Unlike the first two rounds of the WHL Playoffs, the final four teams playing in the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL seem to be more serious.
This is when teams assess what trades they made, their success, and whether they paid off. After taking eight straight wins in the first two rounds of the WHL Playoffs, the Portland Winterhawks saw goaltender Jan Spunar voted the WHL Goaltender of the Week. With one shutout and eight straight wins, the only goaltender in the WHL thus far in this season that has accomplished that goal gave Spunar the nod.
This was the first time that Portland was not the designated home team during the playoffs as they seceded from Prince George that honor at the tail end of the regular season.
Perhaps it was the travel; maybe it was the ease of the first two rounds or butterflies. Whatever it was, the Hawks did not start off the gate well. While there were a few penalties, Prince George scored the only powerplay goal of the game, which was at the end. Just over a minute and a half in, the Hawks allowed a turnover in their zone, leaving Terik Parascak alone to score on Jan Spunar. The second frame saw Prince George rip the game wide open with three goals, and the powerplay goal only added to the misery with a 5-0 shutout loss. Prince George outshot Portland 35-32 and was 1-3 on the powerplay with Portland 0-1.
The next night, the two teams were unable to break a 0-0 deadlock until nearly midway through the second period. Both Joshua Ravensbergen of the Cougars and Jan Spunar of the Hawks were making highlight-reel saves. Zac Funk, a strong force during the regular season, opened the scoring on the powerplay with a wrister after getting past the Portland defense to gain a lead for his team.
Portland jumped into the lead with a goal by Kyle Chykowski 27 seconds later, and then 17 seconds passed when Jack O’Brien scored as well.
A minute later, Borya Vallis, acquired from Regina for two picks and a player, made it close in the game. Portland scored three times in the third period, with James Stefan on the powerplay, Diego Buttazoni with his first of the playoffs, and Marcus Nguyen scored into the empty net to pull Portland ahead 5-2. Still with Ravenbergen out, Prince George scored with seven seconds left in the game to make the final 5-3. Portland’s 38-32 shot advantage saw Portland 1-2 on the powerplay and Prince George 1-4.
Like Portland, a strong attendance on both games of over 12 thousand, or two sellouts in the round, shows the faithful are ready to see some solid hockey, and with both games, the fans certainly did. Now, we will go to Portland with three straight in Rose City, of which all will be played. The question will be whether the series goes back to Prince George and for how many games. Portland had a solid attendance last series, and with the round having three straight games, one can expect this to be a hot ticket.
The Moose Jaw Warriors headed to Saskatoon, and both games were ones to remember, with both games headed to overtime. The Blades scored the first two, followed by three straight by the Warriors, and almost won, but the Blades pulled Evan Gardner to get the equalizer and ended the score in regulation time. It took over 12 minutes to break the deadlock with a Moose Jaw shocker to give them a 1-0 series lead. The Warriors enjoyed a 31-26 shot advantage and
Moose Jaw went into game two, scoring the first two goals in the first period and leaving fans stunned. The Blades would even things up in the second period with a pair of goals on their own. It took over 13 minutes of overtime to settle to score, with the Blades coming out on top. Over 18,000 took in the two games as the Blades salvaged a 1-1 tie in their series. The Warriors picked up 37 to 27 shots against the Blades with 0-2 on the powerplay for Moose Jaw and 1-4 for the Blades on their man advantage. The Blades were 0-1 on the powerplay, and Moose Jaw had no powerplay chances.
In the Ontario Hockey League, the London Knights have taken a 2-0 series lead with consecutive 3-1 wins over the Saginaw Spirit. The Spirit, who will host the Memorial Cup the year, were down 2-1 in the third period and gave up consecutive empty-net goals with just over a minute to go in regulation. Over 18,000 took in the games there.
Oshawa Generals scored a 3-0 shutout over the North Bay Battalion, with over 6,000 watching the action. The Generals scored a regulation, power play, and empty net goal in their win.
The QMJHL saw smaller communities host their playoffs. Drummondville Voltigeurs scored back-to-back wins over Victoriaville Tigres, first with a hard-fought 2-1 win and then opening up a 5-1 win. They scored three times in the first two periods before the Tigres scored. Two more goals, including a powerplay marker at the end, finished off the Tigres.
Baie Comeau has a strong 2-0 series lead on Cape Breton after a 4-0 win; three goals in the first period and a second-period goal in the middle of the frame ended the scoring for the night. Baie-Comeau Drakkar took a 5-3 win over the Cape Breton Eagles. A pair of goals by the Eagles early in the first period gave way to a goal in the first and one in the second by Baie-Comeau. The Eagles took the lead midway through the second, but the Drakkar picked up three more with a goal seconds before the second period ended and a pair in the third period. The series will see action head to Cape Breton for back-to-back games there.
Soon, it will be down to the finals for all three leagues, and the Memorial Cup will follow that.
