By Bill Potrecz at BP Sports Niagara
The names may have changed, but the goal remains the same for the Fort Erie Meteors.
Despite a larger turnover of the roster, the Meteors are once again primed to contend for a Greater Ontario Hockey League championship.
“It doesn’t even need to be talked about—the standard is set,” Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero said. “Our leadership group, they’ve been here three plus years, so I leave that in their hands. They’ll figure it out.”
Passero is basing his optimism on a well-rounded roster that begins with Rafael Tremblay in goal. The 20-year-old was sensational last season with an 11-2 record and 1.93 goals-against average after being brought in when Finn Moffett moved up to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Backing up Tremblay will be promising Erie Otters prospect Tanner Gibson.
“He’s a good young kid and had a great year at U16 in Ajax, and he made the U17 Team Canada development roster, so he’s played in some big games,” Passero said. “We’re going to bring him along slowly. Raff has earned the right to get the ball and run with it a little bit, but we’ll make sure we get Tanner some stuff early on to get his feet wet.
“We’re excited for both of them.”
The biggest turnover will be on the blueline where four veterans—Rylan Masterson, RJ Schmidt, Cameron Thorpe, and Owen Cressman—graduated, leaving Patrick O’Farrell and Alex Masotti as the lone holdovers.
“Losing four 20-year-olds is never easy, but I think our coaching staff’s excited for the challenge of working with the young D-corps,” Passero said. “Having Alex and Pat back there as the old hands, which is kind of crazy, only being here two years. It’s a huge change for us, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Newcomers include Colton Cribari, a sixth-round selection of the Otters.
“He’s already played a couple exhibition games. Very high octane, high offensive player,” Passero said.
Grimsby’s Sutter Smith, a draft selection of the Flint Firebirds, Guelph native Jack Quevillon, and local product Matthew Natale round out the defence.
“We’re starting the year with only six, which is something we’ve never really done before. We’re on the hunt for a seventh, but I think our six will be fine for us,” Passero said.
Up front, the Mets feature plenty of firepower and experience, led by captain Hunter Coley, Tate Donald, Aiden Zimmerman, Colton Radford, and Dylan Greenwald. Former Niagara IceDog and Kitchener Ranger Andrew Vermeulen is a big get, while Espen Escasa, an 18-year-old Sault Ste. Marie native, collected 10 points in three exhibition games and is expected to give the offence a boost.
Gavin Vamplew, Reece Matier and Easton Poirier are back while Zach Forwell, a second overall pick of the Otters in the U18 draft and U18 player of the year last year; St. Catharines native Chase Partridge, who impressed at Flint training camp; and Clarence, N.Y. native Hudson Ellis, a strong defensive forward, are also on board.
“Our forward group, we’re very deep, which is nice,” Passero said. “We’re going to be built a little bit differently than last year. Last year we gave up almost under 100 goals against, but this year I think we’re going to push the pace offensively a little bit differently. You know, already we’ve won a couple shootouts here in the last two weeks. Not something that coaches love, but we’ve found a way.
“I think we can score with the best of them. So if we can teach these guys how to defend a little bit in the next couple months, I think we’re going to be tough to beat. We’ve got to adapt a little bit, but we have a standard in here, and defending with pride is something that we rely on. So that’s up to the new guys to catch on quick, and we talk about it all the time, but if they’re not able to catch on, then it’s going to be a long year for them. So for us we want to defend hard, and we’ll have our fun in the O-zone when the time comes.”
The Meteors host St. Andrews Wednesday in an exhibition game before welcoming the Port Colborne Sailors Saturday at 7 p.m. in their regular season opener. The Mets will also host an OHL exhibition game between the Otters and IceDogs Friday at 7 p.m. at the Leisureplex.
