Western Canada Cup

[billetbong]

All teams except the SJHL have booked their ticket to the Western Canada Cup ion Dauphin. Dauphin Kings (host), Winnipeg Blues (MJHL), Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL), and the Coquitlam Express (BCHL).  Will the Yorkton Terriers be the final team to get in or can the Melville Millionaires win 4 straight games. I think Spruce Grove and the winner out of the SJHL advbance to RBC. Thoughts?

[bomberville]

Wow! All 4 western junior hockey teams sweep their opponents in the finals. That's gotta be a first.

[swkot]

Apr 16, 2014 21:59:54 GMT -6 bomberville said:

Wow! All 4 western junior hockey teams sweep their opponents in the finals. That's gotta be a first.

3/4. Winnipeg lost game 4 against Dauphin 2-1.

[Deleted]

Dauphin actually won game 4 but even having 3 of the 4 sweep their champioships must be a first.
I think Winnipeg is the over achiever to this point
Series goals for and against
Wpg 20 Dauphin 8 Wpg finished tied for 5th in Reg Season and knocked off Selkirk 4-1 and out scorted them 16 to 7.
Yrktn 11 Melv 3 Yrktn finished 1st
Spruce Grove 17 Drumheller 7 SG finished 1st
Coquitlam 17 vernon 12. Coquitlam finished tied for 10th
Wpg knocked off 3 teams that were supposed to be able to earn their way to the WCC

[bomberville]

My bad.

[stars123]

I could be wrong, but from what Ive found is that Yorkton and Spruce Grove both have 4 players with NCAA div 1 scholarships.

[billetbong]

Game 1 in the books.  Terriers lose 3-1.  They did not play the way they have the rest of the playoffs.  Need a much better effort tomorrow against Dauphin.  With that that being said the officiating also must improve for this tournament.  If that is the best western canada has to officiate in a tournament of this caliber they are in serious trouble. Winnipeg had 6 power plays, Terriers had 2. Both Winnipeg penalties were make up calls for bad calls against Yorkton. Not making excuses, Terriers need to be Better but so does the officiating!

[bomberville]

Were the Terriers penalties all bad calls? I wanted to watch the game but had to work.

[billetbong]

The hooking call on Boehm was really the only penalty that I thought was legit.  The too many men penalty on Yorkton with just over 2 minutes left in the third was a terrible call, everyone including Winnipeg thought they were getting it for too many men which that even would have been a bad call but then they gave it to Yorkton. 

[sk82stick]

I have to agree with billetbong regarding his points. To add, the atmosphere from the Yorkton contingent sounded amazing. Aside from that, the Terriers looked to be labouring at points in the game. Winnipeg wasn't extraordinary. They capitalized on their chances which were not all grade A opportunities. In fact, there may have been only two grade A opportunities for the Blues. I think Medves did the best he could considering he did not see game action for several months. Giving up those three early goals was deflating for a team that seemed out of sorts when they stepped on the ice. Although the Terriers looked worn in the game and were missing a step they were able to control the pace and play of the game for the most part. Not taking anything away from Winnipeg who played a solid, simple, game but I think the Terriers have more to offer than what the Blues saw this afternoon.

One thing not mentioned yet is the absence of Thomson. Losing your 20 year old big game tested championship goaltender is a huge deal. The numbers he put up in the SJHL final were absolutely sick (0.68 GAA, .972 S%, 1SO, 4-0). The buzz is that he is suffering from an illness that must be quite significant to keep him out of the line up. For those Terrier faithful (and SJHL fans alike) the hope is that Thomson is able to return sooner rather than later. The Monday off day might be huge for the Terriers as it gives one day to heal before facing Spruce Grove and Coquitlam. However, before Monday comes a big showdown with Dauphin who defeated Spruce Grove 4-2 tonight (however, Spruce Grove really controlled the game from late in the second period onward).

[flyers73]

Have to say this whole situation with Kale Thomson is being kept very quiet. All I had heard is that he was out due to the flu. I don't think it's just the flu but I could be wrong. They were very quick to announce that Dylan Baer was out for the tournament so what ever is going on with Thomson must be a day to day thing.

[luke]

Terriers need to figure out the PK quickly! This team should be cleaning up at the WCC! Stay out of the box or figure out the PK! One of the teams was also their defensive unit! What happened! Where are they? Let's go Terriers!

[terrierfan1]

The PK really does need improvement as well as the power play. That being said the penalty called in OT was crap. Thompson was hauled down moments before and no call and then Boehm gets a weak tripping call against him?? The reffing in this tourney has a lot to be desired and not just when the Terriers play. I have seen better reffing from the kids that ref my son's novice games. With all that being said we can't say we would of won if we didn't have the penalty but we would have had a better shot at a win if our PK was working the way it had all season long.

[benthere]

Have to agree with terrier fan as I was at game and tow even teams and close contest ruined by couple of clowns who wanted to be noticed in the rink.. Reaction this am was not this goal this forward this goalie but rather how about those refs ... When players don't play up to expectations they sit on bench or demoted a line or two and you can be sure that nothing will happen to these two clowns and will both do next game they are scheduled to do. The game started with them waving there arms around making sure the whole crowd noticed they were on the ice and not the players well refs mission accomplished everyone knew your names more than any players who played for each team.... I was sitting beside some dauphin people and said hope we don't get these guys for our games or we too are doomed... Best teams in western Canada to watch and we have to talk about scivens and Campbell and how to best ruin a good game

[swkot]

Looks like I might have to watch tonight's game online. I was hoping to go to Dauphin to watch the finals, but if Yorkton doesn't pull off a win tonight I don't see much point. I really expected a better result, but I suppose opening the tournament with a backup who has hardly played and getting jobbed in OT makes it a tough hill to climb.

[flyers73]

I was just reading on the sjhl site that the Terriers next game is Saturday afternoon in the 3 vrs 4 game. I don't believe that has been determined yet. I believe they still have a chance to come in 2nd with tiebreakers depending on tomorrow's game results. Terriers played a fantastic game tonight.....they have gotten better each game they've played so hopefully that trend continues.

[swkot]

Very good game by the Terriers tonight. They pretty much carried the play all game and really pressured the Express goalie. Their only blemish was allowing a pretty weak goal.

I believe you are right that the standings are not yet decided. If I am reading the tie breaker right then 2nd place is going to come down to lowest quotient of (GF+GA/GF) since the first tie breaker criteria (best w/l record in games played between the tied teams) will not matter regardless of tomorrow's outcome from either game (which is kind of crazy):

If Dauphin wins that leaves Terriers, Coquitlam and the winner of Winnipeg and Spruce Grove in a 3 way tie.
-Terriers beat Coquitlam but not Winnipeg or Spruce Grove, so they will be 1-1.
-Coquitlam beat both Winnipeg and Spruce grove, so they will end up 1-1.
-Both Winnipeg and Spruce Grove beat the Terriers but lost to Coquitlam, so whoever wins the game between them would end up 1-1 as well.

If Coquitlam wins, that will leave the Terriers, Dauphin and the winner of Wpg/SG in a 3 way tie.
-Terriers beat Dauphin but lost to SG and Wpg, they will be 1-1.
-Dauphin beat both Wpg and SG but lost to the Terriers, so they will end up 1-1.
-Both Wpg and SG beat the Terriers but lost to Dauphin, so the winner of their game will also end up 1-1 in this grouping as well.

Yorkton's quotient is 1.86. The loser of Dauphin/Coquitlam cannot better this. If Winnipeg beats Spruce Grove by more than 2 goals but keeps it under 8-6, they will have a lower quotient (8-6 would give them the same quotient as Yorkton). If Spruce Grove beats Winnipeg, it will have to be by a lot to end up with a lower quotient than Yorkton. Basically Winnipeg is the biggest threat to bumping Yorkton out of second spot.

The ideal thing for the Terriers is for Spruce Grove to either win tomorrow or keep it to a 1 goal game. Yorkton placing second would give them 2 shots at advancing to the RBC instead of 1.

Clear as mud?

[swkot]

If my calculations and interpretations of the tie breaker format is correct it looks like Yorkton takes second spot.

[icebandit]

Yorkton is in the final against the winner of the Dauphin/Coq game

[sk82stick]

Swkot - you are right that the Terriers have a shot at second place however the math is off because the tie breaking procedure (GF+GA/GF) is applied only to the games played between the tied teams, if there is a three way tie wins/losses. The team with the lowest quotient gets the highest seed. This being said, a Spruce Grove win this afternoon may have produced the following quotients:

Terriers (10+9/10) = 1.9                              Terriers (12+7/12) = 1.58
Dauphin (10+10/10) = 2.0                            Coquitlam (4+5/4) = 2.25
Spruce Grove (5+6/5) = 2.2                          Spruce Grove (4+5/4) = 2.25 *Since they tie in quotient with Coquitlam and Coquitlam won the game between them Coquitlam finishes higher than Spruce Grove

If this is correct the Terriers play in the WCC title game against the winner of Coquitlam vs. Dauphin tonight. I guess we will have to wait to get confirmation from the website. Nonetheless the Terriers are representing the SJHL well and playing in the WCC playoffs. The Terriers play has improved throughout the tournament. I sense that everyone is banged up by this time of the year but hopefully the minor injuries settle down over the next few days so guys have the opportunity to play to their potential. I agree with Swkot's overview of the Terrier's last game. The fans were out in force and the Terriers went toe to toe with the BC champs... eventually overtaking the game. The goal on Thomson was a weak one he would love to have back... a wrist shot from the top of the circle that he misplayed. That being said he was fairly square and solid, never panicking or being pulled out of position (which Coquitlam loves to do). I appreciated the officiating in this game... although the Terriers ran into some penalty trouble most of which were deserved. However, calls were equally applied and the teams were allowed to be physical and decide the game for themselves. There were some dirty plays by Coquitlam who looked frustrated matching the combination of speed and physicality (a dirty kneeing penalty and checking from behind... both directed at Thompson).


Regardless, the next game will be a dandy as teams are going after each other. If you haven't had the chance to see a game live I suggest doing so... good hockey to watch!

[terrierfan1]

It has been confirmed the Terriers will play in the 1/2 game on Saturday against the winner of Dauphin- Coquitlam. GO TERRIERS!!!!!!!!!

[swkot]

Should be quite the atmosphere tomorrow night. It's not often you have a game of this magnitude between rival leagues where the visiting team is just down the road to help fill the rink.

Talk about a horrendous system to buy tickets online though. Just wow.

[terrierfan1]

Tell me about it swkot, we did it online and it took us quite awhile to get it figured out but we were able to buy all 10 tickets we needed. I hope it was all Terrier fans that were tying up the phone line and the online purchases. I am thinking the fans will be split 50-50 for each team.

[swkot]

There's nothing I hate more on the internet than those stupid image verification things. Having to re-enter every time I wanted to view the available seats in a section was maddening; if I had hair I would have been pulling it out. I finally gave up and just took something to get it over with. I bought for both games, though I'd much rather only get to watch the Terriers once. It would be nice to see both the SJHL and MJHL advance through to the RBC since it was the BCHL and AJHL last year.

An attendance split could very well happen. Dauphin's playoff attendance was really not all that great this year, sub-800 at times, barely over on a good day. Despite always having a good team, for whatever reason the community just doesn't seem all that into hockey. Even their minor hockey is very minimal.

[stars123]

Funny how the BCHL and AJHL, did not finish 1st and second... They are not better leagues.

[terrierfan1]

The perfect scenario would be Yorkton winning the WCC cup and Dauphin winning the runner up game. That way we would have SJHL and MJHL going on to the RBC. On the Winnipeg/Spruce Grove game on Thursday the announcers of Fast hockey were talking about how some from Alberta and BC leagues were saying that neither Manitoba nor Saskatchewan deserved to be in the WCC. I would love to see no AJHL or BCJHL represented at the RBC other than the host team Vipers. That would shut the critics up.

[stars123]

So how does this work? Its Yorkton Dauphin today and Coquitlam Spruce Grove today also. I'm assuming that the winner of Dauphin Yorkton go to RBC then the winner of Coquitlam Spruce Grove play the loser of Dauphin and Yorkton?

[swkot]

Not a bad game so far. Kings are having trouble doing anything with McMullen or either of the Norrish brothers on the ice but the Rossiter and Lichinski (sp?) pairing is struggling.

Shaky goaltending for the kings.

Two wrongs can make a right. Terrier's second goal came off of 2 sloppy plays by Boehm. First he tossed the puck around the boards to an uncovered dman and then made a very soft attempt to get in his way. The dman lost the puck and Boehm was wide open heading down the ice. Giebel placed the pass to him perfectly.

[swkot]

Well that is one tournament down. Hopefully the Terriers can get healthy and represent the league well at the rbc. They are starting to look a bit thin in terms of depth. I really have no idea what ails some of the guys that are out but having Gatzke, Baer and Falloon back on the ice should make a big difference.

Interesting game. Probably closer than it should have been. The penalty on Ellis was weak, he was playing for the puck and the king's player was trying to obstruct him. Cost the Terriers in the short term. Didn't go down as a PP goal but I'm pretty sure the door to the box wasn't open when they scored. The Kings were throwing a lot on net and it was paying off. Boehm really had Piccolino's number tonight, but wow did Piccolino look bad. I don't see Dauphin winning tomorrow unless he is capable of playing a lot better. The Terriers will likely need to do something about the Lishchynsky/Rossiter pairing for the rbc. Their struggles continued right until the King's 3rd goal when it appeared Cassan finally split them up. They had a ton of trouble clearing the zone or moving traffic from the front of the net. Almost every time the Kings got the Terriers hemmed in for an entire shift, they were the dmen on the ice.

I thought the music is Melville left a lot to be desired. I want sure if I was at a hockey game or a square dance tonight.

[sk82stick]

I have to agree with swkot on a few points. The absence of three regulars (Baer, Gatzke, and Falloon) could have played a role in the struggles the Terriers experienced in this game and others. The Terriers played many games with midget AP's (Steevley and Ottenbriet) who didn't look that out of place, however, I'm unsure how healthy Steevely was after suffering that hit earlier in the week. I was impressed with Proctor in this game. I'm unsure if he played at all in the playoffs but he moves his feet well and creates space for himself and others. Moving forward, I think Baer fits well as a forward but may have to go back to defence if they cannot figure out how to assist the Lishchynsky/Rossiter pairing. Individually, these players can play their roles well. Lishchynsky is physical, Rossiter has the ability to be mobile and move the puck, and they both win battles. However, together their defensive zone coverage isn't meshing and it created significant difficulties. There was a lot of effort but it was unnecessary effort due to thinking errors and making up for mistakes due to poor defensive zone coverage (very puck focused... but it's not only them). I do not think you can break up the other pairings to assist this one, however, you may not have to as these issues can be resolved looking at film and the players having discussions with each other. The Terriers also experienced difficulties breaking out of their zone however this is easily fixed moving forward to the RBC with players returning from injury and minor strategy adjustments. At times the Terriers struggled in the playoffs breaking out because it was too one dimensional and teams adjusted.

Regardless of the adjustments, the Terriers represented the SJHL well. Winning the WCC with many injuries and adversity (ill players throughout) speaks volumes to the level of hockey in this province, the depth of the Terriers team, and the will of those players to cease the opportunity. Boehm's play was simply unreal during this tournament and especially the final. It seemed like we were watching a pee wee hockey game and there was that one impact player on the ice who you knew would have 5+ points a game. To the unfair critics... hush, hush.... he's going NCAA Div 1 for a reason and this was decided a long time ago... The kid plays hockey like it needs to be played during this decade. Boehm's play overshadowed other solid efforts from Gervais, Thompson, Giebel, the Norrish twins, and McMullen. Many of the other teams would have killed to have these guys. And last, Thomson had a solid tournament however his SJHL playoff play was much better. Many of the goals were Grade A opportunities where the opportunity to make the save is less than 50%. Some of those goals in the WCC were saves in the SJHL playoffs. However, what is lost is that he started the tournament ill (not even playing the first game) and probably played ill in game 2 as his play became progressively better. You can tell he wasn't as sharp and there was not a lot of fuel in the tank. He will have to perform at his norm to help the Terriers capture the national title.