HEADLINE

2010 CJHL Playoff Update

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Only five teams will advance to the 2010 RBC Cup National Junior A Championship, and the time has come for those teams to emerge as Champions.

The Pacific, Western, Central and Eastern Champions, and the RBC Cup Host Team, will compete for the RBC Cup from May 1st - 9th in Dauphin, MB. The 2010 RBC Cup host Dauphin Kings have captured the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Title and continue to prove they deserve one of five spots in the 2010 RBC Cup. Now comes the time to determine their remaining four opponents.

The 2010 Doyle Cup, Fred Page Cup, Anavet Cup and Dudley Hewitt Cup will begin this week, the winner of each Regional Championship will earn the right to represent its region at the 2010 RBC Cup.

Pacific Champion - The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) Champions battle the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) Champions in the Doyle Cup for the title of Pacific Champion.

The Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL and the defending RBC Cup Champion Vernon Vipers of the BCHL will meet in the 2010 Doyle Cup beginning on Friday, April 16th in Spruce Grove, AB.

The Spruce Grove Saints captured the 2010 AJHL Enerflex Cup with a victory over the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in Game Seven on Tuesday night. Vernon defeated Powell River in Game Seven of the BCHL Championship on Monday to advance to the Doyle Cup as the Fred Page Cup Champion.

The Vipers eliminated Quesnel and Penticton following a first round bye to advance to the League Final. The Saints earned a bye in the first round of the 2010 AJHL playoffs, swept the Bonnyville, and eliminated the Camrose Kodiaks to earn their spot in the AJHL Final.

The Saints were the top ranked team in the CJHL throughout the 2009-2010 regular season; Vernon was ranked number two in the Final CJHL Top 20 Rankings. The Saints lost just 4 games in regulation during the regular season and were 12-4-0-0 in the post-season. The Vipers lost just 6 games in regulation during the 2009-2010 regular season and were 12-6-0-1 in the BCHL playoffs.

Connor Jones was the leading scorer for the Vipers in the post-season with 20 points in 19 games. The Saints were led by Adam Henderson with 20 points in 16 games. Saints goaltender Vincenzo Marozzi has won all eight of his post-season starts in the 2010 AJHL Playoffs, including a shutout in the Championship game, and posted a League leading 1.62 GAA. Vipers goaltender Graeme Gordon had a league leading 1.90 GAA in the post-season and recorded 4 shutouts.

Since the Doyle Cup was introduced in 1985, the BCHL has won 16 of 25 championships. Vernon (BCHL) has won the most titles with six. The Saints have yet to win a Doyle Cup.

Western Champion - The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Champions will meet the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) Champions in the Anavet Cup and compete for the title of Western Champion.

The MJHL's Dauphin Kings will face the La Ronge Ice Wolves, champions of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, in the 2010 Anavet Cup. The Kings went 50-11-1 this season while the Ice Wolves finished with a record of 29-21-3-5, upsetting many favourites on their way to their first SJHL title.

This year's Anavet Cup has a unique twist in that both teams are guaranteed spots in the RBC Cup, as Dauphin is the host for the 2010 National Junior A Championship. The Anavet Cup series begins on Friday, April 16th in La Ronge, SK.

Dauphin was 50-11-and-1 during the regular season and then went 12-and-1 in the playoffs. The Ice Wolves were 15-and-6 in the playoffs.

The Dauphin Kings wrapped up their first MJHL championship since 1993 with a 4 game sweep of the Winnipeg Saints. The first placed Dauphin Kings set a franchise record for victories in the 2009-2010 regular season with 50 wins. The Top 3 players in the MJHL Playoff Scoring Race were members of the Kings; Kings' Steven Shamanski was the Top Scorer with 22 points. Joe Caliqiuri (Dauphin) led the League with a 1.70 GAA and .930 SV%.

The La Ronge Ice Wolves defeated Humboldt then eliminated the top ranked team in the SJHL's Bauer Conference with a series victory over the Flin Flon Bombers on their path to the SJHL Championship series. The Ice Wolves eliminated the Yorkton Terriers 4-2 in the League Final. Doug Lindensmith led the Ice Wolves in post-season scoring with 22 points in 21 games.

In total, the SJHL has won 28 Anavet Cups while the MJHL has captured 11. The Dauphin Kings last won the Anavet Cup in 1983; this is the first Anavet Cup appearance for La Ronge.

Central Champion - The Superior International Hockey League (SIJHL), Northern Ontario Junior Hockey league (NOJHL), Ontario Junior A Hockey League (OJAHL) and Central Canadian Hockey League (CCHL) Champions, plus the Dudley Hewitt Cup Host Team, play off for the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the title of Central Champion.

The 2010 Dudley Hewitt Cup will showcase the Oakville Blades (OHA Champions), Fort William North Stars from the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), the Abitibi Eskimos from the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and the host Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL). The tournament will take place from April 20th - 24th in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

The Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL are guaranteed a spot in the Dudley Hewitt Cup as the 2010 Host Team. The Soo Thunderbirds were undefeated heading into the NOJHL Final, and are now locked in a 3-3 series tie with the first-placed Abitibi Eskimos in the NOJHL Final series. Game Seven is slated for Thursday, April 15th in the Jus Jordan Arena.

The Eskimos eliminated Temiscaming and Sudbury to advance to the Final series, while the Thunderbirds swept Manitoulin and the Soo Eagles. The Thunderbirds are the defending NOJHL Champions.

The Top 4 Scorers in the NOJHL Scoring Race are members of the Eskimos roster, with nine of the Top Ten Scorers competing in the NOJHL Final. Leading the League is Marc-Alain Begin of the Eskimos with 28 points in 16 games.

The OJAHL Champion and the CCHL Champion compete in a best of seven series for the Buckland Cup and the right to advance to the Dudley Hewitt Cup as the OHA Champion. The Oakville Blades won the 2010 Buckland Cup in Game 6 against the CCHL Champion Newmarket Hurricanes. The Blades defeated the Aurora Tigers, Georgetown Raiders, Kingston Voyageurs and the Newmarket Hurricanes to advance to the 2010 Dudley Hewitt Cup in Sault Ste Marie.

Blades forward Ryan Murphy led the OJAHL playoffs with 27 points. The goaltending team of Mike Morissette and Daniel Savelli (Oakville) led the OJAHL with a 2.12 and 2.50 GAA.

The Fort William North Stars have also advanced to the Dudley Hewitt Cup after capturing the SIJHL Championship. The North Stars succeeded to the SIJHL Final with a sweep over the Sioux Lookout Flyers then eliminated the Dryden Ice Dogs. The North Stars finished the regular season number one overall. Ryan Magill of the North Stars completed the SIJHL Playoffs with a League leading 14 points. Goaltender Guillaume Piche (North Stars) led the League with a 1.61 GAA and a record of 10-1-2 in the post-season.
The first Dudley Hewitt Cup was awarded in 1979, with the last three titles being captured by the OPJHL.

Eastern Champion - The Ligue de Hockey Junior AAA du Quebec (LHJAAAQ), Central Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and Maritime Junior A Hockey league (MJAHL) Champions, plus the Fred Page Cup Host Team, compete for the Fred Page Cup and the title of Eastern Champion.

For the second time in tournament history Brockville will play host to the Fred Page Cup, which will begin on Wednesday, April 21st. Competing in the tournament will be the Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL), Terrebonne Cobras (LHJAAAQ), Woodstock Slammers (MJAHL) and the host Brockville Braves (CJHL).

The Pembroke Lumbers Kings became the only Central Junior A Hockey League club to win four consecutive League Championships with a win over the Brockville Braves in Game Five of the CJHL Championship. The Brockville Braves and Pembroke Lumber Kings finished 1-2 in the regular-season standings, with Brockville edging Pembroke by a single point. The Braves entered the Final undefeated in the post-season.

The Brockville Braves swept the Kemptville 73's and Ottawa Jr. Senators to earn a spot in the CJHL Championship. The Lumber Kings eliminated Cumberland then defeated the Cornwall Colts to advance to the CJHL Final.

Shayne Stockton (Braves) led his team in scoring with 22 points in the 2010 playoffs. Damian Cross was the leading scorer for Pembroke and the CJHL Playoffs with 23 points in 16 games. Pembroke goalie Scott Zacharias recorded a League leading 2.16 GAA in the playoffs.

The Woodstock Slammers won their second Maritime Junior A Hockey League Championship and the Kent Cup with a 4-1 series win over the Weeks Crushers. Nick Huard (Slammers) led the MJAHL Playoff Scoring Race with 23 points.

The Slammers eliminated the Summerside Western Capitals in the MJAHL Semi-Final after a first round sweep of the Dieppe Commandos. The Slammers wrapped up the playoffs with a 12-2 playoff run after winning 45 of 50 regular season games, just three in regulation time. The Woodstock Slammers completed a first-place finish in the MJAHL regular season.

The Terrebonne Cobras are the 2009-2010 Napa Cup Champions. The Terrebonne Cobras recorded a Game 5 victory over the Collège Français de Longueuil to wrap-up the final series. Olivier Daunais led the team in scoring with 25 points, including 4 game winning goals.

During their journey, the Cobras beat the Joliette Traffic and the Granby Inouk before going to the final. The Cobras de Terrebonne were the first placed seed in the regular season.

The first Fred Page Cup was awarded in 1995. Pembroke (2007) and Brockville (1998) have both previously captured the Fred Page Cup.