PREVIEW: 2019 Thorne Cup Finals

03/29/2019


The Western States Hockley League (WSHL) will host their pinnacle event of the 2018 - 2019 season next week, the 25th Thorne Cup Finals. The competition hosts the winners of the five divisional playoffs- Western, Northwestern, Mid-Western, Mountain and Provincial, plus a Wildcard sixth team (team with highest regular season win percentage).

Dates: April 9 - 13
Location: Ogden, Utah
Team List | Live stream | Box Scores
 
The Western States Hockley League (WSHL) will host their pinnacle event of the 2018 - 2019 season next week, the 25th Thorne Cup Finals. The competition hosts the winners of the five divisional playoffs- Western, Northwestern, Mid-Western, Mountain and Provincial, plus a Wildcard sixth team (team with highest regular season win percentage).
 
The Cup will start in a Round Robin on April 9 – 11. Then, the field will be narrowed to four for the semifinal round on Friday, April 12. The last two teams standing will face off in the Finals on Saturday, April 13. A list of event schedules are available at http://www.wshl.org/news/divisional-playoffs/thorne-cup.
 
In the WSHL’s silver year, there are already five teams who are favored in play. The Long Beach Bombers are looking to qualify for the Thorne Cup Finals and capture their second ever Thorne Cup. The Bombers are the only remaining original team in the league and are also in their 25th anniversary season. Long Beach recently won the Western Division's regular season title for the third straight year and are looking for their fourth straight division finals championship. 
Bombers Roster/Stats | Bombers photography 

The El Paso Rhinos are looking to defend their championship as they are last year's Thorne Cup Champions. The Rhino's could be the first team to win back-to-back Thorne Cups since the 2014-15/2015-16 Idaho Jr. Steelheads. Of note, El Paso went 49-1-1 last year which is the WSHL's greatest single season record and would love to follow up with a second consecutive title. 
Rhinos Roster/Stats | Rhinos photography 

The Ogden Mustangs are having a milestone year as they just finished the regular season 47-2-2. The record is the WSHL's second greatest regular season finish and the Mustangs' best record in team history. Of note, the Mustangs are hosting the Thorne Cup and have only lost at home once this entire season (to the Long Beach Bombers). 
Mustangs Roster/Stats | Mustangs photography

The Edson Aeros (Edson, Alberta, Canada), are playing in their inaugural season as is the entire Provincial Division that started this year. The Aeros have proved to be the WSHL's top Canadian team and ended the regular season on a 22 game win streak. There is a possibility, the Aeros could be the first WSHL team to win a Thorne Cup in their inaugural season, becoming the first Canadian champion in league history. 
Aeros Roster/Stats |  Aeros photography

The Seattle Totems finished first place in their division for the first time in team history. The Totems joined the WSHL nine years ago. This season, the Totems clinched their division's top spot in their final two games of the regular season versus the team they were chasing all season. They earned a road and home victory over their rivals, Bellingham Blazers. Head Coach Mike Murphy coached winger TJ Oshie of the Washington Capitals NHL, when Oshie was playing youth hockey.
Totems Roster/Stats | Totems photography 

No teams have officially qualified for the Thorne Cup Finals as of yet.
 
All games are live streamed on Black Dog Hockey, and box scores can be found here. For more information about the WSHL league visit www.wshl.org, or about AAU Ice hockey visit http://www.aauicehockey.org.