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Colts-Lumberjacks - Game 1
It is one thing to discuss regular season games between two clubs when you attempt to do a preview of the Fred Fox Division Playoffs. However the South Shore Lumberjacks rapidly threw that modem of review out the window when after losing all five games to the East Hants Penguins in the regular season, shut the Penguins down in five games in their divisional semi-final.
Tonight is the beginning of the Fred Fox Division Final between the Lumberjacks and Capstone Colts. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the C.F.B. Shearwater Forum in HRM before the series shifts to Bridgewater for Game 2 Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
Last season in the Fox Final, the Lumberjacks defeated the Colts in four straight including a 1-0 over time thriller to clinch the series.
The teams enter tonight’s game 1 after a regular season that saw the Colts outscore the Lumberjacks 24-7 in five games and win all five by scores of 5-2, 4-2, 5-3 and a pair of 5-0 shut-out games. The Colts finished the regular season with a 14-13-3 record while the Colts went 22-8-0.
The scoring depth featured by the Colts is something the Lumberjacks will need to address in some fashion or another. Two begin with the Colts had two players tied for the League Lead in goals in Rookie of the Year Finn Merritt and Liam Andrews who both scored 23 goals in 30 games. Andrews did not relent in the opening round series with Sackville scoring 10 times in six games. The Colts also have Cooper Puma who led the team in scoring with 13 goals and 34 assists for 47 points and Connor Stewart who assisted on 27 goals to go along with 2 goals for 29 points. These are the players the Lumberjacks will have to take a special interest in when they are on the ice. Besides those top 4 scorers for the Colts, they also had Benjamin Veinot, Xavier Coggins, Jacob Trioni-Willis all with 20 points or more and a player signed at mid-season Camden MacKenzie who registered 22 points in 15 games.
When you look at the Lumberjacks .500 or so season, they had disappointments until their opening round against East Hants. For example Cohen Westlake in his sophomore season slipped to 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points compared to last season’s 17 goal and 24 assist effort for 41 points. Westlake did rebound in the East Hants series scoring twice and adding four assists for 6 points in five games. Brennan Coleman was off by 10 points in the regular season in 24-25 with 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points compared to 23-24 when he scored 14 times and registered 19 assists for 33 points. Daniel Kline and Aaron Lane were the only two Lumberjacks to maintain the same kind of offence this season as they did in 23-24. Kline had 35 point season in 23-24 compared to a 36 point season in 24-25 while veteran defenceman Aaron Lane racked up 24 assists and 28 points this season compared to 27 assists and 34 points in 23-24. Lane did deliver 6 assists in the five game East Hants series. Two other players the Lumberjacks received strong first round efforts from were Elijah Rivera who scored twice and added 3 assists for 5 points and Ethan MacVicar who collected four goals in five games.
As for Special Teams, the Lumberjacks recognize they will need more in their series with the Colts. The South Shore scored 21% of the time on the power-play in 24-25 while killing off 72% of their penalties. The Colts meanwhile were vastly better scoring nearly 1/3 of the time on their power-play while killing off 85% of their penalties.
As for Goaltending, coming off a 13-14-0 season in nets, the Lumberjacks Keegan Greencorn is sincerely hopeful who can have another lights-out performance as he did in the series with East Hants. Keegan had a 3.16 GAA in the regular season and a .905 save per centage to go along with 1 shut-out.
Conar Brace was remarkable all year in the Colts net finishing with a record of 19-5-0, a 2.60 goals against average, 2 shut-outs and a .921 save percentage.
It has been said numerous times, “anything can happen in a playoff series” and we now can only wait to see if the Lumberjacks are as ready for a Colts team as they were for the East Hants Penguins. Games 1 and 2 this weekend in Shearwater at 7:30 and Bridgewater Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.