Rogers OHL Championship Series Preview
16 teams began but just two remain as the London Knights and Niagara IceDogs go head-to-head in the 2016 Rogers OHL Championship Series.
Here’s a look at both teams, how they got here, and how this very intriguing matchup is shaping up.
LONDON KNIGHTS (3) vs. NIAGARA ICEDOGS (4) – #LDNvsNIAG
The 2016 Rogers OHL Championship series pits two clubs who, despite failing to win their respective divisions, have steamrolled through the postseason and enter the series off consecutive series sweeps against capable opponents.
The rematch of the 2012 Rogers OHL Championship Series sees the IceDogs head into London for Game 1 on Thursday looking to open the series on a high note, just as they did four years ago on Dougie Hamilton’s double-overtime winner at Budweiser Gardens.
The wind is at Niagara’s back as they enter as winners of 10 straight games dating back to March 28th. Series sweeps over the East Division champion Kingston Frontenacs and Central Division champion Barrie Colts have featured well-rounded team efforts, starting with goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and extending out to a quiet but effective defence corps that has missed puck-moving star Vince Dunn to injury of late. Timely scoring from the big line of Stephen Harper centering Pavel Jenys and Josh Ho-Sang has given the IceDogs the offence they’ve needed to oust a pair of the OHL’s best clubs.
“We wouldn’t have thought we’d sweep Kingston or Barrie for that matter,” said IceDogs head coach Marty Williamson on Wednesday. “Both series were a battle and nothing came easy. We’ve been playing very good hockey but London is going to be a challenge. I think they’re underrated in how well they play defence and they’ve got one heck of a goaltender.”
Nedeljkovic will battle with draft eligible London netminder Tyler Parsons in the crease. The two have been neck-and-neck in both goals-against average and save percentage throughout the OHL playoffs, with Parsons holding an edge with 2.27 and .924 marks compared to Nedeljkovic’s 2.33 and .918 figures. Both have been busy, with Parsons facing an average of 29.9 shots-per-game and Nedeljkovic seeing 29.2.
While solid goaltending has been one of the constants in Niagara’s playoff success, there’s been a definite shift in the IceDogs’ approach. The team really turned a corner in the final weeks of the season.
“I think it’s just the energy in the room. Everyone wants to work hard, everyone wants to win,” said IceDogs captain Anthony DiFruscia. “It doesn’t matter who we put out on the ice, everyone is on board and everyone is focused on their job and what they need to do. That’s how we’re going to get the job done here.”
For head coach Marty Williamson, his team’s bumps in the road this season had less to do with skill than effort and compete level.
“We struggled with consistency against some of the bottom placed teams,” he said. “We played very well against London in our two meetings, and did well against strong teams like Erie and Barrie. Our consistency and our effort level have been a lot better. We’ve given ourselves a chance to win hockey games rather than shooting ourselves in the foot like we did earlier in the year.”
The Knights and IceDogs met twice this past season, splitting a pair of close decisions in February.
One of the keys for Niagara will be staying out of the penalty box. London’s top ranked 29% power play throughout the regular season has continued its dominance into the playoffs, going 16-for-54 (29.6%), resulting in the big line of Mitch Marner, Christian Dvorak and Matthew Tkachuk accounting for over 60% of the teams playoff goals.
The Knights enter action off sweeps against Midwest Division rivals in Kitchener and Erie, outscoring the high powered Otters 23-7, netting at least five goals in every game. Despite their recent run of success, the Knights, who have won nine straight, aren’t overlooking the IceDogs in their bid for a third OHL title in five years.
“You see the video, you see how Niagara is playing, they’re very good,” said Knights head coach Dale Hunter. “We know how well Kingston and Barrie are, they’re solid clubs, but Niagara beat them both four straight so it’s very obvious to us that we’re going up against a good team.”
2016 OHL Most Outstanding Player Mitch Marner echoes Hunter’s assessment of the surging IceDogs.
“You can never get too far ahead of yourself,” he said. “No matter what round you’re in in the playoffs, you’re always facing a capable opponent. You have to come to play every game and that’s what we need to continue doing. Niagara is going to come at us hard and we need to be ready for them.”
Marner leads the OHL playoffs in scoring with 15 goals, 22 assists and 37 points in 14 games, a stunning 2.64 point-per-game pace. For those milestone trackers out there, that’s 14 points off Justin Papineau (1999) and Jason Dawe’s (1993) OHL playoff points record of 51.
While London’s forward ranks get a lot of attention, the blueline has offered the Knights a lot of stability throughout the playoffs, anchored by the pairing of top draft eligible defender Olli Juolevi and overage veteran Jacob Graves. Speedy power play quarterback Victor Mete has seen his share of minutes as well.
Both the Knights and IceDogs will be without a key cog in the wheel for the opening two games of the series as London’s Max Jones and Niagara’s Brendan Perlini will each serve out the rest of their respective suspensions before a Game 3 return. The IceDogs also have star defenceman Vince Dunn and forward Kyle Langdon as question marks to start the series due to injury.
The Niagara IceDogs enter their second Rogers OHL Championship Series, aiming to put a 2012 five game defeat at the hands of London in their rearview mirror, while the Knights enter their seventh OHL Final. London lost to Ottawa in 1977 before returning from a 22-year absence to fall to the Belleville Bulls in seven games in 1999. The Knights won the 2005 OHL Championship over Ottawa in 2005, lost to Peterborough a year later in 2006, beat Niagara in 2012 and Barrie in 2013 and are back at the big dance in 2016.
Buildings in London and St. Catharines will be jam-packed as a pair of red hot teams come together to make for a cool Rogers OHL Championship Series.
Season Series:
Teams tied season series
Feb. 4, 2016 – LDN 2 @ NIAG 3 (NIAG: DiFruscia GWG) Highlights
Feb. 12, 2016 – NIAG 1 @ LDN 3 (LDN: Marner 2G, 1A) Highlights
Playoff History: This marks the second time that London and Niagara have squared off in the Rogers OHL Championship Series.
– 2012 LDN def. NIAG 4-1
Series Schedule:
Game 1, Thurs., May 5 Niagara at London, 7:00 (Rogers TV London, TVCOGECO Niagara, Rogers TV Sports+ Digital 368/369)
Game 2, Sat., May 7 Niagara at London, 7:00 (Rogers TV London, TVCOGECO Niagara, Rogers TV Sports+ Digital 368/369)
Game 3, Mon., May 9 London at Niagara, 7:00 (TVCOGECO Niagara, Rogers TV London, Rogers TV Sports+ Digital 368/369)
Game 4, Wed., May 11 London at Niagara, 7:00 (Sportsnet 360)
Game 5, Fri., May 13 Niagara at London, 7:30* (Sportsnet 360)
Game 6, Sun., May 15 London at Niagara, 2:00* (Sportsnet 360)
Game 7, Mon., May 16 Niagara at London, 7:00* (Rogers TV London, TVCOGECO Niagara, Rogers TV Sports+ Digital 368/369)
*if necessary
#LDNvsNIAG
#OHLPlayoffs
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