Hutchings, Alex

OHL

Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 0 @ Barrie Colts 3
Conference Finals, Game 1. Barrie leads Best of 7 Series 1-0
LW/C Alex Hutchings, BAR: 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM
Playoff Totals: 5 GP, 1-6-7, +7, 8 PIM
Season Totals: 68 GP, 47-34-81, +44, 58 PIM

Hutchings returned to the Colts lineup after missing the Brampton series with a groin injury. He promptly earned an assist on the game’s opening goal on the power play, giving him a point in each game he’s played this post-season. Going back to the regular season, Hutchings has a nine-game point streak and points in 21 of his last 22 games. Barrie back-up goalie Mavric Parks (undrafted), named after Tom Cruise’s character in Top Gun, picked up his first shutout of the playoffs and First Star honors. He’s filling in for Barrie’s top netminder, Peter Di Salvo, who was knocked out indefinitely with cartilage damage to his knee four games ago. Parks has a sparkling .962 save percentage and 1.25 GAA in four playoff games so far this year. Game 2 is Friday. Kitchener is playing Windsor in the Western Conference finals.

OHL

East-1 Barrie Colts 5 @ East-5 Brampton Battalion 2
Conference Semifinals, Game 4. Barrie wins Best of 7 Series 4-0
LW/C Alex Hutchings, BAR: Did not play.
Playoff Totals: 4 GP, 1-5-6, +6, 8 PIM
Season Totals: 68 GP, 47-34-81, +44, 58 PIM

Barrie swept their second straight series after easily handling Brampton 5-2 in Game 4. Hutchings, who is reportedly back practicing with the team, missed his fourth consecutive game with a groin injury. Barrie will now face either Ottawa or Mississauga in the East Finals. That series is tied at two games apiece. The loss by Brampton means the junior career of Canucks super-prospect Cody Hodgson comes to an end. Hodgson missed most of the season with a back injury. He’ll likely push for a Canucks job next season if he’s healthy. As for Hutchings, one would think with extended time off before the East Finals, he’ll be back healthy the next time the Colts take the ice.

Draft Watch
Windsor Spitfires 3 @ Plymouth Whalers 2 (OT)
Western Conference Semifinals, Game 4. Windsor wins series 4-0

The defending Memorial Cup champs disposed of the Whalers in four games, thus ending the head-to-head match-up between CSS No.1 Tyler Seguin (Plymouth) and CSS No.2 Taylor Hall (Windsor). Hall finished the series at 3-3-6, +6; Seguin, who doesn’t have a lot of help around him, was scoreless and -6 in the four games. For the playoffs, Hall is 9-7-16, +12 in 8 games; Seguin is still over a point-per-game at 5-5-10 in 9 games. Both tied for the OHL lead with 106 regular season points. With the Maple Leafs’ loss Wednesday night, the Lightning would have to win next Tuesday’s draft lottery to have a chance at one of these two prospects. The Lightning will likely end up picking third or fourth, which means Windsor defenseman Cam Fowler (CSS No.5) will be on their short list of choices. Fowler had an assist in Game 4 against Plymouth, giving him three for the series. He has six assists and no goals in eight playoff games this year. The Michigan native had 55 points (eight goals) in 55 regular season games.

WHL

Portland Winterhawks 3 @ Vancouver Giants 2
Conference Semifinals, Game 3. Vancouver leads Best of 7 Series 2-1
C/W/D James Wright, VAN: 2-0-2, E, 0 PIM, *Third Star*
Playoff Totals: 7 GP, 4-5-9, +5, 4 PIM
Season Totals: 21 GP, 6-13-19, -3, 17 PIM
With Tampa Bay: 43 GP, 2-3-5, -9, 18 PIM

Luca Sbisa, who began the season with the Philadelphia Flyers, scored on the power play at 2:20 of the third period to give the Winterhawks a 3-1 lead and helped them hang on for the win despite the other former NHLer in this series – former Bolt James Wright – scoring his second goal of the game with three minutes remaining. Portland is now firmly back into the series, which sees its next two games played in Vancouver this week. Wright has seven points (four goals) in the three games against Portland so far. Game 4 is Friday.

OHL

East-5 Brampton Battalion 1 @ East-1 Barrie Colts 5
Conference Semifinals, Game 3. Barrie leads Best of 7 Series 3-0
LW/C Alex Hutchings, BAR: Did not play.
Playoff Totals: 4 GP, 1-5-6, +6, 8 PIM
Season Totals: 68 GP, 47-34-81, +44, 58 PIM

Barrie improved to 7-0 in the playoffs despite missing Alex Hutchings for the third straight game. Hutchings, who reportedly may be able to play if the Colts were in danger of losing the series, remains out with a groin injury. With Barrie now on the verge of a sweep, speculation is Hutchings will be given additional time to heal before Barrie faces the winner of Ottawa and Mississauga (2-1 Ottawa). In Game 3, Barrie had a 4-0 lead after two as the outcome was never really in doubt. Alexander Burmistrov, a forward for Barrie who will likely be picked in the top-10 this summer, had a goal for the Colts. He has 13 points (7 goals) in seven playoff games so far. The Russian had 65 points (22 goals) in 62 regular season games. This was his first season in North America. In the West, Taylor Hall is winning the battle of the 2010 top prospects as he had Windsor are up 3-0 on Tyler Seguin and Plymouth. One of those two will be an Edmonton Oiler this time next year, barring a trade.

OHL

Barrie Colts 3 @ Brampton Battalion 2 (OT)
Conference Semifinals, Game 2. Barrie leads Best of 7 Series 2-0
LW/C Alex Hutchings, BAR: Did not play.
Playoff Totals: 4 GP, 1-5-6, +6, 8 PIM
Season Totals: 68 GP, 47-34-81, +44, 58 PIM

Hutchings missed his second consecutive game because of a groin injury he suffered late in the Sudbury series. According to the Barrie Examiner, he’s listed as day-to-day and it’s likely he’d return if the Colts faced a deficit in the series. The latest report said his status for Game 3 (Tuesday in Barrie) is unknown. In Game 2, Luke Pither (’89), an undrafted, 6-foot, 194- pound center who accumulated 94 points this season, scored his fourth of the playoffs at 3:32 of overtime to give the Colts a big two games to none lead in the series. Barrie is 6-0 in the playoffs.

WHL

Vancouver Giants 7 @ Portland Winterhawks 4
Conference Semifinals, Game 2. Vancouver leads Best of 7 Series 2-0
C/W/D James Wright, VAN: 1-1-2, +2, 0 PIM
Playoff Totals: 6 GP, 2-5-7, +5, 4 PIM
Season Totals: 21 GP, 6-13-19, -3, 17 PIM
With Tampa Bay: 43 GP, 2-3-5, -9, 18 PIM

The Giants remained undefeated in the playoffs by scoring four times in the first period en route to a 7-4 road win over Portland. Vancouver swept the Winterhawks in Oregon, averaging a snowman per game on the scoreboard. Wright now has five points in the series after scoring the Giants’ first goal, which tied the game a one halfway through the first. He added an assist on their empty net goal in the closing minute. Nino Niederreiter of Portland, a possible draft target of the Lightning this summer, had two assists in the game. The winger has 11 points (4-7-11) in nine playoff games so far. Portland now goes to Vancouver for the series’ next three games starting Wednesday.

OHL

East-5 Brampton Battalion 3 @ East-1 Barrie Colts 5
Conference Semifinals, Game 1. Barrie leads Best of 7 Series 1-0
LW/C Alex Hutchings, BAR: Did not play.
Playoff Totals: 4 GP, 1-5-6, +6, 8 PIM
Season Totals: 68 GP, 47-34-81, +44, 58 PIM

Although Hutchings played all four games of the Sudbury series, he reportedly missed Game 1 vs. Brampton with an apparent “lower body injury.” Alex Burmistrov, who is expected to go near the top of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, had a goal and an assist to earn First Star honors in the game for the Colts. Game 2 is Sunday.