Inferno finish regular season atop CWHL standings, will play Furies in first round

After a successful trip in Shenzhen, China, the Calgary Inferno clinched first place in the CWHL and will play the Toronto Furies in the Clarkson Cup semifinals.

The Inferno travelled to China to play their final three games of the regular season. After a successful, but very long road trip, they went 3-0 against the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays to clinch that top spot in the second last game of the regular season and earn the Chairman’s Trophy. Unfortunately for Shenzhen, they earned just one of a possible six points in that series and their fate was left up to the Markham Thunder and the Furies on Tuesday evening.

With five games left in the season for the Furies, they were 9-14-0 and needed to win all five of their remaining games. It seemed unlikely, but they pulled off an unexpected feat to win five straight, which broke a franchise record. It seemed like every women’s hockey fan was closely watching that final game on Tuesday evening, when they beat the Thunder 3-1.

The Furies and the Rays tied for points at the end of the season, but with one extra win for the Furies, they just barely beat out the Rays. You can’t help but feel for the Rays, especially since they were leading in two of the three games in the Inferno’s China series, only to lose their leads in the third period. In the first game, the Inferno got outplayed, which is understandable since half their roster just travelled for about 24 hours and arrived the night before. Thanks to Alex Rigsby, who stopped 26 shots, they held the Rays to just one goal and won 2-1 in regulation. That’s a game the Rays should have had, and if they did, they would have played Les Canadiennes in the playoffs while the Inferno would have met the Thunder.

The Inferno and the Furies met six times this season with the Inferno winning four of the games. They were shut out 3-0 in the final meeting between the two, and the Furies have won their last five, so this will absolutely not be an easy matchup.

Playoffs are March 8, 9, and if necessary, 10. All games will be played in Calgary at Winsport Arena A and tickets can be found here.