2023 Road to the Memorial Cup: WHL Championship Series preview
The series everyone hoped to see in the WHL Championship Series has come to fruition.
Winning and Seattle, the top two clubs during the regular season who combined for 111 wins, will meet with the Ed Chynoweth Cup on the line.
The ICE look to bring a first title to Winnipeg (they were champions in 2011 when based in Kootenay) while the T-Birds chase a second championship after they were victorious in 2017.
(1) Winnipeg vs. (1) Seattle
After a dominant regular season, where they won a franchise record and CHL best 57 games, the ICE advanced to the WHL Championship Series for the first time in team history after a four-game sweep of Saskatoon.
James Patrick’s team outscored the Blades 17-5 as Matthew Savoie (BUF) tallied nine points while Connor McClennon scored six times that included a Game 2 hat-trick. Daniel Hauser set the tone with a 16-save shutout in Game 1 as the ICE limited the Blades to just 20.3 shots per game. The ICE goaltender finished the series with a 1.25 GAA and .938 save percentage.
It was the second postseason sweep for the ICE who took out Medicine Hat in four games in Round 1 before they eliminated Moose Jaw in Game 6 in the second round. The ICE have averaged 4.62 goals per game this postseason with Savoie’s 27 points, the third most in the CHL, leading the way. McClennon’s 13 goals are tied for the fourth most in the CHL this postseason while Ben Zloty leads all d-men with 20 assists. Through 14 games, Hauser has posted a .910 save percentage and 2.35 GAA.
With a staggering 10 NHL prospects on their roster, the T-Birds, unsurprisingly, recorded a franchise best 54 wins in the regular season.
General manager Bill LaForge already had a linep that featured captain Lucas Ciona (CGY), Jared Davidson (MTL) and Reid Schaefer (NSH), among others, but he went out and added high-end talent throughout the season in Nolan Allan (CHI), Dylan Guenther (ARI), Colton Dach (CHI), Brad Lambert (WPG) and Luke Prokop (NSH).
The moves certainly paid off as the Thunderbirds eliminated Kamloops, hosts of the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, in six games in the Western Conference Finals. Seattle built a 2-0 lead before the clubs traded wins with Kyle Crnkovic scoring the game-winner in Game 6. Seattle scored 26 times in the series led by Davidson’s five goals and eight points while all but one skater recorded at least one point. In goal, Thomas Milic, who backstopped Canada to World Juniors gold in January, posted a .917 save percentage and 2.81 GAA.
Seattle had swept its way to the third round after series wins over Kelowna and Prince George before they eliminated Kamloops in the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season. The Thunderbirds fell to Edmonton in the WHL Championship Series a year ago but will compete for the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the fifth time in franchise history. Davidson and Guenther have each tallied 21 points this postseason while Guenther’s 14 goals are tied for the CHL lead. Milic’s 1.85 GAA and .934 save percentage both rank fifth in the CHL.
Season series: Seattle won series 1-0-0
Schedule:
Game 1 — May 12 — SEA @ WPG — 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Game 2 — May 13 — SEA @ WPG — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 3 — May 2 — WPG @ SAS — 10:05pm ET / 7:05pm PT
Game 4 — May 3 — WPG @ SAS — 10:05pm ET / 7:05pm PT
Game 5* — May 5 — SAS @ WPG — 10:05pm ET / 7:05pm PT
Game 6* — May 7 — WPG @ SAS — 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Game 7* — May 9 — SAS @ WPG — 6pm ET / 3pm PT
*if necessary
TSN will air the OHL, QMJHL and WHL Championship Series from Game 3 onward while RDS will provide complete coverage of the QMJHL Championship Series from Game 1.
Furthermore, every game can be seen live on CHL TV.