Thrills but no upsets in OHL
Two of the eight first-round series went to a seventh-and-deciding game. But all told, all eight of the higher-seeded teams prevailed to advance to the second round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
The first round ended on Tuesday night with a pair of Game 7 showdowns between no. 4 and no. 5 seeds in both the Eastern and Western Conference. Fittingly, both games were decided by one goal — and home ice.
At Kingston, the Frontenacs needed overtime to outlast the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 in an Eastern Conference stare down between two teams that finished just one point apart during the regular season.
At London, the Knights capped a frantic series comeback to edge the Windsor Spitfires 3-2. London had trailed the Western Conference series 3-1 but came to win the next three games to upend the 2017 Memorial Cup hosts from Windsor.
In a touch of irony — or whatever it might be termed — as two series went to a Game 7, two were decided in a Game 6, two ended in a Game 5 and two were Game 4 sweeps.
In the Eastern Conference, no. 2 seed Mississauga Steelheads upended no. 7 seed Ottawa 67’s in six games, no. 3 seed Oshawa Generals took the measure of no. 6 seed Sudbury Wolves in six games and no. 1 seed Peterborough Petes swept no. 8 seed Niagara IceDogs in four games.
In the Western Conference, no. 2 seed Soo Greyhounds cuffed no. 7 seed Flint Firebirds in five games, no. 3 seed Owen Sound Attack blew past no. 6 seed Kitchener Rangers in five games and no. 1 seed Erie Otters swept no. 8 seed Sarnia Sting in four games.
Of the non-Game 7 decisions, Ottawa made it the most-interesting in its six-game loss to heavily-favoured Mississauga. Ottawa actually took two of three games at Mississauga. But the 67’s lost all three of their home games to the Steelheads to drop the series.
On to the second round, it will be the top four teams in both conferences facing off.
In the Eastern Conference, it will be no. 1 seed Peterborough v. no. 4 seed Kingston and no. 2 seed Mississauga v. no. 3 seed Oshawa.
In the Western Conference, no. 1 seed Erie takes on no. 4 seed London and no. 2 seed Soo meets up with no. 3 seed Owen Sound.
Will first-round trend be broken and a lower seed emerge victorious from the second round?
Probably the best chance of that is no. 3 seed Owen Sound knocking off no. 2 seed Soo.
PHOTO: Kingston Frontenacs and Hamilton Bulldogs needed overtime in Game 7 to decide their Eastern Conference series.