Flyers and Vipers ready for playoff run - Windsor Star

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flyers2011
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Flyers and Vipers ready for playoff run - Windsor Star

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Windsor Star
The Leamington Flyers and LaSalle Vipers closed out last season with impressive runs.

The Flyers won their second straight Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League Western Conference title before bowing out in the Sutherland Cups semis.

The Vipers lost to the Flyers in the conference final, but earned the Sutherland Cup wildcard spot and reached that final as well.

Neither club is thinking that far ahead with the conference quarter-final playoffs set to start this week.





“I’m focused on one thing and that’s getting through this league,” said Flyers head coach Tony Piroski, whose team won its third straight, regular season title. “It’s a tough league and we’ve been fortunate to do it a couple of times.”

Vipers head coach and general manager Bill Bowler says a lot of things have to fall in place for a great playoff run and there are no guarantees.

“To say that can happen again, it’s too hard,” Bowler said. “So many things have to happen. You need to score, win in overtime, and stay healthy and you need things that I think are sometimes out of your hands to happen, like good fortune and good timing.”

No. 1 Leamington Flyers (41-8-1-0) vs. No. 8 St. Marys Lincolns (9-36-1-4)

The Flyers ran away from the field early and, with things wrapped up, Piroski was not happy with how his team closed. For a team that lost just eight games, three of those came in the final 11 games and the club had three other games decided by a single goal over that stretch.

“We built a decent lead and got a little complacent,” Piroski said. “That’s as much my fault. Hopefully we’re ready for the playoffs.”

The best-of-seven series open Thursday in Leamington before shifting to St. Marys on Saturday and then back to Leamington for Game 3 Sunday.

“I think we’re going to be OK,” said Flyers forward Mitchell Amante, who led the team in scoring with 24 goals and 55 points in 37 games. “We had a few struggles later on in the season. The last five games we had some tight games that you’d think were sure wins, and I think it was a real eye-opener.”

Leamington won all five meetings between the two teams and outscored the Lincolns 26-9, but needed overtime to secure the win in the final game of the season.

“I want to see us get back to the play that we got to get the lead in the regular season,” Piroski said.

But with 10 players on the roster in their final playoff push before graduation, there’s little doubt the Flyers will be ready.

“The last two years we’ve had really good teams,” Amante said. “At the beginning of the year, coach said this is best team he’s seen. Some of us were surprised by that, but obviously not now that you see our record.

“We’re a really deep team with a lot of good players and it’s my last year of playoff hockey. I’m going to go out and give it all I have.”

No. 3 LaSalle Vipers (31-14-3-2) vs. No. 6 Sarnia Legionnaires (23-22-2-3)

The Vipers actually improved 10 points in the standings from a year ago and moved up one higher seed spot from the club’s Sutherland Cup final run.

LaSalle has also taken the playoff slogan of unfinished business, but Bowler’s not getting caught up in that.

“Our league’s great for parity, and it’s a different group of players,” Bowler said. “Only time will tell.”

The Vipers beat the Legionnaires in three-of-five meetings along with one loss and a tie. The best-of-seven series opens Wednesday in LaSalle with the series shifting back to Sarnia on Saturday before returning to LaSalle on Sunday.

“We’ve got home ice and worked hard to get it,” said Bowler, whose team lost a tiebreaker that cost it the No. 2 seed.

The Vipers closed out the regular season strongly with six straight wins and taking 11 of their final 12 games.

“We had six rookie defencemen to start the season and it takes time to get used to the league,” Bowler said. “Our young defence has quietly improved and that’s been imperative.”

The club also got a boost when Daniel Beaudoin opted not to finish the season with the Windsor Spitfires and returned to the team, and Brett Primeau and Nolan Gardiner both returned from the Ontario Hockey League.

“A couple players falling back solidified our roster,” Bowler said. “In the second half, things change. At the beginning of the year, you work everyone into your lineup and everyone plays and plays every situation. In the second half, you fall into roles and we’ve been lucky and scored some goals.”

jpparker@postmedia.com
End of a era in Leamington
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