SEMI'S READY TO GO - MOOSE TO FACE 'CATS, SHIELD AND RATTLERS REMATCH!

March 10, 2011

 

SEMI FINALS NOW SET - SOME WELL KNOWN FACES RETURN, AND ONE NEWCOMER JOINING THE PARTY!

 

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The Russell Cup Semi Finals are now set to get underway, and while Elliot Lake, South Muskoka and Bradford are in familiar territory, the GMHL welcomes the Toronto Canada Moose to the upper echelons of the league's final four!

Elliot has won two consecutive regular season crowns, and looks to make their first trip to the final in four years.  South Muskoka have one title under their belt, and only a Game 7 loss in last year's Final to Deseronto prevented them from repeating!  The Bradford Rattlers, of course, were the only existing team when the league began play five years ago, and dominated the first two seasons and much of the third, winning back to back titles in 2007 and 2008!  All 3 teams had byes in the first round, then made short work of their Quarter-Final opponents, all with 3 game sweeps - Bobcats over Powassan, Shield over Oro-Medonte, and Bradford taking out last year's champs, the Deseronto Storm.

The new kid on the final four block this season is Toronto, having just completed it's third series win en route to a date with first place Elliot Lake.  After a lousy start, the Moose went on an impressive two month run before running into some road blocks later in the season, but several of those late season games proved they could play with anyone.

Toronto has certainly gotten hot at the right time.

After the Single Game Elimination South Qualifier, a 9-1 beating of the Wild, the Moose surprised many with a two game sweep of the 5th place Shelburne Red Wings, and have just kept the train rolling with convincing 7-2 win over Jamestown, completing a 3-1 series win over the U.S. based Jets, who finished 3rd overall.  That's 6 wins in 7 games when it really counts, moving from an 8th place finish in the regular season to join the elite group of four in the Semi Finals.

The 2 game regular season series between the Moose and the 'Cats finished 2-0 for Elliot Lake, but an 11-3 win up north in November saw the Moose playing with 11 skaters after suspensions from the previous night's game in Algoma.  A better indication of how these teams match up might be the late season match in Toronto, where the Cats needed two goals in the third to tie the game, including a last minute shorthanded goal, which was followed by a goal with only 8 seconds to go in overtime to give the Cats the win.

In the end, Bobcats have only lost twice all season in regulation time, and while it could be argued their schedule against weaker opponents contributed to their standing at the top, the Cats also did quite well against the stronger Southern teams as well!  Cats should be heavy favourites, but the Moose have taken out number 10, number 5, and now number 3 along the way, and are riding a wave of confidence from that success.

As for the Rattlers and Shield, both teams have faced a year of question marks - one on the ice, and one off the ice.

On the ice, the once powerful Bradford have seen several teams in the league catch up to them in calibre these last few seasons, and they are anxious to return to the winner's circle!  The Rattlers play the first few months of the season was inconsistent to say the least, and they hovered around the middle of the pack much of the season.  However, the Christmas apparently did a world of good, and they came out flying in the new year, losing only 4 four times in 16 to close out the season, and grab the 4th spot overall the last weekend of the season.   A sweep of last year's champs, including a dominating 11-2 romp in game 3, should indicate to everyone they mean business, and have their eyes set on title number 3!

Off the ice, the Shield have endured an arena under construction, long overdue, and even now, still incomplete.  Trailers for dressing rooms, cold water showers, and facilities less than friendly to their local supporters, has made life somewhat difficult this season.  However, they came out of the gate with 14 straight wins to continue their strong record they've achieved in the previous two seasons, en route to another solid finish in second place, 5 points back of the Bobcats, but 16 points clear of third place Jamestown.

Bradford and South Muskoka faced each other 6 times this season.  The Shield won the series 4-2, winning the first four games, but amongst the schedule in Bradford's late season surge were two solid Rattler wins, including a convincing 7-1 victory the last weekend of the season.

This series could go either way, and with both teams having titles under their belt, neither lacks the playoff experience and know-how to get the job done!