Blast look forward to 2008 Allan Cup;
Players upbeat about next season.
Ed O'Leary Local Sports - Monday, March 26, 2007
The Brantford Blast had just concluded their 2006-07 season here late Sunday afternoon and many of their players were already thinking about competing for the Allan Cup next season.
“That’s why I came this year,” said former NHLer Steve Rice after the Blast dropped a 6-3 decision to the Whitby Dunlops at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre.
Whitby’s win gave the Dunlops the Ontario Hockey Association/Ontario Hockey Federation senior AAA best-of-seven series for the John Ross Roibertson Trophy 4-0.
The Dunlops will host Ontario North representative, Kenora Thistles, in early April in a best-of-three series for the Renwick Cup. The winner of the series will advance to the Allan Cup tournament in Stony Plain, Alta.
The Blast will host the Allan Cup tournament next spring and, as the host team, will get an automatic entry into the tournament.
“I was impressed with the team, the dressing room and the core of the players we have here,” said Rice. “It was really good.”
Rice joined the Blast just prior to the Feb 10th signing deadline and admitted that hewasn’t in the best physical condition but promised to be in better shape for next season.
Unfortunately, since he operates an insurance business and has a four-year-old child and a one-year-old baby, he doubts that he’ll be able to join the Blast “until after Christmas.”
“It’s going to be exciting to play in the 100th anniversary (of the Allan Cup),” he said.
Hard-hitting winger Wayne Muir, who is 38 years old, will put retirement on hold for a year.
“If we weren’t hosting the Allan Cup, I probably wouldn’t but I’m definitely coming back for one more year,” Muir said.
It seemed that all of the players want to return to the Blast.
“I won’t be going anywhere else,” said defenceman Jim Baxter.
The Dunlops used their “steady” play to defeat the Blast according to head coach Larry Van Herzele.
“They play simple (hockey) with a lot of movement,” said Van Herzele, who watched the Blast overcome a 3-2 deficit against the Petrolia Squires to win a semifinal playoff 4-3 before sweeping the Windsor Saint Clair Saints 4-0 to capture the Major League Hockey championship.
“When we went on a 6-0 run, everything was working for us. In this series, it wasn’t. Last year we made the playoffs and got only one round. This year we made it this far. Next year will be a huge year.”
Baxter felt the Dunlops “wanted it more” than the Blast.
“I don’t think they were as strong as the two teams we beat but we started to play like the team we were at the end of the (regular) season when we won one game in our last 10,” Baxter said.
“We played well enough to be in the games but not well enough to win the games.”
Baxter noted that the Blast shouldn’t forget what they accomplished.
“The guys came together in the playoffs,” he said. “We were down 3-2 against Petrolia and we could have packed it in but we showed a lot of character and rode it through the Windsor series.”
Brent Varty gave the Dunlops a 1-0 early in the first period but defenceman Dan Pitre tied the score at 18:59 of the period.
The Blast took a 2-1 early in the second period when Ryan Healy jammed in a power-play goal from the side of the net.
However, the Dunlops responded with power-play goals by Peter MacKellar and Jay McAuley to lead 3-2.
Rice scored late in the second period when Chad Spurr won control of the puck deep in the Whitby zone and found his winger free in front of the net to flip the puck past goaltender Chad Ford.
Scott McCrory regained the lead for the Dunlops at the 5:17 mark of the third period.
The veteran centre carried the puck over the Blast blueline and, as he did so, each Brantford player picked up a player to check except McCrory, who walked in alone on Blast goaltender Anthony Marshall.
The Dunlops caught the Blast pressing late in the third period and Jon Ross scored for a 5-3 lead. McAuley added an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Dunlops keep rolling over Blast
Ed O'Leary
Local Sports - Saturday, March 24, 2007
The Brantford Blast, dominated in the first two periods, showed “spunk” in the third period at the civic centre Friday night.
The Blast, trailing only 3-1 thanks to spectacular goaltending by Anthony Marshall, tied the Whitby Dunlops 3-3 only to make a careless mistake that allowed Dunlops’ Justin Cardwell to score a shorthanded goal on a breakaway that gave Whitby a 4-3 victory before about 2,000 disappointed Brantford fans.
The Dunlops’ triumph gave Whitby a 3-0 stranglehold on the Ontario Hockey Association/Ontario Hockey Federation senior AAA playoff for the John Ross Robertson Trophy.
The Dunlops can wrap up the best-of-seven series at Whitby’s Iroquois Park Sports Centre by winning Game 4 on Sunday at 2 p.m.
If the Blast manage to score a victory, it would force Game 5 at the civic centre Tuesday at 8 p.m.
The winner of the series will host Ontario North representative, Kenora Thistles, in a best-of-three series for the Renwick Cup and a berth in the Allan Cup in Stony Plain, Alta.
They (Dunlops) stay steady, play their game plan in all aspects and they’re able to capitalize,” said Brantford head coach Larry Van Herzele.
“We came out in the third period and we had spunk. We took the play to them and showed character.
“We’ve got to play a full 60 minutes, shift by shift. It’s play one game at a time, win Sunday and bring it back Tuesday. We can’t hold anything back. From here on in, it’s full bore ahead.
“Now, we’ve got a long road but I don’t think any of those guys in that dressing room want to give up.”
The Blast took a 1-0 lead at 4:59 of the first period when Steve Rice came off the boards and drove to the front of the net before backhanding the puck behind Whitby goaltender Chad Ford, who later in the game displayed potential to be an Academy Award winning actor.
The Dunlops, who outshot the Blast 16-8 in the opening 20 minutes, took control of the play for the remainder of the period and tied the score when Brent Varty managed to get the puck over Marshall.
Ron Baker gave the Dunlops a 2-1 lead at 12:35 of the second period when he plunked Pete MacKellar’s rebound behind Marshall.
Cardwell got Whitby a 3-1 lead with a power-play goal at 14:36 as he grabbed his own rebound and scored.
The Blast’s comeback in the third period started on a power play when defenceman Jim Baxter scored at 9:25.
The Blast tied the score less than a minute later when defenceman Dan Pitre lobbed the puck to the Whitby blueline and speedy Tyler Pelton outskated a Whitby player to gain possession before firing a slapshot to the low corner on Ford’s stick side.
Unfortunately, Pelton’s heroics set the stage for Cardwell’s shorthanded goal that decided the game.
The second period featured the first fight of the series as Brantford’s Bryan Hamm squared off with Whitby tough guy, Cory Bricknell, who is a former player with the Brantford Smoke.
When the scrap was over and Hamm was being ushered off the ice by a linesman, Whitby’s Bob McQuat, who was on the Dunlops’ bench, decided to say something to the Brantford defenceman.
Hamm responded by punching McQuat, who was quickly surrounded by players. The players weren’t the only combatants. Blast trainer Ken Crabb, Jr. and Dunlops’ trainer Greg Henshall also got involved in a fight.
Crabb is reported to have scored a unanimous decision but both Henshall and Crabb received game misconducts and two-game suspensions.
Brantford defenceman Steve Hurst received a gross misconduct in the third period.
Hurst is believed to have received the gross misconduct, which carries a two-game suspension, for waving a white towel at referee Brent Holdsworth, who for some unknown reason decided in the first period that the 2,000 fans paid to watch him.
Blast Down 2-0 to Whitby Dunlops in Robertson Trophy Series
By Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Monday, March 19, 2007
If the Brantford Blast were thoroughbreds in a horse race, their jockeys would have to get out their whips.
“It doesn’t seem like the effort is there right now,” team captain Tyler Pelton said after the Blast dropped a 5-2 decision to the Whitby Dunlops here at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre on Sunday. Whitby’s victory gave the Dunlops a 2-0 lead in the Ontario Hockey Association/Ontario Hockey Federation senior AAA best-of-seven series for the John Ross Robertson Trophy.
Game 3 will be played at Brantford’s civic centre Friday at 8 p.m. and Game 4 will be back at Iroquois Park on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The winner of the series will face Ontario North representative, Kenora Thistles, in a best-of-three series for the Renwick Cup and a berth in the Allan Cup tournament in Stony Plain, Alta.
The Blast looked as though they’d recovered from a 5-4 loss in Game 1 when they outshot the Dunlops 15-9 and took a 1-0 lead in the first period Sunday.
However, the Dunlops grabbed control of the play in the second period as they scored three unanswered goals and the defending Robertson Trophy champions never relinguished command of the game.
“It was a tough one,” Pelton said. “We’ve just got to come back Friday night, use the body a little more.
“We’re two steps away from the Allan Cup. We’ve got to be a little hungrier. We’ve got to step up and play with a little more emotion.”
The Blast are the Major League Hockey champions as they defeated the Petrolia Squires 4-3 in a semifinal playoff and Windsor Saint Clair Saints 4-0 in the championship final.
The Blast went into the series against the Dunlops on a six-game winning streak, a string of victories put together with solid team play that hasn’t been evident against Whitby.
“Part of the reason is that we’re not used to Whitby and we were used to the other two teams (Petrolia and Windsor),” Pelton explained. “Hopefully, now that we’ve seen them twice we can adjust for Game 3.”
Pelton gave the Blast a 1-0 lead in the first period when the speedy centre swiped at a loose puck at the same time Whitby goaltender Chad Ford was also reaching for it. The puck deflected behind Ford and went into the net.
Dunlops’ high-scoring Peter MacKellar tied the score at 1:46 of the second period when he slipped away from Pelton in the slot and beat Brantford goaltender Anthony Marshall with a backhand shot high to the glove side.
Colin Baker gave the Dunlops a 2-1 lead at 5:22 when the puck squirted out from a scramble at the corner of the Blast goal-crease and went directly to Baker, who had the open net for the easy score.
Defenceman Bob McQuat gave the Dunlops a 3-1 lead to take into the dressing room at the end of the second period when his slapshot from just inside the blueline found the top part of the Brantford net.
Brent Gaylor and Mike VanVolsen scored in the third period to give the Dunlops a 5-1 lead. Both goals were the result of Brantford turnovers deep in its own zone.
Brantford’s Wayne Muir closed out the scoring when a shot deflected off his skate and into the Whitby net.
Each team had 39 shots on goal but the Dunlops had several more good scoring chances than the Blast.
“The second period, they just kept coming,” said Blast head coach Larry Van Herzele. “They were hungry for the puck. They’re steady. They don’t get excited.”
Van Herzele believes the Blast can get back in the series if they play their best hockey.
“We have the capabilities,” he said. “When we get into their zone, we’ve got to be really focused. They’ve got excellent goaltending and we’ve got to find a way to solve it.
“We’ve got to put it (the losses) behind us and be ready to go Friday.”
Dunlops down Blast 5-4
By Ed O’Leary, Brantford Expositor - Saturday, March 17, 2007
Brantford Blast discovered Friday night that if they make mistakes against the Whitby Dunlops, they’ll prove costly.
The Dunlops, taking advantage of Brantford miscues, edged the Blast 5-4 at the civic centre in the first game of a best-of-seven series for the John Ross Robertson Trophy.
The second game of the Ontario Hockey Association/Ontario Hockey Federation senior AAA playoff will be Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Iroquois Park Sports Complex in Whitby.
The Blast are representing Major League Hockey and the Dunlops are representing the Eastern Ontario Senior League. The winner of the series will face Ontario North representative, Kenora Thistles, in a best-of-three series to advance to the Allan Cup tournament in Stony Plain, Alta.
“They (Dunlops) capitalized on their chances,” admitted Blast head coach Larry Van Herzele. They had a very good forecheck. They use all five guys. Once they gain puck possession in our zone, it’s find the open man. “The man without the puck finds the open space.”
Brent Gaylor gave Whitby a 1-0 lead at 2:58 of the second period when the Dunlops scored on a two-on-one situation after a Brantford defenceman got caught out of position.
Brantford’s Tyler Pelton tied the score at 5:35 after Jason Simon won a battle for the puck in the corner and Wayne Muir centred it to Pelton, who was slashing his way to the front of the Whitby net.
The Dunlops regained the lead less than a minute later when Brantford goaltender Anthony Marshall, who was outstanding in the MLH final against the Windsor Saint Clair Saints, misjudged Peter MacKellar’s shot from the high slot.
Brantford’s Chad Spurr tied the score at 13:39 when he was sent in on a breakaway by Jim Baxter while the Blast were playing shorthanded.
The Blast took a 3-2 lead when Baxter scored a power-play goal at 14:58 after weaving his way through several Whitby players to get the front of the Dunlops goal.
The Dunlops tied the score 3-3 at 19:38 when MacKellar drew two Brantford defenders towards him before making a perfect pass to Jay McAuley, who was left unguarded on Marshall’s doorstep.
The Dunlops took advantage of another Blast defensive breakdown at 6:37 of the third period when Justin Cardwell scored as he was left alone in the slot while three Blast players chased one Whitby player near the backboards.
Spurr brought the Blast back into a tie at 8:31 when he blasted Ryan Healy’s pass over the right shoulder of Whitby goaltender Chad Ford.
Brantford’s night of mistakes was topped off when defenceman Dan Pitre, who seldom makes an error, turned the puck over at the Blast blueline causing a two-on-one break for Whitby.
Ron Baker, who led the Dunlops in scoring this season, took advantage of the opportunity to beat Marshall at 14:04.
The loss snapped Brantford’s six-game winning streak.
“The nice thing about a seven-game series is that it’s not over in the first game,” Van Herzele said.
Game 3 will be at the civic centre next Friday at 8 p.m. and Game 4 will be in Whitby next Sunday at 2 p.m.
Blast two steps away from berth in Allan Cup
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Friday, March 16, 2007
Are the Brantford Blast a team of destiny? It would certainly appear that way. The Blast season looked as though it was going to come to an end during the second overtime period of Game 7 of a Major League Hockey semifinal playoff series between Brantford and the Petrolia Squires in Petrolia.
Squires' Mark Allen stood in front of the Blast net with the puck on the blade of his stick, with Brantford goaltender Anthony Marshall at his mercy.
Allen's teammates raised their sticks in jubilation before he shot the puck. They should have waited.
Allen missed the open net. In fact, he shot the puck over the glass and it's believed the puck even went over the protective netting.
The Squires couldn't believe their eyes and, a few minutes later, the Blast were celebrating victory instead of crying in their beer as star centre Chad Spurr beat Petrolia goaltender Darryl Foster to send Brantford into the MLH championship series.
The Blast, using their muscle and veteran savvy, swept the youthful Windsor Saint Clair Saints in the best-of-seven final and now they're two steps away from a trip to Stony Plain, Alta., to compete in the Allan Cup tournament.
The steps the Blast must take before heading to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains won't be easy to climb.
The Blast begin a best-of-seven series tonight at 8 o'clock at the civic centre against the Whitby Dunlops, with the winner claiming the John Ross Robertson Trophy.
The Robertson Trophy champions will then face Ontario North representatives, Kenora Thistles, in a best-of-three series for the Renwick Cup and a berth in the Allan Cup tournament.
Whitby's record speaks for itself. The Dunnies are the defending Robertson Trophy champions after they defeated the Dundas Real McCoys in a best-of-five series last season. The Dunlops also qualified for the Allan Cup tournament in Powell River, B.C., where they reached the championship game but lost to the host Powell River Regals.
The Blast will have to stymie the offensive play of Dunlops stars such as Peter MacKellar and Justin Cardwell. They'll also have to overcome the defensive systems designed by Brantford native Mike Posavad, a former NHLer who is now the general manager and head coach of the Dunlops.
Although the Dunlops appear to have dangerous forwards, the strength of the squad might be the blue-line brigade, which is led by former Brantford Smoke defender Cory Bricknell.
The Dunlops also will have more to worry about than they're accustomed because they have yet to face a team with the overall strength of the Blast.
Spurr, who shies away from individual accolades, has been sensational in the playoffs. His offensive play is obvious but it's his defensive play that makes him the best all-round player in MLH this season.
Head coach Larry Van Herzele has been playing Spurr with Steve Rice on right wing and Wayne Muir or Ryan Healy on left wing.
Spurr is the perfect centre for Rice, a late-season addition with some conditioning issues. Since Rice has Spurr on his line, the former NHLer doesn't have to worry about getting back into the defensive zone and he can concentrate his energy in the offensive zone where his knowledge and abilities are most valuable.
Van Herzele uses speedy Tyler Pelton with veteran winger Andrew Taylor on another line. They've had an assortment of wingers (Adriano Fiacconi, lately) and whoever Van Herzele decides to put with them seems to work out.
The Blast's third line is generally a mixture of leftovers, the guys not playing on the first two lines.
T.J. McCool usually finds himself between Jason Simon and Muir but Van Herzele also gives Cory Matchim and Will Wellman ice time just to keep the opposition on its toes.
The Blast defence isn't spectacular but it's solid. Jim Baxter, Steve Hurst, Dan Pitre, Jeff Shaw, Jeremy Bloomfield, David Russell and Bryan Hamm clear the front of the net well and win most of the battles for the puck along boards inside their own blueline.
The biggest problem the Brantford defence has, as a group, is its inability to move the puck quickly out of its own zone. Blast defenceman are often bent on carrying the puck out of their zone instead of passing it. That's a good strategy if you have either Paul Coffey or Bobby Orr in your lineup but at last glance, Hurst was wearing No. 4 not Orr.
Actually, there's not a player wearing a Blast uniform who tries harder game in and game out than Hurst. Unfortunately, at least once a game, he becomes Heart Attack City with a rink-length rush that takes him out of position and leaves the defensive zone exposed. The Blast are hoping that he hits blackjack when he gambles against the Dunlops.
Marshall has been spectacular in goal for the Blast in the playoffs. Even though the Blast swept the Saint Clair Saints in the MLH championship series, it wasn't a walkover victory.
Marshall was simply better than Windsor's T. J. Aceti in all four games. In fact, if it wasn't for Marshall, the Blast would probably be playing the Saints in Game 6 here tonight rather than facing the Dunlops.
The Dunlops do hold one advantage over the Blast. They've been able to scout Brantford's games against Windsor but the Blast hasn't seen Whitby in action.
Brantford firefighter Jeff McCormick, a minor hockey coach, is a good friend of Posavad and he's been scouting the Blast on behalf of the Dunlops. Posavad even got to watch Game 2 of the Brantford-Windsor series.
Exactly how much the scouting missions will help the Dunlops remain to be seen but getting a leg up on the opposition is never a bad thing.
ICE CHIPS: Iroquois Park Sports Complex houses the Dunlops but it's also the home for the Whitby Warriors junior A lacrosse team. It was rather comical a couple of years ago when the Six Nations Arrows went to Whitby for an important playoff game. So many of the Arrows fans followed them that plenty of the Warriors' fans couldn't get into the sold out arena.
Blast captain Tyler Pelton hoists the Major League Hockey championship trophy as his teammates cheer Monday night after Brantford defeated the Windsor Saint Clair Saints 4-3 at the civic centre. The Blast will now play the Whitby Dunlops here Friday night.
Blast sweeps Saints
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Brantford Blast will face the Whitby Dunlops in the opening game of a best-of-seven playoff for the Ontario Hockey Association/Ontario Hockey Federation senior AAA championship at the civic centre Friday at 8 p.m.
The Blast, led by the line of centre Chad Spurr and wingers Steve Rice and Wayne Muir, overcame an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Windsor Saint Clair Saints 4-3 at the civic centre Monday night to win the Major League Hockey championship.
The Blast swept the best-of-seven championship series 4-0.
The Dunlops, coached by Brantford native and former NHLer Mike Posavad, earned their berth in the OHA/OHF final by winning the Eastern Ontario League championship.
Whitby won the OHA/OHF title last year by knocking off the MLH champion Dundas Real McCoys in a best-of-five series.
The winner of the Brantford/Whitby series will meet the Kenora Thistles, the representatives of Hockey North, in a best-of-three series for a berth in this year's Allan Cup tournament, which will be played in Stony Plain, Alta.
The Blast will host the Allan Cup tournament next year.
Posavad expects the Dunlops and the Blast to provide an entertaining series for the fans.
"It should be a heck of a series," Posavad said after learning Brantford won the coin flip for home-ice advantage in the series.
"The teams are similar. Both have guys who have played pro. Their goaltending (Anthony Marshall) is strong and they're excellent defensively.
"When you have the experience that both of us have, it's tough to go up by more than one (game). Don't be surprised if it's a seven-game series."
Two early mistakes proved costly to the Blast against the Saints, who were trying to stretch the series to a Game 5 in Windsor on Wednesday night.
Jason Dixon intercepted Steve Hurst's clearing pass and scored at 5:04 of the first period.
Less than a minute later, Blast's Bryan Hamm took a silly roughing penalty and Ryan Toms scored on the power play at 6:02.
Brantford's experience began to show as the game wore on.
The Saints forechecking became less effective and the Blast's opportunities began to increase.
The Blast got a break at 3:14 of the second period when Hurst's point shot deflected off Spurr's leg and went into the Windsor net.
Rice tied the score midway through the period with a backhand shot from the edge of the crease while the Blast was enjoying a power play. Rice gave Brantford its first lead at 1:27 of the third period when he caught Muir's shot off the backboards, dropped the puck to the ice and shot it into the open net.
Spurr made an unbelievable play midway through the third period when he intercepted a pass at centre ice and skated around a defenceman at the blue-line before placing a perfect pass to Muir, who scored.
Kyle Lang's power-play goal at 14:17 cut Brantford's lead to 4-3 but the Blast held on for the victory. "It's nice to get it over with and keep the momentum (going)," said Rice.
"We just didn't want to give them a chance to get back into it but we definitely didn't start out the way that we wanted to."
Muir praised the play of Spurr.
"He's a great player. He's the best player in the league, by far," said Muir, who acknowledged the special pass Spurr made to him on his goal. "It was a great pass. I just had to capitalize on it."
Spurr shuns the star role and places emphasis on the team aspect of the game. "I thought we played great together," he said. "There's no individual. Everyone is part of it.
"The type of team that we've got, it doesn't matter who scores, just as long as we win. "We're now nine or 10 wins away from what we started the year for (the Allan Cup)."
The Blast defeated the Petrolia Squires 4-3 in a best-of-seven semifinal to qualify to meet the Saints.
"Our guys, from the sixth game of the last series, just got hungry," said head coach Larry Van Herzele.
"They became really focused and were really determined to win hockey games."
Van Herzele noted that this is the fifth season that the Blast have been operated by president and general manager Peter Ham and his wife Judy, with the help of executive director Steve Cheeseman.
"I think it's great that we were able to win it for them," Van Herzele said. "They put a lot of work into this."
Captain Tyler Pelton and Wayne Muir of the Blast celebrate a goal on Windsor Saint Clair Saints goalie T. J. Aceti in Game 2 Friday night of the Major Hockey League championship series at the civic centre. That Brantford won 4-1 to lead the series 2-0.
Blast up 2-0 in MLH final
By Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Saturday, March 10, 2007
Windsor Saint Clair Saints won’t be changing their game plantonight just because they trail the Brantford Blast 2-0 in Major League Hockey’s best-of-seven championship series.
“This is the finals and if you play a good game, it’s not good enough,” Saints general manager and head coach Kevin Hamlin said after watching his team suffer a 4-1 loss to the Blast at the civic centre Friday night. “We have to have a special effort.”
Game 3 of the series will be played tonight at 7 o’clock at the Windsor South Arena and Game 4 is set for the civic centre Monday at 7:30 p.m.
If necessary, Game 5 will be in Windsor on Wednesday at 8 p.m., Game 6 in Brantford next Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Game 7 in Windsor next Sunday at 1 p.m.
The MLH champion will advance to a best-of-seven series against Whitby, the Eastern Ontario champions, who are coached by Brantford native Mike Posavad.
The Blast and the Saints played a scoreless period but veteran winger Wayne Muir gave Brantford a 1-0 lead at 2:13 of the second period when he cruised in over the blueline and snapped a shot between the legs of Windsor defenceman Kole Bruce that seemed to catch Saints’ goaltender T. J. Aceti by surprise.
Muir gave the Blast a 2-0 lead when he pounced on a loose puck during a Brantford power play at 6:28.
The Saints appeared to gain some life when speedy Ryan Toms beat a Blast defenceman to the puck and made a behind-the-back pass to Anthony Sciaco, who shook off a backchecker and beat Brantford goaltender Anthony Marshall with a quick shot to the far corner.
The Blast got some breathing room at 6:33 of the third period when team captain Tyler Pelton grabbed Jim Baxter’s rebound on a power play and found himself staring at a open net.
It was Pelton’s third goal of the series as he scored twice in Brantford’s 6-3 victory in Game 1 in Windsor on Wednesday night.
Brantford defenceman Jeremy Bloomfield added an insurance goal at 12:56. The play vstarted when Chad Spurr failed to score on a breakaway but the puck got shot back to Bloomfield at the point. Bloomfield moved in towards the goal and found the corner on Aceti’s stick side as teammate Cory Matchim screened the Windsor netminder.
“We played a good game,” Hamlin said of the Saints. “We were where we wanted to be going into the second period. Their third goal was devastating. When they got that third goal, that was the end of our night.”
Blast head coach Larry Van Herzele noted that discipline has been the key to his team’s success.
“Windsor was in first place all year, we’re playing the top dog so we’re playing disciplined hockey to do it (win),” said Van Herzele, adding that the players are constantly reminded not to retaliate to anything that happens on the ice.
“It’s an emotional game. It’s the finals. They (Saints) don’t retaliate. They’ve showed it all year.” The Saints outshot the Blast 35-34.
“We’re playing simple hockey and Marshall’s playing well,” said Van Herzele. “For whatever reason in this series, we’re able to roll the three lines, use the extra players and feel confident that whatever needs to be done, will get done.”
Blast stage comeback against Saints
in Game 1 of MLH championship
Brantford Expositor - Thursday, March 08, 2007
It certainly wasn’t the start or finish the Brantford Blast had envisioned for Game 1 of their best-of-seven Major League hockey championship on Wednesday against the Windsor St. Clair Saints.
Trailing 3-0 before the fans in Windsor had finished their first hot chocolate, Brantford roared back with six unanswered goals on their way to a 6-3 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.
Game 2 will take place on Friday at the civic centre at 7:30 p.m.
On paper, the facts clearly show that the Blast are a much older team than the Saints. And early on in Wednesday’s game, the Saints showed the excitement of a youthful team hungry for a championship.
"They came out with some jump and made some very good plays," Brantford executive director Steve Cheeseman said. "They were legitimate goals that they made some plays on. We were behind the eight-ball just 4:02 into the game."
After Jim Lebarron opened the scoring for Windsor at the 1:55 mark of the first period, Ryan Toms made it 2-0 when he beat Brantford goalie Anthony Marshall just 11 seconds later.
When David Vink scored at 4:02 of the first to make it 3-0, the Blast could have started thinking about the more than two-hour bus ride back home. Instead, the Blast showed that sometimes experience and age trumps youth and exuberance.
Remaining calm and in control, Brantford got one goal back when Adriano Fiacconi scored at 18:09 of the first. That goal was big.
"It was huge," said Cheeseman. "The heads were up and everybody was still saying we were in the game."
When Ryan Healy and Tyler Pelton scored goals with less than three minutes to play in the second period, things had really taken a turn. "They knew they had just got out of the hole and momentum was on our side," explained Cheeseman.
There was also another key at the end of the second as Brantford was assessed a minor penalty with one minute left in the frame.
"That was a big key," said Cheeseman of the ensuing penalty kill. "There was even more momentum."
Pelton added his second of the game 8:31 into the third, giving the Blast their first lead of the night. Jeremy Bloomfield and Andrew Taylor scored empty-net goals with less than a minute to play to seal the win. Cheeseman said it was an all-around effort that got Brantford the win.
"We had three forward lines and six defencemen who (coach) Larry (Van Herzele) rotated through," he said. "They all did their jobs."
Aside from staying patient when it came to goal-scoring, the Blast also stayed patient in the one-on-one battles with the Saints.
Brantford was the league’s most penalized team during the regular season with more than 900 minutes in penalties. Windsor was the league’s least penalized with just over 500.
"Petrolia is different than Windsor," said Cheeseman when comparing Brantford’s first-round playoff opponent to the Saints. "Windsor is a skating club so we knew we had to do a lot to stay out of the penalty box."
Especially considering that in going 5-1 against the Blast in the regular season, Windsor had been lethal with the man-advantage.
"They scored 15 power-play goals against us during the regular season," noted Cheeseman.
Brantford, which finished third in the league this year, was 0-for-3 on the power play in Game 1 while Windsor, the league’s first-place team from the regular season, was 0-for-1.
Chad Spurr got three assists for the Blast in the game while Taylor notched a pair. Steve Hurst, Jason Simon, Pelton, Fiacconi and Bloomfield got one each.
Blast to face Saints for MLH title;
Game 1 of final slated for Windsor on Wed.
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Saturday, March 03, 2007
Brantford Blast will play the Windsor Saint Clair Saints for the Major League Hockey championship.
Star centre Chad Spurr scored at 9:06 of the second overtime period Friday night to give the Blast a 4-3 victory over the Petrolia Squires at the Greenwood Recreation Centre.
The win gave Brantford the best-of-seven semifinal 4-3 and a berth in the best-of-seven final against the Saints, who defeated the Tillsonburg Vipers 3-0 Thursday night in Tillsonburg to win their semifinal 4-2.
The championship series will begin in Windsor on Wednesday night and Game 2 will be in Brantford on Friday night.
"I just got lucky," said Spurr, who took a pass from Ryan Healy before cutting from the left side of the small ice surface towards the middle of the rink.
Spurr shot as he skated into the high slot and the puck dribbled under the blocker of Petrolia goaltender Darryl Foster. It was Brantford's 56th shot, compared to 42 for Petrolia.
"Early in the year, I scored on his blocker side," said Spurr.
"I knew if I cut to my right, and went back to his blocker (I knew I'd have a chance). It just squeezed under his blocker."
Only minutes earlier, Petrolia looked as if it was going to win the game when Mark Allen found himself free in front of a wide open Brantford net. However, he shot the puck into the netting behind the goal.
"The hockey gods were on our side tonight," said Spurr.
Brantford took a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of play.
Healy scored from a goal-mouth scramble on a power play with Spurr drawing an assist.
Andrew Taylor got Brantford's second goal, also from a scramble, with assists going to Tyler Pelton and Jim Baxter. Ryan Chapman cut Brantford's lead to 2-1.
The Squires tied the score on a goal by Kyle Hills, but Wayne Muir regained the lead for the Blast when he scored on a power play at 14:38 of the second period.
Hills tied the score again at 17:44 of the second.
The Blast expect to play a similar series against the Saints.
"They (Saints) are young, hard working and similar to these guys," said Spurr. "They key to the series will be to stay out of the penalty box."
Blast force Game 7 against Petrolia
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Brantford Blast team captain Tyler Pelton could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the puck squirt out from underneath Petrolia Squires’ goaltender Chris Houle about 15 feet in front of the Squires net midway through the third period at the civic centre Tuesday night.
“Adriano (Fiacconi) went in and forced the play. I think the goalie got a little nervous when he saw Adriano coming at him,” recalled Pelton, who fought off the check of a Petrolia defender and shot the puck into the empty net to give the Blast a 3-2 victory in Game 6 of the Major League Hockey best-of-seven semifinal playoff.
“The guy (Petrolia defender) was underneath my stick. I had to try to force it into the net.”
Brantford’s victory ties the series 3-3 and forces Game 7 in Petrolia on Friday at 8 p.m.
The winner of the series advances to the league’s best-of-seven championship series against the winner of the semifinal between the Windsor Saint Clair Saints and the Tillsonburg Vipers.
The Saints defeated the Vipers 4-2 in Windsor last night to take a 3-2 lead in the series which resumes Thursday night in Tillsonburg. If a Game 7 is required, it will be played in Windsor on Saturday night.
The Blast used their power play to build a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Brantford opened the scoring while working on a two-man advantage. Centre Chad Spurr got the puck back to Jim Baxter on the blueline and the righthanded shooting defenceman closed in slightly towards the goal while moving to the centre of the ice surface.
Once the Blast had Houle sufficiently screened, Baxter let a shot go towards the Petrolia net. The puck deflected off winger Ryan Healy and into the goal.
The Blast increased their lead less than a minute later when former NHLer Steve Rice deflected Jeremy Bloomfield’s blueline shot while it was in mid-air. Houle didn’t have a chance on either goal scored by the Blast.
Joel Gardner’s screened shot beat Brantford’s Anthony Marshall early in the second period and the Squires tied the score at 6:18 of the third after the puck took a fluke bounce off the backboards and went into the slot where Gardner pounced on it and scored into an open net. Pelton praised the play of Marshall, who faced 45 shots, and Spurr.
“We need him (Marshall) to play Friday exactly like he did tonight,” Pelton said. “He was focused. He was square to every shot.” Spurr simply turned in another strong two-way effort.
“Spurrsie is playing unbelieveable,” Pelton said. “He’s really stepped up his play. He’s been the best player all year. Now he’s just unbelieveable.” Pelton is confident the Blast will be able to pull out a victory Friday.
“We’re good to go,” Pelton said. “We’ll go up there and take it, just like we did in Game 1.” Pelton was the victim of a two-handed slash by Petrolia’s Lee Cole at 12:13 of the second period.
The referee didn’t see the infraction but one of the linesmen did and reported it to the referee, who assessed Cole a five-minute major for slashing and a game misconduct.
“I gave him a couple of jabs on the way down the ice to get under his skin,” said Pelton. “He gave me a baseball swing on the back of my legs. I just gave him a little poke because you know he’s going to snap and he’s a pretty valuable player for them.”
ICE CHIPS: The Blast played without defencemen Bryan Hamm (suspension) and Dan Pitre (work). Both are expected to be available for Game 7.
Muir sets tone as Blast even series;
Marshall outstanding in goal for Brantford
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Saturday, February 24, 2007
Wayne Muir set the tone Friday night by challenging Petrolia Squires' enforcer and sparkplug Lee Cole to a fight only one minute and 24 seconds into the game.
"I was just trying to put some life into the team," said Muir. "He (Cole) was skating around with his hands up in front of our bench when he scored and it was 8-4 or 9-4 the other night (Tuesday) down there (Petrolia)
Chad Spurr scored a goal and assisted on two others to lead the Brantford Blast attack. When he wasn't causing the Squires' defence fits, the slick centre was backchecking and picking pockets like a thief in the night.
However, there wasn't a person connected with the Blast who didn't know who their most valuable player was in a 3-1 victory over the Squires at the civic centre.
"Whenever you have a championship team, you need your goalie to be the best player on the ice and Marsh was that tonight," Spurr said after Anthony Marshall blocked 38 of 39 Petrolia shots to allow the Blast to tie the Major League Hockey best-of-seven semifinal 2-2.
Marshall wasn't the only goaltender to turn in an outstanding performance. Petrolia's Chris Houle faced 45 Brantford shots and continually frustrated the Blast shooters.
"They both stood on their heads," said Blast head coach Larry Van Herzele. "It just happened that we had the opportunity to score three goals."
All of the game's scoring came came on the power play.
Spurr stopped Jim Baxter's pass from the point as he cut across the front of the Petrolia net before beating Houle with a backhand shot at 2:08 of the first period.
The Squires got a fortunate break when they tied the score at 8:35.
Baxter knocked Petrolia's Craig Laframboise to the ice in front of the Brantford net and Laframboise's stick accidently deflected Ron Fogarty's point shot into the Blast net.
Brantford regained the lead less than three minutes later when Andrew Taylor scored off a play with Spurr and Tyler Pelton.
The Blast's third goal came at 13:40 of the third period. Spurr and Adriano Fiacconi broke out on a two-on-two break at centre ice. However, the play quickly became an odd-man break in Brantford's favor when former NHLer Steve Rice came out of the penalty box and joined the play.
Rice became the trailer. Spurr found him in the high slot and Rice found the corner on Houle's glove side.
Spurr spent the night playing between hard-working Jason Simon and Rice.
"It's pretty easy playing with them," Spurr said. "Rice played in the NHL and Simon never slows down and he's tough. I played against him in the playoffs (in minor pro) about seven years ago."
Van Herzele was impressed with Spurr's effort.
"He's got an energy," Van Herzele said. "He does everything but tonight was an overall effort. We had some individuals that stood out but we played some disciplined hockey.
"We're going with the same lineup (in Game 5 in Petrolia on Sunday at 7 p.m.) I had three lines that had energy and when called upon the fourth line jumped off the bench and played well. My hat is off to those guys."
Spurr isn't looking far ahead.
"We're just trying to go a game at a time," he said. "If we win our last game, we're standing pretty good.
"You've got to win on the road to be a championship team. We've got to go there and beat them. We've already beat them there once."
Game 6 will be at Brantford's civic centre Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. If necessary, Game 7 will be in Petrolia next Friday at 8 p.m.
Blast win overtime thriller;
Game 2 Sunday afternoon at civic centre
Brantford Expositor - Saturday, February 17, 2007
Petrolia Squires scored two unanswered goals in the third period here Friday night and killed off two minor penalties in a 10-minute overtime period but they couldn't overcome the veteran savvy of Brantford Blast winger Wayne Muir.
The Blast edged the Squires 6-5 in the opening game of a Major League Hockey best-of-seven semifinal playoff when Muir scored at 5:28 of the second overtime period.
Muir got the deciding goal when he pounced on Tyler Pelton's rebound and shot it high into the net. It was his second goal of the game.
The second game of the series will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at Brantford's civic centre.
The Squires opened the scoring when Logan Hunter scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at 11:39 of the first period.
The Blast tied the score on Jim Baxter's power-play goal at 14:50. Centre Chad Spurr engineered the goal by carrying the puck behind the Petrolia net and finding Baxter alone in the slot.
Brantford bolted into a 3-1 lead in the second period when Ryan Healy and Spurr scored unassisted goals six seconds apart.
Joe Sauve's power-play marker cut the Blast's lead to 3-2 but Brantford regained a two-goal lead when Wayne Muir scored at 8:56. Steve Hurst and Pelton drew assists on the play.
Jason Polera's power-play goal at 11:31 reduced Brantford's lead to 4-3 but Spurr scored a shorthanded goal in the final minute of the period to give the Blast a 5-3 lead to take into the third period.
The Squires got their third power-play goal when Mark Allen scored at the 34-second mark of third period and Petrolia tied the score 5-5 when Allen scored at 6:43 after taking a pass from Jeremiah Goodacre.
Petrolia's Chris McPhail and Chris Edgar drew penalties in the first 10-minute overtime period but the Blast failed to capitalize.
Game 3 is scheduled for Petrolia on Tuesday at 8 p.m. and Game 4 will be in Brantford next Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Barnett adds speed, muscle to Blast lineup
Brantford Expositor - Friday, February 09, 2007
Rugged winger Brett Barnett is the final piece of the puzzle for this year's edition of the Brantford Blast.
The six-foot-three, 220-pounder, who is 39, was signed by Blast general manager Peter Ham on Thursday.
He'll be in the lineup tonight at 7:30 when the Blast face the Petrolia Squires at the civic centre.
He looks like he's 30 and plays like he's 20," Ham said. He can fly and he's nasty"
Barnett has played part of the last three seasons with the Dundas Real McCoys and part of two seasons before that with the Cambridge Hornets.
Barnett's best season in Major League Hockey was the 2004-05 campaign. He played 29 games for the McCoys, scoring nine goals, 13 assists and recorded 132 minutes in penalties.
"I asked Steve Rice and Joe Harris about him and they said he's just a great all-round team player," Ham noted. "He's a great skater with a tremendous shot and a very positive influence in the dressing room. He knows he's got a role to play and that's to help the team win."
The Blast conclude regular-season action when they face the Squires in Petrolia on Saturday night.
Brantford must earn at least one point in its final two games to clinch second place.
If Petrolia wins both games in regulation time, the Squires and the Blast will each finish with 32 points, but Petrolia will get second place and face the third-place Blast in a best-of-seven semifinal playoff with the extra home game in the Squires' favour.
Newcomers Make Mark for Blast
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Saturday, February 03, 2007
Steve Rice made an impressive debut with the Brantford Blast at the civic centre Friday night but he wasn't the only newcomer to the Blast with NHL experience.
Jason Simon, a rugged left winger who played five games in the NHL during 16 seasons of professional hockey, also made his debut in a 6-4 Blast victory over the Dundas Real McCoys.
Brantford's triumph clinched a playoff berth for the Blast in Major League Hockey and left the McCoys battling for the final playoff position with the Petrolia Squires, who overcame a 4-1 deficit to nip the Tillsonburg Vipers 5-4 in Petrolia.
The McCoys, who face the Blast tonight at 7:30 in Dundas, are now two points behind the Squires in the fight for the final playoff position. Each team has three regular-season games remaining.
The Squires play the first-place Windsor Saint Clair Saints today at 6 p.m. in Windsor.
Simon is a 37-year-old who played four games with the New York Islanders during the 1993-94 season and one with the Phoenix Coyotes during the 1996-97 season.
Blast general manager Peter Ham signed Simon, who he's been trying to land for more than a year, prior to Friday's game.
Simon concluded his professional career last season with the Jacksonville Barracudas in the Southern Professional Hockey League.
He has spent plenty of time in the American and International leagues but his most successful seasons were in the United and Central Leagues.
Although the six-foot-one, 225-pounder made his reputation as a heavyweight enforcer in the pros, he also enjoyed three 20-goal seasons.
Blast head coach Larry Van Herzele is happy to have Simon in the lineup.
"He brings an energy to the game," the coach said. "He's physical and I think he did all right for just getting thrown in."
The arrival of Rice and Simon couldn't have come at a better time for the Blast, who were missing T. J. McCool, Adriano Fiacconi and Will Wellman because of injuries. They were also without Wayne Muir, who was serving the first game of a two-game suspension.
Van Herzele placed Rice, a righthanded shooting power forward, on a line with centre David Del Monte and lefthanded shooting power forward Ryan Healy.
Simon was placed on left wing with centre Chad Spurr and veteran winger Andrew Taylor while team captain Tyler Pelton was moved to line with Cory Matchim and Jim Baxter, who was moved from defence to right wing.
Scott English, generally a defenceman, was used as the extra forward.
"We've got three solid lines and they got the job done," Van Herzele said.
"It's only going to get better when we get some guys back that are hurt."
last lost defenceman Dan Pitre to a two-game suspension when he was given a five-minute major penalty in the third period for a head check on McCoys' Mike Aglor.
Later in the period, McCoys' Mike Christian got a five-minute major for high-sticking Blast's Steve Hurst, who suffered a deep gash on his left cheek. Christian doesn't receive a suspension for the high-sticking infraction.
Taylor and Healy scored in the first period to give the Blast a 2-1 lead. Rice drew an assist on Healy's goal.
Rice gave the Blast a 3-1 lead at the 1:53 mark of the second period when all he had to do was tap in a goal-mouth pass from Del Monte.
Pelton redirected a point shot for a 4-1 lead but Aglor's goal at 8:47 narrowed the McCoys deficit to 4-2.
Rice gave the Blast a three-goal cushion early in the third period when he came off the boards to score from the middle of the faceoff circle.
The McCoys made it interesting with goals by Mark Jooris and Chris Grenville but the Blast held off the Dundas surge and Spurr scored into an empty net with nine seconds remaining.
Brantford goaltender Anthony Marshall faced 47 shots. He was outstanding in the third period when the McCoys took advantage of several power-play opportunities to outshoot the Blast 23-6.
"We're looking better and better," Van Herzele said.
"Everybody's getting onside to the systems. We've got three games to get everyone adjusted to the way we're playing and get ready for the playoffs."