Americans Exceed Expectations in Second Season

The Orangeville Americans have completed their second season in the GMHL. The management staff could not be more proud of the results of this season. Although the Americans got much stronger for this season as a club, so did the rest of the GMHL. A tough fought regular season saw Orangeville finish with a 16-21-5 record for a 9th place finish.

This brought the Americans to open up the Russell Cup Playoffs against their territorial rival Shelburne Red Wings. The series went down to the wire, but saw Orangeville advance past the Red Wings in game seven.

In the quarter-finals, Orangeville drew the Bradford Bulls. The Bulls were seeded second in the South Division, heavily favoured to beat the Americans. Orangeville once again pulled out a surprising victory, winning the series in game four.

Orangeville had worked their way up to the Southern Division Finals, squaring off against the undefeated Bradford Rattlers. Orangeville played hard, and competed alongside the Rattlers. It was not enough though as the Rattlers eventually swept the series.

Strong playoff performances from Ryan Gandy, Quinn Ryan and Anthony Heppler were key in Orangeville strong playoff run. Mark Andrews and Devin Nyers also played strong in goal, giving the Americans an opportunity to win every game.

A ninth place regular season, followed up by a fourth place playoff finish speaks to the character this group of young men possess. As mentioned earlier, management could not be more proud of the hard work and determination the club put in to reach this point.

During the GMHL award announcements, several Americans were recognized. Ryan Quinn was a nomination for Rookie of the Year. Christian Tyson was also nominated for 'Most Sportsmanlike'. Finally, Head Coach Tyler Fines received Coach of the Year Runner-up.

The club has already started recruiting for next season. The Americans will also have some exciting announcements regarding players from this year's squad advancing to higher levels of hockey. Stay tuned to www.orangevilleamericans.com for all the information about next year's squad.