The SJHL finals on-ice conditions have been in the back of people's minds of late following the tragedy involving the Humboldt Broncos. With the SJHL's announcement that the finals will go on, however, the Estevan Bruins and Nipawin Hawks must turn their attention to hockey once again.

Both teams have endured two tough playoff series and now face just one more hurdle on their road to a Canalta Cup championship. The Bruins fought their way through the big-bodied Kindersley Klippers and hard-hitting Battlefords North Stars in four and five games respectively while Nipawin battled past the upstart Flin Flon Bombers and played four claustrophobically close games against the Broncos, winning three, before the series was tragically cut short. 

For the Bruins, goal scoring came from throughout the lineup in the first two rounds as it had all season. All six of their top six forwards sit at more than a point per game, with Hayden Guilderson's eight points in five games leading the way in the points per game front. Michael McChesney is tied for third in SJHL playoff scoring with 14 points through nine games. 

Perhaps the nicest surprise for Estevan is the scoring pace of rookie forward Tanner Manz. Manz is second among rookies with five goals in the playoffs and has added a pair of assists for good measure. 

The Hawks leading goal scorer in the regular season, Brandan Arnold, continues to lead them in the playoffs. His 31 goals in just 43 regular season games are impressive enough, but he's upped that torrid pace in the playoffs, leading the league with nine goals in nine games. 

Right behind him is Bruins captain Jake Fletcher, who's eight goals in the same span lead the Bruins. Five Bruins forwards have double digit points, and Guilderson, at his current pace, easily would have if he'd not missed four games against Battlefords. 

After Arnold, Nipawin's next leading scorer is a defenseman. On any other team that would be unusual, but Josh McDougal put up 74 points in the regular season to lead the team in scoring there as well. In fact, McDougal would have led all but three other teams in the league in scoring. He has 12 points in the playoffs to lead all defensemen. 

The Hawks may not have the high-end offense of the Bruins but that didn't stop them from dominating the regular season. A hard-hitting, tight defensive team with excellent depth and goaltending, the Hawks were consistently among the top five teams in Canada. They did not lose a game in regulation from November 10 through February 17.

Goaltending will be a focus in this series as Bo Didur, reigning SJHL goalie of the month, will take the crease for the Bruins while Declan Hobbs brings a .941 playoff save percentage into action for the Hawks. Matt Lukacs has started just one game for the Bruins, but it was the series clincher against the North Stars in which he made 31 saves on 33 shots. Jake Anthony has yet to appear for the North Stars. 

The Bruins had a less favorable season series against Nipawin than they did against Battlefords but it was still a tight one. The Bruins went 1-2-1 in the season series but all four were one-goal games and two went to extra time. The Bruins and Hawks are wildly different teams from the season series, as they haven't played since November 21. Bo Didur was not a member of the Bruins at the time and he'll get the start in game one. 

The regular season games between the two seem a long time ago now, and both teams clearly earned their spot in the finals. The on-ice product is sure to enthrall, but the off-ice actions of both teams will be on everyone's minds as well, as both franchises prepare to pay tribute to a Humboldt Broncos team that was taken away too soon.