User blog:Cbcarter34/4th Time's the Charm for Smith, Thrashers

After sweeping the Indiana Ice in the first round of the UHL Playoffs, the Atlanta Thrashers went through three straight 7-game battles, but it was enough as the Thrashers defeated the Oklahoma City Blazers 3-1 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City to win the franchise's first Memorial Cup Title in 4 appearances in the Memorial Cup Finals.

"We made it clear that when we get back here to the Finals, we're in it to win it, and we proved it. This is the hardest working bunch I have seen in a long time, and we could have lost the series when we were in a series deficit of 3-1, but we rallied to win three straight to win the Memorial Cup. I'm proud of this team," Thrashers head coach Tyrone Smith said after the game. Playoff MVP goalie Elias Wells (who was soaked in champaigne in the locker room, echoed Smith's words. "After losing game 4, Coach Smith pulled us all together and told us to don't quit or surrender, and fight til the very end. That's been our motto throughout the whole season, and we proved that we deserved this Cup," Wells said.

While there was celebration in the visitor's locker room, the Blazers was heartbroken, stunned, and disappointed, losing their first FInals series in franchise history. "Hat's off to Coach Smith and the Atlanta Thrashers. They came back and won the series. They played really well, and every mistake we made, they took advantage of it. It's going to be a long offseason wondering what could have been, but the best thing to do is pick up the pieces and get ready for September when the season starts again," Blazers head coach B.C. Gipson, Jr., said during his press conference. Usually, Blazers star Grady Todd has a lot to say, but after the loss, he simply said four words to every question that he was asked: "They won, we lost."

The Thrashers became the second straight team from the Eastern Conference to win the Memorial Cup, following the Baltimore Bandits' win last season.