Tuesday, February 2, 2016 - Submitted by Scott Greguol - Ontario Media Director
Now that we've entered February that means only 1 thing....... Minor hockey playoffs!
After an exciting 2015-2016 regular season that saw the top spot in the Alliance change hands frequently between 3 different teams, we now have our playoff matchups set.
Through 32 game each the Windsor Jr Spitfires and Waterloo Wolves claimed the 1st and 2nd spots respectiverly after a tie at 54 points.
The Jr Spitfires had 1 more win however and claimed the #1 seed and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The London Jr Knights however sit 3rd, a spot they seem to finish in each year despite their annual playoff success.
Will the Jr Spitfires take advantage of that hugh home ice advantage they seem to have?
Will the Jr Spitfires finally get a birth in the Central Regionals? Will the Wolves continue to roll, having not lost since December? Will the Jr Knights continue their playoff dominance and earn a 7th straight Alliance Title? Who will join the Wolves at the Central Regionals in April?
Here's a look at all the matchup and what I expect to happen for the opening round. All matchups are 6 point series with the team reaching that mark first winning and moving on:
(1) Windsor Jr Spitfires vs (8) Cambridge Hawks Oct 17 - Windsor 2-0 Oct 18 - Windsor 9-1 Oct 23 - Windsor 5-4 Oct 25 - Windsor 4-1
This series is just a formality. The Windsor Jr Spitfires lost only 5 games all season while the Cambridge Hawks only won a total of 6.
The Jr Spitfires dominated the season series by winning all 4 including a huge 9-1 game on October 18th.
The teams haven't seen each other since October however that shouldn't make much of a difference.
Prediction: Windsor 6-0
(2) Waterloo Wolves vs (7) Hamilton Jr Huskies Oct 4 - Waterloo 5-3 Nov 23 - Waterloo 6-3 Dec 4 - Waterloo 4-1 Jan 4 - Waterloo 8-1
Another formality. The Wolves finished tied with Windsor for the top spot, however lost on a tiebreaker for the #1 seed.
The Jr Huskies finished tied for 6th and also lost out on a tiebreaker for that spot. The Wolves have been rolling.
They finished the season winning 7 straight dating back to December 18th for their last loss.
Included in that was a perfect tournament in Kelowna, BC which saw the Wolves return as champions.
During season play the Wolves dominated the season series over the Jr Huskies as well.
Prediction: Waterloo 6-0
(3) London Jr Knights vs (6) Huron Perth Jr Cullitons Oct 23 - London 5-1 Nov 22 - London 7-4 Dec 4 - London 3-2 Jan 10 - London 4-3
Once again the London Jr Knights did not finish in the top spot during the regular season, however that seems to mean nothing to them.
They haven't held that spot since the 2010-2011 season despite pulling together each spring to take the Alliance Championship as the "underdog".
I don't see the Jr Cullitons changing that in the opening round however they will battle hard. The teams have had some pretty hard battles over the years and this series won't be any different.
Prediction: London 6-2
(4) Kitchener Jr Rangers vs (5) Brantford 99ers Sept 26 - Brantford 4-3 (OT) Oct 4 - Brantford 2-1 (SO) Jan 7 - Kitchener 5-1 Jan 28 - Kitchener 3-2 (SO)
This one is a complete toss up. They even split the season series at 2 games each. Brantford has struggled in the past few season and I think they are ready to break out. They competed hard all season with the top clubs and I have a feeling they are poised to make things difficult in the playoffs for their opponents as well. The Jr Rangers have a history of falling apart in the playoffs as well dating back to when they were crowned regular season champions, only to fall to the Waterloo Wolves in the semi-finals. Prediction: Brantford 7-5
