2016 OHL Cup Quarter-Final Preview
After 40 round-robin games at the 2016 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament the top eight teams in Ontario have emerged and are now just three wins away from minor midget supremacy.
A trio of undefeated OMHA teams in the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs (4-0-0), Quinte Red Devils (3-0-1) and York Simcoe Express (2-0-2) have all advanced after coming away from Round Robin play atop their respective divisions.
The Don Mills Flyers came through with a big 4-2 win over the GTHL opponent Mississauga Rebels on Friday afternoon to claim the Shanahan Division crown with a record of 3-1-0.
Four GTHL clubs have accounted for second place Quarter-Final entries including the aforementioned Mississauga Rebels (3-1-0), Toronto Jr. Canadiens (3-1-0), Toronto Red Wings (2-2-0) and the reigning OHL Cup Champion Toronto Marlboros (3-1-0).
The Don Mills Flyers will be playing their second must win game after a big victory over the Rebels on Friday to eliminate the Barrie Jr. Colts from Quarter-Final contention. The Flyers were hot and cold throughout the tournament, scoring 12 goals over their opening two games before being shutout by Barrie 4-0. Wyllum Deveaux’s two goals and an assist paved the way to a big win on Friday afternoon though and the Flyers are still standing on Saturday. Big captain Jack McBain has led Don Mills scoring with seven assists in four games but the Flyers have had a deep pool of contributors, with five others tied at five points through Round Robin play.
Facing them, the Toronto Red Wings will try and bounce back from 6-5 overtime loss to the Kingston Jr. Frontenacs on Friday afternoon. While their latest outing certainly wasn’t their finest, the Wings did manage to emerge from a tight Subban Division with wins over Windsor and the Mississauga Senators. Christian Lepone’s six points (2-4–6) have led all Red Wings scorers with Matthew Hayami, Brett Hayton and Luke Moncada trailing close behind with five. The Wings took wins in two of their three meetings against Don Mills in their regular season series.
The Mississauga Rebels will look to rebound from Friday’s loss to Don Mills when they face the York Simcoe Express at 10:30am. Mississauga had looked like one of the OHL Cup’s elite few through their opening three games but ran into a determined Flyers team to round out their Round Robin schedule with a 4-2 loss. Thomas Maia’s eight points (3-5–8) led the team in scoring, also placing him second in the entire showcase behind Niagara North’s Hunter Holmes.
After settling for a pair of ties after a win over the Red Wings on Wednesday, the York Simcoe Express enter Quarter-Final action off a 5-1 victory over the Windsor Jr. Spitfires on Friday. Captain Cameron Hillis has led all Express scorers with four goals and an assist as the offensively potent OMHA Champs have had some trouble finding the back of the net so far at the 2016 OHL Cup.
In the third Quarter-Final matchup, the reigning champion Toronto Marlboros will have their hands full with the 2016 OHL Cup’s only undefeated team; the 4-0 Hamilton Bulldogs. The Marlies have overcome a Wednesday hiccup, rattling off a pair of wins after falling 2-1 to the Quinte Red Devils. Akil Thomas has led the way offensively with six points (3-3–6) while Danil Antropov (3-2–5) and Thomas Tinmouth (1-4–5) have accompanied him atop the list of the club’s scoring leaders.
Hamilton has been impressive thus far, getting contributions from up and down their lineup. The Dogs have scored wins over the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, Waterloo Wolves, Thunder Bay Kings and Niagara North Stars, getting quality goaltending from both Tanner Sheppard and Matthew Lukic in the process. Tight defence has been their calling card, but Hamilton has received regular offence from Jack Wismer (3-5–8) and Marino Moro (4-3–7) thus far.
The morning’s last Quarter-Final clash sees one of the GTHL’s offensive talents in the Toronto Jr. Canadiens taking on the intriguing Wild Card entry Quinte Red Devils.
The Jr. Canadiens have rebounded from an OHL Cup-opening loss to Hamilton, defeating Niagara North, Thunder Bay and Waterloo to finish 3-1 after four games. Matthew Falls’ pair of multi-point performances have placed him atop the Jr. Canadiens’ scoring leaders with three goals, four assists and seven points. The winners of the Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic will look to come through in another big game facing a relentless Red Devils squad.
An all-around fun team to watch, the Quinte Red Devils return for their second straight Quarter-Final bout at the OHL Cup Showcase after falling in overtime on Ryan McLeod’s OT winner for the Toronto Marlboros last year. Returning standout Nathan Dunkley leads Quinte into the big matchup while forwards Dawson Baker and Matt Sherwin have both provided the Red Devils with quality play through their first four games. Baker’s four goals, two assists and six points lead Quinte in scoring while goaltenders Pierce Nelson and Evan Morrison have been tremendous throughout the week.
Eight teams enter, four teams will remain come early afternoon as the battle to advance to the OHL Cup Semi-Finals on Saturday night gets underway!
2016 OHL Cup Playoff Schedule:
Saturday March 19, 2016
Quarter-Final 1:
10:00 am – Toronto Red Wings (2ND Place Subban Division) vs. Don Mills Flyers (1ST Place Shanahan Division)
Quarter-Final 2:
10:30 am – Mississauga Rebels (2ND Place Shanahan Division) vs. York Simcoe Express (1ST Place Subban Division)*
Quarter-Final 3:
11:45 am – Toronto Marlboros (2ND Place Nash Division) vs. Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs (1ST Place Lindros Division)
Quarter-Final 4:
12:15 pm – Toronto Jr. Canadiens (2ND Place Lindros Division) vs. Quinte Red Devils (1ST Place Nash Division)*
Semi-Final 1
6:00 pm – Winner Quarter-Final 2 vs. Winner Quarter-Final 1*
Semi-Final 2
8:00 pm – Winner Quarter-Final 4 vs. Winner Quarter-Final 3*
*Broadcast LIVE on Rogers TV Sports Digital 369 and Rogers TV Cable 10/63 in Toronto/Scarborough.
Monday March 21:
Championship Final:
7:30 pm – Winner Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner Semi-Final 2 at Mattamy Athletic Centre**
**Broadcast LIVE on Sportsnet Ontario
