Victor Fernandes unveils his predictions for the OHL playoffs:

Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Belleville def. No. 8 Mississauga, 4-1
No. 2 Barrie def. No. 7 Kingston, 4-0
No. 6 Niagara def. No. 3 Oshawa, 4-2
No. 4 Brampton def. No. 5 Sudbury, 4-2
Semifinals
No. 1 Belleville def. No. 6 Niagara, 4-2
No. 2 Barrie def. No. 4 Brampton, 4-1
Finals
No. 1 Belleville def. No. 2 Barrie, 4-3

Western Conference
Quarterfinals
No. 1 London def. No. 8 Saginaw, 4-0
No. 2 Plymouth def. No. 7 Sarnia, 4-1
No. 3 Owen Sound def. No. 6 Sault Ste. Marie, 4-1
No. 5 Guelph def. No. 4 Kitchener, 4-3
Semifinals
No. 1 London def. No. 5 Guelph, 4-1
No. 2 Plymouth def. No. 3 Owen Sound, 4-2
Finals
No. 2 Plymouth def. No. 1 London, 4-3

League finals
No. 1W Plymouth def. No. 1E Belleville, 4-2

- Victor Fernandes

London, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that goaltender Michael Houser of the London Knights is the 2011-12 recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year as voted by the writers and broadcasters that cover the league.

Houser played an incredible 62 games between the pipes for the first place Knights backstopping the club to their fifth Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the OHL’s top regular season team. Also named the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year, Houser posted a record of 46-15-0-1 tying the OHL single season record for most wins by a goaltender set by Andrew Engelage of the OHL Champion Windsor Spitfires in 2009.

“It’s a huge honour,” said Houser. “There are a lot of great players in the league, especially this year, and it is nice to be recognized. It’s an award that I couldn’t have won without the teammates in front of me. They play hard every night and they make my job a lot easier. A lot of thanks go out to them.”

Houser is just the fifth goaltender to receive the prestigious Red Tilson Trophy following Andrew Raycroft (Kingston 2000), Bill Harrington (Kitchener 1952), Glenn Hall (Windsor 1951), and Gil Mayer (Barrie 1949). He is also the fifth member of the Knights to win the award following Corey Perry in 2005, Jason Allison in 1994, Dave Simpson in 1982, and Dennis Maruk in 1975. The 19-year-old native of Wexford, PA, is also just the third American-born player to win the award following David Legwand (Plymouth 1998), and Pat Peake (Detroit 1993).

“We’re honoured to have had Michael on our team once again this season,” said Knights General Manager and Head Coach Mark Hunter. “He’s a leader both on and off the ice and is definitely one of our hardest workers setting an example for the rest of the team. Houser is one of the biggest reasons we finished first overall and have made it all the way to the Rogers OHL Championship Series and we’re pleased to see him receive the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year.”

Undrafted into the OHL, Houser joined the Knights prior to the 2009-10 season and has already played in 141 regular season contests. His 62 games played led all OHL goaltenders this season while his 1862 saves was also the league’s top mark. He finished second with six shutout victories while his goals-against-average of 2.47 was third-best in the league, and his save percentage of .925 ranked fourth overall.

In this year’s Western Conference Coaches Poll, he appeared in three categories and was considered the Best Shootout Goalie, the second Hardest Worker, and the third Best Puckhandling goalie. This season Houser stopped at least 30 shots in 36 different games including six games with 40 or more saves.

The Red Tilson Trophy is the most prestigious individual award presented by the Ontario Hockey League. Accredited media were asked to select their top three choices from the 20 nominees representing all 20 member clubs. Players received five points for a first place selection, three points for second place and one point for a third place selection.

In the 80 ballots collected, Houser received 182 points in the voting process and was listed as the number one selection on 30 of the submitted ballots. OHL Top Scorer Michael Sgarbossa of the Sudbury Wolves finished in second place with 164 voting points, ahead of Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s who received 106 voting points, and Mark Visentin of the Niagara IceDogs who received 104 voting points.

The trophy is named in honour of Albert “Red” Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. Tilson was the OHA scoring champion for the 1942-43 season after scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 22 games with the Oshawa Generals.

Other winners of the Red Tilson Trophy include Frank Mahovlich (Toronto 1957), Mike Foligno (Sudbury, 1979), Doug Gilmour (Cornwall 1983), Eric Lindros (Oshawa 1991), Brian Campbell (Ottawa 1999), Brad Boyes (Erie 2001 & 2002), Corey Locke (Ottawa 2003 & 2004), John Tavares (Oshawa 2007), Cody Hodgson (Brampton 2009), Tyler Seguin (Plymouth 2010), and Ryan Ellis (Windsor 2011).

Houser will be the OHL’s nominee for the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year Award presented at the CHL Awards Ceremony during the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan.

- From OHL news release

The winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHL’s Coach of the Year will be announced Tuesday at 11 a.m. The finalists are Brampton’s Stan Butler, Ottawa’s Chris Byrne, Saginaw’s Greg Gilbert, Barrie’s Dale Hawerchuk, Kitchener’s Steve Spott and Guelph’s Scott Walker.

Victor Fernandes unveils his predictions for the 2011-12 OHL season:

REGULAR SEASON

Eastern Conference

East Division

1. Oshawa

2. Ottawa

3. Peterborough

4. Kingston

5. Belleville

Central Division

1. Niagara

2. Mississauga

3. Sudbury

4. Brampton

5. Barrie

Western Conference

Midwest Division

1. London

2. Kitchener

3. Erie

4. Owen Sound

5. Guelph

West Division

1. Plymouth

2. Saginaw

3. Sarnia

4. Windsor

5. Sault Ste. Marie

PLAYOFFS

Eastern Conference

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Niagara def. No. 8 Kingston, 4-0

No. 2 Oshawa def. No. 7 Sudbury, 4-2

No. 3 Mississauga def. No. 6 Brampton, 4-1

No. 4 Ottawa def. No. 5 Peterborough, 4-1

Semifinals

No. 1 Niagara def. No. 4 Ottawa, 4-0

No. 3 Mississauga def. No. 2 Oshawa, 4-2

Finals

No. 1 Niagara def. No. 3 Mississauga, 4-2

Western Conference

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Plymouth def. No. 8 Owen Sound, 4-2

No. 2 London def. No. 7 Erie, 4-2

No. 6 Windsor def. No. 3 Saginaw, 4-3

No. 5 Sarnia def. No. 4 Kitchener, 4-2

Semifinals

No. 1 Plymouth def. No. 6 Windsor, 4-2

No. 2 London def. No. 5 Sarnia, 4-3

Finals

No. 1 Plymouth def. No. 2 London, 4-2

League finals

No. 1E Niagara def. No. 1W Plymouth, 4-2

The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team and Erie Otters will play three day-night doubleheaders at Tullio Arena this season. The games are a lead-in to the NCAA Women’s Division I Frozen Four, set for March 18-20 at the downtown arena, Lakers coach Michael Sisti said Monday.

The Lakers have moved three games – Nov. 27 against Colgate and a two-game series with Brown on Jan. 14-15 – from Mercyhurst Ice Center to Tullio Arena. All three games are scheduled for 2 p.m. starts, said Casey Wells, Erie County Convention Center Authority executive director.

The Otters have home games against Kitchener on Nov. 27, Barrie on Jan. 14 and London on Jan. 15. All three games begin at 7 p.m.

“(The Tullio staff will have) extra people with locker rooms and things to juggle,” Sisti said. “It’s a nice trial run for everyone to get used to things and to smooth out anything as they get closer to hosting the (Frozen) Four.”

- Victor Fernandes

Otters-Lakers doubleheader schedule

at Tullio Arena

Nov. 27

Colgate at Mercyhurst, 2 p.m.

Kitchener at Erie, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14

Brown at Mercyhurst, 2 p.m.

Barrie at Erie, 7 p.m.

Jan. 15

Brown at Mercyhurst, 2 p.m.

London at Erie, 7 p.m.

Ontario Hockey League playoff previews

J. Ross Robertson Cup championship (best-of-seven series)

No. 1 Barrie Colts vs. No. 1 Windsor Spitfires

Season records: Barrie 57-9-0-2, Windsor 50-12-1-5

Season series: Barrie won 2-0

Players to watch: Barrie – RW Bryan Cameron (11 goals-7 assists-18 points, 6 power-play goals), C Luke Pither (8-10-18), C Alexander Burmistrov (7-7-14, 2 PPG), D Alex Pietrangelo (2-11-13, plus-7 rating), RW Matt Kennedy (7-4-11); Windsor – LW Taylor Hall (14-14-28, 5 PPG), D Ryan Ellis (2-24-26, +9), C Adam Henrique (15-5-20), C Scott Timmins (8-9-17), RW Zack Kassian (6-9-15)

Playoff recap: Barrie def. No. 8 Sudbury 4-0, def. No. 5 Brampton 4-0, def. No. 3 Mississauga St. Michael’s 4-1; Windsor def. No. 8 Erie 4-0, def. No. 4 Plymouth 4-0, def. No. 3 Kitchener 4-3

Outlook: The Colts haven’t been tested during a 12-1 run through the playoffs. The Spitfires rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to beat Kitchener in the Western final. So which team holds the advantage?

Prediction: Barrie in 6 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Tuesday at Barrie, 7:35 p.m.

Game 2 – Thursday at Barrie, 7:35 p.m.

Game 3 – Sunday at Windsor, 4:05 p.m.

Game 4 – May 4 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 5 – May 6 at Barrie, 7:35 p.m.*

Game 6 – May 8 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 7 – May 10 at Barrie, 7:35 p.m.*

* If necessary

Vic’s picks

Conference finals record: 2-0

Postseason record: 14-0

Check out video featuring interviews following the 2011 Memorial Cup bid presentations, which were held on Wednesday in Toronto. The interviews include David Branch, CHL president and OHL commissioner; the selection committee and officials from the four Ontario teams and cities – Barrie, Kingston, Mississauga and Windsor.

While you’re here, watch video from Canada’s Rogers TV on how the selection committee chooses the annual tournament’s host site.

Ontario Hockey League playoff previews

Conference finals (best-of-seven series)

Western Conference

No. 1 Windsor Spitfires vs. No. 3 Kitchener Rangers

Season records: Windsor 50-12-1-5, Kitchener 42-19-4-3

Season series: Tied 2-2

Players to watch: Windsor – LW Taylor Hall (9 goals-7 assists-16 points, 5 power-play goals), D Ryan Ellis (2-14-16), C Adam Henrique (6-4-10), RW Dale Mitchell (6-4-10), RW Zack Kassian (2-8-10); Kitchener – C Jeff Skinner (12-8-20), LW Chris MacKinnon (4-16-20), LW Jeremy Morin (8-5-13, 5 PPG), RW Gabriel Landeskog (7-9-16), RW Jason Akeson (5-10-15)

Playoff recap: Windsor def. No. 8 Erie 4-0, def. No. 4 Plymouth 4-0; Kitchener def. No. 6 Saginaw 4-2, def. No. 2 London 4-3

Outlook: The Spitfires’ offense has been potent as usual. But defense and goaltending have been strong, as the Spitfires have allowed 16 goals in their eight wins. That makes them even more dangerous.

Prediction: Windsor in 6 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Thursday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 2 – Saturday at Kitchener, 7 p.m.

Game 3 – Sunday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Tuesday at Kitchener, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 22 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 23 at Kitchener, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 25 at Windsor, 2:05 p.m.*

* If necessary

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Barrie Colts vs. No. 3 Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors

Season records: Barrie 57-9-0-2, Mississauga 42-20-4-2

Season series: Tied 3-3

Players to watch: Barrie – RW Bryan Cameron (8-5-13, 5 PPG), C Alexander Burmistrov (7-6-13, 2 PPG), D Alex Pietrangelo (2-9-11, plus-9 rating), C Luke Pither (5-8-13), RW Matt Kennedy (4-4-8); Mississauga – G Chris Carrozzi (5-1-1 record, 2.21 goals-against average, .925 save percentage, 1 shutout), LW Devante Smith-Pelly (6-6-12, 2 PPG), C Casey Cizikas (6-5-11), D Cameron Gaunce (0-10-10), LW Dustin Ekelman (4-2-6), LW Riley Brace (2-7-9)

Playoff recap: Barrie def. No. 8 Sudbury 4-0, def. No. 5 Brampton 4-0; Mississauga def. No. 6 Peterborough 4-0, def. No. 2 Ottawa 4-3

Outlook: The Colts survived a seven-game series against Ottawa despite not having RW Alex Hutchings at all because of a reported groin injury. With or without him, the Colts will win this series, too.

Prediction: Barrie in 6 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Wednesday at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 – Friday at Mississauga, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3 – Saturday at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.

Game 4 – Monday at Mississauga, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 21 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 23 at Mississauga, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 24 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

* If necessary

Vic’s picks

Semifinal record: 4-0

Postseason record: 12-0

Toronto – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Barrie Colts forward Bryan Cameron is the recipient of the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy as the OHL’s Overage Player of the Year for the 2009-10 season.

Cameron led the OHL with 53 goals in 62 games and added 25 assists for 78 points to help the Colts capture their first Hamilton Spectator Trophy for first place overall in the regular season.  He registered a plus-minus rating of plus-38 which was 10^th best in the league.  He was one of only two players to score 50 goals this season and recorded three hat-tricks and 23 multi-point games.

He was also among the league-leaders in power play goals with 18 and game-winning goals with seven.  His 53 goals set a new Colts’ record for goals in a season, surpassing Sheldon Keefe who scored 48 goals in the 1999-2000 season where he captured the league’s scoring title with 121 points.  Cameron becomes the first member of the Colts to win this award since it was first introduced following the 1983-84 season.

“It’s a great honor for me” said Cameron.  “We had great overage players here in Barrie including another great one on my line so I feel pretty lucky to win this award.  Luke (Pither) and I both had really good years and there are a lot of quality overage players around the league so it feels really nice to win this award and I am definitely grateful.”

A 21-year-old from Brampton, Ontario, Cameron began his OHL career with the Belleville Bulls where he spent four seasons.  He was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2005 OHL Priority Selection in a season where he captured an OHL Cup championship title with the Toronto Marlboros.

He played in 318 career OHL games over five seasons producing 324 points including 184 goals and 140 assists.  His 81 points last season marked his best offensive year and earned him the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the Top Scoring Right Winger and a spot on the OHL’s First All-Star Team.  He was selected in the third round, 82^nd overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the top overage player of the year as selected by all 20 OHL General Managers.  Teams were not permitted to vote for players from their own hockey club. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote. Cameron received 59 points in the voting, just narrowly edging defenceman Jacob Muzzin of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds who received 58 points.  Zack Torquato of the Erie Otters finished third with 35 points.

Former winners of the trophy include Iain Fraser (Oshawa, 1989-90), Bill Bowler (Windsor, 1994-95), Dan Tessier (Ottawa 99-00), and Ryan Callahan (Guelph, 2005-06).  Justin DiBenedetto of the Sarnia Sting won the award last season after finishing third in league scoring with 93 points in 62 games.

The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy was donated by the trainers of the Ontario Hockey League, in memory of the late Leo Lalonde, former Chief Scout of OHL Central Scouting.  Leo Lalonde was also formerly the chief scout for the Belleville Bulls as well as a scout for the Peterborough Petes. Cameron will be presented with the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy at the 2009-10 OHL Awards Ceremony, scheduled for June 9 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

- From OHL news release

Ontario Hockey League playoff previews

Conference semifinals (best-of-seven series)

Western Conference

No. 1 Windsor Spitfires vs. No. 4 Plymouth Whalers

Season records: Windsor 50-12-1-5, Plymouth 38-27-1-2

Season series: Windsor won 5-3

Players to watch: Windsor – LW Taylor Hall (6 goals-4 assists-10 points, 3 power-play goals), RW Zack Kassian (2-4-6), RW Dale Mitchell (2-4-6), D Ryan Ellis (0-6-6), D Mark Cundari (1-4-5); Plymouth – C Tyler Seguin (5-5-10, 3 PPG), C Phil McRae (6-5-11, 3 PPG), G Matt Hackett (3-1-0 record, 2.38 goals-against average, .940 save percentage), RW Ryan Hayes (4-7-11), C A.J. Jenks (2-6-8)

Playoff recap: Windsor def. No. 8 Erie 4-0; Plymouth def. No. 5 Sault Ste. Marie 4-1

Outlook: Windsor swept Erie despite inconsistent play from G Philipp Grubauer (4-0-0, 2.55, .896). He needs to be better. But the Spitfires are skilled enough to win this series without Grubauer at his best.

Prediction: Windsor in 5 games

Series schedule

No. 1 Windsor vs. No. 4 Plymouth

Game 1 – Thursday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 2 – Saturday at Plymouth, 7:05 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Wednesday at Plymouth, 7:05 p.m.

Game 5 – April 8 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 10 at Plymouth, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

* If necessary

No. 2 London Knights vs. No. 3 Kitchener Rangers

Season records: London 49-16-1-2, Kitchener 42-19-4-3

Season series: London won 5-1

Players to watch: London – C Nazem Kadri (4-10-14, 2 PPG), C Daniel Erlich (5-4-9, 3 PPG), RW Jared Knight (5-4-9), D Steven Tarasuk (0-6-6, plus-4 rating), D Michael D’Orazio (1-3-4, +7); Kitchener – C Jeff Skinner (3-2-5), LW Chris MacKinnon (1-4-5), LW Jeremy Morin (3-1-4, 2 PPG), C Julian Cimadamore (3-1-4), D Dan Kelly (2-2-4)

Playoff recap: London def. No. 7 Guelph 4-1; Kitchener def. No. 6 Saginaw 4-2

Outlook: The Knights and Rangers could explode offensively in this series, given the talent and on-again, off-again goaltending on both sides. But Kitchener will prevail at the end of a long, hard-fought series.

Prediction: Kitchener in 7 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Thursday at London, 7 p.m.

Game 2 – Friday at Kitchener, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at London, 7 p.m.

Game 4 – Wednesday at Kitchener, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 8 at London, 7 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 10 at Kitchener, 7 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at London, 7 p.m.*

* If necessary

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Barrie Colts vs. No. 5 Brampton Battalion

Season records: Barrie 57-9-0-2, Brampton 25-29-7-7

Season series: Barrie won 6-0

Players to watch: Barrie – RW Bryan Cameron (6-3-9, 4 PPG), C Alexander Burmistrov (5-4-9, 2 PPG), D Alex Pietrangelo (1-7-8, +6), C Luke Pither (3-4-7), RW Alex Hutchings (1-5-6); Brampton – LW Sean Jones (5-4-9, 3 PPG; former Otter), RW Scott Tanski (3-6-9, 2 PPG), C Cody Hodgson (3-4-7), G Patrick Killeen (4-3-0, 2.85, .895), D Matt Clark (2-4-6, +2)

Playoff recap: Barrie def. No. 8 Sudbury 4-0; Brampton def. No. 5 Kingston 4-3

Outlook: The defending conference champion Battalion survived a Game 7 battle with Kingston. But Brampton’s reign in the East will end quickly against the powerhouse Colts.

Prediction: Barrie in 4 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Thursday at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 – Sunday at Brampton, 2 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.

Game 4 – Wednesday at Brampton, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 9 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 11 at Brampton, 2 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

* If necessary

No. 2 Ottawa 67’s vs. No. 3 Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors

Season records: Ottawa 37-23-5-3, Mississauga 42-20-4-2

Season series: Mississauga won 4-0

Players to watch: Ottawa – RW Tyler Toffoli (5-2-7), LW Corey Cowick (5-1-6, 2 PPG, 2 short-handed goals), LW Anthony Nigro (3-2-5), C Cody Lindsay (0-5-5), D Tyler Cuma (0-4-4); Mississauga – G Chris Carrozzi (4-0-0, 1.50, .944, 1 shutout), LW Devante Smith-Pelly (4-1-5, 2 PPG), LW Dustin Ekelman (3-1-4), C Casey Cizikas (1-3-4), C Jordan Mayer (2-1-3), Blake Parlett (1-2-3, +2)

Playoff recap: Ottawa def. No. 7 Niagara 4-1; Mississauga def. No. 6 Peterborough 4-0

Outlook: The Majors are the perfect playoff team – hot goaltending, staunch defense and an opportunistic offense. Even with home-ice advantage, the 67’s don’t have enough of all three to win the series.

Prediction: Mississauga in 6 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Thursday at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 – Friday at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3 – Sunday at Mississauga, 4 p.m.

Game 4 – Tuesday at Mississauga, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 8 at Ottawa, 7 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 10 at Mississauga, 4 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at Ottawa, 7 p.m.*

* If necessary

Vic’s picks

Quarterfinal record: 8-0

Postseason record: 8-0