Season Ends for Otters

The Huntsville Jr C Otters unfortunately had their season come to an end this past Tuesday (March 14th).

While we are sorry to see our season end in the first round of the playoffs, we have so much to celebrate and be thankful for looking back over the 2022-2023 season.

This season saw the Otters in somewhat of a rebuilding phase, with new bench staff and almost half our team being Rookies, we started off with a relatively new and inexperienced team. Most of our returning Vets were Rookies themselves last season. Together these young men quickly became a cohesive group, supporting each other both on and off the ice. They became a true hockey family and that is something that lasts much longer than the ringing of the final buzzer at the end of the season.

This team was exciting to watch – the boys brought a combination of speed, physical play, teamwork, skill at both ends of the ice and a great goaltending pair protecting our house. The dedication was evident with this group as was apparent with attendance during both practices and games – there was never a concern of not having a full roster prepared to hit the ice. The boys provided great entertainment for our fans and built a very strong and supportive fan base, averaging 300 fans per game (with several games having many more than 300 in attendance). Our fans really are the best and we are so thankful for their support all season long!

This young team finished the season with 36 points, which is the most earned by any previous Otters team since Huntsville joined the PJHL in 2016 (even with the seasonal structure having 2 less games this season than past years). This success can be attributed to hard work and dedication, with players and coaching staff working cohesively together all season long. Even during games that ended in a loss for the Otters, many were close match ups that were entertaining to watch.

Out of 9 teams in the North Carruthers Division, the Otters ended up 6th at the end of the regular season. Throughout the season, the Orillia Terriers, Innisfil Spartans and Huntsville Otters were tight in the standings and kept trading control of the 4th, 5th and 6th positions. The division saw the Stayner Siskins hold control of the the #1 seed all season, with the Alliston Hornets and Schomberg Cougars battling out between the 2nd and 3rd seed and the Midland Flyers, Penetang Kings and Caledon Golden Hawks in tight in the 7th, 8th and 9th positions. Final standings determinations were not set until basically the end of the regular season, which is great from a competition standpoint and made for many close match ups between teams throughout the season.

Once the standings were determined, the Otters were pitted against the Schomberg Cougars (who ended up 3rd in the division) in a best of 7 series. For whatever reason, the style of hockey played by the Cougars proved challenging for the Otters all season long. In 5 regular season match ups, each game went to the Cougars. Ironically, the Otters had closer match ups with both the 1st and 2nd seeds, winning a few of those games and having closer games with both, with the exception of 1 game with each team early on.

The playoff series began in Schomberg on a Thursday night. The game was a little flat and Huntsville walked away with a loss along with some injuries and a suspension, however, they were determined to come back in game 2 the next night at home, in front of a hometown crowd. Although Huntsville lost 4-1, the game was much closer than the score indicated. Huntsville scored the first goal of the game and the score was 2-1 until approximately 3 minutes left in the third, when Schomberg managed to score another goal and follow it up with an empty netter. The Otters were down, but still not out when they returned to the Canada Summit Centre for game 3 two days later. Huntsville once again scored first early on and brought the score to 4-3 with a goal late in the third. There were some unfortunate turns of events during the game, along with some Otters injuries, but that did not deter the Otters from digging in and playing a hard fought game, but sadly they came up a goal short to tie the game and try to make an overtime push. Two days later, the Otters returned to the Schomberg Arena for game 4. The boys came in a little banged up and missing a few out of their roster, but they were still determined to walk away with a win and force game 5 of the series. Unfortunately, the Cougars were able to score 3 goals on the Otters in the first. Even though the Otters regrouped and played a much stronger second and third period, they were unable to turn the tables and pull out a win and the season ended there for the Otters.

While the time in the playoffs was shorter than the Otters hoped for, there was lots from the overall season to be proud of for this relatively new team. There was lots of learning and growth throughout the season and the Otters will be back next season with experience gained and ready to build on the successes earned over the last 44 games. We are sad to say good bye to our 4 overaged players, #18 Adam Lewis (C), #21 Nick Coleman, #25 Colin Jones and #31 Tyler Miller – your experience and dedication to the team will be greatly missed, as well as each one of you as a person!

Before you know it, Prospect Skates and Training Camps will be starting up for next season and the Otters will once again be hitting the ice!

We would like to give a heartfelt thanks to all our players, bench staff, sponsors, fans, volunteers, billet families, parents, executive, on and off ice officials, PJHL, arena staff and the Huntsville Community. We are so grateful for the countless individuals, businesses and groups who support us in so many ways that makes it possible for us to bring Jr C Hockey to our community – thank you all!!

We can’t wait for next season! See you at the rink!

Your Hometown Huntsville Jr C Otters