Four teams remain in the chase for a championship in the Manitoba U-18 AAA Hockey League playoffs.
That includes Easten Turko of McCreary as the Brandon Wheat Kings prepare for the second round. The opening round provided very little drama as all four series needed the minimum amount of games. Brandon swept Eastman, the Wild swept the Lightning, the Bruins got past Pembina Valley in three games, and the Southwest Cougars swept the Winnipeg Thrashers.
The Wheat Kings will challenge the Cougars while in a Battle of Winnipeg, the Wild battle the Bruins.
Brandon vs Southwest:
The Wheat Kings lost a ton of firepower from last year's championship season with the deletion of Jaxon Jacobson, Brady Turko, and Easton Odut, to name a few. However, they didn't miss a beat this season. Jonah Lemoine stepped up hugely for Brandon in the regular season, leading the team's offensive charge with 81 points while Cole Dupuis finished with 68 points. In their first-round sweep against Eastman, Lemoine had one goal and 11 points while Reid Nicol collected nine points.
In somewhat of a shocking turn, the Cougars swept the Thrashers. Winnipeg finished three points higher than Southwest in the regular season, but it was the Cougars that got hot at the right time. Lynden Gould's five points led the Cougars offensively while Micky Gross was outstanding between the pipes, winning all three games with a 1.79 goals-against average and .937 save percentage. He'll have to be just as good and likely better if Southwest has a chance of eliminating the Wheat Kings.
Regular Season Series:
After their first meeting needed overtime to decide the winner, the Wheat Kings took care of business, in a relatively easy fashion. They outscored the Cougars, 17-7, in four regular-season meetings and enter this series as heavy favourites.
Brandon's biggest margin of victory was a 6-2 win over Southwest while they downed the Cougars, 4-1, in their most recent meeting on February 12.
The winner in this best-of-seven will advance to the championship series with an ultimate spot in the Telus Cup West Regionals on the line.
Winnipeg Wild vs Winnipeg Bruins:
The Wild scored 15 goals in three games against the Lightning, the Bruins found the back of the net 12 times. The Wild gave up five goals in three games, the Bruins allowed four. The Wild won 40 games in the regular season, the Bruins won 35.
This has all the makings of a classic between these two rivals. The Bruins, however, will have to find a way to tame the hottest team in the province. Dating back to the regular season, the Wild have won 25 straight games. The Wild have not lost since Sunday, December 15. They finished the regular season with 236 goals, the most in the league. Ludovic Perreault had 86 regular season points while Luca Pura had 83. In the net, Justin Perreault led the way with 25 wins, a 1.65 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage. This Winnipeg Wild team is legit.
The Winnipeg Bruins, meanwhile, are also a well-oiled machine. Their 225 goals in the regular season were the third-most in the league while they allowed 122 goals. Shea Rollason, a top prospect of the Dauphin Kings, led the way with 66 regular season points while 12 different players had at least 30 points.
This series includes great goaltending, offensive firepower, and all the makings of a potentially long series. For that to happen, though, the Bruins will have to find a way to beat the Wild, something that has not happened in more than three months.
Regular Season Series:
Three of the four regular-season meetings between these two teams came in the first half with the Bruins winning two. The Wild won the last two meetings, including a thrilling 2-1 overtime win on February 21. The Bruins scored nine times against the Wild while they rebounded with nine goals as well.
They played each other tight in the regular season and fans can expect much of the same come Tuesday evening.
Enjoy hockey fans, the second round should be a fun one.
