Kitchener Rangers moved one step closer to hoisting the Memorial Cup with a 4-0 series win over Barrie Colts. The Colts might have been more in the series had they not played a grueling seven-game set versus the Brantford Bulldogs, only to start the Rangers a day later. Surprisingly, the Colts stayed within a couple of goals each game and made the Kitchener group work that much harder. In the end, with the loaded team, the Rangers take the J. Robertson Trophy, move to the Memorial Cup, and represent the Ontario Hockey League.
The QMJHL will go to at least six, and most likely seven games, where both the Moncton Wildcats and Chicoutimi Saguenéens took one win and lost one game in each home-court series. The games have been tough, with few penalties and very close scores, even extending to overtime. Should the series go the distance, the winning team may not feel like much of a winning team, having to then jump to the Memorial Cup just a few days later.
The WHL series is interesting in that the fans in Everett may have said their final goodbyes last week, with the team hosting the first two games of the final. The reason is that Everett would travel to Prince Albert for the next three, and only if games six and seven were necessary would the hometown faithful see the Tips in action again. Following the split of games in Everett last week, many surmised that Everett would have to go the distance in the Final. That may not be the case. Everett has shown its strength in two games thus far and weathered a very tough, physical team in the Raiders. The tally of power plays indicates such, and with it, the special teams for both sides need to be at their very best.
Game three in Prince Albert saw the Raiders without Daxon Rudolph, who was out for a game due to a suspension for a cross-checking major in the game prior, when they battled in Everett. Everett dominated with a 44-20 shot advantage, and if not for the heroics of Michal Orsulak, the game would have been a much wider margin than the 3-2 final. Everett scored first, only to be countered seven minutes later on a Prince Albert power play for a tie at the end of the period. Prince Albert took the lead just two minutes into the second frame, but a goal within the final two minutes by Everett sent the teams to the locker room tied at 2. It took over 15 minutes for another goal to be scored, but it was by Everett. Despite a flurry with Orsulak out for the extra attacker for the final 1:15, the Raiders couldn’t muster the tying goal and fell 3-2 to Everett.
The next night saw Everett score just 32 seconds into the game, holding that lead through the period. The second saw Prince Albert tie the game midway through, only to see Everett, on the power play with two minutes left in the period, restore the lead.
The third saw yet another power-play goal just over four minutes into the period, which Prince Albert responded to two minutes later. Midway through the third period, Everett struck again and added a late empty-net goal for the 5-2 win. Though Everett and Prince Albert were close at 35-33 shots on goal, special teams were strong for Everett at 2-for-5, while holding Prince Albert off the score sheet on six attempts with the man advantage. The Tips now hold a 3-1 lead in the series and can close it out with a win on Friday. If not, the series reverts back to Everett, where they have two more cracks to win it.
The CHL Top 50 Players of All Time listed Connor McDavid at number 4, Wayne Gretzky at 3, and Sidney Crosby at number 2. The number one will be unveiled as we go to press, but they’ve sort of let the cat out of the bag by announcing their top 5. The only name yet to be called is Mario Lemieux, so we gotta go with that scoop.
The Memorial Cup starts in a week, and we’ll have all the details as the pairings whittle down.
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