Yorkton This Week is previewing every round of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League post-season.
For the most part, the first round of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League's playoff went as expected.
The sixth-seeded Saskatoon Blazers knocking off the third-seeded Moose Jaw Generals was the only series where a lower-seeded squad came out on top. It wasn't, however, much of an upset with the Blazers rolling into the playoffs with a red-hot 9-1 record in their last 10 regular-season matches.
The Regina Pat Canadians and Yorkton Harvest went the distance with the Queen City Kids edging out a 2-1 win in the deciding game.
As expected, the Prince Albert Mintos swept the Notre Dame Argos and the Saskatoon Contacts wiped out the Battlefords Stars in three.
Here is a look at the SMAAAHL's second-round playoff series preview.
(1) Prince Albert Mintos(34-7-3-0, 71 points) vs. (6) Saskatoon Blazers (21-18-4-1, 47 points)
Season series: Mintos 3-1-0. Prediction: Mintos in 4.
Why the Mintos should win: It seems the Mintos won't be able to run over the Blazers as they did against the Argos. But Prince Albert is still heavily favoured to take the series.
The Mintos simply have to play their game without underestimating their opponent. If Prince Albert's top players such as leading goal-scorer Jason Duret, sniper Lance Yaremchuk, and blueliner Bryton Sayers play as they have all year, they shouldn't have a problem advancing to the final.
Prince Albert's biggest advantage on the Blazers is depth. All but one of their skaters scored at least one point against Notre Dame. Saskatoon only had half of their team get on the scoreboard against Moose Jaw.
Why the Blazers could win: Evan Weninger stood on his head in between the pipes against the Generals, maintaining a .959 save percentage and 1.22 average throughout his three starts. A lot of pressure lies on 5-foot-10, 150-pounder's shoulders to keep up his outstanding play against Prince Albert.
The Blazers need their top snipers - Keegan Allison, Lane Pedersen and Matt McLeod - to keep on clicking in round two. They combined for six goals and 15 points against Moose Jaw.
That being said, as strong as Allison, Pedersen and McLeod are, they will need help against the Mintos. The other eight forwards the Blazers dressed against the Generals only combined for one goal and three assists. They need to pull up their socks against in the second round.
(2) Saskatoon Contacts (28-8-7-1, 64 points) vs. (4) Regina Pat Canadians (25-13-5-1, 56 points)
Season series: Contacts 2-1-1. Prediction: Contacts in 5.
Why the Contacts should win: The defending champions only allowed five goals against in their Stars series. Rylan Parenteau was the biggest reason for their defensive dominance, maintaining a .947 save percentage and 1.67 average.
From the net out, the Contacts are rock solid. They have a strong back end led by Prince George Cougars prospect Tate Olson, Jeremy Leclerc, and Branden Scheidl. The Bridge City Boys transition the puck out of their own zone smoothly and keep pucks deep at the other end of the ice. Up front, Saskatoon has two of the top forwards in the league: Red Deer Rebels prospect Vukie Mpofu and Lethbridge Hurricanes second-rounder Kolten Olynek. They are almost impossible to contain, possessing elusive speed and impeccable offensive instincts.
Why the Pat Canadians could win: No different from Patenteau against the Stars, Regina puck-stopper Logan Flodell was outstanding in his first-round series against the Harvest. He was in the net for the Queen City Kids' three wins, maintaining a .961 save percentage and a 1.24 average.
Kamloops Blazers prospect Mitch Lipon, Tristan Frei, and Zachary Zborosky couldn't have started the second season on a better note. The three snipers combined for 10 goals and 20 points. They need to keep it rolling against the Contacts, matching their star-studded forward crop.
Cougars prospect Sam Ruopp is vital to shutting down the Contacts' top snipers. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound defender needs to keep the Bridge City Boys to the outside, while using his long stick to knock away loose pucks.
