The road to the Sutherland Cup begins Thursday night as the Chatham Maroons host the St. Thomas Stars in Game 1 of their first round playoff series.
Coming off a disappointing first round exit last year, Head Coach Tyler Roeszler says they're looking at this stage as a clean slate.
"You're back to square one, where yes we had a good end [to this season], and that's exactly what we wanted to do, but it's a new season," says Roeszler. "Everything we've done in the first 50 games is kind a wash. You battle to get your seeding and then let it play out in a four to seven [series]."
The Maroons will hope for another big output from F Austin Thompson, who had 9 G and 2 A this season against the Stars.
"I just keep at my game. I get good bounces at St. Thomas, I've always like playing there since i was younger. I like the rink and the barn," says Thompson.
Looking at the Stars, they'll be led by recently-named MVP Clayton Brookshaw.
Maroons Captain Ian Faubert, who was the recent recipient of the Chester Pegg Memorial Outstanding Ability and Sportsmanship Award, says while Brookshaw was top scorer for his team, the Stars play defensive-minded.
"[Brookshaw] won the defensive and MVP award, so he's definitely someone we'll need to look out for," says Faubert. "But we have to stick to our gameplan, our systems and the team as a whole."
Tonight's game at Chatham Memorial Arena can be heard live on AM 630 CFCO. Puckdrop is set for 7pm.
Meanwhile, the Leamington Flyers open their playoff series against the St. Marys Lincons tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:10pm at the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex.
