FIRST AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Ontario Junior Hockey League’s 2016-17 regular season officially wrapped up this weekend with its first award winners being announced.
OJHL Regular Season Champion – Georgetown Raiders
OJHL Top Scorer – Jack Jacome, Georgetown Raiders (photo credit - Shawn Muir/OJHL Images)
OJHL Top Goaltender – Stefano Durante, Cobourg Cougars (photo credit - Shawn Muir/OJHL Images)
For the second consecutive season, all of the Georgetown Raiders, Markham Royals, Oakville Blades and Trenton Golden Hawks were champions of their respective divisions, while the Georgetown Raiders, last season's runner-up to Trenton, brought home the regular season crown for the second time in franchise history and the second time in four seasons.
After losing two of their first five games to start the 2016-17 season, Raiders reeled of 19 consecutive victories, during a two month span from September to November, to jump to the top of the OJHL standings. Also climbing to the number one ranking in the entire CJHL, Georgetown would ultimately close-out the season as the consistent number two ranked Junior 'A' club in Canada while clinching their fourth OJHL regular season title in franchise history and first since 2008-09. The Raiders clinched their third consecutive West Division title on the strength of a 45-5-4 record for 94 points, which set new club records for wins and points in a season. Their 45 victories is the fifth best win total in OJHL history, settling one win behind the 2009-10 Kingston Voyageurs, while the 94 points ties the 2003-04 Aurora Tigers for the fourth best total in league history.
Last season's top club, the Trenton Golden Hawks, are this year's runner-up to the Raiders. Topping the North-East Conference with a record of 42-9-3 for 87 points, the Hawks captured a second consecutive conference crown, as well as a fifth East Division title in the past six seasons. After going 22 seasons without winning a regular season division title, the Markham Royals (previously Hamilton Red Wings/Kilty B's) have now captured back-to-back North Division championships on the strength of a 30-20-4 record for 64 points. Also winning a second consecutive division title was the Oakville Blades, who topped the South Division standings with a 33-14-7 record for 73 points.
Last season's Rookie-of-the-Year, Jack Jacome of the Georgetown Raiders, returned even stronger this year and won the OJHL Top Scorer Award in dramatic fashion, notching a breakaway goal in his club's final game of the season with just 29 seconds remaining in a 5-2 victory over Mississauga. His two goal performance pushed his season total to 91 points to match last season's top scorer, Luc Brown of the Wellington Dukes. Jacome becomes the second member of the Raiders in three seasons, joining Steve Hladin, to win the scoring title, as well as the third player in franchise history (Stace Page, 1998-99). He surpassed Brayden Stortz of the Wellington Dukes, who finishes as runner-up to Jacome, but led the OJHL with 37 goals this season. This marks the lowest goal scoring total to lead the league since 1975-76. Cameron Wright of the St. Michael's Buzzers was runner-up to Stortz for top goal scorer with 35 goals.
From the back-end, St. Michael's Buzzers and Cobourg Cougars defencemen Mark Paolini and Brennan Roy tied for the OJHL scoring lead among blueliners with 57 points. Paolini notched his total in just 50 games played to Roy's 53 games this season. Just behind the pair was Matt Watson of the Burlington Cougars with 48 points, but who also fired home 24 goals. Watson's goal totals rank among the best of all-time in defensive scoring, tied for fourth best ever with Justin Baker of the Streetsville Derbys in 2009-10 and Brant Somerville of the North York Rangers in 1996-97.
For the second time in three seasons, netminder Stefano Durante of the Cobourg Cougars takes home the Top Goaltender Award by leading the OJHL with a 1.92 goals against average in 32 games played. He also captured the award in dramatic fashion, pitching a 23-save, 3-0 shutout, of the conference leading Trenton Golden Hawks on the final night of the season to surpass Josh Astorino of the Georgetown Raiders, who finished as runner-up with a 1.93 goals against average. Durante's average is tied for the 11th best in OJHL history and combined with his 1.79 goals against average in 2014-15 that ranks fifth best all-time, the Cougars netminder now has two of the best statistical seasons on record by a goaltender. Other goalies to top the charts include, Chris Janzen of the Trenton Golden Hawks with a league-leading 33 wins, Astorino with a .936 save percentage, Durante and Nicholas Latinovich of the Raiders with five shutouts and Connor Ryckman of the Wellington Dukes with a league-high 2,739:39 minutes played.
The 2016-17 OJHL playoffs begin on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 and the Conference Quarter-Final match-ups are as follows:
North-East Conference:
(1) Trenton vs. (8) Newmarket
(2) Markham vs. (7) Stouffville
(3) Cobourg vs. (6) Kingston
(4) Whitby vs. (5) Wellington
South-East Conference:
(1) Georgetown vs. (8) Buffalo
(2) Oakville vs. (7) North York
(3) Burlington vs. (6) Toronto Patriots
(4) St. Michael's vs. (5) Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Follow all the OJHL playoff action at www.ojhl.ca or watch it all on HockeyTV, www.hockeytv.com.
