After suffering a tough overtime loss in Brampton, the Ohsweken Demons have won two straight and are playing like a team possessed. The Demons sit first in the CLax standings and are four points ahead of the Toronto Shooting Stars, a team they face twice this week. The Demons haven’t lost two in a row since early last season and at times have looked unbeatable. As long as Ohsweken doesn’t get swept in this home and home series, they will guarantee themselves first place for at least another week.
The Demons have been dominating the scoresheet this season and it shows in the overall statistics; the top three scoring leaders are all from Ohsweken. Roger Vyse leads the league in points with 37 while teammates Delby Powless and Wayne VanEvery are second and third respectively. Cory Bomberry sits tied for fifth but that should change after tonight’s game. The off season acquisition of Roger Vyse has been a key factor in the Demons success this year. Vyse has a 6 point cushion in the scoring race and leads the league in assists with 24.
It sounds cliché but goaltending will be the difference in these two games. Last year’s goalie of the year Jeff Powless sits 4-0 with a goals against average of 11.83 per game. Powless is ranked first in saves with 175 but the Demons have also played more games than most. Powless has been solid all year but needs to be at his best this week. The Shooting Stars have a lot of fire power so look for them to test Powless early and often.
Oshweken has to key in on Toronto’s Aaron Grayson and Mack O’Brien in order to be successful this week. In three games Grayson has 5 goals and 14 points while O’Brien has 7 goals and 12 points. It will be a lot easier for the Demons if they can shut down those two powerhouses. The Demons also need to put pressure on Angus Dinely right away. The Toronto goaltender has an impressive goals against average of 7.87, good enough for first in the league.
Tonight’s game is an 8pm start at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens.
As always you can purchase tickets online at http://www.ticketmaster.ca/Toronto-Shooting-Stars-tickets/artist/1803899
