The ALLIANCE Semi-Finals are set, with four teams booking their trip to the 2023 OHL Cup that begins Tuesday, March 28th at the Scotiabank Pond in Toronto.
The London Jr. Knights, Huron-Perth Lakers, Waterloo Wolves and Sun County Panthers are all headed to the year-end showcase. Here’s a look at how they got there.
London Jr. Knights – 27-2-4, 58 pts. (1st Place)
The Jr. Knights bulldozed their way through the ALLIANCE regular season, losing just twice. They met some resistance in the first round of the playoffs though, with a scrappy Elgin-Middlesex Canucks squad managing to take three points from them in the form of a tie and a Canucks victory. The Jr. Knights finished off Elgin-Middlesex in five games, setting up a Semi-Final matchup against the Sun County Panthers that began Monday with a 6-1 London victory.
Star forward Ryan Roobroeck led the ALLIANCE ranks in scoring this season with 79 points (51-28–79) over 30 games. He and Jr. Knights captain Ethan Weir (21-44–65) represented the green and gold as underage players in last year’s OHL Cup Showcase.
Huron-Perth Lakers – 24-5-4, 52 pts. (2nd Place)
The Lakers qualify for the OHL Cup for a second straight season after an impressive regular season that saw them surrender an ALLIANCE-low 42 goals against over 33 games. Huron-Perth made quick work of the Brantford 99ers in the first round of the playoffs, taking three straight wins while outscoring their opponent 14-1. The Lakers match-up against the Waterloo Wolves in Semi-Final action that begins Friday night.
The Lakers played tight defensively in front of goaltenders Jack Bree and Aidan Hill all season long. Carson Harmer led Huron-Perth offensively with 20 goals, 20 assists and 40 points over 33 contests.
Waterloo Wolves – 24-7-2, 50 pts. (3rd Place)
Providing a consistent presence at the OHL Cup, the Waterloo Wolves are back again in 2023 following a third-place regular season finish. Waterloo bested Windsor in Round 1 play, taking three straight wins while outscoring the Jr. Spits 24-6. Waterloo prepares to take on the Huron-Perth Lakers, who they’ve yet to beat in three encounters this past season.
Team Ontario standout Brady Martin piled up the points in 2022-23, recording 56 (27-29–56) in just 23 games. Playing 10 more games, Brendan Gerber also finished with 56 points, lighting the lamp 30 times along the way.
Sun County Panthers – 14-14-5, 33 pts. (5th Place)
Playing .500 hockey during the regular season, the Sun County Panthers hit their stride in the playoffs and prevailed over the rival Lambton Jr. Sting in a five-game thriller. The Panthers twice trailed in the series before coming up with a 3-2 victory in the fifth and deciding game to advance to the OHL Cup for the first time since making it in as a wild card in 2018. The Panthers trail their second round series against the London Jr. Knights after losing Game 1 by a score of 6-1 on Monday.
The association that produced current OHL overagers Ryan Gagnier and Nick Chenard was powered by a 30-goal season by forward Cameron Arquette. Trevor Zanutto, Joseph Gingras, Matteo Vilardi and Ethan Tatomir all finished with at least 20 points as Sun County got things done by committee, reaching the annual showcase.
