From the Branches: Markham advances to Clarkson Cup final

Two GTA teams played Montreal last night, both won. But one win mattered more than the other.

The Markham Thunder beat the Canadiennes de Montreal 4-1 to advance to the Clarkson Cup final for the first time since 2010, when they were still the Brampton Canadettes-Thunder. They swept the best-of-three playoff series and will face either the Calgary Inferno or the Kunlun Red Star.

Here’s the game recap.

Leafs links

Taking out the trash: Montreal Canadiens 0 - Toronto Maple Leafs 4 - Pension Plan Puppets
Utter dominance from the Leafs sees them record their 12th straight home win

Andreas Johnsson was delighted to score his first NHL goal pic.twitter.com/FKZoThHYvf

— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) March 18, 2018

How Has William Nylander Fared at Centre? - Pension Plan Puppets
And what does it tell us about his future at the position?

Last night’s games
Sorry, you only get two because it’s past my bedtime and no one else has recaps out.

Recap: Luck of the Bapper - Die By The Blade
Nick Baptiste’s two goals leads the Sabres past the Blackhawks

Devils Overthrow the Kings, Shut Them Out 3-0 - All About The Jersey
Keith Kinkaid picked up the second shutout of his career against the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-0 win. Here's a recap.

Other news

Daryl Watts Wins 21st Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
Darly Watts is the first freshman to ever win the Patty Kaz.

After helping Finland win the women's hockey bronze in #PyeongChang2018, @VenlaHovi opted to skip the closing ceremonies and fly straight home to Winnipeg, where she assisted on the @umbisons' game-winner in 4OT to move on to the @USPORTSca Championship. #ChampSZN pic.twitter.com/x71HCPud8V

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 16, 2018

The case for Olivier Archambault  - Raw Charge
The forward has been clutch for the club since signing a PTO with the Syracuse Crunch in January,