VANCOUVER – Some ferocious battles took place in the WHL’s first round of playoff action, including three series that went the distance. The Calgary Hitmen narrowly avoided being the biggest upset victims of round one. Instead, that title went to the Everett Silvertips, who fell on home ice to the Kelowna Rockets in game seven.
The Rockets may have had a subpar regular season, but they proved that they are the defending WHL champs for a reason. The Silvertips finished 26 points ahead of Kelowna in the regular season standings, but with the Rockets finally healthy, Everett’s #1 ranked defense couldn’t hold off their Western Conference rivals.
Kelowna won game seven 2-1, and were led in the opening round by Geordie Wudrick’s eight goals. The Rockets must now face the Western Conference’s top team, the Tri-City Americans.
The Americans took care of a scrappy Chilliwack Bruins squad in six games in their first round series. Tri-City averaged four goals per game versus the Bruins and had a power play clicking at 26.3 percent. Just like in the regular season, Brooks Macek, Kruise Reddick and Brendan Shinnimin were the top gunners for the Americans, combining for 23 points in six games.
The Vancouver Giants swept the Kamloops Blazers in their first round series. The Giants head to the second round of the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year with the win.
Although the series lasted just four games, two of those were decided in overtime. The Giants big time scorers stepped up to lead the team, as Craig Cunningham and Brendan Gallagher combined for 20 points in four games. Giants’ goaltender Mark Segal looked shaky at times in the series, but came through with the wins nevertheless.
In the tightest battle of the first round, the resurgent Portland Winterhawks bested their U.S. Division rivals the Spokane Chiefs in seven games. The Winterhawks made good on their first playoff appearance since 2006 by sneaking out an overtime win in game seven in Spokane.
Portland’s balanced attack led the way versus the Chiefs, as twelve Winterhawks registered goals in the seven games series. Rookie Ryan Johansen led the way for Portland with nine goals.
The Winterhawks face the Giants in the Western Conference semi-finals in what has the makings of a high-scoring series.
The Eastern Conference’s top seeded Calgary Hitmen found themselves down 3-1 in their series versus the Moose Jaw Warriors before finding their game. The Hitmen outscored Moose Jaw 18-7 in the final three games, and looked like their regular season selves.
The Hitmen’s Brandon Kozun, a Los Angeles Kings prospect, won the WHL regular season scoring title, and leads the playoffs with 12 points in seven games. Calgary’s secondary scoring also contributed heavily in the win over the Warriors.
Calgary will face the Medicine Hat Tigers in the next round. The Tigers managed a mini-upset of the Kootenay Ice, winning that series 4-2. Medicine Hat lost the first two games of the series on the road, allowing ten goals and managing just two themselves.
However, the Tigers took it to the Ice in the next four games, pouring in 18 goals and holding Kootenay to just five. Emerson Etem led the Medicine Hat charge, racking up seven points in six games.
The other two Eastern Conference series each required the minimum of games to reach a result, as both the Saskatoon Blades and the Brandon Wheat Kings swept their series.
This year’s Memorial Cup hosts, the Wheat Kings are already guaranteed a spot among the final four teams in the CHL championships. But that didn’t stop them from playing as if their playoff lives were on the line.
Brandon swept the Swift Current Broncos 4-0 and continued to flex the offensive muscle that made them the WHL’s highest scoring team during the regular season, scoring 18 goals. The Wheat Kings’ special teams were also top-notch, with a power play converting at 31.2 percent while their penalty killing allowed just one goal on 14 Broncos’ power plays.
The Saskatoon Blades swept the Red Deer Rebels in four games, earning them a trip to the second round, where they will meet Brandon. Saskatoon shut out the Rebels in the first two games of their series en route to outscoring Red Deer by a combined 14-3 in the series.
The second round of the WHL playoffs promises more hard-hitting match ups and even tighter contests. With the exception of Calgary vs. Medicine Hat, picking the winners is no easy task, and even the Hitmen showed their vulnerability in the opening round. Nevertheless, now that they’re rolling, Calgary should be able to take care of the Tigers in no more than six games.
Look for Tri-City to keep Kelowna from repeating their upset performance in round one. The Americans will have a greater battle on their hands than they did against Chilliwack, but will find a way to close the series out before it gets to a seventh game.
Portland and Vancouver will likely take seven games to determine a winner, but the Giants are at their best in the post-season and will find a way to pull out that last game to win the series.
The toughest series to call is Saskatoon and Brandon, but the Blades have more to lose than the Wheat Kings, and that could be the deciding factor. The Blades will take this one in six games.
Contact the author at Happy.Kreter@prohockeynews.com
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