| Predator Feature Player |
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| Name: Dave Harris |
| Height: 6'0" |
| Weight: 195 lbs |
| Age: 18 |
| (DOB): Oct 2, 1989 |
| Stats: (Click Here) |
| Shoots: Right |
| Hometown: Waterloo, ON |
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Jr. A hockey preview: Shootout to decide games
Gard, Jeff
Sports - Friday, September 07, 2007 @ 09:00 With fewer teams in the Ontario Provincial Jr. A Hockey League's Eastern Division this season and less play-off spots available, every game will be important. Every game, though, will be decided. If there is no winner following regulation time and the five-minute 4-on-4 overtime period, a shootout will settle the game. Each team will select three shooters and if neither side scores a winning goal, the shootout will continue with different players until a sudden-victory goal is scored. "I don't like it. If you work hard and come away with a tie, especially on the road, you've earned yourself a point. Now you've got that extra point to worry about," said Cobourg Cougars coach Bill Brady. "We'll see at the end of the year if it benefits us or not." Peterborough Stars head coach Paul Mattucci has mixed feelings on the issue. "I'm more of a traditionalist and never had a problem with a game ending in a tie. Fans are going to like it, though, and that's a big part of the game as well," he said. Port Hope Predators coach Brian Drumm suggests the addition of the shootout format could change how a team competes at the end of a game. "You've got two chances now to get your extra point. There will be teams strong on the penalty shots and others that will want to win 4-on-4," he said. In the East, eight teams will be vying for the available play-offs berths. Each division will only have six teams advance to the postseason. That hasn't sat well with some coaches and general managers, at both ends of the spectrum. Teams fighting in the basement of the standings need play-off revenue as do the top-tier teams, especially since the first- and second-place clubs in each division will get a bye in the first round of the playoffs. "We don't like it at all. It's a short-sighted decision. (Top) two teams get a bye in February. That's when you want to be playing hockey," said Wellington Dukes head coach and general manager Marty Abrams, whose club is expected to be a contender for the regular season title again this season. "This is the only league in the world looking to reduce the number of play-off-bound teams." Quinte West Pack general manager Mark Burrowes agrees. "You can't really afford to come out of the gate slow," he said. "You need every game in this league to financially survive." Drumm expects fewer teams will be good for the league as it could spark more interest. Two teams have left the East; the Oswego Admirals are now the Dixie Beehives and play in the OPJHL's Southern Division, while the Bancroft Hawks have folded for the upcoming campaign. "When you see teams a lot, people that come to watch have a familiarity with the players and you get rivalries that become way more heated," he said. It could also create more parity in the league. "It's definitely going to tighten up the conference and you'll see good balance," said Kingston Voyageurs coach Evan Robinson. Lindsay Muskies head coach Tom Thornbury suggests Tier II fans could be in for a treat this season. "There's pressure every game to win so that's a great atmosphere to have. It should make for some interesting hockey," Thornbury said. Last year's regular season champion, the Bowmanville Eagles, have been a contender the past few seasons, but a rebuilding stage for the club could create an opportunity for some clubs to move up in the standings. "There are no free points out there," head coach Dan West said. Here's a look at the eight East Division teams: Bowmanville Eagles (Tied for first in regular season, 39-6-3-1 for 82 points. Advanced to the East semi-finals.) One of the top offensive clubs from a year ago, the Eagles will have to play at both ends of the rink this season to be competitive, says their new coach. Bowmanville has lost Scott Freeman, David Ross, Tavis Holden and Kyle Goodchild, who had 139 goals between them. Goaltenders Bryan Scott and Jesse Pischlar have also left the nest. "We're going to have to be a hardworking club that plays well defensively. We're going to take some bumps," said Eagles head coach Dan West. It appears Colborne Cobras Jr. C goaltender Troy Webster will have an opportunity to compete for the No. 1 job with the Eagles this season. Up front Bowmanville will look to seven returning forwards, including Louke Oakley, Brandon Couto, Andrew Fracz and Nicholas Diachenko. Hunter Syrydiuk, Allen Dillon and Carl Andrews have returned on defence. "We're happy with who we have and I know we'll still surprise some teams," West said. Cobourg Cougars (Ninth in regular season, 15-29-4-1 for 35 points. As a wildcard cross-over, the Cougars were defeated in the Northern quarter-finals.) Looking to build upon the progression made last season, the Cougars will have a mix of new and returning faces. Dan Clarke, who played the majority of games last season, is back in net. Patrick Jobb, Matt and James Diminie and Nick Walsh up front and Jeff Nickerson and Joe Bolahood on defence are some of the Cougars returning. Kingston Voyageurs (Fourth place in regular season, 26-17-3-3 for 58 points. Advanced to the East final, which also serves as a quarter-final matchup for the entire league.) Kingston advanced to the division final last season and have 15 players returning from that team, including new captain Brandon Perry, a forward, as well as defencemen Ben Munroe, Anthony Geldart and Dan Stone. The Vees also have some quality prospects in Jordan Mayar, a first-round selection of the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds who opted to play a year of Tier II junior A first. Also new are Mississauga Ice Dogs' draft picks Josh Dadic and Andrew Marcoux. Cobourg native Mackenzie Ball, who joined the Vees last season, is expected to shoulder most of the goaltending duties. Former captain Dylan Clarke, the older brother of Cougars' goaltender Dan Clarke, has moved on while Tim Revell, after a stellar rookie campaign, has now requested a trade to the Aurora Tigers. Lindsay Muskies (Eighth place in regular season, 15-27-5-2 for 37 points. Defeated in the first round East play-off series.) With some tinkering, Muskies coach Tom Thornbury expects some minor concerns have been addressed. "We're going to be a hardworking hockey club. We have some talented forwards and shored up our blueline with bigger, stronger, stay-at-home defencemen," he said. Returning are forwards Kyle Stojsin, Aaron Keaney, Corey George and Derek Davis and defencemen Brett Waters, Steve Harding and Mike Wills. The club also added veteran defenceman Chad Jones, a former Bancroft Hawk. Lindsay has also signed 20-year-old goaltender Chris Fearneley from Prince Edward Island. He had a brief stint with the Port Hope Predators last season. Some new faces to keep an eye on are hulking winger Josh Ruys and forward Cam Granger, whom Thornbury suggested could be the fastest skater in the league this year. Peterborough Stars (Fifth place in regular season, 20-25-3-1 for 44 points. Defeated in first round East play-off series.) Head coach Paul Mattucci has reason to be optimistic. His team placed fifth in the regular season last year and most of those players have returned looking to climb the East standings. Led by Pier-Olivier Cotnoir, Ryan Herlihey, Mitch Latchford and Mark MacDonell, the Stars are expected to be strongest up front. "All those guys were part of the nucleus last year. They worked hard over the summer and are raring to go," Mattucci said. Forward Alain Joanette, who led the Bancroft Hawks in scoring last season, has also joined the club. On defence the Stars potentially have five players returning in Tim Cavanagh, Tyler Talsma, Justin Crawford, Brad Karges and Corey O'Brien. "We're still not really experienced, but have a lot of guys that have played in the league," Mattucci said. Three goaltenders - Mason Kalus, Mathieu Cadieux and Zac Fryia - were still battling for the two roster positions at the end of training camp. Kalus saw action in 11 games last season as the backup to Breton MacKinnon who was traded in the off-season for the 16-year-old Cadieux. "Whoever the two guys are will battle for the No. 1 spot," Mattucci said. "There's no guarantees and you have to work for everything you get." Port Hope Predators (Third place in regular season, 31-11-5-2 for 69 points. Advanced to the East semi-finals.) The Predators have never been afraid of change and this year is no different. Starting right from behind the bench, Brian Drumm is the new coach. Fifteen players were eligible to return, though only a handful are back. Returning to the club are captain Kevin Parker, Jeremy McCarty, Jody Halas, Tyler Miller and Ben Finney. Port Hope has added defenceman and former Cobourg Cougar Greg Amato, who was traded to Orangeville recently before winding up with the Preds. Also new to the team is Cobourg's Nik Temple, who played for Trenton last year, and former Oswego Admirals' sniper Ian DeLong. Former Predator Chad Dunlop has also come back via the release-return rule. Goaltender Jeff Potvin left the team and his future with the club is uncertain. His departure could open the door for young Spencer Finney to earn the starting job with the Preds. Quinte West Pack (Seventh in regular season, 17-26-2-4 for 40 points. Defeated in the first round East play-off series.) Just like with their name, Quinte West (formerly the Trenton Sting) will have a fresh outlook this season. Few players remain from a year ago, including Tory Fisher, Jeff Broekema, Adam McAllister, Justin Villeneuve, Adam Vandertoorn and Richard Lee. Fisher isn't expected to return after Christmas, though, as he recovers from shoulder surgery. New to the lineup are a couple of players with Jr. A experience in former Cobourg Cougar Ryan Smetaniuk and Justin Talsma, who played last season with the Wellington Dukes. The club has also signed Shawn Sirman, an Oshawa Generals draft pick who has opted to keep his National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility open, and Ryan Mills who was one of the top rookies in the Empire Jr. C loop last year. "We're going to have a very young team. I know Trenton fans are sick of hearing 'rebuilding' but I don't know how else to put it," said general manager Mark Burrowes. "We do expect very little turnover the next couple of years." Departures from last year's Sting include Earl and Ed Hudick, Nik Temple, goaltender J.R. Woodland, Kyle Hawkins-Schultz, Ian Thistlethwaite and Don Sanderson. Wellington Dukes (Tied for first in regular season, 38-5-4-2 for 82 points. Won the East and advanced all the way to league championship series, losing to the Aurora Tigers.) The Dukes will be facing an identity crisis early this season but that is nothing new, especially from the net out. Paul Karpowich and Eric Levine are new to the crease this season. Dan Dunn, Anthony Peters and Ed Pasquale have all moved on, continuing a revolving door of netminders in recent years. "It's a bit of a goaltending factory (here). We know that and are proud of that, but it makes it difficult to replace them year after year," said Dukes head coach and general manager Marty Abrams. A lengthy play-off run put Dukes players in the spotlight. Abrams didn't expect a big turnover this year but competing in the OPJHL championship final will do that to a club. "We just didn't expect it. We thought we would have a decent team last year and even better one this year," Abrams said. Wellington has lost Joe Hall, Scott Fleming, Josh Chamberlain and Glenn Belmore who, combined, accounted for half of the club's offence last season. Abrams expects returning forwards, most notably Chris Brown, Zach Morbeck, Marc Senecal and Jeremy Franklin, to step up. "Those guys have to lead. Our success or lack of success will depend on how our returning top three or four forwards have developed," he said. |
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