Short-handed junior club swept from playoffs by Buffalo
The Hamilton Red Wings season is over, mercifully.
With only 13 skaters (10 or 11 of which saw regular ice time) and one goaltender, the Red Wings battled hard for two periods on home ice against the Buffalo Junior Sabres Feb. 16. before falling 4-1 to the visitors.
The loss eliminated the Red Wings from the first round of the playoffs in the minimum three games.
Buffalo beat the Red Wings 5-0 and 5-2 in the first two games of the series.
Buffalo moves on to face Oakville, while Burlington meets Georgetown in the OJHL West Division semi finals.
“We did the best (with what) we had and we just came up short,” said a tearful Red Wings captain Dalton Jay, who was still coming to grips with having played his last game of junior hockey. “It is emotional. It’s something you’re not going to do any more.”
Jay, who turns 20 in May, was acquired in a trade with Trenton last November and was named the team’s third captain of the season in January.
He quickly developed a reputation as a fast-skating forward with a good shot who worked hard every shift
Jay finished the season 12 goals and 20 assists, 10 of those goals and 19 helpers were picked up with the Red Wings.
He plans to accept a hockey scholarship to Northland College, an NCAA Division 3 school in Wisconsin.
Hamilton’s roster has been decimated by illness and injury since mid January and head coach Scott Elliott noted no midget call-ups from the Toronto Marlies AAA midget club were available for last Thursday’s game.
Back-up goalie Paul Orlando got the start in net for the Red Wings after starter Dalton McGrath was diagnosed with mononucleosis.
Andrew Poturalski, scored his first of two goals on the night at the 7:30 mark of the first period to give the Junior Sabres a 1-0 lead.
Following a scoreless second period, the Red Wings tied the game at one on a short-handed goal by Luke Laidlaw at the 7:05 mark of the third period.
But the short bench caught up with the home side in the final frame as Kollin Schultz (power play) and Poturalski scored less than two minutes apart near the midway mark of the period.
With Orlando pulled for an extra skater, the Junior Sabres put the game on ice with 46 seconds remaining to play with an empty net goal by Ryan Schmelzer.
The Red Wings outshot Buffalo 32-30.
Parker Gahagen had a strong game in goal for the visitors.
Elliot said he was proud of the effort his troops turned in.
“These kids came to the rink tonight with a decimated line-up and one goaltender,” he said. “They competed and they proved to me and showed me that all the time and effort I put in and spent this year was well worth it.”
Elliot said he had been hoping for a better record and a much longer playoff run during a tumultuous season that saw a franchise low 11 wins, several player trades and three different team captains.
“Some of the decisions that were made not necessarily were decisions that I liked, but I still had to support it because that’s my job,” he said.
The Red Wings will lose McGrath and Jay to age and possibly a few others to scholarships.
Elliot said he planned to speak with each player individually this week.
Then planning for next season will begin.
