2015 OHL Cup Day 1 Recap
Tuesday March 17, 2015
The 2015 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament began on Tuesday with four round-robin games following a trio of Wild Card ‘Play In’ contests.
Game 4: Flyers win big over Rangers
Don Mills Flyers 6, Oakville Rangers 1
After a heartbreaking 1-0 overtime loss in Game 8 of the GTHL Finals last weekend, the Don Mills Flyers got back on the winning track Tuesday night to get their OHL Cup schedule underway.
Nine different Flyers hit the scoresheet in a 6-1 triumph over the Oakville Rangers. The Rangers opened the scoring seven minutes into the opening period and were silent offensively the rest of the way, surrendering six unanswered goals.
Smooth-skating forward David Levin led the Don Mills attack with a goal and two helpers while blueliner Jack Greenberg and forward Adam Panacci each contributed with a goal and an assist.
“I think the break in the pace was a good thing for our group,” Don Mills Head Coach Lindsay Hofford said after the win. “We’ve played a lot of hockey over the last two months and to have a game where we can distribute the puck and get everyone involved was a good way for us to start the tournament.”
The Flyers are back at it on Wednesday against the TPH Thunder at 1:45pm. Oakville looks for a better result against the ALLIANCE Champion Waterloo Wolves at 3:30pm.
Flyers MVP – Adam Panacci (1G, 1A)
Rangers MVP – Emmett Serensitis
Game 3: Rehding’s natural hat-trick lifts Jr. Canadiens to win
Toronto Jr. Canadiens 4, Kitchener Jr. Rangers 2
The first hat-trick of the 2015 OHL Cup has been buried. Toronto Jr. Canadiens forward Mathew Rehding tallied three consecutive goals in a span of 4:52 to lead his club to a 4-2 win over the Kitchener Jr. Rangers.
Rehding opened the scoring 10:25 into the first frame with assists from Allan McShane and Nicholas Celotti. Rehding struck again at 12:40 with help from Kirill Maksimov and capped off the natural hat-trick 17 seconds into the second period on the powerplay to give the Jr. Canadiens a 3-0 lead.
Rangers leading scorer Owen Lane potted a goal through the legs of Lanny Korbee on the powerplay midway through the second to make it a 3-1 game headed into the third.
Jr. Canadiens sniper Simon Boyko reinstated the three goal cushion at 5:32 of the third, burying a one-timer from the high slot under the armpit of Kitchener netminder Daniel Chenard on a nice pass out of the corner from Colton Kalezic.
Four consecutive minor penalties to the Jr. Canadiens to end the game certainly made their task of nailing down the victory more difficult. Keenan Dawdy cut the Toronto lead down to 4-2 with a powerplay marker on the doorstep at 12:47.
In the end, the Jr. Canadiens hung on for a 4-2 win, but one that wasn’t exactly the way they drew it up according to Assistant Coach Chris Vanstone.
“We’ve had close to a month off and I think it showed out there,” he said. “Our kids looked tired at the end of the game and we stopped moving our feet which resulted in too many penalties. Overall the effort was there and it was good for us to get that first win, but we’ll need to tidy things up moving forward.”
The Jr. Canadiens are back in action against the York-Simcoe Express on Wednesday at 2:15pm. The Kitchener Jr. Rangers square off with the OEMHL Champion Ottawa Valley Titans at 5:45pm.
Jr. Canadiens MVP – Mathew Rehding (3G)
Jr. Rangers MVP – Tyler Dam
Game 2: McFarland’s late winner lifts Red Devils past Titans
Quinte Red Devils 3, Toronto Titans 2
The Quinte Red Devils are riding a wave of momentum after last weekend’s double overtime victory that gave them an OMHA title on home ice. Aidan McFarland’s winner with under two minutes left in the third period on Tuesday kept that flow of momentum moving forward into the 2015 OHL Cup.
McFarland, who led the OMHA ETA in scoring with 31 goals this season, scooped up a loose puck in the slot and deposited it over the shoulder of an outstretched Brendan Bonello in goal for the Toronto Titans to give Quinte a 3-2 win.
The OMHA Champion Red Devils controlled the majority of the play as Bonello was forced into numerous big saves for his club.
Second period goals from Nick Hoey and Brady Gilmour gave Quinte a 2-0 edge, but scrappy Titans winger Ryan Kula would nullify that lead in the third period with a pair of powerplay goals at 1:55 and 2:46 to tie the score 2-2.
McFarland’s big goal gives the Red Devils a great start to their first OHL Cup since 2009.
“This team has persevered all season,” said Quinte Assistant Coach Brent Heusinkveld. “Winning the OMHA Championship has our guys playing with the most confidence we’ve seen in them all season. We faced a really good team tonight and our guys rose to the challenge.”
The Red Devils square off next with the London Jr. Knights on Wednesday at 12:30pm while the Toronto Titans will look to rebound against an unfamiliar opponent in the Elite Hockey Group at 4:00pm.
Red Devils MVP – Brock Bronson (1A)
Titans MVP – Ryan Kula (2G)
Game 1: Fast-paced Marlboros calm Hurricanes
Toronto Marlboros 4, Halton Hurricanes 1
The GTHL Champion Toronto Marlboros got the 2015 OHL Cup started off with a bang. C.J. Clarke and Jaden Peca scored nine seconds apart at 2:00 and 2:09 into the first frame, putting the Halton Hurricanes in a hole early that they’d never dig out of.
John Vezina got Halton on the board on the powerplay at 5:15 as the Hurricanes trailed 2-1 heading into the second.
C.J. Clarke put his club up 3-1 at 8:50 of the third before adding an empty netter with four seconds left in regulation as the Marlies carried the play and controlled the pace of the action.
Despite the positive result on the scoreboard, Marlies coach Dan Brown said the performance left something to be desired.
“Anytime you win a big championship in a situation like we were in against Don Mills, your next game is understandably going to be a bit of a let down and I think that showed tonight,” said Brown. “Our guys were sloppy and they acknowledged that after the game. A win is a win, but I think we all know we’re going to have to be better tomorrow against Mississauga.”
The Marlies square off with the Mississauga Reps on Wednesday at 12:00pm while Halton will take on the Ottawa Jr. 67’s at 5:15pm.
Marlboros MVP – C.J. Clarke (3G)
Hurricanes MVP – Christian Propp (Goaltender)
Wild Card ‘Play In’ Game 3:
North Central Predators 7, Toronto Red Wings 0
A determined North Central Predators team came out of the gate and overwhelmed the Toronto Red Wings in the third Wild Card ‘Play In’ game of the afternoon.
After winning a one-game playoff contest over the Whitby Wildcats to gain entry into the OMHA Championships, the Predators were at it again on Tuesday, working their big-game magic for a decisive 7-0 victory.
Kyle Heitzner and Kam Shearer each scored twice while goaltender Luke Richardson stood tall for the shutout as the Predators skated past the Toronto Red Wings who were missing standout forward Owen Tippett to injury.
With the big win, the Predators return to the OHL Cup for the first time since 2008.
Summary:
1st Period- 1, North Central, Bowman (Scott), 9:50. 2, North Central, Billson, 8:56. 3, North Central, Heitzner (Scott, Prucha), 0:10 (PP). Penalties- Shearer North (kneeing) 11:51; Heitzner North (tripping) 2:36; DiCesare Toronto (cross checking) 0:40.
2nd Period- 4, North Central, Shearer, 8:06. 5, North Central, Shearer (Dudas, Z. Tupker), 2:09. No Penalties.
3rd Period- 6, North Central, Heitzner (Scott), 7:13. 7, North Central, B. Tupker (Z. Tupker, Shearer), 6:12. Penalties- Mastropaolo Toronto (head contact) 5:16; Priest North (tripping) 4:47; Mastropaolo Toronto (head contact) 1:17; Mastropaolo Toronto (head contact) 1:17; Baker North (head contact) 1:17; Baker North (head contact) 1:17.
Power Play Opportunities – North Central 1/3 ; Toronto 0/3.
Referees- Smith, Stiver.
Linesmen- Holmstead, Gosbee.
Wild Card ‘Play In’ Game 2:
Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs 3, Mississauga Rebels 2
The Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs stunned the Mississauga Rebels on Tuesday afternoon, upending the seventh ranked club in the final OHL Cup Minor Midget Top-10 Rankings.
Max Racicot provided some early punch for the Chiefs’ offense, winning a puck battle below the Mississauga goal line to find Paul Lee coming down the middle for the finish and a 1-0 Elgin-Middlesex lead. Matthew Philip gave the Chiefs some insurance with a powerplay marker on a rebound in the slot.
The Rebels had a golden opportunity to get back in the game early in the second as Elgin-Middlesex defenceman Jeff Clarke received a five minute major for kneeing. The Rebels’ dynamic top line got them on the board with 10:45 left in the second. Zachary Gallant hit the back of the net on the ensuing powerplay, taking a nice seam pass from Finn Evans to finish the job. Cole Purboo drew the Rebels even at two three minutes later before Max Racicot reinstated the Elgin-Middlesex lead on a nice feed from Lee.
Though they were pinned inside their own zone for much of the third period, Elgin-Middlesex’s defence and goaltending prevailed as the clock ticked down to give them a 3-2 win and a spot in the 2015 OHL Cup.
Summary:
1st Period- 1, Elgin Middlesex, Lee (Racicot), 11:29. 2, Elgin Middlesex, Philip (Smith, Cowan), 3:38 (PP). Penalties- Zhang Miss (head contact) 5:11; Zhang Miss (cross checking) 5:11; Guest Elgin (holding) 1:18.
2nd Period- 3, Mississauga, Gallant (Evans, Formenton), 10:45 (PP). 4, Mississauga, Purboo (Burt), 6:34 (PP). 5, Elgin Middlesex, Racicot (Lee), 4:42 (PP). Penalties- Clarke Elgin (kneeing major, game misc-kneeing) 11:31; Mroueh Miss (tripping) 6:01.
3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties- Sedlak Elgin (tripping) 12:14; Kiriakos Miss (hooking) 0:17; Burt (checking from behind minor, game misc-checking from behind) 0:00.
Power Play Opportunities – Elgin Middlesex 2/5 ; Mississauga 2/3.
Referees- Williams-Bell, Ackroyd.
Linesmen- MacDougal, Roy
Wild Card ‘Play In’ Game 1:
Mississauga Reps 3, Whitby Wildcats 1
The Mississauga Reps are headed back to the OHL Cup for the first time since 2010.
The Reps held off a first period Whitby Wildcats onslaught with timely saves from goaltender Mario Peccia.
After shaking off the rust from a lengthy layoff, the Reps had second period markers from Ryan Wells and Nicholas Isaacson as they controlled the play in the middle frame.
Whitby came out shooting in the third as defenceman Joseph Franzin put a shot off a Mississauga defender and past Peccia to cut the Reps’ lead to 2-1.
A physical third period saw the Reps manage to hold off a desperate Whitby attack late to punch their ticket to the 2015 OHL Cup with a 3-1 win.
Summary:
1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties- Perrotta Miss (hooking) 10:17; Radisa Miss
(cross checking), 9:44; Radisa Miss (tripping) 6:41; Bull Whitby (roughing) 3:28.
2nd Period- 1, Mississauga, Wells (Viola, Shanahan), 4:15. 2, Mississauga, Isaacson (Wells, Shanahan), 2:09. Penalties- Thomson Whitby (hooking) 11:41; Radisa Miss (interference) 8:02; Isaacson Miss (hooking) 5:44; Wisco Whitby (interference) 5:20; Franzin Whitby (cross checking) 3:10; O’Brien Miss (interference) 1:59.
3rd period- 3, Whitby, Franzin (Bull, Kromer), 14:22. 4, Mississauga, Ceolin, 0:32. Penalties- Rich Miss (holding) 6:04; Raynor Miss (slashing) 0:13; Rourke Whitby (holding) 0:13.
Power Play Opportunities – Whitby 0/7 ; Mississauga 1/4.
Referees- Potvin, Garrett.
Linesmen- Law, Stiss.
For more information including schedule, rosters, and stats please visit www.ohlcup.ca.
Recaps by Josh Sweetland/OHL
