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2011-12 OUA men's hockey preview
Source: OUA communication
HAMILTON, Ont. – A new season of OUA men’s hockey
begins this week with a full slate of games. An early game between
the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Nipissing Lakers kick-started the 2011-2012
season on October 1st but the rest of the field begins competition
this week.
In the first game of the season, Nipissing reeled off a come from
behind victory to earn the first points of the year with a 5-2 win.
Ottawa’s new bench boss Rael Paiement searches for his first
victory as Ottawa returns to action on Friday in Guelph.
There is one game in the schedule for Thursday night as the Toronto
Varsity Blues battle with the York Lions. The Blues are looking to
improve on a sixth place finish last year where they were
dispatched in the first round of the playoffs. Byron Elliott
(Burlington, Ont.) returns for his fourth season after leading the
Blues with 28 points last year. He will be joined by third year
forward Kyle Ventura (Scarborough, Ont.) and sophomore Anthony
Bergin (Scarborough, Ont.) to provide the offense. The York Lions
will boast a young team this year with 18 new faces. Third year
veterans Mackenzie Micks (Orillia, Ont.) and team captain Jesse
Messier (Keswick, Ont.) have strong on-ice rapport and are likely
to lead the Lions’ attack. Goaltender David Blair (Ajax,
Ont.) returns to the pipes and he will be joined by newcomer Andrew
Perugini (King City, Ont.) who has played in the Ontario Hockey
League, East Coast Hockey League, and American Hockey League.
Two-time defending Queen’s Cup champion McGill open their
2011-2012 campaign on the road against the Lakehead Thunderwolves
on October 7. Last year the Redmen finished with a silver medal at
the CIS University Cup and will be looking to return to the
national tournament with an OUA championship. Last season’s
leading scorer and Player of the Year, Alexandre Picard-Hooper
(Boucherville, Que.), returns for his fourth season. Marc-Andre
Dorion of St. Hubert, Que. is also back as the offensively gifted
and stalwart defenseman for the Redmen. Lakehead is coming off a
sour exit in last year’s playoffs, having been shut out by
Waterloo in their only two postseason contests. The Thunderwolves
will look to third year forward Matt Caria (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.)
to pick up where he left off after leading the team with 36 points
last season. Mitch Maunu (Thunder Bay, Ont.) returns for his fifth
and final year and will be the go-to defenseman to shut down the
opposition’s top threats. Third year goalie Alex Dupuis
(Thunder Bay, Ont.) looks to improve upon his win total from last
season and lead Lakehead’s push to make more of an impact in
the playoffs.
The Western Mustangs open their season at home against RMC on
October 7. The Mustangs were runners up at the Queen’s Cup a
year ago and advanced to the CIS national tournament where they
went 1-1 against the country’s top competition. Several of
the Mustangs return to the OUA with international experience as
Kevin Baker (Georgetown, Ont.), Yashar Farmanara (West Vancouver,
B.C.), and Keaton Turkiewicz (Brantford, Ont.) were all members of
the bronze medal-winning Team Canada at the 2011 Universiade Games.
Last year the Mustangs had a high octane offense with three players
that accumulated 30 or more points, and much of that crew will
return this season as Western makes another run at the
Queen’s Cup. Their opening day counterparts from the Royal
Military College of Canada won a league low five games last season
and are hoping that their young players will return with more
experience and consistency. Their leading scorer from a year ago,
Landon Lavictoire (Kirkland Lake, Ont.) returns for his senior year
and will be joined by last year’s team leading rookie scorer,
Alexandre Leclerc (St. Mark de Carriere, Que.). Third year goalie
Andrew Flemming (Quispamsis, N.B.) returns between the pipes for
the Paladins.
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks surprised a lot of people in
2010-11 with their 15-7-6 record, putting them in second place in
the west. The youthful Hawks were bounced from the playoffs in the
second round by Guelph after defeating the UOIT Ridgebacks in the
first round. The Hawks lose captain and one of their leading
scorers Jean-Michel Rizk (Dunham, Que.) to graduation. The
offensive duties will likely fall to Mitchell Good (Wellesley,
Ont.) and Thomas Middup (Richmond Hill, Ont.). Veterans Phil
Magistrale (Tsawwassen, B.C.), Garrett Sinfield (London, Ont.) and
Kyle Van De Bospoort (Pickering, Ont.) create a force on the blue
line. Ryan Daniels (Pickering, Ont.) will return to the crease
after a solid 2010-11 campaign that saw him finish first in the
league in saves with 926 and second in wins (15) and save
percentage (0.929). He was named OUA West MVP for his performance.
The Hawks face a tough test in their first game of the 2011-12
season as they play host to the Nipissing Lakers on October 7. The
Lakers are coming off a 17 win season from a year ago and had an
undefeated preseason before kicking off their regular season with a
5-2 victory over Ottawa. With a game already under their belts, the
Lakers could be in better condition to out-skate the Golden Hawks.
Last year the Lakers were led by Andrew Marcoux (Rockwood, Ont.)
with 30 points. In their first game of the season, the rookie class
made a big impact as Marcus Watson (San Jose, Calif.) and Matt
Paton (Woodstock, Ont.) contributed points and shifted the
game’s momentum. Captain Brodie Beard (Timmins, Ont.) is the
only fifth-year senior on the squad. The Lakers advanced to the
east semifinal last year before losing to eventual champion
McGill.
The Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres (UQTR) finished second in
the east after the regular season with 19 victories a year ago. The
Patriotes advanced to the east final after winning their best of
three series over Concordia and Carleton but could not solve the
McGill Redmen in the final game. The Patriotes are without
goaltender Jean-Christophe Blanchard (Trois Rivieres, Que.) who was
tied for the league lead with 16 wins a year ago. With just two
seniors, the Patriotes are a relatively young squad that will look
to third year Olivier Donovan (Gatineau, Que.) who finished sixth
in the scoring race last year with 37 points. Look for UQTR to be
near the top of the strong east division standings once again. The
Patriotes begin their season on the road against the Waterloo
Warriors on October 7. The Warriors put together a solid campaign
last year with 15 victories to finish sixth in the west. They went
on to upset the third seed Lakehead in the first round of the
playoffs but were eliminated by Western in the second round.
Waterloo loses key defenseman Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo, Ont.) to
graduation but boast a good mix of veteran talent and youthful
energy. Look for fifth year forwards Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.) to
lead the way offensively and Thomas Cardiff (London, Ont.) to
provide the physical play. Newcomer Joe Underwood (Canton, Ont.)
should help fill the void on the blue line, bringing his five years
of OHL experience with him. Goaltender Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener,
Ont.) put together an 11 win season last year but looks to return
to his 2009-10 form when he won 18 games. The Warriors are known
for their gritty style and should return to the postseason with so
many veteran faces.
Despite only winning 11 games and being eliminated in the first
round of the postseason a year ago, the Ottawa Gee-Gees have a
solid corps returning this season. Sophomores Luc Olivier Blain
(Longeuil, Que.) and Kyle Ireland (Rosetown, Sask.) return after
impressive rookie seasons where they sat one-two in rookie scoring
with 52 and 46 points, respectively. The goaltending tandem of
Harrison May (Vancouver, B.C.) and Aaron Barton (Carlisle, Ont.)
are also back, each trying to earn themselves the number one job
after splitting last year’s duties equally. The Gee-Gees lost
their opening game to Nipissing on October 1 and look to rebound
from the loss when they travel to Guelph for a date with the
Gryphons on October 7. The Gryphons have shored up their
goaltending as Scott VanBommel (Norwich, Ont.) returns and is
joined by former OHL standout Cody St. Jacques (Iroquois Falls,
Ont.). The Gryphons lose two key pieces from last season in Thomas
Kiriakou (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and defenseman Tim Priamo (Guelph,
Ont.), but look for the senior line of Edward Gale (Keswick, Ont.),
Kristafer Belan (Florence, Ont.), and Zach Lillie
(Bracebridge, Ont.) to lead the Gryphons back into the playoff
picture.
The Carleton Ravens have built a solid program over the last few
years, finishing with more wins than the season prior for each of
the last four years. In 2010-11 the Ravens finished with 18
victories, good for third place in the east. They overcame Toronto
in the first round of the playoffs but then fell to UQTR in the
east semifinals. Leading scorers from a year ago Joey Manley
(Ottawa, Ont.) and Brandon MacLean (Burlington, Ont.) lead a
veteran group that has 10 senior players. The Ravens have brought
in Matt Stanisz (Burlington, Ont.) on defense and he should make an
immediate impact. He was a member of the OHL Champion Owen Sound
Attack last season. The Ravens have also recruited defenseman
Michael Folkes (Burlington, Ont.) and forward Andrew Glass (Boston,
Mass.), both former NCAA players. Matthew Dopud (Pointe-Claire,
Que.) returns to the crease after leading the league last year with
a 2.11 goals against average in 17 games. The Ravens kick off their
2011-12 season in St. Catharines as they take on the Brock Badgers
on October 7. The Badgers are coming off a fifth place finish in
the west with a 13-9-6 record a year ago but could not make it past
the first round of the postseason. Kurt Jory (Brandon, Man.)
returns for his senior year after finishing fourth in the league
with 12 victories last season. The Badgers’ leading scorer
last season, Matt Abercrombie (Sarnia, Ont.), returns after an
impressive rookie season that saw him tally 32 points and garner
the OUA West Rookie of the Year award. Brock will be a young and
developing team this year with 17 of 24 roster members in their
rookie or sophomore season. Fifth year Ryan Allen (Fort McMurray,
Alta.) and seniors Derek Brochu (Welland, Ont.), Steve Miller
(Thunder Bay, Ont.), and Isaac Smeltzer (Estevan, Sask.) will
provide the leadership for this young squad.
Last year the Concordia Stingers finished under .500 with a 12-14-2
record but slipped into the playoffs as the seventh seed in the
east. The Stingers were overmatched by UQTR and were eliminated in
the first round. Third year players Charles-Antoine Messier
(Boucherville, Que.) and Alexandre Monahan (Mascouche, Que.) tied
for the team’s scoring lead with 34 points last season and
finished 11th in league scoring. The Stingers lose a couple of
their goaltenders from a year ago but have brought on Nick Champion
(Labrador City, N.L.) who spent four years in the QMJHL to fill the
void. Concordia kicks off their new season on a long road trip as
they travel to Windsor for a date with the Lancers on October 7.
Windsor grabbed the eighth and final playoff spot last year with a
12-12-4 record. They drew Western in the first round of the
playoffs and fell to the Mustangs in two games. The 2011-12 season
will be a fresh start for the Lancers as they bring in 16 new
players to join nine returnees. Team captain Matt McCready
(Kingsville, Ont.) will provide veteran leadership and lead the
power play unit. Local Windsor product Parker Van Buskirk will take
over the goaltending duties this year with the departure of Jim
Watt (Edmonton, Alta.). The Lancers boast 10 new faces up front so
expect some line juggling early on this year by head coach Kevin
Hamlin in order to find some chemistry.
The Queen’s Gaels have finished fifth in the east for the
past three years and are looking to better that in 2011-12. Last
season they finished the year with a 14-11-3 record and faced off
against Nipissing in the postseason. The Gaels were outscored 13-3
in the postseason and were dropped in the first round. Scoring is
something that will need to be addressed and returning third year
forward Jordan Mirwaldt (Winnipeg, Man.) is the Gaels’ best
bet as he notched 10 goals and 27 points last year. Queen’s
has brought on Corey Bureau (Amherstview, Ont.), who played with
the Mississauga Majors of the OHL last season, to help with the
offense. Senior Steele De Fazio (Georgetown, Ont.) will lead the
Gaels in net as he earned 10 of the team’s 14 wins a year
ago. Queen’s travels to Toronto for their first game of the
year on October 7.
Two teams do not see their first action until Saturday night.
The Ryerson Rams will host the RMC Paladins for their first game of
the season. Last year the Rams finished with a record of 8-18-2 and
missed the playoffs by seven points. The departure of leading
scorer Matt Schmermund (Calahoo, Alta.) could be a big hole to
fill, but look to fifth-year senior Andrew Buck (Newmarket, Ont.)
to step up. Louie George (Waterloo, Ont.) returns for another
season in net with the Rams but look for newcomer Troy Passingham
(Mississauga, Ont.) to challenge for starting duties. Passingham
was a member of the 2009-2010 OHL and CHL champion Windsor
Spitfires and will bring a lot of experience to the Rams.
Also not in action until Saturday is the UOIT Ridgebacks. UOIT has
taken a few years to develop but now boast a rather veteran team
with eight seniors on the 2011-12 edition of the Ridgebacks roster.
Leading the way offensively will be Josh Vatri (Barrie, Ont.) and
Tony Rizzi (Kingston, Ont.). On the blue line, the Ridgebacks will
lean on Mike Noyes (Lucan, Ont.), Chris Purves (Scarborough, Ont.),
and Steve Spade (Rochester, N.Y.) to shut down the opposition.
Jason Guy (Whitby, Ont.) returns to the net for his third season
and is joined by senior Jeff Dawson (Bracebridge, Ont.). With an
experienced corps, this could be the year UOIT secures their first
playoff series victory. The Ridgebacks begin their 2011-12 campaign
with a home game against the York Lions.
OUA SCHEDULE
& RESULTS
October 1, 2011
Ottawa, 2 @ Nipissing, 5
October 6, 2011
7:00 p.m. – Toronto @ York
October 7, 2011
7:15 p.m. – Carleton @ Brock
7:30 p.m. – Ottawa @ Guelph
7:30 p.m. – McGill @ Lakehead
7:30 p.m. – Queen’s @ Toronto
7:30 p.m. – RMC @ Western
7:30 p.m. – UQTR @ Waterloo
7:30 p.m. – Nipissing @ Laurier
7:30 p.m. – Concordia @ Windsor
October 8, 2011
2:00 p.m. – RMC @ Ryerson
2:00 p.m. – Concordia @ Windsor
2:15 p.m. – Queen’s @ Brock
7:30 p.m. – UQTR @ Guelph
7:30 p.m. – McGill @ Lakehead
7:30 p.m. – York @ UOIT
7:30 p.m. – Carleton @ Western
7:30 p.m. – Nipissing @ Waterloo
7:30 p.m. – Ottawa @ Laurier
