MJHL’s top 2 teams square off: final begins Saturday

By Lorelei Leona, MJHL Web Correspondent

www.mjhlhockey.ca

The Kings and Saints will meet on Saturday night for what should be the beginning of one of the MJHL’s most exciting championships. After all, both teams finished first respectively in their divisions.

The Saints, who swept both of their series in the Addison Division, will face off against the Dauphin Kings, who posted a franchise high-50 wins this season.

To date the playoffs King sport an 8-1 record.

Winnipeg Saints (36-19-4)

Dauphin Kings (50-11-1)

Who to watch: The Saints are led offensively by leading scorer Blake Chartier (77 pts), who is joined by line-mates Cole Pruden and captain Craig Simchuck. Together this line provides both high-scoring and depth to the Saints roster.

The Saints are kept solid in net by seasoned veteran, Justin Leclerc (11-2) who, according to Head Coach Keith Cassidy, “provides leadership” between the pipes.

The Kings are led by dynamic duo, Shane Luke (101 pts) Ryan Dreger (99pts), whose ability to put pucks in the net have led to the King’s success in the post-season.

Kings’ captain Steven Shamanski is also expected to produce some points, having registered 15 points in the past eight games (5G, 10A).

Head to Head: The Kings won the regular-season series against the Saints with 3-1 record, with one game going into overtime and another extending to a shoot-out

Intangibles: Despite winning the regular season matchups against the Saints, Kings Coach Marlin Murray says that while the Kings are confident heading into the final series, they “realize that that they [Saints] have a good skill level” and in order to be successful the Kings are going to have to have “traffic in front of the [Saint’s] goaltender because he has the ability to win.”