Stouffville Spirit Head Coach TJ Hill talks to his team at the Stouffville Arena during practice this week.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

The Stouffville Spirit open the 2023 Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs in Collingwood Friday night.

The Spirit and Collingwood Blues are playing one of eight best-of-seven, opening round series in the 22-team league.

The series shifts to the Stouffville Arena for Game 2 Sunday afternoon.

"As a team we are very excited and also prepared to be moving into Round 1 of the playoffs,” Spirit captain Odaro Ewere told Ron Valentine of the OJHL. “The Blues and the Spirit are both very fast and hardworking teams and I think it will be a very exciting series to watch. 

“For many of our players it's their first time in the OJHL playoffs, we are a very young team overall so we are coming into the series with a lot to prove."

The Spirit come in as underdogs against the No. 1 seed in the North-West Conference.

That didn’t matter the last time the two teams met in the playoffs. Three years ago tonight, the Spirit broke Colts (before they became the Blues) fans’ hearts winning Game 7 of their opening-rounder in Collingwood 3-1. COVID-19 would cancel the remainder of the 2020 OJHL playoffs and all of the next season.

There are no players remaining from that 2020 team in Stouffville. Two-year ‘veterans’ are the oldest players on the roster.

Spirit head coach TJ Hill has a plan.

“Our focus is on playing to our identity and controlling what we can control,” Hill said, “which is our preparation, compete level and playing together for 60 minutes every night.”

TICKETS

Ticket prices for Spirit home games in the first round of the playoffs are:

Adults - $15 (including HST)

Seniors and students - $5 (including HST)

Children (5 and under) - free

Cash only.

THE SKED

Dates, times and locations for our OJHL opening-round, best-of-seven playoff series:

March 10, 7 pm, Collingwood

March 12, 2:30 pm, Stouffville Arena

March 14, 7 pm, Collingwood

March 16, 7:30 pm, Stouffville Arena

*March 17, 7 pm, Collingwood

*March 19, 2:30 pm, Stouffville Arena

*March 20, 7 pm, Collingwood

* if necessary

THE SCORES

The Spirit closed out the regular season with an impressive 5-3 win in Pickering over the defending OJHL champs and national championship finalist Panthers Saturday.

Riley Pope had an assist and scored two goals, including what proved to be the game winner. Ayden Bulmer made 27 saves and was named player of the game. Alex Whitney, Ryan Russell and Zach Benayon also scored. Jeremy Hirsh had two assists.

Originally scheduled for Friday night, the came was snowed out and rescheduled for 24 hours later.

NOTEBOOK

Ewere led the Spirit this season with 60 points (15 goals/45 assists).

Peter Kioussis led in goal scoring with 22.

On a roster loaded with first-year players, Zach Benayon topped them all with 39 points (13 goals/26 assists).

Stouffville’s own Ryan Harvey led all defencemen with 33 (9 goals/24 assists).

Stouffville’s Dave and Sarah will perform the national anthem Sunday afternoon. They’ll be at Bollocks Pub and Kitchen on Hoover Park Drive on St. Patrick’s Day and the Coach House Pub in Ballantrae on April 22.

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Spirit This Week is sponsored by Farmer Jack’s in Stouffville and Sharon