Memorial Cup: Giants Tame Tigers

Including the WHL Finals and a round robin game in the Memorial Cup, the Medicine Hat Tigers had defeated Vancouver five out of eight games and had forced Don Hay's crew to take the back door route to the Memorial Cup. However, when it mattered most in the game for all the marbles, there was no doubt that the better team were the Giants as they won the Memorial Cup Championship by a fairly convincing 3-1 score.

The Tigers didn't have a single player ranked in the top 300 McKeen's May Draft Rankings and that isn't likely to change for the final rankings. Obviously they have quite a few drafted prospects with pro prospects including: Kris Russell & Derek Dorsett (CBJ), Darren Helm (Det), Michael Sauer (NYR), Matt Keetley & Gord Baldwin (Cgy).

They have a nice prospect for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in the pint-sized Tyler Ennis, but for the most part this was an older team.

FORWARD POWER RANKINGS

1. Milan Lucic (Bos), LW, Vancouver

The big, bad Bruins of old have mostly just been bad, but with the eventual arrival of Lucic maybe other teams will start having to show them more respect. In the Memorial Cup Final he had one shift where he was like a one-man wrecking crew delivering explosive body checks that had every Tiger looking over their shoulder. Selected the MVP of the Memorial Cup. (5gp, 2-5-7)

2. Michal Repik (2007), RW, Vancouver

One of the biggest questions regarding Repik was if would he be able to raise his game when it mattered most. Well he answered that with an emphatic yes! He displayed grit and the willingness to fight through traffic, go to the dirty areas and compete physically. Other than a poor performance in the round robin against Medicine Hat, he was outstanding and could have easily been selected the MVP. Expect to see a big improvement on his 59th place McKeen's ranking in the final report. (5gp, 3-4-7)

3. James Neal (Dal), LW, Plymouth

Lost his composure in the Whalers blowout loss to the Giants in the Semi-Final, but overall displayed the hands and physical play that will see him playing on one of the Dallas Stars scoring lines before too long. Lead all players with five goals in the Memorial Cup. (5gp, 5-1-6)

4. Darren Helm (Det), C, Medicine Hat

Didn't stand out in the Memorial Cup, but was the Tigers' best forward when it counted in the Final game. Is a can't miss NHLer that should eventually make it as solid two-way forward on the third or fourth line. (4gp, 2-0-2)

6. David Perron (2007), RW, Lewiston

Showcased some of the potential that could see him slip in to the first round, especially his terrific stickhandling. Tried to get things going, but like his team was really up against it once Marc-Andre Cliché went down with an injury in the first game. (4gp, 1-2-3)