2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup Preview

Vancouver, B.C. – The 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament kicks off on Friday, May 18th in Vancouver, B.C.
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rThe CHL’s Championship tournament, which wraps up with the Championship game on Sunday, May 27th, features four teams – the host Vancouver Giants, the WHL Champion Medicine Hat Tigers, the OHL Champion Plymouth Whalers and the QMJHL Champion Lewiston MAINEiacs – who will battle for the storied Memorial Cup trophy.
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rThe tournament format sees each team play one another in a round-robin format. The team with the best record after the round-robin advances directly to the Championship game, while the second and third-placed teams play a semi-final game to determine the other tournament finalist. If there is a tie for third place after the round-robin, a tiebreaker game will be played to determine the second semi-finalist.
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rHere’s a look at the four teams who will be vying for the 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship:
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rVANCOUVER GIANTS (Host Team)
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rHead Coach: Don Hay
rGeneral Manager: Scott Bonner
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r2006-07 Record: 45-17-3-4, 100pts, GF: 245 GA: 143
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r2006-07 CHL Final Ranking: 8
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r2007 Playoff Record: 15-7 GF: 78 GA: 40
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r-Defeated Chilliwack Bruins 4-1 in first round
r-Defeated Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1 in second round
r-Defeated Prince George Cougars 4-1 in Western Conference Championship series
r-Lost to Medicine Hat Tigers 4-3 in WHL Championship series
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r2007 Playoffs Top Scorers:
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rLW – Michal Repik 22gp-10g-16a-26pts
rLW – Kenndal McArdle 22gp-11g-9a-20pts
rLW – Wacey Rabbit 22gp-11g-9a-20pts
rRW – Spencer Machacek 22gp-9g-11a-20pts
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rThe Vancouver Giants are making their second consecutive appearance at the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament. The host team for the 2007 tournament, the Giants finished third at the 2006 Memorial Cup in Moncton, NB, after winning the 2006 WHL Championship. After losing the WHL Championship series with a heartbreaking double overtime loss in Game 7 in Medicine Hat, the Giants will look to make amends by capturing the Memorial Cup in front of a home crowd.
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rUp Front: The Giants possess a blend of speed, size and skill among their forwards, and are capable of beating you in many ways. Michal Repik, the Giants’ leading post-season scorer, and Boston Bruins’ prospect Wacey Rabbit provide great quickness, playmaking ability, and are hard to handle for opposing defenders because of their skill and skating ability. Kenndal McArdle, a veteran of Canada’s Gold medal-winning World Junior team, and Boston Bruins draft pick Milan Lucic are key offensive components, but also play a punishing physical game. The Giants possess great depth up front with 34-goal man J.D. Watt, sniper Spencer Machacek, and shifty playmaker Tim Kraus also capable of making significant offensive contributions.
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rOn The Blue Line: The Giants possess one of the deepest defense corps in the CHL, and were the WHL’s second-best defensive team during the regular season. During the post-season, the Giants solid defense allowed an average of only 21.3 shots per game. Cody Franson, a member of Canada’s World Junior team, led the Giants’ defense corps with 17 goals and 54 points during the regular season. Sophomore Jonathon Blum and Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Brendan Mikkelson both possess great skating and puck-moving ability. A.J. Thelen, a Minnesota Wild prospect, plays a physical game and can provide an offensive threat from the point, while team captain Brett Festerling, another Ducks prospect, is one of the League’s top shut-down defensemen.
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rGoaltending: 18-year-old Tyson Sexsmith has carried the workload for the Giants all season after the November departure of overage goaltender Dustin Slade, whom Sexsmith backed up at the 2006 Memorial Cup. The Priddis, AB, product led all WHL goaltenders with a 1.79 goals-against average during the regular season, while also posting 10 shutouts. Sexsmith, who is eligible for the 2007 NHL Draft, survived a rocky start to the playoffs and went on to post a League-best 1.79 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Sexsmith was at his best in the WHL Championship series, posting three shutouts.
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rMEDICINE HAT TIGERS (WHL Champions)
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rHead Coach / General Manager: Will Desjardins
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r2006-07 Record: 52-17-3-0, 107pts, GF: 264 GA: 175
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r2006-07 Final CHL Ranking: 2
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r2007 Playoff Record: 16-7 GF: 74 GA: 54
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r-Defeated Red Deer Rebels 4-3 in first round
r-Defeated Regina Pats 4-0 in second round
r-Defeated Calgary Hitmen 4-1 in Eastern Conference Championship series
r-Defeated Vancouver Giants 4-3 in WHL Championship series
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r2007 Playoffs Top Scorers:
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rLW – Darren Helm 23gp-10g-12a-22pts
rLW – Chris Stevens 23gp-8g-11a-19pts
rD – Kris Russell 23gp-4g-15a-19pts
rRW – Derek Dorsett 17gp-8g-8a-16pts
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rThe Medicine Hat Tigers, the 2007 WHL Champions, are making their second appearance in the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament in the last four years, and their fifth appearance in franchise history. The Tigers, who participated in the 2004 tournament in Kelowna as WHL Champions, won the Memorial Cup in 1987 and 1988.
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rUp Front: The Tigers were the second-best offensive team in the WHL during the regular season, and averaged over 3.2 goals per game during the post-season. The Tigers’ biggest weapon is speed. While they may not have a physically imposing group of forwards, their speed allows them to wear opposing teams down, and create chances off the rush. Canadian World Junior team veteran Darren Helm, the team’s top playoff scorer, Tyler Ennis, Brennan Bosch and Chris Stevens all possess great skating ability and offensive creativity, while Kevin Undershute, Jakub Rumpel and Daine Todd all have solid offensive and playmaking abilities. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Derek Dorsett is one of the WHL’s top agitators and is a huge offensive contributor as well.
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rOn The Blue Line: Two-time Canadian World Junior Gold medalist Kris Russell leads a strong, mobile Medicine Hat defense corps. Russell, the top-scoring defenseman in the WHL during the playoffs, is also a two-time recipient of the WHL Defenseman of the Year award and the 2007 WHL Player of the Year. Veteran David Schlemko provides great offensive ability from the point, and is sound defensively. New York Rangers prospect Michael Sauer and Calgary Flames prospect Gord Baldwin are strong two-way rearguards who can play physical and move the puck, while Trevor Glass and Jordan Bendfeld provide a solid, physical defensive presence.
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rGoaltending: Named the MVP of the 2007 WHL Playoffs, Matt Keetley provides the Tigers with as good a goaltender as any of the four teams at the tournament. Coming off his second consecutive 42-win regular season, the 21-year-old Calgary Flames draft pick posted a 2.18 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage with four shutouts during the 2007 post-season. Keeltey, a finalist for the 2007 WHL Goaltender of the Year award, has show he can perform under pressure after his outstanding performance in the Tigers’ double overtime victory over the Giants in Game 7 of the WHL Championship series.
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rPLYMOUTH WHALERS (OHL Champions)
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rHead Coach / General Manager: Michael Vellucci
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r2006-07 Record: 49-14-2-3, 103pts, GF: 299 GA: 173
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r2006-07 Final CHL Ranking: 5
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r2007 Playoff Record: 16-4 GF: 80 GA: 53
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r-Defeated Guelph Storm 4-0 in first round
r-Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4-1 in second round
r-Defeated London Knights 4-1 in Western Conference Championship series
r-Defeated Sudbury Wolves 4-2 in OHL Championship series
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r2007 Playoffs Top Scorers:
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rLW – James Neal 20gp-13g-12a-25pts
rC – Evan Brophey 20gp-9g-14a-23pts
rRW – Dan Collins 20gp-9g-11a-20pts
rC – Chris Terry 20gp-8g-10a-18pts
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rThe Plymouth Whalers are making their first appearance in the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament since 1995 when they were the Detroit Jr. Red Wings. Having claimed the 2007 OHL Championship, the Whalers will look to add a Memorial Cup to an already impressive season.
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rUp Front: Led by Canadian World Junior Gold medalist James Neal – the team’s top playoff scorer – the Whalers boast 10 players who accumulated 10 or more points in the 2007 OHL playoffs. NHL-drafted forwards Evan Brophey (Chicago) and Tom Sestito (Columbus) provide veteran leadership and great offensive ability. Dan Ryder, a Calgary Flames’ draft pick, has Memorial Cup experience having participated in the 2006 tournament with the Peterborough Petes. Not only are the Whalers offensively talented, they also boast plenty of size, with nine forwards topping the 6′ 1” mark and six weighing in at over 200 pounds.
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rOn The Blue Line: While they may not have a bona fide No. 1 defenseman, the Whalers are a team that get solid contributions from all six of their rearguards. The team’s top six defensemen combined for a +166 rating to lead them to the best defensive record in the OHL during the regular season. They also boasted a combined +62 rating in the post-season. Two-way rearguard Steve Ward led the Whalers’ defensemen with 15 goals and 45 points during the regular season, while also notching a goal and 12 points in the post-season.
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rGoaltending: 18-year-old Jeremy Smith and 19-year-old Czech netminder Michal Neuvirth shared the goaltending duties during the regular season. However, after the opening round, Neuvirth carried the load for the Whalers during the playoffs, posting a 2.45 goals-against average and an outstanding .938 save percentage in backstopping the team to the OHL title. Smith is the top-rated goaltender for the upcoming 2007 NHL Draft. Despite both being rookies, Neuvirth and Smith are equally capable of backstopping the Whalers to a Memorial Cup title.
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rLEWISTON MAINEIACS (QMJHL Champions)
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rHead Coach / General Manager: Clement Jodoin
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r2006-07 Record: 50-14-2-4, 106pts, GF: 282 GA: 196
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r2006-07 Final CHL Ranking: 3
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r2007 Playoff Record: 16-1 GF: 73 GA: 40
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r-Defeated Shawinigan Cataractes 4-0 in first round
r-Defeated Halifax Mooseheads 4-1 in second round
r-Defeated Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-0 in Semi-Final series
r-Defeated Val D’Or Foreurs 4-0 in QMJHL Championship series
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r2007 Playoffs Top Scorers:
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rC – David Perron 17gp-12g-16a-28pts
rLW – Pierre-Luc Faubert 17gp-12g-15a-27pts
rC – Marc-Andre Cliche 16gp-6g-16a-22pts
rD – Chad Denny 17gp-10g-9a-19pts
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rThe Lewiston MAINEiacs advanced to their first ever appearance in the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament after steamrolling their way to their first QMJHL Championship. Having won 26 of their last 27 games dating back to the 2006-07 regular season, the MAINEiacs will look to parlay that momentum into a strong Memorial Cup performance.
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rUp Front: The MAINEiacs weren’t one of the top offensive teams in the high-scoring QMJHL during the regular season. However, thanks to a revved up power play, the MAINEiacs managed to score an average of nearly 4.3 goals per game in their remarkable post-season run. Highly-rated NHL Draft-eligible centre David Perron led the team in regular-season and post-season scoring, while Canadian World Junior Gold medalist Marc-Andre Cliché and veteran Pierre-Luc Faubert both topped the 20-point mark in the playoffs. The MAINEiacs’ biggest weapon is their lethal power play, which clicked at nearly a 30 per cent success rate (31-for-104) in the post-season.
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rOn The Blue Line: The best defensive team in an offensive league, the MAINEiacs were the only team who did not allow over 200 goals during the QMJHL regular season. Atlanta Thrashers prospect Chad Denny is one of the top offensive defensemen in the QMJHL, having tallied 10 goals in 17 games during the playoffs. NHL Draft-eligible rearguard Kevin Marshall played in the 2007 Home Hardware CHL/ NHL Top Prospects game, and has also shown great two-way and offensive ability. Rearguards Sebastien Piche, Michal Korenko and Marc-Andre Crete provide great defensive depth for the MAINEiacs, helping the team keep their goals-against down to 2.35 during their playoff run.
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rGoaltending: In Jonathan Bernier, the MAINEiacs boast one of the finest young goaltenders in the CHL. Bernier, selected 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings at the 2006 NHL Draft, missed much of the last half of the regular season, but returned for the post-season to post a 2.34 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage, and was named the Playoff MVP in backstopping the MAINEiacs to the QMJHL Championship. The 18-year-old netminder also tied Roberto Luongo’s QMJHL record with 16 wins in the post-season.
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r2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup Schedule:
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rRound Robin
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rGame 1 – Plymouth Whalers @ Vancouver Giants; Friday, May 18; 6:00pm PT
rGame 2 – Medicine Hat Tigers @ Lewiston MAINEiacs; Saturday, May 19; 1:00pm PT
rGame 3 – Vancouver Giants @ Lewiston MAINEiacs; Sunday, May 20; 1:30pm PT
rGame 4 – Medicine Hat Tigers @ Plymouth Whalers; Monday, May 21; 5:00pm PT
rGame 5 – Lewiston MAINEiacs @ Plymouth Whalers; Tuesday, May 22; 5:00pm PT
rGame 6 – Vancouver Giants @ Medicine Hat Tigers; Wednesday, May 23; 7:30pm PT
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rTie-Breaker (If Necessary); Thursday, May 24; 7:30pm PT
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rSemi-Final; Friday, May 25; 5:00pm PT
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rMemorial Cup Championship Game; Sunday, May 27; 1:00pm PT
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