ITO Hot-Stove: Which current OHL team should be relocated to Hamilton?

With all the talk of an OHL franchise relocating to Hamilton for the 2012-13 season, I decided it would be a good idea for the hot-stove to debate which team should be on the move. I know Erie is the most likely to move, but that's not what the Hot-Stove is debating today.

Joining me in today's hot-stove is Joshua Newhart, Alex Quevillon, Jason Ray, Phil Phillips, Bryan Theil, and Anthony Nicholson.

Todd Cordell

In my opinion the Brampton Battalion should undoubtedly be the team on the move to Hamilton. Despite their team's great success so far this season, they've only had 2,000+ in attendance a handful of times regardless of which team comes for a visit. In my opinion any team averaging less than 2,000 fans per game should be on the move even if their team is struggling, so with Brampton's on ice success this year it makes things even more puzzling for myself. The Battalion have some good players and a very good coaching staff and I think a move to Hamilton, where they will be in more of a spot light, could be just what the doctor ordered.

Joshua Newhart

I don't think that any team in the OHL should move to Hamilton. There has been a lot of talk that teams are going to move there but, why? They have had a team before and the city couldn't support it. With so many other pro hockey organizations around that area there is just too much competition for a junior team to have any attendance. Hamilton already has an AHL team, the leafs are only 55 minutes away and the Ice Dogs are about the same distance. Tell me who is going to show up? I think that if a city loses a team they shouldn't be allowed to get one back.

Alex Quevillon

There are rumours of Mississauga, Brampton and Erie relocating.  I say, why?  Why move a team if you don't have to?  Why not give Hamilton an expansion team if they're OHL-ready?  The Ice Dogs built a respectable market in Mississauga as an expansion team, so much so that Eugene Melnyk trusted them enough to play home to another new team in 2007.  Is it because the OHL is too complacent with the 20-team system that they don't want to add one more?  I mean, the QMJHL is doing okay with 17 teams.  I say try the 21-team system.  If that doesn't work as planned, fold a team and hold a dispersal draft.  Besides, I don't think Hamilton will go after an OHL team until the AHL Bulldogs move to Laval (assuming the plan goes through).  And with Laval's arena controversy, that may be a ways away still.
 
Jason Ray

I gotta say it needs to be the majors I've been to a few games and that building is empty most of the games I've attended. I swear I heard crickets, not to mention that they ate right beside the Brampton Battalion to me it waters down where fans will go and watch a game. They should spread out the OHL wealth. Although I'm not sold in them going to Hamilton. Hamilton has the Bull Dogs of the AHL might just be too much of a good thing.

Phil Phillips

I'm not sure if any team should move to Hamilton, what would they name the franchise ? The Steelhawks or the Dukes of Hamilton, maybe the Fincups? I'm not sure why the OHL didn't work in Hamilton the last time, and I wonder why people think it would now. Its the same building? and The Economy is worse off? I think maybe Buffalo might be a better option. Securing New York born players for the league.

As far as a team moving there, I'm not sure what team should move, but I know one that could move: the Belleville Bulls.

A few reasons:

1- The Team -The on ice product isn't the problem. The Bulls have done their part on the Ice. Only missing the playoffs 3 times since 1981. Three trips to the OHL final, winning in 1999 on home ice in game 7, two trips to the Memorial Cup, five division titles. Many OHL and CHL individual awards. 56 players that have played for the Bulls have played in the NHL.

2-The Yardman- I know it was the only barn in the Ontario Hockey League to have a second level of seating until the John Labatt Centre was built, in 2002. But the Yardbarn was built in 1978, its old and over the years its had some upgrades but just band aids really, nothing that would put it on par with other rinks in the OHL. The Ice making equipment is old and this year its showing its age a bit. There is no real bar, no restaurant, it feels like the store is in an other building (because it is), during Intermissions the concourse is tight. Good luck getting a drink, using the bathroom and getting back to your seat on time.

3- The Owner- Belleville no longer have the advantages of local ownership. Gord Simmonds purchased the Bulls in 2004-2005. At the time it was known that the Yardman was in need of being seriously upgraded or replaced. Mr.Simmonds has stepped up and did his part, he's upgraded the dressing room and workout area, asked for and got the OHL All-Star Game in 2006, he was reasonable for the Yardman getting the Video Score Broad it now has, and has been more they patient with the City of Belleville. He has said he wont be signing a new lease if something is not in place. And if a City has a beautiful empty building waiting for a tenant, he is a business man, why would he not go? If it's going to be more profitable to do so?

3-The City of Belleville- Its time for City council, to make a decision , and let everyone know what are the plans to secure the Bulls stay in Belleville? The Mayor has stated that it can't be done on the backs of taxpayers alone and that private industry has to be on board. Okay, so get it done, get every one together and make it happen, I understand its not that black and white, but whats the hold up, get together with Mr.Simmonds, and who ever else and at least start.

4-Fans- #MORECOWBELL, We have to support this team win or lose, I think the Bulls have only topped 3000 tickets sold in 2 or 3 games this season. Old building or new building it can't sit half full. At one time Bulls fans were named the Best fans in the OHL by the Global OHL Game of the Week. All division games should be standing room only, when Kingston or Ottawa are in town it should be sold out.

So in short the Belleville Bulls could be forced to move? The Hamilton Bulls just sounds wrong.

Bryan Theil

With everything that has come out about this possible relocation, we have to consider the difference between 'will' and 'should'. The team that probably will get relocated, as it stands right now, is the Erie Otters. The argument for that is as simple as the team's lease. Of all the teams you would consider 'eligible' for a move, the Otters' lease is up at the end of the season, while the Brampton Battalion's lease is up after next season. Many will look at the record and suggest the fact that Erie is 19 points out of 19th in the league as another prime reason for relocation, but the last-place team has actually outdrawn Brampton (if we go strictly on paper numbers).

In terms of teams that should? I would suggest either the Battalion or the Mississauga Majors. The Toronto market has enough trouble supporting one OHL team let alone two, and both franchises may stagnate given the fact that the AHL's Marlies can't even advance. There are markets that would welcome a team with stronger numbers than both Toronto teams combined, and while Hamilton may or may not be that market, they are out there and may be where the future of the OHL lies.

Anthony Nicholson

With talk of an OHL franchise moving to Hamilton, many have pointed to the Erie Otters, who, at least behind the scenes, have been making it known that Hamilton would be a prime destination for them. While it is quite likely that the Otters will be the team on the move, though the team is still negotiating with the City of Erie on a lease that would keep the team there long-term.

Much has been made of the recent struggles of the Mississauga Majors and Brampton Battalion, two teams who have become used to playing in front of empty arenas. The proximity of these two teams to one another only compound the problem, and it is a very clear case of the league wanting hockey to succeed in these cities, with no regards for the dynamics involved in keeping an OHL team afloat. If Erie does in fact move to Hamilton, another city will need to step forward to be a permanent home for at least one of these two franchises, and both Cornwall and North Bay have been bandied about as possible destinations.

Battalion take a bite out of the Wolves

The Brampton Battalion are back to their winning ways, at least for the time being anyways. With the victory over the Sudbury Wolves on Sunday, the Battalion have put together a string of three straight wins since Coach Stan Butler returned from his eight-game suspension.

It wasn’t a pretty win and in fact, the Battalion had to dig deep against a Sudbury team that has played them tough each and every time they’ve visited the Powerade Centre this year.

It took nearly a whole period for the first goal of the game. Barclay Goodrow netted his 23^rd goal of the season on a beautiful shot that beat Sudbury goalie Johan Mattsson. Sam Carrick and Zach Bell would draw the assists at 19:15 of the first period.

Heading into the second period with the lead, the Battalion soon found themselves with an obstacle to overcome. A checking from behind penalty to Goodrow gave the Wolves a five-minute power play to work with. It also forced the Battalion forward from the game in only the first minute of the second period. On the ensuing power play, Wolves forward Michael Sgarbossa cashed in with his 37^th on the season to tie the game at 1-1. Josh McFadden and Josh Leivo would draw assists on the goal.

Just over two minutes later, Battalion Sam Carrick sniped a shot past Mattsson to put the Troops ahead 2-1. Matt MacLeod and Zach Bell picked up the assists on the go-ahead goal.

MacLeod would make it 3-1 Battalion from Sam Carrick just beyond the midway point in the period. The game misconduct to Goodrow opened the door for MacLeod to join Brandon Robinson alongside Carrick on the top line. After two consecutive shifts of non-stop pressure in the Sudbury zone, they were rewarded for their hard work with the goal.

Sgarbossa would cut the Battalion lead to 3-2 before the end of the second period. Leivo picked up his second helper of the afternoon. Samuel Schutt also assisted on the goal. To end the second frame, Brandon Robinson and Marcus McIvor took penalties 13 seconds apart, giving the Wolves a two-man advantage to end the second and start the third period.

A Josh McFadden slap shot beat Matej Machovsky once again knotting the score up, this time at 3-3. Michael Kantor and Sgarbossa picked up the assists after setting the power play up in the Battalion zone. Sgarbossa would complete his hat-trick with just over five minutes to go in the game, converting a pass from Leivo in front of the net.

With the Wolves holding their first lead of the game, the Battalion turned up the pressure offensively. A Patrik Machac tip on a Cameron Wind point-shot forced a video review. The play was confirmed as a goal knotting the score once again at 4-4. The remainder of regulation proved uneventful and overtime was needed.

It took almost the whole period, but Mitchell Porowski broke in on a partial breakaway before being hauled down. Much to the dismay of the Wolves, a penalty shot was awarded on the play. Porowski would make the best of his opportunity, reaching around Mattsson to slip the puck in to make it 5-4 and giving the Battalion their third straight win.

“I had my move set and as soon as I got in I turned back and it was a great feeling” Porowski said. “I think it might help that I can go side to side with these long arms.”

“It’s tough not getting two points when you’ve got the lead and you’re working hard but bounces and calls aren’t going your way” said Sudbury forward Leivo. His three assists on the afternoon give him 58 points in 53 games.

“It’s hard, overtime and a penalty shot, the game ends like that and it’s always tough” said Sgarbossa who set a new personal best for himself with his 39^th goal. “It’s nice to get that, but it puts a damper on the mood when you lose like that.” With the four points in the game, Sgarbossa currently sits tied for second with Tanner Pearson in the OHL scoring race.

The Wolves won’t need to wait long to get back on the ice as they visit Mississauga at 2:00pm on Monday. Brampton heads to Peterborough to try to make it four in a row Monday afternoon as well.

OHL Hot-Stove: If the playoffs started today, who is your sleeper pick?

With the playoffs nearing, I've decided that it was time to get the writers on our team to examine and select their sleeper team. Obviously the playoffs are not set in stone yet, but at this point we pretty much know who will and will not make the playoffs and which teams are not getting the respect and recognition they deserve.

Without further ado, here is this week's question for the hot-stove to discuss: If the playoffs started today, who is your sleeper pick?

Joining me in this week's hot-stove is Trevor Miller, Alex Quevillon, and Phil Phillips.

Todd Cordell

If the playoffs started today, my sleeper team would have to be the Barrie Colts. Though they're currently 5th in the Eastern Conference, I feel as though they don't get the respect they deserve. The Colts have a good mixture of high end talent, gritty players, and their starting goaltender, Mathias Niederberger, is playing the best hockey of his young OHL career. I feel like the Colts forwards can score with pretty much any team in the league, and their defense and goaltending are very underrated in my opinion. The Colts have a lot of depth on defense, and between Niederberger and rookie goaltender Alex Fotinos, who has played very well for Barrie this season, I think they certainly have the talent to get the job done.

All of this aside, your best players need to be your best players come playoff time and with the likes of Mark Scheifele, Ivan Telegin and Tanner Pearson, among others, leading the way I see no reason why the Colts can't make some noise.

Trevor Miller

If the playoffs started today, my pick for the East as a dark horse would have to be the Brampton Battalion. The Troops have been terrific all year with the exception of their eight games without coach Stan Butler behind the bench. While not laden with OHL stars, the Battalion boast one of, if not the best defense corps in the league. Steady goaltending from Matej Machovsky and Keegan Wilson has also been and will continue to be crucial for Brampton’s success. They have victory’s over the elite teams in both conferences this year and Sam Carrick, Barclay Goodrow and Phil Lane have proved to be valuable up front for the team.

My dark horse in the West is Sarnia. With the likes of Yakupov, Sarault, Spooner and Thompson up front, the Sting should have little trouble scoring. They solidified their goaltending bringing in JP Anderson, a guy who went all the way to the OHL and Memorial Cup final last year. They have a good enough defense corps to knock off some of the big teams in the West.

Alex Quevillon

In my mind, Oshawa has to be the "sleeper" in the East.  They lose so many games because of poor discipline.  In the playoffs, I think that the referees will become a little more lenient and it will be intimidating for other teams to play the Gens.  Having a young goaltending tandem is worrisome.  But let's be honest.  Who wouldn't love to have Boone Jenner in a seven-game series? Fact is, the Generals attack is scary when it gets going.  They play a tough game against teams like Niagara and Ottawa and if they end up playing a team like Barrie, the inexperience in goal isn't any sort of disadvantage.  I've spoken to many 67's fans who are hopeful that Oshawa doesn't end up being the first round playoff opponent, or it could be another short playoff here.  In the West?  Well, Windsor always finds a way to go far as of late, right?

Phil Phillips

If the playoffs started today, my sleeper pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the OHL final would be the Oshawa Generals.

Big things were expected of the Generals this season, and they haven't lived up to the hype. They made a coaching change. Chris DePiero stayed on as the teams GM, but was replaced behind the bench with Gary Agnew earlier in the season.

Coach Agnew comes to the Generals with a nice resume, He's coached in the NHL, AHL.  Is a two time winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy for OHL Coach of the year. He took the London Knights to the OHL Final in 1999, where his Knights would lose to the Belleville Bulls in 7 games. He also holds the distinction of being the only coach to lead the Kingston Frontenacs to a division title in 1994–95.

Up front the Generals are loaded with fire power. Where do you start ? Andy Andreoff , Lucas Lessio , Nicklas Jensen, Boone Jenner and lets not forget former 50 goal scorer Christian Thomas, who we all know is capable of more. The Generals could have six 20 goal scorers in the line up when the playoffs start. And with import Sebastian Uvira and Scott Laughton also on the roster, if they can get rolling any team in the East would have a hard time handling what would be three very solid lines.

On the back end the Generals are lead by two players they picked up at the trade deadline. 1st is Matt Petgrave, who brings a wealth of playoff experience and Julian Melchiori. Both can put up points. Chris Carlisle and Colin Suellentrop are both over +11 and give the Generals a nice top 4.

But as we know all playoff runs start and end in net. This is a question mark for Oshawa. They have a former 1st rounder in Kevin Bailie. Who up to this year, hasn't really lived up to expectations. But as of late the Belleville Minor Hockey product seems to be coming in to his own . Daniel Altshuller has showed in his rookie year that he also has the tools to help the Genny's go far. With a lead both goalies are able to win games.

If all of the pieces fall in to place and everyone reaches their potential look for the Oshawa Generals to make some noise.

A Rink of Pink While the Ice Dogs defeat the Battalion 5-2

It was a rink of pink in the Jack Gatecliff Arena on Saturday night as the Niagara Ice Dogs crashed past the Battalion 5-2 while wearing bright pink jerseys. The change of uniform was to display the Ice Dog support of Breast Cancer Awareness. While all players added pink tape to their sticks, David Pacan went above and beyond by also dying his hair pink.

Coming off of a win against number one CHL team the London Knights, the Ice Dogs were up against the Battalion for the sixth and final time this season. The win against their division rivals cemented the Ice Dog’s first place standing in the Central Division and are now only two points behind the Eastern Conference leaders Ottawa 67’s.

The game opened with a goal by Steven Shipley only to be followed by a goal tending dual well into the second period. Within 2 and half minutes the Battalion scored two goals placing the Ice Dogs behind the eight ball.

In the third period the Ice Dog’s power play broke out scoring two successful goals to take over the lead once again. After Pacan scored an insurance goal Brampton starter Matej Machovsky displayed his displeasure at being yanked by breaking his stick.

A fourth power play goal by Freddie Hamilton made it a 5-2 final. This Ice Dog win extends goaltender Mark Visentin’s record in 2012 to 9-0. The Ice Dogs are still missing from their line-up Ryan Strome (injury) and Dougie Hamilton (suspension). Hamilton is eligible to return on February 12^th as the Ice Dogs face the Generals in Oshawa.

Saturday marked defenseman Brock Beukeboom’s first home game appearance after suffering a concussion. While acknowledging this was the final match up against the Battalion in the regular season, Beukeboom says the Battalion “is always a tough opponent. Their style of game is always frustrating. I imagine we will see them in the playoffs.”

ITO Hot-Stove: who will represent the East and West in the OHL finals?

Before we begin here, I'd like to thank Brandon Sudeyko and company for filling in for me for last week's ITO hot-stove and doing a great job. As you can tell, I'm back on the saddle here and ready to roll. Joining me today in this week's hot-stove is Matt Leacy, Brandon Sudeyko, Susan Tromanhauser and Trevor Miller.

Without further ado I'd like to introduce you all to this week's debate question: who will represent the East and West in the OHL finals and why?

Todd Cordell

In the East, I'm going to go out on a limb and go with the Barrie Colts. They have one of the most explosive forward groups in the Ontario Hockey League led by Mark Scheifele, Tanner Pearson and company. At the deadline the Colts added some grit up front with Anthony Camara, and upgraded their defense corps as well by bringing in Ryan O'Connor. 17 year old goaltender Alex Fotinos has been brought up to the big club due to the Clint Windsor trade and he's been playing some fantastic hockey. He's currently side-lined with concussion like symptoms, but he should be back relatively soon. In my opinion if the Colts can stay healthy and get solid goaltending from Mathias Niederberger and Alex Fotinos, they can compete with anyone in the East.

Now out west I'm going to go with the Sarnia Sting. I know they're struggling a little bit right now but I believe if and when they get healthy they can make a serious run at it. I love what they did at the deadline in bringing in Adrian Robertson, Ryan Spooner, JP Anderson and company and in my opinion each and every one of those acquisitions will payoff come playoff time. When Nail Yakupov, and possibly Alex Galchenyuk return, the Sting will be a force to be reckoned with. I think they'll show why in the post-season.

Matt Leacy

Talk about a hard question to answer. A lot of teams with great depth and skill in the league this year. There really is no clear cut favorite. That being said, I believe Niagara will win the East, and Plymouth will win the West.

Plymouth has tremendous skill, starting in net with Scott Wedgewood, and lots of players who can score including Richard Rakell and Stefan Noeson. Of course, London, Kitchener and Sarnia will give them a good run for their money, but my money's on the Whalers to take it this year.

Niagara again has strong goaltending from Mark Visinten, and guys like Ryan Strome plus the Hamilton brothers really make them a strong team and a force in the Eastern Conference. Just like in the west, there are very good teams such as Ottawa and Oshawa, but I don't think anyone has the same type of depth as the Ice Dogs.

Brandon Sudeyko

Pick the OHL Finals... but those are about 20 games away and several rounds. But the Trade deadline has passed and I would have to go into the archives to see if my personal pics have changed. They clearly have. When all is said and done, the Western Conference will go through Plymouth and Sarnia. I don’t know why I still give Sarnia credit, especially when they are looking like the same fire wagon team from last season... just more offensive power than the previous incarnation. But there is something about Sarnia. I will call it the mystique factor as I don’t think anyone has seen what this team is capable of. Brett Thompson is your veteran scorer. Sarault is a beast this year. Captain Charlitti is having an outstanding year on the back end. And the team will go deep enough to get both Gally and Yaki back. There is also a guy by the name of Spooner on that team too. There set back is JP Anderson but all you have to do is outscore your opponent by 1. But back to Plymouth, who has been the most complete team in the OHL all season. There is strength on the team, as exhibited by Tom Wilson and Jamie Devane. Skill with J.T. Miller, Stefan Noesen and Rickard Rakell. Their D is probably the 2^nd best 6 pack in the league, and their goaltenders... well you know that story.

The East is probably filled with Niagara and Ottawa, but I have a feeling that Goaltending will hurt Niagara, while Ottawa will get stymied again by a hot goaltender and their shooters will hit nothing but iron. Call me Crazy but I am going to call Brampton in the OHL Finals... Their D can lock down the best shooters. Their forwards can play great defensive hockey and by all accounts... every team hates to play against them. ‘They just sit back and wait, I f*!#ing hate playing them. I’m glad it is over,’ said one eastern conference player after a game. The system acts to their strength, they have no problem with patience and contrary to belief... they can score too. OHL Finals... Brampton / Sarnia...

Susan Tromanhauser

I posed this question to the media room in St. Catharines. All were in agreement Niagara should be there representing the East. The key word is should. Niagara has by far the strongest team on paper but paper doesn't win championships.

The West was more difficult to decide. The media types could not agree between London and Plymouth. What they did agree upon was they hoped it was Plymouth as the Wedgewood versus Visentin goaltender dual will make a great story.

Trevor Miller

My pick to come out of the East is Ottawa. I picked them as my favourite early on in the year and I’m sticking with it. Their offense is spread nicely over the roster. Tyler Toffoli is having another banner year taking over the league lead in scoring recently. With Sean Monahan riding shotgun, the pair remind me a little of the Brampton days with Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene. Add in Shane Prince and newly acquired John McFarland and it’s clear that this team should have no trouble scoring. The likes of Cody Ceci and Marc Zanetti will help the 67’s keep the puck out of their own net, as will the presence of Petr Mrazek in goal.

The easy thing to do for the Western Conference is to pick the London Knights, and it makes sense to do so. Since Dale Hunter moved on to coach the Washington Capitals, the Knights haven’t missed a beat, pacing the west with a league best 71 points.  Greg McKegg and Austin Watson have been huge additions to a London team that was already chock-full of talent. Max Domi has had a rough month of January, recording only two assists thus far, but will most definitely bounce back as the playoff picture becomes clearer. Michael Houser has also been a huge factor in goal for the Knights winning 33 of his 42 starts, five of which are shut-outs.

January 20th - Brampton v. Mississauga Game Report

by Jason Ray
#34 Newly acquired Brandon Maxwell made the start in Goal for the majors also #10 Andrew Goldberg made his debut tonight for the majors.

The game started at a great pace. Both teams showed great skating and puck control. The Battalion started to take the period over by winning the board battles deep in the Majors Zone. Brampton also began to step up their physical game throughout the period. Using the body gave the Troops the early lead as Captain Sam Carrick netted his 23^rd of the year. The troops domination in the first period was also seen on the shot clock as Brampton held Mississauga to 3 shots in the first period, shades of their Thursday night game versus Plymouth.

In the Second, the Majors came out with more force and were able to tie the game at one off the stick of former Sudbury Wolves forward Kris Kontos. The tie would not last long as the Majors would take the lead on the Power Play. The Majors work their typical setup to find Riley Brace just beside the net with a little tip in goal. The goal was his 23^rd of the year, but it wasn’t his last. 3 minutes after the Majors take the lead, Brampton score twice to take back the lead for a score of 3-2. Patrick Mahac and Alex O’Neil, their 10^th and 1^st of the season respectively. The Battalion would add to their lead and take a 4-2 lead heading into the 3^rd period. Captain Carrick would score his second of the game on the Power Play, 24^th on the year. After 40 minutes the Battalion out shot the Majors 30- 8.

Shots on goal would be a non factor in this game as the third period saw Mississauga apply the pressure as Brampton would play their defensive game and protect their two goal lead. Spencer Abraham would take a high sticking call at 11:42 in the third and even thought Brampton killed off the penalty. Seconds after Abraham took to the ice, the same power play setup of Kontos to Brace found the back of the net to make it a one goal game. With under 2 minutes left in the game BRA Dylan Blujus takes a tripping call which gives Mississauga their 6^th power play of the game and Riley Brace completes the hat trick and ties the game up at 4. The game was headed into Overtime with the ice tilted in favour of the Majors as they had put 12 shots on goal in the third while holding Brampton to only 6 shots.

Overtime did not decide the game so it was off to a shootout. After trading goals and saves the game was decided in the 8^th round when Justin Rasmussen scored and Brampton’s Mitchell Porowski could not extend the shootout to round 9.

Mississauga picked up the extra point in the game and closed the gap on the Division Leader, Brampton Battalion to 11 points. Brampton with their SOL remained in first place in the Central Division. Both Mississauga and Brampton have the night off on Saturdy but have home games Sunday Afternoon, Saginaw and Sudbury respectively.

Erie Otters Weekend in Review

by Josh Newhart

First of all let me introduce myself to the ITO family, I am the new beat writer for the Erie Otters for ITO. I have been a season ticket holder of the Otters for the past 2 seasons and an avid follower since 2001. I hope that i can help people get to know more about the Otters team and history.

This past weekend the Otters traveled to Owen Sound and Brampton for a 3in3. The Otters have struggled a lot this year. It seems like we play pretty bad on the road but, I have been pretty impressed with the new look otters since the trades of Greg McKegg, Derek Holden, Brett Cook and Tyson Teichmann. Dane Fox and Troy Donnay have really showed me what the Otters have been lacking this year. Troy Donnay plays very well to his size, he moves play to the outside and blocks shots. Cook and Holden both acted like they were ready to be out of Erie and didn't want to make the plays. Dane Fox has Scored a few for the Otters and has a lot more potential, he does the things that Greg didn't, he goes into the corners and hustles the whole game. Greg never played any defense for us, after he was drafted it was like he had done everything he had wanted and his game got lazy. I haven't yet seen Jimmy McDowell play yet because the Otters we're not at home this weekend. I can give you a better report on him next weekend. Now to the games!

The first 2 games on the weekend were against the reigning OHL Champion Owen Sound Attack.The Otters were out played in both games by a solid Attack team. 3-1, 5-0 were the final scores of the 2 games. The rats only scored one goal in the two OS games, scored by our leading scorer Dane Fox. These two games lacked something from the Otters, I think having Johnny McGuire out day to day with the hand injury has taken away our physical game. I was looking forward to a 2 fight weekend from Johnny as well. He and Zweep make for a good one. Lets only hope he can be healthy for this upcoming weekend.

The final game of the 3in3 was in Brampton, our first of 2 meetings with Brampton this season. I listened to this game on the radio with Paul Roper calling it. Dane Fox and Tyler McCarthy both sat out with an illness, i'll get a report next week on what the problem was. The game started out great, Sondre Olden opened the scoring with his 6th of the season 12 minutes in. Ramis Sadikov looked stellar to start the game but fell apart in the last 10 minutes of the first. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Sam Carrick scored at 15:29 to tie the game at 1. Shortly after, Philip Lane scored a goal from an odd angle that beat Sadikov. Last season Sadikov would have made that save, his confidence is gone this year. The 3rd Brampton goal came just 1:37 later in the first, scored by Mitchell Porowski. I knew at this point the game was over so i turned off my radio and just followed the game on my iPhone. The only other Otters goal was a weird goal, Liam Maaskant scored one from 60 feet out to cut the lead to 3.

Overall this weekend was another bad one for Otters fans but, it seems better days are on the horizon. New acquisitions, the draft, and next season are coming fast. Lets only hope we are better next weekend at home!

January 15th - Erie Otters vs. Brampton Battalion

by Chris McDonald
Coming into the game the Battalion were a point out of first place in the East, trailing the Ottawa 67's. While the Erie Otters were sitting comfortably in the basement of not only the Western Conference but the entire league. This game lived up to its billing and played out as you would've expected.

Brampton came out strong and kept the pressure on Erie, Ramis Sadikov the Erie goaltender stood strong keeping the game scoreless in the early going. Erie's Troy Donnay was sent off for hooking just before the halfway point of the first. The Otters killed the penalty which helped them steal some momentum. Erie would use their new found confidence to take the lead when Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Sondre Olden deflected the Anthony Cortellessa point shot in behind Machovski to put the Otters up 1-0 at the 12:54 mark. That's when the Battalion turned their game around and begun to dominate, just 2:35 later Brampton's captain and leafs prospect Sam Carrick scored to tie the game up 1-1. Ian Watters and Spencer Abraham assisted on Carrick's twentieth of the year. A few shifts after tying the game Philip Lane would put the Battalion ahead 2-1 on a nice snipe job top shelf after receiving the Marcus McIvor pass. Brampton was not content however taking a one goal lead into the break as Mitchell Porowski would add another with just over a minute to go in the period, Brampton ended the first by scoring 3 goals in just over 3 minutes. After one it was 3-1 for the home team and the shots were 19-4 in favor of Brampton.


Erie had a great opportunity to pull to within at least one, with Abraham already in the box Brampton tender Matej Machovski attempted to clear the puck when it sailed over the glass giving the Otters a two-man advantage for over a minute. Erie showed why they are in the basement as they didn't even register a shot on the 5 on 3 power play. The rest of the period the teams traded shots but after forty minutes the score remained 3-1 in favor of the Battalion.


The third period started with a bang as Carrick would pot his second of the game just thirty-nine seconds in to the frame, giving his them a 4-1 lead. The troops continued their dominance over the inferior Otters squad when at the 7:17 mark Brandon Robinson would extend the lead to 5-1. With just over seven minutes to go in the game Erie would score on a harmless looking play by Liam Maaskant. Maaskant took a shot from the neutral zone about 52 feet out that seemed to fool Machovski and found its way to the back of the net to make it 5-2. That was as close as Erie would get however and the game would end 5-2.

Brampton despite winning and getting the two points stayed in second place as the 67's did their part and won as well. The Battalion were able to put a little space between them and the third place team in the East, the Niagara Ice Dogs who had the day off.

Both teams combined to go 0-9 on special teams in Sunday's game, which included two 2-man advantages for the Otters. The final total shots ended with Brampton doubling up on Erie with a count of 42-21. Battalion defence-man Cameron Wind quietly put together a good game despite not registering any points, he finished with a plus 3. Carrick was named first star and was the only player that had a multi-point game for either team. Luke Cairnes had multiple opportunities to score for Erie, including a clear cut breakaway in the first when he out deked himself and lost the puck. Stephen Harper played a good game as well for the Otters. Late in the game I especially took notice of him every time he was on the ice he wasn't far from the puck. Sadikov played well even though he gave up 5 goals he made 37 saves and had Brampton not beat him for 3 goals in a little over 3 minutes in the first the game would've went to OT.


Brampton's next game is Thursday the 19th at 7:00 PM at home against the Plymouth Whalers. This has all the makings of a great game as both teams are playing for first in their respective conferences.


You can follow me @ChrisMcdonald91

The Streak is Over

The streak is over, at least temporarily for the Brampton Battalion. After going 12 straight games without a regulation loss, and an impressive fifth straight home win, the Troops fell to the visiting Belleville Bulls with a final score of 3-2.

Sixteen year old rookie goaltender Charlie Graham made 35 saves en route to his first victory in the Ontario Hockey League. He came up big for the Bulls when they needed him most, stymieing Battalion shooters time-and-again. Graham showed terrific composure bouncing back from an early deficit and weathering the Storms of a Battalion attack that seemed to do all but put one past the Toronto native.

Barclay Goodrow opened the scoring just over five minutes into the first period with his 19th of the season.  Ian Watters and Zach Bell picked up assists on the goal. With the helper, Zach Bell matched his career high of 12 points.

Adam Payerl would even things up just prior to the midway mark of the first period. It was his 13th goal of the season, and an unassisted effort. The goal was also on the first shot that Battalion goaltender Matej Machovsky faced.  Just over a minute later, Luke Judson would bury his 12th of the season from Jordan Mayer and Jason Shaw. The assist marked Mayer’s first point as a Bull in his first game. The first would wrap up with the Bulls holding a 2-1 lead.

Payerl and Phil Lane would start the second period off with a bang, well sort of anyways. The two would fight with a decision going to Lane for landing more punches. Joseph Cramarossa made it 3-1 Bulls just before the 7-minute mark. Playing on the top line with Brendan Gaunce and Austin Brassard, it would be Cramarossa’s first goal as a Bull. Gaunce and Brassard would pick up the assists on the goal. Machovsky would get the hook in favour of Keegan Wilson to try to shake things up for the Battalion.

Patrik Machac would pull the Troops to within one, with just under five minutes to go in the second period as he put home a rebound. Lane and Brett Mackie would pick up assists, but it was Lane’s between the legs effort that set the play up for Machac. In the ensuing faceoff, Derek Froats sought the approval of the Brampton fans and his teammates when dropping the mitts with Jason Shaw. The Battalion outshot the Bulls in the second period by a 22-8 margin.

The third period proved uneventful on the score sheet, but really tested the muster of Graham as the Battalion pressed him to try to tie the game. He made several key saves to preserve the lead for the Bulls. Belleville did press the Battalion, but Wilson stood tall for Brampton when he had to in an effort to keep the Troops in the game.

"I thought we played a great game, obviously Chucky played great throughout the whole game” said injured goaltender Malcolm Subban on the play of rookie goaltender Charlie Graham. A groin problem has Subban sidelined for the upcoming weeks thus opening the door for Graham to get his feet wet.

“We had a pretty good first period even though they outshot us 7-5” said Gaunce. “In the second we let down a bit, we came back and regrouped in the third. We needed to win the third period and we did. That’s how good teams win games”

Thoughts from the Editor...

Another weekend is done in the OHL and I just had to point out some bullet points from around the league.

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I Know Thayne (@thallyburton) can not believe this but the Brampton Battalion are sitting on top of the Central Division, tied with Mississauga in points (26) but have one more W than their HWY410/401/403 rivals. Brampton still leads the OHL in goals against while scoring the 2^nd fewest goals in the league.

The Central division is tighter than many would have thought at the beginning of the year. The 5 teams in the division has basically flipped flopped after the opening 3 weeks of the OHL season…

Mississauga started 7-0 until the Battalion made them a 7-1 team. After their first 8 games, the Majors have gone 4-5-1-3. 12 of a possible 26 after scooping up 14 of 16 to open the season.

Niagara has not set the league on fire as expected. Sitting third in the division with 20 points the IceDogs are still an enigma. Freddie Hamilton leads the team in points (12/18/30) with his younger brother Dougie Hamilton (9/19/28), Ryan Strome (11/9/20) and David Pacan (10/10/20) round out the top 3 in team scoring, What is puzzling is that only 2 players are a +5 or better player on the team (D. Hamilton, Strome with +7 each) with 13 players hosting a minus rating (Steven Shipley is the worst at -10). Potential starter for Team Canada at the WJHC Mark Visentin is equaling his worst statistcal numbers since his rookie season, currently with a 4-6-0-1 record 3.38GAA and a .882SV%

Sudbury Wolves looked to be copying what they accomplished last season. A slow (pathetic) start leading to a big finish, but this years Wolves squad has turned it around sooner. After starting this season 0-4-1 (started 1-6-1 in 10/), the Wolves have gone 9-4 to erase a huge deficit in the division and be considered a contender for the Central. The Wolves are the lowest scoring team in the Central and sit 18^th in league scoring.

Barrie Colts forward Tanner Pearson is still leading the league in overall scoring with 15G26A For 41 points.  Pearson has had 2 pointless games. Nail Yakupov is sitting with 38 points (13/25) which sits him second in league scoring and has had 4 pointless games.

The Saginaw Spirit prefer Brandon Saad was in the lineup terrorizing opponents. The Spirit are 2-9-2 without the Chicago Blackhawks in the lineup. With Saad’s 8 Games played and 18 pts (9G/9A) the Spirit are 5-3.

The Plymouth Whalers have put on an impressive weekend outscoring their opponents (GUE/SSM/ER) 23-5 this past weekend. Scott Wedgewood won 2 games this weekend with a 2GAA, a .933 SV% and a shootout, with Matt Mahalak winning the 3^rd game of the weekend with a 1GAA and a .971SV%. Wedgewood has a GAA over 3 for the season, Mahalak is under 1.9GAA and their save percentages has Wedgewood with a .905 while Mahalak is at a .939. Is it time for Plymouth to cash in on a goaltender?

After starting 1-8 on the season the Erie Otters have done little to improve. The Otters now sit at 3-16 on the season and it does not look like it will improve even with the return of Adam Pelech on the blueline. The Pieces in Erie are seemingly on the trade block and awaiting a new home.

Don’t look now but the Belleville Bulls have strung together 5 wins in a row, the first time they have accomplished during the regular season alone since March 7-18, 2009 (Oct 29-Nov 8 was another 5 Game winning streak). Also during the 08/09 season the Bulls had a 7 game winning streak (Feb 11-25), and an 8 game winning streak (Jan 10-30)

London Knight goaltender Michael Houser’s numbers may have fallen back down to normal level but he still is leasding the league in the most important category, Wins. Houser is leading all goaltenders with 15 Wins so far this season, OTT Petr Mrazek is second with 11 victories. Houser is also the busiest Goaltender in the league facing 673 shots in 19 games (35.4 shots a game).

The Kingston Frontenacs have apparently woken up winning out their 3 games this past week. The Frontenacs put up 19 goals in 3 games while Igor Bobkov has seemingly found his game in the Kingston Crease and the most talked about trade rumour subject, Ryan Spooner, woke up with 4 goals, 10 points and a +6 rating in the past 3 games.

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Until the next time I get an urge to point out weird random thoughts, don't forget to check out the website www.intheoradio.com or listen to our Interview roundup here.

from the CCHL to the OHL

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Chris Messina

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The Central Canada Hockey League has done a good job at developing players that have gone on to have successful careers in the Ontario Hockey League. The Junior ‘A’ league is run out of Eastern Ontario and its alumni list from recent years is pretty impressive. Players such as Calvin De Haan (Kemptville 73’s) who established himself as one of the League’s premier defenseman as a member of the Oshawa Generals and was also on two Canadian World Junior Teams and Jason Akeson (Cumberland Grads) who developed into one of the league’s premier scoring threats as a member of the Kitchener Rangers, capped off his OHL career by being one of the league’s co-scoring leaders last year.

There is a new crop of up and coming players from the CCHL enjoying their rookie year in the OHL. Many that have followed the league would even claim last year’s group of sixteen year olds (1994 born players) was the strongest rookie class the league has ever seen. Let’s take a look at how they are doing thus far:

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Daniel Altshuller – Oshawa Generals (Nepean Raiders):

He was made famous by being the only none OHL player on Team Ontario’s gold medal winning roster last year at the U17s. Originally drafted by the Belleville Bulls he had his rights dealt to Oshawa this past summer. In 11 games with the Generals, Altshuller has posted a 5-5 recorder with 2.95 GAA and .909 save percentage.

Warren Steele - Kingston Frontenacs (Smiths Falls Bears):

He played last year in Smiths Falls but found his way into seven games with the Frontenacs as a sixteen-year-old. With the Bears he played in 62 games, scored 3 goals and added 25 assists for 28 points. This year he has been one of the few bright spots on a team in Kingston that is struggling. His style of play has drawn comparisons to another former CCHLer Calvin De Haan. In his first 15 games this year, he’s collected 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points.

Nathan Pancel – Sudbury Wolves (Gloucester Rangers):

He was the CCHL Rookie of the Year last season. He scored 37 goals and had 62 points in 58 games with Gloucester last year. Shortly after the Gloucester Rangers were swept out of the playoffs by the eventual RBC Cup Champion Pembroke Lumberkings, Pancel signed with the Wolves. He saw action in 2 playoff games for the Wolves before his season came to an end. In his first 12 OHL regular season games he’s amassed 1 goal, 2 assists for 3 points.

Zach Lesile – Guelph Storm (Gloucester Rangers):

With Gloucester last year he scored 13 goals as a rookie defenseman in 56 games. The only other defenseman under 18 to have double digits in goals was Kevin Tansey (13) of the Cumberland Grads (currently playing for Clarkson in NCAA).  In 11 games with the Storm to this point he has 2 assists and 14 penalty minutes.

Spencer Cobbold – Mississauga St. Michaels Majors (Kanata Stallions):

Known for his lighting quick speed he had a good season with Kanata Stallions a year ago. He was tied for fourth on his in goals with 17. He’s scored twice in 12 games so far for the Majors.

Brandon Lesway – Kitchener Rangers (Kemptville 73s):

Last year with the Kemptville 73s he’s recorded 9 goals and28 points in 62 games. This season he’s been pointless in 10 games with the Rangers.

Curtis Meighan – Kitchener Rangers (Cumberland Grads):

In 55 games with the Grads last year he scored 9 goals and had 23 points. This year in 11 games with Kitchener he’s scored a goal along with two assists for 3 points.

Adam Lloyd – Brampton Battalion (Gloucester Rangers):

He was able to get in one regular season game and one playoff game last season with the Battalion. In 11 games this year with the Battalion he’s recorded 2 assists.

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For more information and to ask Chris some questions about the CCHL or its Graduates follow him on Twitter @cmessina85

The Other Top Rookies You Should Know

SPECIAL THANKS TO BRYAN THIEL (@BryanThiel_88)

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By now you’ve heard all about Max Domi leading the rookie-scoring race, or about how Daniel Altshuller’s first season between OHL pipes is going, and that Aaron Ekblad has the poise of a young Alex Pietrangelo, despite being just 15.

Michael Clarke has shot up draft boards in his first season with the Windsor Spitfires, Olli Maatta is gaining valuable experience on a North American blueline, and Jordan Subban joined brother Malcolm in Belleville for his first year in the league.

These are some of the rookies in the Ontario Hockey League that have been making waves, and in the process the performance of other rookies and their talents have flown under the radar. So a month and a half into the season who else should you know from the OHL’s first-year class? Here are five names to keep tabs on:

1. Nick Ritchie, Left Wing, Peterborough Petes

If it weren’t for Aaron Ekblad’s Exceptional Player Status, Ritchie would have been considered amongst the candidates to be the first overall pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection. When you take that into consideration, it makes him a bit of a surprise to make this list.. Coming off of a final season in Midget that saw him net 50 goals and 96 points, Ritchie brought his size and speed (6’2”, 207lbs) to the Peterborough Petes. Ritchie has shown all of the promise that would have made him a first overall pick, and his quick release is a pleasant addition to such a big, talented package. With all of the attention paid to Matt Puempel when teams play the Petes, expect the totals for Ritchie to steadily increase as he grows accustomed to the OHL.

GP: 13 G: 4 A: 3 PTS: 7 PPG: 2

2. Darnell Nurse, Defense, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

His former teammate with Don Mills (Max Domi) is getting all of the headlines this season, but that’s just fine with Darnell Nurse. The big defenseman who’s earned comparisons to Chris Pronger may not be in a media hot bed, he’s settled in perfectly with the Greyhounds, making a lot of comparisons to Sault Ste. Marie and his hometown of Hamilton. A kid of few words, Nurse lets his physical play do the talking, and doesn’t lack confidence in his game or in himself. He’s got the athletic background in both his immediate family and extended family to vault over any obstacle in his way, and when the media does come calling, Nurse already handles it like a pro. He feels right at home with the Greyhounds in the Soo, and with a big defense to learn the ropes from, he’ll be a rock in this league.

GP: 13 G: 0 A: 1 PTS 1 +/-: -8

3. Josh Anderson/Bo Horvat, Forwards, London Knights

We’ve established that Domi and Mattaa generate a lot of interest in London, but it’s two players that took very different paths to the OHL that will hopefully provide London with the secondary scoring they’ll need for multiple Western Conference Championships. Who knows? Maybe even a league Championship some year. Horvat was London’s first round pick this year, selected one spot after Kingston took Domi. He’s a quick skater who racked up the points (118 of them) in his draft year. Anderson was overlooked in his draft season, but thanks to a growth spurt of more than a few inches and 30lbs, mixed in with a strong season in Major-Midget in Burlington, Anderson turned heads as a power forward with the size needed to succeed in the OHL. One’s a high-profile first-round pick, and the other is the age-old story of a player who stuck with it and caught a few breaks in the face of adversity. Both however, could become well-known names on a strong Knights team.

Horvat: GP: 14 G: 5 A: 6 PTS: 11 +/-: +13

Anderson: GP 13 G: 3 A: 4 PTS: 7 GWG: 1

4. Artur Gavrus, Centre, Owen Sound Attack

The Owen Sound Attack are the reigning OHL Champions, and like most champions of the past, more than a handful of their key pieces graduated to the professional ranks. So, it was with the 55^th pick in the CHL Import Draft that Owen Sound selected the highly skilled but diminutive Belarussian forward. He’s viewed more as a well-rounded player, but his production in second-tier European leagues and at the U-18 tournament (where he was one of the top players) shows a high-end ability to finish off plays. The typical ups-and-downs of a first North American/draft eligible season are expected, but Gavrus has the talent to help Owen Sound’s offense maintain a truly competitive level.

GP: 13 G: 5 A: 6 PTS 11 PPG: 2

5. Patrik Machac, Centre, Brampton Battalion

Brampton has been starved for offense the last two seasons, and the thinking is that Import Patrik Machac can change that. Machac is a pure scorer with speed and great hockey sense, and excels in all the right areas of the game. His skills caught the eye of Stan Butler and the Battalion, who believe that he’s a player who can improve their offense. He’s got the track record to prove that he can too, after dominating the Czech U-18 league last year with 53 points in 36 games and playing at a point-per-game average at the U-17s. With just two 40-point players last year (and only Ian Watters returning), Machac could easily lead the Battalion in scoring, while bringing the numbers of a few others along for the ride.

GP: 12 G: 4 A: 7 PTS: 11 PPG/SHG: 2/2

One Month in and What Do I Think?

It has been a while since I actually took to writing and with good reason to a degree.
Giving the crew all the chance to write as we all know that myself and the English language… we don’t see eye to eye most times.

We are a month into the OHL season with most teams playing about a 5th of their season. So what is on my mind as we reach the 20% completion mark for the 2011/12 OHL season…

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The 2nd Ranked Problem

After being ranked second in the nation, 2 weeks prior to the season beginning I may add, the IceDogs of St. Catharines have been just awful. With a 5-6-0-1 record the IceDogs are currently 9th in the eastern conference, 16th of 20th in the league. The latter doesn’t mean anything really. Niagara does boast the lowest penalty minutes in the league, which I am sure is a plus that GM/Coach Williamson is happy about leading the league in that stat. The Dogs are getting phenomenal production out of the Hamilton Brothers with Freddie leading Dougie in points 21 to 20, but that doesn’t help get W’s. The Dogs lead the league with a 31.3% PP but are 17th on the PK with their efficiency being 75.9%. definitely not good. Oh and the fact that only 3 players on NIA have a positive +/- (above 0) is ridiculous for the talent this team has. Marty Williamson is about to shake things up and it starts with Pavelka being traded or released after he acquired Chris Festarini from Erie.

Home away from Home

The Brampton Battalion have been one of the stand out teams early on this season, their offense is still a mystery, T-6th highest goal production in the Eastern Conference, but their amazing defence leads the OHL allowing a league best 25 goals, 5 goals less than the next best team, the London Knights. What is also surprising is the Battalion’s 7-3-1-1 record, which includes a 5-0-0-1 record away from the Bunker. Normally you have to win 50% of your away games to have a good season… The Troops need to work on the winning home games part.

Sink or Playing Dead

The Erie Otters are a mess. Period. For a team that has a lot of potential, and the return of a rock in goal by the name of Ramis Sadikov, it is fair to say that the team is vastly underachieving. 2 teams in the OHL have scored less than the Otters 30 goals, Belleville and Kingston… Belleville has 6 wins while Kingston has 2 more points than Erie. The Defence is hurting without Adam Pelech but they have 2 OA blueliners who are a combined -24. Let’s save the talk about the forwards and lack of offence next time. One problem at a time folks.

Did you hear what I Saad?

The Saginaw Spirit needed help and many looked toward the pipes thinking that Galansky and Paterson would not be able to get it done this season. Turns out all they needed was a confidence boost named Brandon Saad. The Pennsylvania native entered the game Sunday with 7 goals and 9 points in 4 games since coming back from the Chicago Blackhawks. The Spirit are 3-1 since his return, 1-7 prior to his return. With Saad coming back, he has lifted the Spirit roster and spread his confidence throughout the team. Saginaw has scored 41 goals this season, 22 since Saad’s return. Paterson has been given the starter’s job, starting the last 6 games including Sunday night. In Saad’s return he has a 2.99GAA and a .925SV% and a 3-1 record. When Josh Shalla returns to the lineup after serving his suspension, this team could easily rocket up to the top half of the Western Conference.

3 Colts and a Sting

Seeing Nail Yakupov leading the league in scoring doesn’t surprise anyone, in fact many are shocked it is not higher than his current 2.23pts/game. Heck if Galchenyuk was healthy, he may be a 3pt/game player. What is surprising is seeing 3 Barrie Colt players behind him. Yakupov leads the league with 29 points in 13 games and behind him are Zach Hall, Tanner Pearson and Colin Behenna with 28, 28, and 24 points respectively. Hall and Behenna have tallied a point in every game they have played. And the trio accounts for 28 of the teams 45 goals (62.2%). What makes Yakupov’s 29 points in 13 games even better… 2 of those games he was held of the score sheet, that makes him a 2.63pts/game when he is on the score sheet.

Battalion draw even after opening weekend

The Brampton Battalion kicked off the 2011-2012 season with a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to the Barrie Colts on Friday night. After going 2-3 in preseason competition, the Battalion were looking for a big start, but were missing some key components from the lineup. Zach Bell and Barclay Goodrow sat out the contest due to nagging injuries. The Colts on the other hand, entered the game coming off of a 7-4 victory over Kingston the night before and were looking to add to their hot start.

After notching five points against the Fronts on Thursday, Tanner Pearson of the Colts continued his dominating play by scoring all three goals in a 3-1 victory over the Battalion. Barrie Captain Colin Behenna has been lined up with Pearson thus far and the combo has been dangerous for the Colts through the first two games. They have filled a hole in the early going that has been left by Mark Schiefele who has yet to be sent back to Barrie from the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Youngster Aaron Ekblad also had a solid second game for the Colts. He registered his first penalty in the OHL, but stopped Michael Santini from converting a chance in front of the net in the process.

For the Troops, Ian Watters scored the lone goal in a game that the Battalion dominated physically, especially in the first period. Matej Machovsky was sensational in the loss stopping two separate Colts breakaways, either of which could have blown the game wide open.

Machovsky and the Battalion however, wasted little time getting into the “win” column on the road in Sudbury on Saturday night. In their second game in as many nights, Brampton got the best of the Wolves outscoring them 5-0. Machovsky closed the door on the Wolves offense recording his first shut-out of the season, while Watters added two goals to give him three thus far. Philip Lane also had a big night registering a goal and two assists.

On Friday morning, the Battalion announced that Sam Carrick would be the Captain for the coming season. On Saturday, he showed why Stan Butler and company chose him to lead this year’s team. Coming off of the tough loss on home ice to Barrie in the opener, Carrick put in what would end up being the winning goal on the road in Sudbury. He added an assist in the victory bringing his team to .500-hockey through the first weekend of the season.

Next up for the Battalion is Kingston on Thursday. The Fronts will head into Brampton at 0-3 and desperately looking for their first win of the season. If the Troops play like they did on Saturday night against the Wolves, they should pick up their first home win of the year and be 2-1 heading into Sarnia on Friday. Battalion fans can only hope that they don’t get stung when they get there.

Troops look to turn things around

Unfortunately for fans of the Brampton Battalion, the “dress-rehearsal” to the 2011-12 season hasn’t shown much to get excited about thus far…at least on home ice anyways.After a victory at Kitchener in the first exhibition game of the season, the Troops dropped the second half of the home-and-home by a decisive 5-1 score. Six days later, the Battalion ended up on the wrong end of another 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the visiting Guelph Storm.

The latter of the two home losses comes with some form of solace for Battalion fans. Six of their core-players going into this season are off at NHL rookie camps and eventually possibly training camps. Zach Bell, Matej Machovsky, Barclay Goodrow, Sam Carrick, Phil Lane and Ian Watters are all chasing the dream of taking the next step towards playing professional hockey.

While Carrick and Lane were draft picks of Toronto and Phoenix respectively, the other four have been invited to participate on a tryout basis. Zach Bell went to San Jose to man a defensive spot with the Sharks rookies. Matej Machovsky drove down the road from Brampton to Oshawa and is participating in the rookie tournament there with the Ottawa Senators organization. Barclay Goodrow took his talents to Traverse City so that he could participate in that tournament with the Carolina Hurricanes rookies. Finally, Ian Watters is playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins rookies in Oshawa competing against both Machovsky and Carrick.

Their expected return to Brampton will bolster the Troops lineup and shore up the trouble areas that they have faced thus far. They will also be coming back with some added intangible experience that will be invaluable to a junior player.

On the other hand, there have been some bright spots for the Battalion fans to get excited about. Over-ager Mitchell Porowski has been a horse for the Battalion up front. His 6’4” frame gets some speed behind it and has at times been too much for opposition defenders to handle without hauling him down. Import pick Patrik Machac has also looked like a dangerous scoring threat up front. Given some time and exposure to the North American game, he can learn to lead the offensive charge in Brampton. Add in the ingredient of a young yet experienced Battalion defense and you have the makings of a solid team.

As the season unfolds, a clearer picture will be painted of what this year’s Battalion installment is made of. Right now, speculating is all we can do. But it is sure fun to speculate isn’t it?

Interview with Battalion's 8th Rnd Selection, Austin Kosack

The Brampton Battalion boasted a very young but very talented blueline this past season and it is a defence corps that will only grow stronger individually, and as a unit, as time goes on. Lost in the top 6 is one of the Battalions draft picks from this seasons OHL Priority draft, Austin Kosack. An 8^th round selection by Brampton could be considered a steal in years to come but right now just looks like they are stockpiling talented defenceman. When ITO’s OHL Aficionado Thayne Hallyburton, @thallyburton, and myself watched Oakville in this years OHL Showcase Cup, it didn’t take long for Kosack to become one of the defenceman to watch in this tournament. I always beat Thayne in pointing out Austin, and for good reason, he skated, he carried, he set up plays in the zone. He was a treat to watch. I asked Thayne to give me 3 words to describe Austin and he came up with ‘intelligent’ and ‘offensive upside’ and compared his style of play to Peterborough Petes Steven Trojanovic. Not a bad comparison, but not the most flattering either when you used ‘offensive upside’ to describe Austin. Nevertheless, I had a chance to talk to Austin and pick his brain a little bit. Here is what the 8^th round selection of the Brampton Battalion had to say:

Austin, first of all thank you for joining me for this interview and let me start by talking about the OHL Showcase Cup. You battle through the tournament where myself and colleague Thayne Hallyburton watched you intently because we loved how you controlled the back end of your team. Why do you think we ended up
watching you just as much as, if not more, than other teammates from
oakville, like Perischak, Smith, Shiplo, Burns and the like?

I think I am a solid 2 way defenseman that can play tough and smart down low but I can also lead a rush or jump into the rush if the opportunity is there. People in the crowd usually notice the guys in the offensive end while the coaches and scouts watch a lot more about the defensive end. Fortunately I was able to create some positive things when I jumped into the rush so that is probably what you noticed.

   From the Showcase Cup comes the OHL Priority Draft. The big day comes and you finally hear your name called by the Brampton Battalion, after the initial jubilation of being drafted to the OHL, did you step back and seriously look at the blueline they have and start thinking about your chances of jumping into the OHL in
time for the 11/12 season?

Yeah there was a mix of excitement and relief to be honest. I started getting calls pretty quick after I was selected and they told me about how good and young the defensemen were with the Battalion. I know there is very little chance that I could make the team for this upcoming season given the strength of the current blueline.

When was the initial contact with the Battalion and Stan Butler? And what were your initial reaction to the team and your soon to be Head Coach?

I was called right after I was picked by a member of the Battalion staff and I was very excited as you can imagine. My initial reaction was more about who else was selected because I have known Brandon Robinson for years since our families know each other pretty well and I played a lot of lacrosse against him over the years. I went to school with Bryson Cianfrone and he is one of my great friends and then you have Sean and Jake selected from Oakville as well, so I was pretty excited about who was selected by the Battalion. I had never met coach Butler but I have only heard very good things.

In the midst of covering the Memorial Cup for the loyal followers of www.intheoradio.com (shameless plug) Brampton Orientation/Rookie camp happens and it is you against other rookie/veteran Battalion players like NHL Drafted Phil Lane, Sam Carrick and the draft hopefuls like Spencer Abraham, Zach Bell and Barclay Goodrow. Did you think you gave it your all in the 2 day camp?

Orientation camp wasn't what I had expected to be honest. I really
thought it was going to be some meet and greet stuff and some on ice stuff. To come in and be on the ice playing fast paced contact games caught me a bit off guard. I am a rookie so I want to make a good impression while respecting the veterans who I have just met and I am on the ice with. I also appreciate the ability of my fellow defensemen so I passed off a lot more than I normally would have to let the veteran d-men start the plays. I wasn't disappointed with my play but I know I can play much better and I expect to in September.

You had two teammates from Oakville with you in Goaltender Jake Smith and Forward Sean Perischak, was it easier having them beside you even though you are still competing against them since only 4 '95 birthdays can be signed in first year eligibility?

I never thought about the competition for 95 spots. Sean and Jake and I have been together for 7 years and are really good friends plus we play different positions so I didn't think about that until now.

   I am sure there was good exit advice that Brampton gave you, one of
which was probably a joke about 'get a lil taller in the summer' but
in all seriousness what is the game plan for Austin Kosack so when
September comes around, you are the first one called to sign the paper
and play in the 11/12 season as a member of the Brampton Battalion.

Yeah I heard that one as well. I know I am going to get bigger but right now all I can do is work out as hard as I can and come into camp as strong and fast as I can. I am working out at BTNL 6 days a week in Oakville and it is a very tough but fun. The other day I was finished workout and playing NHL 11 with Sam Gagner from the Oilers. Just guys having fun after a hard workout.

I mentioned it before, but the blueline for the Battalion is
stacked, and not only that, young. No turnaround from their 7
defenceman they had last year. Is this a point of worry for you
knowing that no matter how hard you train, there is a good chance, you
will not be putting on that sweater until the season after this?

The Battalion D is stacked. I don't expect to put on a Brampton jersey this year so I signed with the Burlington Cougars to play JR A. It is a great organization and I know that I am going to get to play and develop at a high level. I train hard anyway because I can't control personnel decisions and I have to train hard to be ready to take regular shifts with the Cougs. I am only 16 and being able to play for Burlington, live at home in Oakville, and be able to practise with the Battalion when I can is about as good as I could hope for. My goal is to put that jersey on the following year.

And finally, a lot of Oakville players were taken, 6 in total, are
you guys still besties and is there a lil side wager of which of you
guys will make it into the O first?

Yeah I think that is the most taken out of Oakville in a long time. The core guys drafted have been buds for 7 years so we are all pulling for each other to do well. I really think that one of my Battalion teammates will be the first one playing in the O. Sean was picked the highest and he looked great in mini camp. Jake also looked great and I know from experience how he can win games so I think one of them will be the first. Of course I hope that I will be the first because of the bragging rights that come with it.

There you have it ladies and gentleman, a look into the mind of Austin Kosack… by Austin Kosack. His goal remains the same even though he has re-arranged the timeline. If you get a chance to watch him play in a Jr. A game you will definitely see what makes this kid special. And hopefully sooner rather than later, he will pull on the White with army trim Brampton Battalion Jersey and begin to add some dazzle to that tough blueline that the Battalion currently possess. Don’t forget to follow Austin Kosack on Twitter (www.twitter.com/@kosack22) and make sure you stay tuned to www.intheoradio.com for more interviews coming up as well as staying up to date with all the news around the OHL found on the website, and through the twitter feed. (www.twitter.com/@intheoradio)

The 2011/12 Brampton Battalion

So here's the deal... I wanted to be done this by May, but due to time restrictions and travel it is happening now. For 20 days, In The O... will be looking at each OHL team and thanks to a consensus Panel will formulate what we believe the 2011/12 roster for these teams will look like. To decide this, the consensus panel first pitched who they thought, would be the OA players for the team. We then took 2 of their OHL priority Draft selections and added them to the roster. We did not look at 2010 selections in determining the roster and looked at a 13 Forward, 7 Defence and 2 Goalie system, thus leaving 8 player cards open for each team. We did not look at trades or other additions to the roster. Just simply took the 10/11 Roster and made minor changes. Sounds simple doesn't it... here is what In The O... projects as the roster for... The Brampton Battalion

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Over Age Players - Ian Watters, Michael Santini, Jonathan Johansson
OA's Cut - Craig Moore
2011 Priority Draft Selections - Brandon Robinson (F), Keegan Wilson (G)

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Goaltenders - Matej Machovsky & Keegan Wilson - The sole purpose of drafting Wilson was not only because he fought his way to get noticed, but much like the 2010/11 season, thrusting a young European goaltender into the Number 1 spot would be too much. Even though Keegan would be the rookie at the age of 19, he can keep Matej focused which would equal success for Brampton in 11/12.

Defence - Jordan Auld, Jordan McNaughton, Marcus McIvor, Spencer Abraham, Dylan Blujus, Cameron Wind, Zach Bell - This young D-Corp was just amazing last season and can still play together with no changes for another 2 seasons.

Forwards - Philip Lane, Michael Santini, Adam Lloyd, Connor Jarvis, Sam Carrick, Andreas Tsogkas, Jonathan Johansson, Dominic Alberga, Brandon Robinson, Barclay Goodrow, Matt MacLeod, Alex O'Neil, Ian Watters - The team had problems scoring last season and another years experience should help. The 2 OA forwards provided so much offence last season that it may look like a phenomenal D effort will be needed every night.

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That is it... Just that simple. This is just a quick look at who could be on the team, with the importance placed on who will be playing as an OA or who will be cut from the Team.

2011/12 Team Needs - Central Division

As we continue the content-a-day giveaway... Lets take a look at what the teams may be drafting for come the OHL Priority Draft this Saturday May, 7th live on ontariohockeyleague.com.

To preface, the lists of what the team declares as 'holes to be filled' is not FACT. These are my opinions and are corroborated with others and is a general guess as to what they may be trying to fill come draft day. If they are not addressed during draft day remember that they can also trade for players already in the league. Also, this is 'in a perfect world scenario' as the first 7-10 picks will be best player available and defy the logic of what I am talking about.

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Barrie Colts - The colts need a lot of help in the upcoming season. That is a fact. But when you look at what they do have in place, it is not as bad as this year could be. Their forwards are actually going to be near the top of the league. Their Goaltending duo of Charts and Windsor will benefit from the older group in front of them, so that leaves the D position... and aren't they going to be drafting that super tall 15 yr old?

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Brampton Battalion - Goalie? check. Defence? Double check. So that leaves forward. Simple enough. 

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Mississuaga St. Michael's Majors - The fact that no 94's played all season long, could be a bad move. Then again if they win the OHL championship and the Memorial Cup... who cares. The Majors lose 2 OA's at D and one 91 birthday. Since Dave Cameron is a defence first coach (providing he hasn't moved on to the NHL) then he would look for a talented D man, maybe a puck mover. It will definitely be a D before another F.

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Niagara IceDogs - This team is poised to lose some good OA's and some tough 91 birth year decisions ahead of them. Their D is young and already taking over ice time from veterans. Visentin could make the jump to the NHL next season, but my money is on a Forward who is going to be drafted by NIA.

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Sudbury Wolves - I am a little confused here. It is either a goaltender, or a forward. And with no faith in Jacob Riley (so I been told) it is more probable to trade for a goalie for the upcoming year, if they do not give the rigns to Alex Laino that is. Since their are options between the pipes, and the defence corps may not lose anyone, the smart money is on the Wolves drafting a forward.

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Another tough division as we have one to go. As per Monday's post about how to handle the draft, and the types of plays there can be. Just looking at who will be graduating and based on who a consensus believes will be next years OA's, this is how it was determined what the teams will be looking for at least early on in the draft. Of course they will still take a goalie in the late rounds even if they have 4 in their system. You just never know. But this is just something else to think of before the OHL Priority draft on Saturday. Tomorrow will be looking at the East division so remember to come check that out.

In the O Fight of the Night, Mar. 11: Alex Cord (MISS) vs Philip Lane (BRA)

Spirited fight between the two, Philip Lane does a great job against Cord as the two divisional rival teams went to battle for what always makes for an exciting match-up.

Game Review - Brampton Battalion vs Peterborough Petes, March 6

By: BRANDON SUDEYKO

BRAMPTON - What a very different place the powerade centre was on Sunday when compared to Friday's game when the Sudbury Wolves were in town. Even though the announced attendance was better on Sunday than fridays game. The game with Peterborough in town was so listless and dead. Both teams.

The Battalion peppered the Petes like they did against Sudbury only to a better result.
The final score of 4-1 was thanks to Andrew D'Agostini standing on his head, since the Peterborough defence was no where to be found. In fact if you remove the goal by Geoff Bezruchkko. The highlight of the game for the Petes was a defensive effort by Steven trojanovic in the 2nd where he hurried back to interrupt Same Carrick on a partial break.
And I am not talking about the defensive play of the day. The actual highlight of the game for the petes was that. Very Lame.

A minute and a half in Scott Tanski scores. And right from those 90 seconds. I think everyone in the building knew the game was over. The defensive breakdown by Peterborough was not an accident. It is what they have been doing all year long. And it continued for the remaining 58:30 of the game.

After the first period the shots were 12-1 in favour of the Battalion, like a carbon copy of Friday's game only they were leading instead of trailing.
The first period also featured a good heavy weight tilt between BRA's Alex O'Neil and PBO's Derek Mathers. Both stayed standing and it had to go to the judges cards...

In the same period there was another tilt as well as PBO's Clark Seymour stood with BRA's Matt MacLeod. Another judges decision. This one would go to MacLeod as Seymour needed stitches afterwards.

After 20 minutes. I didn't care any more and was hoping for another BRA St. Jacques shutout or an amazing highlight reel save by Andrew D'Agostini. I got neither.
In fact. After the first, I spent the rest of the game texting Matt Puempel (name drop). Discussing the game. His hip. And flying pucks. Listen to this TPG interview to understand what I mean.

What I did notice is that Austin Watson wasn't alive in the first period and I tweeted about it. (twitter.com/intheoradio) and he must have saw it. Because either the first or second shift. He practically killed a Battalion player into the boards.
There was a lot of line shuffling by PBO Coach Mike Pelino, I counted 5 different people who played with Jack Walchessen, but nothing could get going.

All in all. Whether you are a Battalion fan or a Petes fan. You didn't miss anything. Except for the Petes being pissed that they missed out on an opportunity to tie Belleville for 8th place.

Post Game Interview with Petes' Captain Jack Walchessen