Welcome to the 1st Squidcap of the SMJHL Playoffs, in this series I will be going over the previous round's playoff series and do a quick little recap of each so you know what's been going on if you haven't been paying attention to other series. I'll try to do this for each round. 

Newfoundland Berserkers vs St. Louis Scarecrows

Result: Newfoundland wins in 7 games

A back and forth series with highs and lows for both teams, each team gave it all they got with Newfoundland coming out victorious in the end. Newfoundland came out during the first game and blew out St. Louis 7-1 with Dan Craig, Cracker Pizza and Pierre Mailloux putting up 3 points each. A strong performance by Ben Harrison kept STL to only 1 goal as they posted a .960 save percentage. In game 2, STL's top line wouldn't let the previous game slide as they battled back to win 9-6, with the top line of Dominik Winters, Konig Wolf, and Marshall Madden combining for 10 points, with a 4 goal game by winters. Game 3 was an overtime thriller with STL coming out on top with third line winger Bobby Bob potting a clutch goal with their second point of the night. Both goalies played great, with a .910 save percentage for NF and a .920 for STL. After winning Game 1, Newfoundland had their backs pushed against the wall after St. Louis wins game 4 by a score of 4-3. Once again a strong performance by STL's top line propelled them to the win, with a combined 8 points between them, with the game winner coming from Dominik Winters. In game 5, Newfoundland just found another level to their game. After scoring 4 goals in the first period, the Berserkers would not give up a lead for the rest of the series. Sad Ketchup had a hat trick, and a huge game from defender Heem Team, who potted 4 points, led the team to a huge win in a must win game. In game 6, Dan Craig made his presence known to STL, posting a first period natural hat tricks scoring his first goal just 16 seconds into the game. Another big night from goaltender Ben Harrison, who posted 32/35 saves on the night and the Berserkers forced a game 7 after being down 3-1 in the series. In game 7, Ben Harrison stood on his head and posted a 27 save shutout in order to lead the Berserkers to a 4-0 win. Dan Craig scored the first goal which stood as the series winner, 13 minutes into the 1st period.

After a dramatic first round series, the Berserkers are going to be moving on to face the Regina Elk. A great series all around and a crazy comeback for the Berserkers.

Nevada Battleborn vs Carolina Kraken

Result: Nevada wins in 7 games

The Carolina Kraken were underdogs in this series against the 4th ranked Nevada Battleborn, and they fell 4-1 in game 1. A dominant game by Nevada saw Brock Samson put up 3 assists from the 1st line right wing position, as Nevada outshot the Kraken 39-21. Despite the loss, goaltender Denebor Milasch put up a .920 save percentage with 35 saves. Game 2 on Nevada's home ice was an upset in favor of Carolina with a 4-1 win for the Kraken, despite being outshot again 38-25. Betzee Nickleback, David Grimes and Dag-Otto Bjorntjanst each had 2 points in the win, but the main star for the squid squad was by far goaltender Milasch again. With only 1 goal against on 38 shots, Milasch posted a stunning .970 save percentage to lead the Kraken to their first win in the series. Heading back to Carolina for game 3, the Battleborn rallied back for a 6-3 win in a roller coaster of a series. Nevada's Brock Samson and Aksel VINSen had 3 points each in the win, and Thomas Sawschuk potted the game winner in order to go secure a win in Carolina's arena. In game 4, Carolina fought back with a huge win  by a score of 8-2, outshooting Nevada for the first time in the series 32-24. Second line center Rence Sykut had the game winning goal as well as 5 points in order to cap off the game in favor of the Kraken.  In game 5 Carolina took their first series lead with a 5-2 win. Another game with Nevada outshooting Carolina 37-23, Denebor Milasch had a .950 save percentage for Carolina. Alexandros Mograine was on fire this game, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists from the right wing.  Multiple players on the Kraken had 2 points, with Sykut, Murdock, Gato, and Kastrba putting up 2 points on the night. Game 6 was a 6-2 win for Nevada, forcing a game 7 off of a game winning goal by Aksel VINSen, who had a hat trick and an assist. Nevada's top line came in clutch, putting up a combined 10 points on the night in order to will their way to a game 7 and show why Nevada has been a strong team all season. Battleborn goalie Just Perfection had 32 saves and a .94 save percentage in order to backstop the squad to a game 7.  Game 7 would open up with a Thomas Sawschuk goal with just 1:02 left in the first period. The game winner would come from Jake Berry, the third line right winger scoring his first of the playoffs 6 minutes into the second period. Berry would add on another third period goal as the Battleborn route the Kraken in a 5-1 win.

The Kraken were beat out by Nevada in 7 games in a close series which saw Carolina push Nevada around but the Battleborn were able to clutch up and win it. Honourable mention to Denebor Milasch who made the most saves of any goaltender with 219 saves on 243 shots in just the first round.

Quebec City Citadelles vs Detroit Falcons

Result: Detroit wins in 5 games

A series we all wished went on for longer to due some superb media coming out from QCC, ended in 5 games. The beef between birds started off with Detroit winning 7-3 in a game which saw Quebec outshoot them 56-24! Kenny Omega and Rookie Emil Karlsson put up 1 goal and 2 assists each, and Wayne Holloway had a .950 save percentage with 53 saves to lead the Falcons to the win. Detroit ended up stealing both games on Quebec's home ice, putting up a 6-3 win in game 2. Kenny Omega had another 3 point night with 2 goals and 1 assist, and Wayne Holloway had another solid game in net with a .920 save percentage. A multi point night for 6 players on Detroit, they're getting goal scoring from all over their lineup, always a recipe for success in the playoffs. Heading to Detroit, the Citadelles bounced back with a 6-1 win , with defender Jaromir Jagrbomb putting up 3 assists. SMJHL regular season goal leader Jeff Hunziker had a hat trick in the win, with assist leader Ryland Murphy putting up 5 points and 4 assists in order to have Quebec City rebound from their losses. Net Man stood on his head with a .970 save percentage and made 35/36 saves in order to help shutdown the Falcons. Heading into game 4 with a 2-1 series lead, Detroit made sure to exercise their advantage and put forth a 5-2 win in order to crank up the pressure for Quebec City. The game winning goal came from Marek Carda, who scored twice on the night and Wayne Holloway stayed hot with a .940 save percentage on the night. In game 5, Detroit's Prince Marius scored the first two goals of the game, putting on the pressure early into the game, despite a two point night from QCC's Nico Nurminen and Shawn Pawn, the Citadelles fell just short, with the game winner coming from Marek Carda on Detroit. Another .920 save percentage for Wayne Holloway clinched up the series for the Falcons and they're moving on.

Detroit played well defensively and limited Quebec to 3 or less goals in all 4 of their wins, Kenny Omega came out early in the series and performed when needed, and depth scoring was able to come up clutch in order to close out the series early on.

Anchorage Armada vs Great Falls Grizzlies

Result: Great Falls wins in 7 games

The biggest underdog story of the first round goes to the 14th ranked Great Falls Grizzlies vs the 3rd ranked Anchorage Armada. Anchorage was second in the league for long stretches throughout the season and finished 1 point behind the Maine Timber with 84 points. Great Falls was the opposite, with only making the playoffs due to their division, finishing with the inverse of 48 points. A stark 36 point difference between these two clubs had them matched up against each other, but none of that matters because it is playoffs! Once you get in anything can happen!  The series started off with how most spectators thought it would go, with Anchorage blowing apart Great Falls with an 8-0 win, the largest win margin of the first round. Anchorage was getting offensive help from everyone on the roster, with only 2 players not putting up a point in the game, as well as Ubba Lodbrok putting up 3 points on the night. A 19 save shutout for goaltender Stun Gun, who was phenomenal all season long. Game 2 was a lot closer than game 1, with the Grizzlies surprising Anchorage with 39 shots to 25 in favour of Great Falls, despite falling 4-2. Barg Hazbite had the game winner for Anchorage as well as 2 goals on the night. Billy Hill opened the scoring for Great Falls, with a goal assisted by Barron and Akerson. Game 3 of the series was a surprise I'm sure for Anchorage, who lost 4-1 on the night after being outshot 29-21. A huge game from Arnost Hlemyzd with 1 goal and 2 assists as well as Beau Kavanagh's .950 save percentage night, allowing only 1 goal against propelled the Grizzlies to their first win over the Armada. Game 4 was a 3-0 win for Great Falls, proving they have what it takes to take out the heavy favorites in the Armada. Gordon-William Gibbles had the game winning goal and added 2 assists for a point on every goal. Beau Kavanagh had a 15 save shutout as Great Falls doubled Anchorage's shots this game. In game 5 the Armada stormed back with a 4-1 win over the Grizzlies, scoring 3 goals in the first period as Deep Thought and Barg Hazbite put up 3 assists each. A strong performance from Stun Gun with a 21 save game and a.960 save percentage as the Armada put the Grizzlies on the ropes with a 3-2 series lead. With game 6 and all their season's hopes on the line, Great Falls roared back to life with a dominant 5-1 win. Billy Hill had the game winning goal and Levin Schattenaxt had 3 points as the Grizzlies scored 5 straight unanswered goals, with Anchorage potting 1 with 8 minutes to go in the third period. Heading into the final game of the series, all pressure was on Anchorage, the third best team in the regular season, going up against the team that finished last. A back and forth game started off with Anchorage's Ubba Lodbrok opening the scoring 6 minutes into the game, off a pass from Bongo. RIP THUNDERDOME 2013-2023 tied the game 1-1 just 5 minutes later as the Grizzlies and Armada would enter the second period tied. The crowd wouldn't have to wait long for the next goal though, with Billy Hill scoring 5 minutes into the second period to take the lead 2-1, Deep Thought responded quickly, tying it 2-2 2 minutes later. Andre Latreille exerted Great Falls' will with a marker to make it 3-2 late in the second, but Ubba Lodbrok striked back 50 seconds later to tie it 3-3 with 4 minutes left in the second. Andren Akerson would score with 2 minutes left in the second to enter the third with a Great Falls lead. A huge third period goal by Andre Latreille 9 minutes into the 3rd period would put Great Falls ahead 5-3 with only 10 minutes remaining in the game. Ubba Lodbrok scored to make it 5-4 but Jae-ik Barron potted an empty net goal to take the 6-4 win for Great Falls and complete the biggest upset of the playoffs so far. Andre Latreille had 2 goals and an assist, Levin Schattenaxt had 3 assists as the Great Falls Grizzlies advance in the playoffs.

A stunning upset by Great Falls puts them in the second round of the playoffs as they get set to face the Vancouver Whalers, the first place team in the league. Can Great Falls take out to of this season's titans in back to back upsets? Tune into round 2 to find out.