OHL teams on collision course
Otters, Spitfires both 2-0 in Memorial Cup tourney play
It’s been an Ontario Hockey League domination through four games of the 99th MasterCard Memorial Cup.
The OHL champion Erie Otters and the host Windsor Spitfires are both 2-0 after two games following Erie’s 12-5 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Monday.
The 12 goals by Erie is a new tournament record for goals in a game and captain Dylan Strome had four goals and seven points to set a new single-game point mark in the tournament.
“I’m not surprised (the Spitfires are) 2-0 and it’s silly for me to say I’m surprised we’re (unbeaten),” Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Monday’s result means the tournament will not have a Thursday tiebreaker game for the secondstraight year as the four teams head in opposite directions.
Saint John (0-2) will play the Seattle Thunderbirds (0-2) on Tuesday with the winner advancing to Friday’s semifinal while the loser will be eliminated.
“In the playoffs, you live day to day whether it’s a tournament format or it’s four rounds in the playoffs,” Sea Dogs head coach Danny Flynn said. “Every day is a best-of-one.
“It’s way different in a tournament than it is in a playoff round when you see a team up to seven games. This is a one-shot deal on the way through. You need to win one of the first three to get yourself into a playoff game.”
The Spitfires (2-0) and Otters (2-0) will play each other on Wednesday to conclude the round-robin portion of the tournament. The winner goes directly to Sunday’s final with the loser playing Tuesday’s winner in Friday’s semifinal.
“You want to play against the best players and the best teams and that’s how you get better,” Spitfires defenceman Logan Stanley said. “No one’s going to take anything for granted after Game 1 and definitely, after Game 2, Erie’s going to know they have to play well and we have to improve, too.”
Combined in the four games, Erie and Windsor have combined to outscore Saint John and Seattle combined 26-10.
“I never had a plan of who was going to win (the tournament),” Knoblauch said. “I know Windsor didn’t, maybe, get enough respect for how good they are.
“If we play our game, we should be just fine.”
Erie dominated Monday. The club connected on five-of-seven chances on the power play, won 50-of76 faceoffs and outshot the Sea Dogs 39-22.
Taylor Raddysh had two goals and six points. Darren Raddysh also had two goals and finished with four points.