OHL hungry after loss last year
By Patrick King for the Canadian Hockey League
The Russian National Junior team re-wrote a familiar script at last year’s SUBWAY Super Series.
For the first time in the 10 year history of the event, the Russians walked away with a win in Ontario Hockey League territory with a 2-1 decision in Guelph. The loss snapped Team OHL’s streak of 18 consecutive victories, and although the OHL all-stars followed it up with a 2-1 win, their first loss in the SUBWAY Super Series still lingers.
“It doesn’t leave a good taste in your mouth when you lose and lose a streak that big,” says Oshawa Generals forward Scott Laughton, a member of Team OHL during the loss. “I’m going to use that experience to my advantage.”
The Russians scored two goals in a span of 26 seconds late in the third period to take their first win against Team OHL. It was another reminder how quickly the Russians’ counter-attack can turn a deficit into a lead, and ensure the outcome is in doubt until the final seconds tick off the clock.
Oshawa Head Coach D.J. Smith, who will be serving as Team OHL’s Head Coach in the third game of the series, wants to instill the abrasive, grinding style Canadians are known to play and win the contest under any means necessary.
“We have to be willing to win ugly,” Smith says. “We have players that can make high-end plays just like they do, but at the same point we have to be playing hard, fast and physical.”
Team OHL won’t be short on talent with NHL first round picks Darnell Nurse (Edmonton), Bo Horvat (Vancouver), Slater Koekkoek (Tampa Bay), Max Domi (Phoenix), Kerby Rychel (Columbus), Laughton (Philadelphia), and Brendan Gaunce (Vancouver) suiting up in the event. Also leading the charge will be young stars Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad and Michael Dal Colle.
The blend between skill and physical play can already be found in the style the players play.
“The players in our league that are the high-end skill players, more and more of them are banging and crashing these days,” Smith explains. “I think that suits our game just fine. I like our team. It’s going to be a fine line putting lines together, but we have enough physical play to get the job done.”
There won’t be any shortage of motivation on both sides. As notes Paul Fixter, Head Coach of the Sudbury Wolves and an Assistant Coach for Team OHL in the fourth game, each nation views itself the best hockey-playing country in the world, and the SUBWAY Super Series could be a precursor to another major event in February.
“I think the Olympics comes into play in this for me to some extent,” he says. “All I’m reading and hearing about is the importance of the Olympics to Russia and how they want to win gold and I think this kind of sets the tone for that, to some extent, in that everybody wants to prove they’re better than one another.
“None of these kids are going to be playing in the Olympics, I’m well aware of that, but I think it’s kind of a nice lead up to it and everyone builds towards that. Having been in Russia with our hockey club (at the Junior Club World Cup in August) there’s a lot of pride over in that country about being the best in the world.”
Sudbury forward Mathew Campagna, who will be playing in the event for the first time, knows the historical undertones of the rivalry will be at the forefront when Team OHL meets the Russian National Junior team.
“The 1972 series wasn’t for nothing,” Campagna says. “That rivalry is the most known rivalry in sports. The Russians are the team we want to beat and the team we want to send home with nothing.”
Team OHL carries a historical record of 19-1 against the Russians in this event. Both OHL games can be seen live on Sportsnet.
2013 SUBWAY Super Series schedule (7pm local start times):
Game 1 – Monday, November 18, at Gatineau, QC (QMJHL wins 3-2) – Game Summary
Game 2 – Wednesday, November 20, at Sherbrooke, QC (QMJHL wins 4-3) – Game Summary
Game 3 – Thursday, November 21, at Oshawa, ON
(Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 590 The FAN)
Game 4 – Monday, November 25, at Sudbury, ON
(Sportsnet East, and ONE, Sportsnet 590 The FAN)
Game 5 – Wednesday, November 27, at Red Deer, AB
(Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, and Pacific)
Game 6 – Thursday, November 28, at Lethbridge, AB
(Sportsnet ONE, and Sportsnet 590 and 960 The FAN)
For information about rosters and tickets please visit www.subwaysuperseries.ca.