In a series that began last Thursday, the Mississauga Majors went 1–1 against the Barrie Colts for the first round of the OHL Playoffs.
The matchup was interesting, considering how much has changed since last season. Although the Mississauga Majors finished the 2010/11 season first overall, the team ended this season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. By contrast, the Barrie Colts ended the 2010/11 season dead last in the league and surged to third in the East this season.
For the Majors to win this series, they need to look for solid play from key players: contribution to offence by Riley Brace, who has had a career season with 82 points, and defence from Leafs draft pick Stuart Percy and overage goaltender Brandon Maxwell, who was acquired from Sarnia in a January trade.
In Friday’s game Spencer Cobbold, who had missed a penalty shot in game 1, put the Majors on the board nine minutes into the first period. Percy made it 2–0 from the blue line.
The puck slid past Niederberger and a nice tip-in by Kristoff Kontos gave the Majors a 3–0 lead. A goal from Brace four minutes into the second period solidified the win at 4–0, after which the Colts substituted goaltender Niederberger for Alex Fotinos.
The Majors won 4–0, giving Maxwell the shutout. Brace tallied one goal and two assists. Ninety penalty minutes were handed out in total as the two teams roughed it out all night.
Game 3 will be on Monday in Barrie, game 4 will be on Tuesday in Mississauga, and game 5 will be on Saturday, back in Barrie.
