The Aurora Tigers are well aware that they will be targets at the Royal Bank Cup national junior A championship May 8-16 in Grande Prairie, Alta.
Aurora compiled the highest winning percentage in the Canadian Junior `A’ Hockey League during the regular schedule in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League.
The Tigers followed by winning the league championship and were undefeated in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup championship in North Bay, Ont., to improve their record to 71-6-0 in 77 games overall.
“We can’t go in with false expectations,” said Aurora general manager/coach Marty Williamson.
“I think patience is going to be a big thing in this tournament. They are all really good teams, but nobody is off the chart.”
Williamson recognizes that the Nanaimo Clippers, Grande Prairie Storm, Kindersley Klippers and Nepean Raiders will present stiff competition in the Royal Bank Cup round-robin and playoffs.
Nanaimo is the British Columbia Hockey League and Doyle Cup champion. Grande Prairie won the Alberta Junior Hockey League championship and lost to Nanaimo in the best-of-seven Doyle Cup.
Kindersley is the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Anavet Cup champion. Nepean is the Central Junior Hockey League and Fred Page Cup champion.
“We’ve been a team that plays every day,” said Williamson, summing up Aurora’s exceptional season.
Aurora opened with 22 consecutive wins and was 47-2-0 in the regular season, for a .959 winning percentage. The Tigers were 20-4 in the league playoffs and have a .922 winning percentage as they prepare for their May 7 flight to Grande Prairie.
“Tempo and pressure were critical,” said Williamson, explaining some of Aurora’s strengths in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup.
Depth also made a significant difference against the Northern Ontario Junior `A’ Hockey League champion North Bay Skyhawks, Superior International Junior Hockey League champion Fort William, Ont., First Nation North Stars and Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL.
“We had three goals against,” said Williamson. “That was the key.
“It’s been a key all along. We have been relentless backchecking.”
He stressed that special teams, rolling four lines and playing all his defencemen were important in North Bay as well.
“We could play our third and fourth lines against their best lines,” said Williamson.
Francis Walker and Sean Scully were Aurora’s offensive leaders, as they have been throughout. But Michael Tonelli, Jamie Minchella, Alex Lalonde and Joel Kitchen were among the players who “really stepped up.”
Williamson also praised veterans Jesse Olden and captain Jordan Brenner for their contributions.
Left wingers Minchella and Lalonde had one goal and one assist each in a 5-1 win over North Bay in the sudden-death final at the Dudley-Hewitt Cup. Centres Olden and Kitchen added two assists each.
Three-year veteran goalie Chris Whitley was solid, as he has been all season. He played all but about five minutes in the four wins.
Whitley led the league and CJAHL with a 1.64 goals against average in 1,980 minutes during the regular schedule. He tied for second in the CJAHL with five shutouts and 31 wins.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Whitley led league playoff goalies with a 1.77 goals against average and six shutouts in 1,319 minutes. Whitley had his 12th shutout of the season against Fort William at the Dudley-Hewitt Cup.
Left winger Walker has 54 goals and 128 points in 72 games overall. He tied for third in the league with 90 points in 44 games during the regular schedule and was sixth among league playoff scorers with 29 points, including 14 goals, in 24 games.
Right winger Scully has 57 goals and 123 points in 71 games overall. He was eighth in the league with 82 points in 43 games during the regular schedule, tied for the league playoff lead with 16 goals and was second among league playoff scorers with 33 points in 24 games.
Williamson feels that the power play and penalty killing will need to be emphasized at the national championship.
“The big thing is to make it to the weekend,” he said, referring to qualifying for the sudden-death semi-finals May 15.
Kitchen led league playoff scorers with 22 assists and 34 points in 22 games. He and Lalonde accumulated four points each in the final two games in North Bay and can take some of the pressure off Walker and Scully by continuing to produce as they have in the playoffs.
