FACTS + FIGURES
A hot goalie, a high-scoring Greyhound and a hardware history lesson top our by the numbers look at the Ontario Hockey League.
16
The number of goals scored in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinal between the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and the Owen Sound Attack — the most in a playoff game since 2015. And it was a wild one. The Bears tallied first before the Hounds responded with six straight goals. Then Owen Sound scored six of the next eight markers, including four in the last six minutes of the third period. The final was 9-7 in favour in the Soo, which now plays the Kitchener Rangers for the conference title.
2
The number of hat tricks Boris Katchouk has recorded in the postseason, including one in Tuesday’s series clincher against the Attack. The Hounds forward, who also had an assist in that game, now has 11 playoff goals altogether, which ties him with Kingston’s Gabe Vilardi for most in the OHL. Only one other player has a hatty in the post-season — that’s Kitchener’s Adam Mascherin, who notched three in a game against the Guelph Storm in Round 1.
755
The number of kilometres separating the Essar Centre in Sault Ste. Marie and Kitchener’s Memorial Auditorium, which, if the Western Conference final also goes to seven games, would mean the Rangers will travel 4,536 kilometres in the series. It also adds up to more than 46 hours — or nearly two entire days — on the road.
0.921
The top save percentage among goalies still in the running for an OHL championship, and it belongs to Jeremy Helvig. Going into Game 1 of his team’s Eastern Conference final against the Hamilton Bulldogs Wednesday, the Kingston Frontenacs netminder had allowed 31 goals on 391 shots in 11 playoff games. His 2.61 goals-against average was also second only to Hamilton’s Kaden Fulcher, who started the series with a 0.907 save percentage and a 2.51 GAA.
9.64
The average number of penalty minutes per game taken by the Fronts through their first 11 postseason matchups — the least in the league. Through two rounds, Kingston was short-handed just 39 times, allowing seven goals for a kill rate of 82.1 per cent. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, took 13 penalty minutes per game, which is the most among the four teams still in contention for the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and were giving up one power play goal per game heading into the conference final.
16
The number of years in which the league has handed out the Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr trophies to the Western and Eastern Confer-
ence champions, respectively. Since 2003, when the awards were created in honour of two of the OHL’s all-time greatest graduates, the London Knights have won the Gretzky Trophy a league-high five times. On the other side, the Ottawa 67’s, Barrie Colts and Niagara IceDogs have each hoisted the Orr Trophy twice.
61
The number of OHL players listed in Central Scouting’s final rankings for the 2018 NHL draft. Released early this week, the rankings include 56 skaters and five goalies — which means roughly a quarter of all the North American players rated by the service this year are currently playing in the league. Among them is Russian-born Colts forward Andrei Svechnikov, who was rated the No. 1 prospect on the continent. The draft takes place in Dallas in late June.