CKG Elevator & AC Doors do battle for Keith Miller Cup

CKG Elevator dispatched regular-season champion Shooters Bar & Grill in three games, while AC Doors narrowly got by Sackvegas in its best-of-three, setting up a rematch of last year's Keith Miller Cup Final. Both teams have a considerable returning contingent, so it should not take much time for the teams to get re-acquainted and for the rivalry to pick up where it left off.

The teams are very familiar to each other, generally crossing paths in the postseason. The regular season series was evenly split, with each team taking two wins and two losses.

In goal, CKG's Kinnon MacMillan (3-1) , the 2017 goalie of the year for the EHJGHL, has quietly put together an impressive playoff run, leading all goalies in playoff statistics by a considerable margin. Having played in four straight games, MacMillan leads the league in minutes played, and has had a heavy workload thus far. On the other side, Ricky Jones  (2-1) has made the saves when necessary and gave his team a chance to win against the high-flying offence of Sackvegas.

Defensively, the teams are both fuelled by offensively-minded defencemen, with CKG boasting 2017 playoff MVP Billy Hartley and former Dalhousie Tiger Nick Croft, who are joined by Weeks Crushers alumnus Rory Graham who plays a steady game patrolling the net in front of MacMillan. Similarly, AC Doors former Plymouth State Panther Kyle Ross and 2017 all-star Shane O'Neil generating offence on the back end, while former Bridgewater Lumberjack Brad Ross contributes at both ends of the ice.

In terms of offence, both teams have traditionally been well represented atop of the scoring leaderboard, and this year marks no exception. CKG is led by the dangerous trio of 2017 all-stars Matt Doudelet and Tyson Aalders, who have been largely centered by co-playoff scoring leader Stuart Lenehan, formerly of the now defunct Prince Edward Island Rocket of the QMJHL. These three have combined for 29 points through four games in the postseason, and will no doubt be an important piece to CKG's puzzle as it aims to defend the Keith Miller Cup. That said, a host of EHJGHL veterans, including Justin Campbell, Andrew Smith and Cory Pettipas, as well as league rookie Josh Hilton, provide secondary scoring which is vital come playoff time.

AC Doors counters with a dangerous top line of its own, with regular season co-leading scoring Neil Pashkoski skating alongside former Amherst Ramblers captain Andrew Oakley,  currently tied with Lenehan for playoff scoring with 13 points, and former Antigonish Bulldog Conor Fudge. The three are a large part of the success for AC Doors, having combined for an outlandish 34 points in three games. Like CKG, AC Doors has secondary scoring provided by Rene George, Kurt Jerrett and Dave MacGregor.

With the teams so evenly matched, fans should be in for a treat in this year's edition of the Keith Miller Cup final, which gets underway at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 8 in the Keith Miller Arena (East Hants Sportsplex).