Another season, another shot at a Calder Cup for Cochrane’s Tanner House of the Oklahoma City Barons.
The Edmonton Oilers’ farm team opens the American Hockey League (AHL) playoffs April 26 against the Charlotte Checkers in a best-of-5 series. The teams finished the 76-game regular season just one point apart in an incredibly competitive Western Conference in which just eight points separated the eight playoff-bound teams.
“It was a tight race right until our last game on Sunday (April 21),” said the 26-year-old forward. “We could have finished anywhere from eighth to fifth. And it took us until Saturday (April 20) to clinch, so it’s really tight. Really, anybody can come out of the Western Conference.”
Oklahoma City finished fifth in the West, one point behind Charlotte, but had the regular-season edge over the Checkers, going 4-3-0-1.
“It’s a pretty good matchup. They have a lot of skill. I don’t think Carolina (Charlotte’s National Hockey League parent club) is in a playoff spot, either, so you know they’re going to get a lot of guys down. Much like we might here. It should be a good test. With the best-of-5 first-round series, anything can happen, really.”
The Barons made it to the best-of-7 semifinal round of the AHL playoffs last season before being eliminated 4-1 by the Toronto Marlies.
“Making it so far last year and not winning it all gave us extra motivation this year. So we’re excited to get started and hopefully have another good run at it.”
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward had seven goals and two assists in 55 games; the shortened regular season the result of a concussion suffered in a November altercation with Milwaukee Admirals’ Scott Valentine.
“I’m back to 100 per cent. I missed just under a month. Unfortunately, I was playing some pretty good hockey right before I got hurt. Like any injury, when you come back, it takes some time to get back into it. I’m feeling good now.
“There’s no ill effects from that at all. I’m feeling good and ready for playoffs.”
