The WLA playoff picture has become clear and now only four teams are left standing. Here is the preview for the two playoff series.
Langley Thunder (1) vs. Coquitlam (4)
In a rematch of last year’s WLA final the Langley Thunder will take on the Coquitlam Adanacs. The Thunder walked into the playoff after securing first place in the WLA while the Adanacs turned their season around after a five game winning streak. These two teams are also connected as the Adanacs traded Dane Dobbie and last year’s MVP Nick Rose to Langley. Langley won the season series as they took two games while they tied the third with Coquitlam.
The Thunder have been dominant this season and the addition of Dobbie to their offense has only made them more formidable. Langley has also got an influx of talent as Garrett Billings and Mark Matthews have begun to play for the Thunder as they were playing in the MLL. The Thunder will look to keep sustained offensive pressure on Adam Shute who has been up and down all year for Coquitlam. Langley can roll multiple forward lines against Coquitlam and will be able to keep them off balance because of their depth.
The Adanacs if they want any chance of winning this series need to find a way to slow down the thunder attack. Their defense has to be spot on as the Thunder have so many forwards who can break a game open if given an inch. The second thing Coquitlam has to do is find a way to score on Brodie MacDonald as he has been rock solid all year as he posted a 7.51 G.A.A. The Adanacs will have to dig deep to win against Langley and will have their hands full all season.
In the end Langley will win this series in five as the Thunder are better at every aspect of the game and will easily control Coquitlam. The Adanacs will not have the offensive fire power to match Langley so expect the Thunder to overwhelm Coquitlam.
Victoria Shamrocks (2) vs. Burnaby Lakers (3)
These two teams battled all year and it came down to the very last day of the season to decide who got the second seed in the WLA. Burnaby won the season series between these two teams taking games 12-11 and 10-8 while Victoria won the first meeting 14-8.
The Shamrocks have one of the deepest offenses in the league aside from the Langley Thunder. Victoria had three players in the top ten for scoring this season. The Shamrocks also have Matt Vinc in net who recently won the Champions Cup with Rochester. Vinc has been solid so far this season posting a 8.44 G.A.A. The Shamrocks will try to play an up tempo game and use their significant forward depth to defeat Burnaby.
The Lakers have been one of the most consistent teams this year and are considered the dark horse to win the WLA championship. The Lakers have been powered by the duo of Scott Jones and Dane Stevens who have been a great one two punch for the Lakers. The Lakers defense has also been solid lead by Matt Beers. The Lakers will first and foremost need to contain Corey Small and Corey Conway while limiting the chances of Scott Ranger. If the Lakers can do this they will give themselves a chance to win. The Lakers will want to be physical and make Victoria pay for every shot. In net the Lakers have gotten good goaltending from Dan Lewis who posted a 9.15 G.A.A. The Lakers have the talent to compete with Victoria but if they get drawn into an offensive battle for seven games their offense will begin to sputter while Victoria’s will only get stronger.
In the end Victoria will win this series in seven games as the Shamrocks have a deeper offense which gives them more options and makes it hard for the Lakers to shut them down. The Lakers though will push the Shamrocks to their limit as they are solid in all areas of the game. The Shamrocks though will not be denied their chance at the WLA final this year.
