Playoff Preview: Barrie Colts vs Mississauga Steelheads in Round 1. #OHL

The Barrie Colts (2) are set to face the Mississauga Steelheads (7) in round 1 of the OHL Playoffs.

Barrie finished the 2015-16 regular season at the top of the Central Division with a 44-22-0-3 record while Missisauga finished the season in 4th in the Central with a 33-30-2-3 record. Barrie Colts forward Kevin Labanc finished the regular season with the most points putting up 88 assists and finishing the season with 127 points.

Season Series:

Barrie won 5 of the 6 meetings this season over the trout. The Colts dropped the second meeting in Mississauga where the they would fish out a 6-3 win. Special teams were a big factor in that loss with the Colts allowing 3 short handed goals on 4 Steelhead power plays. The Colts were the dominant team in the other 5 match-ups. In 6 games, Barrie outscored Mississauga 34 to 15. Shots were fairly close with Barrie getting the edge with 193 to 160 over those games, however Barrie only averaged 5.6 more shots a game than Mississauga. Barrie 9 for 31 on the power play while allowing 7 goals on 27 penalty kills. Almost half of the goals Barrie allowed over these 6 games was while Mississauga was on the man advantage while Barrie only generated about a quarter of their goals with the extra man. 

Top Point Scorers:

Barrie had 2 players pass the 100 point mark this season while Kevin Labanc would win the scoring title as we mentioned earlier. Mississauga rookie Alexander Nylander would lead the trout in points with 75 points on the year. Here is a look at the top point getters on each side.

Colts Strategy:

Barrie has the definite skill advantage headed into this series.  Goalie Jack Flinn could steal a game and momentum could be everything. Posting a .905 SV%, 7 shutouts and over 30 wins this year, he will not allow the Colts top scorers to just put up 11 goals. Barrie will need to find a way to take advantage of the powerplay, while playing a disciplined game so that Mississauga gets limited chances. If Barrie can be disciplined and play smart they should be able to get through this first round.

Games:

Game 1, Thurs, Mar 24 @ Barrie – 7:30 p.m.
Game 2, Sat, Mar 26 @ Barrie – 7:30 p.m.
Game 3, Tues, Mar 29 @ Mississauga – 7:00 p.m.
Game 4, Thurs, Mar 31 @ Mississauga – 7:00 p.m.
Game 5, Sat, Apr 2 @ Barrie – 7:30 p.m.*
Game 6, Sun, Apr 3 @ Mississauga – 2:00 p.m.*
Game 7, Tues, Apr 5 @ Barrie – 7:30 p.m.*
*if necessary

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketbreak.com or at the Colts Store located at the West Entrance of the Barrie Molson Centre Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm.

How do you think the Colts will do in the first round? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation by using the #BARvsMISS hashtag and following us on Twitter and be sure to give us a like on our Facebook page!