The Minnesota Wild truly have become the OTHL's David. Led by rookie Patrick Kane the Wild finally closed out their series with the San Jose Sharks. It can only be classified as one of the greatest 1st round playoff upsets in OTHL history.
"We were hoping to make it into the playoffs, but we asked the question, why not us?" said GM Hansford.
"We've got an allstar goalie, solid D and decent depth so we felt we had a better shot then most prognostications gave us,"said Hansford as he and his group prepared to travel to Chicago for the start of round 2.
"Now we face another up hill battle with the Chicago Blackhawks. They are a very formidable foe we have to be ready for."
The Wild's victory came as a result of truly a team effort. Jamie Langenbrunner continued his history of big playoffs, with 3 goals and 7 assists in the Western Quarter-final win. Perhaps the biggest surprises of round 1 were the contributions of rookies Patrick Kane and Nicklas Backstrom. Kane led the team in scoring with 5 goals in the 7 games series, including 2 in the deciding 7th game.
Next up for the Wild, a date in the Windy City. During the season, the teams met only twice, with the Blackhawks winning both games. 3-2 in Chicago and then 6-1 at the Xcel Energy Centre. For Minnesota to truly stand a chance, they'll need the defense playing as a cohesive unit, that doesn't take chances and JS Giguere to be at the top of his game. Led by a top line that features Joe Sakic, Alexander Ovechkin and Jarome Iginla the Wild have little room for error in each game of the coming series.