For those interested..

 

Golbourne is out for the rest of the playoffs due to a leg laceration from the Portland series. All reports say that Chartier is skating and practicing well.  The Kelowna P by P guy figures he's in tonight.  Since it's the final I expect he's in (damnit!).

Draisaitl/Merkley/Chartier with Morrisey and Bowey on the points will be a pretty potent power play unit.

Ouch.  Not a good weekend for the Wheat Kings.  KBF you are probably in for a series win later this week.  

Ouch.  Not a good weekend for the Wheat Kings.  KBF you are probably in for a series win later this week.

We'll see. The Rockets are good at blowing leads. I missed both games - but they sounded pretty close. It is good to have Chartier back, he and Merkley are dynamite together.

 

Ouch.  Not a good weekend for the Wheat Kings.  KBF you are probably in for a series win later this week.

We'll see. The Rockets are good at blowing leads. I missed both games - but they sounded pretty close. It is good to have Chartier back, he and Merkley are dynamite together.

 

Yes they are.  In a previous post I listed the Rockets I was most worried about, and with the slight exception of Morrissey they have all exceeded my expectations.  If Merkley is available when the Jets pick in the draft I hope they take a long look at him.  Very dangerous.  They have been close games but Kelowna has been the better team in both games.  Steadier and more complete.  The Wheat Kings D has been weak at the wrong times.  Can't do that against a team like Kelowna.

Wheaties just no match for the Rockets...shame. I'm selfishly hoping that the Wheaties come back stronger next year and can make the Mem Cup in Red Deer...

I watched the first two games of the series and they were both good games, close ones where I felt it could have gone either way. Kelowna had better finish than Brandon though and that was the difference. Rockets will likely close it out sooner rather than later but I feel that the series was closer than the results indicate. Two good teams though, thinking that the high end guys on Kelowna are just at a higher level than Brandon.

I watched the first two games of the series and they were both good games, close ones where I felt it could have gone either way. Kelowna had better finish than Brandon though and that was the difference. Rockets will likely close it out sooner rather than later but I feel that the series was closer than the results indicate. Two good teams though, thinking that the high end guys on Kelowna are just at a higher level than Brandon.

Last night's game wasn't that close, Kelowna was clearly the better team all night. I see what some are saying with the Morrissey hate. The guy's amazing with the puck, but I don't like his cheapshots he takes, including that elbow he dropped right at the end of the game yesterday. That's a bad habit that he's going to have to break in the big leagues or someone is going to feed him pretty good.

Wheaties just no match for the Rockets...shame. I'm selfishly hoping that the Wheaties come back stronger next year and can make the Mem Cup in Red Deer...

That is the silver lining. The consensus is the Wheat Kings were built for next season, with this season being a pleasant surprise.  They should be just as strong, if not stronger, next season.  "Should" being the key word.

I watched the first two games of the series and they were both good games, close ones where I felt it could have gone either way. Kelowna had better finish than Brandon though and that was the difference. Rockets will likely close it out sooner rather than later but I feel that the series was closer than the results indicate. Two good teams though, thinking that the high end guys on Kelowna are just at a higher level than Brandon.

Yep. 

 

I watched the first two games of the series and they were both good games, close ones where I felt it could have gone either way. Kelowna had better finish than Brandon though and that was the difference. Rockets will likely close it out sooner rather than later but I feel that the series was closer than the results indicate. Two good teams though, thinking that the high end guys on Kelowna are just at a higher level than Brandon.

Last night's game wasn't that close, Kelowna was clearly the better team all night. I see what some are saying with the Morrissey hate. The guy's amazing with the puck, but I don't like his cheapshots he takes, including that elbow he dropped right at the end of the game yesterday. That's a bad habit that he's going to have to break in the big leagues or someone is going to feed him pretty good.

 

First off congrats on an excellent championship win, well deserved.  I wish the Wheaties had put up more of a fight but that's how it goes sometimes.  If nothing else this should give the WKs good experience and a fire in the belly for next season.  As for your Morrissey observations I saw the same things here in Brandon and during his time with the Raiders.  Very skilled and smooth but gets cheap sometimes.  Sometimes it means a bad penalty or it could mean he gets creamed later on if he's not careful.  Some time in the AHL next season will do him good I think.  Huddy will help him bigtime but he's not NHL ready.  Bowey on the other hand...

Watching the Rockets in the Memorial Cup is a treat, but seeing Dan Lambert behind the bench is surreal to some extent as it takes me back 32 years to our battles between Niverville and St. Malo. When I say "battles" I mean we were spectators as Lambert would score 10 goals for St Malo and we would lose 10-1.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/05/15/st-malos-dan-lambert-leads-kelowna-rockets-into-memorial-cup-in-first-year-as-head-coach

Oshawa Generals win the Memorial Cup over Kelowna in OT.  Good game featuring the two best junior teams in Canada.  If not for the Gens goalie Appleby, Kelowna would have taken it.  Of course Whistle had some nice stops too for the Rockets. Having watched him now for the past month, if Merkely is available in June's NHL draft for the Jets, I would be happy if we picked him.  Not that big but tenacious with great puck instincts and unafraid to get physical. Only three months until the WHL starts up again.  Can't wait!