Posted By: JFDOUCET

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Razzy's Junior C Regular Season is complete and the first round of the Playoffs are set to begin this weekend on two fronts.  The (1) Tignish Perry's Construction Aces and (2) Charlottetown AG Electric Abbies each earned a first-round bye and will await the winners of the first-round best-of-five matchups.  Here is a breakdown of the first-round matchups:

 

#6		#3
(5-16-2-3)		(16-8-2-0)
	vs

 

Although last year's runners-up, the North River Island Excavators Flames, finished third in the regular season standings this season, they stayed close to the lead all season and are definitely a serious contender for the title again this season.  Their first-year opponent, the South Side MacDonald's Excavation / EF MacPhee Construction Lynx, enter this series with nothing to lose.  They had a successful first season, earning at least a point in the standings in 10 of their games and proving that they have what it takes to compete at this level.

 

The Flames are lead up front by Chad Fleming who finished tied for second in league scoring with 22G, 21A for 43 points, and Adam Gallant, who never missed a game all season and recorded 37 points of his own.  The tandem of Kevin MacKay and Johnathan Young split goaltending duties and had similar stats with Kevin MacKay having a slight edge in GAA (3.29) and save percentage (.907).  His save percentage was second best in the league.  North River will look to continue to use their power-play to find offense, as they recorded the most goals with the man advantage this season (32).  However, they were the most penalized team in the league (811 PIM's) and will need to keep that down if they are to ensure success. 

 

The Lynx will counter with their two strongest offensive performers, Chad Murphy (15G, 10A for 25pts), and Corey Ross (16G, 8A for 24pts).  The Lynx also split goaltending duties over the season with each goalie putting up comparable numbers.  Alex Watts and Doug Williams will man the pipes.  Although the Lynx were swept by the Flames this season, they took them to overtime in their last meeting on Saturday night and were only beaten decisively in one of the five games. 

 

The series schedule to date is:

Game #1 - Sat., Feb. 13 at 8:30 at APM

Game #2 - Sun., Feb. 14 at 3:10 in Crapaud

Game #3 - Tue., Feb. 16 at 8:30 in Rustico

 

#5		#4
(10-14-1-1)		(11-13-2-0)
	vs

 

This series is perhaps too close to call.  The Red Devils squeaked out the two points that gave them home ice advantage in the series with an OT win over the Charlottetown AG Electric Abbies on Saturday night, but were beaten in the season series with Morell.  The Flyers had a slight edge in goals in the five meetings during the regular season (28-24). 

 

The Flyers are once again lead offensively by Jamie Kelly, who ran away with the league scoring title with 54 points (25G, 29A).  The Flyers relied heavily on their top line of Kelly, Nigel Fisher, and Mitchell Ryan all season to do the bulk of their scoring, but recent injuries to Fisher and Ryan have forced them to make adjustments.  The trio scored a combined 62 goals, which accounted for more than half (55%) of their total goals.  They were 1-2-3 in scoring for much of the year before injuries started to limit playing time.  In goal, the Flyers were surprised with the solid play of midget-aged goaltender, Dillon Doucette, who played 14 games.  Travis Crane was also solid in goal and recorded the teams only shutout, a 6-0 win over the Lynx in December.

 

The Red Devils have a balanced attack up front lead by captain Robert Christensen (11G, 18A for 29pts).  The Red Devils spread their scoring around, with the top five scorers separated by just seven points.  In goal, newcomers Jordan Thibault and Jonathon Cudmore have made smooth transitions to the Junior ranks and have been very key to the Red Devils success this season.  Each recorded a shutout and kept their save percentage around the .900 mark all season.  The Red Devils have been an unpredictable team to watch this season, as they've both won and lost to every team in the league.  The Red Devils 24 points this season was the most they've earned since joining the league in 2003-04.

 

The series schedule to date is:

Game #1 - Fri., Feb. 12 at 8:30pm in Pownal

Game #2 - Sat., Feb. 13 at 7:30pm in Morell