The final four in the Western Hockey League provided a few surprises along the way. The Vancouver Giants staged off elimination twice in overtime against the defending Memorial Cup champions while Calgary and Brandon hardly broke a sweat in the opening two rounds. Sportsnet.ca previews both conference final matchups, outlining each team's strengths and the key matchup within the game that could determine the winner of the series.
Eastern Conference Final
Calgary Hitmen vs. Brandon Wheat Kings
Calgary regular season record: 59-9-3-1 (122 points)
Brandon regular season record: 49-18-3-2 (103 points)
Regular season series: Calgary 3-0-1-0
Calgary league championships: One (1999)
Brandon league championships: Two (1979 and 1996)
Although the Wheat Kings lost the season series, they matched up much better with the Western Hockey League's top team than most. Brandon's only win was a thrilling 7-6 overtime game in Calgary on Jan. 31, the same game that Wheat Kings forward Scott Glennie suffered a broken left elbow. Glennie hardly missed a beat since returning shortly before the playoffs. The Hitmen can take solace in the fact they won the season series but will need to avoid trading chances against the young Wheat Kings.
This year's series will mark the fourth time these two teams have met in the playoffs. Brandon became the first team to eliminate the Hitmen in the playoffs after disposing of the upstart, third-year franchise in five games in the Eastern Conference final in 1998. The Wheat Kings erased a 3-1 series deficit in the 2005 playoffs, beating Calgary in seven in the second round of the playoffs. The Hitmen got their revenge two seasons later in 2007, defeating Brandon in six games in the second round before losing to Medicine Hat in the next round.
Calgary stormed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, knocking out Alberta-rivals Edmonton and Lethbridge, both in four games. The sweep of the Hurricanes in the second round was redemption after Lethbridge ended Calgary's season in a sweep in last year's Eastern Conference final. Unlike in previous years, the Hitmen's biggest strength is balance. Calgary is as deep a team remaining in the playoffs in any league with the ability to produce from every line.
Joel Broda, Brett Sonne and Brandon Kozun are the go-to snipers in the Hitmen lineup but are joined by many others. Kris Foucault, a former castoff of the Kootenay Ice, scored seven goals in the first eight playoff games while defenceman Paul Postma led the league in scoring by a defenceman in the regular season with 84 points and a plus-67 rating. Goaltender Martin Jones stole the starting job early this season from overager Dan Spence and has not disappointed. After a shaky playoff performance last year, Jones is making up for lost time with an astounding .957 save percentage.
The Wheat Kings are proving to be quick learners. After losing in six games to league runner-up Lethbridge in the first round a year ago, Brandon has yet to lose a game in this year's playoffs, sweeping Kootenay and Medicine Hat. Their top line of Brayden Schenn, Scott Glennie and Matt Calvert lead the team in scoring, each with at least 12 points in the first eight games.
The offence revolves around this trio but is not limited to Schenn, Glennie and Calvert. Overage forwards Andrew Clark and Matt Lowry as well as 19-year-old Jay Fehr give the Wheat Kings a balanced attack. Florida Panthers prospect Colby Robak brings a solid transition game with his puckhandling skills while Keith Aulie and Brodie Melnychuk provide a physical presence on the back-end. The only real question mark is in goal where Andrew Hayes has struggled at times this season. Hayes sometimes has difficulty rebounding from bad, early goals such as he did in Game 2 against Medicine Hat.
Key matchup: Joel Broda (Calgary) vs. Keith Aulie (Brandon)
As mentioned earlier, the Calgary offence is so dominant because of its depth. Their top natural goal-scorer is Broda, who was acquired with Tomas Karpov from Moose Jaw at this year's trade deadline. Broda's shot is hard and accurate and he's able to find the holes in the defence which make him open for feeds. His presence on the ice can't be forgotten or he will make Brandon pay.
Aulie, the prospect of the Calgary Hitmen, provides intimidation for his team in his six-foot-six, 222 pound frame. He's not afraid to join the rush and is sometimes prone to taking chances at the offensive blue line. While the job of shutting down Broda, and the rest of the Calgary offence, won't only be left to Aulie, he provides Brandon with their biggest advantage in slowing the Hitmen down.
Western Conference Final
Vancouver Giants vs. Kelowna Rockets
Vancouver regular season record: 57-10-2-3 (119 points)
Kelowna regular season record: 47-21-1-3 (98 points)
Regular season series: Vancouver 5-1-2-0
Vancouver league championships: One (2006)
Kelowna league championships: Two (2003 and 2005)
It was a tale of two seasons for the Kelowna Rockets after overcoming a slow start. The Giants won the season series but the Rockets might have an advantage in terms of confidence after beating Vancouver the last three meetings. Kelowna won twice in overtime in the last three games while chasing Vancouver goaltender Tyson Sexsmith from the last game in Vancouver, a 6-2 win on Feb. 20. It should be interesting how much these B.C. Division rivals learned from each other through eight meetings.
The Rockets hold the edge historically after having eliminated the Giants in both previous playoff matchups. Kelowna swept the Giants in 2003, Vancouver's first taste of playoff hockey, while also using the Giants as a springboard in the 2005 playoffs. Both years Kelowna went on to win the league championship, with a Memorial Cup sandwiched in between. Where Kelowna's dynasty left off, Vancouver's began. Since losing to Kelowna in 2005, the Giants won the league and Memorial Cup titles in back-to-back seasons. The Giants won the division title the last four straight seasons.
Vancouver worked overtime in their previous series with the defending league and Memorial Cup champion Spokane Chiefs. After losing Game 5 in the fourth overtime, the Giants pulled out all stops, beating Spokane in double-overtime in Game 6 before winning the series in the first overtime of Game 7. While it may be a tired cliché, the Giants' best players were their best players as top prospect Evander Kane continued scoring big goals for his team.
Kane is the team's top offensive force with a blend of soft hands, pinpoint accuracy and gritty play. Although Kane is one of the younger players at 17 years old, he's not afraid to mix it up after the whistles. Captain Jonathon Blum is Mr. Everything for the Giants, providing a steady and reliable two-way game. The much maligned Sexsmith continues proving his doubters wrong after an impressive series against the defending champs. He will need to be at his best against the offensively-gifted Rockets.
Kelowna played up to its potential in the playoffs after a somewhat disappointing start to their season. The Rockets swept Kamloops in the first round before dismantling the Tri-City Americans in six games after dropping the first two on late third period goals. The Rockets' offensive arsenal showed its true colours in the series against Tri-City, scoring 22 goals in the final four games against the Western Conference goaltender of the year, Chet Pickard.
Kelowna is arguably a deeper offensive team than Vancouver. The Rockets are led by world junior gold medalist Jamie Benn, Mikael Backlund, Cody Almond and captain Colin Long. Benn's heroics carried over to the playoffs where he scored two game winners. Kelowna has plenty of secondary scoring with the likes of Stepan Novotny and Ian Duval while they possess an active defensive core. Tyler Myers and Tyson Barrie are both very strong puck-rushers while Brandon McMillan doesn't look out of place since moving to defence midway through the year.
Key matchup: Evander Kane (Van) vs. Jamie Benn (Kel)
World junior teammates over Christmas, Kane and Benn are the top two offensive players in this series. Kane continues to impress in his draft year, maintaining his status as the third best skater in North America in the NHL's Central Scouting rankings. The local product scored his first career goal as an underage player against the Chilliwack Bruins on a game televised on Rogers Sportsnet. Since then, Kane turned into Vancouver's top scoring threat with his elite vision of the ice.
The Rockets' patience for Benn paid off after the product of Victoria, B.C. had originally committed to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Benn turned into one of the league's most feared shooters instantly after joining the team last season and established a reputation for scoring big goals for the Rockets. Whichever sniper is able to continue his torrid pace in this series should be playing for the Ed Chynoweth Cup in two weeks.
