You might be able to beat them a couple of times during the regular season.

You may even be able to finish ahead of them in the standings.

But everyone in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Western Conference knows the Sutherland Cup road has run through London the past four years and there is little reason to believe that’s going to change now.

“We expect to have a team that will compete the way we usually do,” Nationals GM and coach Pat Powers said. “There are some good teams, some improved teams and we still have a very good conference. We plan on being one of those teams in the hunt again.”

The Nats have been a part of 19 playoff series since 2016, falling three times in the Cup finals and once in the semifinal round to eventual champ Listowel. Veteran forward Max Vinogradov, now embarking on his fifth full season with the team, already has appeared in 97 post-season games in his junior career.

There have been some wicked highs and some disappointing lows during that ride, the most recent (and memorable) being the Game 7 Cup final overtime loss to Waterloo in the spring. The Nats thought they had a Riley MacRae winning goal late in regulation, but it was waved off due to an early whistle.

Longtime Nationals player Max Vinogradov ties up Strathroy Rocket’s Riley Wood during a preseason game Wednesday at Western Fair. Vinogradov is playing his final season with the Junior B Nats this year. (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)

Some of the hungry crew is back for another crack at it – like top scorer Cal Davis – but a lot of the familiar veteran talent has shuffled off to school or other pursuits. Super rookie George Diaco, who excelled in his first year of junior hockey, is in Hamilton Bulldogs camp.

It’s going to take a special group to go the distance again, especially with mega-bucks Caledonia back in the fold after a one-year hiatus. The Corvairs made it to five straight Cup semifinals (and won three in a row) before taking their little break.

The Nats will try to match that half-decade of sustained excellence in 2019-20. They have the means to add older stars down the stretch if necessary.

They kick of the 50-game schedule with the reinstated GOJHL Showcase event Friday night against host Pelham. Their first home game will be against St. Marys Wednesday, Sept. 18.

“The start of the year is always an exciting time,” Powers said. “I like what we have and we’ll see how they do against good competition early in the season.”

By the end of it, they expect to be in championship form.

After all this, why change?

rpyette@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/RyanatLFPress

 

 

GOJHL WESTERN CONFERENCE

London

Last year: 33-12-1-2, 69 points. Second place. Lost Sutherland Cup final in Game 7 OT to Waterloo.

Watch for: Cal Davis is the Western conference’s reigning player of the year and leading scorer (23-59-82). He’s back for his final junior season.

Big stat: The Nationals scored 57 power-play goals last year, second only to Listowel in the GOJHL.

Showcase: vs. Pelham, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Cambridge, Sunday, 5 p.m.

• • •

Leamington

Last year: 33-10-2-3, 71 points. First place. Lost 4-0 to London in conference final.

Watch for: Zach Borgiel and Oshawa draftee Ryan Polidori teamed up to form the stingiest tandem in the conference (122 goals against). So it’s Polidori’s time to shine now that Borgiel is in the BCHL with Cowichan.

Big stat: The Flyers are hard to beat at home. They lost only once in regulation in their building last season.

Showcase: vs. St. Catharines, Saturday, 8 p.m.; vs. Waterloo, Sunday, 8 p.m.

• • •

LaSalle

Last year: 22-20-2-4, 50 points. Fifth place. Lost 4-1 to London in second round.

Watch for: Fourth-year Vipers forward Jack Bowler’s output has improved every season. He has 50-plus point potential.

Big stat: AJ Ryan’s 29 goals were second in the West. He has moved to Cobourg, so that scoring needs to be replaced.

Showcase: vs. Stratford, Saturday, 5 p.m.; vs. Thorold, Sunday, 8 a.m.

• • •

Chatham

Last year: 28-12-4-4, 64 points. Third place. Lost 4-1 to Komoka in first round.

Watch for: Former Leamington forward Griffin Robinson has 60 goals in his past two Junior B seasons.

Big stat: The Maroons’ 11 shorthanded goals last year was best in conference.

Showcase: vs. Niagara Falls, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.; vs. Listowel, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

• • •

St. Thomas

Last year: 17-24-3-4, 41 points. Seventh place. Lost 4-1 to London in first round.

Watch for: Lambeth Junior C standout Brock Trichilo had four preseason goals.

Big stat: The Stars were the least penalized team in the conference last year (716 minutes).

Showcase: vs. Welland, Friday, 2 p.m.; vs. Elmira, Sunday, 11 a.m.

• • •

Komoka

Last year: 20-23-2-3, 45 points. Sixth place. Lost 4-3 to Leamington in second round.

Watch for: The Kings need to replace the annual 30-plus goals of Joel Mazzilli, who landed in re-born Caledonia. Blake McConnell-Barker (42 points) and Knights prospect Dario Beljo (36 points) could ease the pain.

Big stat: Won a playoff series for the first time since 2006 (the franchise’s second-last year as the Petrolia Jets).

Showcase: vs. Hamilton, Friday, 1:30 p.m.; vs. Kitchener, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.

• • •

Strathroy

Last year: 19-28-1-0, 39 points. Eighth place. Lost 4-1 to Leamington in first round.

Watch for: Knights pick Brendan Mairs had five goals in two preseason games against his hometown Nationals.

Big stat: Graduated Rockets d-man Liam Israels was recently awarded the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship, which granted him $100,000 towards his Western University studies in engineering.

Showcase: vs. Buffalo, Friday, 4:30 p.m.; vs. Brantford, Sunday, 4:30 p.m.

• • •

Sarnia

Last year: 23-18-2-5, 53 points. Fourth place. Lost 4-0 to LaSalle in first round.

Watch for: Chatham-Kent minor midget grads Jett Morningstar and Daniel Fraleigh had productive preseasons.

Big stat: The Legionnaires had the worst power play in the conference last year (12.1 per cent). If they fix it, they’re in business.

Showcase: vs. Buffalo, Saturday, 2 p.m.; vs. Caledonia, Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

• • •

St. Marys

Last year: 11-30-3-4, 29 points. Ninth place. Missed playoffs.

Watch for: A pleasant uptick. The Lincolns return plenty of firepower up front, including leading man Blair Butchart. They will miss Mason Goldie, who signed in Navan, and his 20-plus goal potential, though.

Big stat: They were the only one of the 25 GOJHL teams to miss the post-season despite finishing with more points than four clubs in other conferences. That unfair format needs to be fixed.

Showcase: vs. Brampton, Friday, 5 p.m.; vs. Fort Erie, Saturday, 8 a.m.