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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 52 Bouchard Memorial Cup bound after Knights win OHL championship By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff Oakville's OHLers Aside from Evan Bouchard, 13 other Oakville players skated in the OHL this season. The following is a recap of their seasons. T.J. Fergus, D, Erie Otters Fergus had 20 points in 56 games in his second season with the Otters, more than doubling his totals from his rookie season. He added two assists in 10 playoff games. Connor McGlynn, C, Kingston Frontenacs McGlynn showed a knack for scoring timely goals. Five of his 15 goals were game winners and he finished his final junior season with 28 points in 53 games. He had 49 goals and 86 points in 188 games over three seasons. Stefan Leblanc, D, Mississauga Steelheads The third-year defenceman set a career highs in assists (23) and points (30) in 64 games with the Steelheads. Acquired from Sudbury in his rookie season, Leblanc has played 192 games over three seasons. Damian Bourne, LW, Mississauga Steelheads Bourne's career bests in goals (9) and points (26) included his first two-goal game in a 5-1 win over Sudbury and his first three-point game, including setting up the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory over Saginaw. Kyle Potts, C, North Bay Battalion The Battalion's fifth-round pick in last year's draft had five goals and seven assists in 59 games. Potts had two assists in a 7-1 win over Hamilton in November and the following night scored his first OHL goal in a 5-1 victory over Hamilton. Jake Smith, G, North Bay Battalion Smith became the franchise's all-time leader in games (170), wins (90) and shutouts (nine). He went 3015-7 while posting a 2.87 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Smith made a season-high 45 saves in an 8-2 win over Flint in March. Domenic Commisso, C, Oshawa Generals Commisso turned in a strong debut, finishing seventh among rookies with 18 goals and ninth with 42 points in 66 games. He added three goals and five points in five playoff games. He scored goals in four straight games -- and six of seven -- in November. Zach Gallant, C, Peterborough Petes The fifth overall pick in last year's draft finished his rookie season with four assists in 51 games. Gallant was strong in the faceoff circle, winning 52.7 per cent of his draws. Matthew Spencer, D, Peterborough Petes The third overall pick in the 2013 OHL draft had five goals and 19 assists in 60 games in his third season with the Petes. The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick also played his first professional game, signing an amateur tryout agreement to play with the AHL 's Syracuse Crunch. Scott Smith, G, Peterborough Petes The 18-year-old played two games with the Petes, recording a 3.46 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage. Jesse Barwell, C, Saginaw Spirit In his first full season with Saginaw, and third in the OHL, Barwell had six goals and a career-best 20 assists in 68 games. He added two goals and an assist in four playoff games. He had a pair of three-point games. Robert Proner, D, Saginaw Spirit The Spirit's second-round pick in last year's draft, Proner picked up a pair of assists in nine games and earned his first OHL point, setting up a goal against North Bay in February. Andrew Burns, D, Windsor Spitfires Burns' first OHL goal was a game winner in the Spitfires' 5-1 win over Guelph. In his second full season with the Spitfires, Burns had two goals and nine assists and was a plus-16 for Windsor. Evan Bouchard has learned many things during his first OHL season, but the first lesson may have come the day he was drafted. While every player wants to hear his name called as soon as possible, Bouchard had to wait until the 17th overall pick before he was selected by the London Knights. While top picks are more likely to jump right into the lineup right away, the advantage for Bouchard was joining a stronger team. That made it tougher to crack the lineup at times, but Wednesday night the rewards were clear. London edged the Niagara Ice Dogs 1-0 to complete a fourgame sweep of the Ontario Hockey League final. "I knew the Knights were a strong team and we saw the potential that we could make the final," Bouchard said, "but it's a dream come true to win it your first year in the league." The youngest defenceman in the league, Bouchard was one of only two players this season to make his OHL debut before turning 16. He had to be patient in earning his spot on a veteran-laden Knights team, playing just five of the team's first 14 games. The turning point in his season came when he was named to Canada White for the World Under-17 Challenge in November. Back to playing a bigger role like he was used to with the Oakville Rangers, Bouchard was the top scoring defenceman with a goal and five assists in six games and was named to the all-tournament team. He scored the winning goal midway through the third period of Canada's 2-1 semifinal win over Sweden and earned a gold medal as Canada went on to beat Russia 6-2. "That was a huge accomplishment," the 6-foot-2 defenceman said. "It gave me a lot of confidence and I brought that back (to London)." Again, his patience was rewarded. Beginning in December, he had two goals and 12 assists over a stretch of 17 games and he played in 33 of London's final 44 games. Bouchard said his defensive game has also improved. "Coverage is so important in our system," he said. "You have to know where to be at all times and I've gotten better at that." The Knights tied for Erie for first overall in the league but despite finishing 30 points ahead of their first-round opponent, Owen Sound, it proved to be a difficult series. "Owen Sound was a hard, physical team," Bouchard said. "After Owen Sound, we figured out what playoff hockey really is about and we've been rolling ever since." After beating the Attack in six games, the Knights have followed with four-game sweeps of Kitchener, Erie and Niagara. With a World Under-17 Hockey Challenge gold medal and now an Ontario Hockey League championship to his credit this season, Oakville's Evan Bouchard is now looking to add a Memorial Cup title with the London Knights. Bouchard, the youngest defenceman in the OHL this season, had two goals and 15 assists in 43 games in his rookie season. | photo by Aaron Bell --OHL Images London will open the Memorial Cup tournament Friday against the host Red Deer Rebels. After proving themselves to be the best in the OHL, Bouchard is looking forward to seeing how they stack up against Canada's best junior teams. Cole nets hat trick as top-ranked Maryland wins Oakville's Bryan Cole scored three times and set up another as the University of Maryland Terrapins advanced to the NCAA men's lacrosse quarter-finals with a 13-6 win over Quinnipiac. Cole scored two of his goals in the opening quarter as Maryland built a 5-2 lead. Oakville's Foster Cuomo scored for Quinnipiac. Maryland, which improved to 15-2 on the season with its 14th straight win, will face Syracuse in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Maryland is the top-ranked team in the NCAA.