CHL Ray Miron President's Cup Playoffs - Conference Finals Preview
Published on April 13, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release
The 2005-2006 Ray Miron President's Cup Central Hockey League's Conference Finalists are set. The defending champion Colorado Eagles needed the maximum seven games to edge Oklahoma City, and will now take on the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, who dispatched Wichita 4 games to 1, in the Northern Conference Finals. Both the Laredo Bucks (over Rio Grande Valley) and the Odessa Jackalopes (over Amarillo) clinched opening round wins in six games and will meet for their second ever playoff series in the Southern Conference Finals. All four clubs advancing to the Conference Finals were regular season division winners during the regular season.
A complete Conference Finals preview is below, breaking down both match-ups. CHL fans can follow the entire post-season on "Playoff Central" on the CHL website at www.centralhockeyleague.com.
Northern Conference Finals Colorado Eagles (1) vs Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (2)
05/06 Record 44-14-6 41-15-8
All-Time Record 130-40-18 363-174-58
Playoff Appearance 3rd in 3 seasons 8th in 9 seasons
All-Time Playoff Record 17-10 60-28
Northern Conference Finals Schedule
Game Day Date Location Time (local)
1 Tuesday 4-18 Colorado (7:05 PM)
2 Wednesday 4-19 Colorado (7:05 PM)
3 Friday 4-21 Bossier-Shreveport (7:05 PM)
4 Saturday 4-22 Bossier-Shreveport (7:05 PM)
5* Monday 4-24 Bossier-Shreveport (7:05 PM)
6* Wednesday 4-26 Colorado (7:05 PM)
7* Thursday 4-27 Colorado (7:05 PM)
*If Necessary
Overview: The top two teams in the Northern Conference will meet to decide who will play for the Ray Miron President's Cup, the regular season and defending CHL champion Colorado Eagles and the Northeast Division champion Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. This is the first post-season meeting between the two highly successful franchises. Both teams were surprising in Round 1, but on opposite ends of the spectrum - the Mudbugs took care of the Wichita offense and won handily in five games, while the Eagles were pushed to a deciding seventh game by a gritty, determined Oklahoma City team.
Offense: One would think with the fire power these two teams bring to the ice, the scoreboards will need to have back-up light bulbs on hand. Colorado was the top scoring team during the regular season and continued into the playoffs, averaging four goals per game, while Bossier-Shreveport followed closely behind at 3.80 per contest. In the first round, the Mudbugs' line of Blair Manning (2g,4a), Brett Smith (5g,1a) and Scott Sheppard (3g,4a) was red hot combining for 19 points and that doesn't include Chad Spurr's team leading eight points (3g,5a). The Eagles were led by none other than their captain Greg Pankewicz (5g,8a) and linemate Riley Nelson (4g,6a), and last season's playoff MVP Chris Hartsburg chipped in with five goals as well.
Defense: The offenses of both clubs receive a lot of hype, but the defenses are just as formidable, both ranking in the top three for goals against during the regular season. The Mudbugs held a talented Wichita team to an average of 1.80 goals per game, including a shutout in Game 3. Oklahoma City was able to break down the Colorado defense at times with their grinding style of play and the Mudbugs were voted the "Hardest Working Team" in the CHL's Best of the Best poll, meaning this series could come down to those battles in the corners and who's willing to pay the price to advance.
Special Teams: Talented offenses and scoring defenseman usually equate to great power play numbers. The Eagles clicked on more than 17% of their chances and the Mudbugs converted a very solid 20% with the man advantage. On the penalty kill, both teams were around the same mark in the upper 80% range and have strong role players to fill the needs in both areas of special teams.
Goaltending: Mudbugs' netminder David Cacciola stood in for an injured Ken Carroll in the first round and was terrific with a 1.65 GAA and a save percentage of .954. If Carroll comes back for Round 2, they have tremendous depth at the most crucial position. On the other end for Colorado, when Paulo Colaiacovo is on his game, there are few better, but with âback-up' Jeff Blair sidelined with an injury, Colaiacovo now carries a championship-sized burden.
Key Regular Season Statistics
Team Record Home Away GF GA PP% PK% PIM's
COL 44-14-6 22-7-3 22-7-3 3.77 2.86 19.5 87.4 29.66
BOS 41-15-8 21-7-4 20-8-4 3.48 2.66 17.7 86.1 22.77
Key Playoff Statistics
Team Record Home Away GF GA PP% PK% PIM's
COL 4-3 3-1 1-2 4.00 3.29 17.3 87.2 18.71
BOS 4-1 3-0 1-1 3.80 1.80 20.5 86.0 27.20
Key Head to Head Statistics
Team Record Home Away GF GA PP% PK% PIM's
COL 3-1-0 1-1-0 2-0-0 3.75 3.25 26.1 82.1 39.25
BOS 1-3-0 0-2-0 1-1-0 3.25 3.75 17.9 73.9 18.00
2005-2006 Head to Head Results
Date Result
11/02/05 Bossier-Shreveport 6 @ Colorado 1
11/04/05 Bossier-Shreveport 3 @ Colorado 5
11/26/06 Colorado 5 @ Bossier-Shreveport 3
02/02/06 Colorado 4 @ Bossier-Shreveport 1
Regular Season Leaders Colorado Bossier-Shreveport
Points Pankewicz (90) Manning (76)
Goals Pankewicz (47) Sheppard (38)
Assists Nelson (49) Manning (61)
+/- Polaski (+23) Minard (+26)
Penalty Minutes Borsheim (338) Wildfong (272)
Power Play Goals Pankewicz (19) Sheppard (17)
Shorthanded Goals Pankewicz (3) Smith (5)
Game Winning Goals Tobler (7) 4 Players Tied (6)
Wins Colaiacovo (30) Carroll (20)
Goals Against Average Colaiacovo (2.58) Carroll (2.31)
Save Percentage Blair (.925) Cacciola (.926)
Southern Conference Finals Laredo Bucks (1) vs Odessa Jackalopes (2) 05/06 Record 43-15-6 36-22-6
All-Time Record 167-62-23 301-232-62
Playoff Appearance 4th in 4 seasons 6th in 9 seasons
All-Time Playoff Record 29-20 13-19
Southern Conference Finals Schedule
Game Day Date Location Time (local)
1 Friday 4-14 Laredo (7:30 PM)
2 Saturday 4-15 Laredo (7:30 PM)
3 Tuesday 4-18 Odessa (7:00 PM)
4 Thursday 4-20 Odessa (7:00 PM)
5* Saturday 4-22 Laredo (7:30 PM)
6* Tuesday 4-25 Odessa (7:00 PM)
7* Wednesday 4-26 Laredo (7:00 PM)
*If Necessary
Overview: Both Laredo and Odessa won all three home games and managed a single road victory in the opening round of the post-season to secure a trip to the Southern Conference Finals. Laredo makes their fourth consecutive appearance (winning two of three previous trips) in the Southern Conference Finals, while Odessa becomes a final four club for the second time in franchise history, swept 4-0 by Lubbock in the 2000/2001 Western Professional Hockey League's semi-finals.
Offense: Laredo shares the playoff scoring lead with Colorado, both averaging 4.00 goals per game through the opening round, while Odessa ranks 5th in post-season scoring at 3.17 goals per contest. Bucks LW Chris Grenville has dominated, scoring seven goals and adding five assists while C Jeff Bes managed 10 points in six games. LW Ladislav Kouba was also highly productive with six goals, and RW James Hiebert returned from suspension to add five points in three games. Odessa's offense has been paced by forwards Paul Davies (four goals, assist) and John Kozoriz (three goals, two assists) while F Dominic Leveille and D Pascal Bedard also had two goals. CHL MVP Finalist Sebastien Thinel was held mostly in check by Amarillo in the opening round, producing a goal and three assists in six outings.
Defense: Odessa allowed an average of 2.83 goals per game in the opening round, slightly trailing Laredo's 2.17. Jackalopes rearguards Bedard and Scott Hillman are playing quality hockey, as is steady Jamie Lovell, +2 in the opening round without registering a point. CHL Most Outstanding Defenseman Serge Dube leads an experienced and versatile group of Laredo defensemen who helped the Bucks allow a CHL-best 2.44 goals against per game during the regular season.
Special Teams: Both Laredo's special teams units lead the CHL post-season converting seven times in 31 chances (22.98%) on the power play and allowing only three goals against in 35 opportunities (91.43%) while shorthanded. Odessa's power play also enjoyed some success, scoring five times in 34 opportunities (14.71%), while holding Amarillo to only three power play goals in 34 chances (91.18). Odessa's special teams struggled in head to head regular season action vs. the Bucks, outscored 10 to 4 in man advantage situations.
Goaltending: Laredo is expected to continue to rotate the tandem of rookie Dov Grumet-Morris (3-1 with a shutout and a 1.40 goals against average in the playoffs) and veteran David Lemanowicz. While the Bucks have the option of going with the goaltender, Odessa's hopes likely rest largely on the shoulders of clear number one netminder Mike Gorman (4-2, 2.79 GAA, .922 save percentage).
Key Regular Season Statistics
Team Record Home Away GF GA PP% PK% PIM's
LAR 43-15-6 27-4-1 16-11-5 3.70 2.44 16.5 84.2 24.06
ODE 36-22-6 23-8-1 13-14-5 3.39 3.08 14.0 85.7 22.34
Key Playoff Statistics
Team Record Home Away GF GA PP% PK% PIM's
LAR 4-2 3-0 1-2 4.00 2.17 22.6 91.4 19.17
ODE 4-2 3-0 1-2 3.17 2.83 14.7 91.2 23.17
Key Head to Head Statistics
Team Record Home Away GF GA PP% PK% PIM's
LAR 4-1-1 3-0-0 1-1-1 3.33 2.67 29.4 91.9 20.2
ODE 2-3-1 2-1-0 0-2-1 2.67 3.33 08.1 70.6 21.2
2005-2006 Head to Head Results
Date Result
11/25/05 Odessa 0 @ Laredo 3
12/02/05 Laredo 2 @ Odessa 4
02/17/06 Laredo 1 @ Odessa 2 SO
02/26/06 Odessa 3 @ Laredo 4 OT
03/10/06 Odessa 1 @ Laredo 6
03/11/06 Laredo 4 @ Odessa 1
Regular Season Leaders Laredo Odessa
Points Bes (88) Thinel (91)
Goals Grenville (35) Thinel (40)
Assists Bes (61) Leveille (55)
+/- Dube, Rivet (+39) Lovell (+22)
Penalty Minutes Hiebert (275) Ewasko (268)
Power Play Goals Grenville (12) Leveille (13)
Shorthanded Goals Kouba/Cullaton (4) Cressman/Kozoriz (2)
Game Winning Goals Grenville/Dube (6) Thinel/Cressman (6)
Wins Lemanowicz/Grumet-Morris (18) Gorman (26)
Goals Against Average Grumet-Morris (2.03) Gorman (2.72)
Save Percentage Lemanowicz (.928) Gorman (.925)
Central Hockey League Stories from April 13, 2006
- CHL Ray Miron President's Cup Playoffs - Conference Finals Preview - CHL
- Laredo Bucks Weekly Update - Laredo Bucks
- Mudbugs vs. Defending Champion Colorado in Round Two - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
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