 7:05pm
North Bay at Barrie – 7:30pm
Windsor at Flint – 7:30pm
Oshawa at Owen Sound – 7:30pm

Sunday January 3
Kitchener at Guelph – 2:00pm
Ottawa at Mississauga – 2:00pm
Barrie at North Bay – 2:00pm
Saginaw at Windsor – 2:05pm
Erie at Hamilton – 3:00pm
Sault Ste. Marie at Flint – 5:00pm

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With a win today, Russia would clinch top spot in the B pool while Slovakia’s loss guaranteed they would finish fourth in the preliminary round.

The Slovaks would fail on three powerplay opportunities, including 39 seconds with a two man advantage near the end of the period. It would be an ongoing theme to this game.

It was the Russians who got on the board first 15:29 into the game. Ivan Provorov would circle the back of the Slovak net and send a pass to Alexander Mikulovich at the point. His wrister was stopped by Slovak goaltender Adam Huska, but he left the rebound in front of his goal. After two of his teammates collided in front of him, he was unable to stop Artur Lauta (the Russians player of the game) who had a couple of wacks at it.

The Slovaks would get an early powerplay 3:04 into the second period, but once again were unable to find the back of the net. At the 9:12 mark, the Russians would extend their lead with an unassisted goal from Yegor Rykov.

After Huska left a rebound in front of him, the Slovak defender tried to clear the puck but it went right to Rykov. The Slovaks gave Rykov plenty of time to set and pick his spot and he did just that.

Just 30 seconds later, the Slovaks would be forced to kill their first penalty of the game. But before that penalty would end, the Russians would be called and the Slovaks would have an abbreviated 24 second powerplay. Neither team could score.

At 14:04 of the period, Slovakia’s Ladislav Romancik would be called for interference. however, 1:43 later Russia’s Andrei Svetlakov would take his own interference penalty and the teams would play 4 on 4.

It took just 3 seconds on the 4 on 4 for the Slovaks to pull within one. Matus Sukel won the faceoff cleanly back to Christian Jaros who wired a slapper to the top corner to beat Russian goaltender Alexander Georgiev.

Another Slovakian powerplay midway through the third proved unable to solve the tournament’s best penalty kill – one that had only allowed one goal coming into today.

Any chance to pull Huska for the extra attacker and try and get the equalizer would be hindered when Slovakian Adrian Sloboda took a tripping penalty with 1:24 remaining.

Russia would outshoot Slovakia 27 – 21 while taking seven minor penalties to Slovakia’s four.

The game I was most looking forward to today was the United States and Switzerland. But beyond the 15 minute mark of the first period it became obvious that not only would the Americans beat the Swiss, but demolish them. And that they did 10-1.

Not that I thought the Swiss could beat the US, but to see how close they could play them. And they couldn’t. Not at all. So let’s look at the stats following day 5.

Standings