CJHL Playoff Update

Monday, March 28, 2011

BCHL

Fred Page Cup Final
Powell River Kings (1) vs. Vernon Vipers (1)
The Powell River Kings will meet the Vernon Vipers in the Fred Page Cup Finals for the third consecutive year. Powell River won the Coastal Conference with a 4-2 series win over the Surrey Eagles while Vernon came back from a 2-0 series deficit to win four straight and knock off Salmon Arm in the Interior Final. The two top seeds in their respected conferences are no strangers to each other as they have met the last two years in the finals with Vernon coming out on top both times, skating to a six game series win in 2009 and then a seven game victory last season.

Who's Hot
F Dylan Walchuk (Vernon) was an offensive force in Vernon's last series against Salmon Arm. Walchuk had six goals and one assist, including a four goal outburst in Game 6 of the Interior Conference Final to clinch the series victory for the Vipers. Walchuk now has 12 points in 12 postseason games, placing him second on the team in points and leading the Vipers in playoff goal scoring.

G Michael Garteig (Powell River) has been solid all postseason long posting an 8-5 record with a 1.97 goals-against average and a 0.923 save percentage. Garteig, who was named goaltender of the year this season, stopped 190 of 201 shots in six games during Powell River's series against Surrey and looks poised to stop Vernon's three-peat.

Leading Scorers:
1. Brett Knowles (Salmon Arm) GP- 15, G- 9, A- 14, PTS- 23
2. Bradley McGowan (Surrey) GP- 14, G- 7, A- 13, PTS- 20
3. Matt Ius (Langley) GP- 10, G- 6, A- 14, PTS-20

Top Goaltenders:
1. Michael Garteig (Powell River) GP- 13, W- 8, L- 5, 1.97 GAA, 0.923 SV %
2. Karel St-Laurent (Surrey) GP- 16, W- 10, L- 6, 2.20 GAA, 0.934 SV %
3. Joel Rumpel (Penticton) GP- 9, W- 5, L- 4, 2.45 GAA, 0.896 SV %

That's Interesting
Vernon and Powell River meet in the Fred Page Cup Finals for the third time in the last three years.
Only two Vernon players have failed to record a point so far this postseason.

Powell River has outscored their opponents 38-28 during the postseason while Vernon has outscored the opposition 40-35.

AJHL

In The Hunt
The winner of the 2011 AJHL South Division Title will be decided in Game Seven on Tuesday night. The Camrose Kodiaks thrilled the hometown crowd with a 3-1 win on Sunday to tie the best-of-seven series 3-3. The Kodiaks have rallied back from a 3-1 series deficit with two consecutive wins.

The Kodiaks won Game Seven in the South Division Semi-Final against the Brooks Bandits to advance to the Division Final versus the Oilers. The South Division Champion will face off against the Spruce Grove Saints in the 2011 AJHL Enerflex Cup Final. The Saints eliminated the Fort McMurray Oil Barons to claim the North Division title.

This will be the third consecutive League Final appearance for the Saints. The Saints are the defending AJHL Enerflex Cup Champions. The Spruce Grove Saints also captured the 2010-2011 Dave Duchak Trophy as the AJHL Regular Season Champions for the third consecutive season.

Who's Hot

The Spruce Grove Saints are undefeated in the 2011 AJHL Playoffs with a record of 8-0.

Tyler Jewitt of the Camrose Kodiaks leads the AJHL Scoring Race with 16 points in the post-season.

John Lidgett (Camrose) has recorded three game winning goals in the 2011 AJHL Playoffs.

Goaltenders Dalyn Flette (Camrose) and Michael Tadjdeh (Okotoks) boast a 1.93 GAA and 1.95 GAA respectively, second only to Vincenzo Marozzi of the Spruce Grove Saints with a .95 GAA.

Goaltender Vincenzo Marozzi tied his personal record of 9 shutouts, and is second in the League Record Book for Most Shutouts, One Season, Including Playoffs.

Leading Scorers:
1. Tyler Jewitt, Camrose Kodiaks 9G 7A 16Pts
2. Matt Wilkins, Brooks Bandits 8G 7A 15Pts
3. Kyle Reynolds, Okotoks Oilers 5G 8A 13Pts
4. Ryan Kearns, Bonnyville Pontiacs 3G 9A 12Pts

Top Goaltenders:
1. Vincenzo Marozzi Spruce Grove Saints 0.9GAA
2. Dalyn Flette Camrose Kodiaks 1.93GAA
3. Michael Tadjdeh Okotoks Oilers 1.95GAA

That's Interesting
The Camrose Kodiaks will host the 2011 RBC Cup National Junior A Championship.

The Mount Royal University Cougars captured the 2011 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Championship on Sunday night. The championship final between the Cougars and SAIT Trojans included 21 AJHL Alumni, eight of which are celebrating the Cougars victory .

SJHL

The same two teams that played for the Credit Union Cup in 2010 will play for the league championship in 2011. The defending champion La Ronge Ice Wolves will play the Yorkton Terriers starting with Game 1 in La Ronge Friday night. Here is a snapshot of the two teams and the players that lead them.

La Ronge Ice Wolves
--best regular season record in SJHL as they finished 42-14-0-2 to finish atop the Bauer Conference
--8-2 in the playoffs having beaten Flin Flon and Melfort in 5 games to advance to final
--led by SJHL player of the year Travis Eggum. The 20 year old from Saskatoon had the best season of any SJHL player since the 2002-2003 campaign by scoring 58 goals. His 106 points were tied with teammate Marc-Andre Carre for the league lead in scoring. Eggum is also tied for the playoff scoring lead with 20 year old Logan Herauf of Regina. They both have 22 points in 10 games.
--20 year old Nolan Souchotte of Wolseley is one of many Ice Wolves who were on the 2009-2010 Ice Wolves team that beat the Terriers in the SJHL championship. His grit and play is something all championship teams need to be successful.
--20 year old goaltender Adam Bartko of North Battleford has played every minute for the Ice Wolves in the playoffs registering a goals against average of 2.40.

Yorkton Terriers
--finished the regular season with a record of 34-16-3-5
--have won all eight games they have played in the playoffs sweeping both Estevan and Kindersley and outscoring their opponents 42-13.
--Terriers are led on the blueline by SJHL defenceman of the year Blaine Tendler. The 20 year old from Viceroy leads a talented group of defencemen that will make life difficult for La Ronge's talented forwards
--19 year old Clarke Breitkreuz is coming off a 68 point season. The Springside, SK native is one of many Terriers who watched the Ice Wolves celebrate the SJHL title in their building last year and would love nothing more to bring the Credit Union Cup back to Yorkton.
--20 year old Jeremy Boyer came to Yorkton in a mid-season trade with Humboldt and lit it up for the Terriers. The Saskatoon product had 31 points in 17 games and has added nine points in the playoffs

MJHL

The MJHL divisional finals have now become do or die for at least two clubs: Dauphin Kings and Winkler Flyers who are one loss away from elimination.

Addison Division
Selkirk Steelers hold a 3-2 edge in this best-of-seven series, with the Steelers riding a two-game winning streak. Game 6 goes Tuesday in Selkirk where a large crowd is expected in the Selkirk Rec Complex.

Sher-Wood Division
Portage Terriers, who finished first in the division, have taken a 3-2 series lead thanks to a pair of victories. Game 6 goes Tuesday in Dauphin.

Who's Hot
Selkirk Steelers' trio of Kyle Mulder, Colan Jackson and Jory Geddes are on fire, sitting in the top three spots in the playoff points race. Mulder has 15 points (8-7) while Jackson is one back with 14 points (7-7).

Tyler Moore tops the Terriers' points race with 12 points (4-8).

That's Interesting
Attendance in the division finals has been outstanding, with crowds of more than 1,000 a typical number in Portage, Dauphin and Winkler.

Goaltenders are getting stingy of late. Over the last four games there's been two shutouts registered (one by Selkirk's Jordan Washburn, and Portage's Jason Kasdorf).

PowerPlay Prowess
Selkirk Steelers are deadly when holding the man advantage. Mulder, Jackson and Geddes have scored a total of eight goals via the PP.

SIJHL

The Wisconsin Wilderness now knows who they will meet in Superior International Junior Hockey League final and it's the Dryden Ice Dogs.

Dryden punched their ticket to play for the Bill Salonen Cup after defeating the Fort Frances Lakers 4-1 Monday at home in game 6 winning that best-of-seven semifinal series 4-2.

The schedule for the SIJHL final is expected to be finalized with the next few days.

CKDR Radio in Dryden will have the call for every game in the series at www.ckdr.net while Wisconsin home games will be available on a pay-per-view basis at sijhl.insinc.com.

Live in-game scoring will also be available for all games on Pointstreak through the SIJHL web site.

Who's Hot

Leading Scorers:
Player, Pos., Team, Games Played, Goals, Assists, Points
Thomas Greene, F, Dryden (10gp-9g-8a-17pts)
Ben McClellan, F, Dryden (10gp-5g-10a-15pts)
Len Pelletier, D, Dryden (10gp-7g-4a-11pts)
Sam Dubinsky, F, Thunder Bay (9gp-7g-3a-10pts)
Austin Adduono, F, Wisconsin (8gp-5g-5a-10pts)
Jesse Linner, F, Dryden (10gp-3g-7a-10pts)
Mitch Forbes, F, Thunder Bay (9gp-4g-5a-9pts)
Dwight Lee, F, Dryden (9gp-3g-6a-9pts)
Alex Galbraith, F, (10gp-4g-4a-8pts)
Riley Marsh, F, Thunder Bay (9gp-4g-4a-8pts)
Ryan Lobreau, F, Dryden (10gp-3g-5a-8pts)

Leading Goaltenders:
Goaltender, Team, GP, W-L, AVG., SV%, SO
Ian Perrier, Dryden, 8-2, 1.76, .922, .922, 1
John McLean, Wisconsin, 5-1, 2.17, .920, 1

The Dryden Ice Dogs are 12-2 in their last 14 games overall while Wisconsin is an impressive 35-2-0-3 in their past 40 outings...Thomas Greene of the Dryden Ice Dogs remains the leading point producer in the postseason with 17 in 10 games including a SIJHL-high 10 goals....Goaltender John McLean of Wisconsin is 5-0 in his last five starts...Dryden netminder Ian Perrier tops all SIJHL puck stoppers playoff wins (8), goals-against average (1.76) and save percentage. (.922)

That's Interesting
This will mark Dryden's sixth appearance in the Bill Salonen Cup final. They are 2-3 in their first five trips to the league championship series. Wisconsin meanwhile will play in the final in their first year in the league...Thunder Bay's semifinal ouster by Wisconsin puts an end to the North Stars streak of playing in the SIJHL at seven...The Thunder Bay North Stars have the most playoff wins of any team in SIJHL history with 59. Dryden is second with 43.

OJHL

OJHL Semi-Finals:
Wellington (1-SE) vs. Stouffville (5-NW) - Tied 2-2
Oakville (3-NW) vs. Kingston (3-SE) - Kingston leads series 3 games to 2

Who's Hot
Leading Scorers:
1. Matt Neal (Stouffville) - 26 points
2. Joey Wilson (Kingston) - 21 points
3. Christian Finch (Stouffville) - 19 points
4. Kyle Blaney (Oakville) - 19 points
5. Colt Kennedy (Kingston) - 19 points

Top Goaltenders:
1. Jordan Ruby (Wellington) - 1.64 gaa
2. Colin Fernandes (Orangeville) - 2.03 gaa
3. Wendell Vye (Kingston) - 2.21 gaa

• Joey Wilson (Kingston) - Has recorded eight points in last four games to take scoring lead on Kingston
• Trevor Carrick (Stouffville) - Leads all OJHL defencemen in playoff scoring with 12 points
• Jon Hall (Stouffville) - Earns second shutout of playoffs during game four, 4-0 victory over Wellington

That's Interesting

• Homer Series - The home team won every game in both semi-final series until Kingston broke the streak with a game five, 5-4 overtime victory in Oakville.
• Ryan Demelo of the North York Rangers was named the OJHL's Most Valuable Player
• Three members of Team Canada East that won silver at the World Junior 'A' Challenge remain in the hunt for the Buckland Cup - Phil Hampton (Oakville), Jordan Ruby (Wellington) and Brennan Serville (Stouffville)

MHL

Both the Bent and Meek Division series' in the Maritime Junior Hockey League see two teams on the brink of elimination as the Weeks Crushers have a 3-2 series hold over the Yarmouth Mariners in the Bent and the Summerside Western Capitals also with a 3-2 lead over the Woodstock Slammers in the Meek. The Mariners play host to the Crushers in Yarmouth on Tuesday night and will fight to stay alive while the Slammers have a more difficult predicament as they head to Summerside to try and steal back an opportunity to win a game 7 at home. The division titles could be decided on Tuesday, with a Kent Cup final getting underway in less than one week.

QJAAAHL

The QJAAAHL playoff series continued this week with the presentation of the semi-final round. Four teams are still in the run for the Napa Cup Championship.

Sherbrooke vs Valleyfield - Valleyfield leads the series 3-2
After winning the series opening game in Sherbrooke Sunday March 20th (3-2), the Valleyfield Braves tied the series Tuesday March 22nd, with a 5-1 victory. Julien Corriveau (2-0-2) and Marc-Antoine Perron led the Braves in scoring while goaltender Éric Bourdon allowed only one goal on 23 shots. Two days later, The Braves took a 2-1 lead with a 5-3 win in Sherbrooke. Dominic Chicoine (1-2-3) and Olivier Ouellet (1-1-2) did well offensively for the Braves while Alex Sckoropad-Gagnon (1-2) and Jérôme Anctil led Sherbrooke in scoring. Friday March 25th, the Collège Champlain de Sherbrooke rebounded with a 6-5 overtime win in Valleyfield to tie de series 2-2. Nicolas Poulin scored the game winner on a power-play at 2:34 of the first overtime period. Charles-Alexandre Drolet (1-2-3), Alex Sckoropad-Gagnon (1-2-3) and Benjamin Martin (1-3-3), led Sherbrooke in scoring while Guillaume Donovan (1-2-3) and Julien corriveau (2-0-2) also did well offensively for Valleyfiled. In the fifth game of this series played on Sunday March 27th, the Braves recorded their second road victory with a 6-3 win to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Olivier Ouellet led the Braves offensively with a hat trick and one assist while goaltender Tommy Perreault, in his first start in the playoffs, allowed 3 goals on 28 shots to record his 1st win. Marc-Étienne Drapeau also did well offensively for Sherbrooke with a pair of goals. Sherbrooke will face elimination Tuesday March 29th.

Longueuil vs Joliette - Longueuil wins the series in six games (4-2)

The Collège Français de Longueuil wrapped up their semi-final series against the Joliette Traffic in six games (4-2) and become the first team to qualify for the final round against the winner of the series between Valleyfield and Sherbrooke.

Series Recap:
In the first game played in Longueuil Friday March 18th, the Collège Français took a 1-0 lead in the series with a 4-3 victory. Left winger Maxime Charrette led Longueuil in scoring during that game with one goal and two assists. In the second game which took place in Joliette Sunday March 20th, the Traffic came back from behind in four occasions before recording a 6-5 win in overtime. Left winger David Duhamel scored the game winner at 1:58 of the first overtime period. Nicholas Pard (1-2-3) and Alexandre Côté (2-0-2) led the Traffic in scoring. In the third game in Longueuil on March 22nd, the Collège Français came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period while left winger Maxime Charrette scored three goals including the game winner at 9:24 of the first overtime period to lead Longueuil to a 5-4 win and a 2-1 lead in the series. Nicholas Pard also did well offensively in that game for the Traffic with two goals. Thursday March 24th, it is the Traffic who came back from behind in three occasions before recording a 5-4 overtime win and tied the series 2-2. Patrick Lapostolle scored the winning goal for the Traffic at 6:48 of the first overtime period. David Duhamel (2-0-2) and Benjamin Lagarde (1-2-3), led the Traffic in scoring. Friday March 27th, in Longueil the Collège Français scored three unanswered goals in the first period en route to a 6-2 win and a 3-2 lead in the series. Yannick Geoffrey (2-1-3) and Anthony Brockman (2-0-2) led the Collège Français in scoring. In the sixth game in Joliette, Sunday March 27th, the Collège Français took a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes of play before recording a 4-1 victory to eliminate the Traffic and wrap-up their semi-final series in six games. Anthony Brockman led Longueuil in scoring with a pair of goals.

Who's Hot

League Leading Scorers:
1. Nicholas Pard - Joliette - 30 points in 13 games (15-15-30)
2. Maxime Charrette - Longueuil - 23 points in 10 games (11-12-23)
3. Alexandre Côté - Joliette - 22 points in 15 games (8-15-23)
4. Olivier Ouellet - Valleyfield - 22 point un 12 games (12-10-22)
5. Yannick Geoffrey - Longueuil - 21 points in 11 games (8-13-21)

Top Goaltenders:
1. Marc-André Corbeil, Longueuil 11GP - 8-3 - 31 GA - 1 SO - 2:67 GA - .887%
2. Éric Bourdon, Valleyfield 11 GP - 8-3 - 33 GA - 2:79 GA - .901%
3. Alexandre Alain-Rajotte, Sherbrooke 10 GP - 6-4 - 31 GA - 2 SO - 3:12 GA - .874%
4. Jean-Philippe Gagnon, Joliette 15 GP - 8-7 - 51GA - 1 SO - 3:35 GA - .892%
5. Tommy Perreault, Valleyfield 1 GP - 1-0 - 3 GA - 3 :00 GA - .893%