Colin Osler (22) moves the puck while fending off Ayr Centennials' Mac West, during the Dolphins' final exhibition game, a 4-2 win. Dorchester went 1-4 during the preseason. (photo / Rob J. Ross)
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
By Rob J. Ross
DORCHESTER - It is a transformation like no other previous season.
Coming off of an undefeated regular season and Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) Yeck Division title, the Dorchester Dolphins have undergone numerous changes.
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First, there will be new faces behind the bench. Head coach Mark Van Vliet stepped down to spend more time with family, following the birth of his second child. Assistant coach Vance Stark also resigned, after a move associated with his day job, took him from the local area.
Dolphins' GM Tim Flynn, will also be the head coach, bringing on board Jason Ross, as an assistant coach. Flynn and Ross coached together while with the Junior B London Nationals. Flynn is looking to hire a second assistant coach over the coming weeks.
On the ice, the turnover is large, with 12 players gone from last year's roster, including captain Tyler Blue, Alex Weaver and the Dolphins’ two top scorers, Derek Todosichuk and Jay Ritchie, over-agers who graduated from the junior ranks.
In July, the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) implemented a new rule that affected all PJHL teams. A team is now only allowed to have four players, who have previously played at a higher level, for example, junior B or the OHL.
For the Dolphins, that changed the plans for Nick Griffin, Brent Van Dusen and Adam Truax. The four players with the Dolphins are, all-star goalie Riley Brown, defenceman Nick Whitworth and two new additions, forward Brent House and defenceman James Newland.
House played with the OJHL's Wellington Dukes, last season. The 19-year old also played with London and St. Marys, in the Greater Ontario Hockey League (Jr. B). House had 27 goals and 35 assists, in 49 games, while with St. Marys, during the 2015/16 season.
Newland was on the St. Thomas Stars' blue-line last season, contributing two goals and 20 assists, over 43 games. The 20-year old is familiar with the PJHL, having played with the Mt. Brydges Bulldogs, in 2014/15.
Lucas Wilson returns, the Dolphins' third leading scorer last season, as does forwards Braedon Dorion, Ryan Root, Zach Robertson, Dylan Buckholz and defencemen Nate Frisbee and Colin Osler.
Goalie Matt Waller was traded to Lambeth, making room for Ashton Moore to back-up Brown.
Dylan Van Dusen, Ryan Poley and David Henshaw, midget call-ups last season, have earned full time roles. Braidon Duncan and Adam Priamo, move up from the London Jr. Knights AAA midget team.
Additional new faces are, forward Josh Roney and defenceman Carter Forget, who played last season with the Orangeville Ice Crushers, of the Greater Metro League.
"We had a lot of kids who tried out and we’re down to the nitty-gritty now," Flynn said. "We're almost ready. We have a good assembly of kids."
Flynn had the roster 95 percent set, following the Dolphins’ final preseason game, a 4-2 win, over the Ayr Centennials, last season's PJHL Schmalz Cup champions.
"That was definitely our best game."
Dallas Loiselle gave the Dolphins a 1-0 lead in the first period, with an unassisted effort. Ayr took a 2-1 lead late in the second period, scoring two power play goals in 2:05. Dorion, House and Wilson, scored in the third period, carrying the Dolphins to their first preseason win after four losses.
The Dolphins host Mt Brydges for their home opener, Friday, September 15, before heading to Port Stanley, on Saturday, September 16.
"Our goal is we want to be near the top again. We want to play well throughout the year and make sure we’re healthy going into the playoffs," Flynn said.
A repeat of an undefeated season is highly unlikely, considering the changes and the how every opponent will not want to lose five times again (Lambeth tied Dorchester once).
"That was an exceptional team. We had great goaltending and we had lots of fire power," Flynn said. "That's one of the things we're going to have to work on this year. We'll have to score by committee. We don't have the snipers like Todosichuk and Ritchie. We had a great captain in Tyler Blue."
The Dolphins will name their new captain this week.
rob@hometownplay.ca