Puck dropped for minor hockey playoffs

Playoff hockey is well underway for the Kahnawake Minor Hockey Association (KMHA), with three games - and two wins - already notched so far.

The U15B Mohawks played the first playoff game of the year Tuesday night against the Lachine Castors. Despite being heavily penalized and facing multiple five-on-three powerplays, the Mohawks came out on top 5-1, punching their ticket to the semifinals this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Denis Savard arena.

“They played really well. The game was escalating as it went on, but the players stood their ground and played well,” said Lou Ann Stacey, director of the U15 age group.

She praised the play of goaltender Olivia Meloche, who is playing her first year in goal - U15 is considered a late start to become a goalie - and missed part of the year due to injury.

“She’s actually pretty good already, and with more goalie training, she could be even better,” said Stacey.

She said goalie is a particularly difficult position to play at higher age groups, especially as a newcomer.

“It’s a lot of pressure, parents and players can get on your case, and if the games are bad, you’re the one who takes the fall,” said Stacey.

That being said, Meloche is making the most of her opportunities so far.

Speaking of making the most of opportunities, despite being on the penalty kill for a large portion of the game, the Mohawks did not let that deter their offense - four of their five goals came shorthanded, including two in five-on-three situations.

One of those came from the Mohawks’ defensive zone.

“They just shot it down the ice from the hash mark in the defensive zone, he threw it on net, and it went right through the goalie,” said Stacey. “We always tell players ‘just put it on net,’ and that’s why.”

After turning a slow start to the season into a first-place banner worthy year, the U15B Mohawks are turning their focus to the semifinals.

The U11C Mohawks were also victorious this week, with a come-from-behind win against the MRO Devils on Wednesday night.

“We were able to secure the first goal of the game during the first period. The opposing team then scored back-to-back goals during the second,” said Taiosheratie Mayo, the team’s manager.

Late in the game, still down one, the U11C team tied and then scored the game-winning goal.

“The kids had their victory pile up at the end of the game and the crowd was so happy for their players,” said Mayo.

Their next game will be Saturday at 7 p.m. at Samuel Moskovitch Arena, although their opponent is not yet known at time of writing.

The other team that has played a playoff game, the U11B Mohawks, was unfortunately on the receiving end of a late-game goal, losing 3-1 to the MRO Diablos on Wednesday.

“They played an outstanding game, just some bounces didn’t go our way, and they ended up in the back of our net,” said Kyle Zacharie, assistant coach and manager for the team.

“MRO scored a flukey goal behind the net that went off our goalie’s back and rolled in. It kind of broke their spirits with about five minutes left in the game.”

Still, Zacharie thinks the team, which finished third overall with a 24-6-2 record, has a lot left to give in the playoffs - the double-elimination format they play in means they keep playing until they lose, or win it all.

“They’ve had a very successful season. We played in three tournaments; we won one of them and we made it to the semi-finals in all three. So, they’ve been successful, and they want to continue to have that success,” said Zacharie.

Their next game is Tuesday, March 18, against the St. Laurent Gladiators at 7 p.m. in Outremont.

“It was a heated game last time we played them, so it’s going to be an interesting game coming next Tuesday,” said Zacharie.

Playoff games resume on Saturday. The full playoff game schedule for each age group and division can be found on the Eastern Hockey League’s website, at ehl.club.

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Correction: An earlier version of this article erroneously referred to the U11B and U11C Mohawks as the U13B and U13C Mohawks. The Eastern Door regrets this error.