A great thing happened for the Swan Valley Stampeders last night.The Winnipeg South Blues had a late third period comeback, before losing in overtime to the Selkirk Steelers 4-3.
But that single point gives the Stampeders a much better opportunity at sneaking back into 2nd, and here's why.
Had the Blues lost in regulation, their fate would have been sealed in 4th spot, which would have also guaranteed Winkler 3rd in the Addison. Swan's trying to catch Portage for 2nd, and the Terriers' final two games are against the Blues (tonight at home), and Winkler (tomorrow on the road). I'm thinking their remaining opponents wouldn't have the same urgency if their spots were already locked up.
The Blues are now 2 pts back of Winkler for third, and if they beat Portage tonight in their final regular season game, they'd be tied with Winkler, and the Blues have the tie-breaker (head-to-head). That would also put the pressure on the Flyers to win vs Portage on Saturday.
Now, let's not kid ourselves. Portage has won 9 straight games and will be just as urgent as the Blues & Flyers, because they want home ice in the first round, and even one win for them in their last two games would force Swan Valley to win both of their remaining contests.
The Stampeders host Neepawa tonight, and go to Dauphin tomorrow.
Those two teams know where they're finishing (playing eachother, with Dauphin 1st, Neepawa 4th), but Neepawa's also been hot lately, and have given the Stamps fits at times. Dauphin's made it clear they want to hit the 50-win plateau, an incredible feat which has only been done a handful of times.
AND... these are both Sherwood Division rivals with Swan, and I'm quite sure Bryant Perrier's Natives and/or Marlin Murray's Kings would love to be the reason(s) why the Stampeders won't have home ice advantage.
A Swan loss and Portage win tonight, and 2nd/3rd would be decided already. If not, it'll come down to the final night of the season for both teams tomorrow (SAT).
Exciting stuff!
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