By Ron Valentine

The COLLINGWOOD BLUES and the TRENTON GOLDEN HAWKS will vie for the 2023 edition of the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Frank R. Buckland Cup in the Nutrafarms Championship Series.

The Blues were the second highest seeded club going into the playoffs after winning the North-West Conference with 89 points, including 44 wins in 54 games. 

NUMBERS GAME

The Golden Hawks were ranked seventh overall with a fourth-place finish in the South-East conference. They had 36 victories and 75 points. 

To the winner the prize of a trip to play in the Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie, hosted by the Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Ten teams will make up the tournament, one from each Junior A league from across the country plus the host side. Festivities begin May 11 at the Stride Place recreation centre.

In the one and only regular season meeting between the two clubs in early November the Blues were in the middle of a set of nine games on the road when they got an overtime goal from captain CAM GARVEY to secure the 4-3 overtime win. 

Over the course of the playoffs, both teams have recorded at least one goal from a total of eighteen different players. On the powerplay, the Blues have a 26.09% success rate while the Golden Hawks are at 21.05 per cent. Shorthanded it's close with Trenton sitting at 86.76 per cent and Collingwood on 86.36 per cent. The Golden Hawks have three shorthanded markers.

To reach the final, Collingwood bested the Stouffville Spirit and the Milton Milton in the minimum four games before downing the Burlington Cougars in five, the last one a shutout. 

Trenton beat the Cobourg  Cougars in five games before their epic second round encounter with the regulation season's South-East champions, the Toronto Junior Canadiens, winning Game 7 in overtime after taking a 3-0 series lead and in round three they got past their arch-rivals the Wellington Dukes in five games, four of which were won by the visiting team.

Seventeen playoff games and counting for the 'Hawks. 

HISTORY LESSONS

Trenton won the Buckland Cup in 2016, beating Georgetown 4-1 with Kincardine native and former Burlington Cougar, Ben Scheel scoring the winning goal. They went down to the Raiders the following year, 2017, in seven games, the final one a 1-0 loss on an Andrew Court goal. This will be Collingwood's first OJHL final. 

The two teams lead the way in playoff average attendance with both edging in on 1,000 fans, a total which should be met and passed in the final games.

At the end of the 2018-19 season, the OJHL's Kingston Voyageurs were sold to Dave Steele, then president of the Stayner Siskins, and they would become the Collingwood Colts and later the Blues. The town of Collingwood has iced teams in their rich hockey past called the Greenshirts, Cobras, Legionnaires, Glassmen, Shipbuilders and Blackhawks.

The Golden Hawks moniker began at the Junior A level in the 2009-10 season. Throughout the years teams in Trenton have been known also as the Sting, Hercs and Quinte West Pack.  

The Duncan McDonald Memorial Arena in Trenton opened in 1957 and the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena in Collingwood began operations in 1949. The rinks are 302 km apart or a driving distance of just over three hours in normal traffic.

THE BLUES

In the postseason to date, the Blues, 12 wins and just one loss, have been more than ably supported by goalkeeper NOAH PAK who has allowed 19 goals in 13 games for a GAA of 1.47, including two shutouts and a .944 save percentage. Leading the way in the goalscoring department is former Oakville Blade LUKE TCHOR who has posted nine, followed by CARTER DICEMAN with eight and  DYLAN HUDON on seven. AYDEN DOOLEY, with 15 and ROBBIE STRACHAN and CAMERON EKE, with ten each, have been big point contributors from the blueline. Of MARK MCINTOSH's six goals, half have been game winners. 

Blues' Head coach Andrew Campoli: "Trenton is a very hardworking team and they have been impressive in the playoffs, knocking off three really good teams on their way to the final. We've given ourselves an opportunity to play for the Buckland and with that our mindset is still consistent. We need to play hockey our way and stick to our standards."

Captain Cam: "Our one meeting this season was a back and forth game so we are expecting a close series. In the 2020 playoffs when I was playing for the (Oakville) Blades we beat Brantford in four straight in Round 1 before Covid-19 ended the games for everyone. We had a really strong team (Harrison Israels, Jack Ricketts, Ryan O'Hara, Aalton McDermott etc.) and we felt we could have gone a long way and that gave me a taste of what playoff hockey is like. And now we have a team that just keeps getting better. Of late Hudon, Strachan and Dooley have really stepped up but this is truly a balanced, four line team with Noah (Pak) being our backbone." 

THE GOLDEN HAWKS

Up front the Golden Hawks are led by former Whitby Fury and Blind River Beaver MATTHEW CATO who has 11 goals. Matt, who will be attending U. of Vermont in the Fall, leads all playoff point scorers with 22. ADAM O'MARRA, who started the season with Collingwood, has seven to date in the postseason and 19 points in total, the fourth highest in the league. 

Adam's cousin Ryan, who played for the OJHL's Georgetown Raiders and Streetsville Derbys went on to be captain of the OHL's Erie Otters, then played for the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks in the NHL.

O'Marra noted: " It's a unique situation for me having been on both sides this season. Collingwood is a skilled and hardworking team and we are aware of what they can do. We are confident in our group and know we have the tools to be successful in the finals. Ben has been stellar in net and we have taken our game to another level both offensively and defensively."

Making their presence known on the scoresheet are blueliners NATHAN OICKLE, 20 points, good for third spot overall and first in defencemen in the OJHL and Rocky Harbour NF native and former Halifax Moosehead, LUCAS ROBINSON, with 13. 

In net, Fenwick native BEN BONISTEEL, has appeared in all 17 postseason contests, amassing a 2.49 GAA and also posting a shutout. He was a first round pick in 2020 (No. 9 overall) by the Barrie Colts.

Director of hockey operations John McDonald, one of the OJHL's elder statesmen, knew he had a good squad at the start of the season: "...but there were a few spots where we could get stronger and Jerome Dupont (G.M./head coach) went to work and made some key acquisitions. Bonisteel faced a lot of rubber in Brantford and we knew he was a quality goalie and he has shone for us. He's mature and is the first to accept responsibility when something does not go right. Up front, he added ZEV PODOLSKI, a guy with skill and grit, and O'Marra from Collingwood. On defence, he brought in ERIC BONSTEEL from the Patriots and all of these players have made strong contributions, on and off the ice for us."

"It didn't take long for Jerome to get these guys worked into our system. Our strength lies in the fact that we can ice four lines and count on each one to get the job done. RYAN HOLMES was brought in from Milton to start the season and pound-for-pound he has to be one of the hardest hitters in the league. This team perhaps lacks the big names from our Dudley Cup days but, as I like to call them, they are a bunch of skilled Clydesdales! Jerome is a great proponent of watching video to find the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and we are going into the final well prepared."