The quarterfinal matchups are set in the Big Six Hockey League, as the postseason for the circuit resumes Tuesday night with a pair of games. The Bienfait Coalers will be in Carlyle to kick off their best of five series, while the Carnduff Red Devils host the Midale Mustangs. The two other matchups will see Wawota in Redvers and Yellow Grass hosting Kipling/Windthorst Wednesday night.

Carlyle Cougars (4) vs Bienfait Coalers (5)

The Cougars and Coalers will start off the quarterfinals in Carlyle, who earned home-ice advantage after finishing just two points ahead of Bienfait in the regular season.

The Coalers are a talented offence, pitting up 109 goals in the regular season while allowing just 70. They are also led by the league’s top scorer, as Dylan Herzberg notched 51 points (30G, 21A) in just 18 games.

The Cougars will look to players like Ben Johnstone and Kelly Currie to put up the points in the series, as the two led the team in scoring in the regular season.

The season series between the two teams saw the Cougars winning both match-ups. The first game, back on November 16th, was a 12-3 win for Carlyle, while the rematch on December 18th, in Bienfait, was a little closer. The Cougars won the game 3-2.

Game 1 - February 12th in Carlyle

Game 2 - February 15th in Bienfait

Game 3 - February 19th in Carlyle

Game 4 - February 22nd in Bienfait (if necessary)

Game 5 - February 24th in Carlyle (if necessary)

Carnduff Red Devils (3) vs Midale Mustangs (6)

In the standings, the Red Devils finished eight points up on the Mustangs, and get home ice advantage for the series.

Carnduff will be looking to one of the top scorers in the league to put the puck in the net. Nico Anderson averaged more than two points a game on the season, putting up 37 points, including 14 goals. He was supported in his efforts by Trevor Geiger, who had 35 points in 16 games on the season.

The goaltending of the Red Devils will be another key factor in the series. The team allowed a league-lowest 45 goals on the season, with Adrian Rubeniuk allowing three goals in four games, and Cody Dumaine finishing the season allowing just 41 goals across the remaining fourteen games on the season.

The Mustangs were a little short when it came to offence, with as just three players broke the ten goal mark over the course of the regular season. Brad Tomiski lead the way for the team with eight goals and 12 assists over 17 games. Right behind him was Steven Lindenbach, who had 11 goals and eight assists.

In the two meetings between these teams in the regular season, it would be Carnduff who came out on top both times. The first game, on November 9th, was a 5-0 win for the Red Devils. The second game, in Carnduff, was a 10-2 victory for the home team.

Game 1 - February 12th in Carnduff

Game 2 - February 15th in Midale

Game 3 - February 19th in Carnduff

Game 4 - TBA in Midale (if necessary)

Game 5 - TBA in Carnduff (if necessary)

Redvers Rockets (2) vs Wawota Flyers (7)

The Flyers advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over the Arcola/Kisbey Combines in a two-game, total point survivor series. In the standings, the Rockets spent much of the season near the top of the table, while the Flyers were caught in the log jam of teams in the bottom half.

The series is a match-up of the last two teams to win the league title, with Wawota taking the championship in 2017, and Redvers winning last year.

The Rockets had the second most potent offence in the league during the regular season, and the third best goaltending, allowing just 64 goals over the course of the 18 games. For the Flyers, they had trouble putting the puck in the net at times, but have the firepower in the lineup to be able to do it.

The Flyers were led in the regular season by Derek Frater, who averaged a goal a game in the regular season. He added another 19 assists as well. Right behind him was Riley Riddell, who had 28 assists on the way to picking up 34 points in 15 games played.

The Rockets had a number of big guns, including Kenton and Jordon Miller. The duo combined for 76 points (Kenton had 47, Jordon 29), despite neither playing in all 18 games on the year. In total, 14 players on the Rockets scored 10 or more points on the season.

Goaltending will be a big factor in the series, with Guillaume Blouin in net for Wawota, and Thomas Bauche for the Rockets. Both are top calibre netminders, and their play will be a deciding factor in the series.

During the regular season, the Rockets took the first game by a score of 5-3 on January 16th. The return matchup back in Redvers on January 30th saw the Rockets skate to a 10-3 victory.

Game 1 - February 13th in Redvers

Game 2 - February 15th in Wawota

Game 3 - TBA in Redvers

Game 4 - TBA in Wawota (if necessary)

Game 5 - TBA in Redvers (if necessary)

Yellow Grass Wheat Kings (1) vs Kipling/Windthorst Oil Kings (9)

The Oil Kings made it into the quarterfinals with a win over the Oxbow Huskies in the survivor series. The win set them up with a date against the Yellow Grass Wheat Kings, who have yet to lose to a Big Six opponent on home ice this season. The Wheat Kings also led the league for much of the year and had the highest scoring offence in the league.

The scoring for the Wheat Kings was spread out throughout the roster, with every player on the roster except the netminders earning a point, and all but one skater scored a goal. Yellow Grass was led by Mike Onstad, who had 28 points in 15 games on the season. He could also qualify for the most gentlemanly player in the league, with no penalty minutes either.

In net, Tanner Erickson posted a GAA of 2.06 over nine games for the Wheat Kings and will be looked upon to lead the team this postseason.

For the Oil Kings, they come into the series with momentum after the win over Oxbow. In the regular season,  they didn’t put up a lot of goals but were led by Carson Harcourt who averaged more than a point a game. The team saw their offence spread out throughout the lineup in their first season in the Big Six.

During the regular season, the season series was carried by the Wheat Kings. Yellow Grass won the first game, in Yellow Grass, 9-0 on December 15th. The second game on February 1st in Kipling was an 8-3 win for the visitors.

Game 1 - February 13th in Yellow Grass

Game 2 - February 15th in Kipling

Game 3 - February 17th in Yellow Grass

Game 4 - February 20th in Kipling (if necessary)

Game 5 - February 24th in Yellow Grass (if necessary)