MJHL Semi-Final Kicks Off Later This Week

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League Semi-finals are set after the quarter-finals wrapped up with two teams advancing last night.

There was only one upset in the first round, if you call fifth place knocking off fourth a serious upset. Portage eliminated Selkirk in six, Steinbach needed six to take out Neepawa, OCN finished off Winnipeg in five, and Winkler beat Virden in six.

Here's how the Semi-final looks.

Steinbach Pistons (1) vs Portage Terriers (5)

The Portage Terriers will meet the Steinbach Pistons in the second round. The Dogs have only managed one victory against the Pistons all season, it came back on February 3rd in Steinbach. Three of the six games were decided by just one goal, with the Pistons adding an empty-netter in another. Their most recent game was on March 3rd where the Pistons won 5-2 on home ice. The Terriers have averaged just over six penalties a game through their season series, while Steinbach's averaged just over four. Portage's powerplay is 4-for-26, or 15.3% against Steinbach, while the Pistons are 7-for-37 or 18.9%. The goaltending edge is a toss up. Steinbach's Roman Bengert is 4-1 against Portage this season and finished with the most wins in the league, and the third highest save per cent (SV%). Brock Aiken and Kurtis Chapman have been inconsistent through the season for the Terriers, but Chapman's won his last three, one of which by a shutout. He's sporting a .965 SV% and a goals-against-average (GAA) of 1.0, and 3-1 this postseason. Bengert's numbers aren't as great in the playoffs. He's got a 2.5 GAA, and a .893 SV%. The series kicks off Friday night in Steinbach at 7:30, the first game in Portage is Sunday at 4:30.

Winkler Flyers (2) vs OCN Blizzard (3)

The Winkler Flyers and OCN Blizzard will meet in the second Semi-Final series. They finished the season series with three wins each, setting up a great two versus three match-up. The Blizzard have won both meetings in 2017, one toward the end of January and the other in February. Winkler won the first two meetings of the season back in October, then both teams won a game in OCN in November. One of the six games went to overtime with the Flyers coming out on top. Winkler went two-for-22 on poweplay, or nine percent to the Blizzard's five-for-28, or 17 per cent, giving the special teams edge to the Blizzard. Their netminder Brett Epp finished the season 25-11 with a 2.55 GAA and a .921 SV%, he's sitting at 4-1 in the postseason with a 1.76 GAA and a strong .939 SV%. Winkler's Troy Martyniuk went 11-2 through the regular season and finished with a 1.69 GAA and a .940 SV%, and took over the starting goaltender position for the postseason. His numbers basically remained the same with a 1.64 GAA and a .944 SV%. That series goes Saturday and Sunday in Winkler.

The Portage Terriers and Steinbach Pistons' game dates can be found below.