Round 2...

In looking back at round one, Calgary survived Moose Jaw, Brandon and Saskatoon blew through their match ups and Medicine Hat knocked off Kootney in 6. All in all the winners were the teams I thought would move on. However in the west things didn't go as I thought... For starters I really thought Chilliwack would steal the series from TC. TC was not playing great hockey and Chilliwack had played them very tough in the regular season. I also thought Everett would take out Kelowna, yet Kelowna had what it took to win a game 7 on the road. Vancouver blew out Kamloops, and while I had Vancouver moving on to the 2nd round, I thought Kamloops would finish games better and extend the series a bit. And of course we had the Hawks winning all 4 games in Spokane and moving past the Chiefs into Round 2... which is what we have starting tonight...

Round 2
Calgary vs. Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat can skate, and Calgary will need to slow the Tigers down in this series. Both teams started slowly in the first round, yet both also rebounded from early series deficits to knock off their opponents. In the regular season Calgary won 4 games while MH only took 2, however three of the match ups did result in bonus hockey. I still believe Calgary and Brandon are the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference and see them matching up in the conference finals.

Calgary in a hard fought 7.

Brandon vs. Saskatoon
This is a great second round match up. These are two high powered teams with Saskatoon earning 99 points and Brandon 104 during the regular series. Both teams rolled through their opening round and have their offenses clicking. This series like the Portland / Spokane opening round has the higher seeded team starting on the road. For Saskatoon to have a chance, they need to start strong at home because after games one and two, 4 out of the 5 remaining games will be played in Brandon. For me this series will come down to which goal tender plays better. DeSerres is an overage player for Brandon, and had a very nice year. Can he out play the 19 year old Steven Stanford? In the end, Brandon is going to the Cup as this years host, but I also see them going through the front door, not the back...

Brandon in 5.

Out west...
TC vs. Kelowna
The rockets were the big suprise upsetting Everett in 7. TC was the team that struggled down the stretch and held on thanks to Spokane to the number 1 seed... how does this turn out? Well, TC swept Kelowna in the regular season, but this is the play offs. The Rockets beat TC in the second round last year on their way to loosing in the Memorial Cup Final. Former Hawk, Mark Guggenburger struggled in the regular season, but stepped up against Everett, replacing Adam Brown and back stopped Kelowna to the second round. If he plays well, Kelowna has a chance. If not... well, the Americans Offense is very talented and should score enough to win. I think this series is closer then many expect.

TC in 7

Portland vs. Vancouver
For the second straight series Portland gets to open at home. Unlike the first round, Portland does get home ice. Hopefully Portland can win some at home... and switching to the smaller sheet at the MC should benefit Portland. Portland and Vancouver each won 2 games against each other, both winning on the road and at home. Vancouver took the first two games, while Portland took the last two. What is the determining factor going to be? Well, Portland will continue to miss Taylor Peters as he was key on both the checking line and on the PK. Portland switched things up after his injury to get by Spokane and will continue against Vancouver. The key for Portland is to continue to get balanced scoring. When Portland gets contributions from three or four lines, they are dangerous. Portland also has this never give up attitude right now, and if they can keep that pressure on the Giants they will advance.

Portland in 6 as this is a 2-3-2 series...

So, The finals should be...

Calgery vs. Brandon

TC vs. Portland

Portland gets it all started tomorrow at the MC.