Playoff Picture: Blazers, Eagles headed back to the dance
Two more teams have earned the right to compete for the Memorial Cup.
Kamloops Blazers
Out west, the Kamloops Blazers became the fourth team from the WHL to punch their ticket to the postseason following Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Victoria Royals.
Offering up a tantalizing mix of key veterans like Zane Franklin and Orrin Centazzo plus promising NHL prospects in forward Connor Zary and netminder Dylan Garand, the Blazers bring a well-balanced lineup that through mid-February stands at 34-16-3-1, good for 72 points and first place in the WHL’s B.C. Division.
In all, it marks the fourth time in the past five seasons in which the Blazers have qualified for the playoffs, including last year’s thrilling finish that saw the team earn a spot after eliminating the rival Kelowna Rockets in a play-in tiebreaker before falling to the Royals in a six-game opening round set.
Six-time Ed Chynoweth Cup champions – most recently winning it all in 1995 – the Blazers will aim to add to their trophy collection this spring.
Cape Breton Eagles
In the QMJHL, the Cape Breton Eagles will soar into the postseason for the seventh consecutive year after Saturday’s 7-3 win over the Gatineau Olympiques earned the club its spot.
Sitting second in the Maritimes Division with a 35-16-2-1 record and 73 points, the Eagles are led by third-year forward and 2020 NHL Draft hopeful Egor Sokolov while promising talents like Shawn Boudrias (Minnesota Wild), Mathias Laferriere (St. Louis Blues), and fellow 2020 prospect Ryan Francis round out the forward ranks.
The Eagles return to the postseason looking to build on last year’s showing in which the club knocked out the rival Charlottetown Islanders in a six-game opening round series before falling in five games to the Rimouski Oceanic.
Playoff Picture Clinching Timeline
Feb. 2 – Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Feb. 3 – Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
Feb. 4 – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Feb. 11 – Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Feb. 12 – Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Feb. 13 – Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL), Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Feb. 14 – Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Feb. 15 – Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL), Kamloops Blazers (WHL)