Former Sarnia Sting and Brampton Steelhead Porter Martone credited a pair of OHL connections for helping him thrive in Philly. (Photo: Justin Burl/Getty Images)

One of the NHL’s hottest storylines through the opening week of the Stanley Cup playoffs has been the emergence of Porter Martone.

After helping the Philadelphia Flyers clinch a playoff spot with 10 points in his first nine regular-season games, the 2025 sixth-overall pick has stayed front and centre in the post-season.

With the Flyers holding a 3-0 stranglehold over the Pittsburgh Penguins in their opening-round series, Martone has contributed two goals and an assist.

Reached by our Mark Malone, the big power forward pointed to a familiar face for helping ease his transition: fellow Sarnia Sting alum Travis Konecny.

Before Martone was drafted, the two-time all-star had already made his feelings clear to Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones.

“I told Danny and Jonesy that he was going to be a good player,” Konecny said. “I wanted them to draft him.”

Read the full story in the Sarnia Observer.

GM Frank Evola parted ways with the Niagara IceDogs less than a year after he was hired to steady the ship. (Photo: Niagara IceDogs)

Frank Evola was hired last summer to bring much-needed stability to the Niagara IceDogs.

The move came in the wake of a turbulent 2023, when the franchise was hit with a six-figure fine, stripped of a first-round pick, saw two players receive lifetime bans and owner Darren DeDobbelaer suspended following a league harassment investigation.

With eight years of experience as director of scouting and hockey operations for the Windsor Spitfires, Evola helped steady the IceDogs, guiding them to their first .500 season since 2018-19 while cutting 50 goals against from the previous year.

But just 10 months into his tenure, Evola is out as general manager.

“We are grateful for his time with the organization,” DeDobbelaer said in a release. “We wish him the best of luck on the next chapter of his career.” 

Read more from our Jim Parker in the Windsor Star.

Windsor Spitfires goalie Joey Costanzo (left) is one of the few veterans to suffer two painful series defeats to the Kitchener Rangers in recent history. (Photo: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images)

The Windsor Spitfires are back in the conference finals for the second time in five years — one of just five OHL teams to hit that mark.

“It’s extremely tough to do,” head coach Greg Walters told our Jim Parker in the Windsor Star. “It’s a special time and we want to take advantage of it.”

The momentum in Windsor is undeniable. The Spitfires swept through the first two rounds for the first time since their Memorial Cup-winning run in 2010.

But the path to the final runs through a familiar problem: the Kitchener Rangers.

The recent history isn’t kind. In 2023, the eighth-seeded Rangers stunned the top-ranked Spitfires with a first-round sweep — a league first. A year later, Windsor built a 3-0 series lead, only for Kitchener to storm back with four straight wins, completing just the sixth reverse sweep in OHL history.

Goaltender Joey Costanzo is one of the few Spitfires still around from both losses.

“Of course it sticks with you,” he told Rangers reporter Josh Brown. “There is some bad blood between us.”

The rivalry resumes Friday, when the Rangers host Game 1 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

Metroland subscribers can read more on Windsor’s attempt to break through in the Waterloo Region Record.

It's on to the next for the powerhouse Brantford Bulldogs, who dispatched the Barrie Colts with a 4-3 win on Wednesday to take a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference final. (Photo: Brantford Expositor/Postmedia Network)

Thanks for reading, hockey fans. See you next time.