Local hockey: Brodie scratched by Leafs; Brochu in AHL playoffs; Gervais wins title
Veteran Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman T.J. Brodie of Dresden was expected to be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive playoff game Wednesday.
Article content
Veteran Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman T.J. Brodie, of Dresden, was expected to be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive playoff game Wednesday.
The Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins were tied 1-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series going into Game 3 at Scotiabank Arena.
Brodie sat out the first two contests despite leading the Maple Leafs’ defencemen in games played (78) and plus-minus rating (plus-17) in the regular season.
He played an average of 21 minutes 43 seconds a game, second-most on the team behind fellow blue-liner Morgan Rielly’s 23:44.
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked before their Game 2 victory why Brodie wasn’t playing.
“You look at a couple things,” Keefe said. “You look at how the season’s gone, you look at how the group has come together, you look at how the pairs fit and then you look at the opponent and the type of matchups and the intensity that you expect early on in the series. Those are the guys that we go with.”
Brodie, 33, has played 55 playoff games in his NHL career with the Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.
He’s in the final year of his four-year contract with Toronto.
Brochu backup in AHL playoff game
Tilbury’s Brett Brochu was the Manitoba Moose’s backup goalie for their American Hockey League playoff opener Tuesday, a 6-3 road loss to the Texas Stars.
Game 2 in the best-of-three series is Thursday.
Brochu, 21, played one period in his Moose debut Saturday after signing a professional tryout contract.
The Dresden Kings alum was 7-11-1 with one shutout, a 2.66 goals-against average and .920 save percentage this season as a rookie with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets.
“I thought I improved on a lot of things,” Brochu said in a Moose video. “I thought my skating was something that I really needed to work on and I think it’s getting there. I still need to improve on a lot of things, but I’m happy with where my game’s at and I think it’s going to keep getting better.”
Ex-Maroon Gervais wins AJHL crown
Ex-Chatham Maroons forward Julien Gervais has won the Alberta Junior Hockey League championship with the Calgary Canucks.
The 20-year-old from Windsor tied for first in AJHL playoff scoring with 18 points in 15 games. He scored seven goals and set up 11.
The Canucks advance to the Centennial Cup national junior A championship May 9 to 14 in Oakville.
Gervais played two seasons with the Maroons before going to Calgary. He won the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Western Conference championship in 2022 and then was second in Western Conference scoring in 2022-23 with 65 points in 48 games.
Dittmer receives academic honour
Ex-Maroons defenceman Bryar Dittmer, of Chatham, has been named to the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association all-academic team.
Dittmer had one assist in 20 games during his NCAA Division III sophomore season at Concordia University Wisconsin.
Ex-Maroons forward Josh King, from the University of Dubuque, also made the NCHA all-academic team.
Feasey, McEwan power Killer Bees
Ex-Maroons Brennan Feasey and James McEwan, of the Alvinston Killer Bees, continue to rank one-two in Western Ontario Super Hockey League playoff scoring.
Feasey has 46 points and Chatham’s McEwan has 43 in 16 games apiece. No other player has more than 22 points.
Killer Bees goalie Nolan DeKoning, of Wallaceburg, has a league-best nine playoff wins, but he’s scheduled to miss Friday’s Game 7 of the championship series against the Tillsonburg Thunder.
Bidgood, Lincolns split two games
Ex-Maroons forward Cohen Bidgood, of the St. Marys Lincolns, is fourth in GOJHL rookie scoring after the first three games of the Sutherland Cup round-robin.
Bidgood has 7-8-15 totals in 17 games for the Western Conference champions.
St. Marys, Fort Erie and Listowel each had a 1-1 record halfway through the double round-robin, which ends Sunday. The top two teams advance to the best-of-seven final.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.