Apr 25, 2006
By Brian McNair
POWELL RIVER, B.C. -- Although it ended with a disappointing thud, the season as a whole for the Whitby Dunlops can only be viewed as a success.
This is a team, after all, that didn't exist three years ago.
REGULAR SEASON
| Whitby |
30 |
25 |
5 |
0 |
50 |
.833 |
219 |
109 |
701 |
15-1-0 |
10-4-0 |
| Norwood |
30 |
22 |
6 |
2 |
46 |
.767 |
213 |
106 |
713 |
12-2-1 |
10-4-1 |
| Kingston |
30 |
20 |
9 |
1 |
41 |
.683 |
179 |
116 |
590 |
11-3-1 |
9-6-0 |
| Belleville |
30 |
15 |
15 |
0 |
30 |
.500 |
166 |
179 |
427 |
9-6-0 |
6-9-0 |
| Frankford |
30 |
5 |
24 |
1 |
11 |
.183 |
100 |
236 |
513 |
2-13-0 |
3-11-1 |
| Deseronto |
30 |
3 |
24 |
3 |
9 |
.150 |
107 |
238 |
484 |
2-11-1 |
1-13-2 |
Just two seasons since resurrecting the historic Dunlops name, the team came one win away from delivering the town its third Allan Cup senior national championship.
The fact the dream ended in a 7-1 defeat to the host Powell River Regals Saturday night in British Columbia doesn't diminish what happened in the other 50 games this season.
"For a lot of guys, it was the first Canadian championship. It was a good run," coach Mike Posavad said after the final game. "There was so much excitement. Our goal here was to get the bye, the next goal was to make sure we made it to the final and then to win. Of all the things we set out to accomplish this year, we just fell one step short."
After losing in their Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League championship to the Norwood Vipers in six games of their inaugural season, the Dunlops made amends this time around with a 4-1 final series win over the Vipers.
They then downed the Major League Hockey champion Dundas Real McCoys 3-1 and the defending Allan Cup champion Thunder Bay Bombers 2-1 to earn Ontario's berth at the Allan Cup.
| Whitby |
4 |
3 |
1 |
.750 |
25 |
19 |
94 |
170 |
.147 |
134 |
.876 |
2-0 |
1-1 |
| Dundas |
4 |
1 |
3 |
.250 |
19 |
25 |
140 |
153 |
.124 |
145 |
.853 |
1-1 |
0-2 | |
| Whitby |
3 |
2 |
1 |
.667 |
18 |
12 |
58 |
134 |
.134 |
106 |
.898 |
2-1 |
0-0 |
| Thunder Bay |
3 |
1 |
2 |
.333 |
12 |
18 |
44 |
118 |
.102 |
116 |
.866 |
0-0 |
1-2 | |
Whitby started the national championship slowly, losing 5-4 to the Weyburn Devils, but earned a bye to the semifinals with a 9-5 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters and advanced to the final with a tidy 4-0 victory over the Fort Saskatchewan Hotel Chiefs.
But Powell River brought a level of talent and depth the team hadn't seen previously and not much could have been done to change the outcome.
"They have good speed on every line and they have some NHL guys, great defencemen who can move and shoot the puck," said captain Peter MacKellar, who assisted on Whitby's lone goal, scored by Ron Baker.
MacKellar finished off a tremendous season with nine points in four Allan Cup games, earning him an all-star selection at forward and a share of the lead in tournament scoring, along with Baker.
Unfortunately, while the first line may have matched up, the Dunlops' depth didn't compare to that of the Regals. And it didn't help that three of their top defencemen -- Brian Grieve, Mike Van Volsen and Bob McQuat -- were playing with separated shoulders.
"A lot of our key defenceman had pretty serious injuries, probably shouldn't even be playing," said MacKellar, himself slow to recover from a virus. "For them to keep giving an effort is phenomenal. I'm really proud of all the guys. That just shows off the character and really the perseverance of the team."
NOTES: The line of Peter MacKellar, Ron Baker and Matt Armstrong was the most productive at the tournament with 24 points, nine each by MacKellar and Baker and six from Armstrong... Bob McQuat was Whitby's highest scoring defenceman with two goals and four points... After shutting out Fort Saskatchewan in the semifinals, Matt Balser faced was faced with a 38-29 Powell River edge in shots on goal... Chad Vizzutti was working on a shutout when Regals coach Tod English decided to give Scott Peters some playing time with 7:38 remaining. Baker then scored with 4:01 remaining... The Dunlops had tremendous support back home, with more than 100 e-mails offering encouragement prior to the final. The messages were printed by Joe Theriault of the Dunlops' executive and taped to the walls in and around the team's dressing room.
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