1. Six Nations Rebels (9-0) (Last Week:1) – Nearly half way through the season and the Six Nations Rebels remain unbeaten. The Rebels picked up a pair of victories(10-5 vs. Niagara, 9-7 vs. Guelph). Mitch Green had a big weekend, netting three goals and six assists for nine points in two games. Briley Miller continued his dominance in the net, improving his record to 8-0 while posting a 5.50 GAA. The Rebs look for win number 10 against Welland tonight(May 22) at home.
2. Nepean Knights (7-0) (Last Week: 3)– The Nepean Knights continue to roll through the first half of their schedule, opening up their season with seven straight wins. The Knights squeaked out a 9-8 win over their Ottawa region rival Gloucester on Wednesday night. Matt Benedict led the way, buring three goals, including the game winner. Tyler Niemczak made 35 saves en route to his sixth win of the year. The Knights look to remain unbeaten as they host the Akwesasne Indians and Mississauga Tomahawks this weekend.
3. Green Gaels (6-0) (Last Week: 4)- The Green Gaels are starting to heat up at the right time. They improved their record to 6-0 with a big 11-5 victory over the Ironheads on Thursday night. They now own sole possession of the Mid East Division. The goal scoring committee combined on offense combined with an athletic and aggressive defense is a perfect recipe for success. Argueably the most impressive stat for the Gaels stat has been their league leading 34 goals against through six games played. The Gaels head up north on Sunday to take on the Kings in Orillia for a matinee.
4. Halton Hills Bulldogs (6-1) (Last Week:2) – Halton Hills was involved in the biggest upset of the OJBLL season thus far, and unfortunately for them, they were on the losing side of it. After rolling through their opening six games, the Bulldogs fell to the lowly Mississauga Tomahawks 9-8. Halton has only been held to single digits twice, both times being to Missisauga. Halton looks to bounce back this weekend against a pair of divisional rivals in Oakville and Brampton.
5. Orangeville Northmen (9-1) (Last Week:6) – The Orangeville Northmen extended their winning streak to seven after a convincing 16-5 win over Elora on Thursday night(May 21). Orangeville’s offense continues to impress, netting 114 goals in the first half of their season. Shane Hillis added to his already impressive season, dropping seven points in the victory on Thursday and racking his total to 45 in 10 games. Orangeville kick off their second half of the season with a trip to Wallaceberg to take on the Red Devils.
6. Windsor Clippers (8-2) (Last Week:5) – Windsor was handed it’s second loss of the season last weekend as St.Catharines nearly doubled up on the Clippers 13-7. But the Boatmen bounced back quickly after their second loss of the season, knocking off Welland 14-4 the next day. Windsor’s 128 goals are the most in all of the OJBLL. The potent offense will have their hands full as they take on a strong defensive club in Niagara tomorrow (May 23).
7. Niagara Thunderhawks (7-3) (Last Week:8) –Niagara has continued to grind out victories with strong defense and goaltending. Two of their three losses have come to the hands of the unbeaten Rebels. In the past two contests, the defense has allowed just 10 goals while their offense seems to be hitting their stride, potting 27 goals en route to a pair of wins. If Niagara’s offense can click while they continue to hold the score low in their own end, the Thunderhawks could make some noise in the playoffs.
8. St.Catharines Spartan (4-3) (Last Week:Unranked)- After a disappointing 2-3 start to the year, the Spartan have clawed back above .500 to a 4-3 record. Winning three straight games, including a huge victory over Windsor. St.Catharine have been a dominant force in the back end, not allowing their opponents to hit double digits all season. Their 51 goals against is the best among all OJBLL west teams thanks to strong defense and the solid goaltending tandem of Nick Damude and David Herkimer. Busy weekend for St.Catharines as they head to Wallaceberg on Saturday afternoon and head back for a Sunday afternoon date with Owen Sound.
9. Brampton Excelsiors (5-3) (Last Week:7) – Brampton dropped a tough divisional matchup against Oakville this week, but luckily for them, Halton also lost a South East contest keeping them within two points of the division lead. The Exels have a chance to take command of the division with two big games this weekend. First up they head up north to take on Orillia. The next day Halton Hills host Brampton in what could be for sole possession of the division lead.
10. Markham Ironheads (6-2) (Last Week: 9) – It’s not the number of losses that is concerning for the Ironheads, rather the way the losses have come. The I-Heads have been outscored 25-8 in the two games they’ve dropped thus far in the season. Keep in mind, they’ve been against solid squads in Halton and the Green Gaels. The Ironheads struggled immensely in the opening frame of both games, mustering up only two goals while allowing 10. If Markham wants to hang around the top half of the East, they need to figure out a way to come out of the gates stronger.
