The Memorial Cup begins in less than two weeks which means the championship rounds in all three CHL leagues are well underway.
In the OHL Final, the Ottawa 67’s continue to roll and head into Monday’s Game 3 against the Guelph Storm having won 14 consecutive playoff games and 18 of their last 20 overall.
Since March 1, the 67’s have a record of 20-1-1-0.
You could say it’s a situation of a team getting hot at the right time, but the 67’s have been hot all year long, going 50-12-4-1 in the regular season.
The team never lost more than two consecutive games this season and added three key pieces prior to the trade deadline in goaltender Michael DiPietro from the Windsor Spitfires, Kyle Maksimovich from the Erie Otters, and Lucas Chiodo from the Barrie Colts.
All three have been impactful for the team since being acquired, but DiPietro was injured in the 67’s Game 2 win over the Storm on the weekend.
The injury looked bad at the time and the veteran netminder, who won a Memorial Cup in Windsor in 2017, left the rink on crutches.
With DiPietro out of the lineup, reportedly due to a high ankle sprain, Cedrick Andree will take over the starting job in goal, which isn’t completely bad news. Andree appeared in 45 games this year for the 67’s and went 34-5-2-2.
Despite not playing in a game since March 17, Andree took over for DiPietro in Game 2 and stopped 26 shots to preserve a 4-3 Ottawa win.
It’s safe to say the Ottawa goaltending is in good hands with Andree between the pipes.
In the QMJHL Final, the Halifax Mooseheads will host the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Monday night in Game 3 with the series tied 1-1.
The Memorial Cup hosts earned a split with the Huskies in Rouyn-Noranda thanks to a 5-4 double overtime victory in Game 2 on Friday.
Top draft prospect Raphael Lavoie had the game-winning goal in the game as the Mooseheads ended Rouyn-Noranda’s 11-game winning streak in the process.
The WHL Final resumes on Tuesday between the Prince Albert Raiders and Vancouver Giants.
The series has shifted to Vancouver for Games 3-5 after the Giants earned a split in Prince Albert.
A three-goal second period was the difference as the Giants held on for a 5-4 win in Game 1 before the Raiders rebounded in Game 2 with a tidy 4-0 victory to even the series.
The Raiders outshot the Giants 34-15 in Game 2.
Veteran forward Parker Kelly is off to a great start in the series for the Raiders with four assists through the opening two games.
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