2019 Canadian Tire Cup Final
(1) Yarmouth Mariners vs (2) Campbellton Tigers
Game 1 – Saturday, April 13th, 7:30 PM – Mariners Centre
Game 2 – Sunday, April 14th, 7:00 PM – Mariners Centre
Game 3 – Thursday, April 18th, 7:00 PM – Campbellton Memorial Civic Centre
Game 4 – Friday, April 19th, 7:00 PM – Campbellton Memorial Civic Centre
Game 5 – Sunday, April 21st, 2:00 PM – Campbellton Memorial Civic Centre*
Game 6 – Thursday, April 25th, 7:00 PM – Mariners Centre*
Game 7 – Friday, April 26th, 7:30 PM – Mariners Centre*
*if necessary
| Yarmouth | Campbellton | |
| 36-9-3-2 (2nd) | Regular Season Record (MHL Rank) |
31-13-2-4 (4th) |
| Defeated South Shore 4-2 | Semifinal Result | Defeated Summerside 4-2 |
| 2017-18 – Lost to Edmundston 4-2 | Previous Appearance in League Final |
2004-05 – Lost to Truro 4-1 |
| 4.6 | Playoff Goals For per game | 2.82 |
| 2.4 | Playoff Goals Against per game | 1.45 |
| 38.1% | Playoff Powerplay % | 12.0% |
| 79.5% | Playoff Penalty Kill % | 88.6% |
| Matt Barron – 6G, 8A Brett Crossley – 4G, 10A |
Playoff Top Scorer | Dawson Stairs – 4G, 6A |
| Chris Goreham – 2G, 6A | Playoff Top Scoring Defenseman | Francis Thibeault – 2G, 2A |
| Tyler Caseley – 8-2-0-0, 2.02 GAA, .919 SV% | Playoff Goaltender Stats | Tristan Gray – 8-1-1-0, 1.27 GAA, .955 SV%, 5 SO |
| 2-0-0-0, 4 pts, 8 GF | Head to Head Record | 0-2-0-0, 0 pts, 5 GF |
| Matt Barron – 2G, 1A Connor Peveril – 1G, 2A Andrew Martell – 3A |
Leading Scorer in Season Series | Pierre-Luc Lurette – 2G, 1A |
Previous Meetings
Campbellton 2 @ Yarmouth 3 – September 14th
Yarmouth 5 @ Campbellton 3 – November 30th
Notes
- The Canadian Tire Cup is a rematch of the 2003-04 league finals when Campbellton captured their last championship. The Tigers won the then-Callaghan Cup in five games over Yarmouth. The Mariners were the top team in the league at 37-12-2-1 while Campbellton finished third in the Meek Division at 22-22-4-4.
- Yarmouth is looking for their first league title since 2007-08 when they defeated the Woodstock Slammers in six games. They lost in six games in the MHL Championship to the Edmundston Blizzard last season.
- An X-factor in the series could be the travel. Strictly by road, the clubs are 866 km apart which, granted, is slightly closer than the Mariners dealt with in the championship round against Edmundston last season. To that end, the Canadian Tire Cup Final will be in the 2-3-2 format, starting in Yarmouth.
- The teams opened the season against each other in Yarmouth, with the Mariners outshooting the Tigers 34-17 and picking up a 3-2 victory. There were also 20 penalties. In the second meeting, this time in Campbellton, Yarmouth scored twice in the final three minutes en route to a 5-3 win.
- Entering this series, Tristan Gray has to be the favourite to win Playoff MVP. The 19-year-old posted three shutouts in the Division Final against the high-powered Summerside offence, giving him what’s believed to be a league record five shutouts in these playoffs. Gray’s 1.27 GAA is nearly half of his regular season stat, and he has a .955 save percentage in the Canadian Tire Cup Playoffs.
- On the other side, Yarmouth has about as balanced an offence as you could hope for. Through ten games, ten Mariners have at least seven points, with seven players in double digits. Six Mariners have at least five goals each. Andrew Martell found the back of the net five times against South Shore and is now tied for the second-most goals in the playoffs with eight.
- Both teams have very active defensemen who are involved in the opposition’s end of the rink. During the regular season, Campbellton’s Pierre-Luc Lurette led all blueliners in scoring, with Francis Thibeault and Brendan Bornstein 4th and 5th respectively. For Yarmouth, Derrick Johnson was 7th, Chris Goreham 8th, and Noah McMullin 11th on the list. Each team’s defensemen combined for 141 points. In the playoffs, Goreham and McMullin have the same amount of points from the back as all of Campbellton’s defensemen (15).
- Special teams are expected to be a huge factor in the Canadian Tire Cup Final. Yarmouth has the best powerplay percentage at 38.1%, while Campbellton has the best penalty-killing percentage at 88.6%. The Mariners, incredibly, are 8 for 21 on the powerplay both at home and on the road. The Tigers powerplay sits at just 12.0% in the postseason, which is nearly half of the 23.7% they had in the regular season. Campbellton will have to improve their road powerplay as they are just 1 for 21 away from the Campbellton Memorial Civic Centre. On the penalty killing side, Campbellton has the top percentage on the road at 90.9% which is even more impressive considering the loud rinks they’ve played in thus far in Edmundston and Summerside. The Mariners, meanwhile, have a 73.9% penalty killing record away from Mariners Centre.
- A key for Campbellton in the playoffs has been their quick starts. The Tigers are outscoring their opposition 9-1 in the 1st period and are 8-2 when scoring first. The problem is Yarmouth are also strong out of the gate, outscoring Truro and South Shore 18-7 in the opening frame with a 7-1 record when they get on the board first.
- The winner of this series will advance to the Fred Page Cup to represent the MHL, along with the host Amherst Ramblers, from May 1st to 5th.