The playoffs are just around the corner in the PJHL Pollock Division, and one match-up will feature a veteran defensive unit against a team still somewhat trying to find its identity.
The Kincardine Bulldogs and Mitchell Hawks series will offer up two scenarios; a defensive group that advances based on experience and stifling the opponents, or a younger team with quick feet that pulls off an upset. Kincardine have been a model of consistency the last few seasons, consistently finishing in the top 3 of the division, while Mitchell have had a lot of up and down campaigns. The biggest question here is whether or not Mitchell have enough weapons that can crack the consistently air-tight Kincardine D.
Up front, the Bulldogs remain a score by committee group, but they have some high end forwards that can break games open when needed. Jordan Caskenette had an excellent year and led the way with 45 points, as well as a team leading 22 goals. Mike Fiegehan (41 points) and Logan Freiburger (38 points) round out the top 3 scorers, and all were point-per-gamers. Jerrid Fossold (27 points) Brett Burrows (23 points) and Ethan Long (22 points) complete a top-6 group that can all skate, forecheck effectively and combine to implement an aggressive cycle game meant to wear teams down. This group also understands the importance of a 200-foot game, and the forwards consistently help the defense in keeping chances low for opponents. Overall, Kincardine had solid offensive totals, scoring the third most in the division with 153.
For the Mitchell Hawks, the offense became a bit too pop-gun to consistently threaten opponents on a nightly basis. This group may have a tough time getting through the iron curtain that the Bulldogs throw up at times. However, the Hawks know they have two reliable weapons in Jake Finlayson, who paced the Hawks with 38 points, and skilled centre Jarett Bogdon, who had 35 points and led the team in goal scoring with 23. Those two can open up chances and the score when things are firing on all cylinders, but the issue is the scoring drops off significantly after that, giving Kincardine a chance to smother those two. Tyson Hall (22 points) and Ethan Hill (20 points) were the only others to top 20-plus points. This group will need a significant uptick in performance and more importantly raw production if they want to hang with Kincardine for more than 4 or 5 games. Mitchell was second last in the division with just 134 goals.
On the blue line, Kincardine continue to enjoy the services of defensive stalwarts Logan Swanton and Hunter Robbins-Gibbons. They're as good a pair of defenders as you'll find around the PJHL. Swanton (27 points) and Robbins-Gibbons (26 points) are just as capable at jumping into the rush as they are at smothering opposition forwards. The other thing that makes them so effective is despite being plenty physical and smart in their own end, they don't take many penalties. Swanton logged just 52 PIMs while Robbins-Gibbons earned just 20. They get plenty of great depth support from Jesse Carnahan, Brett Angel and Kent Ribey, as well as Blake Buchanan who only played 20 games. But the point totals drop way off from the top pair. However, Kincardine has never really been a team of late with many high scoring defenders. They prefer to hold the fort and defend as a unit first before sending the forwards out on the forecheck. They are cautious, smart and well organized in their own zone. That led to another stellar defensive record, as the Bulldogs finished 3rd with just 133 goals allowed.
The Hawks D-core is a bit different than what they'll face from Kincardine. Mitchell has a top four that love to skate with the puck and join in the rush, and the numbers bear it out. Luken Van Pelt was great this year, putting up 24 points and taking care of his own end with a bristling physical nature and good stick. Dylan Nafziger was spectacular this year, posting 20 points in just 22 games. He has a big shot and an excellent first pass, and can read a defense very well on the power play. Backing those two up is Spencer Dowd (19 points) and Brett Denny (18 points), both of whom made big strides this year in terms of their overall game and ability to impact the ice anywhere the roam. Mitchell will need to ensure that their D don't get caught up ice in the rush and out of position too often, because that's what Kincardine will want to feast on. The Hawks need to ensure they don;t allow the quick-counter strategy the Bulldogs employ to overtake them. Mitchell has been guilty of this a lot this year, as they allowed the second most goals at 197, second only to Goderich's 235.
In the crease, Kincardine continues to get excellent netminding from Craig Luinstra, one of the most reliable starters in the league. Luinstra turned in another stellar year, going 17-11-1 with a shutout, a 2.83 GAA and a .914 save percentage. There aren't many other goalies around the league that are as consistent and dialed in as Luinstra year in and year out, and he always gives the Bulldogs a calming presence as the last line of defense. Backing him up is Jakob Adams, who went 6-6 with 2 shutouts, a 3.42 GAA and an .869 save percentage. He has proven to be an able stand-in, but Luinstra is the big dog, no pun intended, that will be leaned on for the entirety of Kincardine's playoff run.
The Mitchell Hawks used to have a stable duo in goal, but have been a rotating door in the blue paint this year. Their leader in starts, Bobby McLachlan, is no longer on the roster, so the starting duties have been a split between Owen Hahn and Ryan Govier. Hahn had a record of 3-4 with a 4.47 GAA and .884 save percentage. Govier didn't fare much better, going 1-5-1 with a 5.10 GAA and .876 save percentage. Neither goalie has a ton of experience yet, and one will have to pull ahead as the clear cut favourite, or Mitchell will be forced to flip flop goalies which could be risky in a short playoff series against a veteran squad like Kincardine.
On special teams, Kincardine were second best in the Pollock Division at 19.12 percent, trailing only Wingham who were well ahead at 28 percent. Kincardine struck 39 times with the man advantage. Mitchell, on the other hand, struggle to make their power play click, operating at just 14.87 percent and tallying just 29 times. On the penalty kill, Kincardine was predictably solid, finishing tops on the PK in the division at over 88 percent, allowing just 22 PPG's. Mitchell conversely had a tough time shorthanded, as they killed off penalties just over 77 percent of the time, allowing 49 goals. In terms of total team penalties, Kincardine were extremely responsible, finishing second last in PIMs at just 694 behind only Mount Forest at 647. The Hawks had the second most PIMs at 1,017, only trailing the Hanover Barons' 1,124. If these numbers keep up for both sides, it could be a very short series.
Mitchell will certainly have a big challenge on their hands with the Kincardine Bulldogs in the first round, but the series aren't played on paper. Upsets happen, and that's why we play the games. The series gets underway on Friday, February 1st at 8:35 in Kincardine. Enjoy the action.
(3) Kincardine vs. (6) Mitchell Game 1 – Friday, February 1 at 8:25 p.m. in Kincardine Game 2 – Saturday, February 2 at 7:10 p.m. in Mitchell Game 3 – Sunday, February 3 at 3:35 p.m. in Kincardine Game 4 – Wednesday, February 6 at 8:30 p.m. in Mitchell Game 5 – Friday, February 8 at 8:25 p.m. in Kincardine (if needed) Game 6 – Sunday, February 10 at 4:10 p.m. in Mitchell (if needed) Game 7 – Thursday, February 14 at 8 p.m. in Kincardine (if needed)
