Of the two playoff series in the CWHL this weekend, the match between the Calgary Inferno and Brampton Thunder is by far the most competitive. The teams needed the last weekend series against each other to decide who got home ice advantage.
Schedule (best-of-three)
Game #1: Friday, February 26 at 8:30pm ET at Winsport Rink A. (Stream: CWHLLive.com**)
Game #2: Saturday, February 27 at 8:15pm ET at Winsport Rink A. (Stream: CWHLLive.com**)
Game #3 (if needed): Sunday, February 28 at 2:15pm ET at Winsport Rink A. (Stream: CWHLLive.com**)
**Buy a Playoff Pass for CWHL Live for a mere $10 CDN
Season Series
Date Away * * Home * *
Nov. 28 Brampton Thunder 3 * Calgary Inferno 4 *
Nov. 29 Brampton Thunder 2 * Calgary Inferno 5 *
Jan. 9 Calgary Inferno 3 * Brampton Thunder 4 OT
Jan. 10 Calgary Inferno 7 * Brampton Thunder 8 SO
Feb. 20 Calgary Inferno 2 * Brampton Thunder 3 *
Feb. 21 Calgary Inferno 5 * Brampton Thunder 4 *
FORWARDS
Calgary’s top trio of Brianne Jenner, Elana Lovell, and Brittany Esposito combined for 74 points on the season. Jillian Saulnier (4 game winning goals) and Jessica Campbell round out the top five scorers on the team. Hayley Wickenheiser, a rookie this year, contributed 16 points with 3 goals and 13 assists.
Jamie-Lee Rattray lead the Thunder with 29 points in 22 games played. She's*third*on the team in goal scoring*to Jess Jones (14) and Rebecca Vint (19). What's impressive about Vint is her playmaking ability. She has six goals that were unassisted; 3 at even strength, 1 on the power play, and 2 short-handed.
ADVANTAGE: PUSH
DEFENSE
Second year defenseman Hayley Cudmore is the highest scoring d-man on the team at 15 points in 24 games and the second highest plus-minus rating at plus-17. The team has two rookie defensemen in Brigette Lacquette and Kanae Aoki.*
Brampton's defense is by far the most active, offensively. Of their top 10 scorers, 4 of the women are defensemen. It starts with Laura Fortino who is up for league MVP. The second year defenseman is second on the team in scoring with 28 points in 24 games. She also leads the team in power play points at 9. She's followed by veteran Courtney Birchard who has 20 points in 24 games, including 1 short handed goal. None of the defensive group for Brampton are below plus-3 on the season.
ADVANTAGE: Brampton
GOALTENDING
Delayne Brian carried most of the load for the Inferno, playing in 20 games and amassing a record of 11-5-1 with 2.99 GAA and .890 SV%. She had two shutouts on the season.
Brampton has the fortune of two good goaltenders. Erica Howe played in 17 games with a 9-5-1 record, 2 shutouts, 2.68 GAA, and .915 SV%. The backup, Liz Knox, was 7-2-0 with 2 shutouts, a 2.51 GAA and .924 GAA
ADVANTAGE:*Brampton.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Calgary was awarded the most power play opportunities in the CWHL with 112. Yet they were only able to manage 19 goals for a 17% success rate. They were the only team in the league to not offer up a*shorthanded*goal. As for the penalty kill, they were the second least penalized team at 97 times short handed and*they gave up 21 goals. By three-tenths of a point they had the worst penalty kill in the league with 78.4-percent.*
The Thunder had the second best power play in the CWHL at 19%, scoring 18 goals on 91 attempts; allowing only 2 shorthanded goals against. Brampton also held the second best penalty kill at 83.2%. They were the most penalized team in the league with 119 penalty kills. The Thunder also hold a league high 7 shorthanded goals scored.
ADVANTAGE: Brampton.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Calgary: Rebecca Johnston. The forward returned to the Inferno with four games remaining in the season. She put up six points in those four games. *
Brampton: Rebecca Vint. (See "FORWARD")
PREDICTION:*Brampton in 3 - UPSET PICK! Brampton is one hell of a team in the third period. They*have mounted some amazing comebacks throughout the season. Dropping the first game wouldn't be a surprise, but Brampton has fire that not even the Inferno can handle.
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.
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