In a statistical sense, the Barrie Colts may not be the OHL's best team.
Heading into Sunday's OHL action, the Colts are sixth in the league in goals scored and they give up the fifth-fewest goals; among the East's top-three teams, the Colts concede the most goals. Though the Colts have the third-best power play, their penalty kill is 11th in the entire league.
At the same time, it's also possible to consider the Colts as one of the East's most dangerous packages. Even with their statistical disadvantage in mind, the Colts have found a way to win their division and keep pace with the Ottawa 67's and Brantford Bulldogs for the East's top spot.
Despite falling short of the top seed in the East, the Colts will have a feasible first-round opponent in the form of the Niagara IceDogs. Heading into their final regular-season game, the IceDogs score the fewest goals of all 16 playoff teams while giving up the eighth-most goals in the OHL. The IceDogs also sit in second-last in terms of the power play and in last place with regard to the penalty kill.
Could Barrie's defensemen have a chance to shine in this series?
It's possible to argue that one of the biggest names on Barrie's roster is on the defensive side of the ice. His name is Kashawn Aitcheson, who recently signed his entry-level contract with the New York Islanders, making him eligible to play for the team starting next season.
It remains to be seen if Aitcheson will get some extra motivation from this entry-level deal. However, it's clear that he'll be responsible for leading a deep Colts defensive unit, one where three defensemen scored at least 30 points during the regular season. Aitcheson led the defensive unit with 70 points, while former Brampton Steelhead Parker von Richter recorded 49 points during the regular season. Elsewhere, Cole Emerton recorded just over 30 points during the season.
Both Aitcheson and von Richter were two of Barrie's top-six scorers during the season. If they can show up and deliver some critical points during their series against Niagara, then the Colts could easily pull away with the series win; alongside Cole Beaudoin, who leads the team in scoring, Barrie's offense would simply be too much to handle for a struggling Niagara defense.
Final prediction: Colts in six
Despite the sizable numerical advantages that separate the Colts from the IceDogs, I don't think that this series will be over quickly.
The regular season series may have been won handily by the Colts, but Niagara was able to keep Barrie close throughout those matchups. Three of the matchups contested between the two teams went to overtime, while only one of Barrie's head-to-head victories was by more than one goal.
It may not seem like it on the surface, but Niagara should be in a good position to make this a series.