Inside the CHL: The Road to the MasterCard Memorial Cup
By Aaron Bell
In the Western Hockey League finals, the Kootenay Ice claimed a 3-2 win over the Portland Winterhawks in overtime on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Winterhawks opened the series with a 4-3 overtime win in the opener the on Friday. But the Ice responded with a 7-5 win on Saturday and took the lead with Tuesday’s win on home ice. The Ice are looking to take a stranglehold in the series on home ice tonight.
“We’ve got to do the same things we did tonight. Hard work,” Ice forward Drew Czerwonka told The Canadian Press after Game 3. “That’s what our team has been all about all year. It’s a great feeling right now but we’ve got to be ready for tomorrow.”
The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors are one win away from accomplishing a goal they set out towards one year ago when they were named the host team for the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
The Majors lead the Owen Sound Attack 3-2 in the Rogers OHL Championship Series and are one win away from claiming their first Robertson Cup as OHL champions since their return to the OHL in 1996.
The Majors jumped out to a 2-0 series lead but a pair of overtime wins put the Attack right back on even ground. The Majors took the series lead with a 7-3 win at the Hershey Centre on Tuesday.
Majors’ forward Justin Shugg scored two goals and added an assist and was the second star in Tuesday’s win.
Shugg and defenceman Marc Cantin came to Mississauga from the Windsor Spitfires before the season started. They both helped the Spitfires win OHL and Memorial Cup championships last spring. For Shugg, this would be his third straight OHL championship.
“It’s a close series,” Shugg told Yahoo.com. “But the feeling of lifting the Cup is outstanding and me and Marc have let everyone know that in the dressing room and all these guys want their name on it.”
They can wrap up the series with a win in Owen Sound on Thursday. Game 7, if necessary, is Sunday in Mississauga.
“The next couple of days we will get energized and talk about the style of play which has made us successful all season and will give us a chance to win,” said Majors Head Coach Dave Cameron.
In the QMJHL championship, the Saint John Sea Dogs have a 2-1 lead over the Gatineau Olympiques after a commanding 5-0 win in Gatineau on Monday.
“That’s what we were looking for,” Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant told the Saint John Telegraph-Journal. “Our team came ready to play tonight and (we) looked a little angry and played (our) best game. We really controlled the game and played the way we can play.”
Game 4 is tonight in Gatineau.