Tigers/Broncos going seven

Medicine Hat staved off elimination with a 3-0 game six win over Swift Current tonight, so the first round will have at least one seventh game this year. That one will take place Tuesday night in Speedy Creek.

The Broncos will apparently be without Eric Doyle and Keegan Dansereau for the game - they both missed tonight's game (Doyle missed game five too) and the Broncos are saying they are both out for the rest of the series, which would presumably include game seven on Tuesday. The Tigers will get Matt McCue back from his suspension for the game, and since Broncos defenceman Ryan Molle picked up a double minor tonight for headbutting after the final buzzer, perhaps the Broncos might have to play without him too if he ends up getting suspended.

So....big game six win, McCue back, two of the Broncos' best players out.....things are looking better all the time for the Tigers, although the Broncos still have the home ice advantage. I think I said before the series began that the Tigers would win in OT in game seven....we'll see.

Meanwhile, Saskatoon will try to do tomorrow what Medicine Hat did tonight, which is stave off elimination in game six, although they'll have to do it on the road in Lethbridge whereas the Tigers had the home crown tonight. This year's Blades are the best road team in WHL history though so being on the road might actually be better for them?

And someone e-mailed me asking if I knew who Shaw would be showing in the 2nd round. I don't, and I suspect Shaw may not 100% know either since the East matchups are not set yet. But since they covered the East in the first round, I would put my money on them going with a West series in the 2nd round, especially since both West 2nd round series have the potential to be doozies. There's no Vancouver-Kelowna matchup that Shaw would probably prefer but I think they'd be happy with Vancouver-Spokane - the #2 overall team in the league (and Shaw's biggest WHL TV market) against the defending Memorial Cup champs. So that's who I would pick for them to cover.

If they do stay in the East for the 2nd round then I'd expect to see them show Calgary against whoever the Hitmen end up playing - which will be either Lethbridge (if they win over the Blades) or the Tigers-Broncos winner (if the Blades come back and take out the Hurricanes). But I wouldn't lay any money at all on the East getting the 2nd round series.