Manitoba Junior Hockey League Superthread

[jetsmooseice]

So I went on vacation and missed nearly the entire first round! Sigh.

The favourites are 3 for 4 so far, only Dauphin still has the chance to upset OCN with a game 7 looming in that series. Otherwise, Steinbach, Winkler and Virden have advanced.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The Blizzard beat Dauphin in triple overtime to take game seven!!!!!

The semis stack up like this: Steinbach vs. Blizzard (can we still call them OCN even though they don't play there anymore?), Winkler vs. Virden. The top 4 teams. Will be quite a hike from Winnipeg to La Broquerie if I want to catch some playoff action live... I'm still thinking about it.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Well, we're off and running with round 2. Steinbach and the Blizzard split the first two games, and then Virden is up 2 games to 1 over Winkler.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Upset in the making? Blizzard beat Steinbach 4-2 last night to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is going down tonight.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The Winkler Flyers have punched their ticket to the MJHL finals! It took quadruple overtime to get the job done. The Flyers won their series against Virden 4-2.

I love this call on last night's game winner by the inimitable Doug Roach... "chagrin chagrin"



Now we wait to see what happens in game 7 between the Blizzard and Pistons Wednesday night in La Broquerie.

This is the Flyers' first trip to the MJHL finals since 2002 which somehow seems amazing.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The schedule for the MJHL finals is set and the Steinbach Pistons are packing their bags for Niverville. Apparently the rink in La Broquerie isn't available any longer so off to the CRRC they go.

Here's the schedule:

Friday, April 19 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 21Steinbach Pistons at Winkler Flyers 7:00 pm
Tuesday, April 23 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons 7:00 pm
Friday, April 26 Steinbach Pistons at Winkler Flyers 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 28 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons (if necess) 7:00 pm
Tuesday, April 30 Steinbach Pistons at Winkler Flyers (if necess) 7:00 pm
Thursday, May 2 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons (if necess) 7:00 pm

I wonder if they might reschedule some of these given the conflicts with Jets playoff games?

 

[jetsmooseice]

I took a drive down to Niverville to check out game 1 of the MJHL finals. Good times, good vibes in the building for what the local media is calling the "Menno Bowl" Lots of fans from Steinbach but a good Winkler contingent as well.

The Flyers definitely looked like the team to beat in game 1. They're a physical bunch playing a heavy game, and they have a stifling defense that frustrated Steinbach for the first two periods. Steinbach managed to get some zone time in the third but it was too little, too late. They rang a couple off the iron but just didn't get the luck they needed. The final score was 2-1 Winkler but that doesn't reflect the level to which Winkler really dominated the game.

Niverville CRRC is a good rink but the big finals crowd showed the shortcomings of the place for the MJ. It doesn't handle large crowds well. I did appreciate the proximity to Winnipeg though, I wasn't likely to drive out to La Broquerie.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Winkler wins again at home, 3-1 this time, for a 2-0 series lead. Do or die time for the Pistons.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a champion... the Winkler Flyers swept the Steinbach Pistons to claim their first Turnbull Cup since 1998!

I'm not shocked that the Flyers won but I am a bit surprised that they swept the defending champs. However, it was a close series with the last two games decided in OT. On to Oakville and the Centennial Cup for the Flyers.