Playoff Preview | Ottawa Jr. Senators vs Pembroke Lumber Kings

Ottawa, Ontario – Wednesday night the Ottawa Jr Senators host the Pembroke Lumbers in Game one of their Best of Seven Quarter Final Series. Listed are the scheduled times and places for the series.

Game 1, Wednesday Mar 14 – Jim Durrell: 7:30

Game 2, Friday Mar 16 – PMC: 7:30

Game 3, Saturday Mar 17 – Jim Durrell: 7:30

Game 4, Tuesday Mar 20 – PMC: 7:30

Game 5, Thursday Mar 22 – Jim Durrell: 7:30 (If ness.)

Game 6, Sunday Mar 25 – PMC: 7:00 (If ness.)

Game 7, Tuesday Mar 27 – Jim Durrell: 7:30 (If ness.)

It will mark the first time since the 2015 playoffs that these teams will face off. Pembroke won that series in seven games and move onto the Bogart Cup Finals and lost to Carleton Place in five games.

Last season the Lumber Kings didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in 13 years but this season they bounced back and finished seventh in the standings.

Ottawa lost in Game five in OT against Carleton Place in the Bogart Cup finals last season and are still looking for redemption. The Lumber Kings are the underdogs in this one and will look to fight hard until the end of the series.

Season Series:

Ottawa Jr. Senators 3, Pembroke Lumber Kings 0 – Sat Sept 30

Pembroke Lumber Kings 4, Ottawa Jr. Senators 3 SO – Sun Oct 1

Ottawa Jr. Senators 5, Pembroke Lumber Kings 2 – Sat Nov 25

Ottawa Jr. Senators 6, Pembroke Lumber Kings 3 – Sun Dec 10

Ottawa Jr. Senators 7, Pembroke Lumber Kings 2 – Sun Jan 21

Pembroke Lumber Kings 4, Ottawa Jr. Senators 2 – Wed Feb 28

Ottawa did win the season series, four games to two after Pembroke won in a shootout in October and in February (OTT – 6W/1L/1SOL).

Who to Watch:

The Lumber Kings will have to watch for Owen Guy, Nick Lalonde, Pierre-Luc Veillette, Chiwetin Blacksmith, Darcy Walsh and Zachary Salloum.

Walsh is a guy that can get in people’s faces and under your skin whenever the Jr Sens are leading in the game. He had a tremendous year scoring 23 goals, 33 assists and 56 points. Guy and Lalonde had chemistry since the start of the year including their play on the power play. Guy is dangerous when he goes up the middle into the offensive zone and can split the two defenders. He only does it when there is space open down the middle.

Lalonde likes to shoot on the right side and has a really good one timer on the left side. Blacksmith is known to be a playmaker in any scenario that is 5 on 5 or on the power play. He tends to use one hand on his stick to protect the puck and makes very smart passes.

Salloum was a guy that he was acquired from Navan but was more defensive when coming to Ottawa. He likes to jump into the rush a lot and create some offense.  As for Goaltending, we should expect Connor Hicks to get most starts in the playoffs as he will be the key for Ottawa. He only had two losses throughout the regular season.

The Jr Sens will need to watch out for Matthew Barnaby, Brendan Browne, Connor Warnholtz and Malcom Arseneau. Barnaby and Browne have such good chemistry. Barnaby was third in the league in points with 76. Barnaby likes to set up players with his passing ability and has a good shot. There is a reason why he scored 32 goals this year. He could be a back bone on the power play as head coach Dale McTavish loves to put five forwards on PP. Browne is also a guy that loves to pass the puck and set up plays even on the side of the net.

Warnholtz and Arseneau used to be teammates with Nepean last year when they made the playoffs. Warnholtz is a very talented player as he can move the puck very quickly. Arseneau was acquired in a trade with Nepean this season but did struggle when coming to the Lumber Kings. He did end the season strong with a six-game point streak. He has lots of speed, can go around the defense with agility and can also set up a cycle in the offensive zone.

Lumber Kings Defense and Goaltending was an issue all year as they did finish third in goals for as a team but were 10th in goals against. It will be key for Ottawa to take advantage of the defensive play by Pembroke. As for Goaltending, Jake Smith is expected to be big in this series. He had a positive record of 25-20-2 but a GAA of 3.25 in the regular season and a decent SV% of .906.

The Verdict:

Expect Ottawa to have more possession in the Lumber Kings defensive zone. Ottawa has a lot of depth players too, which will play a factor. Their goaltending and defense has to be key as well. When they take a penalty, they must kill it off. Ottawa goes up into the rush all the time when they see an open lane.

Pembroke has to be very defensive and goaltending will need to be huge like they did at the end of February. They will need to capitalize on Power Play opportunities and be huge on the Penalty Kill. Ottawa was #1 on the power play all season.