Tag Archives: Alliance

2015/16 Windsor Jr. Spitfires Preview

Posted on by
Reply

windsor logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 5-23-5 (10th overall)

Final Result – Did not qualify for Minor Midget Playdowns

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 19-7-6 (2nd overall)

Final Result – Lost in 6 to Waterloo in Finals

Following a disappointing season last year, the Windsor Jr. Spitfires are poised for a huge bounce back year and are legitimate contenders for the Alliance Championship.

After a five win season last year, the Minor Midget program was down in the lower tier of the Alliance. But there had to be a sneaking feeling of excitement just looking at what the Bantams were doing last season. The bantam Jr. Spitfires assembled one of the best records in the league and went six games in the finals before losing to the Waterloo Wolves. It shouldn’t come as a shock to expect more big things from the minor midget team this year because nearly every player from the bantam team last season has returned.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Sun County Panthers Preview

Posted on by
Reply

sun county panthers logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 16-14-3 (7th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 4 to Waterloo in Quarter-Finals

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 10-18-4 (9th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 5 to Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs in Quarter-Finals

Defence was the name of the game last season in Sun County. The Panthers were rock solid between the pipes with the highly touted Michael Dipietro and Patrick Timpany combined for a GAA of under 2. The problems that last seasons team ran into was on offense. Heading into this new season, Sun County the offense can match the defense to provide a few extra wins on the season.

On last seasons bantam team, the offense was very reflective of its minor midget counterpart. The big difference between the bantams and the midgets was that there was no Dipietro in net. I don’t mean that as a slight, but Dipietro is a once every five or ten years type talent.

Click here for full article

2015/16 London Jr. Knights Preview

Posted on by
Reply

london logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 26-3-4 (1st overall)

Final Result – Lost in 5 to Waterloo in Finals (OHL Cup Semi-Finalist)

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 20-9-3 (4th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 3 to Windsor in Quarter-Finals

After one of the best seasons and best teams the Alliance has seen in some time, the London Jr. Knights are poised with somehow trying duplicate or even exceed that success. It won’t be easy, but London has some dynamic players that will be ready for the task at hand.

Following a season where London made the semi-finals of the OHL Cup and had the likes of Nick Suzuki, Issac Ratcliffe, Max Vinogradov and Aidan Hughes, it’s hard to say that the Jr. Knights would have a player even more highly touted then those. But that is exactly what they have on their hands. Eric Guest, who played his Bantam hockey with the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs, is the offensive threat the rest of the Alliance will be tasked with trying to shut down. Guest is currently ranked #10 on The Scout when it comes to the top prospects for the 2016 OHL Priority Selection Draft. Guest shined last season with the Chiefs during the OHL Cup, collecting three points in four games. While Guest is the most touted newcomer for London, he’s joined by others who will also make a big impact.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Lambton Jr. Sting Preview

Posted on by
Reply

lambton logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 8-20-5 (8th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 3 to London in Quarter-Finals

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 10-19-3 (10th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 6 to Sun County in Preliminary Round

 

Following a season full of ups and downs, the Lambton Jr. Sting are hoping that an improvement on defence is the key to taking the next step up the standings.

In the 2014/15 season, only two teams allowed more goals than the 156 that the Sting allowed. The defense is trending to get better when you look at the Bantam squad from last season. Goaltender Jakob Knowles is back between the pipes in an attempt to repeat some of the performances that he had last year as a Bantam player.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs Preview

Posted on by
Reply

elgin logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 24-5-4 (3rd overall)

Final Result – Lost in 4 to Waterloo in Semi-Finals (OHL Cup Berth)

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 23-4-5 (1st overall)

Final Result – Lost in 5 to Waterloo in Semi-Finals

It should come as no shock to anybody if the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs were to finish in the top three this season. They have built a top notch program, one that even had the best regular season record in Bantam last season. But before the season even began, the Chiefs were hit with some hard news.

Last years Bantam star Eric Guest made the move over to the London Jr. Knights, taking his superb talents to the cross-town rival. Guest was the top scorer for the Bantams last season and even joined last years Minor Midget team at the OHL Cup, showing everyone his talents with 3 points in 4 games. Even the boys over at The Scout have Guest as their 9th rated prospect going into the 2016 OHL Priority Selection Draft.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Chatham-Kent Cyclones Preview

Posted on by
Reply

chatham logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 1-26-6 (12th overall)

Final Result – Did not qualify for Minor Midget Playdowns

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 3-23-6 (11th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 3 to London in Preliminary Round

After a season in which the Cyclones only tasted victory once, 2014/15 was a year to forget for the boys in Chatham-Kent. While there was only one regular season win, it seemed that the Cyclones figured some things out when it came to their version of the postseason.

Chatham-Kent went 3-1-2 in their preliminary playoff round. While they were eventually ousted by Sun County, it showed the promise that the team had. Down in Bantam, their Cyclone team had more victories, but still found themselves trailing behind a few teams. A couple of additions and some added experience are what Chatham believes can help them improve.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Waterloo Wolves Preview

Posted on by
Reply

waterloo logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 25-3-5 (2nd overall)

Final Result – Defeated London in 5 games to win Alliance Championship (OHL Cup Berth)

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 14-11-7 (7th overall)

Final Result – Defeated Windsor in 6 games to win Alliance Championship

The two-time defending Alliance champions are hoping a slew of new players can help them capture their 3rd straight Alliance championship and their 4th straight OHL Cup appearance. They also have a collection of players who won the Major Bantam Alliance championship that know what winning is.

During the regular season last year, the Wolves and the London Jr. Knights were 1a and 1b in the league. Led on the blue line for Nate Schnarr and the scoring prowess of Sullivan Sparkes, Waterloo compiled 55 points and lost just three games in three series of playdowns. Despite the fact their Major Bantam team won it all, there was still a fair amount of turnover for the Wolves.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Kitchener Jr. Rangers Preview

Posted on by
Reply

kitchener logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 20-9-4 (4th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 7 to London in Semi-Finals (Earned an OHL Cup Berth)

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 18-6-8 (3rd overall)

Final Result – Lost in 4 to Waterloo in Quarter-Finals

After a 2nd straight appearance in the OHL Cup, the Jr. Rangers hope they can ride great goaltending and solid defence into another appearance and an Alliance Championship.

Last years Kitchener squad was led by 2nd year Minor Midget players Owen Lane and Jason Willms and it was their experience that helped the Rangers take London to the brink in their semi-final season. It was their mid-season accomplishment that really put the Jr. Rangers on the map last season. In the Toronto Marlies holiday tournament, the Rangers surprised everyone but themselves when they made it all the way to the finals to take on the Don Mills Flyers. Despite coming short, their run put all of the other Alliance teams on notice that they were for real.

While last years Minor Midget team surprised some with their play, the Major Bantam team disappointed in their playoff run. The Bantams met the Waterloo Wolves in their quarter-final series and were shut down by Nathan Torchia in four games.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Huron-Perth Lakers Preview

Posted on by
Reply

huron logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 16-9-8 (6th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 3 to Elgin-Middlesex in Quarter-Finals

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 15-8-9 (6th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 4 to Hamilton in Quarter-Finals

Following a couple of years as a part of the cream of the crop, the Huron-Perth Lakers were a little shell shocked last season as they drop into the middle of the pack. Heading into this season, the Lakers have their sights set at the top of the league.

When you take look back at the Major Bantam squad from last season, they played very strong offense while keeping tight defensively. They were the highest scoring team in their division and consistently played tight games against powerhouses like Kitchener and Hamilton. With all that said, it’s no surprise that the Minor Midget team will include 13 returning players.

Click here for full article

2015/16 Hamilton Huskies Preview

Posted on by
Reply

hamilton logo

2014/15 Minor Midget Record – 17-7-9 (5th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 3 to Kitchener in Quarter-Finals

2014/15 Major Bantam Record – 17-7-8 (5th overall)

Final Result – Lost in 6 to Windsor in Semi-Finals

Prior to last season, the Hamilton Huskies were hoping to end up in the upper tier of the Minor Midget standings. An early season injury to top player Hayden Davis had the Huskies plateau at 5th in the standings and just missing a chance to be competitive with the top four teams.

Last years bantam squad was similar to the minor midget team in that it also just placed outside of the top four, but a solid run in the playoffs had them take the Jr. Spitfires to six games. 10 players will return from that bantam team along with a couple of additions. Out is Matt Lukic in net and in is Andrew Barwinski, who played his bantam hockey with the OMHA’s Guelph Gryphons. Issac Taylor and Zach Jankovic have arrived from the 99ers and Liam Jacobs comes over from the Jr. Bulldogs, also of the OMHA.

Click here for full article