In the marathon that is the Ontario Hockey League season, this weekend won’t decide the final standings, but it will provide an instamatic snapshot of where the top contenders for the MidWest Division stand at the moment.
In a spark of genius by the schedule maker, the top 3 clubs in the Midwest will face each other on consecutive nights.
Tomorrow night, the Owen Sound Attack are at London to face the Knights
Saturday night, the Attack will host the Kitchener Rangers
And then on Sunday night, the Rangers will host the Knights in Kitchener
As of this moment, the Attack lead the MidWest Division with 31 points, 3 more than both the Knights and the Rangers.
Kitchener and London are both hot, having won 5 in a row.
The Attack are right there too. In their last 9 games, Owen Sound has won 6 times and have garnered at least a point in 8 of those 9 games.
But for Owen Sound, the opening sequence of the weekend will be revealing.
At 14-3-1 & 2, the Attack record through the first quarter of the season is terrific.
Breaking it down though, Owen Sound’s 14 wins have come against clubs that are a combined 14 games under .500 at the moment.
By comparison, their 6 losses have been against teams that are 28 games over .500.
London and Kitchener start the weekend, both 8 games over .500.
So the Midwest Division won’t be decided this weekend, but the momentary status of the 3 top contenders will be clearly illustrated.
I’m Fred Wallace