It was a long bus ride home from Mooretown Saturday night for the Amherstburg Admirals who wrapped up their 42-game regular season schedule with a 6-0 loss to the host Flags.
Amherstburg will now face the Wheatley Sharks in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 goes Wednesday night in Wheatley with Game 2 back at the Libro Centre Saturday night. Of the six times they played each other so far this year, both teams have won three games apiece.
Both the Sharks and the Admirals finished with 43 points, but Wheatley gets home ice advantage as they had 21 wins on the season compared to 20 by the Admirals.
It was all Mooretown this past weekend as they led 2-0 on goals by Masen Fleet and Parker Currie. The Flags padded the count with four more in the second. Lleyton Ticknor scored shorthanded and less than a minute later Jack Baerg connected. Other Flags’ goals came from Landon Marcy and Jace Dupuis.
Amherstburg goalie Russell Vaughan, who was replaced part way through the game by Dominic DeZorzi, made a gutsy play in the first period as he bolted from his crease to clear the puck.
“We had a tough time getting to the net and it’s something we have to work on in practice. When playoffs come you have to get to the net and get the dirty goals,” said Admirals’ assistant coach Justin Toth.
There were a few good opportunities in the first period for the visitors and a little frustration as they hit the post and cross bar a few times behind Mooretown’s stellar netminder John Chartrand who backed his team with a 48 save performance.
Amherstburg coaches spent a considerable amount of time talking to their charges after the loss and according to Toth, it was to get ready for the next step, which so far has been a much-improved season from last year’s campaign.
“We were preparing for our playoff series. It was a long talk and hopefully we can get the team back after a tough loss.”
One thing Amherstburg is going to have to work on is its inconsistency. They have beaten the division leading Essex 73’s in a shootout but also dropped a few lop-sided games.
“We play our good games and sometimes we have bad games,” admitted Toth. “From now on we have to play hard. It’s the playoffs and everything is behind us.”
Normally a well-disciplined team, the Admirals showed some frustration, especially in the third period and on the night took 28 minutes in minor penalties while the Flags were whistled for 16 minutes.
“It shows we’ve got character. It’s always rough when we play Mooretown. Tonight, it didn’t go our way,” said Toth.
Prepping for the Sharks in the post-season, the Admirals can look back on a regular season in which they won 20 games, double from a year ago and 42 points overall compared to just 20 in 2023-24.
Amherstburg’s top line of Brett Jones (14-27-41), Drew Booker (14-25-39), and rookie sensation Rory Sandison (17-14-31) who seemed to be a targeted favourite of the Flags last Saturday night will be counted on in the playoffs. A well-balanced scoring attack and a strong veteran defense is what the Admirals will rely on against the Sharks.
For Wheatley, look for former Admiral forward Stefan Jacobs to draw a lot of attention.
SLAPSHOTS: Sandison and Brady Drouillard suited up for all 42-games… Vaughan takes a 3.43 GAA and .887 save percentage in the playoffs while DeZorzi is at 3.64 GAA and .883.
Admirals lose on the road, face Sharks in playoffs
By Fred Groves
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