Blast to regroup for Allan Cup; Real McCoys to face Whitby Dunlops in John Robertson Cup
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Monday, March 17
The Brantford Blast's power play experienced a short-circuit at the civic centre Sunday afternoon and the Dundas Real McCoys skated away with the Major League Hockey championship.
"(The McCoys') special teams were better than ours. Our power play was ineffective," Brantford head coach Larry Trader said after Dundas scored a 5-2 victory in Game 6 to win the series 4-2.
Dundas advances to the John Robertson Cup, a best-of-seven playoff against the Whitby Dunlops, champions of the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League.
The Dunlops defeated Simcoe County 7-4 on Saturday to win its league title 4-0.
The winner of the Dundas-Whitby series will earn a berth in the six-team Allan Cup tournament at Brantford's civic centre from April 14 to 19.
The losing team in the Dundas-Whitby series will host Thunder Bay Hawks in the Renwick Cup, a best-of-three series, April 4-6, with the winner also advancing to the Allan Cup tournament.
The Blast will play in the Allan Cup tournament as the host squad.
Trader was referring to the play of the special teams throughout the series, not just Sunday when both teams were scoreless in seven power-play attempts.
The McCoys were 2-for-9 in an 8-6 victory Friday, while the Blast were scoreless in 10 attempts.
Dundas was 2-for-7 in Brantford's 8-5 victory in Game 4 when the Blast were 1-for-7.
Trader offered different reasons why the Blast power play failed.
"At times, we weren't working hard enough at it," he said.
"Sometimes we were making low percentage plays through the middle and trying to force things but the biggest factor was that we just weren't getting to the net."
The McCoys, as they did in several games, jumped on the Blast early in Sunday's game.
Rob DeCiantis took advantage of a Blast defensive mistake to give Dundas a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the first period.
DeCiantis caught Brantford's Chad Spurr flat-footed and skated around him inside the Blast blue-line. Unfortunately for the Blast, there wasn't a defenceman backing up Spurr.
Ryan Christie displayed his strength as he gave the McCoys a 2-0 lead at the 9:50 of the first period. The big centre over-powered players in the crease area to tip in a loose puck.
The Blast appeared as if they were going to make a comeback in the third period when veteran winger Steve Rice completed a three-way tic-tac-toe passing play with Ryan Healy and Spurr at 3:58.
Spurr tied the score 2-2 at 8:36, while the Blast were playing shorthanded.
The slick centre intercepted a pass at the Brantford blue-line, fought off a check inside the Dundas blue-line and beat goaltender Sean Hall with a low shot on the stick side.
The Blast had a golden opportunity at 10:37 when they were given a 5-on-3 advantage but they failed to score.
The McCoys rubbed salt in their wounds 10 seconds after killing off the penalties.
Christie caught the Brantford defence out of position, fought off a check from centre Aaron Brand and managed to backhand the puck past goaltender Anthony Marshall.
Brantford's hopes went down the drain when Nick Smith's soft shot at 14:30 handcuffed Marshall.
Mark Jooris completed the scoring with an empty net goal at 18:52.
Trader usually prefers to wait until practice to go over the game with players. However, he spent several minutes talking to the team behind closed doors after Sunday's game.
"I just told them that we've got a second crack at it," he said.
"We'll get some practice time in but they've also got to get on the ice and stay in shape.
"I still think we've got the best team (in MLH). The series could have gone either way. It was a funny series, two evenly matched teams, both teams had trouble defensively."
Trader refused to blame the fact that the Ontario Hockey Association erased Game 2 of the series - a 5-2 Brantford victory - for having a negative effect on the outcome of the series. Brantford won the replayed game.
"If that doesn't happen, it's a whole different series," Trader admitted.
"But they (Blast players) still played hard in following games. I think we lost the series because we had an ineffective power play and sloppy defensive play."
Blast break out against McCoys;
Brantford scores three unanswered goals in third period to take Game 2
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Mon. March 3
Brantford Blast offence, stagnant for five periods of a playoff series against the Dundas Real McCoys, came to life at the civic centre Sunday night.
The Blast scored three unanswered goals, including one into an empty net, in the third period to defeat the Real McCoys 5-2 in the second game of the Major League Hockey best-of-seven championship series.
Brantford tied the series 1-1 after the Real McCoys won the opening game in Dundas on Friday night.
The series resumes with Game 3 at Brantford's civic centre Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The teams were locked in a 2-2 tie when Brantford's Aaron Brand took a pass from Brent Gretzky at the Dundas blue-line and went in on a 2-on-1 break with winger Bobby Stewart.
Dundas goaltender Sean Hall blocked Brand's first shot but couldn't control the rebound and Brand shot it over him into the net at the 2:40 mark.
The McCoys pressed to tie the score and managed several good chances but Blast goaltender Anthony Marshall turned in a solid effort and his defence didn't allow second chances.
The Blast finally got the separation they needed after causing a turnover at the Dundas blue-line.
The puck went to right-winger Steve Rice, who deked his way around a McCoys defender before faking Hall out of position and scoring into an empty net at 19:03.
Chris Grenville got Brantford's final goal when he outskated a Dundas player to the puck inside the McCoys' blue-line and shot it into an empty net after Hall had been removed in favour of an extra attacker.
"Our offence broke out," said Blast head coach Larry Trader.
"For five periods we played with a lack of urgency on offence but the third period was different. It was the simple fact of just going to the net.
"In the first two periods, we had a total of six shots on net from the triangle slot area. You can't play from the perimeter with these guys.
"The focus all year, but especially now, has been owning the middle of the ice. We've got to own it in our zone and in theirs. That's where everything happens."
Todd Harvey gave the McCoys a 1-0 lead at 9:20 of the first period when he scored on a power play as he backhanded a loose puck over Marshall.
Defenceman Jeff Brown, who was Brantford's best player, tied the score on a power play at 16:52. He scored on a blast from just inside the blueline.
Grenville gave Brantford a 2-1 lead at the 56-second mark of the second period.
Grenville, known for having a devastating shot, fired a slapshot from just inside the blue-line.
Hall caught the puck but the shot simply overpowered his glove and rolled out of it and into the net.
McCoys' Rob DeCiantis tied the score at 6:23 when Mark Jooris stole the puck behind the Blast net and centred to DeCiantis, who was left uncovered in front of the Brantford goal.
Brantford outshot Dundas 35-30.
ICE CHIPS: Brett Barnett, Cory Matchim, Bryan Hamm, Ryan Healy and Ian Jacobs were Brantford's lineup scratches. Gretzky won't be able to play Friday because of work commitments but he believes he'll be available Sunday for Game 5 in Dundas. The Yapping Feud between McCoys' general manager and assistant coach Don Robertson and Blast winger Wayne Muir is once again in high gear. It was in full swing last year. It's good to see former league scoring champion Mark Jooris back in the McCoys' lineup for the playoffs. Not only is Jooris a pleasure to watch when he's got the puck but fans should pay attention to him when the whistle blows as it seems that he's always got something to say to the referee. Maybe he should wear either a bib or a striped shirt.
MLH final series begins Friday in Dundas;
Blast will host Games 2 and 3
Brantford Expositor - Monday Feb. 27th
The top two teams in Major League Hockey will meet Friday in Game 1 of the championship series.
The Brantford Blast and Dundas Real McCoys will begin their best-of-seven series in Dundas at 7:30 p.m.
The McCoys, who finished first place, and the second-place Blast each concluded best-of-seven semifinal playoffs Sunday by sweeping their opponents.
The McCoys defeated the Tillsonburg Vipers, and the Blast beat the Windsor Saint Clair Saints.
Game 2 of the final will be played in Brantford on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and Game 3 also will be played in Brantford on March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
The series shifts back to Dundas for Game 4 on March 9 at 7:30 p.m. If necessary,Game 5 will be played in Dundas on March 14 at 7:30 p.m., Game 6 in Brantford on March 16 at 2 p.m. and Game 7 in Dundas on March 19 at 7:30 p.m.
The winner of the series advances to the John Robertson Cup best-of-seven playoff against the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League champion, which likely will be the defending Robertson Cup champion, Whitby Dunlops.
Blast star centre Chad Spurr is expected to return to Brantford's lineup on Friday.
Spurr missed the entire series against Windsor after suffering a facial injury in a late regular-season game against the Petrolia Squires.
It is not known whether left-winger Ryan Healy and defenceman Ian Jacobs will be ready to come off the injury list. Both have been sidelined by shoulder injuries.
Blast sweep into finals; After easily handling the Saints, Brantford faces Dundas in championship series
Brantford Expositor - Mon. Feb. 25
Four-zip! Now, it's on to the Dundas Real McCoys.
Brantford Blast, led by Steve Rice's four goals and Darren Mortier's four points, whacked the Windsor Saint Clair Saints 7-1 late Sunday afternoon to wrap up their Major League Hockey semifinal playoff.
It's the second consecutive season Brantford has swept the Saints to open the playoffs.
The Blast will face the archrival Real McCoys, who defeated the Vipers 6-4 on Sunday in Tillsonburg to also sweep their semifinal.
The McCoys outshot the Vipers 24-4 in the third period as they overcame a 4-2 deficit. Former league scoring champion Mark Jooris, who has rejoined the McCoys for the playoffs, got a goal and an assist.
The defending champion Blast and McCoys will play a best-of-seven series for the MLH crown.
Dates for the series, in which Dundas has home-ice advantage for finishing the regular-season schedule in first place, will be announced this week.
Rice, a former NHLer, had gone scoreless in the series' first three games.
Blast head coach Larry Trader said Rice didn't play any differently in Game 4.
"He's had his opportunities," Trader said. "It (the puck) just wasn't going in for him.
"I think a big part of it tonight was that he put on a couple of big hits early in the game and he's a big man. He got a lot of space after that."
Mortier, who wasn't available to play in Friday's 2-1 victory in Brantford, got one goal and three assists.
"He played very well, not only offensively, but I liked what he did defensively," Trader said of the late-season addition, who can play either centre or right wing. "He's a good two-way player."
The Blast were missing seven regulars. Ryan Healy, Chad Spurr and Ian Jacobs are still on the injured list and Brett Barnett was ill. Aaron Brand and Luch Nasato couldn't attend because of previous commitments and Brent Gretzky had work duties.
Tyler Pelton dressed despite undergoing three hours of surgery after Friday's game.
"His lip was hit by a helmet and it took a chunk right out of it," Trader explained. "He dressed and served a penalty when Bobby Stewart got a game misconduct."
Chris Grenville and Wayne Muir also scored for the Blast. Grenville, a Feb. 10 signing, was playing in only his second game for Brantford Dave Russell, who was moved from defence to forward, defenceman Jeff Brown and veteran winger Andrew Taylor each got two assists.
The Blast led 2-1 at the end of the first period and 5-1 at the end of the second period.
Trader was pleased with the play of everyone in his lineup but he noted that centre Cory Matchim had a particularly strong game.
"He's got speed and we had his line set up in a defensive posture," Trader said. "They did a good job creating turnovers and he was our leading hitter."
The Blast will have their regular Tuesday night practice at the civic centre and Trader notes it's easy to figure out which areas need the most work.
"Our power play wasn't very effective this series and we've got some forecheck issues we've got to resolve," Trader said. "Other than those, a lot of the areas of our game are pretty good."
Blast up 3-0; Brantford pushes Saints to brink of elimination
Brantford Expositor - Sat. Feb. 23
The Brantford Blast weren't heading in the right direction when the Major League Hockey playoffs began a week ago.
Now, following three playoff games, it's clear the Blast have switched course.
Brantford scored a 2-1 win over the Windsor St. Clair Saints on Friday night at the civic centre and now leads its best-of-seven MLH semifinal playoff series 3-0. The Blast can eliminate the Saints and prepare to defend the league championship they won last season by scoring another win on Sunday when they travel to Windsor for Game 4 of the series at 3 p.m.
Brantford hasn't done anything extraordinary to get out of their mini-funk, which saw it post a 6-6 record to conclude the regular season, allowing the Dundas Real McCoys to slip by the Blast for first place in the five-team league.
"I think the mental aspect of the game is the biggest thing they've changed," Blast head coach Larry Trader said following Friday's win. "The little mistakes we were making, they aren't making them anymore because they know how important each game is now."
While it's impossible to turn a switch on and off and magically become a much more disciplined team, Trader attributes the Blast's turnaround to those occupying the stalls in the dressing room.
"We have a lot of character guys in there," he said. "I told the guys after the game they showed a lot of character in the win."
Although the Blast appear to have a stranglehold on the series, Trader said his team isn't playing its best.
"I don't think we played great tonight but I didn't think we played badly," he said. "You have to give Windsor credit. They work hard in all aspects of the game, whether it's the forecheck or backcheck, they don't give you a sniff."
That could also be said with regards to both team's goalies on Friday.
Each team had chances early in the game but Brantford's Anthony Marshall and Windsor's Bill Ruggiero came up with some solid saves. In the second, things opened up a bit more and the Blast were almost on the board twice.
First, Brett Barnett was stopped in close by Ruggiero and then the Saints goalie made his best save of the night on a three-on-one several moments later.
Playing short-handed, Brantford's Bobby Stewart carried the puck into Windsor territory, with Chris Grenville and Jeremy Bloomfield trailing. Stewart flipped a pass over to a hard-charging Bloomfield, who was absolutely robbed by the glove of Ruggiero.
A little more than a minute later, at 6:43 of the second, Ruggiero couldn't stop Aaron Brand.
Brand took a puck off the sideboards and headed to the middle of the ice, firing a shot at Ruggiero. The Windsor goalie made the save but Brand was right there for the rebound, putting it into the top corner of the net for a 1-0 Brantford lead. Steve Rice got the lone assist.
Just past the midway point of the second, Brantford got its biggest save of the night but it wasn't from Marshall.
With the puck deep in Blast territory, a Windsor player made a cross-ice pass to a teammate. That Saints player fired the puck at a wide-open net, only to have defenceman Jeremy Bloomfield stick out his skate to make the save just in front of the goal-line.
The Saints, who outshot the Blast 47-27, did even things up early in the third when three Kyles - Trudell from Raymond and O'Neil - teamed to beat Marshall.
However, at 3:46 of the same frame, Brantford's Jason Simon scored the game-winner when he fired a shot past Ruggiero from just inside the blue-line.
Dundas also has a 3-0 lead in its series against the Tillsonburg Vipers, following a 5-3 win at home on Friday. Game 4 of that series is scheduled for Sunday in Tillsonburg at 7:30 p.m.
Blast 'fortunate' in Game 2 victory; Take 2-0 series lead vs. Saints despite being outshot 42-33
Brantford Expositor - Mon. Feb. 18
Following a 3-2 road win against the Windsor St. Clair Saints on Sunday, the Brantford Blast must be feeling pretty good about themselves.
The victory gives Brantford a 2-0 lead in its Major League Hockey best-of-seven semifinal series, with Game 3 scheduled for Friday at the civic centre at 7:30 p.m.
The Blast can then knock off the Saints with a win in Game 4 on Sunday in Windsor.
However, Brantford president and general manager Peter Ham isn't looking that far ahead because he realizes his team is up against a tough opponent.
"We're comfortable with the first two games we played," Ham said.
"But Windsor is a hard-working team.
"I think the knock on them was they didn't stand up to teams like Brantford and Dundas last year, and now they are.
"Last night they came at us, banging right from the start . . . These guys come to play. They're not going to roll over."
After opening the series with a 6-3 home win on Friday, Brantford headed to Windsor on Sunday looking to solidify home-ice advantage in the series.
Following a Jason Simon goal that started the scoring midway through the first period, with assists to Jim Baxter and David Russell, Windsor tied things up on a James Edgar power-play tally at the 13:42 mark of the opening frame.
In the second, Brett Barnett, from goalie Anthony Marshall, and Bobby Stewart on the power play, from Jeff Brown, gave Brantford a 3-1 edge.
The Blast held Windsor off the board in the third until Brett Trudell scored at 19:32 of the period with the Saints employing an extra-attacker.
"We were very fortunate to win (Sunday) night," said Ham, whose team was outshot 42-33. "They had more power plays and our goalie played outstanding."
Windsor was 1-for-12 on the power play, while Brantford was 1-for-9. But Ham said the win wasn't just because of a hot goalie.
"It was a total team effort," he said.
The Blast will practise today in preparation for Friday's game. Ham said having a few days off will help in a couple of ways.
"We're definitely older than them," said Ham.
"I think (the extra rest) is good for us.
"We've only practised three times in the past five weeks so to have a practice (today) and then play on Friday is just wonderful."
Today's practice will also give the Blast a chance to see recently signed forward Chris Grenville.
The six-foot-one, 210-pound St. Catharines native is an 11-year professional who was recently signed by Ham.
"He'll be ready to go at practice (today) and we'll see how ready he is for Friday," said Ham.
The Dundas Real McCoys also have a 2-0 lead in their semifinal series, after defeating the Tillsonburg Vipers 7-1 on Saturday night. Game 3 of that series is on Friday in Dundas at 7:30 p.m.
Blast draw first blood
Vincent Ball, Brantford Expositor - Sat. Feb. 16
The Brantford Blast took a decisive first step on the road to the Allan Cup, beating the Windsor Saint Clair Saints 6-3 at the civic centre Friday night.
Led by captain Tyler Pelton's sparkling three-goal performance and solid team defence, the Blast dominated the first game of a Major Hockey League best-of-seven semifinal. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. in Windsor.
"They played tonight like I've been asking them to play for a while now," head coach Larry Trader said. "We want to be the kind of team that everyone else hates to play.
"I was really pleased with our defence tonight. We didn't give them many chances."
Meanwhile, the Dundas Real McCoys took a 1-0 lead in their semifinal series with the Tillsonburg Vipers after scoring a 6-3 home victory. The Blast spent plenty of time in the penalty box and, while Trader acknowledged the team will have to be more disciplined, he thought many of the calls were questionable.
When the Saints did manage to make it through the Blast defence, they were met by the stellar goaltending of Anthony Marshall.
While the Blast were penalized a lot, they made up for it with their defensive play, which resulted in several Windsor turnovers and Brantford scoring opportunities.
The Blast opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game when David Russell took advantage of a fortunate bounce off the end boards.
Russell was one-on-one with a Windsor defender and his first shot went wide of goaltender Frank Dayus.
The puck bounced off the end boards onto Russell's stick and he slipped it past the goalie to make it 1-0. Jason Simon earned an assist.
The Blast then started a parade to the penalty box, taking several minor penalties for extracurricular activities after the whistle. However, the Brantford cause was helped by sloppy play by the Saints in their own end.
When Brantford was shorthanded halfway through the first period, Pelton stole the puck and deked Dayus to put the Blast up 2-0 by the end of the first period.
In the second period, Pelton faked a pass to a winger, fooled a Windsor defenceman and skated in on Dayus to make it 3-0.
The Saints got on the scoreboard at 7:35 of the second period when captain Erik Stone scored over Marshall's shoulder from the slot after a pass from Jason Dixon.
A few minutes later, Aaron Brand got his first goal as a Blast player after yet another turnover in the Windsor end. Brand found himself alone in front of Dayus, who stopped the first shot but Brand capitalized on the rebound.
The Blast went up 5-1 about a minute later when Bobby Stewart went five-hole on Windsor goalie Bill Ruggiero, who replaced Dayus.
Then with less than a minute remaining in the second period, and with the Blast two-men short, Kyle O'Neil of the Saints beat Marshall to make the score 5-2.
Pelton got his third goal after a turnover at the Windsor blueline. The speedy centre beat Ruggiero on the glove side.
With the game out of reach, the bad feelings finally came to a boil and several fights broke out, setting the stage for a showdown on Sunday in Windsor.
The Saints scored the final goal with just under two minutes left in the third period when a shot from the point was deflected and managed to elude Marshall.
Saints not to be taken lightly;
Blast hope they have winning combination for successful Allan Cup run
Brantford Expositor - Wed. Feb. 13
Peter Ham has put the finishing touches on the Brantford Blast roster for this season.
He's obviously gone all out to bring in the best players possible since the Blast are hosting the 100th Allan Cup competition at the civic centre April 14 to 19.
It's unfortunate that it's taken the commander-in-chief of Brantford's Major Hockey League entry so long to complete the 25-man roster but that's the way it goes in the ranks of senior AAA hockey. The Blast, like each team in MLH, start the season with X-number of players and continually try to upgrade their talent as the season progresses.
When the Jan. 10 deadline arrives, the teams reduce their rosters to 25 players and/or cards. The Blast kept 20 players and five cards.
Ham used the five cards to sign defencemen Jeff Brown and Luch Nasato, along with forwards Darren Mortier, Aaron Brand and Chris Grenville.
Convenience Store Lineup
When the Blast begin playoffs Friday, a best-of-seven semifinal series against the Windsor Saint Clair Saints at the civic centre, head coach Larry Trader, depending on player availability, may have to tell some players that they're healthy scratches.
That's never a pleasant task, but teams are only allowed to dress two goaltenders and 18 skaters for playoff games.
Trader must decide if he wants to go with six defencemen and 12 forwards, or seven defencemen and 11 forwards.
He'll likely go with a convenience store lineup, 7-11, because he can always move a defenceman, such as Dave Russell, up to a forward line if necessary.
The defencemen he'll definitely choose are Jim Baxter, Jeremy Bloomfield, Dan Pitre, Ian Jacobs and Brown.
Bryan Hamm likely will be out as he simply doesn't skate well enough against the speedy Saint Clair Saints and his muscle isn't needed.
Trader would then have to choose between Steve Hurst and Nasato.
Hurst has been brilliant and terrible.
If he'd just learn to keep his head screwed on straight during a game, his temper in check and make the simple play instead of trying to be Bobby Orr, he'd be fine.
Nasato's background indicates that he can be effective but he really hasn't done anything spectacular in three games in a Blast uniform. Has he been trying to do too much? Maybe.
Left-winger Ryan Healy, injured in a car accident a few weeks ago, is still sidelined and it's doubtful whether Brand and Grenville will be ready for action as they were just signed Sunday.
However, when Brand and Grenville are ready, they'll push someone to the sidelines. Both players should be dominant.
Since Healy has been injured, Muir has moved into his left-wing slot on a line with centre Chad Spurr and Steve Rice.
The unit has been effective because Spurr is an excellent checker and Muir and Rice are strong along the boards and in front of the net.
Centre Tyler Pelton and right-winger Andrew Taylor appear to be clicking with left-winger Brett Barnett, who, along with another left-winger Jason Simon, are the biggest surprises of the season for the Blast.
More Than Toughness
Barnett and Simon were brought in for the muscle but both have added much more than toughness. They're both adept at gaining possession of the puck and starting an offensive attack.
When Brand and Grenville get in the lineup, don't be surprised if you see either Simon or Healy playing on their left side.
Until Healy gets off the injured shelf, Trader will probably put Brent Gretzky at centre, with high-scoring Bobby Stewart on right wing and Simon on left wing.
Centre Cory Matchim and winger Darren Mortier will be the extra forwards.
It will actually be a shame if Matchim has to sit when Brand and Grenville are ready to play.
Matchim and Pelton are the hardest working forwards on the team.
Unfortunately, Matchim, who has trouble scoring, isn't going to beat out Spurr, Pelton, Gretzky or Brand at a centre position.
The Blast better be ready for the Saints.
They shouldn't be taking them for granted and figuring it's just a matter of time before they meet the Dundas Real McCoys for the MLH championship.
Windsor doesn't have the manpower of the Blast but coach Kevin Hamlin always has the Saints playing well as a team.
The Saints walked into the civic centre Jan. 18 and skated away with a 3-0 victory.
On that day, the Blast were outskated and outworked.
If the Blast aren't prepared Friday, they could be skating into Windsor for Game 2 on Sunday at 6 p.m. just hoping to tie the series.
Snowstorm leaves teams shorthanded
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Wed. Feb. 13
Brantford Blast closed out their regular-season schedule with a 5-4 victory over the Tillsonburg Vipers on Tuesday night.
The game was meaningless in the Major League Hockey standings and both teams played like it.
The Blast finish in second place behind the first-place Dundas Real McCoys.
The Windsor Saint Clair Saints are third and the Vipers fourth.
The Petrolia Squires finish fifth and miss the playoffs.
The Vipers and the Squires complete the league's schedule with a game tonight.
Tuesday's snowstorm kept several players from both teams away from the game.
Vipers' head coach Larry Van Herzele noted that five of his players started to drive to the game but turned back and went home because of the storm.
The Vipers dressed two goaltenders and eight skaters.
Jeff Brown and Darren Mortier of the Blast were prevented from getting to the game because of the storm.
The Blast were also without injured players Chad Spurr, Ryan Healy and Ian Jacobs.
Aaron Brand and Chris Grenville, who were signed Sunday, didn't play as they're not ready for action.
Blast winger Bobby Stewart, who is Mr. Perpetual Motion, appeared to be the only player in uniform to take the game seriously.
Stewart gave the Blast a 1-0 lead at 8:35 of the first period only to see Vipers' Michael Pejic tie the score two minutes later.
Blast's Brett Barnett regained the lead at 11:33 but Derek Prodeus beat Brantford's reserve goaltender, Bryan Worosz, at 13:28.
Brantford's Cory Matchim crashed the crease to score at the 30-second mark of the second period but P.J. Black tied the score on a power play at 12:35.
The Blast picked up the pace in the third period.
Stewart stole the puck and scored on a breakaway at 5:03, and Brantford took a 5-3 lead when Jason Simon pounced on a loose puck at 7:26.
Prodeus completed the scoring at 12:22.
MLH's best-of-seven semifinal playoffs begin Friday night with the Windsor Saint Clair Saints facing the Blast at the civic centre, and the Vipers travelling to Dundas to meet the Real McCoys.
Dundas plays in Tillsonburg on Saturday night, and the Blast travel to Windsor to meet the Saints on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Blast win, then add experience to roster
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Mon. Feb. 11
The Brantford Blast, led by Wayne Muir's three goals, defeated the Tillsonburg Vipers 6-3 on Saturday night and then put the finishing touches on their Major League Hockey 25-man roster by signing two forwards with impressive backgrounds Sunday.
Blast president and general manager Peter Ham announced the signing of 32-year-old Aaron Brand, a former OHL scoring champion, and 33-year-old Chris Grenville, who has played 11 seasons of professional hockey.
The Blast complete regular-season play when they face the Vipers at the civic centre Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
The Blast will finish in second place and face the third-place Windsor Saint Clair Saints in a best-of-seven semifinal playoff beginning Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the civic centre. Game 2 will be in Windsor on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Brand, who generally plays centre, resides in Sarnia and is a friend of Blast defenceman Jeff Brown as they played two seasons together with the Sarnia Sting in the OHL.
Brand went on to play four seasons with the St. John's Maple Leafs in the American Hockey League. The six-foot, 190-pounder scored 44 goals and 96 assists with the Baby Leafs before moving on to the East Coast and United hockey leagues and one season of pro in Europe.
"Aaron's a great playmaker," said Ham. "He's got the touch."
Grenville, who resides in St. Catharines, is six-foot-one and 210 pounds. The centre and right winger, who is known for having a heavy shot, played most of his pro hockey in the United League but he also played in the East Coast and Central leagues.
He registered 109 points with the B.C. Iceman in the UHL in the 2000-01 season. He got 90 points with the Laredo Bucks in the CHL during the 2002-03 season, before coming back to the Bucks in the 2003-04 season to get 87 points.
Grenville played five games for the Dundas Real McCoys last season. He scored seven goals and two assists.
"He's a pure sniper, a natural goal-scorer," said Ham. "He's big and strong. Any puck within a stick's length of that man when he's near the goal is in the net."
Ham doesn't expect that either Brand or Grenville will be in the lineup Tuesday.
"We got both of them for depth as get into the playoffs," Ham said. "We want them as soon as they feel ready to go but there's no panic for them to be in the lineup.
"We've already got 23 guys signed. We just want to bring the best players on board that we can and when they're ready to help, that's when we'll slide them in there."
Throughout the regular season, teams are allowed to dress a maximum of two goaltenders and 16 skaters but, in the playoffs, teams may dress two goaltenders and 18 skaters.
The Blast will host the 100th Allan Cup tournament in April and, as hosts, have an automatic entry into the competition.
"We've added them to win the 100th Allan Cup, that's what it's all about this year," said Ham.
Muir wasn't the only former pro to star for the Blast against the Vipers in Tillsonburg.
The veteran left winger, who scored his ninth, 10th and 11th goals of the season, played on a line with centre Chad Spurr and former NHLer Steve Rice.
"They were very effective, not only five-on-five but they had plenty of chances on the power play," said Blast executive director Steve Cheeseman.
Muir, who always seems to step his game up after the Christmas break, has had plenty of step in his gitty-up.
Muir's filled in for Ryan Healy on the line with Spurr and Rice. Healy was recently injured in a car accident and is expected to sidelined for at least another two weeks.
"He (Muir) gets himself into the game by hitting somebody," said Cheeseman. "That's his game."
Bobby Stewart scored two goals for the Blast and Andrew Taylor got one goal. Stewart and Taylor also have plenty of pro experience in their backgrounds.
Stewart got the Blast going when he scored an unassisted goal at 4:45 of the first period.
Taylor converted passes from linemates Brett Barnett and Tyler Pelton for a 2-0 lead at 11:03 but the Blast gave up a shorthanded goal at 19:54 to Brad Wilkins.
Muir scored at 2:19 of the second period for a 3-1 lead.
The Vipers cut Brantford's lead when former Blast winger Adriano Fiacconi got a power-play goal at 13:26.
However, Brantford's experience showed in the final five minutes of the period.
Stewart scored from Cory Matchim at 15:46 and Muir scored from Jeremy Bloomfield and Rice at 16:32 for a 5-2 lead.
Former Blast defenceman Brad Jones, now with the Vipers, scored at 6:03 of the third period but Muir put the game away with a power-play goal from Rice and Stewart at 12:31.
The Blast were bouncing back from an embarrassing 6-3 loss to the Real McCoys at the civic centre Friday night.
"Defensively we played better," said Cheeseman. "Not only did the defencemen play better but the forwards contributed defensively by helping out in their own zone."
ICE CHIPS: The Blast were without Darren Mortier, Brent Gretzky, Dan Petrie, Ian Jacobs and Healy. Jacobs, who has been sidelined by an injury, is hoping to play Tuesday. Spurr was struck on his mouth by the puck early in the third period. He spent four hours in a dentist's chair Sunday and he's not expected to play Tuesday.
Game 3 of the Brantford-Windsor semifinal will be at the civic centre Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and the Game 4 will be in Windsor on Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. The remaining dates haven't been confirmed.
The Real McCoys clinched first place Saturday by defeating the Saints 5-3 in Windsor. Dundas will face the Vipers in the other best-of-seven semifinal.
Blast add defenceman, forward for stretch run
Brantford Expositor - Tues. Feb. 5
President and general manager Peter Ham continued Monday to build the Blast roster for the stretch drive of the Major League Hockey schedule, the upcoming playoffs and the Allan Cup tournament.
Ham signed 30-year-old defenceman Luch Nasato and 29-year-old forward Darren Mortier.
Both newcomers will be in the lineup tonight when the Blast travel to Petrolia to face the Squires in a game that was postponed in December because of bad weather.
The signing of Nasato excited Ham because top quality defencemen are difficult to find.
Ham was told about Nasato by Blast winger Bobby Stewart.
"They knew each other," said Ham. "(Stewart) played with, and against him, in the pros. Bobby Stewart then got me his phone number."
Nasato has played five seasons in the United Hockey League. He also has played pro in Europe and in the International and Central Leagues.
Nasato retired from the pros after the 2004-05 season. He played eight games with the Dundas Real McCoys in the 2005-06 season, scoring one goal and five assists and collecting 30 penalty minutes. "He's an upper echelon defenceman with tremendous energy and enthusiasm," said Ham. "He's in tremendous shape and I'm very happy to find him."
Mortier didn't play last season after spending the 2005-06 season with the Tillsonburg Vipers.
He scored 16 goals and added 17 assists for the Vipers in 25 games.
Mortier enjoyed an outstanding OHL career with the Sarnia Sting and Kitchener Rangers before going on to star with the University of Western Ontario Mustangs for four seasons.
The six-foot-two, 210-pound centre/right-winger played pro for one season in Germany before coming home to join MLH.
He split his time between the Aylmer Blues and the Vipers in the 2004-05 season, before playing the full 2005-06 season with the Vipers.
"He can score and he's big," said Ham, who still has two player cards to use to sign more players.
"I still want to get one more sniper, a guy that can really finish," said Ham.
Blast Double Real Mccoys
Expositor Staff - Sat. Jan. 19, 2008
The signing of defenceman Jeff Brown appears to be just what the doctor ordered for the Brantford Blast.
"He fits in very nicely," head coach Larry Trader said Friday night after the Blast defeated the Dundas Real McCoys 4–2 in an important game in the battle for first place in Major Leaque Hockey.
"He's big (six-foot-one, 232 pounds) and very good defensively. He moves the puck well, takes the body, clears the front of the net and he's positionally sound."
The surging McCoys had moved to within two points of the Blast, who had lost five of their last six games before Friday.
The win gives the Blast a four-point lead, but the McCoys have two games in hand.
The Blast are idle until Friday night at 7:30 p.m. when they return home to face the Tillsonburg Vipers, who have recently signed ex-Blast players Adrianno Fiacconi and David Del Monte.
Blast goalie Bryan Worosz was outstanding, facing 40 Dundas shots.
The Blast managed 25 shots at the Dundas goal.
Defenceman Mike Lankshear gave the Real McCoys a 1-0 lead at 4:39 of the first period but Brantford's third line got two goals in the final four minutes to give the Blast a 2-1 lead going into the second. Cory Matchim scored at 16:35 and Jason Simon got a goal at 19:21. Bobby Stewart assists on both goals.
Brantford increased it's lead to 4-1 in the second period.
Brett Barnett scored an unassisted goal at 11:54 and Simon scored off a pass from Stewart at 13:07.
Former NHLer Todd Hlushko scored at the 17-second mark of the third period for Dundas.
"Our third line, Matchim, Stewart and Simon, has a real strong game," said Trader.
Simon, who has a reputation as one of the toughest players in hockey, has five goals and 16 assists on the season. "He's skating, taking the body, getting involved and creating space for himself and his linemates," said Trader.
The coach was pleased with his team's overall play.
Gretzky plays with heavy heart;
Brantford suffers first home loss of season
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Sat. Jan. 19 2008
Brent Gretzky was playing with a heavy heart as he made his debut for the Brantford Blast at the civic centre Friday night.
Gretzky and his wife, Nicole, attended the funeral of one of their best friends, Dwayne Kewnig, prior to making a four-hour drive from Belleville to Brantford for the game.
"It's been a hectic week," Gretzky said after the Blast suffered a 3-0 loss to the Windsor Saint Clair Saints before a crowd of about 2,000.
"One of our best friends died in a car accident. It was just one of those freak things. He was best friends with my wife since they were three (years old) and with me since I went to Belleville 18 or 19 years ago.
"I've also been working midnights this week so its been hectic."
It was the first loss of the season at the civic centre for the Blast after 12 consecutive wins. Brantford is in first place in Major League Hockey with a 16-7 record.
Blast head coach Larry Trader and assistant coach Dan Caco short-shifted Gretzky throughout the game as the newcomer to the squad obviously needs time to get into game shape.
"I was really tired," Gretzky admitted. "My legs felt like they were 100 pounds each. That was a fast pace out there. I wasn't playing with 12 year olds."
Gretzky coaches a peewee team in Belleville and he plans to use the team's ice time to help get himself in game shape.
"I'll skate with my son's team," he said.
Gretzky won't be able to play Sunday when the Blast travel to Windsor because of work commitments but he's hoping to be available when the Blast play the Real McCoys in Dundas next Friday night.
"I have to switch with a guy at work to get there," he noted.
Trader was pleased with Gretzky's performance.
"I didn't think he played badly," Trader said. "He showed flashes in the third (period). The one thing he hasn't lost is his vision, the way he sees the ice."
beat Blast to puck
The Saints continually beat the Blast to the puck throughout the game and Windsor's hard work paid off in the second period with three unanswered goals, two of them on the power play.
Ryan Caicco, Brent Vandehogen and James Edgar scored for the Saints. Bill Ruggiero earned the shutout. He kept the Blast from gaining momentum in the second period when he robbed Andrew Taylor and Ryan Healy at the 16-minute mark on a power play and then he took a goal away from Steve Rice at the 17-minute mark.
Blast get back on winning track
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Sat. Jan. 12, 2008
Back an injured animal into a corner, and you might get bit, as the Tillsonburg Vipers discovered Friday night at the civic centre.
The Brantford Blast lost superstar centre Chad Spurr and rugged winger Brett Barnett to injuries in the first period leaving them severely shorthanded the rest of the game.
However, the Blast, trailing 1-0 heading into the second period, bounced back to score an impressive 5-2 victory in the Major League Hockey game.
Dave Russell, moved from defence to forward to help fill in for the injured players, scored two goals to lead the offensive attack.
Jason Simon, known more for his aggressive play than his offensive output, scored a goal and earned two assists.
Defencemen Jim Baxter and Dan Pitre also scored goals and Tyler Pelton got two assists.
The Vipers kept Brantford goaltender Anthony Marshall busy as they outshot the Blast 53-40. Marshall was particularly brilliant in the second and third periods.
Blast's veteran wingers Wayne Muir and Andrew Taylor also turned in their best performances of the season.
Muir, who delivered several crunching bodychecks, twice set up Russell in the late stages of the third period with cross-crease passes only to see the university student miss the golden opportunities.
Brantford's victory broke a two-game losing streak and left the Blast in first place with a 17-5 record.
"We seem to have been flat the last little while," said Trader. "This was just a case of getting everybody more ice time. Generally, we dress 18 players which means a 10th forward that we have to rotate in there.
"Tonight, there were lots of opportunities for everyone to get involved."
Trader praised the play of Russell on the wing.
"Rusty and Ian Jacobs have experience up there," Trader said. "Rusty is strong on the puck. He should have had six goals. He did play well."
The Blast play the Vipers in Tillsonburg tonight at 7:30.
Bryan Hamm returned to the Blast lineup after being sidelined since Brantford's third game of the season with a back injured.
The Blast trimmed their roster to 20 players on Thursday's cutdown date and kept five cards open to sign players until Feb. 10.
The Blast released third-string goalie Ryan Dickie, defencemen Bryan Gent, Brad Jones and Will Wellman and forwards Scott Sheppard, Adriano Fiacconi and Paul MacDonald.
The releases of Jones and Fiacconi were somewhat of a surprise. Jones was immediately signed by Tillsonburg and was in the Vipers lineup Friday night.
"He was just the odd man out because of the experience of the other guys," explained Blast general manager Peter Ham.
Fiacconi had eight goals and six assists in 14 games with the Blast. "He has lots of skills and he's a good team man," said Ham. "He's a good offensive player but what we want is a little more aggressiveness from that position."
The Blast will be without defenceman Steve Hurst, winger Bobby Stewart and centre Brent Gretzky tonight.
Hurst is serving a suspension, Stewart is returning Sunday from work duty in Japan and Gretzky