The Dauphin Kings (1) are set to square off with the Swan Valley Stampeders (4) in round one of the MJHL Playoffs.
Season Series: 7-1 Dauphin Kings – 1-6-0-1 Swan Valley Stampeders
Nov. 12th – 5-0 Kings win
Nov. 12th – 2-1 Kings shootout win
Nov 19th – 5-2 Kings win
Nov. 20th – 4-0 Kings win
Jan. 19th – 5-2 Stampeders win
Feb. 2nd – 3-0 Kings win
Mar. 11th – 7-3 Kings win
Mar. 12th – 4-1 Kings win
Goalie Records
Kings
Carson Cherepak: 5-0
Keaton Woolsey: 2-1
Stampeders
Kobe Grant: 0-5-0-1
Dylan Black: 1-1
Kings Stats
PP – 5/33
PK – 32/34
Top Scorers:
Kaden Bryant – 75 points in 54 games
Colby Jaquet – 62 points in 54 games
Logan Calder – 55 points in 53 games (split with Terriers)
Potential Underrated Hero
Forward Mathew Rathbone
Stampeders Stats
PP – 2/43
PK – 28/33
Top Scorers:
Carter Cockburn – 49 points in 54 games
Quinn Mulder – 42 points in 53 games
Adam Rajsigl – 36 points in 53 games
Potential Underrated Hero
Forward Justin Keck
Series Thoughts:
The Dauphin Kings have been one of the top teams throughout the season. They’ve had their way through much of the year with the division and since stumbling out of the Christmas break, the Kings managed to go undefeated in February and lose only once in their last 8 games. Dauphin is a big, fast, skilled team that likes to play a physical brand of hockey. Sporting two of the best defencemen in the league, the Kings generate a lot of offence from the backend so it’s not just a matter of trying to reign in their forwards, it’s that every guy on the ice with a King on his chest can be dangerous and hurt you.
Swan Valley won’t care about all that at all.
This is a Stampeders team that has shown they can win against the best teams in the league. Despite perhaps backing their way into the playoffs, they made it because of some wins where they were expected to be run over. The Stamps are a crafty bunch who, if they can play their system, will frustrate the Kings.
Both teams have been guilty of surrendering a fair share of shots in a game. What the numbers don’t tell you is the quality of those chances’ vs the quality of goals against. Playoffs are a different animal. A hot goalie can give all kinds of belief to a team. A bad goal or two against, guys start to grip the stick a little tighter and play tighter, too.
It’ll be a great matchup between the Kings strategy vs the Stampeders structure. The Kings will be heavily favored but it’s the playoffs and anything can happen once the puck is dropped.
