Round Two... The Waiting Game is Over

Here comes Round Two of the NWJHL Playoffs: The Semi-Finals

(1) Fort St. John vs. (4) Dawson Creek

The Skinny:
Having played just two games since the third of February the Huskies will look to shake the rust when host Game one of the NWJHL Semi-Finals Friday night. Their Opponent, the Dawson Creek Jr. Canucks have played seven games over that same time span and are fresh off their first round victory. The Canucks beat the Beaver Lodge Blades (3-1) in an opening round best of five series.

The Huskies win if...

They come out hungry, match or better the work ethic of the Canucks, and re-establish dominance at the North Peace Arena.

- The Dogs haven't played a meaningful game in over a month.
- The Huskies have an edge on talent... four of the top five scorers in the league are Huskies. Talent trumps a push on work ethic.
- The NPA was a safe haven for the Huskies in the regular season, they were undefeated at home until the final game of the season... vs. the DC Canucks!


The Canucks win if...

They can win a few games early in the series, can stop the Huskies top line and get the better goaltending in the series.

- The Canucks must take advantage of their recent play. DC is at playoff game speed and the Huskies have only practiced and played meaningless games in recent weeks.
- The trio of Horst, Novak and (Jeff) Shipton are leathal and must be stopped they have provided 98 of the 206 goals scored by the Huskies (48%). Stop the Top line and you have a chance.
- Alex Gauverau has put together a fantastic season. Gauverau has the best numbers of any non-Peace Air Navigator Goalie amid a roller-coaster season in DC.

(2) Grande Prairie vs. (3) Peace River

The Skinny:
Two teams with similar stories to the season. Slow starts left the Wheeler and the Navigators looking up at the Canucks, Vipers and Huskies for a substantial amount of time this season. Also, both teams are stingy on Defense. Peace River allowed a league best 104 GA while the Wheelers only allowed 122 GA, they are the top two defensive clubs in the league.
Both teams come into the playoffs playing their best hockey of the season. the Wheelers beat the Wolves (3-1) in the opening round, while the Navigators swept the reeling Vipers (3-0).
The Wheelers finished one point ahead of the Navigators in the final regular season standings, they went to OT in the final game of the regular season... expect this series to go the distance.