While the Edmundston Blizzard defeated the Yarmouth Mariners in a thrilling double overtime victory during Game 1 of the MHL Final, championship series in both the LHJQ (Quebec) and CCHL (Ottawa Valley) have also commenced as the road to the Fred Page Cup marches on. This year’s Fred Page Cup will be held in Ottawa, Ontario from May 2nd-6th.
In the LHJQ, the Terrebonne Cobras are facing off against the Longueuil College Francais for the Napa Cup. Longueuil took Game 1 of the best of seven final on Friday night in Terrebonne by a score of 3-2, running their playoff record to 9-0 in the process. These two clubs are no strangers to the Fred Page Cup tournament. The College Francais squad has appeared in the past three tournaments while the Cobras, who won the 2017 Napa Cup, also hosted the event last year. The Cobras then captured the Fred Page Cup, the first Quebec based team in 11 years to do so. Game 2 of this series takes place today at 3:30PM Atlantic Time.
In the CCHL, the two Fred Page representatives have already been decided. The host team for the event, the Ottawa Jr. Senators, are currently taking on the Carleton Place Canadians in the Bogart Cup Final. By virtue of the Senators earning a berth in the league final, the Canadians automatically qualify for the second CCHL berth. This will mark the fifth straight appearance for Carleton Place in the tournament. The Jr. Senators are showing their determination to enter the tournament as league champions as well as the host club, taking a 2-0 series lead over the Canadians with a 3-2 overtime victory at home on Saturday night. On Friday night, Ottawa drew first blood with a 2-1 win in Carleton Place. This is the third year in a row in which these two clubs have met to determine the CCHL playoff championship. Carleton Place has won the previous two series. Game 3 of the Bogart Cup takes place on Monday night at 8:30 Atlantic at the Carleton Place Arena.
Will MacLaren – themhl.ca