CHL Central Hockey League

CHL Conference Semi-Finals Preview

Published on March 29, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


With the 2005-2006 Central Hockey League regular season in the books, eight clubs have survived the grueling schedule to earn an opportunity to compete for the CHL title and the Ray Miron President's Cup as Conference Semi-Final play gets underway this Friday in Amarillo, Laredo and Wichita, and in Colorado on Saturday. Five of the eight clubs in the post-season have captured CHL/WPHL titles previously, while the Amarillo Gorillas, Odessa Jackalopes and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees are searching for their first ever championship.

In the Northern Conference, defending champion Colorado begins defense of their title with their first playoff meeting against two-time champion Oklahoma City, while three-time WPHL champion Bossier-Shreveport takes on twice champion Wichita for the third consecutive year in the playoffs. 03-04 champion Laredo makes their fourth straight appearance in the Southern Conference playoffs, taking on Rio Grande Valley, while Southwest Division rivals Odessa and Amarillo face off for the first time in their history.

All three CHL playoff rounds are best-of-seven game affairs, with the eventual champion requiring 12 victories to hoist the Ray Miron President's Cup trophy. A complete playoff preview is below, breaking down each of the four conference semi-final match-ups. CHL fans can follow the entire post-season on "Playoff Central" on the CHL website at www.centralhockeyleague.com .

Northern Conference Semi-Finals

Series "A" Colorado (1) Oklahoma City (4)

05/06 Record 44-14-6 35-24-5

All-Time Record 130-40-18 550-286-80

Playoff Appearance 3rd in 3 seasons 12th in 14 seasons

Playoff Record 13-7 49-45

Series "A" Schedule

GM 1 - 4/01 @ COL

GM 2 - 4/02 @ COL

GM 3 - 4/04 @ OKC

GM 4 - 4/06 @ OKC

GM 5* - 4/07 @ COL

GM 6* - 4/11 @ OKC

GM 7* - 4/12 @ COL

Defending champion Colorado begins this year's playoffs in the same spot as last year - number one with home ice throughout. Oklahoma City enters the post-season after a two year hiatus and attempts to move past the first round since winning the CHL title in 00-01.

Offense: Colorado maintained their offensive output the entire season, ranking first in goals per game (3.77) and second in shots per game (36.89). The Eagles have a tremendous core of offensive players including Greg Pankewicz (47 goals), Ryan Tobler (7 gwg), Riley Nelson (49 assists), and Chris Hartsburg (04-05 Playoff MVP). Oklahoma City can also light the lamp as they tied for 3rd during the season in goals per game (3.64) and scored the most 3rd period goals (89) in the CHL. Michel Beausoleil led the Blazers with 40 goals, with Jared Dumba and Marty Standish also highly productive.

Defense: The Eagles has several very talented defensemen, topped by two-way greats Brad Williamson and Matt Desrosiers, both members of last year's Cup team. The blueliners allowed the 3rd fewest goals against per game (2.86) while combining for 158 points as a group. The Blazers defensive zone is ruled by hard-hitting Tyler Fleck and standout rookie Gio Flamminio. Both defensemen contribute up front as well, and Kahlil Thomas (02-03 Playoff MVP) adds championship experience.

Special Teams: Colorado ranked first in the CHL for both power play (19.5%) and penalty kill (87.4%), and was even more efficient in their eight meetings with the Blazers (20.0% PP, 91.1% PK). Pankewicz led the way with 19 power play goals and three shorthanded tallies, and is currently on a five-game goal scoring streak. Oklahoma City fell in the middle of the pack on the power play (16.2%), finishing 8th in the League, and was tied for 9th on the penalty kill at just below 84%. Beausoleil and Dustin each had 10 power play goals for the Blazers, whose road special teams numbers ranked third (18.1% PP, 84.8% PK), far better than their home marks. That is good news heading into the Budweiser Event Center, sure to be packed as the Eagles' fans continue their sellout streak.

Goaltending: Each team can claim a finalist for Most Outstanding Goaltender; the Eagles have a rookie in Paulo Colaiacovo who has ‘been there before', clinching every playoff series a season ago and leading the CHL with 30 wins this year. Jeff Blair is coming off injury, but is expected to be healthy and will provide depth in the crease. The Blazers have a solid tandem in net with Sean Connors and Sebastien Centomo. Connors shouldered most of the work this season (48 GP) while Centomo split time between the Manitoba Moose (AHL) and Oklahoma City.

Northern Conference Semi-Finals

Series "B" Bossier-Shreveport (2) Wichita (3) 05/06 Record 41-15-8 38-18-8

All-Time Record 363-174-58 450-383-83

Playoff Appearance 8th in 9 seasons 9th in 14 seasons

Playoff Record 56-27 40-37

Series "B" Schedule

GM 1 - 3/31 @ WIC

GM 2 - 4/01 @ WIC

GM 3 - 4/06 @ BOS

GM 4 - 4/07 @ BOS

GM 5* - 4/09 @ BOS

GM 6* - 4/11 @ WIC

GM 7* - 4/12 @ BOS

Meeting for the third time in three post-seasons, the Mudbugs and the Thunder square off in what should be an evenly contested, drawn out series. The two teams finished 3rd and 4th in the overall CHL standings and four out of their five regular season contests were decided by one goal, two in shootouts.

Offense: Bossier-Shreveport was without their top offensive player, Scott Sheppard (38 goals in 38 games), for a large part of the season forcing other players to step up such as Blair Manning (61 assists) and Brett Smith (30 goals). Captain Dan Wildfong continued to combine scoring (62 points) and physical (272 PIMs) play for the Mudbugs. Wichita has without question the best offensive line in the CHL with Joe Blaznek, Jason Duda, and Travis Clayton (combined for 269 points), who all finished in the top ten in League scoring. After that trio, the Thunder will look to forwards Tab Lardner, Tyler Liebel, and Kris Wiebe for additional offensive production.

Defense: Bossier-Shreveport allowed the second fewest goals against per game (2.66) during the regular season and is led by stout defensemen Craig Minard and Quade Lightbody, as well as a tremendous rookie in Dale Lupul. They will need to find a top blueline pairing that can at least slow down Wichita's top line, especially with the first two games at the Kansas Coliseum. Wichita allowed just over three goals against per game on defense, good for 6th overall, but can often rely on the offense to bail them out. Scoring defenseman Daniel Tetrault (57 points) finished tied for second in CHL defensive scoring and will have help in the Thunder zone from David Lizotte and Ryan Coghlan.

Special Teams: Bossier-Shreveport had the fourth-best power play (17.7%), but could only manage four goals in 39 chances (10.3%) against the Thunder in their five meetings. The penalty kill was ranked second (86.1%) overall and number one on the road which is where the series starts for the ‘Bugs. Wichita recorded the third best power play (18.3%) with their home number over 20%; the penalty kill finished 6th (84.3%), but was next to last on the road (81.0%)

Goaltending: Both clubs are in great shape between the pipes, but the Mudbugs can boast the CHL's Most Outstanding Goaltender in veteran Ken Carroll. In the off-chance that Carroll struggles, David Cacciola is a very capable back-up. While Thunder goaltender Sebastien Laplante didn't win the award, he was one of the six finalists and has carried the load consistently all season long. Wichita backup netminder John Volp had nearly identical numbers as Laplante, but only played less than half the minutes of his counterpart.

Southern Conference Semi-Finals

Series "C" Laredo (1) Rio Grande Valley (4)

05/06 Record 43-15-6 33-25-6

All-Time Record 167-62-23 84-87-17

Playoff Appearance 4th in 4 seasons 2nd in 3 seasons

Playoff Record 25-18 0-3

Series "C" Schedule

GM 1 - 3/31 @ LAR

GM 2 - 4/01 @ LAR

GM 3 - 4/04 @ RGV

GM 4 - 4/07 @ RGV

GM 5* - 4/09 @ LAR

GM 6* - 4/11 @ RGV

GM 7* - 4/12 @ LAR

Fierce south Texas rivals Laredo and Rio Grande Valley extend their grudge into the opening round of the post-season, clashing in what will surely be an emotional and intense series between clubs separated by just 149 miles of highway. Laredo secured their playoff invitation early, while Rio Grande Valley clinched their berth on the last day of the regular season with a 4-0 win in Odessa.

Offense: Laredo's attack ranked second during the regular season to Colorado, averaging 3.70 goals per contest with five separate Bucks scoring 20+ goals, including club leader Chris Grenville (35). Bucks +81 goals for and against differential led the CHL. Rio Grande Valley also had five different players with 20 or more goals in the regular season, ranking 11th overall at 3.29 goals per game. Late season acquisition Bret DeCecco has provided a major boost, scoring 11 goals and adding 11 assists in his 22 games with the Killer Bees. Laredo will be without James Hiebert's 75 points, suspended for the first three games of the series after a late season incident against the Killer Bees.

Defense: Laredo's Serge Dube claimed CHL Most Outstanding Defenseman honors after a remarkable season highlighted by his CHL-high +39 plus/minus rating, shared with rookie teammate Adam Rivet. Dependable veterans Phillippe Lauze, Paul Elliott, Steve Weidlich and Adam Davis round out a solid group of defensemen. First year Killer Bee Matt Medley was team high +14, providing a steadying influence on the Rio Grande Valley blueline. Solid rookie Jeff Mushaluk earned All-Star status this season, with Darcy Smith, Kurtis Dulle, Clay Plume and Sean Gilliam rounding out the group.

Special Teams: Rio Grande Valley holds the advantage in special teams, with the CHL's 5th best power play (17.32%) and 3rd best penalty killing (85.68%) units. Four Killer Bees had eight or more goals with the man advantage, and the club allowed the fewest (5.89 per game) power play opportunities against in the CHL. Laredo clicked on 16.54% of their power play opportunities, with three players with 10 or more power play goals, and stopped 84.16% of their opponent's chances, ranking 7th in the CHL in both categories. Speedy Bucks forward Brent Cullaton is particularly adept while killing penalties, scoring four times shorthanded in just 38 games.

Goaltending: Laredo's tandem of David Lemanowicz and rookie Dov Grumet-Morris excelled, posting the top two goals against averages in the CHL. Both netminders started over 25 games and performed consistently well all season. Evan Lindsay enjoyed a fine first season as the number one goaltender for Rio Grande Valley, winning 25 games (5th in the CHL) along with a 2.50 GAA a .922 save percentage.

Southern Conference Semi-Finals

Series "D" Odessa (2) Amarillo (3)

05/06 Record 36-22-6 35-26-3

All-Time Record 301-232-62 282-309-67

Playoff Appearance 6th in 9 seasons 4th in 10 seasons

Playoff Record 9-17 10-14

Series "D" Schedule

GM 1 - 3/31 @ AMA

GM 2 - 4/01 @ AMA

GM 3 - 4/05 @ ODE

GM 4 - 4/07 @ ODE

GM 5* - 4/08 @ ODE

GM 6* - 4/11 @ AMA

GM 7* - 4/12 @ ODE

Southwest Division rivals Odessa and Amarillo meet for the first time ever in post-season play to continue a remarkably balanced regular season which saw each club win five of seven home games against the other. Amarillo is 10-14 all time in the playoffs, winning two of five total series, while Odessa's post-season mark is 9-17, winning just one of six different playoff series.

Offense: Odessa dramatically improved their attack this season, scoring 59 more goals than in 2004-2005, finishing the season ranked 6th at 3.39 per game. 4-time All-Star Sebastien Thinel registered career highs with 91 points, 40 goals, 51 assists and a +17 plus/minus rating, bolstered by a huge season from linemate Dominic Leveille, who managed 81 points and a team-high 55 assists. Amarillo's Derek Hahn dominated CHL MVP voting and led the circuit with both 114 points and 79 assists, forming a highly productive line with Scott Wray (38 goals) and Joe Guenther (34 goals). Despite the trio's outstanding season, the Gorillas ranked only 10th (3.23 per game) in CHL scoring this season.

Defense: Veteran Scott Hillman remains the leader of Odessa's rearguards, assisted by the steady play of Jamie Lovell (team high +22). Jeff Ewasko is a huge (6-07, 235 pounds) presence who chipped in with 10 goals, while veteran Chris Brannen remains dependable. Amarillo captain Mark DeSantis is a five-time All-Star, blending solid defensive play with offensive production (11 goals, 34 assists) and a mean streak (163 penalty minutes). First year Gorilla Kevin Wilson has been a welcome addition, logging regular ice time along with Trevor Read, Trevor Socholotuck, Ryan Shannon and Mark Strzoda.

Special Teams: Odessa managed only a 13.97% (13th in the CHL) success rate on the power play, trailing Amarillo's 9th ranked unit at 15.80%. Four Gorillas scored nine or more power play goals, while four Jackalopes had eight or more, including 13 by rookie Leveille. Ranking 4th (Odessa, 85.68%) and 5th (Amarillo, 85.03%) respectively killing penalties, both teams are solid while shorthanded. 14 (13 power play, one shorthanded) of Leveille's 26 total goals came in special teams situations, while 13 (nine power play, four shorthanded) of Scott Wray's Amarillo-leading 38 total goals did as well.

Goaltending: Odessa's Mike Gorman earned consideration for the CHL's Most Outstanding Goaltender award, winning 26 games and posting the CHL's 4th best (.925) save percentage. Shawn Degagne finished the season red hot for Amarillo, winning his last six games while allowing a total of 12 goals against. Gorman was exceptional on home ice this season (19-5-0, 2.27, .939), while 15 of Degagne's 24 total wins came at the Amarillo Civic Center.

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2006


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