This past week, we took the final steps to get to the CHL’s respective conference finals and got them underway. Here is how the final fours have begun to shape up across the three constituent leagues, beginning with the OHL, as always:

OHL:

The Saginaw Spirit were able to clinch the last remaining conference final spot by defeating the Soo Greyhounds 3-1 in Game 7 of their semifinal matchup. This was not an easy task due to them being sans D Zayne Parekh (2024 Draft eligible) one of their most significant offensive weapons, and having starting G Andrew Oke miss the majority of the series after a collision with Soo C Bryce McConnell-Barker (New York Rangers). D James Guo additionally missed Game 7 due to suspension. The remaining roster for Saginaw was more than up to the challenge, however, and looked confident on the ice in the win or go home game, outshooting Soo 34-17 and making life easy for G Nolan Lalonde (Columbus Blue Jackets). RW Calem Mangone had the series winning goal, with C Matyas Sapovaliv providing the empty net insurance tally.

Saginaw’s conference finals date with the league-best London Knights commenced on Friday, April 26th, with Parekh notably still absent from the lineup. Spirit D Rodwin Dionicio opened the scoring in the first and his team looked solidly in control of possession and pace. Though they did not score in the second frame and respond, the Knights looked solidly like the better team in the second period. This would eventually pay dividends for them in the third, as RW Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks) scored twice in less than two minutes on nearly identical plays. C/W Easton Cowan would ice it with the empty-netter. These two teams get underway again for Game 2 in a matinee that commences at 2:00 PM ET. Updates will be provided across our different platforms.

The Oshawa Generals’ clash with the North Bay Battalion got underway on Friday, as well. North Bay looked very strong in the early phases, building a 2-0 lead in 4:30 of playing time. However, Oshawa would take over from there, tying the game in the early phases of the second period. D Luca Marrelli would score the eventual GWG for Oshawa in the third, while RW Connor Lockhart scored the empty netter to ice it inside the final minute. Game 2 commences at 6:05 ET tonight and will be covered on the pod.

WHL:

We had a bit of a wait for Round Three in the Dub, due to all the semifinals lasting a very short period of time. However, it has been up for with some quality play in the four games that have been played to this point. The Saskatoon Blades fell victim to the 2-0 curse in Game 1 against the Moose Jaw Warriors just as North Bay did, surrendering the next three goals. Saskatoon LW Egor Sidorov (Anaheim Ducks) would tie the game with his second tally of the night with 1:27 left to send it to OT. However, Moose Jaw C Brayden Yager (Pittsburgh Penguins) would be the one to shine under the bright lights, winning the game in the extra stanza with his 8th goal of the postseason. Saskatoon would get revenge via an erasure of a 2-0 lead and OT win of their own the next night. Saskatoon C Fraser Minten (Toronto Maple Leafs) wound up the hero in the extra frame on a brilliant two-on-one play. However, Moose Jaw did accomplish their goal of at least getting a split on the road, so we will see how the series rebounds on their home ice.

The Portland Winterhawks, meanwhile, ended up in PDO hell in their first game against the Prince George Cougars. It was not as if they did not compete, as they did look intensely involved in the game. However, Prince George G Joshua Ravensbergen wound up with the game’s first star upon a 33 save shutout, while his team was also very effective going back the other way, burying 5 goals on 35 shots on Portland G Jan Spunar. RW Terik Parascak (2024 Draft eligible) earned the game’s second star via 1g, 1a, and a +2 while C Riley Heidt (Minnesota Wild) was the third star thanks to his 1 assist and +2. This wasn’t a good look on the surface, as Portland were devastated in the first game of their postseason run against a strong opponent (having faced long-shots Victoria in round one and a very injury depleted Everett squad in round two). However, as head coach/VP/GM Mike “Daryl” Johnston declared in a press conference, it does not matter how many goals you surrender in the postseason when wins and losses are the only essential aspect. The Winterhawks were determined to strike back, and that they did, winning 5-3 the next night to earn the split on the road. The first star went to C Nate Danielson (Detroit Red Wings) for his 3a and +2. Portland breathed some life into this one, and we shall see how they do at home.

QMJHL:

The Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. Sherbrooke Phoenix semifinal was the only one that needed to be settled last week, with Drummondville earning a 6-1 win that was covered on our socials to finish the job and get the last conference finals spot. In their matchup against the Victoriaville Tigres, they won a very closely contested, low-scoring game, 2-1, in a game where Victoriaville had the 37-36 SOG advantage. As one would anticipate from such a game, Drummondville G Riley Mercer earned the game’s first star for his 36 save performance. A much more high-action Game 2 would occur, as well as a more one-sided one. C Mikael Hutchette tallied 1g, 1a, and a +2 for the first star selection, as Drummondville won 5-1 to take the first two games at home.

The regular season’s best team, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, took on the Cape Breton Eagles on the other side of the bracket. Baie-Comeau simply dominated Game 1, outshooting Cape Breton 42-26 (including 14-6 in period one and 19-11 in the middle stanza). C Raoul Boilard (2024 Draft eligible) and winger Justin Gill (New York Islanders) were the first and second stars, respectively, both with 1g, 1a, +2 to their names. A more competitive Game 2 took place, with Cape Breton initially taking a 2-0 lead. However, a hat trick by Gill (first star) would see to it that Cape Breton, also, would fall victims to the curse. RW Justin Poirier (2024 Draft eligible) would also have a night, earning second star honors via his 1g, 3a, +2 totals. Just as in the Drummondville series, the higher seed won both of the first two games at home in different fashions. It should be interesting to see which version of the lower seeds we see, however, as both series shift to the other venues.