Another tough last place finish for the Goderich Flyers isn't denting their belief in an improved team heading into the playoffs.
As the Flyers get set to take on the number 2 seed Mitchell Hawks in round 1, Head Coach Dave Errington says his team needs to stay disciplined to have a chance at putting together an upset. The Flyers, despite finishing last in the standings of the PJHL Pollock Division, have some useful weapons that could potentially help them push the Mitchell Hawks.
Up front, the Hawks were led by Ryan Stulp, who finished 12th overall in Pollock Division scoring with 37 points in 32 games. He's helped offensively by Tyler Stacey and Jack Francis, who had 25 and 23 points respectively. Tyler McCracken and Noah Kuno also cracked the 20 point plateau, but the Flyers only had 3 players post double-digit goal totals, paced by Stulp's 19. If the Flyers get into penalty trouble and allow Mitchell a lot of PP opportunities, they may not have the offensive depth to come back. But they have enough top end talent to create offense and compete. Just how much is yet to be seen.
On the blue-line, the Flyers lean heavily on Morgan Benniwies and Brad Watson, who had 10 and 9 points this year, as Benniwies played 26 games, and Watson 31. The Flyers are going to need them to lead a group that includes Trent Buchanan and Drew McKee, who each had 7 points in the regular season. While the offense doesn't exactly scare you in terms of the Flyers going up the ice, they have reliable shutdown D-men that know how to clamp down on opposing forwards when called upon. That being said, the Flyers are going to need someone on the blue-line to step up in a big way to help counter the offensive weapons that Mitchell possess.
Finally, in net, the Flyers will continue to count on Nathan Watson to be a stabilizing force in the blue paint. in 23 games played, Watson was called upon to make 605 saves, letting in 102 goals, which works out to an average of 30.7 shots a game. Watson played nearly 1,200 minutes and always battled to keep Goderich in games. He will need to continue that trend to beat Mitchell. If Watson falters or gets injured, Branden Bean won't be caught off guard. He made 21 appearances in spot duty, playing nearly 1,000 minutes. He will be ready if the Flyers require him to step in.
For more on the Flyers upcoming playoff series, here's a full-length interview with head coach Dave Erringtron:
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