READING, PA – All three Canadian Hockey League finals officially got underway Friday night. Two of the favorites are off and running, but one favorite finally lost a playoff game. 
In the WHL, the Calgary Hitmen finally lost a playoff game. The Kelowna Rockets beat Calgary 3-1 to take a 1-0 series lead. Jamie Benn scored the first and last goal of the game to earn the third star of the game. Benn now leads the WHL in playoff scoring with 13 goals and 18 assists. Both goal and assist total also lead the WHL. The Rockets were outshot 29-21 in the game, but they did outshoot Calgary in the third period 10-8. Both teams traded goals in the first and second periods, but Kelowna got the game winner on Tyler Myers fifth goal of the playoffs for the game winner. 
In the OHL, the Brampton Battalion are finding out just how good the Windsor Spitfires are these days. After being blasted in Game 1, 10-1, Brampton made Game 2 a bit more competitive, but Windsor hung on for a 5-3 win to take a 2-0 series lead over Brampton. The Spitfires scored the first three goals of the game, all in the first period to take a 3-0 lead, two of those goals were scored 25 seconds apart on Mark Cundari’s shorthanded goal at 18:15, and Ben Shutron’s second goal of the playoffs at 18:40. Brampton made it 3-1 on Jason Dale’s third goal of the playoffs at the four minute mark of the second period, but Andrei Lokionov scored his ninth goal of the playoffs at 13:50 to give Windsor another three goal lead. Brampton’s Matt Kang scored his sixth of the playoffs 40 seconds later to get the Battalion back to within two heading into the third period. Kang would strike again at the 7:41 mark to get the home team to within on at 4-3, but Taylor Hall scored and empty net goal for this 13th of the playoffs with 37 seconds left I nthe game to close out the game, and give Windsor a chance to take a 3-0 series lead on Sunday. 
In the QMJHL, the Drummondville Voltigeurs edged the Shawinigan Cataractes 2-1 to take a 1-0 series lead and remain undefeated in the playoffs (13-1). The Voltigeurs have won their 20th consecutive game (7 in the regular season, 13 in the playoffs), a new QMJHL record for consecutive wins spanning the end of the regular season and the playoffs. The 1985-86 Hull Olympiques held the record at 18. The regular season record, not including the playoffs, for most consecutive wins is 25 held previously by the Sorel É perviers which was established during the 1973-74 season. Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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