Feb 03, 2010 - 04:30 AM

By Brad Kelly

AJAX -- John Harrington loves to golf, but he isn't in any hurry to hit the links this spring.

The captain of the Ajax Attack is in his final season of junior hockey eligibility, and he recognizes that once he is out on the course this spring, it will signify the end of the hockey season. Graduating due to age, Harrington would like to postpone golfing as long as he can and, in its place, enjoy a long playoff run.

"I just want to be around as long as I can," said the 20-year-old following Sunday afternoon's 8-6 victory over the Pickering Panthers. "This is my last year here, so I want to go to the end."

This will be the second year in a row Harrington will experience playoff hockey with the Attack, something the organization hasn't done a lot of over the years. Last season, the Attack pulled off a mild first-round upset over the Bowmanville Eagles and, if the season were to finish today, that would be the first-round matchup again.

Bowmanville sits first, while the Attack are eighth with just two games remaining on the schedule. Ironically, the last game of the season for the Attack is Friday in Bowmanville.

"I'm just hoping we make the best of it," says Harrington of the playoffs. "I wouldn't say we wanted to finish eighth place, but I think it worked out for the better with the teams we're going into playing.

"I think if we get momentum in that (final) game, we can bring it into the playoffs."

Harrington played all of his minor hockey in the area, joining the Attack three seasons ago. He was an assistant captain last season and wanted to make sure the winning tradition carried over when he was named captain this season.

"When I was here (the first year) we were always a low end, losing team. So when I got the captain this year, I thought 'You know what, I'm going to take charge and make sure everyone's on the same page all year.'

"(Coach) Carey (Durant) and I spend a lot of time talking off the ice, on the phone, making sure guys are in order and everything is in check."

Harrington has one year remaining in his professional golf management program at Durham College and, beyond that, hopes to play either university hockey at UOIT or senior with the Whitby Dunlops.

But before that happens, there is the season to conclude. Surprisingly, he was held pointless in Sunday's 8-6 win over Pickering. Blake Boddy scored three times, with two by Shane Cavalieri. Singles went to Jonny Simone, Luke Laszkiewicz and Hayden Perroni. The win improved the Attack to 24-23-1 heading into Stouffville Thursday, then to Bowmanville Friday to close out the season.

The Panthers managed to dress just 13 skaters for the game against the Attack, missing Jordan Ramsay (suspension), Kyle Ramsay (injury), Khalid Alli (suspension) and Brayden Rose (suspension). Justin MacDonald and Jesse Brown scored twice each, with singles to Evan Haga and Blair Falotico.

"They are a good group," said coach Bill Brady of his team, which battled hard despite a depleted lineup and being outshot 52-32.

"Unfortunately, we just haven't got the results with wins this season. They all seem to be carbon copies. We play for a certain period of time, then we seem to lose our concentration."

The Panthers, who sit last in the 10-team East Division with a record of 14-30-3, visit Markham Thursday, host Wellington on Friday at 7:30 p.m., then finish the season Sunday in Bowmanville.