The Premier Hockey League

[monochameleon]

PREMIER LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS OF THE WEEK

Huge moves at the Trade Deadline
Several major moves hit at the trade deadline. The Vikings moved Henrik Jensen on to the Islanders, completing the three-way trade with the Cougars. Michigan and the Centrals completed a major deal with Seb Thompson going to New York in exchange for Del McNamara, Krisaps Brakss and a pick in the 7th round of the upcoming draft. The Islanders also moved goaltender Rich Ellison to Manitoba for a clutch of young prospects.

Scores
Sunday February 9th 1986
Toronto Aces 0 - 3 New York Centrals
Calgary Mustangs 2 - 5 Charlottetown Islanders
Manitoba Vikings 1 - 1 St. Paul Cardinals
Ottawa Nationals 1 - 1 New England Whalers
Quebec Nordiques 1 - 0 Colorado Eagles
Chicago Cougars 2 - 2 Michigan Stags
Montreal Champions 2 - 1 Los Angeles Sharks

Monday February 10th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 1 - 2 Colorado Eagles
Toronto Aces 4 - 3 Manitoba Vikings
St. Paul Cardinals 2 - 3 Los Angeles Sharks
San Francisco Arrows 2 - 3 Vancouver Giants
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 - 2 Montreal Champions
New York Centrals 4 - 1 Calgary Mustangs
Quebec Nordiques 1 - 2 Michigan Stags

Tuesday February 11th 1986
Chicago Cougars 2 - 1 Charlottetown Islanders

Wednesday February 12th 1986
Ottawa Nationals 5 - 2 Colorado Eagles
New England Whalers 4 - 5 Los Angeles Sharks
St. Paul Cardinals 1 - 5 San Francisco Arrows

Thursday February 13th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 3 - 2 Chicago Cougars
New England Whalers 3 - 0 Quebec Nordiques
Manitoba Vikings 5 - 4 Toronto Aces
Charlottetown Islanders 4 - 3 Vancouver Giants
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 - 3 New York Centrals
Colorado Eagles 4 - 3 Montreal Champions
Michigan Stags 2 - 5 Los Angeles Sharks

Friday February 14th 1986
Ottawa Nationals 5 - 4 Calgary Mustangs

Saturday February 15th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 4 - 4 San Francisco Arrows
Los Angeles Sharks 4 - 5 Vancouver Giants
Chicago Cougars 2 - 1 St. Paul Cardinals

Center Ice Game of the Week
Colorado Eagles 5 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Silence Arena, Allentown

The Phantoms excellent season-ending run has taken them out of the Atlantic basement and turned them into playoff contenders. In recent weeks, the re-acquired Rasmus Bjorklund from Colorado has been a godsend, galvanizing the team around himself and driving them toward the finals. Unfortunately for Bjorklund, it was the Eagles that walked away with the points tonight in an encounter that was tense and tight for the first fifty minutes before exploding into craziness in the last ten.

Ben Pierson opened the scoring for the Eagles in the first, but within a minute Tobias Fagerstrom had it back for the Phantoms. The second period saw three powerplays - two to Colorado and one to the Phantoms - but no goals scored as both teams played hard. But in the third period the Phantoms defence - anchored by such great players as Will Ekbom and Blake Zaporzan - seemingly disappear. A 16-4 shot count in the last period blew the totals for the game out to 38-20 as the Eagles scored four times to put the Phantoms away, bookended by powerplay goals to Miroslav Michalica, the star defender's second and third goal of the season.

Next week on Center Ice, an all-Quebec showdown on Friday night when the Nordiques and Champions meet in Montreal.

[monochameleon]

PREMIER LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS OF THE WEEK

Expansion teams to be located in Canada
Quinn MacMurray today held a press conference at which he announced the two new teams in the league next season will be based in Regina, Saskatchewan and London, Ontario. Neither team has a nickname yet but both have arenas: the Regina team will play in the Credit Union Arena while the London team will begin their season in the London Hockey Arena before moving to the under-construction Kodak House.
When asked about earlier plans the league had to expand into Cleveland, Director MacMurray had this to say: "The Cleveland group put together an excellent bid, however, their entry into the league will be delayed due to arena problems. We definitely believe Cleveland will be playing in this league within the next few years. For the moment, we're very excited to be expanding into the home of hockey, Canada."
The Regina team will join the Atlantic West, while London will play in the Mountain East. The league has committed to expand to 22 teams by the beginning of the 1990/91 season.

Isak Hedberg let go on waivers
The LA Sharks let back up goaltender Isak Hedberg go on waivers this week, but he was not unemployed for long - Hedberg, one of the stars of the AMHL this season, was picked the next day by the Seattle Nightmare who were keen to add depth to their goaltending stocks running into the playoffs.

Scores
Sunday February 16th 1986
Toronto Aces 5 - 3 Colorado Eagles
Michigan Stags 2 - 6 New York Centrals
Ottawa Nationals 2 - 2 Vancouver Giants
Manitoba Vikings 2 - 5 New England Whalers
Montreal Champions 1 - 4 Quebec Nordiques
Los Angeles Sharks 1 - 3 Calgary Mustangs

Monday February 17th 1986
San Francisco Arrows 1 - 2 Seattle Nightmare
New England Whalers 4 - 1 Michigan Stags
St. Paul Cardinals 2 - 3 Manitoba Vikings
New York Centrals 4 - 1 Montreal Champions
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 - 5 Chicago Cougars
Charlottetown Islanders 1 - 4 Calgary Mustangs
Quebec Nordiques 3 - 3 Toronto Aces

Tuesday February 18th 1986
no games played

Wednesday February 19th 1986
San Francisco Arrows 4 - 3 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Michigan Stags 4 - 1 Seattle Nightmare
Ottawa Nationals 2 - 4 New York Centrals
Los Angeles Sharks 1 - 3 Colorado Eagles
Calgary Mustangs 3 - 6 Toronto Aces

Thursday February 20th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 2 - 2 New England Whalers
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 - 1 Calgary Mustangs
Vancouver Giants 3 - 1 Michigan Stags
Montreal Champions 3 - 2 San Francisco Arrows
Charlottetown Islanders 4 - 3 New York Centrals
Manitoba Vikings 3 - 2 Chicago Cougars

Friday February 21st 1986
Ottawa Nationals 1 - 0 Toronto Aces

Saturday February 22nd 1986
Seattle Nightmare 3 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Los Angeles Sharks 2 - 1 New York Centrals
Charlottetown Islanders 1 - 4 Toronto Aces
Michigan Stags 1 - 0 Colorado Eagles

Center Ice Game of the Week
Quebec Nordiques 1 - 6 Montreal Champions
Mount Royal Arena, Montreal

The Nordiques met natural rivals the Montreal Champions tonight and fell to them in a 6-1 rout with the Mountain East still alive and kicking. The stars of the game were Mal Kostolansky, who picked up 1 goal and 2 helpers, and Russ Card, who stopped 32 of 33 and looked as confident in net as he had all season.

As we come into the playoffs, this game is both a reassurance for Montreal that they're doing something right and a warning shot for Quebec. Montreal's best players - Yegor Mastinsky, 28 goals including two tonight; Kevin Bowman, a goal; Erik Mather, an assist - fired. Card was sharp and keen in net.

The Nordiques, however, looked tired. The season is in its home stretch and the Nordiques appeared to be very much going through the motions. 80 games is a long run but the playoffs only make it longer, and the team has to have the endurance and the depth to bring it home at the end. None of the Nordiques would walk away thrilled with their performance tonight, but especially stars like Jason Chatenay and Paul Schmidt and Tyson Scissons from whom we saw so little. There was no fire, and no push, and the team needs to look at where its going wrong and fix it quickly - or both the Mountain East, and then the playoffs, will slip through their fingers.

Next week, to Grand Rapids, where Charlottetown play Michigan.

[monochameleon]

PREMIER LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS OF THE WEEK

Premier League Hockey Player of the Month
Martin Weaver of the Quebec Nordiques has been named Player of the Month for the last full regular season month of the year. Recent highlights for Weaver were a three-point game against Manitoba and a four point game earlier in the month against Seattle. For his excellent and consistent skating, the 25 year old center is a worthy winner of the award.
Dave Scopelleti has bookended his season with Goalie of the Month awards for the New England Whalers. After cooling mid-season, Scopelleti has made a great comeback in recent times, reclaiming the starting goalie role and boosting his season total up to 17-12-8 from 39 starts with several wins in the last month. Scopelleti will be a key player for the Whalers in the coming playoffs.

Coaches merry-go-round continues
The PLH coaches continue to drop like flies as the season draws to a close. First, the Calgary Mustangs dropped Theo King to replace him with Jonah Guy, formerly of the Alberta Bison in the AMHL. Next, the Quebec Nordiques bafflingly let go of Branden Leclerc - perhaps to try and overcome the malaise that has hit the team in the home straight - and replaced him with Blair Parker, who had been coaching the team's minor league affiliate the Trois-Rivieres Eagles. And finally the ambitious Josh O'Moore has been replaced by his own assistant coach Phil Lucas after O'Moore's plans for the season never really came off and left the Sharks - on paper, the best team in the league - in a battle for last in the Mountain West.

Scores
Sunday February 23rd 1986
New England Whalers 2 - 3 Vancouver Giants
Montreal Champions 3 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals
Chicago Cougars 2 - 1 Ottawa Nationals
Manitoba Vikings 1 - 4 Quebec Nordiques
Calgary Mustangs 1 - 4 San Francisco Arrows

Monday February 24th 1986
San Francisco Arrows 4 - 7 Michigan Stags
Quebec Nordiques 0 - 5 Ottawa Nationals
Vancouver Giants 5 - 6 Los Angeles Sharks
Montreal Champions 0 - 5 Colorado Eagles
New England Whalers 2 - 1 Toronto Aces
Manitoba Vikings 3 - 5 New York Centrals

Tuesday February 25th 1986
Chicago Cougars 0 - 3 Seattle Nightmare

Wednesday February 26th 1986
New England Whalers 3 - 4 Ottawa Nationals
St. Paul Cardinals 1 - 0 Quebec Nordiques
Calgary Mustangs 2 - 0 Los Angeles Sharks
Michigan Stags 3 - 6 Montreal Champions

Thursday February 27th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 4 - 4 Manitoba Vikngs
Chicago Cougars 2 - 2 San Francisco Arrows
Charlottetown Islanders 3 - 1 Montreal Champions
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 - 2 Los Angeles Sharks
Colorado Eagles 0 - 5 Calgary Mustangs

Friday February 28th 1986
New York Centrals 3 - 1 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
St. Paul Cardinals 0 - 2 New England Whalers
Toronto Aces 3 - 3 Vancouver Giants
Ottawa Nationals 3 - 3 Michigan Stags

Saturday March 1st 1986
Seattle Nightmare 2 - 5 Los Angeles Sharks

Center Ice Game of the Week
Charlottetown Islanders 5 - 0 Michigan Stags
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids

The Islanders can be fairly confident of making the playoffs, as they have opened up a significant lead on the Vancouver Giants to keep the Giants at the bottom of the Atlantic. The Stags, meanwhile, would be a little more nervous. Having gone from leading the Mountain East halfway through the season to duking it out with Calgary for the last playoff spot with just one point separating them at the start of this encounter, the Stags season is hanging by a thread.

Well, the Islanders increased their lead over the Giants and the Stags will now feel the Mustangs breathing down their necks as Charlottetown gave Michigan a hockey lesson tonight. Harold Hawking recorded his first shutout of the season - stopping 43 shots whatsmore - while the Islanders piled on the pressure to remind people that this is the end of the season that counts. They scored on the powerplay - Mikehl Sell in the first period. They scored shorthanded - Matias Malmivaara in the second period. And they scored even-strength. Three times.

The Islanders gave up 9 powerplays but the Stags never looked like scoring as Hawking was a complete brick wall in net. Even in the second period when the Stags got 21 shots away, Hawking made his case for a full-time start with the Islanders - or possibly a trade to a club - and there are several - who can use his services.

The Islanders are unlikely to defend their St. Lawrence Trophy this year. They will run into teams who have been playing better all season long. But they are at least giving themselves a chance by coming into form at the right time. The Stags, meanwhile, peaked a few months too early, and will rely on determination and a lot of luck to carry them into the playoffs at all, much less deep into them.

Next week on Center Ice, the Centrals and the Nightmare meet at the Pond in Central Park.

[monochameleon]

PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS OF THE WEEK

The new identity of the San Fran Arrows
The San Francisco Arrows will, next year, be the Northwest Bears, playing out of Portland, Orgeon. The ownership group stated that they wanted to do something to raise awareness of the plight of several endangered species of bear in the west of the country. "The name Northwest is also to emphasise that this is not just a team for the people of Portland, but also the people of all of the Northwest." Seattle and Vancouver spokespeople were not available for comment.

Scores
Sunday March 2nd 1986
San Francisco Arrows 0 - 1 St. Paul Cardinals
Ottawa Nationals 0 - 2 Montreal Champions
Quebec Nordiques 4 - 2 New England Whalers
Toronto Aces 0 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Chicago Cougars 2 - 4 Manitoba Vikings
Colorado Eagles 2 - 6 New York Centrals
Calgary Mustangs 3 - 2 Vancouver Giants

Monday March 3rd 1986
New York Centrals 3 - 0 Charlottetown Islanders
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 - 7 San Francisco Arrows
St. Paul Cardinals 3 - 6 Seattle Nightmare
Vancouver Giants 2 - 3 Toronto Aces
Quebec Nordiques 4 - 2 Chicago Cougars
New England Whalers 4 - 3 Calgary Mustangs
Los Angeles Sharks 3 - 1 Michigan Stags

Tuesday March 4th 1986
Manitoba Vikings 1 - 1 Charlottetown Islanders

Wednesday March 5th 1986
New England Whalers 5 - 2 Colorado Eagles
Calgary Mustangs 5 - 3 Chicago Cougars
Los Angeles Sharks 1 - 1 Quebec Nordiques

Thursday March 6th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 3 - 2 Toronto Aces
Colorado Eagles 2 - 3 Manitoba Vikings
Montreal Champions 5 - 2 Chicago Cougars
Vancouver Giants 0 - 1 New York Centrals
Ottawa Nationals 1 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals
Michigan Stags 1 - 3 San Francisco Arrows
Charlottetown Islanders 3 - 2 Quebec Nordiques
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 - 3 New England Whalers

Friday March 7th 1986
no games played

Saturday March 8th 1986
Charlottetown Islanders 3 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals
Los Angeles Sharks 1 - 1 Ottawa Nationals

Center Ice Game of the Week
Seattle Nightmare 1 - 4 New York Centrals
Central Park Rink, New York

The Nightmare committed three penalties in the first period and it was all downhill from there. Though the Centrals - with a 5-3 advantage - failed to score during this opportune time, it did swing the momentum to them, and the Nightmare never really looked like recovering it. Missing the offensive powerhouse of Alexis Paquette, the Nightmare have been left to finish the season on fumes and dreams.

14,500 packed the Central Park Rink to see their home team emerge victorious. The star for the Centrals was, perhaps surprisingly, Sebastien Thompson, who was traded to the club from Colorado via Michigan near the deadline. In his 11 games with the Centrals, Thompson has scored 14 points, including a pair of goals (both on the powerplay) tonight. Thompson has found good chemistry with Nicky Jephcott on the first line and the Centrals will definitely feel that's one trade they got the best of.

The other high-profile acquisition that has paid off for the Centrals in the late season is Dewitt Sykes. After winning 1 from 11 with Ottawa and 8 from 15 with New England, Sykes ended up in New York to relieve the injury-prone Burt Magee, a job he has done admirably, running with 6-1-1 from 8 starts. The Centrals have found a team that very much seems to be working for them with a combination of fresh faces and experienced players, while the Nightmare are struggling with fatigue and injuries. It doesn't bode well for them going into the playoffs.

Next week, for the last Center Ice Saturday for the season, we go to Hartford for the Whalers and Sharks.

[DanielR]

Keep it up, was following the Aces, but I'll be joining the London bandwagon when they come along.

[monochameleon]

Originally Posted by DanielR

Keep it up, was following the Aces, but I'll be joining the London bandwagon when they come along.

Glad you're enjoying it - hope the Wolves are competitive! Hopefully tonight will finish off the regular season after I get home from work and maybe the start of the playoffs. My money is on the New York Centrals, but looking back at my predictions at the start of the season, I'm clearly not the one to listen to here.

[monochameleon]

PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS OF THE WEEK

Regular season concludes
The first ever regular season of the PLH came to an end today, with eight games to conclude the year and lead in to the playoffs. League president Quinn MacMurray said that he was "delighted" with the response the league has received in its first season, with all teams breaking records for crowd attendance and solid ratings on the RKO network providing the league with a big market impact. "The addition of two new teams next season will be an even bigger boost for the league," MacMurray added, "we can't wait to see what a new group of players and coaches bring to the contest. But first, we've got some playoffs to settle."

PROSPECT WATCH - THE CANADIAN JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
The CJHL, breeding ground of the next Premier League stars, uncovered a group of new stars in Quebec this season, as the Quebec Unite' conquered all comers to finish atop the regular season. Led by their star forward combination Cameron Hill (RW, 69-50) and Luke Cook (C, 53-84) and backstopped by Nathan Jones (35W-16L) this team will be hard to beat in the playoffs. Welshman Jones will be eligible in the upcoming PLH draft. Other major players on offer will include Terry Morrison (LD, 11-81), David Watson (C, 39-57) and Bob Todd (LW/RW, 53-33). The stars of the future are certainly shining brightly.

New York Centrals Secure Premier's Trophy
The New York Centrals put a new piece of silverware in their trophy case tonight, as their 45-25-10 record was good for 100 points and the lead of the league, securing them the Premier's Trophy. CoachAl Pimlott said, "this is the result of a lot of hard work. We won the Harris Shield last year and this is evidence that that skill hasn't dulled in the larger competition." Nicky Jephcott topped the Centrals in points with 26-56 while Micah Turner's 35 goals was the best on the team.

Division Champions
As well as the Centrals, three other teams will have something to celebrate as they secured their divisional titles tonight. The Manitoba Vikings walked away with the Atlantic West, while the New England Whalers defied all expectations to finish first in the Atlantic East. Finally, the St. Paul Cardinals recovered from an appalling 0-6-0 start to the season to snatch the Mountain West by one point over the Colorado Eagles.

Scores
Sunday March 9th 1986
Vancouver Giants 2 - 7 Quebec Nordiques
Chicago Cougars 3 - 0 Colorado Eagles
Manitoba Vikings 4 - 5 San Francisco Arrows
Toronto Aces 3 - 6 Montreal Champions
Calgary Mustangs 4 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Ottawa Nationals 2 - 1 Los Angeles Sharks
Michigan Stags 1 - 2 New England Whalers

Monday March 10th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 2 - 1 Calgary Mustangs
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 - 4 Colorado Eagles
St. Paul Cardinals 3 - 2 Toronto Aces
San Francisco Arrows 2 - 1 Chicago Cougars
Quebec Nordiques 3 - 1 Vancouver Giants
New York Centrals 2 - 0 Manitoba Vikings
Montreal Champions 1 - 2 New England Whalers

Tuesday March 11th 1986
no games played

Wednesday March 12th 1986
San Francisco Arrows 5 - 2 New York Centrals
Calgary Mustangs 3 - 2 Seattle Nightmare
Colorado Eagles 3 - 0 Ottawa Nationals
Los Angeles Sharks 4 - 1 Charlottetown Islanders
New England Whalers 5 - 5 Michigan Stags

Thursday March 13th 1986
Charlottetown Islanders 4 - 2 Los Angeles Sharks
Michigan Stags 4 - 3 Ottawa Nationals
Toronto Aces 2 - 5 St. Paul Cardinals
Manitoba Vikings 3 - 5 Seattle Nightmare
Chicago Cougars 4 - 4 Montreal Champions

Friday March 14th 1986
New York Centrals 4 - 3 San Francisco Arrows
Vancouver Giants 4 - 3 Colorado Eagles
Quebec Nordiques 2 - 1 Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Saturday March 15th 1986
Seattle Nightmare 4 - 0 Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Sunday March 16th 1986
Ottawa Nationals 1 - 2 Charlottetown Islanders
Chicago Cougars 1 - 2 St. Paul Cardinals
Calgary Mustangs 3 - 4 Quebec Nordiques
Montreal Champions 0 - 4 Toronto Aces
Michigan Stags 3 - 1 Vancouver Giants
Manitoba Vikings 2 - 4 New York Centrals

Monday March 17th 1986
San Francisco Arrows 0 - 4 Manitoba Vikings
Vancouver Giants 4 - 7 New England Whalers
Charlottetown Islanders 7 - 5 Ottawa Nationals
Toronto Aces 1 - 2 Chicago Cougars
Colorado Eagles 1 - 3 Michigan Stags
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 - 7 Calgary Mustangs
Quebec Nordiques 4 - 2 Seattle Nightmare
St. Paul Cardinals 2 - 1 Montreal Champions

Center Ice Game of the Week
Los Angeles Sharks 3 - 3 New England Whalers
Hartford Civic Center, Hartford

I have, already in these analyses, noted the rivalry that has popped up between these two teams. They could not be more distant from each other, they play in separate halves of the competition and had never even glanced sideways at each other until this year. But a few close games is all it takes to kick off a rivalry, and this game was another classic in the new canon of Whalers/Sharks.

The Sharks have clung to a playoff spot, just barely - much to the surprise of all involved. This season will go down as a wasted opportunity for the Sharks, who have been seeking success for so long. The division championship which so easily could have been theirs is now gone, and playoff glory seems miles away from the men from LA. Promise was at least shown tonight, most of it by Vincent Lachance, who scored 1 and 1 and showed a lot of heart. Defenceman Rajbir Johar, who has skated with such fire and determination all season long was rewarded tonight with his 13th goal when he finally netted one in the third period. Special teams have also shown improvement for the Sharks - they scored 2 of 3 powerplays and killed a pair of penalties.

The Whalers have built a different kind of hockey, one dedicated to the team rather than the stars. Terry Lowe and Chris Coats combined for the Whalers to score shorthanded on the penalty they did kill. While no Whalers have climbed dizzying heights on the score charts this season, several have been very good, with players like Terry Lowe (32 goals) and Andrey Popov (21 assists) rewarding the coaching staff in Hartford for their faith in them. And David Scopelleti, who has played with such determination to finish the season at 21-12-10 and win two goalie of the month awards.

The Whalers won the Atlantic East, beating many fancied rivals. And the Sharks, though they have made the playoffs, will recognise the road they have ahead - they need to break down what didn't work for them this season, work out how to change it, and work out what is next for this team who promised so much and delivered so little.

Next time on Center Ice - the playoffs begin. We look at the first round match-ups.

Final Standings:

[monochameleon]

PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

Round One Matchups

Mountain League:
#1 New York Centrals vs. #8 Calgary Mustangs

#2 St. Paul Cardinals vs. #7 Los Angeles Sharks

#3 Quebec Nordiques vs. #6 Montreal Champions

#4 Colorado Eagles vs. #5 Seattle Nightmare

Atlantic League:
#1 Manitoba Vikings vs. #8 Ottawa Nationals

#2 New England Whalers vs. #7 Lehigh Valley Phantoms

#3 Toronto Aces vs. #6 Charlottetown Islanders

#4 San Francisco Arrows vs. #5 Chicago Cougars

The playoffs get underway on Sunday, March 23rd 1986, with Charlottetown defending the St. Lawrence Trophy in the Atlantic League, New York defending the Harris Shield and everyone chasing the new Cameron Phillips Memorial Trophy.

New York are clear favourites to with the Mountain League. They have come into form at the right time, acquired the right depth and have all the stars they need: Nicky Jephcott, Sebastian Thompson and Burt Magee are going to make the other teams work hard for the cup.

Manitoba will, of course, work very hard indeed. Though they struggled through the back end, the talent that took them to number 1 in the Atlantic and set them just 2 points shy of the Premier's Trophy is still very much there. Manny Lopera and Ryan McIsaac are a great goaltending tandem and Justin Homer was one of the leagues' bonafide stars this season. The Vikings will go after New York in a big way.

Toronto could also cause a real upset. The Aces worked hard to finish third in the Atlantic and though some of their stars are aging, Jakub Vanek - league leader in points - is keen for the playoff run and could go all the way. The team with the real potential to cause an upset is the Los Angeles Sharks. Still a solid team on paper, if they can get it together in the post-season, they have what it takes to walk away with the cup - but that's a very, very big if.

[monochameleon]

PLAYOFF GAMES BEGIN

Mountain League:

(#8) Calgary Mustangs 3 - 5 (#1) New York Centrals
Central Park Rink, New York
Before play today the Centrals raised the Premier's Trophy banner to the roof and celebrated their hard-earned victory as champions of the regular season. And then they got down to business as they downed the Calgary Mustangs 5-3 at the Duck Pond. Nicky Jephcott had 2 assists and Burt Magee made 41 saves to keep the Mustangs to 3 goals. The fact that Calgary got 44 shots away show that they had what it took to get the puck to the net - just being unable to beat Burt Magee anywhere near enough to win the game. The Mustangs defence has the ability to break up the Centrals skill play, and that is exactly what they will have to do to win.
New York lead the series 1-0

(#7) Los Angeles Sharks 2 - 5 (#2) St. Paul Cardinals
The Nest, St. Paul

The Cardinals went from an 0-6-0 start to the season to end 40-30-10, good for 90 points and the division title for Mountain West. The Sharks, meanwhile, started the season with promise only to finish 29-33-18 and just scrape a playoff spot from the Michigan Stags. The Cards showed the disparity between the two sides at the Nest tonight when they dominated the first two periods, leading 5-1 at the last break. The star for St. Paul was Jamie Carrick, acquired halfway through the season from the Montreal Champions before finding some aggression and building to a solid finish to the year, 39 points in the regular season and getting better all the time. He scored two goals tonight when team leaders such as Thorn Tramel and Matthew Heximer were unable to find the back of the net. Matthew Kavanagh looked besieged in the LA goal, and the Sharks have a lot to turn around if they are to cause an upset here.
St. Paul lead the series 1-0

(#6) Montreal Champions 0 - 3 (#3) Quebec Nordiques
Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City

The all-Quebec final series lit up as the Nordiques shut the Champions out to take the lead in the series. Michael Pratt had the perfect night in goal, blocking all 26 shots sent his way. Russel Card was less fortunate, being subjected to 43 shots as the relentless Nords hammered him, especially in the second period when they scored two goals - one each to Martin Weaver and Nathaniel Alderson. The first period marker went to Aaron Harding. Tyson Scissons walked away with a pair of helpers to put his team one up and the home fans in raptures.
Quebec lead the series 1-0

(#5) Seattle Nightmare 1 - 0 (#4) Colorado Eagles
Whitefall Arena, Denver

The Eagles and Nightmare both peaked relatively early and were left chasing the Cardinals in the Mountain West. Now these two fierce rivals are left to fight out arguably the most brutal of series - 4/5. It lived up to its reputation tonight as 31 hits were thrown and 15 active steals pulled off in a game that saw Seattle finally get one on net in the third through superstar defender Matt Jobke. The Nightmare outshot Colorado 30-15, a telling statistic in this war of attrition. The pressure mounts on the Eagles to win the next one at home before they head to the Key Arena and face the Nightmare on road ice.
Seattle lead the series 1-0

Atlantic League:

(#8) Ottawa Nationals 4 - 1 (#1) Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Technical House, Winnipeg

In perhaps the biggest upset of day 1, the Nationals came back from 1-0 down at the end of the first to embarass the Vikings 4-1 at the end of play. Credit must go to Joel Zimmerman, whose two goals in 33 seconds late in the second first put Ottawa in the lead and then gave them the go-ahead, but also to Brandon Moore, who stopped 34 of 35 Manitoba shots. The Vikings had the possession, they had the scoring chances, but what they didn't have was the goals. Manny Lopera will be left to contemplate how he only stopped 19 of 23 when he has been so good all season.
Ottawa lead the series 1-0

(#7) Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 - 3 (#2) Hartford Whalers
Hartford Civic Center, Hartford

The Atlantic upsets continued at Hartford where the Phantoms and Whalers engaged in a 4-3 barnburner that saw the Phantoms run out winners while the Whalers missed a close chance. No goals were scored for the first 26 minutes, until Petr Justa finally broke the deadlock with a one-timer from the blue-line to put the Phantoms 1-0 up. The Whalers struck back through Wacey Andrews and Brodie Shelkoplyas to lead 2-1 at the last break. The Phantoms stormed home in the third, however, going up 4-2 with goals to Etienne Houle, Ken Negus and Geoff West. Terry Lowe scored for the Whalers, but at 19:46 in the third it was too little, too late, and the Phantoms ran out winners. The Whalers will rue the bounces that went against them in such a close finish.
Lehigh Valley lead series 1-0

(#6) Charlottetown Islanders 1 - 2 (#3) Toronto Aces
Toronto Entertainment Centre, Toronto

An overtime thriller lit up the playoffs tonight as the defending Charlottetown Islanders went down to the Aces in extra innings. Despite the wealth of scoring talent on both sides of the ice, neither team could score until Dominic St. Croix found the back of the net for the Islanders halfway through the third. Before the 15 minute mark, however, Kiprionas Genzelis had gotten it back for the Aces and we were headed to overtime. It didn't last too long - just 2 minutes - but what there was was tense and a great teaser for what we can expect from this series. Lovell DeSerres finally got it past Harry Hawking to win the game and leave the Aces in the lead with another game at home next.
Toronto lead the series 1-0

(#5) Chicago Cougars 1 - 4 (#4) San Francisco Arrows
Jameson Arena, San Francisco

As the Arrows prepare to leave the bay area, they are hoping to put off their departure for just a little longer. A 4-1 win over the Cougars was largely the result of the aggressive skating of Karel Vavra, who will be happy to have walked away with 2 assists. The Arrows played with aggression and pride giving up - and killing - 5 penalties in the first period before going into the rooms tied at 1-1. In the second period, however, they turned it on, scoring three unanswered goals - two with the man advantage - to run out winners and take the series lead.
San Francisco lead the series 1-0

[monochameleon]

PLAYOFF REPORTS

Mountain League:
(#8) Calgary Mustangs 1 - 2 (#1) New York Centrals
Central Park Rink, New York

The Centrals made it a two game buffer before the series heads on the road to Calgary as their third and fourth lines let the top two relax for the evening. Tomas Scmidt and Mike Ames put goals in the net for the Centrals, one in each of the first two periods. Roman Vrzacek scored with 20 seconds to go in the game but, perhaps surprisingly, the Mustangs were unable to level it with so little time remaining. Calgary can only hope that the home crowd at Federation Arena will inspire them to greatness, but the prospect of a sweep is dangling between the two teams as a simultaneous New York carrot and Calgary stick.
New York lead the series 2-0

(#7) Los Angeles Sharks 3 - 4 (#2) St. Paul Cardinals
The Nest, St. Paul

The fans in Minnesota just about lifted the roof off The Nest tonight after a second period full of razzle-dazzle hockey. The Cardinals played perhaps the best twenty minutes of their season so far, with goals to Steve Hardeman - collecting his own rebound and putting it in on the backhand; Matt Heximer - a powerplay goal fed to him by Fred Seawright when the Sharks let him get open at the corner of the net; and Pier-Luc Cote - again on a Seawright pass, this time to the left dot from which Cote uncorked a blistering slap very uncharecteristic of his typical sniping. The Sharks ran the Cards hard - goals to Nielsen, Docken and Nolan kept them within 1 - but a Fred Seawright powerplay goal in the last period put the game just out of the Sharks reach. The series heads now to LA.
St. Paul lead the series 2-0

(#6) Montreal Champions 2 - 5 (#3) Quebec Nordiques
Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City

The battle of Quebec continued at Colisee Pepsi tonight but the Champions never even looked in it. At 8:16 in the first, when Jason Chatenay scored his second goal, the score was 4-0 to Quebec, and the fact that the Champions finished the game at 2-5 was testament more to Quebec switching off and conserving energy than it was to some abortive Montreal comeback. The four opening period goals - to Justin Von Duehren, Nathaniel Alderson and two to Chatenay - were all perfectly executed and planned plays, with Kevin Syratt picking up assists on the last three of them. Though Paul Pearson and Erik Mather got the goals for Montreal, Nathan Howard scored in the twentieth minute of the third period to seal the deal, with assists to Chatenay - his third point - and Syratt, his fourth.
Quebec lead the series 2-0

(#5) Seattle Nightmare 2 - 1 (#4) Colorado Eagles
Whitefall Arena, Denver

To be down two-zip after your opening home stand of the series is a brutal position to be in, and though the Eagles saved their blushes by forcing overtime with a goal to Larry Poole in the third period, they never really looked like beating Seattle, even in such a close contest. Davide Como had scored the first goal - and shorthanded, whatsmore - before the Eagles had even got their powerplay properly going. A fierce and physical second period - four penalties, all killed - saw no scoring, and it wasn't until halfway through the third that the Eagles equalised. But it was only 34 seconds into overtime that Mark O'Gloran scored the game winner for Seattle, leaving the Eagles to find some way to turn this around as they head on their west coast road trip.
Seattle lead the series 2-0

(#8) Ottawa Nationals 2 - 3 (#1) Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Technical House, Winnipeg

The scoreline would suggest that the Vikings reasserted normality, but a seeming collapse of defence in the third period means that both teams will take a lot of heart from this one. Jason Woombil and Justin Homer scored in the first to put the Vikings up 2-0 at the first intermission, and then Charles Martel found the back of the net in the second to give them the 3-0 lead. The Vikings were almost physically relieved: the first game was an abomination, and the Nationals would be disheartened by such a turnaround. But no, the Vikings defence seemingly took the third period off and the Nats made it to the net 13 times - to the Vikings just 6 - and put two on net within two minutes of each other. Suddenly the momentum was all with Ottawa and the Vikings were on the back foot. The fact that they were able to hold on for the win says a lot, but the lapse that allowed the Nationals back into it was all down to sloppy play in their own zone. The Vikings leveled the series but I don't imagine the coaching staff were full of praise afterwards.
Series level 1-1

(#7) Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 - 4 (#2) New England Whalers
Hartford Civic Center, Hartford

After all the upsets on Sunday, Wednesday seemed to be the day everything crashed back to earth. Terry Lowe scored twice in the first period to put the Whalers 2-0 up and the Phantoms were always chasing from then on in. In a game notable for the brutally physical nature of its play - 42 minutes of penalties, split 22-20 - it was largely the skill players such as Lowe, Rasmus Bjorklund and Andrey Popov who made it to the net. William Ekbom's goal for the Valley came in the 12th minute of the third and was the only time a defenceman was able to muscle his way to the crease and put it on net. The series now goes to Allentown and though the momentum is with New England, the Phantoms will have home ice and the knowledge that they can beat the Whalers.
Series level 1-1

(#6) Charlottetown Islanders 2 - 1 (#3) Toronto Aces
Toronto Entertainment Centre, Toronto

This all-Canada derby looked to be headed for the second straight overtime game of the series when Jesper Larsson scored one of the most surprising goals of his career, finding the puck almost accidentally on his stick due to a deflection off the post - the result of a near miss by Johan Jonsson. Randy Reynolds, seemingly completely unaware of where the puck had gone, was still facing Jonsson and could do nothing as Larsson put it straight in the net. The Islanders first goal had come on a breathtaking solo effort from Cam Millchamp who had stolen the puck and skated the length of the ice before deking Reynolds out of his pads. Ben Magnus had levelled the game early in the the third with a slap shot from dead in front, but none of the Aces seemed to have position to stop Larsson's game winner. Harold Hawking's 26 saves to keep the Aces to 1 will be a high watermark for this goaltender in a season that has seen him emerge as one of the league's best. The series now heads to Charlottetown where the Islanders will carry the momentum.
Series level 1-1

(#5) Chicago Cougars 2 - 7 (#4) San Francisco Arrows
Jameson Arena, San Francisco

It's the kind of match that kills all the momentum for a team. The Cougars 4-1 loss in the first game was rough, but to lose 7-2 and go down two games in the series is the kind of demoralising loss that nullifies the impending home-ice advantage. The Arrows could - and seemingly did - score from anywhere. All seven goals came from different players, and even only David Jech and Alexandre Bernier had more than one assist (two each). The Cougars looked helpless, were outshot 47-25, failed to score on any of their four powerplays and had to pull Dan Dubielewicz when he let in four out of twelve shots. Baron did better - he stopped 32 of 35 - but the damage was done the Arrows were in the ascendancy. The International Amphitheatre will either be the stage for a massive Chicago comeback or just a stepping stone to glory as the Arrows make one last bid to bring the St. Lawrence Trophy to the bay.
San Francisco lead series 2-0

[monochameleon]

Playoffs

Mountain League

(#1) New York Centrals 3 - 5 (#8) Calgary Mustangs
Federation Arena, Calgary

The Mustangs didn't let their home fans down tonight as the playoffs came to Calgary. Though Nicky Jephcott had a three point night for the Centrals - two goals and an assist - a full-team effort from Calgary held the Centrals to a loss as Filip Petersson (2 goals) found the form that had made him one of the stars of the season. The Mustangs played with a fire that had abandoned them and kept themselves from having to climb a very scary mountain from three games down.
New York lead the series 2-1

(#2) St. Paul Cardinals 0 - 3 (#7) Los Angeles Sharks
Memorial Forum, Los Angeles

The playoffs arrived in LA with a bang as the Sharks, hockey's most consistently underperforming team, finally found some form to beat the Cardinals 3-0. Matt Kavanagh's shutout saw him stop 29 shots. The Sharks came back from a dominant display by St. Paul in the first period - they were outshot 18-7 - to lead possession in the second and third and send down 20-11 in the last two. Trevor Jacklin, Reid Cass and Thomas Bice were the goal scorers for the Sharks, but Kavanagh was the undisputed star of the night.
St. Paul lead the series 2-1

(#3) Quebec Nordiques 3 - 6 (#6) Montreal Champions
Mount Royal Arena, Montreal

The Nords received a rude shock when a Noah Ness-inspired Champions side flattened them in the first quarter hour, going up by 3 before the Champions could get on the board. No Champion scored 2 goals in the 6-3 win but JC Larocque and Noah Ness did both manage a pair of assists, as well as Tony Wacker's 1-and-1 performance. The Champions home crowd were well pleased as they made their way back into this series.
Quebec lead the series 2-1

(#4) Colorado Eagles 2 - 5 (#5) Seattle Nightmare
Key Arena, Seattle

The Eagles are a loss away from being the first team eliminated in the Premier League of Hockey playoffs. Their performance tonight lacked any kind of drive and they never led - from 2-1 to 3-2 to the final 5-2, the Nightmare always had the edge. If this playoff season is showing us anything then it's certainly that the teams with depth are dominant, rather than the teams relying on stars. Rasmus Bjorklund was notably missed by the Eagles, but the Nightmare are able to call on Morgan Jonsson, Davide Como and Mattia Rosell - as well as others - to cover the missing Alexis Paquette. Seattle have one win between them and the Atlantic League semis.
Seattle lead the series 3-0

Atlantic League

(#1) Manitoba Vikings 2 - 3 (#8) Ottawa Nationals
Nationals Arena, Ottawa

When Jan Kinnuen scored for the Vikings at 4:36 in the first, it looked to be business as usual. But then Flynn Webb got it back for the Nationals and left the two teams level. It wasn't until 12:24 of the third that anyone would score again - and it was the Vikings. The desperate, thrashing defence of the Nationals had kept the Vikings out for 34 minutes but finally Steve Austin found a way through thanks to a fine pass from Randolph Gray and the Vikes had the lead. The sigh of relief that washed over the Vikings bench was almost physical. But then, it was that man, Walter Aldridge, who fed Adam Gustafsson a pass across the net with five minutes to go that Gustafsson was able to put on net, past Manny Lopera, and score the game tying goal. It took just three and a half minutes of overtime for Jan Dzurik to score his second goal of the playoffs and keep Ottawa's dream alive as they took the lead in the series back and gave the Vikings some more to worry about as they struggle to remember that they are meant to be the better team in this contest.
Ottawa lead the series 2-1

(#2) New England Whalers 3 - 6 (#7) Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Silence Arena, Allentown

A pair of goals within 7 seconds - 1:48 and 1:55 in the first period - from Ralph Knorr gave the Whalers the lead early, but the Phantoms showed that in the playoffs, it's not the team who can do it when the pressure is light, but when the pressure is mounting, that wins the games. Ekbom and Negus tied it up for te Phantoms, and then both teams traded goals in the second (Nicholas and Houle for the Whalers and Phantoms respectively). With the game tied 3-3 going into the third, the Whalers defence suddenly had no answers, and though the Whalers outshot the Phantoms 54-34 for the game, the Phantoms won it 6-3 with three goals in the final period.
Lehigh Valley lead the series 2-1

(#3) Toronto Aces 1 - 5 (#6) Charlottetown Islanders
Elizabeth Arena, Charlottetown

Playoff hockey returned to Prince Edward Island as the defending champs took the Aces apart, led by stars Matias Malmivaara (1 goal, 2 assists), Billy Hodges (1 goal, 2 assists) and Derek Power (2 goals). The Aces had seemingly no answers as the Islanders, who spent most of the season struggling for chemistry, found it tonight in spades. Klaus Thorsen opened the scoring for Toronto at 10:31 in the first, but the five unanswered goals from the Islanders told all the rest of the story anyone needed to know. The Islanders now lead the series and the pressure is mounting on Toronto to capitalise on their great season.
Charlottetown lead the series 2-1

(#4) San Francisco Arrows 1 - 3 (#5) Chicago Cougars
International Amphitheatre, Chicago

Never write off any team in the playoffs, as it has a way to come back and haunt you. The Cougars, who had struggled for the first two games of the series, hunted down the Arrows out there tonight, landing 21 hits and putting 36 shots on net. They scored three times - to Anthoni Labonte, Art Whittington and Milan Matz, while Philippe Laliberte's sole goal in the second period was the only bright spot for the Arrows. The Cougars turnaround ensured at least a five game series and a return to San Francisco. Now to see if they can capitalise on that.
San Francisco lead the series 2-1

[monochameleon]

Playoff Games Continue

Mountain League

(#1) New York Centrals 3 - 8 (#8) Calgary Mustangs
Federation Arena, Calgary

Whatever the Mustangs are getting out of being back in Calgary is working for them as they thumped the Centrals to level the series last night. The unquestionable star of the night was David Bodie, who registered five points - an assist and no less than four goals. The final score was only as close as it was because, after taking a 7-1 lead in the second period, Bodie scored at the top of the third and then the Mustangs all but switched off, saving energy for the return to New York. Neither Burt Magee or his in-net replacement Dewitt Sykes will be happy with the effort, but nor will the Centrals blueliners as New York found themselves outshot 55-29. The Centrals go back to New York with their tails between their legs and their coaches shaking their heads.
Series level 2-2

(#2) St. Paul Cardinals 2 - 1 (#7) Los Angeles Sharks
Memorial Forum, Los Angeles

St. Paul went up 3-1 in LA with an overtime win in a game most notable for its violence. 29 hits by St. Paul and 26 by LA punctuate a game where Reid Cass and Pier-Luc Cote scored for each team in the first period before a long, lean forty minutes. It was nearly 13 minutes into overtime before the deadlock was broken, by Daniel Fox to give the Cards the win and the series lead. LA must now beat the Cardinals in St. Paul to keep the series alive.
St. Paul lead the series 3-1

(#3) Quebec Nordiques 3 - 6 (#6) Montreal Champions
Mount Royal Arena, Montreal

Another series levelled by the home ice advantage. The Champions roughed up the Nordiques last night in another high schoring affair that saw Patrick Oliphant pick up three assists as the battle of Quebec continues. The Nordiques were bashed up - 26-15 hit count - but it was the Nords who spent the most time in the penalty box, leaking seven penalties - six, vitally, in the last period when they desperately needed the momentum. The Champions and Nordiques now head back to Quebec City with the series completely up in the air and the potential winner really anyone's guess.
Series level 2-2

(#4) Colorado Eagles 3 - 1 (#5) Seattle Nightmare
Key Arena, Seattle

The Nightmare failed to clinch the series on home ice with a surprising 3-1 loss to the Eagles. After trailing 2-0 halfway through the second, the loss was perhaps less of a shock, but the bigger issue was how they got there. A dreadful lapse in discipline saw the Nightmare give up five penalties in the first period, and another in the second - the six opportunities saw 2 powerplay goals for the Eagles before the Nightmare scored themselves on the powerplay. Anton Gayduk put it away in the third with a goal to give the Eagles back their two goal buffer and save themselves from the sweep.
Seattle lead series 3-1

Atlantic League

(#1) Manitoba Vikings 1 - 2 (#8) Ottawa Nationals
Nationals Arena, Ottawa

Perhaps appropriately, it was April Fools Day, and the Vikings fans were probably waiting for their team to stop joking. The Vikings now stand just one loss away from elimination by the 8th ranked team in the Atlantic. The star for the Nationals was Brandon Moore, whose 38 saves were the difference for the Nats tonight. The goals to Stan Graham and John Hamilton both came in the first period, and though Steve Austin got one back in the second, the Ottawa defence was just too good and the very real prospect of the Vikings being eliminated by a team who went 29-37-14 in the regular season is now creeping into their collective minds.
Ottawa lead the series 3-1

(#2) New England Whalers 3 - 2 (#7) Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Silence Arena, Allentown

The Whalers saved themselves the Vikings' blushes when they beat the Phantoms thanks to Ralph Knorr's game winning goal at 17:30 of the third period. Benjamin Suffa and Terry Lowe had each answered a goal from Tobias Fagerstrom and Petr Justa respectively, but Lehigh Valley could find no response to Knorr's marker and the Whalers ran away with the win to level the series. The teams go back to Hartford with two a piece.
Series level 2-2

(#3) Toronto Aces 2 - 3 (#6) Charlottetown Islanders
Elizabeth Arena, Charlottetown

Like the Vikings, the Aces have much to fear from their less-fancied rivals. Once again these two teams went to overtime but this time, it was the Islanders who finished it off - needing just 30 seconds and a powerplay to do it. 21 seconds into the extra period, Lovoell De Serres - either having a brain explosion or just thinking he would not get caught - was called for an obvious hook on Johan Jonsson. The man advantage needed just 8 seconds to score for the Islanders to put a goal on net via superstar Billy Hodges - a goal on which Jonsson himself registered his fifth assist of the series. The series goes back to Toronto where the Aces now have to play for their post-season.
Charlottetown lead the series 3-1

(#4) San Francisco Arrows 2 - 3 (#5) Chicago Cougars
International Amphitheatre, Chicago

The Cougars had seemingly shaken off whatever had afflicted them in San Francisco to leave the Arrows playing catch-up. The Cougars scored three times in the second - through the sticks of John Eyar, Andy MacAskill and Cody Karambelas - to leave the Arrows chasing them down, a task they were unable to complete despite their best efforts. Michal Vavra and Sean Halls got them within one, but the Chicago defence were able to keep them out for the last moments and bring the series back to level, meaning now it's best two out of the next three.
Series level, 2-2

[monochameleon]

PLAYOFFS CONTINUE

Mountain League
(#8) Calgary Mustangs 4 - 5 (#1) New York Centrals
Central Park Rink, New York

The Mustangs and Centrals came back to New York with the series level, but the home ice advantage stayed true and Sebastien Thompson led the Centrals to a win in game five. and Nicky Jephcott both scored braces in this high scoring encounter. Five goals were scored in the last period alone - including both of Jephcott's - but the Mustangs ran out of time to catch the Centrals who now carry a lead in the series as the teams head back to Calgary.
New York lead the series 3-2

(#7) Los Angeles Sharks 4 - 3 (#2) St. Paul Cardinals
The Nest, St. Paul

The Sharks upset the Cardinals tonight with a three-goal final period anchored by the efforts of defender Rajbir Johar. Johar scored a goal sandwiched between assists on the other two goals in the final frame to ensure the Sharks took home the win after trailing 2-1 at the second intermission. The Sharks head back to LA carrying momentum but still needing to win both remaining games to continue on to round two.
St. Paul lead the series 3-2

(#6) Montreal Champions 2 - 5 (#3) Quebec Nordiques
Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City

Jason Chatena found the form that many feared had abandoned him with a goal and three assists in the Nordique's 5-2 win over the Champions. Nathaniel Alderson also walked away with two goals and an assist, while Noah Ness' one-and-one was the best effort out there for Montreal. The series heads back down south with the Nords needing just one more win to continue, but beating the Champions on home ice is an intimidating proposition indeed.
Quebec lead series 3-2

(#5) Seattle Nightmare 1 - 3 (#4) Colorado Eagles
Whitefall Arena, Denver

The Eagles kept the dream alive with a win against Seattle tonight, scoring all three goals in the first period and letting their defence shut up shop for the rest of the game. Jan Hron had two goals but it was the goal keeping of James Bradley - a late season acquisition from the Michigan Stags - that won them the game. Bradley had 29 stops to keep the Nightmare from scoring until the 10th minute of the third period, by which point it was all too big a mountain to climb and the Eagles were able to force the sixth game inSeattle.
Seattle lead the series 3-2

Atlantic League
(#8) Ottawa Nationals 3 - 5 (#1) Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Technical House, Winnipeg

The Nationals were unable to eliminate the Vikings tonight as they were taken down 5-3 in Winnipeg. Though Adam Gustafsson scored on the powerplay in the first period and Flynn Webb scored twice in the second, Manitoba scored three times in the second period through Brenneman, Ballard and Austin to keep the game level. In the third period, it was the Vikings who had the better legs, skating with more aggression and fire to score once through Marcus Loow and take the lead, and then a second time on the powerplay due to a very late and poorly timed penalty that left the Nationals shorthanded when they so desperately needed the game tying goal. The Vikings keep their season alive with the win and send the series back to Ottawa.
Ottawa lead the series 3-2

(#7) Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 - 3 (#2) New England Whalers
Hartford Civic Center, Hartford

The Phantoms came back after trailing 3-2 at the second intermission to win with goals to Petr Justa and Etienne Houle. It was Houle's second goal of the game, and he was definitely one of the stars, but perhaps the greatest success for the Phantoms was Sebastian Johansson, whose commanding presence at the blue line saw him notch a goal and two assists in this win that gives the Phantoms a 3-2 lead heading into their last home game of the series.
Lehigh Valley lead the series 3-2

(#6) Charlottetown Islanders 1 - 4 (#3) Toronto Aces
Toronto Entertainment Centre, Toronto

The Aces proved that well-applied pressure will lead even the best teams to crumble as they dominated the Islanders for the first twenty minutes. It always seemed like there were Greenshirts everywhere, while the Islanders were simply searching for the puck and trying to clear it out of their zone. Jakub Vanek, Emmanuel Desrochers and Brian Kelly all scored in the first 15 minutes to give the Aces the lead, and though the Islnaders fired back through Lee Knight's twentieth minute goal, the damage was done and Charlottetown were always on the back food. Simon Svensson scored late in the third for the Aces to put the result beyond doubt, but really, this game was won and lost in the first ten minutes - after which the Aces were up 2-0 and steaming ahead.
Charlottetown lead the series 3-2
(#5) Chicago Cougars 2 - 0 (#4) San Francisco Arrows
Jameson Arena, San Francisco

The Cougars upset the home-ice advantage with a win in perhaps the most pedestrian game between these two teams thus far. San Francisco looked tired and were only able to get 17 shots on net, all of them stopped by Vojtech Baron while Dan Dubielewicz hangs under an injury cloud. Cody Karambelas and Terry Webb scored for the Cougars, the latter shorthanded in a game that saw only 8 penalty minutes, two goals and a handful of big hits. The crowd made more action than the players as the Arrows fans turned out in force for what may be the team's last game in Jameson Arena.
Chicago lead the series 3-2

[monochameleon]

PLAYOFFS - GAMES 6-7

Mountain League

(#1) New York Centrals 0 - 5 (#8) Calgary Mustangs
(#8) Calgary Mustangs 4 - 1 (#1) New York Centrals
In one of the biggest upsets of the season, the Mustangs upended the Centrals to knock the Premiership winners out of the playoffs. In what was supposed to be a series the Centrals could win in their sleep, it all fell apart when Fred Lind shut them out in Game 6 in Calgary. The Mustangs much-vaunted but only-occasionally successful defence was brutal at Federation Arena, allowing their offence to dominate possession and score 5 goals to leave the Centrals looking close to helpless. When the series returned to New York for the decider, the Mustangs let their players run riot, giving up 8 powerplays - on none of which did the dispirited Centrals score - but physically bullying the Centrals and leaving them unable to work their speed-and-skill plays. Nicky Jephcott finished his year with a consolation goal in the 16th minute of the third, but Juraj Gajdos, David Bodie, Tommy Bedard and Samuel Annable had already found the back of the net for Calgary, meaning the Mustangs were headed to the Mountain Semis, while the Centrals were left to ponder what would come in the offseason.
Calgary win the series 4-3

(#2) St. Paul Cardinals 4 - 1 (#7) Los Angeles Sharks
The Cards finished off the Sharks at the Nest on Monday afternoon with a dominant performance from team captain Thorn Tramel. Tramel, who has been practically missing in action all series, scored a natural hat-trick with three unanswered goals to put the Cards up 3-0. The Sharks never looked like making a comeback, and while Tuukka Taipale scored - shorthanded whatsmore - late in the third, Jake Brantley got it right back for the Cardinals in the powerplay, meaning that St. Paul will host the giant-killing Mustangs in game one of the second round.
St. Paul win the series 4-2

(#3) Quebec Nordiques 2 - 1 (#6) Montreal Champions
Never have you heard such a disapproving crowd as the Nordiques knocked the Champions out of the playoffs in Montreal. In a game that saw a 24-33 hit count - and that's in Montreal's favour - it was significant that the Champions couldn't convert more hits and more shots (18-28) into a win over the Nordiques. Part of it was the solidity of Michael Pratt in goal for the Nordiques, extending his great season (29 wins, 13 losses) into the playoffs. The Champions remain luckless in the post season, but never before have they lost to the Nordiques - something, I'm sure, the Nords have been keen to remedy. The Nordiques progress to the second round but the Champions still have the team to make a challenge next year.
Quebec win the series 4-2

(#4) Colorado Eagles 2 - 1 (#5) Seattle Nightmare
(#5) Seattle Nightmare 1 - 3 (#4) Colorado Eagles
The Eagles accomplished the impossible and came back from 3-0 down in the series to win it in 7. The groundwork was laid Monday when they outskated the Nightmare in Seattle, scoring twice on six powerplays while only offering the Nightmare two attempts with the man advantage, both of which were killed. The Eagles win on Thursday night was more definitive, with goals to Gil Blanton, Larry Poole and Jack Gurston ensuring that the home ice advantage for game 7 was not wasted. James Bradley's recovery in goal from three straight losses to four straight wins - allowing just four goals in the last four after letting in eight in the first three - was the kind of thing champions are made of. The Eagles will go on to face Quebec in the second round.
Colorado win the series 4-3

Atlantic League

(#1) Manitoba Vikings 1 - 0 (#8) Ottawa Nationals
(#8) Ottawa Nationals 1 - 4 (#1) Manitoba Vikings
The wheels came off the Ottawa bandwagon on Thursday when they finally bowed out - after an impressive effort to go to seven - to the Manitoba Vikings. The game on Monday night was a prime example of what is great about playoff hockey as two teams - one after a dominant season and one on a fairy tale attempt to win the trophy named after their late owner - battled it out in a scoreless draw for 47 minutes before Jonathan Gagnon finally scored on the powerplay. Neither Brandon Moore nor Manny Lopera did anything wrong, and it was only the relelntless offence of the Vikings in the third period that saw Moore finally caught out and beaten by a shot that no goalie in the league would have stopped. All of Ottawas momentum was seemingly sucked out of them after that loss, however, and on Thursday in Winnipeg they were much more conclusively beaten, a 4-1 loss that ended their run. Manitoba, shaken by Ottawa but living to fight another day, move on to the second round.
Manitoba win the series 4-3

(#2) New England Whalers 1 - 3 (#7) Lehigh Valley Phantoms
They partied in Allentown on Monday night when the Phantoms eliminated the Whalers in front of a packed - and stunningly noisy - Silence Arena. The Whalers, who defied expectations to finish just three points behind the Centrals, were unable to keep up their excellent form and were always trailing against the Phantoms. Etienne Houle opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the playoffs to lead the series, but Matt MacKenzie's 33 saves (a .971 for the night) led to him taking away the first star. The Phantoms will face the tough assignment of upsetting the Atlantic league leaders, the Vikings, in the second round.
Lehigh Valley win the series 4-2

(#3) Toronto Aces 3 - 0 (#6) Charlottetown Islanders
(#6) Charlottetown Islanders 0 - 1 (#3) Toronto Aces
When Russel Card was traded away to the Montreal Champions for Randy Reynolds at the start of the year, many questioned if Reynolds was ever going to be the calibre of goaltender that Card was. The Aces assured the hockey world that they had every faith in their new acquisition. He paid back their confidence one hundred fold when, on Monday and Thursday, he posted back-to-back shutouts against the Islanders to complete the Aces' comeback and eliminate Charlottetown from the playoffs. In the two games, Reynolds stopped 50 shots and overshadowed even Ben Magnus' brace in the third period of Game 6 and the brutal defence of Gene Tupper in game seven. The Aces breathed a sigh of relief for completing the comeback and the Islanders, their St. Lawrence Trophy defence over, now look to next season and start planning for the draft.
Toronto win the series 4-3

(#4) San Francisco Arrows 4 - 1 (#5) Chicago Cougars
(#5) Chicago Cougars 2 - 4 (#4) San Francisco Arrows
The Arrows fans, so notable by their absence over the last five years that the team is playing their last games in California, have suddenly crawled out of the woodwork as the Arrows completed a seven-game win over the Chicago Cougars. Wheeler, Jech, Bernier and Halls all scored for San Fran on Monday, while only Rich Krause could find the back of the net for Chicago, largely owing to the goaltending of Jim Biggio. The final match of the series at Jameson Arena - once again, potentially the last game the Arrows would ever play in San Francisco - was off to a bad start when Anthoni Labonte scored for the Cougars, but the Arrows then scored three unanswered and ensured that the Arrows would be back to host the Aces in round two. For the Cougars, it's been a season which they will take a lot of heart from - a team supposedly rebuilding managed to skate with the best of them and finish fifth in the league, giving them a lot of hope for the future.
San Francisco win the series 4-3

[Simmo13]

Go Calgary!!!
sorry to interrupt the playoffs but one more question, did you just fill all the teams with players when you created the game or conduct a draft? Thanks again Monochameleon.

[monochameleon]

Originally Posted by Simmo13

Go Calgary!!!
sorry to interrupt the playoffs but one more question, did you just fill all the teams with players when you created the game or conduct a draft? Thanks again Monochameleon.

Always happy to answer a question. It was done as a draft, which is why I was surprised that when I had to restart the game after the save corrupted, the teams came out as almost identical. I guess these GMs are committed to their draft choices.

The playoffs continue with Round 2 this afternoon. Hope you enjoy them.

[monochameleon]

Playoffs Round 2

Mountain League:

#2 St. Paul Cardinals vs. #8 Calgary Mustangs
Calgary Mustangs 5 - 4 St. Paul Cardinals
Calgary Mustangs 0 - 2 St. Paul Cardinals
St. Paul Cardinals 1 - 2 Calgary Mustangs
St. Paul Cardinals 1 - 4 Calgary Mustangs
Calgary Mustangs 3 - 1 St. Paul Cardinals
Calgary win the series 4-1

Even when the series started with a 5-4 overtime thriller at The Nest going to Calgary, few predicted the chaos that was to follow. Surely, surely the Mustangs couldn't do it twice in a row. They could, however, and they did. After the 5-4 opening in which David Bodie showed his brilliance against New York was no fluke by scoring a goal and assist, the Cardinals did fight back to win the second at the Nest in a shutout. Pier-Luc Cote and Thorn Tramel scored, and Jan Ondrejovic stopped 31 shots, and order was restored.

But then...

Calgary, buoyed by their home crowd, came back from trailing 1-0 in Game 3 to force overtime with a late goal to Keli Green, and Larry Follmer ended it ten minutes into the extra period. Game 4 was more conclusive as Filip Petersson scored 2 goals and Fred Lind made 28 saves to stop the Cardinals in their tracks. And when the series returned to Minnesota, it was all the Cards could do to look competitive when that man Bodie again scored two goals and Lind shut down the offence once more. Calgary, giant killers against New York, left the Cardinals in their dust, winning the series in just five games and ensuring that their fairy tale has another chapter to come.

#3 Quebec Nordiques vs. #4 Colorado Eagles
Colorado Eagles 2 - 5 Quebec Nordiques
Colorado Eagles 1 - 3 Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques 4 - 3 Colorado Eagles
Quebec Nordiques 5 - 4 Colorado Eagles
Quebec win the series 4-0

The scoresheets show that this was not a simple sweep. The last two games went to overtime and the Eagles were never shut out. But by the time game 3 went to overtime, it seemed inevitable that Quebec would win, even on foreign ice. Their form was just too good. Martin Weaver was scoring on the Eagles seemingly at will - he would compile 7 goals and an assist in the four game series. Jason Chatenay was marshalling the troops like the general he is, scoring 9 points. And while Pratt was far from perfect in goal, he never looked as rattled as Bradley did for the Eagles. While the Eagles stars such as Thomas White and Gil Blanton tried their hardest, they were completely outclassed by the Nordiques, who will now go on to challenge the Mustangs for their first ever Harris Shield.

Atlantic League:

#1 Manitoba Vikings vs. #7 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4 - 3 Manitoba Vikings
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 0 - 6 Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Vikings 1 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Manitoba Vikings 5 - 2 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 - 4 Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Vikings 2 - 1 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Manitoba win the series 4-2

After having the life scared out of them by the Ottawa Nationals, the Manitoba Vikings had to work rather harder than they'd have liked to see off the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the second round. Thanks to both Rasmus Bjorklund and Etienne Houle having a three point game in the first, Lehigh Valley were able to force - and win - overtime. Manitoba came back to demolish the Phantoms 6-0 in the second and that, it seemed, was that. Manny Lopera stopped 30 out of 30 and Jonathan Gagnon had 3 assists, and the Vikings finally had their groove back - only to go down 2-1 when the series arrived in Allentown. Another overtime thriller, Matt MacKenzie can take a lot of credit for the win with a fantastic night in goal, stopping 30 from 31. The Vikings finally put the Phantoms away with three straight wins to finish the series in six - but in none of them did they make it look easy. Letting two goals in during the last period of game four after Charles Martel and Marcus Loow had both scored braces to give them the ascendancy. A seeming inability to stop Rasmus Bjorklund and Etienne Houle, both of whom continued to pile on points. And being forced, once more, to overtime in Game 6, where victory was only possible due to the brilliance of Jonathan Gagnon when the pressure was on. Manitoba won, but considering how hard they have found the seventh and eighth ranked teams in the Atlantic League, one has to wonder how they will go now that they have to face an even more imposing opponent.

#3 Toronto Aces vs. #4 San Francisco Arrows
San Francisco Arrows 1 - 2 Toronto Aces
San Francisco Arrows 1 - 2 Toronto Aces
Toronto Aces 2 - 5 San Francisco Arrows
Toronto Aces 4 - 5 San Francisco Arrows
San Francisco Arrows 1 - 2 Toronto Aces
Toronto Aces 2 - 0 San Francisco Arrows
Toronto win the series 4-2

Major league hockey in San Francisco ended tonight with a 2-0 loss to the Aces, in front of one of the few packed houses the Arrows have managed this season. For the first four games, the momentum swung with the home ice, and it wasn't until game six that Toronto ever looked like being definitively the better team. Even then, it was as much their relentlessness - they outshot San Francisco by an astonishing 44-16 - that they actually won. The series was something of an anti-climax after the thrillers between San Fran and Chicago; and Toronto and Charlottetown. The Aces go through to the next round where they will surely have the edge over a tired-looking and out-of-sorts Manitoba.

[monochameleon]

[Out of universe note: If I had my time again, I'd have started this as a 12-team league based on the 1967/68 Expansion schedule. But oh well. Haven't these playoffs been surprising, though? Big upsets continue...]

Playoffs Round 3

Mountain League Final
#3 Quebec Nordiques vs. #8 Calgary Mustangs
Calgary Mustangs 3 - 1 Quebec Nordiques
Calgary Mustangs 3 - 2 Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques 3 - 1 Calgary Mustangs
Quebec Nordiques 5 - 1 Calgary Mustangs
Calgary Mustangs 4 - 2 Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques 3 - 5 Calgary Mustangs
Calgary win the series 4-2.
Calgary win the Harris Shield

The Mustangs etched their names onto the Harris Shield and into history last night as they overcame the Quebec Nordiques to become the first team to win the Mountain League in a new era. They defeated the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked teams in the Mountain League in a remarkable run, finishing with their 5-3 win over the Mustangs at Federation Arena on Friday night, a vindication for their owners faith in a solid defence and a handful of gifted scorers.

This was emphasised as early in this series as their very first win, when Sam Fiddler and Ray Helm were the only scorers for Calgary (other than a Leo Zanier empty-netter with 10 seconds to go), but the player of the match was Joel Jonsson, whose one assist was nothing next to his 4 hits and 23 and a half minutes on the ice. Goaltender Fred Lind, viewed by many as an also-ran in this league, has all but stood on his head to keep the Mustangs in contention all through the playoffs. In game 2 he saved 36 shots to keep the Mustangs in the lead with none of them being more important than his one save in overtime before Emilio Desmond started the march back the other way, leading John Wheeler to the game winning goal. For the Nordiques, it was a series of ups and downs - Tyson Scissons and Paul Schmidt continued their fine form, but in the first two games their superstar Jason Chatenay was seemingly missing in action.

When the Nordiques finally got one back when the series arrived in Calgary, it was off the stick of Martin Weaver, who had enjoyed such a remarkable series against Colorado. Again, the Calgary defence minimised the impact of Chatenay on the game. He was unstoppable, however, in Game 4, when he scored a hat-trick to lead his Nordiques to a 5-1 victory, the sole Calgary marker going to Filip Petersson.

When the series returned to Quebec for game five with the momentum suddenly swinging to the Nordiques, you'd have been forgiven for expecting a rout. It emphatically never happened. The defence of Calgary showed they could score as well, as Jonsson, Sam Annable, Emilio Desmond and Ray Helm all put goals in the net. Chatenay and Alderson both had two assists and Martin Weaver scored his 10th goal of the playoffs, but the Mustangs were too good in the third and won it easily in the end.

The Mustangs, perhaps fittingly, finished the series with a 5-3 win at home. Though trailing 2-1 at the end of the first - Weaver notching goal eleven and Chatenay assist 15 to put him at the top of the playoffs points standings - the Mustangs rallied to ensure the win on home ice. By the end of the second it was all tied up 3-3 and, once again, it was in the third that Calgary ran away with it, putting two on net - Leo Zanier getting his second for the match in the process - to put them over the top. The Nordiques, in the end, seemed to know it was simply too big a mountain to climb, and as the clock wound down the noise in Federation Arena grew from simply loud to deafening.

In previous seasons, the Mustangs would have finished completely out of any kind of playoff contention. This is the first season of an 18 team league and a 16 team playoff schedule. People may debate the appropriateness of this set-up, but I will say this - a team who finished eighth in the league somehow managed to overcome the teams who finished in the top 3. Never before have I seen such an effort from a team so many people had written off.

The Mustangs lifted the Harris Shield - their first since 1974 - in front of an ecstatic home crowd. Previously, this would have been the emotional end of the season, a triumphant finish for the Cinderella story. But starting this year, there is one more step, one more trinket to play for: the Mustangs will now go on to face the Atlantic League champs in the Premier League Final, chasing after the Cameron Phillips Memorial Trophy, to write their names forever into the history books.

Atlantic League Final
#1 Manitoba Vikings vs. #3 Toronto Aces
Toronto Aces 5 - 6 Manitoba Vikings
Toronto Aces 0 - 3 Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Vikings 4 - 3 Toronto Aces
Manitoba Vikings 1 - 2 Toronto Aces
Toronto Aces 4 - 5 Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba win the series 4-1
Manitoba win the St. Lawrence Trophy

The Vikings went from looking like a mess, almost eliminated by first Ottawa then Lehigh Valley, only to storm in over the Toronto Aces in an Atlantic League final for the ages. The Aces, in their second consecutive final, fought hard only to see the St. Lawrence Trophy slip through their fingers once again.

That said, a savvy sports viewer would have picked the result from the end of the first game. At 16:12 in the second, the lead in Game 1 was 5-0. 5-0, in a playoff, wth one player on a brace and two others with three assists. It was 36 minutes of the most dominant hockey you ever did see.

From Toronto.

The Aces scored five unanswered goals, two to Klaus Thorsen and one each to Jakub Vanek, Walton Watkins and Chris Myers. Myers and Vaek each had three assists and the Aces were in the ascendancy.

But then it all fell apart. In just the last three minutes of the second, the Vikings got three goals back, galvanised by a solo effort on a poorly controlled rebound deep in the Toronto zone. Graham Nichols and Jeff Kramer got the others to give the Vikings momentum headed into the sheds. When they got back out, Toronto seemed to fall apart. They gave up penalties. Huddy and Gagnon scored to tie it up and send it to overtime, and while overtime went for 17 minutes, the Aces seemingly had nothing left, and Gagnon was finally able to set up Randolph Gray for the game winner.

After letting a team back into a game they should have won, it was perhaps unsurprising that all the spirit was seemingly sucked right out of the Aces. They were shut out in game 2, with Manny Lopera saving 27 shots and Jonathon Gagnon scoring 2 goals in a 3-0 win. More tellingly, the Aces were not only outscored but also outshot (46-27) and outhit (31-19) and simply never looked in it. They fared little better when the teams arrived in Toronto, in what was almost a carbon copy of the first game: after leading 3-0 halfway through the second, the Aces gave up three goals to find themselves in overtime. Gagnon had scored a second brace and once more it was Randolph Gray who got the better of them in the extra period.

After that, it always felt like a matter of when, not if, Manitoba would lift the St. Lawrence Trophy. While teams had come back from 3-0 down in this post-season, the Aces seemed to lack the requisite spark. Though they won the second game in Toronto, thanks mostly to an inspired effort from Rhett Ellacott, it mattered little. Game 5 was all the Vikings needed to put the the Aces away, to be precise a 16-minute period in the second period when Steve Austin and Justin Homer scored once each and Joey Fleming scored his first two goals of the post-season to give the Vikings a 5-2 lead. While the Aces got it back to 5-4, it was all over in Winnipeg, and the Vikings were content to run down the clock.

The Aces will have a long hard off season, facing the fact that for two seasons in a row they have fallen at the final hurdle. But the Vikings, after lifting the St. Lawrence Trophy in front of their home fans, will now go on to challenge the Calgary Mustangs for interleague glory in the Premier League Finals.

[monochameleon]

PREMIER LEAGUE FINAL 1986
MANITOBA VIKINGS vs CALGARY MUSTANGS

The story for the two teams who arrived in Winnipeg for game one of the Premier League Final couldn't be more different. The Manitoba Vikings had finished with a 43-25-12 record, good for 98 points: second in the Premiership, first in the Atlantic League and tied for first in goals for (254). The Vikings path to the final saw them defeat Atlantic teams ranked 8th (Ottawa), 7th (Lehigh Valley) and 3rd (Toronto).

The Calgary Mustangs finished 8th in the Mountain League, just three points ahead of the last-placed Michigan Stags. Their 32-36-13 record was under .500 and should have guaranteed them as a team needing to rebuild the following year. Instead, they dethroned the Premiership champions, the New York Centrals, before going on to upset the Mountain West champion St. Paul Cardinals and then finally the Quebec Nordiques to complete a trifecta of the 1-2-3 teams in the Mountain League. Say what you like about their regular season, the Calgary post-season was close to perfect, and they hoisted the Harris Shield in front of nearly 20,000 screaming fans just days ago at Federation Arena.

For both teams, the stars have been unsurprising. Jonathon Gagnon has led the Vikings in scoring the post-season, with 12 goals and 13 assists. Filip Petersson of the Mustangs 11 goals and 10 assists has been hugely beneficial to his team's imposing run home. That said, it's been very much a team effort for Calgary with five players in the top 10 scorers in the post season - Dean Bodie, Sam Fiddler, Joel Jonsson, and Larry Follmer all joining Petersson, who sits second. On the flipside, Gagnon hasn't exactly done it all on his own, but it is not until Dale Brenneman that we find another Manitoba player, at 11th on the list.

In terms of goaltending, both Manny Lopera and Fred Lind are running hot. Lopera, who spent the first half of the season as a back up at LA and playing for the Hollywood Pilots, would barely believe that he has ended up in a St. Lawrence Trophy winning team. With three shutouts in the playoffs, he has a 12-3-3 record in the post-season.

Lind, whose season at Calgary has been up and down all year, has come good when it counted, recording a 12-6-0 run since the regular season ended. While Lopera has the better GAA (2.22 vs 2.29), he and Lind are tied for save percentage (.923). Both players have been so vital for their clubs that either could walk away with the Austin Couture Award for Playoff MVP if they can go just that little bit further.

On paper, the Vikings have been the better team all season. But the confidence and momentum that Calgary have built up over the last two months will have them firmly believing that they can win this despite all the odds. Never has there been a bigger mismatch on paper - 1 vs 8 - but you just can't bet against this Calgary team.

Game 1:
Calgary Mustangs vs. Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Technical House, Winnipeg

A capacity crowd of 16,500 packed into the Tech on a pleasant spring night to witness the first game of the Final. No sooner had O Canada been sung than the fireworks were on, with Manitoba unleashing fury on the Mustangs. Gabriel Riverin was physically imposing, Dale Brenneman was at full fury, but the Calgary defence were themselves more than up to the task. Tommy Bedard was able to pierce the Manitoba defence with the first goal of the series, scoring with assists to David Bodie and Joel Jonsson. Bodie and Jonsson crashed the net, and Bedard picked up the second rebound to put it in.

It wasn't until the second period that anyone scored again, but what a rush of goals it was, orchestrated by Filip Petersson. Petersson scored off a Bedard pass just under 2 minutes into the second, before setting up Sam Fiddler for his eighth goal of the playoffs six minutes later. Then, on a powerplay opportunity - one of four the Vikings gave up in the second period - Petersson scored his second, 11:30 in and putting the Mustangs up 4-0. Petersson's wrist shot is one of the most deadly weapons in the league and he uses it with a vengeance.

At 16:37, Justin Homer - who has had something of an injury-interrupted post season - finally put one on net for the Vikings. He was set up for it by Brenneman - his 11th assist of the playoffs - who had stripped Tomas Steiner and shoveled the puck quickly to his teams' most gifted scorer. But it was not enough, as just over a minute later Joel Jonsson got it back for the Mustangs. It was a slap shot from dead in front of the crease that saw Jonsson score his fourth point of the night - a goal to go with his three assists.

All the way through, the Calgary defence was rock solid. With the exception of Steiner's lapse, the blueliners were excellent, and Fred Lind won the first round of this battle of the goalies, stopping 28 of 29, while Lopera could only manage 27 of 32. The third period highlighted this emphasis on defence - the Mustangs had 12 shots and the Vikings 11 but no-one could find the back of the net, leaving the score stuck at 5-1 to Calgary. The Mustangs go 1-up in the series, setting Manitoba on the back foot and making Game 2 in Winnipeg a vital encounter to regain some momentum with the home ice advantage.

[monochameleon]

Game 2:
Calgary Mustangs vs. Manitoba Vikings
Manitoba Technical House, Winnipeg

The Vikings showed the kind of character last night that made them Atlantic League champions when they came back - first from Monday night's loss, then from 1-0 down midway through the third - to level the game and then the series against the Calgary Mustangs. It was a game dominated by the Vikings, one that saw them take the fight to Calgary in a manner that had been so notably missing in the first match.

The game was only three seconds old when Dale Brenneman was called for tripping Filip Petersson, and that was the move that set the tone. The Vikings showed that they did not fear the Calgary defence, landing 22 hits to 18, and raiding the Calgary zone repeatedly to make 47 shots on net. By comparison, the Mustangs could manage only 12.

Even when, in the third period, Filip Petersson scored the first goal of the game - a powerplay marker picking up Joel Jonsson's slap shot rebound - the Vikings never slowed, never changed tack, and sure enough by the 15th minute they had it back, Justin Homer continuing on the comeback trail to score his fifth goal of the post season. When the game went to overtime, the Mustangs were exhausted, and it took David Copeland less than two minutes to find the back of the net.

The Mustangs did little wrong, though only putting 12 shots on net is the mistake they will rue. Fred Lind stopped 45 shots - as much as could be asked of him under the circumstances, but the puck was seemingly never not in front of his net. The Mustangs never made it to their offensive zone during overtime.

The Vikings level the series 1-1 with this overtime win, and the teams will now head to Calgary, where the Mustangs - hoping to be anchored by their home crowd - will attempt to regain the momentum in the series.