Inferno look to vault ahead of Les Canadiennes in final series
Fire up the playoff preview, and possibly a sneak peek at the Clarkson Cup.
The Calgary Inferno play Les Canadiennes de Montreal this weekend in a battle of two of the top-three teams in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. It’s also a rematch of the last two championship finals.
The final regular-season series sees the Inferno pay a visit to La Belle Province in a crucial matchup against Les Canadiennes.
Only three points separate first and third, with the Kunlun Red Star and Les Canadiennes tied atop the CWHL standings at 41 points while the Inferno have 38. With two regulation victories this weekend, the Inferno would guarantee a home playoff game by vaulting over Les Canadiennes in the standings and would most likely host Montreal in the first round of the four-team playoffs.
“The playoff race in the CWHL is super tight. This is the closest finish that I have seen in my four years in the league, and it’s fun to be a part of,” said Inferno assistant captain Hayleigh Cudmore. “In our minds, we’ve been on our playoff run since the beginning of February. Every game down the stretch has been so crucial.
“This upcoming weekend against Montreal is huge. Playoff seeding is on the line. We have faced Montreal in the two last (Clarkson) Cups, so we know how big this matchup is, and we know how intense these games are going to be, especially this late in the season.”
The Inferno had the opportunity last weekend to increase their chances of hosting that playoff game but ran into an extremely hot Markham Thunder team, which outscored the Inferno 9-2 in a two-game series.
Les Canadiennes also squandered chances to lock up the Chairman’s Trophy, as they recently finished up their overseas trip to China, coming away with three out of a possible eight points. Their three points came via a shutout win over the Vanke Rays and a shootout loss to the Red Star.
This weekend’s games could potentially see some high-scoring affairs, as it will feature the two best offensive teams in the league. Les Canadiennes and their high-octane offence pace the league with 110 goals, while the Inferno have found the back of the net 94 times. The key for the Inferno will be to avoid the penalty box. They are the least penalized team in the league (186 penalty minutes), while Les Canadiennes have scored 22 per cent of their goals on the manadvantage (24), best in the CWHL.
“This week in practice, we have been focusing on sticking to our game plan,” Cudmore said. “We have had a lot of success this year, so even though last weekend didn’t go as we had planned, we know we have to continue with what has worked.”
The games go Saturday (3:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1:30 p.m.) at Montreal’s Complexe Sportif Bell in Montreal. Sunday’s game will be broadcast on Sportsnet West.