Golden Hawks return to OJHL playoffs with championship hopes

Eric Carriere-Toussaint / OJHL Images

The Trenton Golden Hawks are once again entering the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs with high expectations.

The defending Buckland Cup champions finished first in the Eastern Conference for the third consecutive season, posting a 45-9-0-2 record and continuing to establish themselves as one of the top Junior A programs in the country.

Six players remain from last spring’s championship roster as they prepare for the Lindsay Muskies in the first round. The Golden Hawks swept the regular-season series, winning all four meetings between the clubs.

Trenton closed out the regular season strong, winning 16 of their final 17 games, including five straight entering the playoffs.

The Golden Hawks led the Eastern Conference in scoring and goal differential. Although Trenton was also one of the least penalized teams in the league. Even their penalty kill proved dangerous, tallying a league-high 22 shorthanded goals during the regular season.

Taeo Artichuk, the franchise’s all-time scoring leader, paced both the team and the league with 108 points in 55 games. Meanwhile, Jack Ziliotto proved to be one of the league’s most dangerous snipers, recording a circuit-best 40 goals while finishing second in scoring with 90 points.

Trenton’s depth up front has been another major strength. Nine regulars averaged at least a point per game, while five players reached the 20-goal mark.

The Golden Hawks also feature a veteran defence with significant major junior experience, including Casey Bridgewater, Nathan McHattie, Candon O’Neill, Duncan Schneider and Andrew Wycisk. They helped Trenton allow the second-fewest goals against in the Eastern Conference.

Trenton is also solid in the crease. Hayden Jeffery led the way with 27 wins, tying for the league lead. He also posted a 2.56 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. The Grimsby native was selected to the OJHL All-Star Game earlier this season.

Since joining Trenton from the Collingwood Blues at the trade deadline, Colten Drillen-Roach has been nearly flawless. He went 9-0 with a 1.45 goals-against average, a .949 save percentage and two shutouts.

Since taking over behind the bench, Derek Smith has guided the Golden Hawks to a 135-26-3-4 regular-season record and a league title last spring.

The Muskies return to the postseason for the first time since 2013 after finishing eighth in the conference with a 22-27-5-2 record.

Discipline could become a storyline in the series. Lindsay accumulated a league-high 1,151 penalty minutes during the regular season. The Muskies will attempt to maintain that physical edge while playing with more composure.

While Lindsay enters the postseason with a losing record, they earned their opportunity down the stretch. They’ll try to play spoiler as the Golden Hawks begin what they hope will be another long playoff run.

The best-of-seven series starts this Friday at Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens. The full schedule for the first round can be found at trentongoldenhawks.ojhl.ca.