A back-to-back champ in the Pollock Division takes on a scary beast from the Carruthers Division as the Schmalz Cup playoffs begin for the Mount Forest Patriots and the Stayner Siskins.
Mount Forest had an excellent regular season, and Pollock playoff run, losing just 2 games en route to their 2nd straight division title. They survived a marathon series against the Walkerton Hawks, with 5 of the 6 games seeing overtime, and the series could have tilted either way with just one bounce it seemed. But the Pats had the depth and gas to triumph, and will now face a very stiff test in the high flying Carruthers champs from Stayner. A year after getting swept in the division finals by Alliston, Stayner took out a year's worth of frustration and revenge on Alliston in a 5 game triumph this year. By virtue of having 8 teams and no bye week, Stayner have played 15 games in the playoffs, winning 12, and have scored 84 goals, which is a staggering total. Mount Forest, in 10 games, have 49, still huge but even if they had the 5 extra games they'd be nowhere near Stayner. This will be a high scoring series, no doubt, and it may come down to who can clamp down in third periods and whose goaltender can out-duel the other. Both can score. How do they stack up?
The Patriots have a marvelous first line of division MVP Blair Butchart centering goal machine Klayton Hoelscher and a man I refer to as "the tool box", Michael Stefanelli. They bring so many different things to the unit. Butchart can dazzle with his puck carrying and has excellent vision, which makes him as dangerous a playmaker as you'll find in Jr. C. Hoelscher has the big body and the smarts to find the quiet areas to jump into and finish a play, as evidenced by his 4 goal explosion in game 1 of the Pollock final. Stefanelli, whose nickname I'll explain now, does so many different things to help his team mates. He is the utility man that goes into corners and wrenches pucks loose, has great hands in front of goal, and is defensively sound. He oftern is the first man over the boards to kill penalties, and often takes defensive zone draws, too. Unsurprisingly, those 3 lead the team in points in the playoffs with Butchart at 20, Hoelscher with 18 (including a team leading 12 goals) and Stefanelli at 14. Tied with Stefanelli is the dynamic puck wizard Riley Cribbin, who is one of the best dangle artists in the league. He can sometimes be guilty of holding onto the puck too long, but in open space, there's few players more dangerous or creative with the puck on his blade. Mount Forest has good depth scoring in Ryan Maksymyk (8 points), Luke Hoelscher (5 points) and Troy Weber (5 points), with others able to chip in as well. But they lean heavily on that top unit for good reason.
Defensively, there isn't a ton of offensive pop, one might say, but the Pats have a quick, mobile unit with enough physical snarl to keep opponents at bay. Captain Shawn Lantz has had a great playoffs, leading defenders in scoring with 8 points, and playing the reliable two-way game that Head Coach Trent McClement likes. The addition of former Waterloo Siskin Thomas Haffner has been nothing shy of brilliant. Haffner chipped in with 7 points, and was consistently the Pats' best blueliner against Walkerton in the final, using his slick skating and passing ability to transition the attack the other way. Slight in size, Haffner uses a quick stick and excellent positioning to thwart opposing forwards, and did a stellar job against Gary Mantz and Spencer Elder of Walkerton. The Pats have some nice size in Dylan Brown and Brock Philips, and their top 4 should be able to hang with the high flying Siskins forwards, but it will be a big test and something the series could hinge on. Mount Forest only allowed 32 goals on the way here, while Stayner have allowed just 38, in five more games.
Speaking of the series hinging on something, everyone is wondering if Mount Forest starter David Lobsinger will be okay to start the series. Lobsinger was pulled in game 6 against Walkerton in the first period after tweaking his groin, and young Aiden Quish came in and performed very well to seal the championship. Lobsinger has been great all playoffs, going 7-2-0 with a 3.15 GAA and .896 save percentage, but if he can't go, the Pats won't worry too much as they have faith in the youngster Quish.
For Stayner, they have one of the scariest offenses in the entire PJHL. Their 84 goals for is astounding. The Siskins have 3 monsters up front with Joey Visconti (21 points) tied for the team lead with sensational D-man Austin Fischer, Jordan Taylor (20 points) and JD Falconer (19 points). What's scary though is the scoring depth here. The Siskins have 5 more players with double digit points up front. The Pats only have 4 total. This is a group that can shred teams with offense alone.
I mentioned Austin Fischer in the last paragraph, and at times, it's hard to tell if he's a defenseman or a forward. Fischer is an extremely talented player, tied for his team lead in playoff scoring, and had an awesome regular season putting up 46 points. Fischer is the modern day definition of offensive defenseman. He can wheel the puck up ice with ease by himself, set up a play, or take pucks to the net and score. He's a dangerous rover on the ice that the Patriots will have to be aware of at all times. However, after Fischer, the offensive numbers fall off sharply. The next highest scoring D-man is Liam Kendall with 7 points, and the rest of the D-core is similar to that of Mount Forest. Mobile guys who aren't flashy but can execute plays and be physical in their own end. It will be interesting to see how this defense handles the very best that Mount Forest has to offer offensively.
In goal, Stayner relies on Marcus Semiao, who in 11 appearances has a record of 8-3-0 with a shutout, a 2.40 GAA and a sterling .928 save percentage. He has been lights out and was sensational against Alliston, showing he is capable of closing the door against the highest level of competition. He is supported by Zach Levac, who in 6 appearances has a 4-0-0 record, a 2.64 GAA and .899 save percentage. Levac has shown he can step in and do the work Stayner requires when needed, but for all intents and purposes, this is Semiao's net barring injury or a severe downturn in play.
This series will prove to be a huge test for the Patriots, though they offer plenty of challenges that will be unique for Stayner as well. It promises to be high flying and chock full of goals. The series kicks off tomorrow night in Stayner, with our first broadcast on AM920 going Saturday night for game 2 in Mount Forest at 8 pm with Steve Sabourin and Cory Hamilton on the call.
For more on back-to-back Pollock Division titles and the upcoming series against Stayner, here is Patriots GM Rob Nixon:
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