CHL playoffs start tonight

[Destroydacre]

Tri-City beats Vancouver 2-1 in OT. Carter Ashton scores a PP goal with 2.2 seconds left in the first OT period.

 

[Destroydacre]

Darren Kramer wins it in OT for the Chiefs!

 

[dash]

Other scores from the WHL tonight:

Brandon 7, Medicine Hat 2

Looks like Tyler spent a lot of time on his Bunz...Should a team need a wake-up call for the start of the playoffs? Apparently the Tigers do.

 

[Destroydacre]

Looks like Tyler spent a lot of time on his Bunz...Should a team need a wake-up call for the start of the playoffs? Apparently the Tigers do.

Ideally no, but there's worse games to lay an egg in than game 1. I think Medicine Hat comes back with a strong effort tonight and wins a long series. Gotta give credit to Brandon though, they played some damn good hockey the 2nd half of the season. Probably the toughest first round matchup of any of the top teams in the playoffs this year, but I expect the Tigers to get it done.

 

[juliansteed]

Looks like the Sea Dogs might break through this year Julian. They had one damn impressive record this season.

I want to see Spokane/Medicine Hat in the WHL final. That would be pretty cool. Long ways to go though. It's a very tough road for both teams.

Yeah they should have no trouble winning the QMJHL but anything can happen. Tied the record for most wins with 58. The 2 other teams did it with longer seasons but no shootouts. They also went 32-0-1-1 at home. Gonna be tough for anyone to stop them. But its hard to say what's going to happen at the Memorial Cup. Its hard to compare teams between leagues and the Q is usually known as the weakest league.

 

[juliansteed]

How's St. John's doin'?

St. John's (Newfoundland) actually lost their team about 3 years ago. They are now known as the Montreal Rocket and hold the #2 seed in the QMJHL playoffs. They are leading the Halifax Mooseheads in their best of 7 series 2-0. Don't worry, people only a few hours away can't keep it straight.

Saint John (New Brunswick) are the top seed in the Q and beat Cape Breton 10-0 last night. It really is a mismatch of epic proportions. 16 of 18 teams make the playoffs and Cape Breton is that 16th seed. The point differential between the 2 teams is something like 76. They play again tonight. This one should be over in 4. Simon Despres looked great as usual.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

KITCHENER – Scoring balance is a recurring theme of any Plymouth Whalers victory this season. The same script held true in Game 1 of the Whalers-Kitchener Rangers first round playoff series played Friday night before 5,745 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

Plymouth received six different goal scorers in a 6-5 win over the Rangers to take game 1. First star Jamie Devane and third star Tyler Brown led the Whalers attack with a goal and two assists each; Beau Schmitz, Stefan Noesen, Garrett Meurs and Dario Trutmann scored single goals. Plymouth goaltender Scott Wedgewood stopped 46-of-51 shots in the win.

Gabriel Landeskog scored a pair of goal with an assist for Kitchener. Matt Tipoff scored twice for the Rangers and Michael Catenacci scored a goal with two assists as the game’s second star for Kitchener.

The game was tied, 1-1, after one period and 4-4 after forty minutes.

Kitchener took the lead at 0:33 of the first period when Tipoff scored from the lower rim of the right circle with a shot that went over the shoulder of Wedgewood. Kitchener had a 16-3 shots-on-goal advantage through the first 12 minutes of the game before Devane tied the game at 1-1 for the Whalers at 12:07. Robbie Czarnik skated wide right wing into the Kitchener zone to the right goal line and fed the puck across to Devane, who made no mistake on the re-direct.

Kitchener outshot Plymouth in the first period, 22-10.

Plymouth took their first lead of the game at 2-1 at 6:30 of the second period when Brown found Schmitz at the right point. Schmitz took a hard, low shot that found the back of the Kitchener net past a screened Maxwell. Working on a five-on-three power play, the Rangers tied the game at 2-2 when Tipoff scored on a rebound at the right wing side of the Whalers goal.

The Whalers re-took the lead 0:56 later at 3-2 on a power play goal of their own. Kitchener goaltender Brandon Maxwell stopped Czarnik’s blast from the left point, but Noesen tapped home the rebound with a backhand shot. Rangers tied the game at 3-3 at 14:22 on a fortunate bounce when Catenacci skated to the right circle in the Plymouth zone and bounced a shot off a Whalers defender and past Wedgewood.

Plymouth came back to re-take the lead at 4-3 at 15:40 when Meurs and Mitchell Heard teamed up for the prettiest goal of the evening. Working two-on-two, Meurs carried the puck to the left wing half-wall in the Kitchener zone and passed to Heard, who found Meurs breaking for the net. Meurs waited and then tucked a backhand past Maxwell. 0:59 later (at 16:39), Landeskog tied the game again when Catenacci found him in front of the Plymouth goal.

James Livingston set up Trutmann to give the Whalers a 5-4 lead at 5:21 of the third period. Keeping the play alive for a sustained period in the Kitchener end, Livingston skated from behind the Kitchener net to the left broads. Livingston thenfound Trutmann at the right hashmark, who ripped the puck home. Brown established the first two-goal lead of the evening at for Plymouth at 6-4 at 10:33 when he pounced on a loose puck off a Kitchener defender in the slot in the Rangers zone and blew the shot over Maxwell’s glove.

Rangers came back to cut the Plymouth lead to 6-5 at 12:21 when Landeskog tipped Ryan Murphy’s shot from the high slot.

Trailing by a goal in the final minute, Kitchener head coach Steve Spott called a time out with 0:33 left and pulled Maxwell a couple of times. But the Whalers held on for the win.

Kitchener outshot Plymouth, 51-30.

Here’s the rest of the series:
Game 2 - Saturday, March 26 - Kitchener at Plymouth, 7:05pm.
Game 3 - Monday, March 28 - Plymouth at Kitchener, 7:00pm.
Game 4 - Wednesday, March 30 - Kitchener at Plymouth, 7:05pm.
Game 5 - Friday, April 1 - Plymouth at Kitchener, 7:30pm (*) if necessary.
Game 6 - Saturday, April 2 - Kitchener at Plymouth, 7:05pm (*) if necessary.
Game 7 - Monday, April 4 - Plymouth at Kitchener, 7:00pm (*) if necessary.

 

[dash]

Plymouth received six different goal scorers in a 6-5 win over the Rangers to take game 1.

Kitchener outshot Plymouth, 51-30.

You don't see that combination very often...

 

[Eddie_Shack]

You don't see that combination very often...

It sounded like a pretty weird game. I don't have Comcast so I can't watch, and I probably need a new computer before I try streaming games, so I'm stuck with the newspaper. It's OK, I'll just pretend it's the Roaring Twenties.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

4 point night for Nugent Hopkins last night ... from the highlights he looked clinical ... kinda makes me wish I had shaw cable

/not really

 

[juliansteed]

St. John's (Newfoundland) actually lost their team about 3 years ago. They are now known as the Montreal Rocket and hold the #2 seed in the QMJHL playoffs. They are leading the Halifax Mooseheads in their best of 7 series 2-0. Don't worry, people only a few hours away can't keep it straight.

Saint John (New Brunswick) are the top seed in the Q and beat Cape Breton 10-0 last night. It really is a mismatch of epic proportions. 16 of 18 teams make the playoffs and Cape Breton is that 16th seed. The point differential between the 2 teams is something like 76. They play again tonight. This one should be over in 4. Simon Despres looked great as usual.

Ooops! See how easy it is to mess up. As I was correcting you I messed up myself. The former St. John's team is now the Montreal Junior. The Montreal Rocket are now the PEI Rocket. There will be a quiz later.

 

[dash]

I was thinking that Montreal Rocket wouldn't fly too well with the Habs...Thanks for the clarification, julian.

 

[juliansteed]

I was thinking that Montreal Rocket wouldn't fly too well with the Habs...Thanks for the clarification, julian.

The QMJHL has tried many times to make it work in Montreal but it just doesn't seem to sell in Montreal. Even with the 2nd best team in the league and with Habs' prospect Louis Leblanc, the current Montreal team has drawn less than 2000 for both of their playoff games so far.

 

[juliansteed]

It was a bit closer tonight for the Sea Dogs as they only managed to win 7-1. Despres scored a goal and Capitals' prospect Stanislav Galiev also continues his hot play with another goal. But its been the 2011 draft prospects stealing the show so far. Top 10 prospect Jonathan Huberdeau had a hat trick and an assist tonight bringing his playoff total for 8 points. Late 1st round/early 2nd round prospect Zack Phillips had 3 assists to add to his 4 goal and 1 assist performance from last night, also giving him 8 points so far. Former WHL goalie Jacob Deserres has been solid the few times that he's been called upon. He's made a few highlight reel saves so far in this series.

 

[Destroydacre]

WHL scores tonight:

Kootenay 5, Moose Jaw 2 (Series tied 1-1)
Saskatoon 8, Prince Albert 1 (Sas leads 1-0)
Red Deer 5, Edmonton 1 (RD leads 2-0)
Medicine Hat 5, Brandon 2 (Series tied 1-1)
Portland 4, Everett 0 (Por leads 1-0)
Spokane 5, Chilliwack 0 (Spo leads 2-0)
Kelowna 7, Prince George 4 (Kel leads 2-0)
Tri-City 5, Vancouver 4 (TC leads 2-0)

 

[dash]

Nice bounce-back by the Tigers tonight...Chiefs are taking care of business.

 

[Destroydacre]

Nice bounce-back by the Tigers tonight...Chiefs are taking care of business.

Yeah great to see the Tigers get back on track. I think some hockey guru predicted that would happen. :p

The Chiefs are doing well so far. Chilliwack has been tough, but the worst part has been their goalie. Looked like the Chiefs were able to solve him tonight, at least partially. He still made a ton of saves though.

The Chiefs have 4 of 5 remaining games at home, so it looks good, but you have to remember the Chiefs were in the exact same situation last year and lost the next 3 home games, eventually losing the series. Now Chilliwack isn't Portland, but I'm not going to be counting any eggs until the series is actually over.

 

[juliansteed]

Speaking of Tigers, the under-dog Victoriaville Tigres took a surprising 3-0 series lead last night against Team Canada goalie Olivier Roy and the heavily favoured Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Unfortunately for Roy he is really starting to establish himself as a bit of a choker in big games. Hopefully for the Oilers this isn't a trend that follows him throughout his career.

 

[dash]

Unfortunately for Roy he is really starting to establish himself as a bit of a choker in big games. Hopefully for the Oilers this isn't a trend that follows him throughout his career.

This is fantastic news, julian. Thanks for the update.



/Tigers down 2-1 in the series to Brandon, that's not so fantastic.

 

[juliansteed]

This is fantastic news, julian. Thanks for the update.



/Tigers down 2-1 in the series to Brandon, that's not so fantastic.

I thought a Flames' fan might appreciate that news.