Playoff Time!

Ladies and gentlemen, we've got our dance card. The Season 3 battle for the Strat Cup will pit the surprising second-place Thistles -- who reached the playoffs only by knocking out the Vics in the last game of the season with a late-third-period goal by Hod Stuart -- against the first-place Comets. It's a great match-up! The high-scoring Comets reached the finals last year, but came up short against the Vics. The Thistles, meanwhile, finished dead last in both Season 1 and Season 2, but reshaped their team prior to Season 3 through shrewd trades and drafting. Let's compare our two contenders in more detail.

Forwards

• Comets: Frank McGee once again led the league in goals (12). Although he didn't come close to his record-setting Season 2 total (18), he's still the league's premier goal scorer. This year, he had significant support from two-way forward Blair Russell (3 goals, 15 assists), resurgent sniper George Richardson (8 G, 6 A), the now-healthy Billy Gilmour (4 G, 8 A), and several other capable attackers. This crew helped the Comets lead the league in goals (41) by a solid margin over the second-highest team (the Vics at 34).
• Thistles: If you'd bet on Dan Bain winning the scoring title, you'd be rich right now. With a paltry 4 points in Season 1 and 8 points in Season 2, this puck-possession machine wasn't a star until Season 3, when the Tommy Dunderdale trade thrust him into the spotlight as the Thistles' top pivot. He responded with 20 points (7 G, 13 A) as he dished out beautiful passes to linemates Tommy Phillips (8 G, 7 A) and Alf Smith (3 G, 8 A). Rookie sensation Tommy Smith (6 G, 3 A) provided important secondary scoring. 
• Advantage: Comets

Defensemen

• Comets: They've got superstar Mike Grant (3 G, 10 A, +5), plus Jack Marshall, Graham Drinkwater, and Lester Patrick rounding out their top four. No team in this league boasts more skill on the blueline. These guys are all responsible in their own end and move the puck very well. 
• Thistles: Hod Stuart (6 A, 10 A, +4) is likely going to win the Defenseman MVP, and it was his slapshot late in the third period of the season's final contest that got his team into the championship series. He's backed up by rugged Moose Johnson, crafty Dickie Boon, and journeyman Harvey Pulford. It's a mixed bag. 
• Advantage: Comets

Goaltending

• Comets: For much of the season, it looked like Percy LeSueur was going to win Goaltender MVP, but his play started to decline as we approached the finish line. He finished with great numbers (2.67 goals-against average, .911 save percentage), but the phenomenal defense in front of him prevented so many chances that he ended up facing by far the fewest shots in the league. 
• Thistles: Riley Hern scuffled for two years with the Bulldogs, but the trade that brought him to the Thistles unleashed his true talent. This season, Hern tied for the league's best goals-against average (2.67) and had the top save percentage (.915). Hands down, he's the Thistles' most valuable player.
• Advantage: Thistles

Special Teams

• Comets: This team is all about offense, and their power play doesn't disappoint. At 25.81%, they were tops in the league -- and no one was even close. For penalty killing, they finished a solid second at 85.71%. I'm a little surprised, actually, because Blair Russell is their only true defensive forward, and he spends a fair bit of time in the penalty box. Credit Grant, Marshall, and the other defensemen for the team's shorthanded success.
• Thistles: A couple of power-play goals in the last game brought the Thistles up to 18.52% on the season, which was good enough for second out of the four teams. Their robust penalty-killing unit -- Tommy Smith, Harry Westwick, Hod Stuart, and Harvey Pulford -- was first in the league at 87.18%.
• Advantage: Even

I can't wait to start this series! It's awesome to see the Thistles shed their image as perpetual cellar-dwellers, but I'm thinking the Comets are going to run away with an easy victory here. They were a league-best +9 in goal differential, while the Thistles were barely on the positive side at +1. On the other hand, it's a brief, three-game series, so anything can happen!