The McLean & Dickey Orillia Terriers are set to open the new Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) season this week.
The 2021/22 campaign ended after the Terriers squandered a 3-1 second-round series lead to the Schomberg Cougars. The Terriers will look to avenge that defeat when they travel to Schomberg on Thursday night.
“The way the last season ended is still pretty fresh in our minds,” said head coach Dalyn Telford. “We should be motivated right from the start.”
The Terriers had around 50 players in their various off-season training camps this summer, leaving competition tight for roster spots.
“We are fortunate to have a lot of returning players,” said Telford. “We also signed some younger kids to fill in the spots we lost from guys going off to school and aged out.”
The Terriers have 15 returning players from last season.
“Last year we had a really good year,” Telford said. “It was probably unexpected for us to finish second in our division to a certain degree, but we found a way to win.”
The local Jr. C team competed in a pre-season tournament this past weekend in Alliston where they finished with a 1-1-1 record. The Terriers also went 3-0 in league pre-season games.
“It was a pretty good tune-up for the regular season,” Telford said. “I’m glad we had the six games because it showed us a lot.”
Telford expects the Terriers' strengths to be centred around their skating abilities, experience, leadership, and goaltending.
“Having 15 returning guys who went through a difficult playoff run should help us this year,” he said. “We know what to expect this year and how to win close games.”
To win the Schmalz Cup, Telford says the Terriers will have to improve drastically in all phases of the game.
“There are a lot of factors that go into a successful season,” he said. “At the end of the day, the goal is to win our division and win the Schmalz Cup.”
Anything short of a North Carruthers Division championship “wouldn’t be good enough,” Telford says.
The team will start the season without a captain, but Telford expects the leadership role to be filled by the first week of October.
Forward Dylan Palomaki is one of the key returning players from last year’s team. He was a late addition to last year’s roster and tallied seven points through 10 games.
“We have a good group of boys,” Palomaki said. “I’m excited to win some games, have a lot of fun, and progress through the year.”
Palomaki says the team is highly motivated coming into the new season, especially after falling short of the ultimate team goal in the spring.
“We don’t want that to happen again,” he said. “Our first game is against Schomberg and it will be good for the boys to hopefully get some revenge and our first win of the season.”
With the team’s success last season, Palomaki says he noticed a growing crowd of fans each night.
“It’s great having a packed barn, it makes the atmosphere of the game electric,” he said. “We want to put on a great show when we have the whole Orillia community coming out.”
The Terriers' home opener is on Saturday night at the Rotary Place. The visiting Huntsville Otters will be in town for the 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
