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

Toronto – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Dougie Hamilton of the Niagara IceDogs is the 2011-12 recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman of the Year.

Hamilton led all OHL defencemen in scoring with 72 points in just 50 games and tied for third in the league with a plus-minus rating of plus-37. He scored 17 goals and finished tied for third overall in the league with 55 assists which included a league-high 30 assists recorded on the power play. Third in voting for this award last season, Hamilton becomes the first winner of the Max Kaminsky Trophy in IceDogs’ team history.

“This year has been a ton of fun and it is a huge honour to win this award,” said Hamilton. “I spent the last couple of years watching the best defencemen in the league and then trying to get myself to that point and it is exciting to be here now and receive this award. A lot of past winners have gone on to NHL careers and hopefully I can follow suit.”

An 18-year-old from Toronto, ON, Hamilton was selected by the IceDogs 27th overall in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection. This season he was recognized as OHL Defenseman of the Month four of the six times the award was presented including October, November, February, and March.

Hamilton was selected by the Boston Bruins with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and represented the OHL on Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship earning a bronze medal. Last season he earned the Bobby Smith Trophy for combining high standards of play and academic excellence before being named the CHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year.

“We couldn’t be prouder of Dougie,” said IceDogs’ General Manager and Head Coach Marty Williamson. “The on ice stuff, it is easy to see how good he is, but he has leadership abilities off the ice and is a great role model not just for younger players on our team but in the community, we just can’t say enough good things about what he brings to the team.”

The Max Kaminsky Trophy is awarded each year to the Most Outstanding Defenseman as selected by OHL General Managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for their own nominee. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.

Hamilton received an impressive 80 of a maximum 95 points in the voting process ahead of Scott Harrington of the London Knights who finished in second place with 36 voting points, and Cody Ceci of the Ottawa 67’s who finished in third place with 28 voting points.

Other notable winners of the Max Kaminsky Trophy include Al MacInnis (Kitchener 1982-83), Chris Pronger (Peterborough 1992-93), Brian Campbell (Ottawa 1998-99), James Wisniewski (Plymouth 2003-04), Marc Staal (Sudbury 2006-07), Drew Doughty (Guelph 2007-08), and Ryan Ellis (Windsor Spitfires 2008-09 and 2010-11). Ron Meighan (1981-82), and Bryan Fogarty (1988-89) both received the honour as members of the Niagara Falls Thunder.

The award is named in recognition of Max Kaminsky, who enjoyed a 10-year professional playing career that included four years in the NHL with Ottawa, Boston, and Montreal. After he retired from playing, Kaminsky enjoyed a 15-year coaching career that was capped by winning the Memorial Cup with the St. Catherine’s Teepees in 1960.

Hamilton will be formally presented with the Max Kaminsky Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony which takes place on Tuesday June 5, 2012, at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He will also be the OHL’s nominee for CHL Defenseman of the Year.

- From OHL news release

The OHL will announce the recipient of the Goaltender of the Year award on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
The finalists are Igor Bobkov (Kingston), John Gibson (Kitchener), Michael Houser (London), Petr Mrazek (Ottawa), Mark Visentin (Niagara) and Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth).

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.

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that forward Andrew Agozzino of the Niagara IceDogs is the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy winner awarded to the OHL’s Overage Player of the Year for the 2011-12 season.

Agozzino tied for fifth in league scoring with a career-high 88 points in 67 games scoring 40 goals and 48 assists leading the IceDogs to their first Central Division title and best overall record in team history with a record of 47-18-0-3 for 97 points. Agozzino becomes the second member of the IceDogs’ to win the award following his former teammate Michael Swift who earned it in the club’s first season in Niagara back in 2007-08.

“It’s a great feeling to win this award and it’s something I was looking forward to at the start of my overage year,” said Agozzino. “Having the opportunity to be an overager on the same team I started with is something special and I would like to thank the entire IceDogs organization for the opportunities they have given me.”

A 21-year-old native of Kleinburg, ON, Agozzino played all five of his OHL seasons with the IceDogs after being the franchise’s first ever draft pick selected 15th overall in the 2007 Priority Selection. This season the three-year captain led the IceDogs in both goals and points for the third time in five years finishing his career with a franchise record 159 goals and 147 assists for 306 points in a franchise record 318 regular season games played. In 2010, Agozzino represented the IceDogs at the OHL All-Star Classic in Kingston, ON, where he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Game scoring an All-Star Classic record four goals.

“We couldn’t be more happy or proud of Andrew winning the Overage Player of the Year Award,” said IceDogs owner Bill Burke. “Andrew is everything you could ask for in a leader, hockey player and a person and is extremely deserving of this award. He has meant everything to this organization in our five years here and will be impossible to replace.”

The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the top overage player of the year as selected by 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.

Agozzino finished the voting process with 53 points just slightly ahead of Owen Sound Attack forward Mike Halmo who finished with 52 points. Defenceman Beau Schmitz of the Plymouth Whalers finished in third with 28 voting points.

Former winners of the trophy include Bill Bowler (Windsor, 1994-95), and Dan Tessier (Ottawa 99-00), along with current NHL stars Chad LaRose (Plymouth 2002-03), and Ryan Callahan (Guelph, 2005-06). Top scorer Jason Akeson of the Kitchener Rangers captured the award last season.

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.

Agozzino will be formally presented with the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy at the 2011-12 OHL Awards Ceremony scheduled for June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

- From OHL news release

Erie Otters center Dane Fox stands 46th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, which was released Monday. Five teammates join him on the list, including first-tim selection Luke Cairns. The veteran center is considered No. 189 among North American skaters after not appearing on Central Scouting’s preliminary and midterm lists.
Right wing Connor Brown (No. 110 from No. 85 in the midterm rankings) as well as defensemen Adam Pelech (No. 120 from No. 54), Troy Donnay (No. 122 from No. 115) and Liam Maaskant(No. 195 from No. 134) slipped down the list.
Former Otters winger Chris Marchese, now with Windsor, stands at No. 122. Center Drake Caggiula, the Otters’ third-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, appears at No. 185. Caggiula, who played for Stouffville in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League this season, has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at North Dakota.
Sarnia’s duo of right wing Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk rank first and fourth, respectively, followed by Ottawa defenseman Cody Ceci (sixth), Kitchener center Radek Faksa (seventh) and London defenseman Olli Maatta (eighth). Belleville’s Malcolm Subban (first), Saginaw’s Jake Paterson (third) and Kitchener’s Frank Palazzese (ninth) rank among the top 10 North American goaltenders.
The NHL draft takes place June 22-23 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Check out the the complete rankings by clicking on the link.

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

Injury plagued or not, the Erie Otters are scoring goals.

Behind Phil Varone’s hat trick and Greg McKegg’s two goals, the Otters set a season high in goals in a 7-3 win against Kitchener in front of 3,731 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.

Erie’s offensive onslaught – the most goals scored in a game since the 2009-10 season finale (8 against London), occurred two nights after scoring six goals in a shutout win against Belleville.

Kitchener entered the game with nine wins in the past 10 games. But the surging Otters (12-14-1-0) jumped on the Rangers, as they built a 3-0 lead in the opening 5½ minutes of the opening period on their way to snapping a 10-game losing streak against their Midwest Division rival. The Otters also have their first three-game winning streak since February.

“That was the best game we’ve played,” said Varone, a former Ranger.

Varone scored on assists from Bret Cook and David Broll at the 2:03 to open the scoring. Then McKegg continued his offensive assault with the first of his two straight goals. He fired a rebound of David Shields’ shot past goaltender Brandon Maxwell, a former Otters’ draft pick, for a 2-0 lead.

Fifty-seven seconds later, McKegg scored again – his sixth goal in the past two games – on assists from Shields and Derek Holden for a 3-0 advantage. Ryan Murphy, the league’s highest-scoring defenseman, slipped a shot through goaltender Ramis Sadikov’s pads to move the Rangers within 3-1 with 2:28 left.

The Otters’ lead shrunk to 3-2 just 17 seconds into the second, as Gabriel Landeskog deflected Jonathan Jasper’s shot past Sadikov for Landeskog’s team-leading 20^th goal of the season.

But the Otters responded 1:02 later, as Varone scored his second goal of the game and seventh in 14 games as an Otter, for a 4-2 lead. Then Jeremy Gottzmann scored at the 2:44 mark of the period to regain the Otters’ three-goal lead – his first goal since Feb. 13, a span of 46 games.

Kitchener (17-6-0-1) sliced that lead to 5-3 at the 7:14 mark on Cody Sol’s first goal of the season. Landeskog and Jason Akeson assisted on the goal, with Akeson recording his Ontario Hockey League-leading 36^th assist and 48^th point of the season. But the Otters continued attacking the Rangers’ net.

The Otters finished the second with 25 shots on goal, which tied for the season high (Oct. 22 against Sault Ste. Marie). The teams combined for 39 shots on goal in the middle period. The Otters finished with a season-high 51 shots.

Early in the third, Matthew Paton, who assisted on Gottzmann’s goal, snapped a 16-game goal drought to hand the Otters a 6-3 lead. Jordan Coccimiglio earned his second assist of the game on the play.

Then Varone completed the first three-goal outing in his five-year OHL career – and the team’s second in two games (McKegg) with a power-play goal on assists from McKegg and Luciani 7:43 into the period. Varone and McKegg were the first Otters’ teammates with hat tricks in consecutive games since Justin Hodgman (Dec. 20 vs. Sudbury) and Andrew Yogan (Dec. 28 at Brampton).

Varone and McKegg, who also had an assist, led the Otters’ offense. Shields, Luciani and Coccimiglio had two assists apiece. Paton (goal, assist) also had two points.

“When (role players) chip in,” McKegg said, “you know you’re going to have a good night.”

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 7, Rangers 3

Kitchener  1  2  0  —  3

Erie  3  2  2  —  7

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Phil Varone 6 (Cook, Broll), 2:03. 2. Erie, Greg McKegg 19 (Shields, Szydlowski), 4:26. 3. Erie, McKegg 20 (Shields, Holden), 5:23. 4. Kitchener, Ryan Murphy 13 (Maxwell), 17:32. Penalties — Lowry (K) interference, 15:13.

2^nd Period — 5. Kitchener, Gabriel Landeskog 20 (Jasper, Catenacci), :17. 6. Erie, Varone 7 (Luciani), 1:19. 7. Erie, Jeremy Gottzmann 1 (Paton, Coccimiglio), 2:44. 8. Kitchener, Cody Sol 1 (Landeskog, Akeson), 7:14. Penalties — Broll (E) 5-min. fighting, 2:47; Randell (K) 5-min. fighting, 2:47; Gazdic (E) 5-min. fighting, 6:00; Thomson (K) 5-min. fighting, 6:00; Szydlowski (E) elbowing, 13:39; Randell (K) interference, 15:10.

3^rd Period — 9. Erie, Matthew Paton 4 (Coccimiglio, Grant), 4:47. 10. Erie, Varone 8 (McKegg, Luciani), 7:43 (pp). Penalties — Crescenzi (K) checking to the head, 6:26; Austin (E) tripping, 10:39.

Shots on goal — Kitchener, 11-14-15—40; Erie, 12-25-15—51.

Goaltenders — Kitchener, Brandon Maxwell 12-5-0-0 (51 shots, 44 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 12-10-1-0 (40 shots, 37 saves).

Power plays — Kitchener (0-2), Erie (1-3).

Referees — Darcy Burchell, Dave Gauthier. Linesmen — Daryl Wolfe, Mike Harrington.

Attendance — 3,731.

Three stars

* Phil Varone, Otters (hat trick) ** Greg McKegg, Otters (2 goals, assist) *** David Shields, Otters (2 assists)

What: Belleville Bulls (7-15-0-2) at Erie Otters (10-14-1-0)

When: Today, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (11-11-22), RW Anthony Luciani (7-8-15), G Ramis Sadikov (10-10-1-0 record, 2.90 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, 1 shutout), D Derek Holden (2-11-13)

Belleville – RW Richard Panik (13-15-28), C Andy Bathgate (9-11-20), RW Luke Judson (10-9-19), G Tyson Teichmann (4-11-0-1, 4.10, .887), RW Austen Brassard (5-8-13)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters begin a three-game home stand with their traditional Thanksgiving Night matchup against the Bulls. … The Otters, which have played on Thanksgiving every year since moving to Erie from Niagara Falls, Ontario, in 1996, face the Bulls for a holiday-best 10^th time (3-5-1-0), including the past six years. … Sadikov has made 15 consecutive starts (7-6-0-0 with one no-decision, 2.61, .914). … Luciani (pictured at left)  has points in five of six games, including four multi-point outings, since returning from a five-week layoff with a broken right wrist (four goals, 10 points). … The Otters have nearly identical records at home (5-7-0-0) and on the road (5-7-1-0). However, they have a plus-4 goal differential at home (39-35) and a minus-13 differential on the road (41-54). … McKegg, who ranks among the OHL’s top 20 in scoring, had three-game goal and point streaks snapped in Saturday’s win at Barrie. … Szydlowski has four goals in the past three games after totaling one in the previous seven games. … LW Brett Appio (leg) hopes to play tonight. … D Brady Austin (shoulder) has missed the past four games. … Rookie D Adam Pelech (undisclosed injury) remains day to day. … The Otters hold their annual Teddy Bear Toss tonight. Fans bringing a new or gently used stuffed animal will receive a free ticket to Saturday’s or Sunday’s game. Fans can toss the stuffed animals onto the ice after Erie’s first goal.

Belleville – The rebuilding Bulls have lost seven of their past 10 games. … They rank near the bottom of the league in goals for (61), goals against (96), power play (14.5 percent) and penalty kill (78.4). … Panik has 25 goals and 51 points in 51 games since being acquired from Windsor last season. He ranks among the top 20 in scoring this season. … Rookie D Brendan Gaunce (3-8-11, minus-11), assistant coach Jake Grimes and equipment manager Matt Sands will represent Team Ontario at next month’s World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with Grimes serving as head coach. Goaltending prospect Daniel Altshuller, a third-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, also is on a team that includes Otters rookies Chris Marchese (3-4-7) and Pelech. … Brassard, Teichmann and LW Michael Curtis (3-4-7) join Otters LW David Broll (3-9-12) on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary 2011 draft rankings.

Up next: vs. Kitchener (Saturday, 7 p.m.), vs. Guelph (Sunday, 4:30 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes