Bothwell Men's Hockey League

BOTHWELL - It’s anyone’s guess as to who will clinch this year’s President’s Trophy as the BMHL regular season champ. League-wide parity has just 3 wins separating the top of the heap from 7^th place. Guest writer Suneel Joshi chimes in with his take on each BMHL team heading into the 2016 portion of the regular season and the push for supremacy.

Bullies – Suneel’s rating: C+

The Bullies first half can be summarized in one simple word – underachievement. On paper they have the horses, but an 0 and 6 run in October/November dropped them from 1^st place in a hurry. Since then the boys in yellow have posted a winning record of 4-2, but the streak of losses was hard on the team’s confidence and built up the confidence of their opponents.

Up front, the Bullies have 4 scoring titles in the duo of Kyle Mitchell and Norm Logan who are leading the team in scoring with 28 points each. If the Bullies are to climb out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves they will need scoring depth from the likes of Calvin Ritchie and Tyler MacTavish who have only buried a combined 7 goals thus far.

In net, goalie Brent Somr is only 2 seasons out from posting the lowest GAA in the league in 2014 and seems to have righted the ship of late. He has kept the opposition to under 3 goals in 3 of his last 4 games.

The worst thing that opponents can do in the second half is underestimate the Bullies. Although they play a possession game and try to slow the pace down, they are more than capable of putting up huge numbers if the game stays at that pace. Look for them to catch teams by surprise in the coming months and do NOT count them out when the playoffs get here.

Chiefs – Suneel’s rating: B-

Not unlike the Bullies, the Chiefs are mired in their own recent slide as losers in 5 of the last 6 contests. For a period of time they held the top spot in the BMHL standings, but inconsistency has been their Achilles’ heel. Earlier in the year the Chiefs reeled off 4 straight wins and won 6 of 7.

The Chiefs offense has been explosive most nights, led by rookie phenom Matt Melo and last season’s ROY Tom Jobson. There is also depth to their attack with a second scoring line that could serve as a top line on many teams. The speedy Lucas Chambers has only scored in 1 of the team’s 16 matches. When he breaks out in the second half look for the Chiefs to dart up the standings.

Ryan Tamming has been good for the Chiefs, providing timely saves in key situations. He would be benefitted by a more stable team defensive approach instead of the run-and-gun style the Chiefs have adopted.

The Chiefs will be contenders when the chips fall – mark Suneel’s words. Team chemistry seems to be working through some kinks, but with so much youth this team will have the lungs to push for their first President’s Trophy since 2012.

Flyers – Suneel’s rating: C+

The story so far for the Flyers has been the one-goal game. Of their 11 losses so far this season, 6 of them have been by only 1 goal. If even half of those games went their way, the Flyers would be middle of the pack and looking to do some damage. The orange shirts have been on the losing end of their fair share of games nonetheless, and a 1-7 start to the season hasn’t helped their cause.

The usual suspects are at it again for the Flyers with Steve Bolton, Aaron Wilkins, and Wes Van Lith leading the charge. Look for Jesse Welch and Brodie McDonald to get it going in the second half following the acquisition of veteran Justin Wright from the Dresden league. Wright’s on-ice vision should be enough to kick-start the second line.

Man games lost have also been an issue for the Flyers. Clint Hopkins has only dressed twice, while rookie Cullen Tinline, who was acquired in a trade with the Chiefs, has only played once.

Despite having a short bench most nights, the Flyers can skate most teams into the ground and attempt to do so each week. They play unique possession game with less passing and more carrying of the puck. As a result, opposing teams are forced into chasing the puck carrier which is exactly what the Flyers hope for. It’s a trap that doesn’t often work out for the other team.

The Flyers have almost played themselves out of contention for the President’s Trophy, but never say never. Their current 3-game losing streak needs to end immediately if they are to finish at the top of the ladder.

Hustlers – Suneel’s rating: B+

The Hustlers are quite simply the hardest team to play against in the league. They make opponents work for every inch on the ice surface and force turnovers with their pseudo-trap in the neutral zone. They force passes and take away time and space every shift. So why the B+ rating? The offense doesn’t come close to matching their defense.

With the lowest goals against in the league at a measly 48 in 16 games the Hustlers know how to play the shutdown game better than most. Their ability to put teams away has been virtually non-existent however. They do boast a balanced attack, but as a team they don’t have even one 10-goal scorer. Leading scorer Matt MacLean, rookie Jordan Staels, and veteran Jeff Carmichael are the leading candidates to step up to the plate, but the Hustlers need someone – anyone – to be the game-changer they need late in a game.

In net, the Hustlers have nothing to worry about with the always steady Nick Zavitz having another top-notch season. He will be depended upon if the Hustlers are to climb to the top and to their first President’s Trophy since re-joining the BMHL in 2012.

The style of play that the Hustlers bring is great for the playoffs, but may not produce a regular season title. If you walk around their dressing room though (and what a GREAT room they have), I doubt you’ll meet anyone who wouldn’t prefer a BMHL Cup Championship.

Raiders – Suneel’s rating: B

Dark jerseys, dark horses. The Raiders will surprise onlookers by season’s end. Take the 0-6 start away and they are 7-3 in the last 10. They score in bunches and have sewn things up defensively. If position in the standings was based on goal differential, the Raiders would be in 3^rd place having scored 9 more goals than they’ve allowed. Unfortunately for them it’s based on points from wins and they find themselves flying under the radar in 7^th place.

We’ve seen it hundreds of times. Everyone on the ice knows it’s coming, but somehow it can’t be defended against. How many breakaways has Mike Kicks had in his BMHL career? Too many if you ask opposition goalies. The renowned cherry-picker embraces the role and buries his chances at an alarming rate with Benny Gould often throwing the Hail Mary’s to him and Darryl Heyink in on the action at either forward or defense.

This year’s “Kicks team” is deeper than ever though with Billy Hopkins in the mix. The secondary scoring is deeper than most teams with the likes of Jason Beamish, Matt Plaine, and Matt Curran quietly playing second- and third-line minutes. Look for more of the same from the offense in the second half.

The blue line is stellar for the Raiders with Tyler McRitchie, Derek Rickman, and the aforementioned Ben Gould manning the point. Really the only player who is shitting the bed is Greg Benoit. What the hell Balls? Pick it up would ya? 6 points? Get with the program bud.

In goal, Willy Demers is having a breakout season for the ages. The 8th goalie picked in this year’s draft, Demers is getting the last laugh at the BMHL so far, posting a paltry 3.15 GAA with a shutout mixed in to boot. If Willy can keep this focus between the pipes, the President’s Trophy and the BMHL Cup could be within the Raiders’ sights.

Stars – Suneel’s rating: B

What a fitting jersey for this roster to wear. The Stars truly boast some of the perennial stars of the BMHL, but getting them all to show up on the same night has been troublesome. Only 2 players on the roster have played in all 16 of the club’s matches and many nights there has been less than 2 lines. That doesn’t seem to faze them, but may have contributed to their 8-8 record.

The core of the team has been together for a few years now – Kyler Gillier, Colin Jackson, and Aaron Blonde. We all know how they put up points in bunches. Partnered with Blonde this year is last season’s playoff MVP Jeff Vanrabaeys. The only player in the league who could beat that tandem wide has a name that rhymes with Jamie Beatty.

The Stars go much deeper this year though. 9 players have 10 points or more and 7 of them are scoring over a point per game. Let’s all acknowledge Chad Vanrabaeys here too. What a great season for the Thamesville product who has more game-winners than anyone on the team. He better get “Big-Goal Chad” sewn onto his hat at Lids.

So why the B rating from Suneel? The Stars have a lot of crooked numbers staring at them in the goals against column and that fact doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of veteran goaltender Kyle Underwood. Opposing teams are left with far too much time and space when on the attack which results in numerous high-quality scoring chances. If there were a coach standing on their bench I’m sure he would be in fits most nights watching the goaltender get hung out to dry.

The President’s Trophy is a very real possibility for this team this season. They live and die by the high-scoring game and usually find themselves on top of those. When the full squad is there this is a team to be reckoned with. Expect better attendance when the season is on the line and into the playoffs.

Streakers – Suneel’s rating: A

The Streakers are the highest rated team on Suneel’s report card, but that was easy to do considering they are presently in 1^st place. This squad lost only 1 game before November including a 5-game winning streak to start the season. They can skate, pass, score, defend, and have the top goalie in the league thus far. Quite impressive.

The Jamie Beatty led Streakers have a great mix of youth and experience in addition to 3 well-balanced lines. Jamie along with brother Josh control play down low in the offensive zone which usually gets defenders puck watching and often results in a Streakers goal. Jordan Gray is having a break out season with 12 goals in 15 games and Keith Schweitzer is doing Elgin County proud chipping in 8.

The back end is more than solid. Evan Lambrecht and Ryan Anderson are dangerous offensively and steady defensively, while veteran Scott Sherman (not the one you all love to hate) has a long resume of shutdown hockey as well.

The Streakers could benefit from more secondary scoring to solidify their President’s Trophy aspirations as the Beatty’s account for 40% of the goals so far. Talented Wallaceburg youngster Eric Boulanger is expected to break his goose egg for goals this season and could easily net 10 before the year is over. Look for Sean Dobbelaar to add to that offense when he’s in town.

In net there are few steadier than Tim Van Middelkoop. His 3.13 GAA nips Willy Demers and Koop also shut out the Stars potent offense this season. He has had a few blemishes on the game sheet this season, but we all know that goals against involve far more players than just the goalie.

If Commander Beatty keeps his troops playing the X’s and O’s as well as they have, the Streakers are Suneel’s pick for the President’s Trophy.

Warriors – Suneel’s rating: A-

Like many teams in the league this year the Warriors have had some ups and downs. They didn’t have back-to-back wins or losses for the first 9 games and 4 of their 6 losses come by only a goal. If they were able to close the deal on any of those games they could be back in their 2014-2015 form where the franchise lost only 3 games on the campaign.

The Warriors are being led by an aging top line of Jordan Bray, Brent Sherman, and Nate Johnson. With an average age of 34, it may be a challenge for this group to maintain their momentum over the long BMHL season. In the interim though, 2 out of every 3 Warrior goals have found the back of the net off one of their sticks. After losing rookie Tyson “The Weapon” Kulich due to tendon damage in his hand, the team picked up free agent Kyle Cutler who has fit into the mix in impressive fashion. The rookie has 9 points in his first 2 official games in baby blue including 5 goals.

The blue line has been the question mark since losing Kulich. Attendance has been a major issue from the defensive core, forcing the team to drop some of their top forwards back on D to fill in the holes. If the President’s trophy is to stay in the franchise’s possession this season, the Warriors will need their best from big minute man Adam Minall, and veteran Matt Benoit who unlike brother Greg isn’t shitting the bed this year.

Between the pipes, rookie Mike Ratz seems to have shaken off the rust of not playing for a few years. Add to that the fact that he has the biggest pads in the league and the opposition doesn’t have much to shoot for.

The Warriors could challenge the Streakers for the President’s Trophy, as they are just a single point back from the leaders, but Suneel feels the Warriors could play their best hockey in March when the BMHL Cup is on the line.