The Hanover Barons are gearing up to head east as they prepare for this year's Provincial Junior Hockey League North Conference Final against the Alliston Hornets.
Hanover defeated Mount Forest 2-1 in Game 7 on Monday, April 8 to end a nail-biting Pollock Division Final that included overtime in games 4, 5, and 6. The victory marked the Barons' first Pollock Division title since the formation of the PJHL in 2016-17 and their first title victory of any kind since 2002-03 in the former Western Junior C Hockey League.
For Hanover Head Coach Brady Anderson, the victory is sweet, but not enough.
"We love it, and the players deserve it, but we're not done. We've got a chance to do something special, and that's the goal. We want the whole thing," said Anderson in an interview with CKNXNewsToday.ca. "We're back to work already because there's nothing better than winning the whole damn thing."
The Pollock Division champion's history against teams from the Carruthers Division has been underwhelming since the PJHL formed. The combination of Alliston and the Stayner Siskins, whom the Hornets swept away in the Carruthers Division Final, has won each North Conference Final against Pollock Division opponents since 2016-17.
Despite the past record, the task is not insurmountable by any means. Each of these years, the Pollock Division representative won at least one game. Many felt that the Wingham Ironmen of 2019-20 would have defeated the Hornets in that year's North Conference Final had the season not been prematurely ended due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with the series tied 1-1.
"It's been a long time since our division has beaten anyone from the Carruthers Division," Anderson remarked. "We've got to come in prepared and be ready."
Meanwhile, Alliston Hornets General Manager Travis Chapman expressed excitement about the upcoming matchup, recognizing the Barons as a deep and fast team with an excellent power play. He admitted that Hornets staff attended a few Barons games in Mount Forest as the team looked to gather more info after their division final ended in a sweep.
Chapman highlighted the importance of covering all lines and maintaining a disciplined game plan to counter the Barons' strength.
"Our focus is always on what we're trying to accomplish in games, making teams adjust to what we're doing. We have to make sure everybody is ready to go when you've got a team that's that deep," he said.
Chapman noted the accomplishments of Patriots forward Brody Leblanc as one of the PJHL's best players, but used this as a springboard to compliment the Barons on their ability to slow Leblanc down during the Pollock Final. Leblanc, who had 101 points (51 G, 50 A) over 40 regular season games, had just seven points (3 G, 4 A) over seven games against Hanover, including being held without a point in Game 7. Anderson attributed this primarily to Barons defenceman Cam Angst, a former Listowel Cyclone, who Anderson says was essential in slowing Leblanc down.
For Alliston, Chapman says the team really took on its current form after their acquisition of Ben Smith (another former Cyclone), whom they picked up from the GOJHL's St. Catharines Falcons in December, 2023. Since Smith's first game on January 5, 2024, the Hornets are 26-1, with a loss to the Schomberg Cougars in Game 1 of the Carruthers Division Semi-Final the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect record over that time.
"Ben has done an excellent job of being aggressive and driving play," Chapman said. "He uses his speed to force defencemen to turn and try and skate with him. He's an important part of what we're doing."
Cole Turcotte, who had 81 points (38 G, 43 A) during the regular season, has 22 points (10 G, 12 A) in ten playoff games and is Alliston's best all-around player. The Hornets used a goaltender platoon during the regular season, but Alliston native Rod Lewis has grabbed ahold of the starter's job with a 10-1 record in this year's playoffs (2.18 GAA / .934 SV%), starting every game of a close series sweep against Stayner.
Both teams feel they're worthy of winning this year's Clarence Schmaltz Cup, which has gone back to its traditional playoff format following two seasons of a year-end tournament to decide to the champion. The winner of the North Conference Final will advance to the Schmaltz Cup Semi-Final against the winner of the East Conference Final, which is being contested between the two-time defending champion Clarington Eagles and the Napanee Raiders.
North Conference Final:
Game 1: Hanover @ Alliston, 8PM
Game 2: Alliston @ Hanover, 7PM
Game 3: Hanover @ Alliston, 2PM
Game 4: Alliston @ Hanover, 8PM
*Game 5: Hanover @ Alliston, 7:30PM
*Game 6: Alliston @ Hanover, 4PM
*Game 7: Hanover @ Alliston, 8:30PM
*If necessary