The best-of-seven Prairie Junior Hockey League final begins with games one and two in Saskatoon this weekend.
The north division champion, Saskatoon Westleys, will take on Fort Knox. The two teams recorded identical 32-6-0-3 regular-season records to finish atop their respective divisions. In three head-to-head meetings, the Westleys were unbeaten in regulation time, with a record of 2-0-0-1, against Fort Knox.
In the post-season, the Westleys dispatched the Saskatoon Quakers in five games and then were pushed to the limit by Delisle in the North final, a series that the Quakers ultimately won in seven games.
Fort Knox hasn’t lost in the postseason. Sweeping their series with the Assiniboia Southern Rebels in four games and then winning four straight over the Regina Capitals in the South Final to earn their first appearance in the league final.
Fort Knox’s first-year head coach, Matt Scott, feels his team is ready for the series.
“We had a great year, our record shows that. We put in the work, and what separates our group from most is the culture that we have within our team, and that's a testament to our leadership group.”
Scott knows that they have their work cut out for them against a tough Westleys’ team.
“We compare them to what the Regina Capitals looked like. They are a team that thrives and can be really dangerous off the rush. Our job is to make sure that we take care of the middle of the ice. If we can keep our defenseman inside the dots and allow our forwards to track pucks back and hunt pucks, I think it'll make us extremely successful.”
“The one thing that separates the Wesleys from Regina is their ability to manage the puck inside the zone. They do a really good job dragging pucks to the net. They've got two really skillful lines, and we have to make sure that we can contain them inside our zone, and it'll bring us some success,” added Scott.
That’s where Fort Knox leaders are so valuable to the team, maintaining their on-ice standard and focusing the team, according to Scott.
“They put us in a good spot coming in the playoffs, and they've done a good job at making sure that our younger guys stay humble and stay hungry. If we can continue that, I think we'll have a successful series.”
Fort Knox is expected to bring in more experience for the final series. Scott is excited to get his leader, Colby Cuddington, back into the lineup.
“We lost our captain in periods throughout the year. Cuddington had some shoulder issues and then had to have an emergency appendectomy. We're looking forward to having him back because guys look to him on the bench and he's able to keep us in the moment and doesn't allow guys to get too high or too low.”
After games one and two, Saturday and Sunday in Saskatoon, the series shifts back to Fort Qu'Appelle for games three and four, Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6.
