ROCHESTER, Minn. – The start to the Fraser Cup begins now.
After a 29-win regular season, securing second place in the Central Division, the Rochester Grizzlies will take on a bitter rival in the Wausau Cyclones in the first round of the Fraser Cup Playoffs in a best-of-three series.
Rochester enters the postseason with momentum and a balanced lineup that has produced offense throughout the year. Meanwhile, Wausau arrives looking to avenge last season’s first-round exit against the same opponent.
Below is everything you need to know heading into the series.
Hello Again, Stranger
When it comes to the Grizzlies and the Cyclones, it’s hard to imagine any surprises after meeting eight times in the regular season and meeting in the postseason for the second consecutive year.
It doesn’t get much more evenly matched than this either, with the season series split right down the middle at four games apiece.
Looking even further into the stats, the special teams components have been virtually identical as well, with the Grizzlies converting at a 20.7% rate on the man-advantage compared to the Cyclones’ 20%.
Three out of the eight regular-season tilts were decided by a single goal, with the Cyclones taking two of the aforementioned battles.
With so much familiarity between the two squads and the neck-and-neck underlying numbers, execution and fast adjustments will be crucial in deciding the victor this weekend.
Let’s Get Grizzly
Under first-year head coach Marty Raymond, Rochester has surged in the second half of the season, winning 10 of its last 12 matchups dating back to the week before the Trade Deadline.
In their last 10 games, the Grizzlies have exploded offensively, averaging 5.4 goals per game and scoring on the power-play at a 43.8% clip.
A large part of that success comes from the additions the team made at the deadline, acquiring four impactful players who have each contributed to the recent hot stretch.
The Grizzlies have seven players with 40 or more points on the year, including the leading point-getter and goal scorer in Mason Decker.
His 39 tallies stand second in Rochester franchise history for goals in a season, trailing just two behind the mark set by Vladislav Sorokin in 2018-2019.
Combine that with a netminder in Nick Kurtiak, who has won five of his last six starts for the black and gold, making for a well-balanced machine, tearing through the Central Division.
Few teams enter the postseason hotter than Rochester, and the added bonus of home-ice advantage looks to give Raymond and company the added boost they need to move on to the Second Round.
Eye of the Cyclone
Like the eye of the storm, Wausau has succeeded on the backs of a stingy blue line and an incredibly sturdy goaltending tandem.
The Cyclones thrive on turning their physical prowess into aggressive forechecking, creating mistakes for their opponents.
Playoff hockey is where physicality and toughness thrive, and that kind of hockey bodes well for Wausau, looking to avenge its 2-1 series loss last year to the Grizzlies.
If the defense falters, the Cyclones have two of the best netminders in the Central Division to clean up the damage in Brady Faille and Brody Kunst.
Both Faille and Kunst sit in the top six in the Division in save percentage, while Faille sits in the top five in goals-against average as well.
Faille has been extremely effective against Rochester this season, boasting a .938 save percentage in five contests against the Grizzlies.
If Wausau can slow things down and, more importantly, get under the skin of Rochester, it could be a turn of the tables from seasons past.
Keys to the Series
Fast Starts
Getting the first goal is crucial not just in the playoffs, but for these two teams specifically.
The team that scored the game’s first goal between Rochester and Wausau this season won five of the eight matchups, emphasizing the need to set the tone early.
Special Teams
Whistles normally get swallowed during postseason play, leading to limited power play chances for both squads.
With how evenly-knit they’ve been all year long when facing off against each other, capitalizing has a chance to massively swing momentum.
Discipline
Building off of special teams, finding a way to stay physical yet disciplined is a question that has plagued both sides in this rivalry, especially with 85 combined penalty minutes in the last two games between the two squads.
Keeping your emotions in check during the postseason is the easiest path to staying disciplined, and in turn, the path to moving on to the next round.