Creighton Cup Finals Preview

I know two things about this Creighton Cup series: 1) It's going to be really hard to top that heart-stopping wild-card game between the Millionaires and the Comets, and 2) a team that has never won the cup will win their first title over the next three to five games. Now let's take a look at how our finalists match up!

Forwards

• Millionaires: This crew contributed to a league-leading 3.13 goals per game, with MVP frontrunner Barney Stanley leading the league with 13 and Harry Watson chipping in a career-best eight. Stanley (+14), Watson (+11), and Harry Westwick (+11) paced the league in plus/minus, a testament to their excellent five-on-five play. The lingering injury to Westwick, however, robs this unit of an elite player for at least the first game of the series.
• Thistles: The Thistles' 3.00 goals per game ranked second in the league. Top center Dan Bain led the way with 11 tallies, and he's flanked on a potent first line by Alf Smith (9) and captain Tommy Phillips (7). The Thistles need more goals from supporting players like Tommy Smith (4) and Fred Whitcroft (3).
• Advantage: Even

Defensemen

• Millionaires: Graham Drinkwater (5 G, 11 A, +5) earned a nomination for Defenseman MVP, but will likely finish third behind Cyclone Taylor and Hod Stuart. Captain Art Farrell was injured for a quarter of the season but, impressively, still managed to notch a half-dozen goals.
• Thistles: Their top three defensemen have been together since the first game of Season 1 and truly represent the heart and soul of this team. Hod Stuart had a monster season, his 24 points placing him fourth overall in the scoring race. Moose Johnson (+8) and Dickie Boon (+5) were among the league's best in plus/minus.
• Advantage: Thistles

Goaltending

• Millionaires: Second-year netminder Hugh Lehman was second in Goals-Against Average (2.75) and third in Save Percentage (.906). He's not going to steal any games, but he's turning out to be a very solid goaltender.
• Thistles: Riley Hern posted 2.63 and .914 in the aforementioned stats, ranking first in the league in both. He's the hands-down favorite to win Goaltender MVP this year.
• Advantage: Thistles

Special Teams

• Millionaires: Their power play was third in the league (17.65%), and their penalty kill climbed steadily over the course of the season to finish first (83.64%).
• Thistles: They were second in power play (20.41%), with Bain scoring a single-season record of six power-play goals. While their penalty kill was third (81.36%), they led the league in shorthanded goals.
• Advantage: Even

Prediction

The Millionaires are scrappy, but the Thistles are loaded with high-end talent. Over a five-game series, I think their stars will carry the day. Thistles in four.