1,200 Words

Had a little bit of a wake and back session today, decided to do as much of a run through of the SMJHL playoffs and make some predictions as I could. So here we gooooo.

#7 Colorado Raptors  vs. #10 Anchorage Armada 
Alright so our first series of the S49 SMJHL playoffs is between the Colorado Raptors and the Anchorage Armada. Both these teams failed to live up to the league's standards all season long and really fell short of the mark in a lot of ways. This competition is kind of a battle between the losers as both teams just attempt to find any sliver of momentum that could possibly carry them past their next opponent of either Kelowna or Detroit. Colorado comes into the series on a huge 4 game win streak which means that adrenaline is pumping for the fan favorite here. With major goaltending duo Knox Booth and Low Temp at their disposal, and a young roster built around guys like Vorian Atreides and Lee Samson, the Raptors are definitely our favorite to take this series.
Winner: Colorado Raptors in 5

#8 St. Louis Scarecrows  vs. #9 Anaheim Outlaws 
The match-up between these two teams is technically closer than between the Raptors and the Armada, but I don't think this series will be any closer in terms of the number of games these teams will play. Despite me being a member of the Anaheim Outlaws locker room, I can recognize that we just aren't in a place where we can, or should even want to, make a deep playoff push. With a record during the regular season against the Scarecrows of 1-3-1, the numbers are a pretty clear indicator of success level. That's not to say we can't be surprised though. Strong performances from Jerry Mander and Lallo Selman could be the turning point in the series for the Outlaws, while St. Louis while depend heavily upon Nicolaj Muller to bring them some of the offensive fire power he had during his 56 point regular season performance.
Winner: St. Louis Scarecrows in 5

#1 Detroit Falcons  vs. #8 St. Louis Scarecrows 
So now we move into the second round where some of our match-ups come to be a little bit more lopsided than they previously were. Despite the large separation in the standings between these two teams, St. Louis managed to keep up with the Falcons all year on the scoreboard, running up a record of 2-3 against the powerhouse Detroit team through out the year. St. Louis was one of the only teams that consistently put up a strong fight against the Falcons organization, and with more great performances from Nicolaj Muller we could see them do that again, but I think it's unlikely the Falcons lose out in round one. Austin Roenick, Espen Knutsen Jr, and Emiko Spector will be bringing their A-Game all through out playoffs, and they don't have much left to prove after a fantastic season.
Winner: Detroit Falcons in 6

#2 Kelowna Knights  vs. #7 Colorado Raptors 
Kelowna saw an unlikely rise back up to the top of the standings this season. In what was supposed to be the second, developmental year of their rebuilding phase, the Kelowna Knights suddenly ripped off the visage and took to the ice to beat every and all opponents on their way to a top seeded playoff spot. Led by late round SHL pick Raquel Castillo Gutierrez alongside Josef Novotony and Prince Devitt from the blue line, Kelowna is chalk full of raw talent that is going to be able to run over their opposition. The only weak spot in the Knights game is goal tending, where Alexander Thorstrom struggled between the pipes this season with inconsistency. If the Knights get hit with a bug at the exact wrong time it could all come crashing down around them.
Winner: Kelowna Knights in 4

#3 Halifax Raiders  vs. #6 Montreal Militia 
So here we have one of the more exhilarating match-ups in the league this season, and while I was always optimistic in my thinking that Montreal would secure a top seed in the playoffs, I didn't quite expect them to drop into the bottom half this season. With a youthful core and excellent offensive production from Gaspard Boone to go along with the stellar performances of Mike Hunt in net with Mitchell Maverick taking rookie starts as the backup, the Militia are a terrifying team coming into this match up. They have a hard opponent in the Raiders though, with Halifax boasting an elite top six that will depend heavily on legacy player Esa Parmborg to make an impact. Should the Raiders top six show up, it could be a hard competition, but ultimately I have it leaning in the favor of Montreal.
Winner: Montreal Militia in 7

#4 Vancouver Whalers  vs. #5 Lethbridge Lions 
Our final match-up to cover today is between the Vancouver Whalers and the Lethbridge Lions. Obviously my good friend and rival Marcus Ohlsson (@CleverPin) is a member of the Whalers, and so under no circumstance do I want him to win, although meeting him in the playoffs would be awesome it would be a real bummer that I wouldn't get to start against him. The Whalers are a clean team that doesn't really excel in any aspect of the game, actually finishing quite below average for their position. For this reason I genuinely have confidence that the Lions youth group in Eva Lykke Aparjode and rookie Akira Ren will be able to hand it to the Whalers in what could be a fairly long series. These teams are evenly matched, but Vancouver's position at #4 was nothing more than a lucky role of numbers.
Winner: Lethbridge Lions in 6

Thanks for tuning in folks, I hope you had a good time. Media gets a lot easier to write when I'm high as balls so maybe I'll do this again. Thank god I have nothing to do today, cause if I did I might shit myself. Anyways, I will do another article like this when the next round is shored away and we know who is going into the conference semi-finals.

Tobias Lindeman - Goalie - Anaheim Outlaws - 221 TPE

The Big Boy

@dynamite you better watch out if we meet you in playoffs this year

Marcus Ohlsson || LW || Vancouver/Edmonton || 350 TPE

Name: Marcus Ohlsson

Age: 18

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 225lbs.

Titles: Recruitment Head, SMJHL Intern

FIRST SHIFT, FIRST GAME, FIRST SHOT, FIRST GOAL

[img=0x0]https://i.ibb.co/4fx7RqP/first-goal.png[/img]

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