Playoff hockey is always a nailbiter because you never know when your home team will be out, could be on the road, or just swept at home. The WHL has been hit by a great deal of drama, especially in the third round.
As Everett swept two series and lost only one game since the second round, they are the most rested team. The battle out east has been, to say the least, interesting. Medicine Hat lost the first game by five goals, won the second by five goals, took a game against Prince Albert in overtime, and appeared to be solving the Raiders’ path.
The Raiders, though, were not about to let the Tigers off easy. The next two games, one in Medicine Hat and the other in Prince Albert, produced two identical 6-3 scores in favor of the Raiders. It seemed nothing went right for the Tigers, as they switched out netminders each game and even made in-game changes, but to no avail.
Down 3-2, the series came back to Medicine Hat. The teams were tied at one after the first period, with the Tigers grabbing an early power play goal in the second to take the lead. Two quick goals by the Raiders before the midway point, the first on the power play, chased starting goaltender Jordan Switzer in favor of Carter Casey, and the Tigers got one back.
Prince Albert then rattled off three goals in six minutes, including another power play goal, and the Tigers were on the ropes.
The third period was interesting. The Tigers came to life with two goals well before the midway point, but saw the Raiders grab a 7-5 lead just past it. Medicine Hat would score again, but did so with just six seconds left on the clock. There was no time to find the equalizer, dropping a 7-6 tilt to the Raiders.
May 8 will see Prince Albert in Everett, with two games back-to-back there. Games 3, 4, and 5, if necessary, will be in Prince Albert, and should Games 6 or 7 be needed, they will be back in Everett. Judging by the schedule, it appears they will bus, as the cost of flying a small-market team may be too high.
Following the near walk-through by the Kitchener Rangers, who took their series 4-1 over the Windsor Spitfires, eyes shifted toward the Barrie Colts and Brantford Bulldogs. The teams have dug in for the long haul, as a Game 7 looms after Barrie came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the series with back-to-back 4-3 overtime wins.
The latest saw Barrie outshot 10-1 at one point, but that one shot was a goal, and now the series will resume Tuesday in Brantford.
The QMJHL sees Chicoutimi advancing over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies following a 6-3 win in Game 6. Chicoutimi had previously shut out the Huskies 3-0 to take a 3-2 series lead, and the next game secured the series win. Meanwhile, the Moncton Wildcats and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada head back to Moncton for a deciding Game 7, with the winner to face Chicoutimi in the final.
The WHL was represented by two players in the top 50 CHL players: Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats and Carey Price, goaltender of the Tri-City Americans.
Bedard played 134 games in the WHL but amassed 271 points. He is the only CHL player to sweep CHL Top Draft Prospect, CHL Top Scorer, and CHL David Branch Player of the Year honors in one season, and he was named the Calder Trophy winner with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also won back-to-back gold medals with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.
Price was a monster in net, setting franchise records for shutouts in a season and career shutouts. He captured the WHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year awards in 2006-07. He played 15 years in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, winning the Hart, Vezina, Ted Lindsay, and Jennings trophies. Montreal drafted him fifth overall, tying him for the third-highest drafted goaltender all-time with Tom Barrasso. Only Roberto Luongo and Marc-Andre Fleury were drafted higher among goaltenders. He retired after the 2022 season.
Two players made the 20-11 list: Jerome Iginla at number 14 and Scott Niedermayer at number 11, both of the Kamloops Blazers, though at different points in their careers. Iginla, whose son now plays for the Kelowna Rockets, was known for winning back-to-back WHL titles and the Memorial Cup in 1994 and 1995. He played the majority of his NHL career with the Calgary Flames, won several trophies, and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Alongside Corey Perry, he is one of only two players to win the Memorial Cup, World Juniors, Olympic gold, IIHF World Championship, World Cup of Hockey, and the Stanley Cup.
This week will be quiet, except for two series early on. The weekend will see things ramp up to huge proportions as teams settle into the finals and take their place at the Memorial Cup table.
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