Calgary Inferno take on Montreal Canadiennes for the Clarkson Cup

Today, at 2 p.m. MT, the Calgary Inferno take on the Montreal Canadiennes in a one-game take-all battle for the Clarkson Cup. The game will be played in the neutral territory that is Ottawa, and broadcast on Sportsnet.

The Inferno and Canadiennes have been the top teams in the CWHL all season long. Going into their first meetings of the year back in November, they were the only undefeated teams in the league. The Inferno took the first game, 5-4, but Les Canadiennes roared back with a 5-0 win the following day.

Evenly matched? Perhaps not. Montreal finished its season with 20 wins and 42 points, while Calgary finished with 16 wins and 34 points. The Inferno didn’t win a single game in Montreal, but were able to give Les Canadiennes two losses in Calgary – and Montreal only lost three games all season.

Both games Calgary won were the first in a best-of-two weekend series. This comes down to just one game. We’ll see if the Inferno can get off to a good start – and with players like Rebecca Johnston, Meaghan Mikkelson, and Brigette Lacquette, who all joined the Inferno later in the year and have added, respectively, an increased scoring punch and stabilized defence, they’re a better team.

Both teams swept their opponents, the Brampton Thunder and Toronto Furies, in the first round of the playoffs en route to the Cup. While Calgary outscored Brampton 8-5 in their two wins, Montreal outscored Toronto 12-2. 

Calgary definitely had the tougher battle – and is in for it in one last ride.