Playoff Preview | Alexandria vs. Char-Lan

By: Dante De Caria

 

Ottawa, Ontario – Tuesday February 26th at 8:30 p.m., the Alexandria Glens will host the Char-Lan Rebels in game one of their best of three Wild Card Series.

Schedule: Alexandria (23-17-4) vs. Char-Lan (20-20-4)

GM 1 – Tuesday February 26/19 @ 8:30PM – @ Alexandria

GM 2 – Thursday February 28/19 @ 8:00PM – @ Charlan

GM 3 – Friday March 1/19 @ 8:00PM – @ Alexandria *If necessary

The “Battle of Glengary” will be a very entertaining playoff series for the fans, players and coaches as this rivalry goes back many years. The Glens will have home ice advantage in the series because they are the fourth seed, while the Rebels enter as the underdog, and the fifth seed. Just six points separated them in the Martin Division standings this season.

During the season series, the Glens tied it 2-2 after beating them 9-5 in the final meeting on January 11th. Overall, Alexandria outscored Char-Lan 18-to-15.

September 28th: Char-Lan 5, Alexandria 4

November 24th: Alexandria 4, Char-Lan 3

December 15th: Char-Lan 2, Alexandria 1 (OT)

January 11th: Alexandria 9, Char-Lan 5

Alexandria’s keys to victory: 

The number one key is that the Alexandria Glens need to stay out of the box, because in the regular season they led the league in penalty minutes (1346) and averaged 30 PIM per-game. The Rebels have a very strong power-play, which ranked 5th in the league (18.4%) this season, and could easily take over this series if the Glens cannot stay out of the box.

Alexandria Glens Head Coach Stephan Nadeau said the big key to success is discipline but also says they’re goaltender Nicolas Rousseau is well rested and ready to go. He is counting on Dylan Stacey, Mikael Gibeault and Nathan Sauve to step things up.

Rousseau is easily a top-five goaltender in the CCHL2. The North Lancaster, Ontario native posted a 3.40 GAA / .913 SV % this season, facing 30+ shots in 30 of his 32 appearances, showing that he’s at his best when he feels the rubber. On the offensive side, the Glens have two of the most talented players in the league in Dylan Stacey and Mikael Gibeault. Both of them tallied over 40-points this season.

Nadeau also added that home ice will be huge in this best of three series.

“If you win the first game at home then the other team is in danger of being eliminated in there own barn in the next game. Pressure is on! We expect a large, loud crowd on Tuesday night in Alexandria. The boys are ready and can’t wait to get started.”

Char-Lan’s keys to victory:

The Rebels main strength is that they can score. Brennan Markell scored 28-goals and 67-points and  the team averaged 3.4 goals per-game this season. Putting the puck past Rousseau will not be easy, but if Markell can set up guys like Mathieu Sabourin and Sam Ferland – they can win.

Char-Lan Head Coach Jeff Carter says that Markell’s leadership has been the backbone of their teams success and we will count on his playoff experience to lead our team in this series.

Carter also pointed out a couple of things to watch for against Alexandria.

“The Glens have good offensive team and we (Char-Lan) will have to be solid defensively with team discipline as a priority in order to limit their power-play chances,” said Carter. “The major factor in any series is goaltending with Craig and Cholette matching up with the Glens  Rousseau will be fun to watch. We will need our duo to be stellar in the net to have a chance.”

The Rebels coach is also excited for this longtime rivalry to renew, “the Glens and Rebels rivalry will renew quickly with high level of emotion and both teams playing for bragging rights. Good crowds has made for great playoff series in the past.”

Verdict: 

Both teams will have to stay out of the box, as special teams will be key. This series can go anyway because both have different strengths and weaknesses. The Rebels are a fast, young team that moves the puck well while the Glens are a much more experienced, physical team with strong goaltending. Whoever will win game one, will have the edge, as both coaches know what is on the line.