Menace Analyst - Mikayla Guarasci

Milton Menace Preview: Menace at Pickering Panthers, Round 1 Game 1- March 8, 2023

It’s playoff time! The Milton Menace will begin their quest for the Buckland Cup against the defending champions, the Pickering Panthers on Wednesday when they hit the ice for game one.

The team concluded their regular season with a loss in Collingwood on Saturday. The Blues went up 2-0, and although the Menace pushed, they were unable to make a complete comeback. Nick Wereha scored the lone Menace goal in the loss with Alessandro Petreccia and Jared Coccimiglio each picking up assists.

The Panthers and Mence come into the series as the fourth and fifth-place teams, respectively. Both teams finished with 66 points, but Pickering had one more win on their record than Milton, giving them the higher position in the final standings. Game one will be in Pickering at the Pickering Recreation Complex.

Playing in the opposition’s rink to start the series isn’t all bad news for the Menace. This season, Milton had better results on the road than at home, with a 16-8-2-1 record as the visiting team and have had great success in Pickering this year.

In the season series between these teams, the road team came out victorious in each of the four meetings. Milton won the first two games in Pickering, and then the Panthers took the two games at Milton Memorial Arena. In their last meeting on Dec. 4, Pickering scored in the final minute to win 4-3.

With the Menace coming off two consecutive losses, it will be key for the team to get off to a quick start and set the tone in Wednesday’s game. Special teams will also be a factor in the playoffs, as teams will be looking to capitalize on any opportunity possible. Milton’s penalty kill finished the regular season ranked sixth in the league. Pickering’s power play ranked eighth compared to Milton’s, which ranked 13th. Every chance is that much more important in the playoffs.

Game one action from Pickering will begin at 8:30 pm on Wednesday and will be streamed live on Hockey TV.