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ImASurvivor · 11-07-2019, 10:11 PM

1182 words, ready for grading
The S50 SMJHL Four Star Cup Final is set to begin in just over an hour and now is as good a time as any to write up a quick series preview, in lieu of my game recaps considering we have a bunch of other members pouring their hearts and souls into play by plays and I wouldn't want to take away from those. This article will have several different sections, beginning with an explanation of how each team got to the finals this season. After that, we'll move on to two interesting storylines for the series including MVP Watch and Goal Watch. Excuse any poor grammar or run-on sentences, but I've got 43 minutes left until StadiumGambler's PBP start.

At the end of the fiftieth regular season in SMJHL history, the Colorado Raptors were just two points clear of the Carolina Kraken for first place in the league, winning the Laurifer trophy. 30 wins, 18 losses, and 2 additional losses after regulation resulted in 62 points for the Raptors, while 28 wins, 18 losses, and 4 overtime losses earned the Kraken 60 points. Since they are the first and third seeds, neither team played in the opening round of the SMJHL playoffs. Carolina knew from the beginning that they would be meeting Lethbridge in the quarterfinals but just had to watch and wait while the bottom four teams played their way into the playoff bracket. After the St. Louis Scarecrows took down the Kelowna Knights in the opening round, they were then set to meet the Raptors in the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals, the Raptors took down the Scarecrows in a hard-fought seven-game series where many of the St. Louis players rocketed to the top of the scoring charts, and remain there to this moment. It was a back and forth series with the Raptors getting the upper hand to start and before losing two straight to the opposition. Another two went the Raptors way before the Scarecrows sent it to game seven following a defining game six victory. The final score in game seven was only a 1 goal difference, with the final score showing 3-2, showing how close it could've been for things to be incredibly different. On the other side of the bracket, the Kraken's series with the Lions went much smoother for the playoff finalist. Carolina won the first two home games, before dropping the first game in Lethbridge. They then won a rare playoff away game, before finishing off the Lions in front of their home crowd in the fifth game of the quarterfinals.

We'll move onto the semifinals where the Raptors met the Falcons from Detroit, while the Kraken faced off against the Armada out of the Alaskan city of Anchorage. We will start with the Kraken series this time around, where they struggled to rid themselves of the burden that was the second-seeded team. Anchorage won the first game at home, but Carolina stole one on the road, which was a positive side for the mainland team. Things went downhill for the Kraken when the Armada won both of the next two games in Carolina, putting the orange octopi on the brink of falling short of defending their Four Star Cup. However, Carolina did the impossible and won the next three games on the backs of starting goaltender Nolan McMahon, including two in Anchorage. Meanwhile, in Colorado things went as smooth as possible for the Raptors when they swept the Falcons in four games. Falcons fans were throwing their model birds on the ice in frustration as the Raptors team celebrated on the ice long after the final whistle.

That's how we got here, so let's take a look at some strong performances from both skaters and goalies leading into the finals, starting with the skaters who have their eyes on potentially winning the MVP trophy.

Ricky Bobby - LW - Carolina Kraken
One-third of the RBG line that has been dominating all season long for the Carolina Kraken has proven not only to be a regular-season offensive powerhouse but a playoff one as well. In 12 games so far these playoffs, Ricky has 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points, which is over a point per game. Two of Ricky's goals in these playoffs have been game-winning goals, showing his clutch abilities to get the job done, and he should play a vital role in any hopes of the Kraken winning their second straight championship.

Alexei Rykov - LW - Carolina Kraken
Another third of the RBG line that has proved to be one of the best first-lines in the entire SMJHL was over a point per game in the regular season and is now over a point per game in the playoffs. Also in 12 games these playoffs, Alexei has 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points. If Carolina manages to outlast the Colorado Raptors in this final series of the playoffs, then its a given that one of these two will win the MVP race of these playoffs, unless the goalies steal the show.

Calogero Crudelli - LW - Colorado Raptors
On the other side of the series, Calogero has been atop the Raptors forward lines for the entirety of season 50 and has continued to feature on it throughout the playoffs. In 11 games so far these playoffs, he has scored 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points, with one of those goals proving to be a game-winner. If anyone is going to turn-up offensively on the forward lines it's going to be Calogero, and as we will explore later, he may have extra incentive to perform against Ricky Bobby.

FR Finn-Rhys - RD - Colorado Raptors
The only defenseman to feature on this list, as the best offensive defenseman on the Raptors, and probably in the final series itself. Finn has scored twice and made eight assists in these 11 playoff games, proving to be one of the elite offensive defensemen approaching his SHL days. It will take an extra amount of domination from the defenseman to earn the MVP, but it's certainly plausible.

Next up, we will take a peek at the goaltenders for this series and how they have performed thus far into the playoffs to get their team to this point.

Nolan McMahon - G - Carolina Kraken
In twelve games played through two rounds of playoffs, McMahon has started all twelve, winning eight and losing four with one of those losses coming in overtime. The percentage of saves he's made through the playoffs is 90.8% and has averaged 2.23 goals allowed per contest. If he starts to creep up that save percentage throughout the final series, there is a potential for him to win playoff MVP.

Emiko Spector - G - Colorado Raptors
Spector has started just eleven games for the Raptors in these playoffs, eight wins, and three regulation losses. His save percentage is oddly similar to McMahon's at 90.2% of shots saved while allowing 2.46 goals per game. Similar to McMahon, Spector has to opportunity to push for the MVP trophy if he can carry the Raptors to the Four Star Cup.

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