Predators have three home games, eight away leading to playoffs

The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) will resume its regular season this Monday, Jan. 31. That’s five days later than its previously announced plans, but in line with the Jan. 19 announcement by the provincial government.

To accommodate for the rescheduling of games lost during the January province-wide shut-down of non-elite amateur sports, the season will be extended two weeks to March 6, with the 2022 Russell Cup Playoffs beginning on March 7. The league plans to have every team finish a 38-game regular season schedule by then, condensed from the usual 42. 

Playoffs will remain four rounds, with the top seven teams in the North and South Division standings automatically qualifying for postseason play. The final eighth seed in each division will be determined with a single game elimination qualifier. Though the league had plans to have all three divisions meet in Temiskaming for the first truly national Russell Cup Finals, that will have to wait until 2023.

The Niagara Predators are currently tied for third with the Durham Roadrunners in the GMHL’s South Division with 38 points, just a point behind St. George and three points behind the first place North York Renegades. 

The Predators will return to the Meridian Credit Union Arena ice on Feb. 4 for their first game in 46 days to host the Roadrunners, and will follow that with a Sunday afternoon trip to Windsor to face the Aces. 

A glance at the remaining games on Niagara’s schedule shows only three more home games for the team: the Durham game on Feb. 4 and visits by North York and St. George on Feb. 18 and 25 respectively. 

Owner, general manager and head coach Robert Turnbull says he was willing to forego the home games lost in January in favour of having them played elsewhere just to ensure the games get played at all. 

They’ll be on the road for eight games between now and the playoffs, with a second trip to Windsor and visits to Streetsville, North York, Oshawa and two journeys to Plattsville, before winding up the season March 5 in Tottenham.

In addition, three more games, against Plattsville, St. George and Tottenham, remain to be added to their slate between now and March 6.

Turnbull believes the first round of the playoffs will be a best 2-out-of-3 format, while the semi-finals will be a best-3-out-of-5. The finals will be a seven-game series. 

The extended break has given the Predators players time to return safely from their holiday trips. Turnbull says Jesper Eriksson has already arrived back in Canada from Sweden, while Madsen and Emil Eriksson were set to arrive sometime this week. As well, forward Mario Zitella has been confirmed to be returning to the team. 

They’ll have their first chance to practice together on Feb. 1, but Turnbull says he knows his roster hasn’t been sitting idle during the off-time. 

“They’ve been skating on ponds, I know, especially the Swedes,” he says, “and they’ve been running as much as they can.”

Turnbull hints that he’s not finished making moves and may be doing so right up until the Feb. 3 trade and signing deadline. He says he’s looking at all three positions - forward, defence, goalie - with the goal of adding some physicality to the team to prepare for the run to the playoffs. 

Three Predators in the top 20 in the South Division’s power rankings

The GMHL recently announced their player power rankings for the first half of the season. In the South Division, three Niagara Predators hold down spots in the top 20. 

Forward Dante Massi leads the way for Niagara in fifth place. Massi’s 41 assists are the sixth most in the GMHL, while he currently sits in fifteenth in the league in scoring with 53 points. The Niagara Falls native is a relentless playmaker and a consistent thorn in the side of his opponents, battling against much larger players to set his teammates up for chances. 

“Dante is our workhorse,” Turnbull says. “We’ve got a lot of great hockey players, and I’m really proud of what they’ve achieved. And a lot of points that these guys have gotten have come from players that weren’t mentioned in the list.”

At number 10 is Jesper Eriksson, the Predators leading scorer who is tied for 11th in the league in points with 56. The big-bodied, smooth-skating Swede also leads Niagara with 27 goals. He brings a European style of play to the team with his superb puck-handling skills and a knack for creating space in front of opposing goalies.

Fellow Swede Pontus Madsen is number 14 on the list and the second-highest ranked defenceman in the South Division. Though he didn’t join the team until a month into the season, Madsen currently leads all Predators defenceman in points, with 23 in only 16 games. 

The top spot in the South Division power rankings is held by Kory Silveiro, the division’s leading scorer with 50 goals and 88 points for the 7-and-21 Windsor Aces. Santino Foti of the North York Renegades is ranked second, with Mike Marchesan of the St. George Ravens in third. Both have netted 41 goals so far this season.

Predators to participate in Skate for Alzheimers at Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery

Etobicoke mailman and recreational hockey referee Steve McNeil is back at Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery this Wednesday, Jan. 26 for his annual 1926 Skate for Alzheimer’s. The 60-year-old skates for 19 hours and 26 minutes to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s. The length of time for his skate is a tribute to his mother Eunice, who was born in 1926 and battled Alzheimer’s before her death. 

Niagara Predators trainer and assistant general manager Samantha Marson, a former goaltender with the Lakehead University Thunderwolves and the Paul Smith’s College Bobcats, skated with McNeil last year, and will be returning to the winery for the fundraiser, which runs from 12 a.m. until 7:26 p.m.

At press time, she was hoping a few of the Predators players would be joining her for the afternoon, but their attendance had yet to be confirmed. 

To donate to McNeil’s efforts to raise funds for the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region, visit www.1926Skate.com/donate.