Race heats up for seeding
Only the Buffalo Regals know where they will be when Golden Horseshoe playoffs get underway
Playoff seeding in junior B hockey’s Golden Horseshoe Conference, once an almost forgone conclusion, remains uncertain.
With as few as six games remaining in league play for most teams, and as many as eight for others, not one of the eight playoff berths in the nine-team conference has been determined.
Only the Buffalo Regals know exactly where they will finish when the regular season wraps up Sunday, Feb. 26, out of the playoffs, last in the Golden Horseshoe and last in the entire Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Even if they win the six games left in their schedule — highly unlikely given their 1-43 record to date — the Regals would still wind up on the outside looking, 10 points short of qualifying for post-season play.
Currently occupying that place in the standings are the Pelham Panthers, who can still overtake the Thorold Blackhawks and enter the playoffs as the seventh seed. Pelham, a one-win team last season, trails Thorold by five points, but the Blackhawks have two games in hand.
No team has yet to be mathematically eliminated in the three other races for seeding: for first place, for third, as well as for fifth place.
Six points separate the Caledonia Corvairs and St. Catharines Falcons at the top of the standings.
Both have six games remaining in league play, but Falcons head coach Chris Johnstone is conceding the pennant to the three-time defending Sutherland Cup champions.
“Mathematically, we’re still alive, but there’s not enough real estate to make up the difference,” he said in a recent interview.
Johnstone’s assessment is more than a gut feeling, it’s backed up by the numbers.
Caledonia’s longest losing streak this season has been one — yes, one! — game, while the Corvairs have put together 13- and 12-game winning streaks.
Until the Ancaster Avalanche caught Caledonia-like fire, earning at least a point in 11 straight games, including a regulation win over the Corvairs, the Niagara Falls Canucks appeared headed for a third-place finish and a first-round matchup against the sixth seed.
Both now have 58 points each, with Ancaster clinging to third based on winning percentage as the Avalanche have a game in hand.
Niagara Falls head coach Frank Pietrangelo isn’t surprised that the pecking order for post-season play has yet to be finalized this late in the season.
“I don’t think anything is set in stone at this time, nor will it be until the last games are played,” said Pietrangelo, whose team scored a 20-1 win Tuesday night in Buffalo to keep pace with Ancaster.
Regardless of where they finish in the standings, the Canucks will either open the playoff against the two teams battling for fifth place: Welland Junior Canadians, Fort Erie Meteors.
“This is nothing new to us, and we will prepare to face whichever team it is when the regular season is done,” Pietrangelo said.
Welland leads Fort Erie by two points, but the Meteors have a game in hand and close out the season playing the Junior Canadians on the road.
The Canucks have one regular season game remaining with their Niagara Parkway rivals and two with Welland, the first taking place Sunday in a 7:05 p.m. faceoff on the road.
Pietrangelo said there is a “definitely a benefit to playing meaningful games at this time of the year.”
“The preparation for playofftype hockey is not easy when you are just playing the season out,” he said.
“I think this will prove benefiicial to us when the playoffs begin.
“Having said this, playoff hockey is playoff hockey, and I don’t think you can compare games played at this time of the year to the intensity of playoff hockey,” he said.
Junior Canadians head coach Keith Osborne’s focus at practices heading into games against Ancaster, Saturday; and Niagara Falls, Sunday; is to stay the course.
“Keeping working the way we’ve been working and just try and fix those little mistakes.” 38-5-1-0, first in Golden Horseshoe Conference one loss
goals for, 296, 1st; goals against, 89, 1st
Brandon Lindberg, 35 goals, 58 assists, 93 points; Adam Craievich, 37, 38, 75; Zachary Cole, 15, 42, 57
Daniel Chenard, 21 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie, 7 shutouts, 1.67 goals-against average, .927 save percentage
tonight, at Thorold; Saturday, home to Welland; Tuesday, at Buffalo
loss, Ancaster 3-2, win, Niagara Falls, 6-2, 28-0
126, fourth 119, third
GF, 198, fourth; GA,
Zach Bramwell, 27, 31, 58; Owen Burnell, 19, 26, 45; Graydon James, 20, 22, 42 Justin Vertesi, 1710, 3 shu, 2.61 GAA, .907 sv% tonight, home to Fort Erie; Saturday, home to St. Catharines win, Welland 2-1; win, Caledonia 3-2 GF, 218, third; GA,
Harrison Cottam, 27, 30, 57; Frank Pucci, 18, 38, 56; Andrew Barbeau, 7, 40, 47
Adam Dentico, 11-12, 3 shu, 2.86 GAA, .898 sv%; Zach Moore, 16-5, 2 shu, 2.41 GAA, .913 sv% Friday, home to Thorold; Sunday, at Welland win, Buffalo 20-1; loss, Caledonia 6-2 See