Playoff races Heating Up Around the CHL
The Drummondville Voltigeurs and Shawinigan Cataractes continue to be in a tight struggle for first place in the QMJHL standings this season but both teams have been looking over their shoulders at the standout play of late of the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup host Rimouski Oceanic.
r
After struggling through the early part of the season, the Oceanic have won 15 straight games to boost their record to 39-22-1-0 in 62 games and have jumped up to sixth place overall in the QMJHL standings.
r
The mid-season additions of defencemen Marc-Andre Bourdon and Maxime Ouimet added depth to Rimouski’s blueline and according to head coach Clement Jodoin, it has made a big difference.
r
“The second half of the season is night and day,” Jodoin told Sportsnet.ca in February. “We’re playing much better as a team. I think (we) were just too young in the back. If you want to win, you have to get older because everything starts from behind.”
r
Their early season record will keep them from having home ice advantage in the playoffs, but lately, it doesn’t matter where they play – they win.
r
“I don’t care about the gap (in the standings),” Jodoin said. “What’s the most important thing is how we’re going to play. The (other) teams now know that we’re coming. We can play against anybody.”
r
Meanwhile the Voltigeurs have a two point lead on Shawinigan for first place with four games left on the schedule for both teams.
r
The Windsor Spitfires have clinched the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the OHL’s top team in the regular season for just the second time in franchise history.
r
The Spitfires, who also won the OHL’s regular season championship in 1987-88, have posted a CHL-best 54-7-0-1 record and 109 points with six games left on the schedule still have a shot at the record for the best season in OHL history. The London Knights racked up 120 points during their remarkable 2004-05 season.
r
In the Eastern Conference, the Brampton Battalion picked up a big win against the Belleville Bulls on Saturday and are just two points behind the Bulls for first place in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand.
r
The Oshawa Generals and Peterborough Petes are separated by just one point for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a head-to-head matchup scheduled for Sunday in Oshawa. In the Western Conference, the Owen Sound Attack are winners of four in a row and have put some space between them and the Kitchener Rangers for the final playoff spot.
r
In the Western Hockey League, the Calgary Hitmen continue to lead the way with 56 wins and 116 points with four games left to play. The lead the Vancouver Giants by four points but the Giants have three games in hand and have won five in a row.
r
The Tri-City Americans are second in the Western Conference and trail Vancouver by 15 points but are on a roll with nine straight wins heading into the final stretch of the season.
r
In the Eastern Conference, the Edmonton Oil Kings lead the Prince Albert Raiders by just two points for the final playoff spot.
r
Casey Pierro-Zabotel of the Giants continues to lead the WHL scoring parade with 110 points in 65 games. Joel Broda of the Hitmen hit the 50 goal mark for the first time in his career with a goal in Calgary’s win over Prince George on Tuesday. His teammate Brett Sonne needs four goals in the final four games to also reach 50.
r
John Tavares of the Knights leads the OHL scoring race with 52 goals and 94 points in 52 games. Tavares has a six-point cushion on Bulls’ captain Eric Tangradi and is four goals from equalling the OHL’s all-time career mark of 213.
r
Yannick Riendeau of the Voltigeurs continues to lead the QMJHL scoring race with 119 points and a 15-point lead over teammate Dany Masse. Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll of the Shawinigan Cataractes broke through the 100-point barrier last week and sits third with 103 points.