MAC got past Fehérvár in seven game semi finals series with nothing being decided until the final twenty minutes. There were a number of worthy candidates in both the DVTK-DHK and the MAC-Volán series who were in contention for the MVP title. With his nine assists in seven games and his team following his direction Ian McDonald was named the semi-finals MVP.
The forward from Edmonton Canada finished the season as the league's leading scorer and had won the player of the week award once during the regular season. During the seven game series all nine points that McDonald scored came off of him setting up his teammates.
What was the seven game semi finals series like?
It was very enjoyable for us, it was a really good series with both fans being really great, we really pushed ourselves which will makes us better in the finals. We were exhausted and these are the types of series you like to play so it was a lot of fun.
Will the difference in the amount of rest the two teams had be a factor in the series final?
They had more time off which is probably good for their bodies but mentally they are probably not in hockey mode, which will probably cancel each other out. I expect the finals to be pretty tough as well we are ready for it just as they are.
You went seven games without a goal but set your teammates up for nine goals, how did that work out?
It comes down to bounces, I had a lot of shots and also getting a lot of chances so I wasn’t to worried, there are always other ways to help the team win and that's what is the most important.
You have played in a number different leagues in a number of different countries, how is this MOL League playoffs different than anything you have played in so far?
Its different, since I have been playing in Europe I have yet to play in a best of seven series, it's usually a best of three or a best of five, however it is nice to play a full seven game series. One thing that has be nice is having the full houses, it has been great having all the fans support us and even the away fans which gives a great environment.
During the series Gergely Majoross shuffled the line sometimes because of injury or suspension, what was that like not playing with your regular linemates?
It was different since I had played with the same linemates all year long but it looked like it worked once he made the changes in one of the games since we needed to create offense. Sometimes it needs to be down because things get stale and you need a spark.
What should the fans expect in the finals?
It will be tough our short term goal is to split the game in Miskolc and bring home ice advantage back home but I have a feeling it will be a long series. It hurt a little bit that we were not able to win a game against DVTK but things are always different in the playoffs, we were always right their just a bounce away.