Edmonton V Portland: Game 6

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united001

Now for the longest 20 min. in our season.

Dylan Bumbarger, community blogger

in our season in our lives

united001

Well said!

VetHockey99

To this point...

 Paul Buker on MJ:

“You know what makes this special?’’ he said. “You watch guys like (Troy) Rutkowski and (Tyler) Wotherspoon raise the trophy up. They were 15 or 16 years old when you first met them. And now you see them finishing their careers like this. You see Rutkowski, playing at home (he’s from Edmonton), raising that trophy. You see Ty Rattie get three goals. … I mean, what a story. It was just a phenomenal run.’’

Johnston said he had supreme confidence in the Hawks’ ability to overcome all obstacles this season, whether it was the WHL sanctions, or Michael St. Croix’s overtime goal that forced a Game 6.

“It’s one thing when you’re worried about a team because you don’t think they have what it takes to win, maybe you don’t have the personnel, or the character. But our team, through the course of the season, they proved time and time again, if it’s a big game, they will rise up.’’

"Crash" Cameron

“We had that 1-0 lead right off the hop and there was lots of energy in the building, lots of energy in our game, then to give up a couple of goals on the power play, it just deflates you,” said head coach Derek Laxdal. “It basically took us out of the game and fuelled their energy.

“We left it on the ice,” said Lazar. “We battled hard and Portland is heck of a team. Good luck to them.”

Terry Jones

  They trudged down the hall to the dressing room after shaking hands with the Portland Winterhawks, heads down and tears in the eyes of most of the guys.

On Mother’s Day a year earlier, the Edmonton Oil Kings carried the Ed Chynoweth Cup on the same ice against the same team.

On this day, after another exceptional season, the Oil Kings didn’t look like they deserved to be on the same ice as they lost a third straight series game at home, this one by the embarrassing score of 5-1.

 Chris O'Leary

 After Ty Rattie’s hat trick led the way to a 5-1 win, after Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison handed Rattie the Ed Chynoweth Cup, and after all of the Portland Winterhawks took turns hoisting the trophy with their censor-riffic cheers echoing through an emptying Rexall Place, the torch was officially passed.

The Winterhawks wrapped up the WHL final in six games over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday. They gathered at centre ice, piled over top of one another on the Oil Kings’ logo and posed for a team photo, physically pushing the past aside and assuming their spot as kings of the league.

Tribune:

Rattie's three goals gave him a WHL-playoff record 50 for his career, and the first two turned the course of Game 6 in the first period.

"My dad told me before the game that big-time players step up in big-time games," said Rattie, a St. Louis Blues prospect from Airdrie, Alberta.

Rattie was named MVP, which goes to the outstanding player in all four rounds of the WHL playoffs.

"This feeling isn't going to go away for a long time," Rattie said. "We knew we had the team to be here. We just had to finish the job."

 This game was much like the rest of the series, in that the Oil Kings couldn't score unless the 'Hawks made drastic mistakes, and the 'Hawks 2nd line was key. That snipe by Bjorkstand was amazing: the release on that shot was so good the cameraman lost the puck.  LB got some of it, but not enough of it.

If that goal cancels the Pouliot own-goal, then all that is left is the Rattie hat trick.  Dude ended up with 50 career playoff goals, which is amazing.  Comparing eras, where there were literally twice the scoring as there is now, and we just witnessed a guy put up an all-time number.  His 1st playoff goal was that Game 7 OT winner in Spokane, the last 3 were tonight.  Three game winners in this series.  We just witnessed a truly special junior career - with one tournament yet to be played.

Such a special season.  The main factors in my mind are obviously the sanctions, particularly the loss of Mike Johnston.  At that point, you've taken a team that was 20-4 and made them the underdogs.  They have their backs up against the wall - its "us against the world" - no better motivator than that.

The NHL lockout had a heavy affect on this team.  Its all 'what if' - but I believe that all three overagers: Carruth, Rutowski, and Peters make AHL teams in a normal year.  The fact that we entered these playoffs with all 3 of them signed to pro deals backs this up.  You NEVER have 3 signed overagers in major junior - your 20's are generally guys who haven't singed pro deals, and are trying to decide between going to school or trying to catch on in the minors. 

This team had a Captain, a record setting goalie, and a guy who took virtually every defensive zone faceoff for the last 2 months fall into our laps, rather than playing in the AHL.  There is huge value there.

For me, one of the biggest things about winning the WHL may be that the Winterhawks are not the Buffalo Bills - who lost 4 straight Superbowls, being the butt of choking jokes forever. 

Next game, in Saskatoon, against Halifax.  1st on the list - stopping this dude:

Edmonton V Portland: Game 5

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united001

I left this game when Edmonton took the lead. Hawks tied, but that did not matter at all. Hawks lose in front of this crowd, really?????... I'm severely disappointed and speechless. I better not say anything more at this point other than whatever, whatever. Good luck in Edmonton, the team may have just handed Edmonton the title.

Paul Buker's piece

 Carruth was also outstanding, except for the one play.

“It was a great playoff hockey game,’’ said Green, flanked by a somber-looking Leipsic and Seth Jones. Jones said the loss “stung’’ but the Hawks have bounced back from tough defeats all season. Sunday is a chance to do it again as Portland seeks its first WHL title since 1998.

Portland has two more chances to end the series and punch its ticket to the Memorial Cup.

Kerry Eggers

 It ended with the Rose Garden's sellout throng sitting in stunned silence, Michael St. Croix's goal in sudden-death overtime preventing what would have been a celebration for the ages.

Moments later, Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison was busy texting on his cell phone outside the Harry Glickman Media Room.

I looked over his shoulder and I'm pretty sure he was communicating this to his cronies:

"Whew. That was close. Almost had to take to the ice to present the championship trophy. Live for another day."

Derek Van Diest

Wruck, who played like it was his last junior game, had the Oil Kings best chance in the frame, unable to lift a shot over Carruth from in tight.

“Being a 20 year old in this league, it could have very well been my last game tonight,” said Wruck. “But we live to fight another day and that’s how we have to play as a team. We have a lot of guys on this team that are going to leave the team this year, so we’re playing our last couple of games we want to make them good ones.”

Terry Jones

Fifty years after the first Memorial Cup championship, this was supposed to be the next one. But that dream looked like it died only 15 seconds into Game 5 at the Rose Garden Friday night when the Portland Winterhawks scored on the first shot on goal after the Oil Kings had lost the previous three games in a series where the first goal was everything.

But after the most exciting 59:45 of regulation play of this playoff season to follow, the Oil Kings had taken the game to overtime, where they’d failed to win any of their three games requiring extended play.

 There are some continuing trends in this series.  From where I sit, the way the Oil Kings are scoring isn't sustainable, as I touched on previously.  That first goal was a total fluke, as the OK's can't expect Petan to kick pucks past Carruth in Game 6.

Of course, there's the 2nd Edmonton goal.  The way Carruth plays has a risk / reward factor.  This is a goalie who after Game 5 is sitting on  1.66 GAA / .936% - which is stellar.   He's got 5 shutouts this playoff run - the all time WHL record is 6.  Sure, he's got help - but he SHOULD have help - that's how you win games.

There's a phrase in hockey, usually reserved for guys who play "on the line" physically, and can go over: 

"I'd rather try and tame a tiger than paint stripes on a kitty cat"

Carruth is his own guy - dude is a character for sure.  In a game of villains & heroes, like hockey is, he often plays both roles simultaneously.

Guy Charron knows more about hockey than you & I do.  Drinnan reported his feelings during the Kamloops series:

  Charron admitted that Carruth’s value to the Winterhawks comes from more than just stopping pucks.

“Carruth is becoming too effective for them,” Charron explained. “Part of the game plan is to make their defencemen work, and forecheck and finish our checks. But our dump-ins are always handled by Carruth and he has that ability to handle the puck and use his body as a screen. We really can't forecheck aggressively against that.”

Kamloops forward Brendan Ranford lit up the Kelowna Rockets for nine points in a four-game second-round sweep, but has yet to get even a point against Portland. He credits Carruth for at least some of that lack of success. 

“Mac's been playing really well,” Ranford said. “He's battling hard. We have gotten our chances, and I feel he's been a little bit lucky. He's made some saves that not too many goalies can make. He's working hard and playing well and we have to get to him and get in the crease to score tough goals.” 

“Whatever we're doing now isn't working in our favour,” Charron added, “and we have to make some changes and get some confidence. Our frustration is coming from not scoring.”

Lets look back to the Kerry Eggers piece about Game 5

 "We like Mac playing the puck," Green told the media. "He has been pretty good with that philosophy of leading the play in situations. There, he probably should have gone off the wall with it."

Later, Green told me, "We're not going to tell Mac not to play pucks. He's good at it. He's a big part of our breakouts. That one we'd like back, but I would never tell him not to play the puck."

But with so much on the line? In a 1-1 game in the third period with the WHL title at stake, shouldn't Carruth have played it more conservatively?

"You know what? Our team is not a team that plays conservatively," Green said. "I don't want Mac thinking about it. He has to go on his gut feeling on plays like that. If that's what he felt like, I'd have him do it again."

 From that same piece:

 Carruth, a four-year veteran who turned 21 in March, often strays from the net to direct the puck to a teammate. But if he had that one to do over again?

"I'd have made the same effing play," said Carruth, although he didn't say effing. "I'd have probably gone somewhere else with it, though. I'd have put it somewhere else."

"We're still up 3-2," Carruth told me, his teeth clenched a bit. "It's not the end of the world. Our backs aren't up against the wall. We're good."

Of course, that Carruth gaffe only hurts you if you don't score more than 1 goal - and they got picked up with that Leipsic goal.  I said before the series that the 2nd line will win it for the 'Hawks, and the above picture showing De Leo oh-so-close to doing just that.  His line has been excellent all playoffs, and just couldn't get on the board, despite a good night for all 3 of them.

You could get frustrated with a powerplay that's only connected twice all series, except that they only had 2 attempts last night.  Then again, Edmonton had ZERO powerplays in Game 5, and are 0-fer in the series.

Also related to secondary scoring, its too bad that the 'Hawks wasted a goal from Joey Baker.  I mused on twitter that they probably have won every game he's ever scored in, and was hoping to continue that trend.

Here's what the Baker goal looked like from where I sit.

WHL Full On: 2012 Final series

Shaw ran a 24/7 style show covering the 2012 Winterhawks / Oil Kings series.

It ran in two 30 minute segments:

Episode 1

Episode 2

You see this series referenced quite a bit as one of the best of all time in the 'Dub, and they are probably right.  Its just hard to think of it fondly if your team lost.

2013 WHL Finals preview

We are going to keep this simple.

Seems like you are always hearing about how you need secondary scoring to win in the playoffs.  While that's a fairly obvious statement, it mostly stems from the idea that your top line is going to see a lot of the other teams best defense paring, and often their checking line.  Depending on what degree of success defensively they have against you, that makes you dependent on your second line (and beyond) scoring - but they also will have a more favorable match up.

The 2012 WHL Finals featured a red hot Sven Baertschi - who put up 34 points in 22 games.  His partner in crime, Ty Rattie was credited for 33.  You couldn't ask for more from that line - they played really well.  Almost well enough to make you forget the heavy price they paid for their center, Marcel Noebels.

How 'bout that second line?

That series was pretty much Brendan Leipsic's coming out party - he drew lots of praise from Edmonton media, and it was well deserved.  One could argue that he rode that momentum into a WHL scoring title this year.

Cam Reid? Well, that 2nd round pick that Edmonton ended up with sure would have been nice, except who the hell knows if the 'Hawks would have been allowed to use it anyway.  I wonder if he wishes he stuck around St Cloud State for one more year - as they made the Frozen Four.

I distinctly remember the spring of 2007, when the 'Hawks had that 1st overall bantam pick.  There was a buzz all over town about the Trailblazers also holding the 1st overall pick - and we know how that turned out.

There was some concern with top bantam picks not reporting - and going the NCAA route.  Portland had that problem with Patrick Wiercioch, for example.  That same 2007 draft had the 2nd overall pick not report to Kelowna - which sucks for them.  The 'Hawks were looking at that same player, and traded down to the #5 slot to avoid that mess - and took Brad Ross.

I was really excited about that line of a 16 year old Ross, with Killian Hutt & Colin Reddin.  I thought they were gonna win us some games.

Ross is full of truculence - which explains why then-Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke traded up to get him.  I'm cool with that: I really liked when he beat up Mitch Wahl in back to back games.

However, that's not all you need out of a guy like that - you need scoring.  Toughness is a nice touch, but you have to put the puck in the net.  Ross did that, for the most part, but the WHL Finals is an entirely different story.

I predicted before the last Oil Kings series, "As Brad Ross goes, that's how the series goes."  Well, dude went out and put up 0 goals, 2 assists, was a (-1), an put up 31PIM.  When you have the #5 overall bantam pick, who is a 2nd round NHL pick, you need more than that.  You know, like a goal - maybe even two.

Throw in both Finals appearances and you are looking at 10 games played, 0 goals, 2 assists, (-4), and 47 PIM.  He missed a couple games in the Kootenay series, which only adds to the frustration.  Of course, he had a good run in 2012 - 22 points in 22 games - but zilch on the biggest stage.

I'm prepared to make the same prediction for the 2013 WHL Finals as the last 2:  as Portland's 2nd line goes, the series will go.  I think we all know how the Rattie line is clicking - pushing all time goal scoring numbers.  While I'm not sure its possible to stop them, you can't be completely dependent on them either. 

I am 100% confident in the De Leo - Bjorkstrand - Leier line will be good in this series.  They total 16 goals in 15 games played between them & and have a cumulative +28 rating.  Serving as the 2nd unit on the power play, they look to get favorable match ups.  You have to figure Edmonton will spend their best defensive resources in an attempt to slow down the top line (good luck with that) - leaving opportunities even strength for this line.  I'm optimistic.

Throw in some contributions from guys like Iverson, Taylor Peters, or Paul Bittner - and you're in there.

Bring on the Oil Kings - revenge is a dish served cold (on ice)