Ontario’s Best

Photo courtesy of OHL Cup Online

Michael Misa Has Historic Night For Mississauga Senators To Win OHL Cup

He’s been one of the most highly-touted youth hockey prospects, especially amongst his cohorts in the 2007 birth year. On Monday, he solidified those claims competing in the OHL Cup as an underager in the U16 age group.

📽️ #OHLCup Championship Highlights:

Mississauga Senators (6) vs. Toronto Jr. Canadiens (2)

Misa’s five-point night guides @GTHL_Senators to first championship.

STORY 📰: https://t.co/p0ZQfPdryp pic.twitter.com/VjSC27j1sM
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) April 5, 2022

Misa recorded a hat trick — five points in total — in the Mississauga Senators’ 6-2 win over the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, finishing with 20 points and surpassing Connor McDavid’s showcase record of 18.

“This is the biggest tournament of minor hockey and I’ll remember this game forever,” said Misa after the victory. “It’s been a great ride with the boys and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better ending.”

Mississauga entered the tournament as the No. 1-ranked 2006 team in the world, with a 37-8-1 record. The Sens had to win a wild-card matchup against Ajax-Pickering Raiders to qualify for the field of 20 teams, where Misa also had two assists. After that, they went 3-1 in pool play, advancing to elimination rounds alongside the Jr. Canadiens as representatives of the Nash Division.

Two goals and an assist by Misa would help move the Sens past the London Jr. Knights 4-1, in the quarterfinals. His third straight three-point game would secure the 5-2 victory in the semifinals against the Markham Majors and set the stage for a rematch in the championship game.

It was the sixth meeting of the season between the Sens and Jr. Canadiens — Toronto carrying a 4-1 series lead — but Monday’s matchup was easily the most important of the bunch.

First-period goals by Bode Stewart and Malcolm Spence put Mississauga out in front less than five minutes into the game. Then three goals by Misa and another assist to top it all off sent the Sens on their way to a 6-2 OHL Cup championship.

“We took the long road,” Senators head coach Christ Stevenson told OHL Cup Online. “Obviously we didn’t have the GTHL Playoffs that we hoped for [before the tournament] but we learned from it, got to that wild card game and got better every game. I couldn’t be prouder of these guys. I’ve seen them grow and tonight means so much.”

The victory is the first OHL Cup championship in Mississauga Senators program history. Misa (20 points), Spence (13) and Stewart (12) led the way in scoring for the Sens, and did so again when it mattered most. Forward William Moore eclipsed double digits as well with seven goals and 11 points. Evan Maillet posted a 1.90 goals-against average and .900 save percentage, winning all five of his starts, including the championship game.

Jr. Canadiens forwards Michael Hage and Porter Martone finished two and three behind Misa in scoring. Hage had seven goals and 16 points while Martone had seven goals and 15 points. Teammate Anthony Cristoforo led all defensemen with nine points, while Markham Majors D-man Zayne Parekh scored three goals and eight points. Jacob Gibbons was among standout goalies with a 3-1 record, 1.54 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. Calem Yorke and Marko Bilic combined to post the fewest goals allowed in the tournament, giving up just seven in five games for the Toronto Marlboros before being eliminated 2-1 by the Quinte Red Devils in the quarterfinals.

Next steps for many of the 2006-born players from the tournament will be the 2022 OHL Draft on April 29 – 30th. Misa is not currently eligible for the upcoming draft, still one year removed from the process. However, he — along with his teammate Moore and London Jr. Knights forward Ryan Roobroeck — has applied for exceptional status consideration by Hockey Canada, hoping to be draft eligible by the end of the month.

World Hockey Hub will have continued coverage of the 2006 birth year and all of its junior hockey draft proceedings around the world, including OHL, USHL and beyond. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube to stay up-to-date on all things youth hockey.