The semi-finals were quite interesting in the Conferences and we’re down to the finals.
In the Midwest, we have #2 Stratford Cullitons vs. #6 Waterloo Siskins.
This is the fifth straight year that Stratford has made it to the Cherrey Cup finals, and they still don’t have a Championship. From what I can tell, their last Cherrey Cup Championship was 2004, which is their last Sutherland Cup Championship as well.
It was projected all season that Stratford would be in the finals, but that their opponent would be Kitchener. Waterloo completed the major upset in their magical post-season run by disposing of the Dutchmen in 5 games. The 1 loss to Kitchener in Game 4 is their only loss in the play-offs, so far. Statford has 2 losses to Elmira in the last round.
The last time these teams met in the play-offs was the 2014 Conference finals where Waterloo took it in 6 games.
Let’s look at these teams.
I feel that Stratford has a good mix of 95-98’s. Their roster is made up of 7 95’s, 5 96’s, 5 97’s, 4 98’s and 1 99. Waterloo is on the younger side, focussing more on 96-98’s. On their roster, they have 2 95’s, 7 96’s, 7 97’s, 5 98’s and 2 99’s.
A lot of Stratford’s scoring comes from Zander Pryor, Zach Van Louwe and Hayden Broomhead. Together, they have 48 points in the play-offs so far. For the Siskins, their scoring comes primarily from Connor Jean, who has 14 points. Rookie sensation Nate Schnarr led the team in the regular season, but he’s missed the last 3 games. I’m not sure if he’s injured or what the deal is.
Defensively, I feel that Joe Leahy, Josh Miller and Anthony Kotsovos are the Culliton’s top D-men. They’re not only strong at their positions, but they’re also good set up men. For Waterloo, I like Andrew Lane and Nick Hirst. They’re strong at their positions and with some more experience, Lane could be one of the top defencemen in the league in years to come.
In goal, Stratford has gone with Alex Brooks-Potts for both rounds. He’s entering the finals with an 8-2 record. He’s allowed 21 goals for a GAA of 2.07 and has 266 saves for a 0.927% save percentage. Waterloo has gone with Mitchell Datz. He has an 8-1 record and has 20 goals against for a GAA of 2.18. He has made 304 saves for a percentage of 0.938%
For special teams, of the 6 teams left, Stratford is third for their PP at 28.57%. They have scored 18 powerplay goals on 63 opportunities. They are fifth on the PK at 83.33% with only 8 powerplay goals against on 48 opportunities, and they’ve scored 2 shorthanded goals. Waterloo is fifth for PP at 24.00% with 12 goals on 50 chances. When shorthanded, the Siskins have allowed 6 goals, and scored 1, on 48 opportunities for an 87.50% and second of the teams.
PAST RESULTS
10/09/15 Waterloo 9 at Stratford 12
10/11/15 Stratford 2 at Waterloo 1
11/29/15 Stratford 3 at Waterloo 4 OT
01/02/16 Stratford 2 at Waterloo 3 OT
01/15/16 Waterloo 6 at Stratford 7
02/05/16 Waterloo 1 at Stratford 5
This was their games in the regular season. The games were all close with 4 being decided by 1 goal.
This is their schedule
| Date | Visitor | Home | Time | Arena |
| Fri. Apr. 1 | Waterloo | Stratford | 7:30 | Allman Arena |
| Sun. Apr. 3 | Stratford | Waterloo | 7:00 | Waterloo Rec Centre |
| Mon. Apr. 4 | Waterloo | Stratford | 7:30 | Allman Arena |
| Wed. Apr. 6 | Stratford | Waterloo | 7:30 | Waterloo Rec Centre |
| Fri. Apr. 8 | Waterloo | Stratford | 7:30 | Allman Arena |
| Sun. Apr. 10 | Stratford | Waterloo | 1:30 | Waterloo Rec Centre |
| Mon. Apr. 11 | Waterloo | Stratford | 7:30 | Allman Arena |
Prediction: As I mentioned, this is the fifth straight year that Stratford has been in the final, but they’ve always been the bridesmaid and never the bride. Waterloo is on a magical post-season run. It’s one of the best I’ve seen since St. Thomas in 2010 when they were the 7th seed against 5th seed LaSalle in the final. This year, I feel it’s Stratford’s year. In the previous 4 Cherrey Cup finals, they’ve been the lower seed, but this year, they have home ice advantage. The Allman arena is very difficult to play in, I tell people from the West it’s like going into Chatham, and the Cullitons play extremely well on their home ice. Stratford in 6.
