By: Chris McLachlin, OHA Media
Photo: Kevin Raposo/OJHL Images 

The second half of the OJHL season has begun as we reach the final month of 2017 and the races in both conferences are incredibly close from top to bottom. In the North-East, the Wellington Dukes have a healthy 10-point lead on top, but behind them Markham and Newmarket are tied for second place and Kingston and Aurora are tied for fourth. In the South-West, the Oakville Blades are four points ahead of the North York Rangers for first, but five teams are within six points of first including Oakville, North York, the Patriots, the Jr. Canadiens, and Georgetown.

CJHL 2017-18 TOP 20 (As of Dec. 4/17)
1. Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL) (1)
11. Toronto Patriots (OJHL) (15)
13. Wellington Dukes (OJHL) (HM)
20. Oakville Blades (OJHL) (HM)
Honourable Mention: North York Rangers (OJHL)
Click here for the full CJHL Top 20 Rankings 

MOST OVERTIME POINTS
1. 11 - North York Rangers (4-3)
2. 10 - Cobourg Cougars (4-2)
3. 10 - Wellington Dukes (3-4)
4. 9 - Buffalo Jr. Sabres (4-1)
5. 8 - Burlington Cougars (3-2) 

MOST GOALS PER GAME
1. 4.89 - Toronto Patriots
2. 3.96 - Kingston Voyageurs
3. 3.87 - Georgetown Raiders
4. 3.81 - Markham Royals
5. 3.72 - Wellington Dukes

LOWEST GAA PER GAME
1. 2.00 - North York Rangers
2. 2.18 - Oakville Blades
3. 2.31 - Newmarket Hurricanes
4. 2.40 - Georgetown Raiders
5. 2.44 - Aurora Tigers

NORTH-EAST CONFERENCE
The Markham Royals have surged into a tie for second place alongside the Newmarket Hurricanes on the strength of a 6-game winning streak. Last week the Royals beat Kingston 4-3 on the road before two convincing wins on home ice; 5-1 against Georgetown and 9-4 against Trenton. The Newmarket Hurricanes had a signature win of their own last week, as they knocked off the South-West Conference leading Oakville Blades 8-1, but followed that up the next night with a 6-3 loss to the St. Michaels Buzzers.

Top Performances
Goals: 3 - Braedyn Aubin (Markham) vs Georgetown Dec. 1, Braydon Leeking (Lindsay) vs Mississauga Dec. 2
Assists: 4 - George Miranda (Cobourg) vs Lindsay Nov. 27, Lucas Condotta (Markham) vs Trenton Dec. 3, Jack Jeffers (Markham) vs Trenton Dec. 3, Brett Ouderkirk (Markham) vs Trenton Dec. 3
Points: 6 - Brett Ouderkirk (2G, 4A) (Markham) vs Trenton Dec. 3
Saves: 52 - Bradley Van Schubert (W) (Aurora) vs Kingston Dec. 1

SOUTH-WEST CONFERENCE
The North York Rangers have moved into second place in the conference, four points behind first place Oakville after a 3-0 week in which all three victories needed extra time. On Wednesday in Buffalo, the Rangers beat the Jr. Sabres 4-3 in double overtime, on Saturday in Orangeville the Rangers scored in the first overtime to beat the Flyers 3-2, and on Sunday at home the Rangers scored in double overtime to beat the Aurora Tigers 2-1. 

Top Performances
Goals: 3 - Brandan Fisher (Orangeville) vs Mississauga Dec.3, Andrew Petrucci (Patriots) vs Milton Dec. 3
Assists: 4 - Dante Spagnuolo (Patriots) vs Milton Dec. 3
Points: 4 - Matt Jakubowski (1G, 3A) (Buffalo) vs Georgetown Dec. 3, Adam Tretowicz (2G, 2A) (Buffalo) vs Georgetown Dec. 3, Zack Nazzarett (Buffalo) vs Georgetown Dec. 3, Brandan Fisher (3G, 1A) (Orangeville) vs Mississauga Dec.3, Andrew Petrucci (3G, 1A) (Patriots) vs Milton Dec. 3, Dante Spagnuolo (4A) (Patriots) vs Milton Dec. 3
Saves: 50 - Chris Elliot (W) (Oakville) vs Georgetown Dec. 2

This Week: 23 games

Other OJHL Notes:
40 Team Canada East hopefuls, including 23 OJHL players, have gathered in Etobicoke at the MasterCard Centre Dec. 2-5, vying for roster spots to represent Canada East at the 2017 World Junior A Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia Dec. 10-16. Click here for more information on the 2017 World Junior A Challenge.

The 13th Annual CJHL Prospects Game will be hosted by the OJHL and the Mississauga Chargers at Port Credit Memorial Arena on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 7:30 PM. Click here for more information on the 2018 CJHL Prospects Game. 

(The OJHL Week in Review is posted on Mondays during the 2017-18 OJHL regular season.)

For more stats, scores and news from the OJHL, visit the official OJHL website: www.ojhl.ca

Follow the OJHL on Twitter: @OJHLOfficial

Like the OJHL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OJHLOfficial