The McLean and Dickey Orillia Terriers will face the North Carruthers Division's regular season champions in the second round of the Provincial Junior Hockey League playoffs.
The Terriers wrapped up their first-round series with the Innisfil Spartans on Friday night with a 3-2 victory. The fifth-seeded Terriers won four straight games to knock off the fourth-seeded Spartans in five games.
Terriers’ coach Dalyn Telford says the players “played for each other” in the first round.
“I felt we got better every game of the series,” he said. “We were very dominant in almost every aspect of the game and you could really see the growth throughout the series.”
Telford says the Terriers played to their potential in round one and he credits the team’s veterans and leaders for stepping up.
“This is a special group internally,” he said. “Our leadership core is one of the best I’ve ever had throughout my coaching.”
While Telford feels the Spartans were able to match the Terriers' speed and physicality, he believes playoff experience was the difference.
“We have a number of guys that were one win away from going to a division final last year,” he said.
While Terriers’ forward Noah Mountain led the squad in points for the series with seven, Telford says forward Kory Lund was also one of the key pieces to the team’s success in the first round. Lund was acquired in the off-season from the Schomberg Cougars, who eliminated the Terriers in round two of last year’s playoffs. He had one goal and two assists against the Spartans.
“We really relied on Kory to convey the message to our group that whether you are up or down, you can’t get too far ahead and can’t look too far in the mirror,” he said. “He was great for us, and you could tell he’s been through the playoffs.”
Goaltender Reed Spinola started all five games in round one. He compiled a 2.41 goals against average, a .936 save percentage, and a shutout.
“He was calm, he was poised, and he made big saves at big times,” Telford said. “As the series went on his confidence grew to the point where if we did make a mistake defensively, Reed was there to bail us out.”
If Spinola and the Terriers can maintain their level of play in round two, Telford believes the Terriers can upset the Stayner Siskins who finished the regular season with a 36-4-0-0 record.
“We have to take it one period at a time,” he said. “They are one of, if not the best team in the province, but upsets in sports have happened before.”
Telford says the Terriers expect a battle with the Siskins, but they aren’t intimidated by their dominant record.
“We don’t care what the outside thinks of our chances,” he said. “As long as the belief is within the four walls of our dressing room, then we have something to pull for.”
The Siskins are a fast, skilled team, without any holes Telford says.
“They can score,” he said. “Their defence is very mobile, their goaltending is good, and it’s their franchise's 50th anniversary. They are in it to win the whole thing and it’s going to take a special team to beat them.”
During the first round, the Terriers saw some of their largest crowds of the season. Telford says continued local support of the team will be “so important” to on-ice success in round two.
“The energy in the building is a huge thing with momentum,” he said. “When we score and the roof comes off Rotary it builds for the next shift. We need our fans to be loud, and we need them to be excited because it gives us a major boost.”
Here is the complete schedule for the Terriers’ round two playoff series with the Siskins:
- Game 1 - Thursday, March 23 at 8 p.m. in Stayner.
- Game 2 – Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Rotary Place.
- Game 3 – Sunday, March 26 at 1:30 p.m. in Stayner.
- Game 4 – Wednesday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Rotary Place.
- Game 5 (if necessary) – Thursday, March 30, at 8 p.m. in Stayner.
- Game 6 (if necessary) – Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Rotary Place.
- Game 7 (if necessary) – Sunday, April 2 at 1:30 p.m. in Stayner
