HERicanes looking forward to playoffs, playdowns

Norfolk HERicanes U13 B goalie Harper Dyrew stretches across her crease Sunday with a Brantford player on the doorstep.

Chris Abbott

Editor

Playoffs are in the picture for the Norfolk HERicanes U13 B rep hockey team. So are playdowns.

“We’re positioned well for playoffs,” said Gerry Dumoulin, coach of the HERicanes U13 girls. “I’m excited – all the teams that we’re going to play against in playoffs, we have beat before or it’s been a tie. So it should be a good competition that way.

“More important than that, the girls are playing the best hockey I’ve ever seen them play,” said Dumoulin after a close 2-1 loss to the Brantford Ice Cats Sunday afternoon at Talbot Gardens in Simcoe. “We just have an amazing pool of girls. We got five new girls (to the team) this year, and every last one of them is a gem. They are all amazing, just amazing.”

The U13 B players get along very well, said the coach.

“The girls genuinely enjoy each other’s company and it shows on the ice. They work together really well. A lot of passing, a lot of moving the puck around, it’s unselfish hockey.”

From opening warmups – with HERicanes flag waving, individual introductions, and pro-style drills – the seventh-place Norfolk U13s came out flying against the fourth-place Ice Cats.

“These girls are ready to go,” Dumoulin nodded.

“We spent a lot of time in their end, we had a gajillion scoring opportunities, it’s just the scoring went the other way. It’s not for a lack of trying, it’s not for a lack of ability, it’s just the hockey gods not shining on us.”

Dumoulin said the Ice Cats were one of the hardest teams to play against in the OWHL Southern – South Division last year. This year, it’s been much closer.

“The last one was 2-1, this one was 2-1… Unfortunately we’re not going to meet (Brantford) in the playoffs – they are in a tier up from us.”

To illustrate how much the HERicanes have improved, Dumoulin pointed to four games against a division leader.

“We played the top team in the league four times, and we’ve got the most goals against that team out of anybody. The top team had eight goals against, we’re five of those goals. So I know what they are capable of. We just have to get that bounce to go in.”

Playdowns, separate from league playoffs, are qualifiers for the OWHL provincial tournament.

“You are put in a group of five or six teams. You have to finish top two or top three to go to provincials. Playdowns are a lot like March Madness. It’s a big tournament.

“Next weekend we play Brantford again, that’s our final regular season game. The girls can’t wait to get back on the ice with them. Playoffs happen after that.

“Playdowns start this week – Thursday (Jan. 12) we’re playing a team from Haldimand.”

A round-robin home-and-home series has been scheduled with Haldimand, Stoney Creek, Flamborough, Ancaster and St. Catharines, wrapping up March 8 with four games in four days.

“I’m excited for playoffs,” Dumoulin smiled.