After upsetting the Prince George Cougars, the Portland Winterhawks have been knocked out of the WHL Playoffs, losing Game Five of the WHL West Semis by a score of 6-2 in Kelowna.
The Rockets win the series 4-1, advancing the WHL Western Conference Finals.
Kelowna forward Reid Gardiner was involved on every single scoring play by the home team, recording six points, four goals and two assists, in the victory.
??? for @reidgardiner19! @Kelowna_Rockets lead 4-2! #KELvsPOR #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/n5Kq6R3sqt
— #WHLPlayoffs (@TheWHL) April 15, 2017
His team will now face a familiar foe as the surging Seattle Thunderbirds swept their best-of-seven series with the Silvertips, 4-0.
Seattle’s perfect playoff run stands at 8-0, beating Everett 4-1 in Game Four.
This is the second consecutive season Kelowna and Seattle will battle for WHL West supremacy; in 2016, the Thunderbirds won four-straight against the Rockets.
They’ll begin their series Friday, April 21st south of the border at the ShoWare Center.
The league-best Regina Pats avoided elimination Friday night, skating to a 3-2 victory on home ice over Swift Current.
WHL regular season scoring-winner Sam Steel and teammate Nick Henry each tallied a goal and a helper to cut the Broncos’ series lead to 3-2.
Swift Current will look to once again pull off an upset as Game Six goes for tonight, 6PM Pacific at the Credit Union i-Plex.
.@ssteel23 strikes with 14 seconds to go in the 1st! We’ve got a tie game in Regina courtesy the late PP goal! #REGvsSC #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Dbc3iohBy9
— #WHLPlayoffs (@TheWHL) April 15, 2017
Lethbridge can close out their Eastern Semi-Final series after hanging on for a 5-4 win in Game Five over Medicine Hat.
The Hurricanes lead the series 3-2 heading back to home ice for Easter Sunday; puck-drop is slated for 5PM Pacific.
BCHL FRED PAGE CUP:
The Chilliwack Chiefs and the Penticton Vees began the 2017 BCHL Finals Friday night.
The best-of-seven contest for the Fred Page Cup started in the Fraser Valley as the Chiefs finished the regular season with 88 points to Penticton’s 86.
The 2018 RBC Cup-host Chilliwack took Game One by a score of 4-2 and an early 1-0 series lead.
Captain Jordan Kawaguchi, fresh off his Player of the Week honours, registered three points (1G, 2A), including the assurance goal with two minutes left.
Chiefs’ netminder Mark Sinclair was the game’s 1st Star making 36 saves, while Vees’ goaltender Mathew Robson stopped 35 of 39 shots.
Game Two is set for tonight, 7PM at Chilliwack’s Prospera Centre.
@Guch_28 Scores to make it 4-2 Chiefs pic.twitter.com/GWwhvam498
— Chilliwack Chiefs (@Chiefs_Hockey) April 15, 2017
The Chiefs defeated the Victoria Grizzlies in Round Three, and swept the league-best Wenatchee Wild in the Mainland Division Finals, who initially defeated the Prince George Spruce Kings in six games.
Chilliwack is searching for their first BCHL title since 2002; Penticton is looking to win their second Fred Page Cup in three years.
Both teams have already qualified for the 2017 Western Canada Cup, which will be hosted by the Vees from April 29th to May 7th.