And then there were three.....Lethbridge completed the sweep of the Hitmen last night, advancing the Hurricanes to the WHL final for the first time since they won it in 1997. In fact, I think this year has represented the first time that franchise has even won a playoff round since 1997. And what a roll they are on....many people thought they would beat the Hitmen but I don't think very many people thought it would be in four games. This is also the first time in Hitmen franchise history (including 11 straight trips to the playoffs) that the Hitmen have been swept in a playoff series.
The OHL reps for the Memorial Cup were also determined last night. Kitchener is the host so they're guaranteed a spot, but the Rangers continued their quest to go in the front door by advancing to the OHL final last night. Their opponent in the final was also determined last night and it will be the Belleville Bulls. And because of that, Belleville will get to play in the Memorial Cup regardless of which of those two teams wins the OHL. Belleville has appeared in the Memorial Cup once before, in 1999, where they finished 3rd. Kitchener has appeared in the Cup five times before, most recently in 2003 when they won it.
Both western teams won yesterday at the Telus Cup; the Winnipeg Thrashers are now 3-0 after beating Cole Harbour 4-3, and the Calgary Buffaloes improve to 1-1-1 after beating host Ottawa Valley 5-1. Today Winnipeg plays Ottawa Valley, while Calgary takes on the Quebec rep, Seminaire St-Francois. The top four teams after the round-robin make the playoffs, with #1 playing #4 and #2 playing #3 in the semifinals Saturday. Right now Winnipeg is in first place and Calgary is in third, so both western teams are in good shape for the playoffs so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment