The Ontario Hockey League playoffs get going on March 22 in three cities.
With the Erie Otters on the outside, looking in there is guaranteed to be a new champion.
Here are some things to know about each matchup.
London vs. Owen Sound
The Owen Sound Attack had one of the most convincing final weeks to a season anyone could put together. They won all three games. They scored 25 times in those games. They put themselves into position to secure home-ice advantage and got some help.
All of that allowed them to finish two points ahead of the London Knights and now the Attack host the Knights in Games 1 and 2 and if this series needs a seventh game (and it very well could) it will happen in Owen Sound. The Attack come in hot and confident.
What London has going for them right away in the series is their play away from home. For a young team, they don’t flinch. They won 21 games on the road and they will have to win at least one and maybe more in Owen Sound to win the series.
This one will have its ebbs and flows. There should be 2-1 and 3-2 games and at least one that sees the teams shoot the lights out. The Attack must prove that their goaltending can hold up when they aren’t averaging more than eight goals in a game and that has been a tall order this year.
In a series in which the teams are separated by the thinnest of margins, goaltending could be enough to put London through.
Windsor vs. Sarnia
The Sting and the Spitfires met five times this year. The lone game that Windsor won saw their goaltender, Michael DiPietro, make 43 saves on Dec. 28. He shut out Sarnia that night, although the Sting were missing captain Jordan Kyrou and Flames’ prospect Adam Ruzicka, who were away at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
DiPietro can do that again. He might even be able to do it with Kyrou and Ruzicka in the lineup. He just can’t do it four times.
Sarnia plays as tough and playoff-ready a style of game as any of the 16 teams that will enter the first round. This series won’t take more than five games.
Kitchener vs. Guelph
The Kitchener Rangers have put together a very good season, but if there is to be a potential upset victim among the top three teams in the Western Conference, no one is looking at Sault Ste. Marie or Sarnia. The Rangers really have been good. You don’t win 43 games without fitting that description, but their game can have holes.
They take on a Guelph Storm team that finished 21 points behind them in the standings, but that beat Kitchener twice in the final week of the regular season.
You could say the Rangers didn’t have anything to play for, but they did. This first series against Guelph, the Storm will come in believing they can beat Kitchener and it will be up to the Rangers to prove them wrong. This series will go longer than a #2 seed vs. a #7 seed should, but the Rangers should prevail in 6 or 7.
Sault Ste. Marie vs. Saginaw
In eight meetings between the Soo Greyhounds and the Saginaw this year, the Spirit managed one shootout victory. It was a hard-fought, 6-5 finish that left the players feeling as though they had gone 15 rounds. Saginaw goalie Evan Cormier made 37 saves as the Greyhounds outshot the Spirit 42-26.
The point is, Sault Ste. Marie has been virtually impossible to beat. They lost seven games in regulation all year. Saginaw had some real bright spots this season and outperformed expectations under head coach Troy Smith who did a masterful job.
However, if the only way you managed to beat a team is with a tool that you won’t be able to use in the playoffs, you are in tough and the Spirit are. The Greyhounds should get full rest prior to round two.
Ottawa vs. Hamilton
The Hamilton Bulldogs are loaded with veteran talent. The Ottawa 67’s have some excellent young talent. Don’t expect Ottawa to teach the old dogs any new tricks. Hamilton outscored the 67’s 26-8 in the regular season and didn’t lose. That trend should continue in their first-round series.
Mississauga vs. Barrie
While some old dogs might not learn anything new, some young Colts will, courtesy of some experienced trout.
One Colt and one trout will miss the start of the series as Andrei Svechnikov is out for four games due to suspension. Mathieu Foget of Mississauga will also miss the first four games of the series with a suspension.
The Mississauga Steelheads have been the OHL’s version of an old-fashioned Cryptex. If they could ever figure it out, they would unleash something pretty powerful. They have been moving in fits and starts. Their record at the beginning of the season was not great. Then they started to win. Then they sputtered again and with a month to go in the season, trying to make the playoffs was still a thing for Mississauga.
They surged right at the end to finish seventh and now take on a Barrie Colts team that finished dead last in 2016-17 and then jumped to second overall in the Eastern Conference this year. The Steelheads gave the OHL champion Erie Otters a bit of a tougher time in the finals last year and were expected to be a top team this season.
Barrie is dangerous and well-coached, but if Mississauga jumps on the same page at the same time, this is your biggest first-round upset.
North Bay vs. Kingston
Kingston could be ripe for an upset, it just probably won’t come in round one. The Frontenacs need to find a way to play 60 minutes of inspired hockey. They went 4-6-1 in their final 11 games which is far from the best results they have put up this season. Kingston loaded up at the deadline and does not want to bow out early. They have mortgaged a number of top-end young players, so the next few years could be tough.
Stan Butler’s Battalion won’t make it easy on Kingston. Goaltender Christian Propp has had a good season in North Bay. He gave up just one goal in each of his last three victories. If Propp can be a factor in this series, the Battalion might be able to present the Frontenacs with a whole lot of adversity in the first round. If Kingston can survive it, they may have a chance to go on the run that they built their team for.
Oshawa vs. Niagara
This series needs a coin — a really shiny one. Oshawa was all set to have a roster fit to compete in the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament this year, only it was awarded to Regina, Sask. Niagara has had a much better season than many predicted. Both teams come into the series having played fairly well over the past month. They met just twice in the regular season. Niagara won in Oshawa. Oshawa won in Niagara. Both games went beyond regulation time. Reach into your coach, find a nickel or a quarter and let it fly. Stephen Dhillon in the Ice Dogs’ net will likely weigh it down enough to have it land Niagara’s way, but there are no guarantees.
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