Colts gallop into OHL final
BARRIE— The Barrie Colts cruised through the first two rounds of the OHL playoffs, sweeping Kingston and Oshawa.
But the Colts ran into some trouble against Belleville in the Eastern final and needed a win in Game 7 to reach the OHL final.
As they head to London to face the Knights on Friday in Game 1, the Colts feel the tough series against the Bulls will work in their favour. “Winning it in Game 7 is always a good feeling,” said Colts head coach Dale Hawerchuk. “To go win Game 7 in their rink is quite a feat.”
The Knights have had a week off after needing just five games to eliminate the Plymouth Whalers in the Western Conference final.
“We have a bit of momentum from the last series, and the guys are pretty excited to get this going,” said Colts captain Ryan O’Connor.
Alex Broadhurst and Chris Tierney have teamed with Max Domi to form the top line for the Knights, but the strength up front continues with Seth Griffith, Bo Horvat, Ryan Barrie Colts at London Knights 7 p.m. Rupert, and four goals by rookie Remi Elie.
With a blue-line corps of Scott Harrington and Olli Maatta (both Pittsburgh draftees), plus Nikita Zadorov and Tommy Hughes (signed by the Rangers as a free agent), London appears to have depth in all three zones.
“These are both skilled teams,” coach Dale Hunter said. “The fans will appreciate all the great players in this series and the number of guys who will be in the NHL someday.”
Barrie’s won its only OHL championship in 2000, but the Colts have been to the final three times. Most recently, they were swept by the Windsor Spitifires in 2010.
In order for the Colts to win their second title in franchise history, they will need goalie Mathias Niederberger to continue his stellar play. The undrafted overager from Germany leads the league with a .940 save percentage.