Did the OHL get it right? Quinn Beauchesne of the Guelph Storm was given a two-game suspension for this stick-swinging incident against Ryan Brown of the London Knights. (Photo: Screenshot from video)

Was it enough?

When Quinn Beauchesne’s stick caught the head of London Knights forward Ryan Brown last Friday, many hockey fans believed it was the end of the Guelph Storm defenceman’s season. 

Instead, the OHL’s department of player safety served him a two-game suspension, emphasizing that the decision was based on the area of where the stick made contact — not the force of the swing.

London assistant coach Dylan Hunter called it “a league decision” and said the team would move on.

With one week remaining in the regular season, the ban set Beauchesne’s return date for Wednesday night against none other than the Knights. 

That game went off without a hitch, but the discussion about player safety and consistency in the OHL hasn’t gone away.

Writing in the London Free Press, our Ryan Pyette breaks down the story from London’s perspective right here.

Sarnia Sting's Kalib Capecci (13) checks Saginaw Spirit's Brody Pepoy (62) on Sunday at Progressive Auto Sales Arena. (Photo: Mark Malone/Sarnia Observer)

After Beauchesne’s incident, Sunday’s game between the Saginaw Spirit and Sarnia Sting only turned up the heat.

Sarnia dropped a 7-3 decision to the Spirit in a third period that saw the officials hand out a whopping 19 misconducts between the two teams.

In the aftermath, Sting head coach Mathieu Turcotte told our Mark Malone, “it’s always the same thing with this classless organization."

“They go after our 16-year-olds every night. At a certain point, if the refs can’t do anything about it, we’ll have to respond.”

The bench boss also critiqued Saginaw’s use of a timeout during a late five-on-three power play, saying, “it just kind of shows how much class they have overall behind that bench.”

The OHL slapped both clubs with $5,000 fines, and Turcotte received an additional $5,000 fine for what the OHL deemed “most unprofessional and inflammatory remarks in the media.”

With the Sting and Spirit set to meet again for the regular-season finale this weekend, league commissioner Bryan Crawford made his expectations clear in a release.

“We expect this weekend's regular season finale to be very competitive, but rooted firmly in sportsmanship and mutual respect. Both organizations have been made fully aware of the League's expectations in this area.”

Writing in the Sarnia Observer, our Mark Malone has the full story right here.

Brantford Bulldogs defenceman Ben Danford has impressed since being acquired from the Oshawa Generals. (Photo: Jacob Robinson)

The Kitchener Rangers are the best of the West. 

Following a Tuesday victory, the Blueshirts secured first place in the Western Conference, marking back-to-back 100-point seasons for the first time in franchise history.

“We’re all really happy about it,” forward Sam O’Reilly told beat reporter Josh Brown. “But now we have to look forward to the playoffs and our first-round opponent.”

Over in the East, the Brantford Bulldogs might just be their fourth-round opponent. 

With a win on Wednesday, they clinched both their division and conference titles, ensuring home-ice advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs. 

“I’ve been on some really good teams but I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team like this,” said defenceman Ben Danford, whose Oshawa Generals were beaten the past two years by the London Knights in the OHL finals.

With both teams surging down the stretch, might we be witnessing a collision course? It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise.

Brantford needs just one point to clinch the OHL regular-season championship — or any type of Kitchener Rangers loss — to earn home ice throughout the entire playoffs.

If you have a Metroland subscription, you can read Josh Brown’s coverage of the Rangers’ historic finish right here. 

And our Brian Smiley explains how Brantford dominated the East and what it could mean for their championship run over here.

In his 299th career OHL game, the Soo Greyhounds' Marco Mignosa scores the game-winning goal in overtime on Windsor Spitfires goalie Joey Costanzo. (Photo: Dan Janisse/Windsor Star)

Tuesday was St. Patrick's Day, and the Erie Otters took it upon themselves to turn their rink green. Did they go too far? (Photo: Erie Otters)