By Kevin Gould, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

Ian MacInnis said it best, following Game 3: “They were better.”

The Ottawa Junior Senators were, in every aspect of the game. That they swept the Cornwall Colts in four games was a surprise, until they started playing the games. From the outset, the Junior Sens were much better.

Very good during the regular season, the Junior Sens found another level in the playoffs. It was a level the Colts couldn’t match.

Which is not to discount the season the Colts had, an impressive one, coming on the heels of failing to make the postseason for the first time since the 2006-2007 season.

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Ottawa head coach Martin Dagenais, one of our favourite interviews in the CCHL, admitted his team is currently playing its best hockey of the season.

“Our puck possession, our puck management, has been very good,” said Dagenais. “And we’re not giving up a lot of scoring chances, which is very important.”

Whether it’s Carleton Place or Kemptville in the final, these Junior Sens will be a tough out.

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We’re betting on Carleton Place, who were leading 3-2 heading into Sunday night’s Game 6 in Kemptville.

The Canadians went ahead in the series on Saturday night, by becoming the first of the teams to win at home, 3-2 in overtime.

Connor Merkley had the OT winner, just 1:10 into the extra session.

Cornwall’s Bobby Dow had one of the Kemptville goals.

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The Colts are out, but the CCHL final will have some local connections. Cornwall’s Adrien Bisson is part of the Ottawa Junior Senators, while Kemptville has the aforementioned Dow and Carleton Place has Shawn Kennedy of Bainsville.

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It’s the second straight trip to the CCHL final for the Junior Sens. Last year, Ottawa lost in Game 7, 3-2, to (who else?) the Carleton Place Canadians.

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Like most, Dagenais expected a long series between the Junior Sens and Colts.

“Everyone was expecting six or seven games for sure,” he said.

No complaints, or apologies, in ending it quickly.

“It turned out to be a short series, and it’s a nice break for us. A few days off, then get back at it and get ready for whoever we play in the final.”

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A relationship that lasted almost a decade is over. Next season, for the first time in nine years, a Spink will not be wearing the red, white and blue for the Colts.

Tanner Spink, who first saw action with the Colts as a 15-year-old, has graduated from the CCHL, no longer eligible to skate in the league. His hockey career will likely continue somewhere, but not with the Colts.

Before Tanner of course, there were the twins, Tylor and Tyson, who started the Spink streak in the 2008-2009 season.

Colts’ media man David Murphy sends along these stats for the Spink trio: a combined 592 games played, with 176 goals and 427 assists, for a whopping 603 points.

Dad Kenton Spink has also worked with the Colts through the years, doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes jobs for the club.

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Following all that brouhaha over the move to the Benson, it was not to be.

Too bad, for we were looking forward to seeing what type of atmosphere a CCHL playoff game at the Benson Centre would create.
. . .

Next up for the Colts: The CCHL bantam protected draft on Monday night, in beautiful, downtown Navan.

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There’s a Colts’ connection to Cornell.

The obvious one of course is Sebastian Dirven, who will skate with the Big Red starting in 2018-19.

Also, a former Colt, Sean Flanagan, is an assistant coach with Cornell.

Flanagan spent two seasons with the Colts, 2004 to 2006, before playing D-I for St. Lawrence University in his hometown of Canton, NY for four years. He played a little minor pro (Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL and Quad City Mallards of the CHL) before joining the coaching ranks, first with Hobart College before hooking up with Cornell.

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It looked like the dynasty might be over in Casselman, when the Vikings trailed 3-1 in their opening CCHL 2 series against the Metcalfe Jets. The Vikings came back to take that series in seven, before eliminating the Ottawa West Golden Knights in four straight games.

The Vikes held a 2-0 lead in the CCHL 2 final, against Richmond, heading into a game in Casselman on Sunday evening.

Casselman took Game 2, 7-3 on Saturday night in Richmond.

Cornwall’s Isaac Barr is a member of the Vikings, as is Evan Mantha of Morrisburg.

The team is coached by one of our favourite hockey people, the car wheels on a gravel road voiced Mike Ruest.