Event Recap

Since I have lost all motivation while at work, I have not had the energy to post the results of the various sporting events recently so I’ve decided to sum it all up in one post. Here’s what I’ve been following lately.

Last Saturday night, in a sold out HSBC arena (18,690), the Buffalo Bandits won the 2008 NLL Champion’s Cup. At times they looked to dominate the Portland Lumberjax but the Jax kept fighting and did not allow the Bandits to expand any lead past three goals. The lead was only two with under a minute to go when Derek Malawsky scored to narrow the gap to one. Mike Thompson and the Bandits defence shut the door and held on to a 14-13 victory. Dan Dawson led all scorers with nine points (3G, 6A) in his third championship game loss in four years (2005 to Toronto and last year to Rochester). Buffalo’s Mark Steenhuis was named the game’s MVP with six points (5G, 1A) while the ageless John Tavares netted two goals and two assists for four points. Congratulations Bandits!

Earlier in the day, Finland shutout Sweden 4-0 in Quebec City to capture the bronze medal at the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championship before Canada lost to Russia 5-4 in overtime on Sunday. In the championship game, Canada came out strong but was unable to hold on to the lead as Russia dominated the third period and likely overtime as well. Despite their unbeaten streak going into the final game, it was a disappointing end to the tournament for team Canada, especially since it was on home soil. They still represented their country well and should be proud of what they accomplished.

One week prior to the world event, the 2008 RBC Cup Champions were crowned. After the round robin, the Camrose Kodiaks, representing the Pacific, were a perfect 4-0; the Humboldt Broncos, representing the West, and the host Cornwall Colts were 2-2; the team from the East, the Pictou County Weeks Crushers was 1-3; and the Central representatives, the Oakville Blades, ended with a 1-3 record as well but failed to make the playoff round. In the end, the Humboldt Broncos defeated the Camrose Kodiaks 1-0 to win their second National Junior A title in five years.

Last but not least, the 2008 Memorial Cup is heading into the final weekend with the host Kitchener Rangers hanging by a thread. After winning the tournament opener, the Rangers have lost two straight and find themselves needing a win Friday night to advance to Sunday’s championship game. The Gatineau Olympiques suffered three losses and find themselves out of the tournament while the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL finished the round robin at a perfect 3-0 and await the winner of the semi-final game. The semi-final game is a repeat of the OHL title series as the Belleville Bulls (2-1) take on the host Rangers (1-2) for a chance at the Cup.