SOTI Weekend Preview – Marching Ahead
The weekend starts early as the Steelheads face the Guelph Storm on Wednesday before taking on Central Division rivals North Bay Battalion and Barrie Colts.
Back at Home
The Mississauga Steelheads headed out east last weekend to take on the Kingston Frontenacs and the Ottawa 67’s. The team went .500 on the weekend, picking up two points in Kingston but dropping their match against the league-leading 67’s. Returning home, the Steelheads look to bounce back as soon as tomorrow.
School Days
For the first time since March 5, 2020, the Steelheads will host a School Day Game, where local students will attend the Paramount Fine Foods Centre for a fun-filled field trip. Mississauga will face off against the Guelph Storm at home for their second and final regular season meeting.
The last game against the Storm did not go in the Steelheads’ favour, with Mississauga losing 6-3. However, both lineups have seen significant changes since the two teams played on October 28. The inter-conference rivals are quite evenly matched, both with 61 points on the year. Guelph sits sixth in the Western Conference (28-24-4-1), while Mississauga ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference (28-23-5-0).
A force to be reckoned with, the Steelheads will look to sophomore Angus MacDonell for some offence. In the month of February, the forward tallied 12 points (9G, 3A), including three power play goals. MacDonell has been impressive since being dealt to the Trout back in January, recording 17 points (12G, 5A) in 20 appearances in the Blue and White this season, bringing his season totals to 34 points (24G, 10A).
Down the ice, the Steelheads will need to shut down Guelph Storm assistant captain Braeden Bowman. Scoring 52 points (27G, 25A) in 43 games, the forward was recently given the OHL Player of the Week nod this past week. Bowman has put up good numbers against Mississauga this year, including a goal in their last regular season match and four goals in their preseason game on September 3.
Divisional Battle
For another Friday night match up at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, the Steelheads play host to their Central Division rival North Bay Battalion. The Battalion currently lead the Division with 77 points (37-17-2-1), good enough to clinch a playoff spot, with the Steelheads 16 points back in third place. However, that has not stopped Mississauga.
The Trout have won their last two games against the Battalion, making the season series all knotted up at two. In their last game, the full team came together to push the Trout to the victory, with eight different players recording a point in the 4-2 win. Goaltender Alessio Beglieri did a great job backstopping the Steelheads as he posted 25 saves and registered a 0.926 save percentage. The Steelheads will turn to right-winger Zander Veccia, who recorded his first career hat trick against North Bay on January 20. The forward sits second on the team in scoring with 38 points (15G, 28A), 24 of which have come since the trade deadline.
Leading the charge for the Battalion is Matvey Petrov, who’s 81 points (25G, 56A) rank him first on his team in scoring. The Edmonton Oilers prospect has been difficult to solve, registering nine points in four games against the Steelheads this season. League-wide, Petrov places fourth overall in points and third overall in assists.
Running with the Horses
Heading on the road Saturday night, the Steelheads take on another Central Division rival in Barrie. The Colts have also recently clinched a playoff spot, with 76 points (34-15-6-2), and place second in the Division.
While the Colts lead the season series thus far by 3-1, the Steelheads have not made it easy for their opponents. Each game has been a high scoring one, with lots of offensive power on both ends of the ice.
Always looking to shine against his hometown is Steelheads captain James Hardie. The Innisfil native has tallied five points (3G, 2A) against the Colts and will be looking to add to that total as he edges closer to the franchise record for single-season points (78). The overager is just six points back of the record with 72 points (36G, 36A) in 56 games, leading his team in scoring, goals and assists. Hardie also ranks seventh overall in goals league-wide.
The Steelheads will need to wrangle their opposition’s captain, Brandt Clarke, who has been on quite a run since returning to the OHL from the Los Angeles Kings. Clarke has been scoring at a rapid pace, totaling 39 points (12G, 27A) in just 22 games this season, earning him the OHL Defenceman of the Month title for January. The captain leads all OHL defencemen in points per game with 1.77.
