No surprises, so far, in SJHL playoffs
For a change, things have gone according to plan in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs.
You didn’t need to be a genius, or a groundhog, to predict the playoff outcomes up until now.
Two rounds down. No upsets to speak of.
The top four teams from the SJHL’s regular season — the Battlefords North Stars, Flin Flon Bombers, Nipawin Hawks and Estevan Bruins — are the only ones left standing in the hunt for the Canalta Cup.
“The top four teams deserved to be in this situation right now,” says North Stars head coach and GM Nate Bedford, whose team swept the Weyburn Red Wings in league quarter-final action and now meets the Bruins in semifinal play.
“I would have been really surprised if any of us would have been upset. Yeah, I think (it’s fitting). The top four teams in our league were pretty successful all season.”
The other SJHL semifinal sees Flin Flon (39-14-2-3) meet Nipawin (40-15-2-1). Both teams finished with 83 points in the regular season.
“I don’t know if it’s fitting but it’s nice to see the regular-season success translate into post-season,” says Hawks head coach and GM Doug Johnson. “There was some opportunity for upsets but teams have just done a nice job and taken care of business.”
The top seed doesn’t always win in the playoffs, so seeing the postseason unfold like this may be a bit of a surprise.
“I don’t know, thinking back here, how many times that ends up happening,” wonders Bombers head coach and GM Mike Reagan.
“It’s going to be tough sledding whoever you’re matched up against. We’re going against a Nipawin team that’s always tough to play against. There’s a bit of a rivalry there and we’ve played them well in the regular season, but playoffs are a different story and we’ve got to put the regular season behind us and focus on one game at a time.”
Despite their nearly identical records, Flin Flon managed seven wins over Nipawin this season.
“Well, if you look at our head-tohead, then obviously we don’t have a chance,” quips Johnson.
“It’s been a good battle and it’s come down to better goaltending, which team has better special teams and who’s willing to sacrifice more. In playoff hockey, it’s all about the players, in my mind. You give them a game plan and the players have to go out and accomplish the task at hand. That’s what it’s going to come down to, the players’ will to compete and, like always, goaltending.”
Reagan says the Bombers had a tough quarter-final matchup with Notre Dame. The Hounds gave them everything they could handle in Game 5, leaving the Bombers more “battle-tested” for the next round.
“We’re pretty happy to get out of there in five,” says Reagan, who now looks forward to a closer and more familiar rival.
“We’ve gone head to head quite a bit. We’re pretty comfortable in knowing what each team likes to do and how they like to play. We’re not on a long road trip. The last four years, we’ve been starting every round down south and that takes a toll on you. It’ll be nice to be somewhere closer. There’ll be different things thrown at each other and I think the team that’s going to make the adjustments is going to come out of it.”
Meanwhile, Estevan and Battlefords played each other a lot closer than what their records indicate.
“It’s a good matchup for both sides in that we split the season series,” says Bedford. “They’re a team that can score a lot of goals and we’re a team that doesn’t allow a lot of goals, so it’s their kind of their strength against ours. I think whoever sticks to their style of play the closest will win. I wouldn’t say we’re overly excited to play them, but I’m excited about a good playoff series, for sure.”