Quarterfinal
Preview

    The IJHL Playoffs get under way this week, with the Pownal Metro Builders and Kings County Boathaulers meeting in the best of five quarter final series for the third consecutive season. Pownal will host game one on Monday night at 8:00 while the series shifts to Kings County on Thursday night for a 7:30 start. The Builders will have home ice advantage after finishing one point ahead of the Boathaulers for fourth place.

    One of the most interesting match-ups in the series will be the battle between the pipes. Pownal will go with Souris native Nelson MacAuley. The rookie was acquired from the Boathaulers on January 10th and has shouldered the majority of the load down the stretch. One time Metro Builder Chad MacGuigan, an overager who was picked up before the season started in a trade with the Kensington Vipers, will likely get the call in the Boathauler net, although rookie Daniel Jackson will also be ready for action. Both MacAuley and MacGuigan will be looking to be a major factor against their old squads.

     Another major factor may be the lack of depth on the Kings County roster. The squad has played the majority of the second half of the season with a short bench, but hopes to have a number of affiliated players available for the start of the series. The elimination of the Kings County Midget AAA team from their semi-final series last week is a definite help, as was the recent elimination of the Morell Junior C Flyers. The team also has a number of players attending University in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but figure to have them available throughout the series.

     Pownal on the other hand, has a full complement of players available, and have been getting contributions from most players during their late season surge. They will be turning to veterans like Shane Kelly, Ryan Callaghan, Dustan Jones and sophomore Josh Toombs to lead the offense.

     In the end, the series may be decided by the little things, such as both teams tendency to surrender goals in bunches, which can easily turn the tide in a short playoff series. Special teams will also be a major factor for both teams, as they finished first and second in penalty minutes during the season. Pownal has shown an ability to strike with the extra man, but have also had their problems playing shorthanded. It may be the team best able to stay out of the penalty box will be the team to prevail in the end.

Semifinal
Preview

      The Island Junior hockey League’s second semifinal series gets underway Wednesday night in Sherwood, as the Pownal Metro Builders face-off against the Sherwood Falcons at 8:00. Game two will be Friday night in Pownal, with an 8:00 start time. The fourth place Builders advanced to the semifinals after dropping the Kings County Boathaulers in three straight games in their quarter final series.
     
       The series will be one of stark contrasts between the two teams. The first place Falcons enter the series as huge favorites, after completing the regular season 51 points ahead of Pownal. The Falcons offense appears to be much more potent as well, after leading the league in scoring with 238 goals, an average of 5.9 goals a game. Pownal finished last in league offense, netting 130 goals over the course of the season.
 
       In goal the Falcons received outstanding netminding from both David Burke and the league’s top goaltender Chris Dalziel. Dalziel finished the year with a 19-1 record and led the league in goals against average, while Burke finished at 16-4 and picked up one of only two shutouts in league play, with Dalziel notching the other. Pownal have been riding the solid play of rookie Nelson MacAuley since early January. In their quarter final win series against Kings County, he allowed only 5 goals in three games while posting a shutout.
 
        One area where these teams do match up is on special teams. Both teams have strong powerplay units, as they ranked first and second with the man advantage in the regular season. Boasting the league’s top three scorers in Brodie MacDonald, Chris Bruce, and Robbie Chandler, the Metro Builders may want to avoid giving the Falcons too many opportunities with the extra man, as they will eventually make teams pay. Pownal were able to avoid taking unnecessary penalties in their series against Kings County, and they will need to continue that trend against Sherwood, as they do not want to have forwards Shane Kelly, Josh Toombs, and Dustan Jones spending all their energy killing penalties when they need the trio to lead the offense.
 
        Even though the series appears to be one-sided at first glance, the Builders are entering it on a high, and will be looking to take advantage of a Sherwood team that has not played in two weeks.