2024 Road to Memorial Cup: OHL Round 2 preview
The opening round of the OHL playoffs saw the top four regular season teams make it into Round 2.
In the Eastern Conference, Brantford and Mississauga, the third and fourth seeds respectively, were eliminated while on the Western Conference side, all top four seeds moved on that included 50-win London and Saginaw.
Eastern Conference
(1) Oshawa vs. (6) Ottawa
The Generals were made to work in Round 1 as the pesky Barrie Colts took them to six games before the Eastern Conference’s no. 1 team prevailed.
The club’s split the first two games in Oshawa before the Generals jumped out to a 3-1 series lead after a 5-1 road win and then a 4-3 victory in overtime courtesy of Beckett Sennecke’s winner after the Gens erased a 3-1 third period deficit.
A 3-0 Barrie win forced Game 6 but Jacob Oster shut the door with a 32-save shutout to punch Oshawa’s ticket to the second round.
The aforementioned Oster led the OHL with a 1.94 GAA in the first round while Cal Ritchie (COL) led the club with eight points. Dylan Roobroeck (NYR) and Sennecke each scored three times in the series.
The Generals, who won 40 games for the first time since 2019, are 13-time OHL champions with their most recent success coming in 2015.
The 67’s pushed their way into the second round after a six game series against the third seeded Bulldogs.
After they dropped Game 1, the 67’s stole home ice in Game 2 after a 6-3 road win. They took care of business at TD Centre as they won Game’s 3 and 4, the latter 6-5 thanks to Samuel Mayer’s hat-trick and overtime winner. Despite a Game 5 loss, the advanced in Game 6 on home ice thanks to a 6-1 victory.
Ottawa’s 27 goals were the most among OHL clubs in the first round with Jack Dever’s eight points leading the way. Mayer and captain Luca Pinelli (CBJ) each scored four times while 16 different players registered at least a point.
Winners of at least 50 games in 2019, 2020 and 2023, the 67’s completed a fifth winning season over the last six years in 2023-24. However, their quest for another OHL championship continues with their last success coming in 2001.
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 12 — OTT @ OSH — 7:35pm ET / 4:35pm PT
Game 2 — April 14 — OTT @ OSH — 6:05pm ET / 3:05pm PT
Game 3 — April 16 — OSH @ OTT — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 4 — April 18 — OSH @ OTT — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 5* — April 19 — OTT @ OSH — 7:35pm ET / 4:35pm PT
Game 6* — April 21 — OSH @ OTT — 2pm ET / 11am PT
Game 7* — April 23 — OTT @ OSH — 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
*if necessary
(2) North Bay vs. (5) Sudbury
The Battalion needed five games to take down Kingston as they advanced to the second round for a third straight year.
North Bay dropped Game 3 but scored 22 goals in all, tied for the second most in the league, and were led by Dalyn Wakely who led the OHL with six goals and 10 points in the first round. Wakely had 104 points in the regular season.
The Battalion have reached the Eastern Conference Finals the past two years but fell to Hamilton in 2022 and Peterborough in 2023. Without an OHL championship, North Bay came close in 2014 where they fell in the finals to Guelph.
Sudbury are into Round 2 for the first time in five years after a five-game series victory over Mississauga.
The Wolves jumped out to a 2-0 series lead after a pair of roads win – that included a Kocha Delic overtime game-winner in Game 2 – before they fell in Game 3. However, Sudbury took Game’s 4 and 5 – by an 11-5 score – to reach the second round.
The team’s three headed monster of Dalibor Dvorsky (STL), David Goyette (SEA) and Quinten Musty (SJ) combined for 24 points while Nick DeAngelis tied for the OHL lead among d-men with seven points. They also converted 39.3 per cent of the time on the man advantage to rank first in the OHL.
The status of starting goaltender Jakub Vondras (CAR) is undetermined for the second round however after he suffered a lower body injury; Marcus Vandenberg started Game 5 for the Wolves.
Despite a storied history, the Wolves have yet to win an OHL championship.
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 11 — SBY @ NB — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 2 — April 13 — SBY @ NB — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 3 — April 16 — NB @ SBY — 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Game 4 — April 18 — NB @ SBY — 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Game 5* — April 20 — SBY @ NB — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 6* — April 22 — NB @ SBY — 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Game 7* — April 23 — SBY @ NB — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
*if necessary
Western Conference
(1) London vs. (4) Kitchener
The OHL’s regular season champions quickly moved past Flint after a first round sweep.
After a Michael Simpson shutout in Game 1, London took Game 2 6-4 before Landon Sim’s (STL) overtime winner secured Game 3. They closed the series out with a narrow 3-2 victory in Game 4.
Easton Cowan, who entered the postseason on a 36-game point streak, had points in all four games while Denver Barkey (PHI) had a team best six points. Simpson, who led Peterborough to an OHL title a year ago, recorded a 2.14 GAA and .917 save percentage in four starts.
London are four-time OHL champions with their most recent championship coming in 2016, the same year they last hoisted the Memorial Cup.
Kitchener finally put Erie away in Game 6 but three of their four wins in the series came in overtime.
Justin Bottineau had the OT winner in Game 3 as the Rangers erased a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 while in Game 5 Trent Swick had the game-winner in a 3-2 victory. Luke Ellinas then had the series winner in Game 6 in a 4-3 overtime win.
Filip Mesar (MTL) had 10 points to finish tied second in first round OHL scoring while nine assists led all skaters. Ellinas and Carson Rehkopf (SEA) each scored four times in the series while Eduard Sale (SEA) had eight points (three goals).
The Rangers, who have made the second round for the third straight season, last tasted OHL glory in 2008.
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 11 — KIT @ LDN — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 2 — April 13 — KIT @ LDN — 4pm ET / 1pm PT
Game 3 — April 16 — LDN @ KIT — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 4 — April 18 — LDN @ KIT — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 5* — April 19 — KIT @ LDN — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 6* — April 21 — LDN @ KIT — 2pm ET / 11am PT
Game 7* — April 23 — KIT @ LDN — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
*if necessary
(2) Saginaw vs. (3) Soo
Hosts of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow, the Spirit made quick work of Owen Sound in the first round.
The Spirit needed just the minimum four games to take down the Attack and they did so by a combined 18-8 scoreline. Owen Beck (MTL) and Josh Bloom (VAN) each had seven points while Michael Misa and Zayne Parekh combined for 10. Michael Oke’s .928 save percentage ranked second among OHL netminders while the Spirit’s 90.9 penalty kill percentage led all clubs.
This season has already been the best in franchise history as the club set new records with 50 wins and 102 points. However, a first OHL title still eludes the club.
The Soo, who had their best season in six years after a 45-win campaign, swept Guelph in the first round.
The club scored 18 goals in the process, that included an overtime winner by Owen Allard in a 5-4 Game 3 win. Captain Bryce McConnell-Barker (NYR) had a team high eight points while Allard and Gavin Hayes (CHI) scored three times. Charlie Schenkel won three of the four games while rookie Landon Miller played Game 3.
The Soo haven’t won an OHL title since 1992 but have reached the second round in all eight of its previous playoff appearances that included a run to the OHL Championship Series in 2018.
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 11 — SOO @ SAG — 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Game 2 — April 13 — SOO @ SAG —7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Game 3 — April 15 — SAG @ SOO — 7:07pm ET / 4:07pm PT
Game 4 — April 17 — SAG @ SOO — 7:07pm ET / 4:07pm PT
Game 5* — April 19 — SOO @ SAG — 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Game 6* — April 21 — SAG @ SOO — 7:07pm ET / 4:07pm PT
Game 7* — April 23 — SOO @ SAG — 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
*if necessary