Ultimate Drivers Weekend Preview: On the Run
Time to Talk
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) presents Wednesday’s matchup against the Oshawa Generals to support its Talk Today program. Established in the 2014-2015 season, the Talk Today program aims to educate athletes across Canada about mental health and suicide prevention and address their mental health needs.
To show your support for this organization and initiative, attend tomorrow’s Talk Today game. Click here for tickets.
Overturning Oshawa
The Brampton Steelheads (25-20-8-0) have a busy week ahead of them as they play host to the Oshawa Generals (33-16-3-2) tomorrow night. It will be the third matchup between these two teams after the Steelheads broke the Generals’ five-game win streak with a 4-2 victory last Saturday. Tied at one win each, Wednesday’s game will be one to watch as both teams aim to take charge of the series.
A key to victory for the Steelheads against the Generals will be to continue building on their defensive core, primarily on special teams. While the Steelheads kept the Generals at bay, allowing no goals against on the penalty kill last game, in their first match-up, a power play goal was the equalizer that led to the eventual Oshawa victory. Additionally, with the duo of Beckett Sennecke and Ben Danford accounting for four out of the five goals against in the previous matchups, the Steelheads will need to remain dominant on puck possession and keeping players away from the front of their net.
In Saturday’s matchup, Mason Zebeski got the icebreaker for the Trout, setting the eventual victory in motion. The Oakville native currently finds himself on a seven-game point streak, with three of those games featuring his impact on the games’ first goals (2G, 1A). Outside of racking up some great points, Zebeski has been a driving force defensively through his physicality and ability to step up into the play. If Mason continues this streak into Wednesday’s game, the Steelheads will have a strong chance of taking the lead in this series.
So Long London
After facing Oshawa on Wednesday, the Steelheads will make a quick trip to London to face the Knights (43-8-1-0) on Friday. It will be the second and final time these teams face off in the regular season. While the Trout took game one of this series, winning 6-3, with the Knights back at full strength and currently on a five-game winning streak, Friday’s game is set to be a rematch of the Battle of the Best.
Since facing the Steelheads in October, the Knights have climbed to the top of the OHL standings. Since returning on October 9 from the NHL preseason, Easton Cowan showed his impact on the London offence by going on a 29-game point streak (18G, 22A). Combining their power forwards with the strong goalie pairing of Austin Elliott (2.31 GAA) and Aleksei Medvedev (2.50 GAA), the Knights have pushed hard to remain first overall and clinch their playoff spot. With only one loss in their last ten games, the Knights pose a tough challenge for the Steelheads to overcome.
The Trout will turn to the dynamic duo of Porter Martone and Carson Rehkopf. Since the Seattle Kraken prospect joined the Steelheads this season, he has made quite the name for himself, especially with his chemistry with Martone. The duo racked up several points (3G, 3A) while playing on the same line in the last matchup with the Knights. With the on-ice power these two possess and their consistent goals and assists in the last three games, the dynamic duo should give the Knights a run for their money.
This is the last time the Steelheads will face the Knights in the regular season. It is a game you do not want to miss. You can tune in live at watch.chl.ca or listen on Sauga960.
This One’s for the Dogs!
To close out a busy week, the Steelheads host their second and final Pucks N’ Paws against the Sudbury Wolves (23-25-5-0) on Saturday. All dogs are invited, as vendors, giveaways, and treats will be on the concourse! Plus, the game will feature an on-ice dog race during the intermission, where the fastest canine will take home a doggy swag bag proudly presented by Nimira Jiwa.
It will be the fourth matchup between these two teams following the Trout’s impressive 7-3 victory in Sudbury last Thursday. Saturday’s game remains essential for the Steelheads to further cement themselves above the Wolves in the standings.
Since facing the Trout last Thursday, the Wolves find themselves on a two-game losing streak. Despite the final score, Seattle Kraken prospect Nathan Villeneuve, who scored two of the three goals in the last matchup with the Trout, finds himself on a point streak with nine points in his previous six games (5G, 4A). With the building momentum in the Wolves offence combined with the strive for victory, the Wolves should put up a hard fight on Saturday that the Steelheads will need to combat.
The Trout will look to the efforts of Luke Misa on Saturday, as he got considerable points in the last faceoff. Misa took home a goal but added two assists to add to the effort of the 7-3 win. Additionally, the Calgary Flames prospect has maintained 12 points in his last six games while showing versatility by forcing turnovers and generating plays for his teammates. If these two continue their momentum, Saturday’s game should favour the Trout.
Don’t miss out on this pup-tastic game! To secure dog section tickets for you and your furry friends, click here. To purchase regular tickets click here.
