Two teams remain in the Westman High School Hockey League.
The puck on the championship series drops on Tuesday evening at the J&G Homes Arena in Brandon. That's where the Dauphin Clippers will be after a dramatic three-game series victory over the Parkland rival Swan Valley Tigers.
The Clippers wrapped up the series on Sunday with a dominant 4-1 win at the Centennial Arena.
"It feels great; it was a great series with three close games," said Jason Alf. "We really wanted this one yesterday. The guys came out hard, played to our systems, and got the job done. It was a great victory for our group."
Dauphin was on the brink of elimination after losing the series opener. Hosting game two at Credit Union Place, hundreds of fans packed the rink to help push Dauphin over the hump as they evened the series. It was one of the best crowds you'll witness in high school hockey, and then, in game three, dozens of fans from Dauphin went to Swan River to cheer on the boys.
Alf wants to thank the fans for your support.
"We had a ton show up in Swan River and in Dauphin, it was an incredible atmosphere, and the boys enjoyed it," offered Alf. "Kudos to the fans of Swan River as well, they showed up in Dauphin and made a ton of noise. When it comes to our fans, a big shoutout. Who knows how the series would have ended without you, so thank you Dauphin Clipper fans."
The only team in the way of Dauphin winning a league championship is a team that is on the verge of history. The Vincent Massey Vikings have not lost a game in league play. They went 32-0 in the regular season and are 6-0 in the playoffs.
The Vikings scored 26 goals in a best-of-three against Birtle before finding the back of the net 23 more times in the quarterfinals. They posted 10 more goals in a sweep against Hamiota and now, they're two wins away from a title.
Jason knows taming the Vikings will be daunting, but the team is looking forward to the opportunity.
"We're feeling pretty good. They're playing well and have lots of bodies that contribute with solid goaltending," said Alf. "We're riding quite a high here off a couple of our series wins."
Dauphin scored 15 goals in a sweep against Roblin to open the playoffs before scoring 10 more in a sweep against Neepawa. That was followed by the team's three-game series victory over Swan Valley and come puck drop on Tuesday, Alf has full belief in the Green & White.
"We've had quite a run here, it hasn't been easy. We've battled through a ton of injuries and adversity," ended Alf. "This is a special group of guys that go to war for each other."
Game two will return to Credit Union Place on Wednesday at 7:30 and if need be, game three is tentatively set for Friday evening in Brandon.
