The Mississauga Steelheads have hit a slump lately. The team is 3–5-2 in their last 10 games. Mississauga fell out of a top-three spot in the Eastern Conference. They are in fifth place, tied in points with 50, with the sixth place Ottawa 67’s.
Mississauga looked good in the first few months of the season. Their offence and goaltending were on point, and everything looked like things would be different. But lately, their offence has dried up, and thankfully, their goaltending tandem of Jack Ivankovic and Ryerson Leenders has kept the team afloat.
The Steelheads began a five-game road trip on Sunday against the Brantford Bulldogs, winning 5-3. Mississauga will head north for three games beginning Thursday against the North Bay Battalion, Friday against the Soo Greyhounds and Sunday vs. the Sudbury Wolves. The road trip ends against the Peterborough Petes next Thursday.
Mississauga and North Bay played each other on January 19th, which saw North Bay win 4-3 in overtime after giving up a 3-0 to the Steelheads. Since that win, North Bay lost three in a row before ending their losing streak on Sunday in a dominant 7-1 win over the Barrie Colts. North Bay is in third place in the east, four points up on the Steelheads with 54.
North Bay is 6-2-1-1 in their last 10 games. Mississauga will look to keep Anthony Romani off the scoresheet. Romani leads the OHL in goals with 38. He is making draft stock continue to rise with his success this season.
This matchup will be the fifth of the season between these two teams. North Bay has won three of the four.
The Steelheads will meet the Soo Greyhounds the next night. The Greyhounds have had an impressive season. They are in a three-way tie for first place with the Saginaw Spirit and London Knights, who each have 65 points. Sault Ste. Marie is 31-12-2 on the season.
Jack Beck is a player to watch out for. In 46 games, he has 18 goals and 40 assists for 58 points. Beck was drafted in 2021 in the sixth round by the Calgary Flames. He is in his fourth year in the OHL. It is his first season with the Soo after spending the last three seasons with the Ottawa 67s.
The Greyhounds and Steelheads met in November, which saw them defeating Mississauga 5-2. This game will be the second and final time these teams meet this season.
Mississauga’s tough matchups continue Sunday afternoon against the second-place Sudbury Wolves. The Steelheads have done well against Sudbury this season, winning two of their three games. Mississauga won 2-1 in Sudbury a couple of weeks ago, which saw Ryerson Leenders make 46 saves on 47 shots.
A player to watch will be Seattle Kraken prospect David Goyette. He has 70 points this season with 28 goals and 42 assists. With 23 games left in the season, he is on pace to break his point total from last year, 92.
Finally, the Steelheads close out the road trip against the Peterborough Petes. The Petes are tied with Barrie for the last playoff spot in the east with 37 points. In their last 10 games, the Petes are 1-8-1. Peterborough and Mississauga have met three times already this season. The Steelheads have won two of three, but the games have yet to be close, with Mississauga winning the first two meetings 7-1 and 4-1, while Peterborough’s only win against Mississauga was 4-0.
Peterborough is a young team led by Jonathan Melee. He has 36 points this season.
This meeting will be the last time these teams face off this season.
Mississauga started the road trip on the right foot and will look to continue it. If they can build up more wins, they can find their way back to the top of the Eastern Conference standings to gain home ice in the playoffs as they get down in the season’s final stretch.
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