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| Carter Hart in action for the Silvertips in February of 2017. |
During the 2017-18 campaign, a lot of talk among those that follow
the WHL noted that the league’s East Division might be the toughest the circuit
has seen in some time. That distinction might belong to the circuit’s U.S.
Division.
While all the clubs in the six-team East Division had
winning records under the WHL’s current standings format, all the squads in the
five-team U.S. Division have accomplished that feat twice in the last three
years.
This season four teams from the U.S. Division finished in
the top nine of the circuit’s overall standings. All five clubs in the U.S.
Division finished in the top 13 of the overall standings.
By comparison, four clubs from the East Division finished in
the top eight in the overall league standings, and all six East Division teams
finished in the top 15 overall in the league.
Due to the fact teams in one conference only play teams in
the other conference once per regular season, WHL followers that live in centres
that are part of the league’s Eastern Conference sometimes forget what is
happening with clubs from the Western Conference.
Teams from the U.S. Division have won the Western Conference
championship eight out of the last 10 years. With the Silvertips and Americans
going at it in this year’s best-of-seven WHL Western Conference championship
series, that run will extend to nine out of the last 11 years.
The Silvertips and Americans were both elite clubs this
season. Everett finished third overall in the regular season standings with a
47-20-2-3 record, while the Americans were ninth overall in the regular season
with a 38-25-8-1 mark.
Everett advanced to conference final downing the Seattle
Thunderbirds, who won last year’s WHL title, in five games in the first round
and getting past the Portland Winterhawks in five games in the second round.
Tri-City had the first wildcard spot in the Western
Conference and was placed in a bracket with B.C. Division teams. The Americans
swept the Kelowna Rockets 4-0 in the first round and took out the Victoria
Royals 4-0 in the second round.
In the first two games of the best-of-seven Western
Conference championship series played at the Angel of the Winds Arena in
Everett, the Silvertips claimed Game 1 on Friday 3-2, while the Americans
rebounded to take Game 2 on Saturday 5-3.
In Game 3 on Monday before 3,268 spectators at the Toyota
Centre in Kennewick, Wash., the two clubs played a wild one. The Silvertips led
4-2 after two periods, but the Americans rallied to force a 4-4 tie scoring
twice in the first 1:45 of the third. Everett closed out the contest scoring
four straight times to pull out an 8-4 victory and take a 2-1 lead in the
series.
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| Patrick Bajkov in action for the Silvertips in February of 2017. |
Star overage captain Michael Rasmussen, who turned 19
earlier this month, had a pair of goals and an assist for the Americans. Juuso
Valimaki and Isaac Johnson netted singles for Tri-City.
Carter Hart turned away 29 shots to pick up the win in goal
for the Silvertips. Patrick Dea turned away 18-of-26 shots starting and taking
the loss in goal for the Americans. Beck Warm turned away both shots he faced
playing the final 8:16 of the third period in relief.
While the goals came in bunches in Game 3, goaltending has
been key for both the Silvertips and Americans.
Hart gained increased fame after he backstopped Canada to a
gold medal win at the world junior tournament, which wrapped up on Jan. 5 in
Buffalo, N.Y.
The 19-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., appeared in 41
regular season games with the Silvertips posting a 31-6-4 record, a 1.60 goals
against average, a .947 save percentage and seven shutouts.
In the WHL playoffs, Hart has continued his stellar play
appearing in all of Everett’s 13 games posting a 10-3 record, a 2.25 goals
against average, a .931 save percentage and two shutouts.
Dea, who is in his overage season, had a solid regular
season with the Americans posting a 22-14-7 record, a 3.17 goals against
average, a .913 save percentage and two shutouts. The St. Albert, Alta.,
product has been steady in the WHL post-season making 11 appearances posting an
8-2 record, a 3.36 goals against average, .890 save percentage and two shutouts.
When it comes to goaltending, Hart has hit such a high level
in his play he gives the Silvertips the edge in that department no matter who they
play in the major junior ranks.
These teams are off until Thursday, when they will meet in
Game 4 at 7 p.m. local time in Tri-City. The winner of this series will be
well-prepared to potentially claim the best-of-seven WHL Championship series.
“Skin-Ner” call amuses veteran goalie
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| Stuart Skinner has heard one common heckle call in every road venue. |
When the veteran Swift Current Broncos star netminder gets
set to play goal on the road, he will eventually hear a fan in the building
call out the heckle “Skin-Ner” in the voice of Simpsons character
superintendent Gary Chalmers. Skinner, who is a 19-year-old NHL Entry Draft
selection of the Edmonton Oilers, heard that call in his first three-and-a-half
seasons in the WHL playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and still kept hearing
it after he was acquired by the Broncos in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.
“I’ve been around it for four years now,” said Skinner, who
stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 200 pounds. “I hear it ever place I go.
“I like it. I think it gives me more energy and kind of gets
me pumped up.”
The Edmonton product said the “Skin-Ner” call never gets
old.
It hasn’t had an effect on his consistency.
In 207 career regular season games, Skinner has posted a
104-72-15 record, a 3.22 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and 12
shutouts. During the Broncos current playoff run, Skinner has played in all of
the Broncos 16 games posting a 10-6 record, a 2.10 goals against average, a
.935 save percentage and four shutouts.
On Monday, Skinner was named the WHL goaltender of the week
for the week ending on April 22. Over the week the award was granted for,
Skinner won all three of his starts, posted a 1.58 goals against average, turned
away 100 of 105 shots for a .952 save percentage and recorded one shutout.
During the Broncos 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night over
the visiting Hurricanes, the sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the
Innovation Credit Union i-Plex took a page out of the playbook of the fans that
cheer for the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets to support Skinner and to try to get on
Lethbridge star goalie Logan Flodell.
The Broncos’ fans echoed the “Skinner’s better” chant
throughout the building at one point in the game. Flodell had been with the
Broncos and was dealt to the Hurricanes in that blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.
With the series set to shift to Lethbridge for Game 3 on
Tuesday for a 7 p.m. local time start, it be interesting to hear of the “Skin-Ner”
call is heard once again.
Eyes on Broncos’ key injuries
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| The Broncos hope Glenn Gawdin won’t be sidelined for long. |
The Broncos lost 19-year-old Russian import defenceman
Artyom Minulin in their 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the WHL Eastern Conference championship
series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. Broncos overage captain
Glenn Gawdin left the ice skating gingerly to the bench after being hit into
the boards by a Hurricanes player in the first period of Swift Current’s 4-3
overtime victory in Game 2 on Saturday night. Both of those games were played
at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.
The status for either player to take part in Game 3 of the
series on Tuesday in Lethbridge is uncertain.
Minulin, who played for Russia at world juniors, missed
three games of the Broncos first round playoff series win over the Regina Pats
with an apparent shoulder issue, so there is worry that could be a problem
again. He appeared in 64 regular season games recording 13 goals, 30 assists
and a plus-37 rating in the plus-minus department. He has one goal, three
assists and a plus-two rating in 12 playoff appearances.
Gawdin, who is a star centre, topped the Broncos in regular
season scoring piling up 56 goals and 69 assists in 67 regular season games,
while also posting a plus-61 rating. In the Broncos 16 playoff games, Gawdin
has posted nine goals, 13 assists and a plus-four rating.
The Broncos have good depth, but Gawdin and Minulin are two
heart and soul career members of the team. Their absence is still going to be felt
even with the Broncos strength in depth.
Heponiemi named WHL player of the week
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| Aleksi Heponiemi was named the WHL’s player of the week. |
The star import right-winger from Finland took the honour
for the week ending on April 22. In the week that the award was given for,
Heponiemi appeared in three games recording two goals, four assists and a
plus-six rating in the plus-minus department.
On April 16, Heponiemi had a pair of assists in the Broncos
6-0 victory over the host Moose Jaw Warriors in a series deciding Game 7
victory in the best-of-seven second round set between the two clubs. That win
allowed the Broncos to advance to the WHL Eastern Conference championship
series for the first time since 2001.
On Friday, Heponiemi scored the winning goal and had an
assist as the Broncos claimed Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final over the
visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex. On Saturday,
Heponiemi had an assist and a goal that forced a 3-3 tie that sent Game 2 of
the Eastern Conference final to overtime, which the Broncos claimed 4-3 at the Innovation
Credit Union i-Plex.
Heponiemi, who turned 19 in early January, finished second
in Broncos team regular season scoring with 28 goals, 90 assists and a plus-42
rating in 57 games. In the Broncos 16 playoff games, Heponiemi has two goals,
20 assists and a plus-three rating.
The Broncos face the Hurricanes in Game 3 on Tuesday at 7
p.m. local time at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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