Creighton Cup Finals Preview

The wild-card game is now behind us, so we have our teams for the best-of-five Season 4 Creighton Cup Finals! Let's take a look at how the Victorias and Bulldogs match up. 

Forwards 

• Bulldogs: Gord Roberts (12 goals), Bruce Stuart (7), and Tommy Dunderdale (10) make up the most dominant line in the game. What makes the Bulldog attack even stronger, though, is that they get tremendous support from role players like Tom Hooper (7 goals), Oliver Seibert (6), and Scotty Davidson (8). One complication they'll face is the temporary absence of Hooper, whose injury will keep him out of at least the first game of the series.
• Victorias: The versatile Victorias mix and match their players rather than roll consistent lines. They're led by captain Hobey Baker (6 goals), Billy McGimsie (7), and Marty Walsh (7). Supporting players Frank Rankin (6 goals), Harry Hyland (3), and underrated two-way forward Dubbie Bowie (5).
• Advantage: Bulldogs

Defensemen

• Bulldogs: Rookie star Jack Laviolette tied the single-season mark for plus/minus (+13), but Art Ross and captain Si Griffis (both +7) were also rock-solid defenders. There's no one here who can equal the sheer offensive output of someone like Cyclone Taylor or Hod Stuart, but the Bulldog defensive corps is the best in the league.
• Victorias: Cyclone Taylor had another superlative season (13 goals, 15 assists, +8) and is almost certain to win the Defenseman MVP trophy, but there isn't much depth behind him. George McNamara and Phat Wilson are average players at best.
• Advantage: Bulldogs

Goaltending

• Bulldogs: Paddy Moran, in his second season with the Dogs, posted solid numbers in the regular season (2.63 goals against average, .908 save percentage), but good luck played a large role; his Strat-O-Matic stat card shows a far less competent netminder.
• Victorias: Bowse Hutton dominated this season (2.13 goals against average, .924 save percentage) and will undoubtedly win the Goaltender MVP.
• Advantage: Victorias

Special Teams

• Bulldogs: They were first in the league in power-play percentage (30.43%), but their penalty killing was...not so good (75.61%). The Dogs finished fourth in PK, although this unit did manage to score two shorthanded goals. Troublingly, they also gave up two goals in three chances in the wild-card game against the Thistles.
• Victorias: At 25.93%, the Vics' power play finished third, although typically the Vics have the best power play in the league. Their penalty killing (88%) was tops in the league by almost a dozen percentage points.
• Advantage: Victorias

Prediction

It's hard to bet against the team that has gone 13-2-3 against its opponent over the past four seasons, but I think the Bulldogs are the better team. Bowse Hutton is likely to steal a game or two, but the Bulldogs are a deeper team with an overwhelming offense. It's going to be an amazing series, but I'm calling it here: Bulldogs in five.