Super Series Preview - WHL vs. Russia

Quick blog note: All the recaps for the tournaments will be posted on the weekend. Don't what much time right now.

Well, looks who has to clean up the mess the OHL (and yeah, the QMJHL) left. The WHL is the CHL's last line of defense for the win in this series. Can they do it? Let's find out.

Rosters

WHL

Goalies: Laurent Broissoit (Edmonton Oil Kings), Eric Comrie (Tri-City Americans)
Defense: Matt Dumba (Red Deer Rebels), Keegan Lowe (Edmonton Oil Kings), Ryan Murray (Everett Silvertips), Derrick Pouliot (Portland Winterhawks), Ryan Pulock (Brandon Wheat Kings), Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton Oil Kings), Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw Warriors), Duncan Siemens (Saskatoon Blades), Tyler Wotherspoon (Portland Winterhawks)
Forwards: Graham Black (Swift Current Broncos), Brady Brassart (Calgary Hitman), Travis Ewanyk (Edmonton Oil Kings), Sam Fioretti (Moose Jaw Warriors), Stephen Hodges (Victoria Royals), Mitch Holmberg (Spokane Chiefs), Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oil Kings), JC Lipon (Kamloops Blazers), Adam Lowry (Swift Current Broncos), Mark McNeill (Prince Albert Raiders), Mitch Moroz (Edmonton Oil Kings), Trent Ouellette (Regina St. Pats), Ty Rattie (Portland Winterhawks), Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice), Hunter Shinkaruk (Medicine Hat Tigers), Colton Sissons (Kelwona Rockets), Colin Smith (Kamloops Blazers), Michael St. Croix (Edmonton Oil Kings)

Russia

Goalies: Andrei Makarov (Saskatoon Blades), Igor Ustinsky (Steel Foxes Magnitogorsk), Andrei Vasilevsky (Tolpar Ufa)
Defense: Kirill Dyakov (Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk), Yaroslav Dyblenko (Mytischi Atlant), Pavel Koledov (Lokomotiv VHL Yaroslavl), Ilya Lyubushkin (Lokomotiv VHL Yaroslavl), Andrei Mironov (Dynamo Moscow), Mikhail Naumenkov (THK Tver), Nikita Nesterov (Traktor Chelyabinsk), Artem Sergeev (Val-d'Or Foreurs), Alexei Vasilevsky (Toros Neftekamsk), Albert Yarullin (Ak Bars Kazan), Nikita Zadorov (London Knights)
Forwards: Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec Remparts), Kirill Kapustin (Lokomotiv VHL Yaroslavl), Alexander Khokhlachev (Spartak Moscow), Yaroslav Kosov (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Yevgeny Mozer (Avangard Omsk), Valeri Nichushkin (Chelmet Chelyabinsk), Maxim Shalunov (Chelmet Chelyabinsk), Anton Shenfeld (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Andrei Sigarev (SKA St. Petersburg), Vladimir Tkachev (Ak Bars Kazan), Bogdan Yakimov (Dizel Penza), Nail Yakupov (Neftekhimsk Nizhnekamsk), Damir Zhafyarov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk), Daniil Zharkov (Belleville Bulls), Anton Zlobin (Val-d'Or Foreurs), Valentin Zykov (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

Schedule

November 14 (Vancouver)
Russia - WHL

November 15 (Victoria)
WHL - Russia

Last 6 Matchups

Russia (7-5) - WHL (5-2) - Russia (5-2) - Russia (7-6) - WHL (4-2) - WHL (2-1)

Predictions

Game 1: Russia 3 - WHL 2 (OT)
Game 2: WHL 5 - Russia 4

After seeing Russia pull out a win against the OHL in less than a day's rest, I think the 1 day travel won't affect Russia too much. The WHL is usually the more physical of the CHL teams so I can see Russia being wore down quickily. The first game goes into OT, where Russia scores the winning goal. The WHL will comeback in the second game, and (because of the OT point) the series.