Erin Mills Town Centre Preview: January 16 – 18
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Mississauga, ON – After coming off a disappointing three-game road trip last weekend, the Mississauga Steelheads (16-24-1-3; 7th in the Eastern Conference) will head out on the road for one more game before they return to confines of the Hershey Centre this weekend.
First up for the Steelheads will be against a cross-divisional rival the Peterborough Petes (17-21-0-4; 6th in the Eastern Conference). This will mark the third meeting of the season, with the teams splitting the first two matches, each winning on home ice. The Steelheads will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak and cap their road trip off with a win, while the Petes will look to continue their winning ways and extend their streak. The action begins Thursday January 16th, 2014 at 7:05pm.
Following their clash with the Petes, the Steelheads will return home for yet another meeting against a long-time division opponent, and former Peel Region rival the North Bay Battalion (21-17-4-1; 4th in the Eastern Conference). This will mark the fifth meeting between these two teams this season, with the Battalion taking all four matches thus far. Mississauga will look to regain some ground in the Eastern Conference and get into the win column in the season series against the Battalion. Join us at the Hershey Centre this Friday January 17th as we acknowledge Steelheads rookies Jesse Barwell and Sean Day in the pre-game ceremonies for there participation at the 2014 U17 World Hockey Challenge. Puck drop is at 7:30pm.
The Steelheads will close out their weekend series with a meeting against the London Knights. This will be the second a final meeting of the season between the two teams. The Steelheads will be looking to avenge a disappointing loss to London earlier this month, while the Knights will be looking to close the gap between them and the league leading Erie Otters. Puck drop is at 2:00pm.
LAST GAME
Steelheads fall 4-1 to the Soo
In the third and final game of their Northern road trip, the Steelheads marched into the Essar Centre looking to sweep the season series against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds; however, the Hounds were not going to go down without a fight. In what appeared to be a fast paced game, the Hounds dominated the majority of the play. The Steelheads jumped out to an early lead with Bobby MacIntyre sliding the puck between Hounds goaltender Brendan Halverson’s legs just 20-seconds into the game. Unfortunately for the Steelheads, that was all the offence they would see. The Hounds tied the game at the midway point in the second period, and never looked back. Though the teams remained tied heading into the latter half of the third, the Hounds finally broke the tie as they took advantage of a Steelhead penalty and converted on the power play. The Hounds would add another goal as Sergey Tolchinsky snuck behind the Steelheads defenders and slid one past a sprawling Spencer Martin. The Hounds would finally put the game away with an empty net goal late in the period.
November 22nd vs. Peterborough
Steelheads Snap Losing Streak
On a night that welcomed various members of the MGHL, along with members of the Toronto Furies, the Steelheads played host to the Peterborough Petes that was looking to build off their strong outing from a few nights earlier. However, it was the Steelheads who struck first as Austin Gerhart tip home a shot from Jesse Barwell. Not long after, the Petes answered back with a power play marker and evened up the score. Andrew Goldberg put on an offensive display of talent as he capitalized on a Petes line change and scored a shorthanded goal midway through second period. The Steelheads would extend their late in the period as Bobby MacIntyre deflected a rocket of a shot from Nick Zottl. This goal would be the eventual game winner as they Steelheads sealed a 3-2 victory on home ice.
January 9th at North Bay
Steelheads Fall in First Game of Road Trip
Looking to build off a big win against the Soo, the Steelheads set out on a road trip where they met their long-time division rivals in the first of a three game trip. It was the Battalion who jumped out to an early lead as Mike Amadio took advantage of a bad turnover from the Steelheads. Not long after, the Battalion would score another goal very similar to the first, extending their lead by two. The second period was one to remember for Steelheads rookie Greg DiTomaso as he would score his first OHL goal, cutting the lead in half. But it was the Battalion who took over as they regained a two goal cushion almost immediately after, and would later add an empty net goal late in the third to seal the victory for the home team.
January 3rd at London
Lost in London
In a game that saw two teams from opposite ends of the spectrum collide, it was clear which team was which. Heading into the game, the Steelheads were looking to snap a four-game losing streak, and the host Knights were riding high as one of the CHL’s top teams. It was the Knights who opened the scoring early into the first frame, and never looked back. Dylan Smoskowitz would be the lone goal scorer for the Trout as they left the Budweiser Gardens with their tails between their legs, following a dreadful 7-1 loss at the hands on the Knights.
NOTABLES
The London Knights are the host team for the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
Peterborough’s Eric Cornel reached the 50-point plateau last week against the North Bay Battalion.
Max Domi of the Knights is only three points away from reaching the 200 point milestone.
The Knights have two players currently ranked in the top-10 in scoring: Max Domi and Chris Tierney.
North Bay’s Jake Smith and London’s Anthony Stolarz are both among the top-five goalies in the league.
DID YOU KNOW
The NHL released its Central Scouting rankings last week with 60 OHL players cracking the list. Key players from this weekend are Peterborough’s Nick Ritchie (7th) and Eric Cornel (23rd); North Bay’s Mike Amadio (56th); and Stefan LeBlanc of the Mississauga Steelheads is 131st amongst North American skaters.
The newest Trout in the pond Stefan LeBlanc played with Jesse Barwell on the Oakville Rangers ‘AAA’.
London Knights had five players representing their respective countries at the 2014 U20 World Junior Hockey Championships in Malmo, Sweden.
London Knights currently have 12 NHL prospects on their active roster.
London’s Mitchell Marner, Steelheads Jesse Barwell and Sean Day, Petes Matt Spencer, and North Bay’s Brett McKenzie all played together at the 2014 U17 World Hockey Challenge. Matt Spencer and Jesse Barwell also played together in their minor hockey days for the Oakville Rangers.
North Bay’s Nick Paul was born in Mississauga and played his minor hockey in the city. In 2011-12, Paul spent time with the Mississauga Chargers, affiliate of the Steelheads, where his teammates included Josh Burnside and Jacob Graves.
London’s Mitchell Marner is currently ranked second in rookie scoring with eight goals and 29 assists through 38 games this season.
TICKETS
Great seats are still available for both Friday and Sunday’s games by logging on to Ticketmaster, or visiting the Hershey Centre Box Office!
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Andrew Yates
