Welcome to the Playoffs Power Rankings After Round 1 for the S76 SMJHL Season. We will be looking at how teams did after round 1 and who they will be facing.

1. Quebec City Citadelles 
Previous Rank: 1
First Round Opponent: Kelowna Knights 4-0
Next Opponent: Vancouver Whalers
The only way the Owls would have moved down in this list is if they lost two or more games to the Knights. To be fair to the Knights, they made the Owls work for the wins in the two home ice games losing 7-5 and then in overtime. Still, a sweep is a sweep and the Owls are playing as well as they have all season, if not better with Johnny Patey V2 joining the Solbergs on top of the team stats. With Song Ju-Gong still putting up impressive numbers, we will see if Vancouver can solve this riddle.

2. Carolina Kraken
Previous Rank: 3
First Round Opponent: Ottawa Highlanders 4-2
Next Opponent: Colorado Raptors
The Kraken handed a defeat to the new Expansion team, but all in all, they played the better game. Almost everyone is producing and Milasch looks great in the net. Carolina had the Highlanders up 3-0 after the first 3 games, two of which were won in major fashion by 10 goals aggregate. The Kraken then let the series get close after taking their foot off the gas, a mistake I am sure they will not make the Raptors.

3. Maine Timber
Previous Rank: 4
First Round Opponent: St. Louis Scarecrows 4-1
Next Opponent: Nevada Battleborn
The Timber took care of business in a gentleman’s sweep against the Crows, but they were by no means perfect. They allowed two games to go to overtime against a team they should have been beating hands down. If those had gone the other way, we could have been looking at a Maine win in 7 or even an eliminated Timber. However, we are talking hypotheticals when the reality is that the Timber did win in 5 and they will face fellow gentlemanly sweepers in Nevada. For the Timber to be back as the top contender of the southern conference, they will need a little more out of their regular season star in Mia Lavoie. That being said, Dwayne Swanson has absolutely stepped up and should be commended. With the Battleborn playing great hockey, Maine will not be able to treat this next series with any sort of ease.

4. Newfoundland Berserkers
Previous Rank: 2
First Round Opponent: Yukon Malamutes 4-2
Next Opponent: Great Falls Grizzlies
The Berserkers were one of the teams that I thought would be able to sweep their opponents in this first round, but they were one overtime goal away from having this go the distance. Them being bumped down is more that I had bigger expectations for this squad than they achieved in the first round, but a lot of that was because a goalie got very hot. Overall though, their team is playing extremely well together with a good mix of points across the board. Some may need to step up, but with all three lines buzzing, it should be a good look for them going forward.

5. Colorado Raptors
Previous Rank: 6
First Round Opponent: Detroit Falcons 4-0
Next Opponent: Carolina Kraken
The Raptors had an impressive sweep in this installment of the Bird Wars, taking down a wingless Detroit Falcons. The defending champs put their faith in Herman Stahl who was in net for the Raptors with Pitts being taken in an expansion draft. He was lights out for them a .948 save percentage and Leonard Wood and Pinli Switchbang lead the Raptors in points with Rookie Raw Cheese McPickle getting 5 points in 4 games. I expect them to have a much harder time with the Kraken next round.

6. Nevada Battleborn
Previous Rank: 8
Opponent: San Diego Tidal 4-1
The Battleborn rode the waves and surfed with ease onto the next round. They won authoritatively in most of their games with Literally Wizard have an average of 2 points per game. Just Perfection was living up to their name with a .939 save percentage. With the Battleborn playing like this, I would be very scared, particularly if players like Telenn and Effo pick up the pace.

7. The Great Falls Grizzlies
Previous Rank: 7
First Round Opponent: Anchorage Armada 4-2
Next Opponent: Newfoundland Berserkers
The major problem with the Grizzlies remains their inability to get consistent goalscoring as they never scored more than 4 goals in their games against the Armada, but their defense is carrying them. When up against the next level of teams, the Bears will either need even better defensive play or for their forwards to start scoring more.

8. Vancouver Whalers
Previous Rank: 12
Previous Opponent: Regina Elk 4-3
Next Opponent: Quebec City Citadelles
Congratulations on advancing Vancouver. Many people, including myself, had Regina being the heavy favorite in this series. Whalers were able to drag out a series that constantly went back and forth, resulting in a thrilling game 7 win. And you have to hand it to them cause their big players stepped up and some surprises also popped up as well. To win in the playoffs, that is what you will need. Unfortunately, the Whalers’ reward for a hard-fought series will be facing the dominating and well rested Owls. Let’s see if the Whalers have one more upset in them as they were the only one in the first round.

Playoff Series Predictions!

Quebec City Citadelles vs. Vancouver Whalers
QCC in 5
I think the Citadelles are playing on another level right now and it will take a Herculean effort to conquer them. I expect the Owls to finish off this series with very little worry. For Vancouver, every win they get is a bonus, especially since they have already overachieved.

Newfoundland Beserkers vs. Great Falls Grizzlies
NL in 6
The Grizzlies are by no means push overs, but the Newfoundland Berserkers have an extremely strong squad and have had a great season. While both teams took 6 games to win their series, the Berserkers looked dominant in their wins.

Carolina Kraken vs. Colorado Raptors
CAR in 7
This is going to be a close one, even if the game score does not end up being 4-3. The Kraken have been one of the best defensive teams in recent times, but the Raptors have a well-rounded roster that can hit you from anywhere.

Maine Timber vs. Nevada Battleborn
NBB in 7
The Battleborn took care of the Tidal pretty handily and the Tidal were considered a top team at certain points this season. Granted that was mostly because the Tidal vastly over performed, but it was still an almost expert handling of the new team. Maine did not have as many convincing wins as Nevada did which is why I give the Battleborn the upset in this round.

Till next time! (If there is one)

WC: 1162