2010 Mastercard Memorial Cup Thread

[Hitmen1]

Here is the schedule for the tournament that begins Friday night.

THE MEMORIAL CUP
(all games on Rogers Sportsnet)
(Calgary Times)
Friday: Windsor vs. Brandon, 6 p.m.
Saturday: Calgary vs. Moncton, 1 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon vs. Moncton, 1 p.m.
Monday: Calgary vs. Windsor, 6 p.m.
May 18: Moncton vs. Windsor, 6 p.m.
May 19: Brandon vs. Calgary, 6 p.m.
May 20: Tiebreaker (if necessary)
May 21: Semifinal, 6 p.m.
May 22: No game scheduled.
May 23: Championship final, 1 p.m.

I don't know much about Moncton but I think that Windsor will be tough to beat. I really see it as a Calgary-Windsor final. Should be a great tournament.

[Hitmen1]

Here is a good preview from sportsnet.ca

Brandon:

Strengths:

Brandon is led by an impressive core of forwards and has the offensive firepower to compete with every team in the tournament. The offence, however, doesn't start with the biggest names. Overage captain Matt Calvert is the team's most dependable and hardest working forward. Calvert made headlines earlier in the season when he turned down a contract from the Columbus Blue Jackets to return to Brandon for a chance to win the Memorial Cup in front of friends and family. He single-handedly lifted his team in Game 3 against Calgary when he became the first player in WHL history to score three short-handed goals in one period in the playoffs.

The Wheat Kings are also led by two top-10 picks from the 2009 National Hockey League draft: Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie. Including Calvert, the trio has played together since its rookie seasons three years ago and has great chemistry. Schenn brings a physical dimension to the game and has a soft touch around the net, while Glennie creates turnovers and scoring chances with his hard work.

Its top two lines are solid offensively with players such as Toni Rajala, Aaron Lewadniuk and Jay Fehr in a supporting cast role. The Wheat Kings' top three defenders -- Hamonic, Colby Robak and Alexander Urbom -- provide a little of everything and transition quickly. This team has a lot of top-end talent and has the ingredients in the lineup to compete for the national championship.

Weaknesses:

The glaring weakness is in goal, where De Serres and Andrew Hayes have failed to give the Wheat Kings much confidence. De Serres started the majority of the playoff games and left something to be desired with his performance. He plays with a hunched over style and is strong down low, but gets beat too often on high, rising shots.

He comes out and challenges shooters, but will often make the first move by going down and giving up the top half of the net. De Serres is also known for giving up soft goals at crucial times that can cripple his team's confidence. Brandon's fate in this tournament might be directly linked to its goaltender's performance.

Keys to victory:

The Wheat Kings can be hard to stop when its offence is clicking and they're creating quickly on transitions. its offence has the ability to win playing in a wide-open style, but they will need to play tighter defensively than they did against Calgary in the playoffs. Brandon will need its goaltender to make all the saves he should make, and some that he shouldn't. Avoiding a soft goal will be crucial to its success.

Full Wheaties preview here.

[Hitmen1]

Here is a good preview from sportsnet.ca

Moncton:

Strengths:

Moncton's success starts with the man in goal, Riopel. The league's most valuable player a year ago, Riopel is widely considered the best goaltender and posted a league record 2.01 goals against average last season. Riopel gives the Wildcats a dependable starter whose confidence exudes throughout the lineup. Although small at six feet and 167 pounds, Riopel is a fierce competitor and gives his team a chance to win.
Watch every game live on Sportsnet, or via live stream on sportsnet.ca, beginning Friday, May 14.

The Wildcats don't possess a scoring star, but boast plenty of talent sprinkled throughout the lineup. The team's most dangerous offensive weapon is Deschamps, although it's unclear when he'll be ready to return to action. He suffered a high ankle sprain in the Drummondville series and did not play in the finals.

Bourque's offensive game has taken off since his acquisition and he's one of the team's most dependable forwards in every situation. He scored eight of his 19 playoff goals in the six-game final over Saint John. Tessier, meanwhile, is a scorer and led the Wildcats in playoff points.

Moncton's defence is strong in transition and capable of leading rushes. While this team doesn't have the offensive flair of stereotypical teams emerging from the QMJHL, they more than make up for it with a balanced lineup.

Weaknesses:

This team does have a balanced offence and is capable of scoring opportunistic goals, but it might become an issue against the best of the best. Moncton's core forward group is very good and brings a lot of different elements, but they lack a true game-breaker such as Windsor's Taylor Hall or Calgary's Brandon Kozun. This problem could become costly particularly if Deschamps, their most natural playmaker, is unable to go in the Memorial Cup.

Keys to victory:

The Wildcats are a very strong systematic team. The reason they were able to eliminate such top teams is that each player knows his role and doesn't take chances that will hurt the team. Riopel has the ability to win games on his own while the team's balanced offensive attack is very opportunistic. Moncton isn't the most entertaining team in the tournament, but their dedication and discipline made them world beaters in their league.

Full Moncton Preview here.

[Hitmen1]

Here is a good preview from sportsnet.ca

Windsor:

Strengths:

Moncton's success starts with the man in goal, Riopel. The league's most valuable player a year ago, Riopel is widely considered the best goaltender and posted a league record 2.01 goals against average last season. Riopel gives the Wildcats a dependable starter whose confidence exudes throughout the lineup. Although small at six feet and 167 pounds, Riopel is a fierce competitor and gives his team a chance to win.
Watch every game live on Sportsnet, or via live stream on sportsnet.ca, beginning Friday, May 14.

The Wildcats don't possess a scoring star, but boast plenty of talent sprinkled throughout the lineup. The team's most dangerous offensive weapon is Deschamps, although it's unclear when he'll be ready to return to action. He suffered a high ankle sprain in the Drummondville series and did not play in the finals.

Bourque's offensive game has taken off since his acquisition and he's one of the team's most dependable forwards in every situation. He scored eight of his 19 playoff goals in the six-game final over Saint John. Tessier, meanwhile, is a scorer and led the Wildcats in playoff points.

Moncton's defence is strong in transition and capable of leading rushes. While this team doesn't have the offensive flair of stereotypical teams emerging from the QMJHL, they more than make up for it with a balanced lineup.

Weaknesses:



This team does have a balanced offence and is capable of scoring opportunistic goals, but it might become an issue against the best of the best. Moncton's core forward group is very good and brings a lot of different elements, but they lack a true game-breaker such as Windsor's Taylor Hall or Calgary's Brandon Kozun. This problem could become costly particularly if Deschamps, their most natural playmaker, is unable to go in the Memorial Cup.

Keys to victory:

The Wildcats are a very strong systematic team. The reason they were able to eliminate such top teams is that each player knows his role and doesn't take chances that will hurt the team. Riopel has the ability to win games on his own while the team's balanced offensive attack is very opportunistic. Moncton isn't the most entertaining team in the tournament, but their dedication and discipline made them world beaters in their league.

Full Windsor Preview Here.

[Hitmen1]

Here is a good preview from sportsnet.ca

Calgary

Strengths:

The Hitmen don't have the same dynamic offensive attack as a year ago, but are still a hard team to slow. The leader is Brandon Kozun, whose game has risen to new heights this season. The shifty and elusive Kozun can create with his speed and vision and doesn't need much time or space. Kozun led the league in regular-season and playoff points.
Watch every game live on Sportsnet, or via live stream on sportsnet.ca, beginning Friday, May 14.

Calgary has a balanced offensive attack and drives the net hard. Overage forward Joel Broda is also one of the league's top snipers, but this team can receive production from any line. Sophomore forward Cody Sylvester may have seen his draft stock rise after finishing second on the team in playoff goals with 11.

Meanwhile, captain Michael Stone boasts a hard and heavy point shot while Nyren has been nothing short of exceptional leading the rush since his acquisition.

Goaltending shouldn't be a concern with veteran and Canadian world junior backup, Martin Jones. He gives his team a chance to win every night and has the ability to shut the door after allowing soft goals.

Weaknesses:

The overall defensive core is not quite as strong as some of the other participants in this tournament. Calgary boasts a lunch pail crew willing to dig and work hard for results. They don't, however, have the same type of shutdown pair some of the other teams possess and that might present a problem in the short tournament.

Keys to victory:

The Hitmen are strong on the transition and uses its speed to an advantage. Calgary is able to capitalize on chances due to its balanced scoring and opportunistic style. They were able to shut down a very good offensive team in Brandon en route to the league title and will need a similar style against a team like Windsor.

Full Hitmen Preview here.

[DunnerStunner]

Keep up the good work Hitmen1.. best moderator on the dub site imo

[Hitmen1]

From my blog:

Well it didn't start off very good for the Hitmen. The Hitmen didn't have any jump in their legs, looked nervous and couldn't complete any passes and to make matters worse, the Moncton Wildcats came to play. I was shocked at how aggressive Moncton was with their forecheck, always have someone on the puck carrier with another forward not too far away. Another aspect of Moncton's game that was surprising, at least for me, was their very good cycling game. That is typically not a trademark of a team from QMJHL but the Wildcats came out and played their game.

To read more, visit my blog. The link is just below, in my signature.

[Hitmen1]

I haven't written a post game blog for the Windsor-Hitmen game but I will say this, the game was much closer than the 6-2 score indicates. Clearly, Marty Jones will have to be better if the Hitmen are to advance to the final on Sunday.

I am happy with Windsor's OT win last night. It makes tonight's game meaningless and really allows Williamson to give Kozun some more time off. Hopefully he is ready for Friday night's game.

So far, the tournament has played exactly how I figured it would.

[Hitmen1]

Brandon Kozun will play tomorrow night vs the Wheaties in the semi final. Cody Sylvester, Ian Schultz and Kris Foucault are also going to be able to play. Sylvester missed the final round robin game due to an illness. Both Foucault and Schultz suffered minor bumps in that final round robin game but are good to go tomorrow night.

[Hitmen1]

We are just under an hour and half until game time. Obviously it is the biggest game of the year. What to expect tonight? Based on everything coming from Brandon, we should count out the Wheat Kings. There have been the report that the Wheaties practices have been less than stellar, that the team looks emotionally disinterested. That the Hitmen have a huge advantage because they have beat Brandon in 5 straight games, that the Hitmen are getting CHL leading scorer Brandon Kozun back in the lineup. All that equals a Hitmen win.

While I do believe that the Hitmen will win this game, I think it could be much closer than what the "experts" are predicting. The Wheat Kings are a very good and like the Hitmen, are playing for their lives. I think it comes down to 2 things. The first is Martin Jones who has been spectacular against the Wheaties in the playoffs and on Wednesday night. If Marty is on his game and makes a couple of big saves early, you have to wonder if the Wheaties get it in their heads that they cannot beat Jones. The second thing for me tonight is the first 10 minutes. Which team will come out and dictate the play? Will one team really control the first 10 minutes and come away with nothing? Will the teams exchange chances back and forth? If the Hitmen score early, do the Wheaties roll over and die?

I will be updating my blog after each period. Here is the link.