Blast to open playoffs against Whitby

BRANTFORD – After carrying the top spot nearly all season, the Brantford Blast of the Sr. AAA Allan Cup Hockey League finished their regular season in third place behind the Dundas Real McCoys and the Whitby Dunlops. The McCoys jumped into first place last week and held on this week with a 7-3 win over the Blast in Dundas, Friday night.

To say the Blast came out a little flat would be a gross understatement. Dundas held a 3-0 lead by the 3:50 mark of the first period and added another at 9:41 with goals scored by Scott Mifsud, Greg Stewart, Ryan Christie and Jordan Foreman.

Jeff White added another Dundas goal at 6:29 of the second before Ryan Healy connected on a Brantford powerplay assisted by Mike Ruberto and Jeff Caister.

The Blast will face the famed Whitby Dunlops in the first round of the ACH playoffs, beginning in Brantford, this Friday night at 7:45.

With the Sochi Olympics wrapping up with Canada winning gold in both men’s and women’s hockey, the calibre of the AAA Sr. Allan Cup league is something that should be respected.

Until recent years, professional hockey players could not compete in the Olympics. That meant that the next highest level of the game in the country would carry Canada’s colours. They sent the Allan Cup Sr. AAA winners to represent the nation.

In 1955, the Kitchener Waterloo Dutchmen won the Allan Cup and the right to represent Canada on the ice at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in 1956. With Dutchmen goalie Denis Brodeur in net, father of New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, The Dutchies won Bronze.

In 1959, the Dunlops won the Allan Cup but declined to go to Squaw Valley, California for the 1960 games, so the K-W Dutchmen were sent again. This time, they brought back Silver.

Even today, Sr. AAA hockey remains the highest level of Sr. amateur hockey in Canada.

The Allan Cup will be hosted by the Dundas Real McCoys later this Spring.

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