NEWS

(pictured - In a 'Battle of Toronto,' the defending OJHL Champion Toronto Patriots take on the 2013 OJHL Champion St. Michael's Buzzers in the first round South-West Conference Quarter-Final - photo credit:  Andy Corneau/OJHL Images)

Do not let the discrepancy in record or seeding between the No. 2 Toronto Patriots, and the No. 7 St. Michael’s Buzzers fool you; this has been a hotly contested match-up almost all year.

Each team has taken two of the four games that the Toronto-based rivals have contested this season; and while the Pats could argue that they weren’t the well-oiled machine they appear to be now for those early-season Buzzer victories, there will certainly be no secrets between these two clubs.

The last time these two squads squared off was back on Dec. 13 at Westwood Arena, and it was an extremely young, injury-riddled St. Mike’s squad that got smashed all over the ice to the tune of 9-2 that night. I’ll say it again – don’t let that fool you, the Buzz are 7-2-3 in the last 12, and look a much improved club.

On the other side, Toronto Patriots’ head coach Jason Fortier’s team was the hottest club in the OJHL down the stretch. The defending Buckland and Dudley Hewitt Cup champs are a perfect 7-0 in the month of February, and have a record of 11-4 in the 2015 calendar year. 
A huge key for the Buzzers will be to get results in the hallowed halls of St. Mike’s Arena, as the Patriots have been almost unbeatable on Westwood Arena ice this year, with a record of 22-5 in north Etobicoke. The Buzz were 15-9-0-3 at home in the regular season, and a less-than flattering 7-14-0-6 on the road.

Goaltending
Say what you want about the inconsistent season of 20-year-old St. Michael’s goaltender George Argiropoulos; because on his day, he can be the best in the league. Motivation may be at the heart of when he decides to bring it, and against Fortier, who coached him as a rookie in Vaughan back in the 2011-12 season, and the Pats, he has brought it big time this year. His numbers prove it: a .934 save percentage and only nine goals allowed over 127 shots in three starts, and a relief appearance. George must be the key if the Buzz are to make a long series of this.

On the Toronto side, 18-year-old Mathew Robson has re-emerged as the No. 1 after a slight hangover from not making Team Canada East did some damage to his season. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Mississauga native has had a solid season overall, bouncing back from a disappointing rookie campaign in Lindsay last year, and his dominant play at the Central Canada Cup All-Star tournament earned him tons of recognition. Recently, Robson brings a six-game win streak into the post-season, and has not been defeated at Westwood Arena since late November. He logged a solid .917 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average in three contests vs. the Buzzers this year.
Should either team need their backups, both Toronto’s Emanuel Vella and St. Mikes’ Mark Manolescu have good in-game experience. The edge in that category, however, is decidedly on the side of the Pats.

Defence

The success of the Toronto Patriots’ blue line in the second half of the season has to be chalked up to the rapid maturation of the four rookies that patrol it, alongside elite, RBC-cup experienced veterans in Niko Kovachis and Tyler Currie. By dropping down to six defenders on the roster by the deadline, the Pats solidified playing time, and that fact likely made the likes of rookies Mario Ferraro and Louis DiMatteo more comfortable. As a a whole, despite their general youth, it is tough to find a weak spot in this unit right now – especially when Kovachis, one of the league’s elite, is at his motivated best. The big-bodied, and smooth skating 16-year-old Matthew Cairns continues to take huge strides forward as a two-way minute muncher, and is showing potential as an NHL prospect for next season.

On the flip side, the St. Mike’s defence-corps relies an awful lot on the smooth, two-way abilities of captain Ian Edmondson, and the underrated veteran Luca Doctor. Giving up 203 goals as a unit is not characteristic of St. Mike’s teams of the recent past, and while the acquisition of 20-year-old Ryan Kruss from the Junior Canadiens at the trade deadline should take some minutes from the aforementioned top two, this is a very offence-first Buzzers D-corps. That being said, they have only given up eight goals in their last four games heading into the post-season.

Forwards

Forward depth is where the Patriots tend to be a tough a match-up for many teams in the league, and with the explosive top line of Nathan Feric, between Jacob Hayhurst and Mitch Emerson solidified, the Toronto offence has been nearly impossible to stop of late. The Patriots scored 34 goals in seven games in February, almost five goals-per-game, and a league second-best 11 players have at least 10 goals – and that doesn’t include the savvy veteran Feric, who has played about half the games of everyone else. The acquisition of Emerson at the trade deadline from Pickering has been a huge boon for the club, with the Whitby native posting 12 points in the final five contests of the regular season. Sophomore speedster Nick Ursitti has 22 goals, and could easily be a first liner on a lot of clubs in the league. Hayhurst’s release is as good as anyone’s at the Junior ‘A’ level, while veteran spark-plugs Marcus Rose and Luke Carter both have shown a penchant for scoring big goals. All four of Toronto’s lines are capable of hurting you, or shutting you down, so pick your poison. 

While it may appear on the surface that the Buzzers forward corps is both very young overall, and relies a ton on 19-year-old sniper Thomas Beretta and his 28 goals to provide offence, the truth is not that clear. Veteran power forward Bron Loiselle is a throwback, straight-ahead type guy, and add in the injury-plagued-though-capable talents of Ontario Hockey League veteran Scott Teskey, and there is more than enough ability up front for St. Mike’s to compete. The energetic 18-year-old Joe Berton was around for the Buckland Cup championship of 2012-13, while Noah Jordan, the London Knights prospect, leads a bevy of up-tempo youngsters in the rest of the unit. Make no mistake, this group is now healthy, and should provide a stiff challenge for the Pats D-corps. 

Two notes of interest: Teskey of the Buzzers and Connor Beck of the Patriots are first cousins, while Toronto’s Hayhurst and St. Mike’s Ashur Elliot were line mates in minor midget for the Mississauga Rebels.

Series Breakdown
TOR: Mathew Robson – 2-1, 88 saves, 8 goals against, 179.52 minutes played
STM: George Airgiropoulos – 2-2, 127 saves, 9 goals against, 201:54 minutes played

Top Performers
TOR: Jacob Hayhurst – 3 Games Played, 1 goal (0 on PP) and 5 points
STM: Joe Berton – 3 games played, 2 goals (1 on PP) and 3 points

Coaches Comments:
CoachFortier - Heading into the playoffs we focusing on discipline and effort as a group. We know St Mikes has good skill and an energetic team. They have one of my former goalies whom they rely often on in George Argiropoulos who has stolen games for them. 

They will be a great test for our group as both teams are carrying a large amount of rookie players. We will prepare for them with some video and see if we can view any tendencies in their special teams and also their Forechecks. Its a fun time of year and we are excited to get started.

Jamie Neugebauer is the Play-by-Play Announcer for both the Toronto Patriots & North York Rangers, while taking time to provide in-depth coverage for In The O Radio.