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).

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

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – The Erie Otters began the second half of the OHL season slowly.

The Otters faced an early two-goal deficit on their way to a 4-2 loss to Plymouth in front of 2,952 at Compuware Arena on Tuesday. That dropped the Otters (17-17-1-1) back to the .500 mark.

The Whalers (18-14-1-1) snapped a tie with the Otters for fifth in the Western Conference.

Max Iafrate and Robbie Czarnik scored seven minutes apart in the opening period to hand the Whalers a 2-0 lead. Phil Varone’s short-handed goal 9:09 into the second sliced Erie’s deficit in half.

But a chance to tie the score slipped away 19 seconds later, as Whalers goaltender Scott Wedgewood stopped Shawn Szydlowski’s penalty shot. Then Plymouth regained a two-goal lead on Mitchell Heard’s goal with 6:43 left in the period. Stefan Noesen capped the scoring early in the third with his 16^th goal.

Wedgewood finished with 29 saves on 31 shots. Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov made 41 saves in a losing effort. Plymouth outshot the Otters 45-31. Heard led the Whalers with a goal and assist.

The Otters continue a three-goal trip today in Saginaw at 7:11 p.m.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Whalers 4, Otters 2

Erie  0  2  0  —  2

Plymouth  2  1  1  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Plymouth, Max Iafrate 2 (Heard, Albertini), 7:01. 2. Plymouth, Robbie Czarnik 14 (Meurs), 14:18. Penalties — Schmitz (P) tripping, 2:34; Szydlowski (E) checking from behind, 14:33.

2^nd Period — 3. Erie, Phil Varone 13 (Cairns), 9:09 (sh). 4. Plymouth, Mitchell Heard 8 (Livingston, Schmitz), 13:17. 5. Erie, Brett Appio 6 (unassisted), 18:32. Penalties — Coccimiglio (E) tripping, 3:43; Shields (E) hooking, 8:18; Shields (E) holding, 16:22. Missed penalty shot — Szydlowski (E) 9:28

3^rd Period — 6. Plymouth, Stefan Noesen 16 (MacDonald), 1:17. Penalties — Szydlowski (E) kneeing, 18:13.

Shots on goal — Erie, 10-9-12—31; Plymouth, 15-17-13—45.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 17-13-1-1 (45 shots, 41 saves); Plymouth, Scott Wedgewood 17-9-0-1 (31 shots, 29 saves).

Power plays — Erie (0-1), Plymouth (0-5).

Referees — Scott Hoberg, Steve McInchak. Linesmen — Matt Prozaki, Jim Scarpace.

Attendance — 2,952.

Three stars

* Mitchell Heard, Whalers (GW goal, assist) ** Stefan Noesen, Whalers (goal) *** Scott Wedgewood, Whalers (29 saves)

What: London Knights (2-1-0-0) at Erie Otters (1-3-0-0)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (1 goals, 4 assists, 5 points), C Mike Cazzola (2-4-6), RW Anthony Luciani (3-1-4), LW David Broll (1-3-4), D Mitch Gaulton (2-0-2)

London – RW Vladislav Namestnikov (1-3-4), RW Jared Knight (2-1-3), LW Michael McDonald (1-2-3), LW Colin Martin (1-2-3), C Phil Varone (1-0-1)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters attempt to snap a three-game losing streak at home, where they lost their opener to Saginaw 3-2 last weekend. … They lost four of six meetings with the Midwest Division rival Knights last season. But four of the defeats were by a goal – three in overtime or shootout. The Otters won two of three home games in the season series. … D Brett Cook suffered an apparent injury early in Friday’s loss to Kitchener and didn’t return. … Rookie C Connor Crisp (mild concussion) missed his fourth straight game on Friday. … The Otters have allowed power-play goals in all four games (seven goals on 18 chances). … Cazzola has points in all four games.

London – The Knights play their first road game of the season. They opened with three straight at home – a 3-2 shootout win against Plymouth, 4-3 overtime win against Sarnia and a 4-2 loss to Owen Sound. … Second-year goaltender Michael Houser (2-1-0-0 record, 2.53 goals-against average, .925 save percentage, 1 shutout) has started the first three games in front of rookie Igor Bobkov, an Anaheim Ducks prospect. … The Knight selected Namestnikov 20^th overall in the 2010 CHL Import Draft.

Up next: at Guelph (Friday, 7:30 p.m.), vs. Kitchener (Oct. 9, 7 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League announced on Wednesday that forward Ryan Hayes of the Plymouth Whalers is the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Winner presented to the OHL’s humanitarian of the year for the 2009-10 season.

Hayes, a 20-year-old from Syracuse, New York, led the Whalers’ organization in his third OHL season with 54 official community appearances, representing participation in nearly a quarter of the team’s total community events.  Hayes follows Chris Terry as the second straight member of the Whalers to receive this award.

“I had a great role model last year working with Chris (Terry) in the community,” said Hayes.  “It really is a huge honour for me to win this award.  It means a lot to be able to give back to the community as a hockey player.  I remember when I was younger how much it meant to me to see older guys at appearances, and hopefully the kids we reach out to give back when they get older.”

This season, Hayes took on a leadership role for the Whalers in the “Friends of Jaclyn” program, which supports the non-profit charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors.  The Whalers were paired up with 7-year-old Johnny Muller and his 5 year-old brother Aidan.  Johnny has had a brain tumor since the age of 2.  Hayes took over the project by explaining to the rest of the players what the program was and the importance of helping out.

“Our whole team was involved in the program,” said Hayes.  “The boys always put a smile on our faces even after losses.  They are a great family and the boys are just like little brothers to me.”

After learning of the boys’ interest in becoming hockey players, Hayes organized a private postgame skate and stayed on the ice for nearly two hours providing individual lessons.  He has been a constant role-model and friend to both Johnny and Aidan and keeps close contact with the Mullers to learn the latest news about Johnny’s condition and provide the necessary support.  He even drove an hour and a half on an off day to the boys’ school to take part in a “show and tell” class presentation.

“Ryan not only made Johnny and Aidan feel welcome every weekend, before and after the games, but he went above and beyond to show my boys how much they meant to him,” said Krissy Muller.  “The boys had never skated before and it was a very scary idea for Johnny considering his tumor sits on the area of his brain that controls balance.  Ryan talked him into coming out on the ice with him and made it a night Johnny would later call the best day of his life.”

Serving as an assistant captain and captain throughout the season, Hayes took on a leadership role off the ice in a variety of team initiatives, including regular “March is Reading Month” appearances at area schools stressing the importance of education to the students, and the Whalers’ annual “Pink Out” for Breast Cancer Awareness that again featured the entire hockey club dyeing their hair pink to promote the cause.  He also showed extensive participation with Special Olympics Michigan at their annual hockey tournament cheering on the participants, passing out the medals, and staying afterwards to pose for pictures and sign autographs.

“Just having a Plymouth Whaler at the event was enough for our athletes,” said Special Olympics Michigan Development Manager Ashley Diersch. “Ryan’s involvement and the true connection he seemed to have with everyone made it one of the best experiences they have had.”

Hayes’ commitment to the community was also evident during the summer, when the Whalers’ Learn to Skate Program was almost cancelled due to a lack of instructors.  Hayes informed the Whalers front office that he would be willing to teach the classes and promptly moved back to Plymouth for the entire summer to help out.

Each year the OHL awards a player that has demonstrated outstanding qualities as a positive role model in the community with the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy.  The Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors announced in 2004 that the OHL humanitarian of the year award would be renamed in recognition of Snyder the former Owen Sound Platers captain, who was twice named his team’s humanitarian of the year in recognition of his tremendous efforts in supporting community activities.

Hayes will officially be presented with the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony June 9 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.  He will also be the OHL’s nominee for humanitarian of the year at the Annual CHL Awards.

2009-10 Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Nominees:

Barrie – Stefan Della Rovere

Belleville – Adam Payerl

Brampton – Brad Albert

Erie – Matthew Paton

Guelph – Tyler Carroll

Kingston – John Cullen

Kitchener – John Moore

London – Leigh Salters

Mississauga – Dustin Ekelman

Niagara – Dylan MacEachern

Oshawa – Andrew Wilson

Ottawa – Corey Cowick

Owen Sound – Marcus Carroll

Peterborough – Jack Walchessen

Plymouth – Ryan Hayes

Saginaw – Tyler Murovich

Sarnia – Nathan Chiarlitti

Sault Ste. Marie – Robin Lehner

Sudbury – John Kurtz

Windsor – Adam Wallace

- From OHL news release

Erie Otters forward Greg McKegg rose 29 spots in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for 2010 draft prospects, which was released Wednesday. He stands 66th among North American skaters after placing 94th on the mid-term list unveiled in January.

McKegg stands five spots behind fellow Otters forward Andrew Yogan. He moved up to 61st after ranking 65th on the midterm list. Meanwhile, goaltender Ramis Sadikov is 12th among North American goaltenders – third among OHL goaltenders.

Plymouth center Tyler Seguin moved past Windsor left wing Taylor Hall as the No. 1 North American player in the draft. Hall slipped to the No. 2 spot.

Forward Brett Connolly (Prince George – WHL) is third. Kingston defenseman Erik Gudbranson and Windsor defenseman Cam Fowler complete the top five.

The NHL Entry Draft is set for June 25-26 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Check out the complete lists of the top North American skaters, North American goaltenders, European skaters and European goaltenders by clicking on the link.

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