The Owen Sound Attack are anything but flashy although they are still winning games.
The Owen Sound Attack don't look like a championship team.
Their starting goaltender has been missing due to injury since November. The team did not load up at the trade deadline, nor does it have a group of experienced veteran players that have won before. Even those on the team acknowledge it isn't the most skillful in the league.
To put it bluntly, there are plenty of reasons why this team shouldn't win. And yet, their chances have never been better.
The Attack does have one trait shared by championship-calibre teams with its uncanny ability to win games. Owen Sound has won eight in succession and 11 of the past 13 since the trade deadline.
They play the type of meat-and-potatoes style that looks less pretty in the rink than on the score sheet. As long as the team keeps winning, that style won't change.
"We need to keep it simple," team captain Garrett Wilson said. "Get pucks in, get pucks out -- lots of shots on net. That's what our coaching staff has been stressing to us all year. We're finally buying in and winning games."
The Attack asserted itself among elite teams with its red-hot play. Owen Sound overtook the suddenly-struggling Saginaw Spirit for first in the Ontario Hockey League's wildly unpredictable Western Conference.
The Attack trail the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors by eight points for first overall. The MasterCard Memorial Cup hosting Majors also hold three games in hand, but their lead is not as comfortable as it once was now that the Attack are gaining ground.
"To finish first is definitely huge because then you have home ice (advantage) throughout the playoffs no matter what round," Wilson said. "It's going to be huge to get that first spot going into the playoffs and hopefully we can do that."
One can hardly blame the captain for speaking optimistically. Lately, there's been no reason not to think this team won't continue climbing up the standings. The team already overcame starting goaltender Scott Stajcer's injury early in the season as National Hockey League draft eligible Jordan Binnington proved a more than suitable replacement.
There's a definite excitement surrounding the team. It's a far cry from the "same old" in a city used to adopting a cynical "maybe next year" mentality with regards to its hockey team.
Since the Guelph Platers relocated to Owen Sound in 1988-89, the franchise has experienced just nine playoff series victories. The last came in 2006, a surprising five-game series win over a heavily-favoured Kitchener Rangers team.
But the franchise is still searching its first OHL title since calling Owen Sound home. The closest it came was in 1999 -- just one season before changing the team name from Platers to Attack -- when it reached the Western Conference finals.
Perhaps the most surprising part of this year's team is that its core group is able to succeed after tasting defeat through much of their time in Owen Sound.
"The last three years that I've been here we really haven't done anything at all," veteran forward Joey Hishon said. "We only made the playoffs the one year (in 2009). A lot of guys are in the same boat and have that bitter taste from previous seasons so it's very exciting that we're winning so much this year."
Not to mention exciting for the fans. In a small community where junior hockey players are very recognizable, it can be hard to escape the fans' criticism when the going gets tough.
"They criticize us pretty good when we're losing games," Wilson acknowledged.
There's a sense of urgency amongst the fan base that is starving for a championship. The fans would love nothing more than to end the city's drought and cement itself on the map of elite junior hockey cities.
Those that follow the Attack closest know the chances are greatest this season. But with those newfound expectations comes pressure, and the players feel it in spite of the winning-streak.
"Sometimes you do feel a little bit of pressure from (the fans) because the city hasn't won before -- the team hasn't won before," Hishon said. "But I think that will only push us harder and make us play better."
"We're still trying to take it a game at a time and obviously can't look too far ahead," head coach Mark Reeds said. "We're looking for that consistency in our game."
For a team that isn't used to looking like a championship contender, that consistency may be the missing link in overcoming its alleged flaws.
Sometimes looks can be deceiving.
