How they got there: Playoff Review/Preview
Pro Division #3 Southside Snipers vs. #1 Midwest Tornados
$1,000, the PIHA Gateway Championship, a trip to the Western Conference Finals in San Jose, CA, and tons of pride will be on the line this Sunday at Midwest Sport Hockey for the PIHA Gateway Pro Division Championships. The underdog Southside Snipers and the dominating Midwest Tornados will battle in a best-of-three series to take home the hardware.
Last year the Southside Snipers swept the Midwest Tornados to win the inaugural PIHA Gateway Championship. The Snipers surprised the top-seeded Tornados and whisked them out of the playoffs. This year an even more suspenseful story has been unfolding. The Tornados dominated the regular season finishing with an astounding 30-2 record; however, the third place Snipers handed Midwest their only home loss of the season (and first since elimination last year) in the final regular season game. Is there a crack in the Tornado armer or will the regular season champions roll to an even bigger championship?
The Snipers come into the game riding a three-game win streak including an impressive series sweep of the Chicago Untouchables in Chicago. The higher-seeded Untouchables were toppled by Tommy Bruce, PJ Tallo, and the rest of the Southside Snipers.
Midwest has an array of weapons that have been their bread-and-butter all season. MVP candidate Kyle Gouge has been dominating, sharpshooter Brandon Barnette has added consistent scoring, and speedy Travis Fudge has been a force as well. Coach Ian Mackie will chose between two capable goaltenders including 2007 PIHA Gateway Top Goaltender James Cash and Jake Menzel.
Minor Pro Division #2 Chicago Untouchables vs. #1 Southside Snipers
Is bad blood brewing? The Southside Snipers and Chicago Untouchables split two hard-fought season series against each other where it certainly got physical. The Snipers come off two convincing wins over the River City Whalers (6-1, 7-2) and are an extremely deep and physical team. Boasting smart players like Bryce Biggs and literal Snipers Tim Hercules and Scott Hyde, the Southside boys will be difficult to stop and in case they are stopped, the Snipers also have one ofthe top Minor Pro goaltenders in Patrick "Woody" Woodling.
Chicago ousted the Midwest Tornados in the windy city (3-2, 2-1) and are led by Nick Winkler and Chris Ancona. Goaltender Zack Lane has been a standout as well for a Chicago team that has both bark and bite.
AAA Division #2 Midwest Tornados vs. #4 Southside Snipers (at AA)
The AAA Division has been a division of upsets so far. The LAST seeded Southside Snipers dug deep and defeated the #1 seeded River City Whalers 5-4 and 6-5. The Snipers boast a balanced team with veterans Eric and Kyle Middendorf as well as Chad Abeln mixed in with youngsters such as Ben Lawing.
The Tornados took down the St. Louis Cobras (1-0, 4-1) and have formidable goaltending with Scott Poe manning the pipes. The Tornados are a quick and smart team and mix in younger players with leaders including Jon Brunkhorst.
Playoff Schedule:
Playoff Semi-Final Schedule
Friday, May 9th
AT ALL AMERICAN SPORTS MALL AAA: Southside Snipers vs. Midwest Tornados
Game #1 7:00 PM, Game #2 7:45 PM, Game #3 (if needed) 8:30 PM
Minor: Chicago Untouchables at Southside Snipers
Game #1: 8:30 PM, Game #2 9:15 PM, Game #3 (if needed) 10:00 PM
Sunday, May 11th
AT MIDWEST SPORT HOCKEY: Pro: Southside Snipers at Midwest Tornados Game #1 4:00 PM, Game #2 5:00 PM, Game #3 (if needed) 6:00 PM
