Attention to detail will be critical when the Belleville Bulls host the Barrie Colts in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference final on Friday Night Hockey.
The Bulls and Colts battled throughout the season for the top spot in conference standings. Both teams finished with 44 wins, but the Bulls captured home-ice advantage in this series by virtue of finishing with four more points. The Colts are a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs while the Bulls are 8-2 so far.
“I think both hockey clubs are good in all areas of the game,” Colts head coach Dale Hawerchuk said. “When you get to this point, it comes down to who executes and a lot of little things matter. Both teams have had a great regular season and a good start to the playoffs and I think anybody watching is looking forward to this series.”
Home-ice for Belleville means more than simply having a partisan crowd behind them. The Olympic-sized surface at the Yardmen Arena is unique and presents a different challenge for the Colts, who played just once in Belleville this season.
“We’ve been preparing well for the Olympic ice over here in Barrie,” Colts assistant captain Alex Lepkowski said. “We have a good skating team from our forwards down to our defence. I think we’re a mobile team. I don’t think the Olympic ice is going to play too much of a factor and we’ll be ready for it.”
The Colts and Bulls each finished their last series in a sweep, which gave them plenty of time to wait for this series to begin.
“It’s uncommon you would have eight or nine or more days (off) at this time of the season, but we’ve taken a lot of pride of staying in the present,” Bulls head coach and general manager George Burnett said. “I think any team that’s successful at this time of the year is a team that’s able to stay in the present.”
THE STARS: Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Mark Scheifele is making his final games in junior hockey memorable. He’s tied for third in league playoff scoring with 16 points in eight games. After once again getting a taste of the NHL life before being sent back to Barrie for the second-consecutive season, Scheifele made sure he was a difference-maker upon returning to Barrie.
“Mark has always had a terrific attitude,” Hawerchuk said. “Obviously, he’s disappointed (he didn’t stay in the NHL) – all our players in our league want to play in the National Hockey League at some point. It’s just a question of when for him. It was a little bit of a disappointment at first and he’s been a terrific player obviously and a terrific leader as well. I think there’s nobody that loves the game more than Mark does and he’s led well to get us to this point.”
The Vancouver Canucks obtained a solid prospect with last year’s first-round pick in Bulls captain Brendan Gaunce. Like Scheifele, Gaunce has recorded 16 points so far in the playoffs as his burgeoning leadership qualities come to the fore.
“I’m more of a leader by example, but if I have to be, I can be a vocal leader,” he said. “At the same time, I think my first progression and first instinct is to lead by example.”
PLAYERS DRAFTED BY NHL TEAMS
NAMES TO WATCH: Jordan Subban, the youngest of the Subban trio, made huge strides in his second season. The defenceman, who is constantly compared to older brother P.K. due to similar playing styles, took off in the second-half of the season and has earned the trust of his coach to play in various situations.
“Jordan has matured,” Burnett said. “I think naturally he sees the comparisons between he and his older brother and I know that they’re not the same people. I think that P.K. has certainly helped him along the way with his preparation and his focus, but he’s done a lot of great things as a young player in this league.
“Offensively, he blossomed this year – maybe a little further ahead than his older brother (at the same age). I think he’s been utilized in key situations. I think more and more towards the post-season, down the stretch and in the post-season, he’s taken on more responsibilities and being able to be on the ice against the other team’s elite players and has handled that quite well. I know he’s very excited to continue to play on the big stage as we move forward here.”
A year ago, former Colts forward Tanner Pearson was drafted with the last pick in the first-round by the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. Pearson had been passed over the year before, which should give inspiration to his former teammate Zach Hall, who could hear his name called this summer after failing to make the cut the previous two drafts.
“All our guys and throughout the league, they all want to make it to the National Hockey League and some just arrive at different times,” Hawerchuk said. “Sometimes it clicks in for guys at 16, 17, 18, 19 and some at 20. Tanner was a case where, as a 19-year-old, he went to a whole other level and ended up becoming a first-round pick. Zach’s had a terrific year this year as well. Who knows what the future holds for him.”
POTENTIAL FUTURE NHL DRAFT PICKS
THE GOALIES: Among the storylines highlighted in this series is a potential goalie battle between Belleville’s Malcolm Subban and Barrie’s Mathias Niederberger. They’re among the two best at their position in the league and have given their teams stellar play through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“I think whenever you have a goaltender that has the credentials (Subban) has playing in the world juniors, being a first-round pick and showing it day in and day out that he can be one of the best goalies in the league, you obviously have to be able to have some confidence in him,” Gaunce said. “But we also have respect for Niederberger when we play him. He showed this year and last year that he’s one of the best goalies in the league as well, so we come in with the confidence in Malcolm, but we know that they have the same confidence in their goalie.”
Belleville could feel like a bit of a homecoming for Niederberger, a German product who played a lot of hockey on the bigger ice surface in Europe before coming to the OHL last season.
“I think there was an adjustment when he came over two years ago to the smaller rink,” Hawerchuk said. “He’s obviously grown up on the bigger rink. He has a good feel on that type of ice surface for sure.”
WHAT’S AT STAKE: Both teams come into this meeting having won their first game of the previous two series. In Barrie’s case, their come from behind, overtime win in Game 1 against Oshawa in the last round set the tempo for what would be a stunning series sweep.
“Everybody’s excited to get into Game 1 and get the series going,” Hawerchuk said. “As much as we’re looking forward to it, I’m sure Belleville is as well.”
“I expect both teams will be hungry and ready to play,” Burnett added. “When you play back-to-back in your own building, it’s critically important that you start well. We’ve worked hard all year long to have that home-ice advantage and it’s something that we wanted to take advantage of and make sure that we’re finding ways to succeed out of the gate early in the series.”
