By Patrick King, Sportsnet.ca
This year’s Québec Remparts and Chicoutimi Saguenéens playoff series could become a yearly installment.
The two rivals, who have proven time and again the passion the fans and organizations carry for this rivalry, will be at the forefront when the Québec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs begin this week. As big as the rivalry will be on the ice, the league announced a new set of guidelines which could see this rivalry on a more regular basis.
In addition to the league’s plans of moving their regular season from 70 to 68 games next season, the league’s board of governors voted to reconstruct the division format. Beginning next season, the league will be home to four divisions as opposed to two.
The division realignment will be as follows:
TELUS West: Gatineau Olympiques, Montreal Junior (currently the St. John’s Fog Devils), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Val-d’Or Foreurs.
TELUS Centre: Drummondville Voltigeurs, Lewiston MAINEiacs, Shawinigan Cataractes and Victoriaville Tigres.
TELUS East: Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Québec Remparts and Rimouski Océanic.
Atlantic: Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Halifax Mooseheads, Moncton Wildcats, P.E.I. Rocket and Saint John Sea Dogs.
The league currently operates out of two division system where the Telus Division is home to 10 teams while the Eastern Division has eight teams. The first place Mooseheads from the Eastern Division host the ninth place Tigres in the first round while the remainder of the teams are placed in one through eight match-ups.
The new alignment means a change to the playoff format. As always, 16 teams will be participating for the President’s Cup. The playoff positioning will be determined by the top four teams from each division. From the four teams who finish last in their division, the two with the least amount of points will miss the playoffs.
The first round will feature divisional match-ups, which means we could see more of the Chicoutimi-Québec rivalry as the years go on. Following the first round of the playoffs, the playoffs will be determined by the regular season standings.
Raiders put faith in Campese
The Prince Albert Raiders are hoping Bruno Campese will be able to lead the team to their first league championship since the 1984-1985 season.
Campese began the season as the team’s head coach and assumed the general manager duties mid-way through the season when the team fired Donn Clark in January.
The Raiders signed the former British Columbia Hockey League coach to his dual capacity position through the 2009-2010 season with a club option for the following year.
In Prince Albert, Campese will be responsible to lead a team which has missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons and have won two playoff rounds in the last eight years. The Raiders won the Memorial Cup in 1985.
Kitchener Rangers eye title
When the playoffs begin this week, the Kitchener Rangers will look to become the third team in four seasons to win their league title the same year they host the Memorial Cup.
Kitchener has their place in the Memorial Cup guaranteed as hosts but are looking to win the league crown before participating in the tournament. Last year, the host Vancouver Giants were eliminated in double-overtime in the seventh game of the league finals series but went on to beat the team they lost to in the league finals, the Medicine Hat Tigers, in the Memorial Cup championship game.
The last team to win the league and Memorial Cup titles in the same season was the London Knights three seasons ago.
The Ranges set franchise records this season for wins (53) and points (110) and won the regular season title. Kitchener will meet last year’s league champion, the Plymouth Whalers, in the opening round.
Pyett is Top Pat
After helping lead the Regina Pats to their first East Division pennant since the 1997-1998 season, Regina captain Logan Pyett was named the team’s player of the year in their season-ending awards.
Pyett, who also helped guide Team Canada to a fourth-consecutive world junior gold medal, was a key catalyst to the resurging Regina Pats this season. The 19-year-old was also named the team’s top defenceman while sharpshooter Jordan Eberle was named the team’s top scorer, scholastic player of the year, most sportsmanlike and most popular.
Regina finished second in the Eastern Conference standings and will face the Swift Current Broncos in the first round for the second consecutive season.
Calgary Hitmen defenceman Karl Alzner, who was a teammate of Pyett’s on Canada’s world junior team, took home the Hitmen honours as player of the year. He was a key player in Calgary’s run to the regular season Eastern Conference crown. Calgary will face the Moose Jaw Warriors when the playoffs begin.
Meanwhile, Spokane Chiefs forward and Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Drayson Bowman was named the team’s player of the year. Bowman helped lead the Chiefs to their best point total in franchise history and finished third in the Western Conference. Spokane will face the Everett Silvertips in the first round.
Thanks in part to a seven-point final week of the regular season, Chilliwack Bruins forward Mark Santorelli took home the Bob Clark Trophy as the scoring leader. Santorelli finished with 27 goals and 74 assists for 101 points, one ahead of Kelowna’s Colin Long who led the scoring race heading into the final week. Last season’s winner, Everett’s Zach Hamill, finished tied for 15th in scoring with 75 points.
Kitchener Rangers forward Justin Azevedo won the OHL scoring crown ahead of Oshawa teammates John Tavares and Brett MacLean. Azevedo led the league with 124 points in 67 games.
Meanwhile, last year’s QMJHL MVP, Acadie-Bathurst Titan forward Mathieu Perreault, won the scoring race. Perreault had 114 points through 65 games, eight more than Gatineau’s Claude Giroux who finished second.
Kootenay’s Steve DaSilva was named the Ice’s most valuable player while Mitch Fadden and Ben Wright shared the same award with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Dustin Butler and Ryan White were co-winners of the Prince Albert Raiders’ most valuable player award while Zach Sill was the Moncton Wildcats’ MVP.
OHL recognize student athletes
It has been an impressive rookie season for Windsor rearguard Ryan Ellis. The 16-year-old, who finished with a point-per-game average this season was his team’s top student in the classroom.
Here are the OHL’s Scholastic Player’s of the Year:
Adam Payerl (Barrie Colts), Bryan Cameron (Belleville Bulls), Matt Duchene (Brampton Battalion), Jaroslav Janus (Erie Otters), Thomas McCollum (Guelph Storm), Stephen Francella (Kingston Frontenacs), Scott Tregunna (Kitchener Rangers), Garett Hunter (London Knights), Michael McGurk (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors), Mathew Maione (Niagara IceDogs), Matt Seegmiller (Oshawa Generals), Michael Farrell (Owen Sound Attack), Tyler Cuma (Ottawa 67’s), Jamie Doornbosch (Peterborough Petes), Josh Bemis (Plymouth Whalers), Nick Crawford (Saginaw Spirit), Steve Ferry (Sarnia Sting), Justin Dicks (Sudbury Wolves), Tyler Cuthbert (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) and Ellis (Windsor Spitfires).
Noteworthy: Chilliwack Bruins forward Evan Pighin was named the WHL and CHL player of the week … Tri-City Americans goaltender Chet Pickard was named the CHL goaltender of the week … Ottawa 67’s goaltender Adam Courchaine was named the OHL’s player of the week … Shawinigan Cataractes forward Patrick Bernier was named the QMJHL’s offensive player of the week while Saint John Sea Dogs defenceman Alex Grant is the league’s defensive player of the week … The Calgary Hitmen set a WHL mark with attendance in a game this season when their season-finale drew a crowd of 19,305. The record was previously held by the Portland Winter Hawks at 19,103 in March of 1997 … The WHL is holding a press conference Thursday to announce the All-Star teams and Award finalists … Acadie-Bathurst Titan overage forward Jonathan Laberge set the record for most games played in a season. Laberge suited up in 76 games this season between the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Titan … The Drummondville Voltigeurs retired Steve Chartrand’s No. 12 on Friday.
