Menace Analyst – Mikayla Guarasci
Milton Menace Preview: Menace vs Burlington Cougars, Round 1 Game 1- March 8, 2024
It’s playoff time in Milton! After a successful season, the Milton Menace are ready to hit the ice in search of the Buckland Cup. They will open the first round on Friday when the Burlington Cougars visit the Milton Memorial Arena.
The Menace ended the regular season with a 6-1 win over the Cougars on Sunday. This was their best outcome of the season against Burlington. Milton scored three goals in the first period, with Connor Driscoll grabbing the first and Ivan Fabjan scoring the next two. The first and third goals both came on the power play. The second period stayed all Menace as Markus Hicks picked up a short-handed goal, and Justin O’Donnell scored. In the third, O’Donnell picked up his 20th of the season, which was followed by a Burlington goal less than 30 seconds later. The Menace took the win and ended the regular season with a 41-12-2-1 record.
The Cougars come into the playoffs off back-to-back losses against Milton and Trenton. They finished seventh in the West Conference with a 29-20-1-6 record this season. Milton and Burlington split their season series with two wins per side. Milton won the first, followed by two straight wins by Burlington. Milton ended the season with a win to tie the regular season series.
The first game of the playoffs will set the pace for the rest of the series. The Menace need to force the Cougars to play at their speed. They must take advantage of their opportunities, especially on the power play, as they did on Sunday. In the playoffs, everything is tighter, so those opportunities are even more critical.
The puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for Friday’s game so grab them to support the Menace in their playoff run. If you can’t make it out, you can cheer on Milton from home, as the game will be available on FloHockey. The team will also provide live updates on their social media.