Previewing The Mastercard Memorial Cup

The 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament kicks off on Friday, May 20th, in Mississauga, ON.

The CHL’s Championship tournament, which wraps up with the Championship game on Sunday, May 29th, features four teams – the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, the OHL Champion Owen Sound Attack, the WHL Champion Kootenay Ice and the QMJHL Champion Saint John Sea Dogs – who will battle for the storied Memorial Cup trophy.

The tournament format sees each team play one another in a round-robin format. The team with the best record after the round-robin advances directly to the Championship game, while the second and third-placed teams play a semi-final game to determine the other tournament finalist. If there is a tie for third place after the round-robin, a tiebreaker game will be played to determine the second semi-finalist.

Here’s a look at the four teams who will be vying for the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup:

KOOTENAY ICE (WHL Champion)

Head Coach: Kris Knoblauch
General Manager: Jeff Chynoweth

2010-11 Record: 46-21-1-4, 97pts, GF: 272 GA: 218
2010-11 Final CHL Ranking: Not Ranked
2011 Playoff Record: 16-3 GF: 74 GA: 44
-Defeated Moose Jaw Warriors 4-2 in first round
-Defeated Saskatoon Blades 4-0 in second round
-Defeated Medicine Hat Tigers 4-0 in Eastern Conference Championship Series
-Defeated Portland Winterhawks 4-1 in WHL Championship Series

2011 Playoffs Top Scorers:
LW – Matt Fraser 19gp-17g-10a-27pts
C – Max Reinhart 19gp-15g-12a-27pts
C – Cody Eakin 19gp-11g-16a-27pts
D – Brayden McNabb 19gp-3g-24a-27pts

The 2011 WHL Champions, the Kootenay Ice are making their third appearance at the MasterCard Memorial Cup in franchise history. The Ice went winless in their first Memorial Cup experience in 2000, but won it all in 2002.

Up Front: The Ice have been getting plenty of mileage out of their older group of forwards. Veterans Matt Fraser, Cody Eakin and Max Reinhart combined to score 43 of the team’s 74 post-season goals, while veteran Joe Antilla, with nine tallies, was the only other player to surpass the five-goal mark in the playoffs. Even though much of their offense comes from their top guns, the Ice can roll four lines who all play with the same intensity, determination and fire. A relentless forecheck, tremendous work ethic and strict adherence to their system has enabled the Ice to breeze through several of the WHL’s top teams en route to the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

On The Blue Line: Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Brayden McNabb has anchored a stifling Kootenay defense corps. McNabb provides plenty of offense from the point, runs the power play, and has helped the Ice to an 88.8% penalty killing success rate throughout their playoff run. Veterans James Martin, Joey Leach and Hayden Rintoul provide solid defensive play, mobility and strong puck movement. Collectively, the Ice defense corps has enjoyed success in shutting down some of the WHL’s biggest stars like Brayden Schenn, Linden Vey and Nino Niederreiter through their run to the WHL championship.

Goaltending: 19-year-old Nathan Lieuwen took his game to another level during the 2011 WHL playoffs, posting a 16-2-1 record with three shutouts along with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage while starting all 19 post-season contests for Kootenay. A former first-round draft pick of the Ice, Lieuwen has a knack for making big saves at key times in games, and gives his team a chance to win in any situation.

MISSISSAUGA ST. MICHAEL’S MAJORS (Host Team)

Head Coach / General Manager: Dave Cameron

2010-11 Record: 53-13-0-2, 108pts, GF: 287 GA: 170
2010-11 CHL Final Ranking: 3
2011 Playoff Record: 15-5 GF: 79 GA: 44
-Defeated Belleville Bulls 4-0 in first round
-Defeated Sudbury Wolves 4-0 in second round
-Defeated Niagara Ice Dogs 4-1 in Eastern Conference Championship series
-Lost to Owen Sound Attack 4-3 in OHL Championship series

2011 Playoffs Top Scorers:
LW – Devante Smith-Pelly 20gp-15g-6a-21pts
LW – Maxim Kitsyn 20gp-10g-9a-19pts
RW – Justin Shugg 20gp-10g-9a-19pts
C – Casey Cizikas 16gp-5g-14a-19pts

The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors are making their first trip to the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament in the modern history of the franchise. Having moved from Toronto to Mississauga in 2007-08, the Majors come into the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup as the host team and runner-up in the OHL Championship series.

Up Front: The St. Michael’s Majors boast a balanced attack that led the OHL in offense during the regular season. Their top trio of Devante Smith-Pelly, Justin Shugg and Casey Cizikas combined for 30 goals and 59 points through the team’s run in the OHL playoffs while helping the team’s power play click at a 30.1% clip in the post-season. Shugg has plenty of Memorial Cup experience, having won back-to-back Memorial Cup titles with the Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and 2010, while Cizikas also has big-game experience as a member of the 2011 Canadian national junior squad. Russian winger Maxim Kitsyn has also proved to be an offensive threat with 10 post-season goals. He helped Russia defeat Cizikas and the Canadians in the World Junior Championship Gold medal game.

On The Blue Line: The St. Michael’s Majors were the best defensive team in the OHL during the regular season, allowing just 170 goals in 68 games. 21-year-old veteran Marc Cantin, who won the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup with Windsor, leads a St. Michael’s Majors’ defense corps that combined for a +48 rating in the OHL post-season and allowed just 44 goals through 20 playoff contests. Cantin, Mark D’Orazio and Brett Flemming are all capable in the offensive end as well, contributing to the team’s power play success in the post-season.

Goaltending: 19-year-old veteran JP Anderson enjoyed a terrific playoff run for the St. Michael’s Majors, posting a 15-2-3 record, including four shutouts, with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in 20 contests. He even set an OHL record by notching three straight shutouts in the team’s opening-round series versus Belleville. The San Jose Sharks prospect was the runner-up for the OHL Goaltender of the Year award, edged out by just a four-point margin by Mark Visentin of the Niagara IceDogs.

OWEN SOUND ATTACK (OHL Champions)

Head Coach: Mark Reeds
General Manager: Dale DeGray

2010-11 Record: 46-17-1-4, 97pts, GF: 283 GA: 215
2010-11 Final CHL Ranking: 8
2011 Playoff Record: 16-6 GF: 83 GA: 65
-Defeated London Knights 4-2 in first round
-Defeated Plymouth Whalers 4-0 in second round
-Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4-1 in Western Conference Championship series
-Defeated Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 4-3 in OHL Championship series

2011 Playoffs Top Scorers:
RW – Robby Mignardi 22gp-15g-9a-24pts
C – Joey Hishon 22gp-5g-19a-24pts
LW – Garrett Wilson 22gp-11g-10a-21pts
C – Andrew Shaw 20gp-10g-7a-17pts

The Owen Sound Attack come into the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament as OHL Champions for the first time in their 22-year history, having knocked off the OHL’s regular-season champion Mississauga in a thrilling seven-game series that culminated with an overtime victory in the seventh and deciding game.

Up Front: The Attack possess solid offensive depth and star power in the form of NHL prospects Joey Hishon, Robby Mignardi and Garrett Wilson. Mignardi was the OHL playoff MVP after scoring 15 goals in 22 games, while Hishon and Wilson combined for 16 goals and 45 points during the playoffs. Veteran Andrew Shaw also provided consistent offense during the post-season, chipping in 10 goals and 17 points. A hard-working group, the Attack play a tight-checking game that limits time and space for their opposition. Two-way forwards Jarrod Maidens, Liam Heelis and Mike Halmo add good depth to the Attack’s forward contingent.

On The Blue Line: The Attack boast an impressive blue line, led by veterans Jesse Blacker and Matt Stanisz. Blacker, a veteran of Windsor’s 2009 Memorial Cup team, and Stanisz anchor a solid defensive unit and provide offense and strong puck movement, helping the power play to a 23.3% success rate during the post-season. Stanisz, Blacker, Matt Petgrave and Geoff Schemitsch combined for 10 goals and 54 points during the OHL playoffs.

Goaltending: The Attack used three different goaltenders during the 2011 OHL playoffs, with Michael Zador, Scott Stajcer and Jordan Binnington all seeing action during the team’s run to the championship. Binnington appeared in 46 regular-season games, the most of the three, and was the winning goaltender in the team’s Game 7 overtime win over the St. Michael’s Majors in the OHL final. While Binnington may have the edge, all three have shown they can perform in big-game situations.

SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS (QMJHL Champions)

Head Coach: Gerard Gallant
Director of Hockey Operations / Associate Coach: Mike Kelly

2010-11 Record: 58-7-1-2, 119pts, GF: 324 GA: 165
2010-11 Final CHL Ranking: 1
2011 Playoff Record: 16-3 GF: 84 GA: 39
-Defeated Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-0 in first round
-Defeated Victoriaville Tigres 4-1 in second round
-Defeated Lewiston Maineiacs 4-0 in Semi-Final series
-Defeated Gatineau Olympiques 4-2 in QMJHL Championship series

2011 Playoffs Top Scorers:
C – Jonathan Huberdeau 19gp-16g-14a-30pts
LW – Stanislav Galiev 19gp-10g-17a-27pts
RW – Zack Phillips 17gp-9g-15a-24pts
RW – Tomas Jurco 19gp-6g-12a-18pts

The Saint John Sea Dogs enter the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup as QMJHL champions for the first time in their six-year history. The top-ranked team in the entire CHL, the Sea Dogs tied a QMJHL record with an astounding 58 victories during the 2010-11 regular season. During their post-season run, the team managed a perfect 10-0 record on the road.

Up Front: The Sea Dogs have plenty of offensive weapons in their arsenal that helped them lead the QMJHL in goals during the regular season. Led by sophomore star and top NHL draft prospect Jonathan Huberdeau, the Sea Dogs scored an average of 4.42 goals per game in the post-season and boasted a power play that operated at 27.4% effectiveness. Huberdeau, the QMJHL playoff MVP, scored 16 times in the playoffs while Russian forward Stanislav Galiev netted 10 times. Zack Phillips, Michael Kirkpatrick and Tomas Jurco add offensive depth to the Sea Dogs’ powerful offense.

On The Blue Line: The Sea Dogs boast a talented and mobile defense corps that not only helped the team to the fewest goals-against in the QMJHL during the regular-season, but made significant contributions in the offensive zone as well. Canadian national junior team star Simon Despres and promising NHL draft prospect Nathan Beaulieu anchor the defense corps, with both having the ability to play strong defense and help the attack. Eric Gelinas adds even more offensive ability from the blue line.

Goaltending: Former WHL netminder Jacob DeSerres backstopped the Sea Dogs to the QMJHL title, posting a 12-3 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in the playoffs. DeSerres has Memorial Cup experience, having played for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2010 tournament. DeSerres also benefits the Sea Dogs with his familiarity with the WHL representative, the Kootenay Ice.

2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup Schedule:

Round Robin
Game 1 – Saint John vs Mississauga; Friday, May 20; 7:00pm
Game 2 – Owen Sound vs Kootenay; Saturday, May 21; 7:00pm
Game 3 – Mississauga vs Kootenay; Sunday, May 22; 7:00pm
Game 4 – Owen Sound vs Saint John; Monday, May 23; 7:00pm
Game 5 – Kooenay vs Saint John; Tuesday, May 24; 7:00pm
Game 6 – Mississauga vs Owen Sound; Wednesday, May 25; 7:00pm
Tie-Breaker (If Necessary); Thursday, May 26; 7:00pm
Semi-Final; Friday, May 27; 7:00pm

Memorial Cup Championship Game; Sunday, May 29; 7:00pm