NDG Hockey is well into playoff season with the second round underway. The following is the Monitor’s annual checkup on how the community’s teams are doing in the post-season:
MidgetStarting with the oldest, the midget B Jaguars were strong all season, finishing second in their division 10 points behind CJL. The Jags were then given a first-round bye and will face their NDG cousins, the seventh-place Cougars in the second round of the playoffs.
The Cougars, for their part, made it to Round 2 after finishing in the middle of the pack and beating the ninth-place HSO Flyers 5-4 in the first round.
It was a rough go of it from beginning to end for the bantam A Panthers, finishing in second-to-last with just five wins before a first-round loss to the second-place Ahuntsic Braves. The Panthers still have another shot, however, as they could advance with a consolation win against CDJR this Saturday.
In the B division, the Jags and Cougars finished fourth and fifth, respectively, pitting the latter in a first-round matchup with AHMV, while the Jaguars moved directly to Round 2.
The Cougars lost the first game, but will still have a second-round game on Saturday, while the Jaguars also await an opponent – pending other games – that same day.
At the A level, both NDG teams were first-game losers in the playoffs despite finishing second and fourth overall in the regular season.
The second-seeded Panthers still have a shot at redemption on Sunday at Bill Durnan Arena, while the Cougars will battle it out on the road on Saturday.
With three teams playing peewee B hockey, it was a rough season for the last-place Jags – although they are surprisingly 1-1 with one game to go in the first-section round-robin this week. Their playoff win was all the more remarkable as it came at the expense of the sixth-place Braves, who won nine more games than their NDG opponents during the regular season.
The Panthers fared much better in season play, finishing third overall with an impressive 19-4-3 record, and won their first playoff game 3-0 over the 11th-place AHMV Tornades.
The Cougars struggled through the season, going 7-17-2 and lost their first playoff game 4-3 to the Flyers.
NDG was strong in atom A, with the Cougars finishing second and the Panthers a close-behind fifth. In fact, just seven points separated the local rivals, while the CDJR Bombardiers ran away with first place.
The Cougars have fared better in the playoffs as well, winning their opening game 4-1 over the Flyers, while the Panthers were eliminated in a 7-1 loss to the Ahuntsic Bruins.
The Panthers and Jaguars have totally dominated the atom B level from the beginning and have both had playoff success as well.
The Panthers were first-place finishers with a 16-2-4 mark and won their post-season opener 11-0 over the Tornades, while the second-place Jags were 17-3-2 and 6-2 first-round winners over the CJL Canadiens.
The Jags and Panthers were so close this season that in fact, the only difference in the standings between the teams was the Panthers’ one extra fair-play point.
Both teams will play this Saturday, with winners advancing to play on Sunday.
The novice A Panthers have been another strong performer for NDG this year, winning their division in the regular season with a 15-2-1 mark and await their first playoff opponent this Saturday as they had a Round 1 bye.
Perhaps NDG’s most impressive team of the year, the novice B Panthers were 17-0-1 in the regular season, while the Cougars were an almost-equally stunning 13-3-2 – good for first and second place, respectively.
Both teams were also first-round winners and will play again this Saturday.
For more information, please contact me at noahsidel@gmail.com.
