Perth, Ontario – The Casselman Vikings will look to try and rebound from their 5-2 loss in Game 1 to the Perth Blue Wings as they travel to Perth for Game 2 on Wednesday. 

Scheduled Games:

The Casselman Vikings come into the series having won their series in a clean sweep, 4-0 against the Embrun Panthers. The Blue Wings come off of a hard fought series with the Westport Rideaus winning that series 4-2.

Season Series:

Perth Blue Wings 0, Casselman Vikings 5: September 9th

Casselman Vikings 10, Perth Blue Wings 0: October 6th

Perth Blue Wings 2, Casselman Vikings 4: December 21st

The Casselman Vikings won the season series 3-0, outscoring the Blue Wings 19GF/2GA in their three matchups. Despite taking 2 big blowout losses at the beginning of the season, the Blue Wings were able to regroup and put together a better performance against the Vikings late last year. Plus you take in their recent victory in Game 1, the Blue Wings seem poised to make a statement in this playoff series. 

What to Watch:

For Casselman, They will look to continue the play they put together against the Embrun Panthers. Keep control of the game and continue to take the open shots on net when they become available. 

One of the strongest aspects of the Vikings is their experience. This team has guys that have been all to the way to the finals before, especially Sebastien Plante at the helm. Plante will be looking for his 5th straight trophy.

For Perth, They have to look past the first 2 games of the season and look to try and give a good counteract to Casselman's play. They will also look to try and limit the Powerplay goals that Casselman can score which was prevalent even in the 1st game of the series when both of Casselman's goals came on the powerplay. 

The Blue Wings will have to look to try and shut down their backend, specifically Brady Cloutier. Cloutier is currently the top points getter for the Vikings in the playoffs with most of his points coming from assists. They will have to look to limit Cloutier's passing lanes and make sure they have a clear vision for their goaltender, Jonathan Peacock. 

Speaking of Peacock, the Blue Wings will have to rely on him to make key stops especially against a team who has proven to have the firepower like the Casselman Vikings. Peacock has already shown that he can take the offense of Casselman in Game 1, let's see if he can continue that stretch heading into Game 2 and beyond. 

The Verdict:

The Vikings will have to increase their scoring presence on even strength and continue to take advantage of scoring opportunities on the powerplay like they did in Game 1. For the Blue Wings, they have to look to try and continue their stretch of momentum after their win in Game 1 and look to continue to shutdown their big threats specifically Cloutier as mentioned before. 

By: Zach McGibbon, CCHL Communications Intern.