The OHL playoffs are over, and the Kitchener Rangers have truly earned their way into the Memorial Cup they're hosting. The Rangers beat Belleville 4-1 last night in game seven of the OHL final to win the OHL title. So, this year's "back door" team is Belleville, who will be the only team at the tournament who did not win their league this year.
Kitchener's win last night also snuffed out Belleville's attempt to complete one of the toughest feats in sports, coming back from down 3-0 in a series. The Bulls fought back to force the seventh game but in the end, Kitchener smoked the Bulls in a game 7 that wasn't that close.
The Big Question now for Kitchener is who will be in their net in the Memorial Cup. They made a big trade to bring in Team Canada WJC goalie Steve Mason, but Mason has been out since the first game of the 2nd round of the playoffs with minor knee surgery. It is expected that he'll be ready to play in the Memorial Cup, but in his absence, backup goalie Josh Unice has carried the team through the last three rounds of the OHL playoffs with an 11-4 record and .915 save %. He's hot and he's in game shape....assuming Mason is ready (which I understand isn't a sure thing), do you switch to the perhaps rusty and perhaps-not-100%-yet Mason for the biggest tournament of all?
In WHL news, the Regina Pats announced yesterday that general manager Brent Parker is battling cancer, a soft-tissue sort in his upper back & shoulder, and is undergoing treatment in Calgary.
This news throws his future as Pats G.M. - which is always a topic of discussion in the summers in Regina, it seems - into even murkier waters. Not that whether he's going to be the Pats G.M. next season is the most important thing on his mind, I'm sure.....nor should it be more important on anyone else's mind either, really....
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