Mark Scheifele will try to lead the Barrie Colts to their first Ontario Hockey League championship since the 1999-2000 season with a win in Game 5 of the OHL final on Friday Night Hockey.
The Colts lead the defending champion London Knights 3-1 in the series following Game 4’s third-period comeback. For the second straight game, the Winnipeg Jets prospect had five points. He scored four third-period goals to complete the Colts’ comeback bid.
“We still had that desperation and that determination to get back in that game and win that game and it showed a lot of character by us,” he said.
Knights head coach Dale Hunter credited Scheifele not for his goal scoring, but for what he perceived as embellishment from the Colts and their dynamic scorer.
“The last six minutes or so of the second period (in Wednesday’s Game 4) they started diving,” Hunter said. “And Belleville (Barrie’s last opponent) warned us about that. Scheifele and those guys love to dive and draw penalties and they drew three in a row and it changed the course of the game.”
Regardless, the Knights know they will need to keep Scheifele in check if they’re going to prolong the series.
“He’s a great player and he knows how to put the puck in the net,” Knights forward Bo Horvat said. “We’re probably going to have someone on him or have a shutdown line or something like that. I think we’ve been doing a good job of that when he’s been playing in our barn.”
In their last series, the Colts allowed the Belleville Bulls to force a Game 7 after leading 3-1. Colts captain Ryan O’Connor says his team is cautious not to allow history to repeat itself.
“We’ve been in that situation before and we learned from our mistakes,” he said. “We know the feeling and we know what we have to do.”
THE STARS: Scheifele is the playoff scoring leader with 39 points in just 19 games. After posting back-to-back five-point games, the Colts will be hoping for the same type of performance from him Friday.
“He’s been amazing this series,” O’Connor said. “He’s just been on fire. He’s been on a good streak, he’s shooting the puck and he’s getting it through.”
The Knights counter with the second-leading scorer in the playoffs, Max Domi. The sophomore forward has 27 points in 18 games, but has just two assists in the first four games of this series. There’s no better time than now for Domi to regain his scoring touch.
“He’s known for his offence and his offensive skill and he can make plays,” Horvat said. “He’s kind of like Scheifele as well. He’s been playing well for us all playoffs and I think he’s going to have a big night for us.”
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NAMES TO WATCH: Horvat scored one of the prettiest goals of the playoffs in Game 2 when he slid along his side and swiped the puck past Barrie goalie Mathias Niederberger. But for all his offence, his biggest contributions are generally in his ability to shut down the opposition’s best player.
Horvat said the coaching staff hadn’t appointed him or any of his teammates to the role of shadowing Scheifele as of Thursday afternoon but if it’s up to him, he’s looking forward to the challenge.
“I don’t mind having that role at all. I’ve been pretty much doing it all year and throughout the playoffs,” he said. “It’s kind of that extra pressure I don’t mind. It’s something that I like to do, so if I have that role (on Friday), it won’t bother me at all. I kind of like it.”
Scheifele was quick to give credit to his linemates Zach Hall and Anthony Camara following his four-goal game in Game 4. Hall, now a 20-year-old, was passed over twice by NHL teams at the draft, but should certainly receive interest now after an impressive season and playoffs.
“He’s been huge for us,” O’Connor said. “He’s feeding Scheifele the puck. He’s a great player, great hands, great vision and a phenomenal passer.”
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THE GOALIES: Niederberger is a rare breed in the junior game, an overage that also happens to be an import. The German goaltender was previously considered the OHL’s best kept secret, but the secret’s out now with his stellar play.
“Niederberger’s been playing great for us,” O’Connor said. “He’s been there to make the big save. You kind of rally around that when your goalie does make the big save and it kind of pumps you up.”
After allowing a combined 10 goals on 53 shots through the last two games in Barrie, the Knights decided not to start Anthony Stolarz in favour of Jake Patterson for Game 5.
“We always re-evaluate every game,” Hunter said after Game 4.
Patterson last played more than a month ago, on Apr. 8, when he came in relief of Stolarz in a 6-2 loss at Kitchener in the second round.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: The Knights now find themselves in an unfamiliar position, needing to win three-straight to lay claim to the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions. The message on Thursday, as relayed by Horvat, is not for them to reinvent the wheel now.
“We just have to keep playing the way we’re playing,” he said. “I don’t think we’re playing too bad. A few mistakes here and there, but I think we just have to continue to play the way we’re playing and we should be fine.”
For the Colts, it’s an opportunity to win their second league championship in franchise history, while doing so against a team many predicted would beat them.
“Everybody thinks we’re the underdogs in this series,” he said. “We want to prove that we’re the better hockey club.
“It’s been a while since this organization has an OHL championship. To be able to bring this trophy back for the fans and the organization, we’re really excited to get this going and hopefully we can bring it home.”
