It is finally time for the CHL playoffs to begin this week. Almost all of the final playoff spots have been clinched, with the exception of the eighth-place team in the Eastern Conference of the WHL. Besides Edmonton, all of the teams have been matched up.
In the Western Hockey League, the best of the Eastern Conference will compete against the best of the Western Conference in the final, the winner of which will claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
The Eastern Conference match ups are:
Regina vs. Brandon: No. 2 Regina and No. 7 Brandon have met seven times this season, with Brandon winning four of those games.
Calgary vs. Kootenay: The third place team, Calgary, has beaten sixth-place Kootenay only two times in six meetings.
Medicine Hat vs. Swift Current: No. 4 Medicine Hat and No. 5 Swift Current have evenly split the four games they’ve played so far.
Edmonton vs. TBD: First-seeded Edmonton has yet to be determined an opponent. The Red Deer Rebels and the Prince Albert Raiders have identical records to tie for eighth in the east.
The Western Conference match ups are:
Kelowna vs. Tri-City: Seeded first in the Western Conference, Kelowna has won four out of four against eighth-seeded Tri-City.
Portland vs. Vancouver: Second-place Portland has defeated seventh-place Vancouver four times in four meetings.
Victoria vs. Spokane: No. 3 Victoria has defeated No. 6 Spokane only once in six games this season.
Seattle vs. Everett: The closest ranked teams in the west, No. 4 Seattle and No. 5 Everett, have played each other 10 times this season, with matching records of 5-4-1.
The winner of the Ontario Hockey League‘s Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Western Conference) will meet the winner of the Bobby Orr Trophy (Eastern Conference) to see who comes out on top as the victor of the J. Ross Robinson Cup.
The Eastern Conference teams that will play in the first round are:
Oshawa vs. Mississauga: First-place Oshawa will take on eighth-place Mississauga. The two teams have played four times this season, with Oshawa winning three games.
North Bay vs. Niagara: No. 2 North Bay will take on No. 7 Niagara, who have evenly split their six games so far.
Kingston vs. Peterborough: No. 3 Kingston came out of their six meetings with No. 6 Peterborough with five wins and one overtime loss.
Barrie vs. Sudbury: No. 4 Barrie went 3-5 against No. 5 Sudbury in their eight meetings this season.
The teams playing in the Western Conference are:
Guelph vs. Plymouth: First place in the O, Guelph will take on No. 8 Plymouth. Guelph has won three-of-their-four games.
Sault Ste. Marie vs. Owen Sound: No. 2 Sault Ste. Marie has won two of two against No. 7 Owen Sound.
Erie vs. Saginaw: Third-seeded Erie will take on sixth-seeded Saginaw. The two teams have played four games, with Erie winning three.
London vs. Windsor: No. 4 London and No. 5 Windsor will play in the first round. In the regular season, the two teams split their six games.
The first game in the quest for the President’s Cup begins on Thursday in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. There is no East/West division in the playoffs in the Q, but the first round series are as follows:
Baie-Comeau vs. Shawinigan: No. 1 Baie-Comeau has won five-of-the-six meetings this season against No. 16 Shawinigan.
Halifax vs. Charlottetown: No. 2 Halifax and No. 15 Charlottetown have met nine times in the regular season, with Halifax winning eight.
Val-d’Or vs. Acadie-Bathurst: No. 3 Val-d’Or and No. 14 Acadie-Bathurst have played each other only twice this season, but Val-d’Or has been victorious in both meetings.
Rimouski vs. Chicoutimi: Rimouski (No. 4) and Chicoutimi (No. 3) have evenly split the six games they have played so far.
Blainville-Boisbriand vs. Moncton: Blainville-Boisbriand (No. 5) has beaten Moncton (No. 12) both times they have met.
Drummondville vs. Victoriaville: No. 6 Drummondville has recorded four wins against No. 11 Victoriaville.
Quebec vs. Rouyn-Noranda: The seventh place team, Quebec, and the 10th place team, Rouyn-Noranda, have played four time, with Quebec winning three of those games.
Gatineau vs. Cape Breton: No. 8 Gatineau and No. 9 Cape Breton have only seen each other twice this season, and have a win apiece.
