Hey OHL fans! It's time for my fearless predictions for the first round of the OHL playoffs. I went a perfect 4-0 last year in the first round.
I will concentrate on the Eastern Conference.
Here's what I saw after peering into my crystal ball...
Barrie (1) versus Brampton (8)
The Colts trampled the Battalion all season, winning all six
matchups. Still, Brampton hung in for most of the games, with
three contests being one-goal losses. Barrie made a lot of big
moves to add depth and make noise this season.
 They have one of the best coaches in the OHL with Marty Williamson guiding the squad. Brampton goalie Bryan Pitton has a massive job in front of him - stopping the Colts' electrifying offence, which scored 273 goals for, third most in the East.
Sudbury factors: Barrie features Coniston's Cory McGillis, who
had 36 points and eight game-winning goals in 56 games.
Brampton features Garson's Justin Levac, who tallied 36 points
in 61 games.
Haddow's prediction: Barrie in five. Why? The Colts have more
depth, scoring and veteran leadership, and that alone would
propel them past Brampton. Barrie also has one of the league's
best scorers in Bryan Little (107 points) and he has a lot to
prove.
Belleville (2) versus Ottawa (7)
The Bulls gored the 67's during the regular season on a regular
basis, winning seven games out of eight. Ottawa's lone win was
an 8-4 blow out.
Like the Colts, the Bulls made plenty of moves this season to alter their image and chemistry, and it worked.
Belleville's top two scorers were Tyler Donati (129 points) and Tyler Doig (80 points) - both were acquired by the Bulls this season. Ottawa went in the opposite direction and dumped players for picks and prospects.
Sudbury factor: Belleville features Tyler Donati, who is the
twin brother of Sudbury Wolves winger Justin.
Haddow's prediction: Belleville in six. Why? One can never
count out a team coached by Brian Kilrea, and I believe he will
work some magic to help Ottawa take a few games, but it will
not be enough. Belleville has top-notch goaltending in Kevin
Lalande, a well-rounded defence led by punishing Matt Pelech,
and a prolific offence. This will put them ahead of Ottawa.
Mississauga (3) versus Sudbury (6)
These two teams split their regular season series down the
middle, with each winning three games each. This included two
blowouts - Mississauga winning 10-4 and Sudbury winning 8-3.
The other games were close and hotly contested.
Mississauga finished with 90 points, their best season ever,
and Sudbury finished with just 67 points. It will be a classic
defence versus offence matchup. The IceDogs scored the most
goals in the OHL (326), while Sudbury prides itself on strong
defensive play led by captain Marc Staal.
Sudbury factor: The Wolves feature two local players - rookie
forward Kyle Tarini and defender Ryan Crouch.
Mississauga features Jadran Beljo (top scoring Sudbury-born player with 79 points). IceDogs also have former Wolves defenceman Kyle Lamb, who wears an assistant captain's letter on his jersey.
Haddow's prediction: Sudbury in six games. Why? The Wolves will
bring a physical game and have more veteran leadership. As
well, many of the Wolves are playoff tested and battle hardened
compared to the majority of the Mississauga players. Still,
Mississauga has plenty of bite and their offence is scary.
Oshawa (4) versus Kingston (5)
These two teams were even matched all season, with both squads
winning four games each. Both Kingston and Oshawa love to score
goals, but also allow a lot of goals against. Oshawa pumped in
292 goals for, while allowing 320 against (second most in the
OHL). Kingston ripped 269 goals for, but allowed 284 against.
Oshawa is lead by phenom John Tavares, who, as a 16-year-old
scored 72 goals and 134 points in 67 games. Kingston is lead by
Bobby Hughes, who put up 96 points in 59 games.
Haddow's prediction: Oshawa in seven. Why? Some think if a team
can stop or limit Tavares, they can beat the Generals. Not so.
Brett MacLean (47 goals and 100 points), Cal Clutterbuck (89
points) and Dale Mitchell (43 goals) make for a potent lineup
and contribute a great deal of offence. They will be the key in
dumping the Frontenacs. It will be a wide-open series as both
teams combined to score 74 goals in their eight games. The
Generals offence will outlast the Kingston offence bottom
line.
Enjoy the playoffs fans, it's going to be an unreal ride.
