WHL looks to make ammends

The situation is nearly the same as it was a year ago, only now the Western Hockey League has the inside track in the Subway Super Series.

After back-to-back wins by the Ontario Hockey League in their leg of the series against the Russians, the WHL will look to make amends for a disappointing finish in last year’s tournament. Team Russia won both games last year against the WHL to win this competition for the first time in its eight-year history.

"I think the motivation is to beat the Russians this year," Team WHL head coach Don Hay said, downplaying the role revenge plays for his team. "I think that’s our motivation. Right now the CHL is up in the series and we’d like to continue that success that the Ontario Hockey League has had."

Watch the WHL face the Russians on Sportsnet ONE at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Seattle Thunderbirds goalie Calvin Pickard admitted last year’s losses left a "rough taste" in the mouths of WHL players. Mark Stone, who will join Pickard on Team WHL in Thursday’s game, believes Canadian players will be seeking revenge for not only the loss in last year’s Subway Super Series, but from the gold medal game of the world juniors.

"It was a heartbreaking loss," Stone said of Russia’s win in Buffalo. "Any time you get a chance to play them, you want to play them hard and respect the rivalry."

Can the WHL’s rough and tumble play intimidate the Russians? Known as the most physical of the three leagues, the WHL prides itself in playing with an edge. The Russians developed a bit of a chip on their shoulders as the series progressed, particularly as both the OHL and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League played with a more physical presence. The WHL should present the Russians with their biggest challenge yet from a physical standpoint.

"We hope to be physical," said Hay, who noted the two teams representing the WHL on both nights will be marginally different in terms of personnel. "We want to be physical. We want to finish our checks and we want to use our skill and our work ethic to be successful."

With the exceptions of Matthew Dumba and Brendan Kichton, the WHL’s defence is big and imposing. Duncan Siemens and Alex Petrovic will likely be their two most physical players, which may develop hesitation for the Russians before driving the net.

Will the WHL eliminate the stretch pass?

As the series progressed, the Russians were finding less time and space to spring the open man for breakaways. The OHL teams used a strong forecheck as one of the ways to neutralize it, with constant pressure on the defence.

Hay was in Sault Ste. Marie on Monday and saw another game of this series in QMJHL territory, giving him the opportunity to pre-scout the Russians while also watching some Canadian world junior hopefuls.

"Russia’s a good hockey club," he said. "They play a very patient game. They like to stretch out and take advantage of the long pass and so I think it’s really important we try not to give them the time to make those long passes."

Can the WHL defence regain its composure from a year ago?

Another aspect which the WHL prides itself on is its defensive play. Throughout the years in this tournament, the WHL made it difficult for their opponents to create much offence. That changed last year, when the Russians tied their highest offensive mark with six goals in a game in their first win over the WHL.

Counting their seventh goal by way of a shootout win in that game, the Russians left the WHL with two wins and 12 goals. They had won just once against the WHL before, and had scored more than two goals against the WHL in just two of 14 previous meetings.

"I would say there’s quite a bit of difference," Pickard explained in comparing the Russians to forwards from the WHL. "In the Western league, there’s a lot of shots from the outside, going to the net for rebounds. The Russians play hard. They’re going to go to the net, but they’re more peel off and hit the late guy kind of plays. The dangling types, they just have to be patient. Let them make the first move and react to them. I don’t try to play a totally different game, but you have to be aware of their skill."

Will the WHL offence lead to victory?

Although they scored six goals in the first loss in last year’s series, the WHL scored just twice in the decisive final game, a 5-2 loss. While they needed to shore up their defence, their offence could also improve.

Russian goaltender Sergey Kostenko played fairly well throughout the series, but will be joined by Saskatoon Blades goalie Andrey Makarov for this game. Their other goaltender, Pavel Suchkov, has seemingly unraveled after some poor performances against the OHL.

The OHL created a lot of chances by driving to the net, something Hay feels can benefit his group.

"We want to get a lot of shots and we want to get a lot of traffic on the goaltender," he said. "We feel that we can be successful by putting a lot of pressure on their D-man and making them play around the net area and really paying the price in that area to score goals."