2008 WHL Conference Championship Series’ Preview

Calgary, AB — The quest for Western Hockey League supremacy and an opportunity to compete in the 2008 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament in Kitchener, Ontario, has been narrowed down to the final four as the 2008 WHL Eastern and Western Conference Championship series’ begin this week.
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rIn the East, the Calgary Hitmen will meet Central Division rivals the Lethbridge Hurricanes for their third playoff series in the last four seasons. The Hitmen were the top-ranked team from the Eastern Conference during the regular season, finishing fourth overall in the WHL standings, while the Hurricanes finished just three points back of the Hitmen.
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rIn the West, the Tri-City Americans will meet U.S. Division archrivals the Spokane Chiefs. The Americans claimed first overall in the WHL standings during the regular season to win the Scotty Munro Trophy while the Chiefs finished just one point back of the Ams after their best regular-season in franchise history.
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rHere’s a look at the Eastern and Western Conference Championship series match-ups:
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rMNP EASTERN CONFERENCE
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rCalgary Hitmen vs Lethbridge Hurricanes
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r2007-08 head-to-head record:
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rCalgary: 1-5-0-0, 2pts
rLethbridge: 5-1-0-0, 10pts
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r2008 Playoffs top scorers:
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rCalgary:
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rT.J. Galiardi 12gp-5g-16a-21pts
rBrock Nixon 12gp-9g-8a-17pts
rRyan White 12gp- 6g-11a-17pts
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rLethbridge:
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rZach Boychuk 10gp-7g-6a-13pts
rMitch Fadden 11gp-4g-9a-13pts
rLuca Sbisa 11gp-3g-10a-13pts
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rThe Calgary Hitmen and the Lethbridge Hurricanes meet up in the WHL playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Justin Pogge and the Hitmen defeated Colton Yellow Horn and the Hurricanes four games to two in the opening round of the 2006 WHL playoffs.
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rThe Hitmen advanced to their second consecutive appearance in the MNP Eastern Conference Championship series after defeating the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first round and the Swift Current Broncos in the second round, with both series’ ending in six games. The Hitmen’s high-octane offense powered them to their second-round win over the Broncos as they piled up 26 goals over the six-game series. They’ll need to rely on their scoring depth, including more contributions from the likes of Ian Duval, Carson McMillan and Brett Sonne, to get pucks past Lethbridge’s red-hot goalie Juha Metsola. Team defense and goaltending were not as solid in their second-round series versus an offensively-gifted Broncos team. Both will need to be greatly improved to slow down an equally-potent offensive ‘Canes’ team. The Hitmen have lost six straight games versus the Hurricanes at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, and have been outscored 24-12 in the process. They’ll need to solve their home-ice woes versus the ‘Canes in order to have success.
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rThe Hurricanes advanced to their first appearance in the third round of the WHL playoffs in 11 years after beating the Brandon Wheat Kings in six games in the opening round, and then defeating the Kootenay Ice in five games in the second round. The ‘Canes have found playoff success thanks to a solid blend of strong goaltending and defense, and timely scoring from their top-line players. The ‘Canes’ defense corps, led by rookie Luca Sbisa and veteran Ben Wright, will have to find a way to stop Calgary’s top two lines, who have combined for 32 of the team’s 50 post-season goals. The Hurricanes’ second-ranked penalty killing unit will need to stay sharp to stop a Hitmen power play that has scored 18 times in the post-season. A key factor for the Hurricanes will be getting as many shots at the Calgary net as possible, as the Hitmen gave up more goals than any of the four Conference finalists through the 2008 playoffs.
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rSeries Schedule
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r#1 – Lethbridge @ Calgary; Thursday, April 17 (7:00pm)
r#2 – Lethbridge @ Calgary; Friday, April 18 (7:00pm)
r#3 – Calgary @ Lethbridge; Tuesday April 22 (7:00pm)
r#4 – Calgary @ Lethbridge; Wednesday, April 23 (7:00pm)
r#5 – Lethbridge @ Calgary; TBD (7:00pm MST) If necessary
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r#6 – Calgary @ Lethbridge; TBD (7:00pm MST) If necessary
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r#7 – Lethbridge @ Calgary; TBD (7:00pm MST) If necessary
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rKAL TIRE WESTERN CONFERENCE
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rTri-City Americans vs Spokane Chiefs
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r2007-08 Head-to-head record:
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r Tri-City: 7-5-0-0, 14pts
r Spokane: 5-4-1-2, 13pts
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r2008 Playoff top scorers:
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rTri-City:
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rColton Yellow Horn 9gp-8g-9a-17pts
rShaun Vey 9gp-4g-9a-13pts
rTaylor Procyshen 9gp-4g-8a-12pts
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rSpokane:
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rOndrej Roman 10gp-5g-8a-13pts
rDavid Rutherford 10gp-5g-5a-10pts
rDrayson Bowman 10gp-4g-6a-10pts
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rThe Tri-City Americans and the Spokane Chiefs meet up in the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Barry Brust and the Chiefs defeated Ben Kilgour and the Americans four games to one in the opening round of the 2002 WHL post-season.
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rThe Americans are making their first appearance in the WHL Western Conference Championship series since the 1998-99 season after sweeping the Kamloops Blazer in four straight in the first round and then beating the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games in the second round. The Ams have been a force at both ends of the rink through the first two rounds, scoring 35 goals and allowing just 18 in nine games. Colton Yellow Horn helped the Americans’ power play click at nearly 50 percent during their series versus the T-Birds, scoring four of the team’s 11 man-advantage markers over five games. However, the Ams will need more secondary scoring to break down the Chiefs’ top-ranked post-season defense. The Americans will need to respond to the physical play of a Chiefs team that managed to out-grind the defending Memorial Cup champion Vancouver Giants in the second round. The Ams won four of six visits to Spokane this season, with two of those victories coming in a shootout.
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rThe Chiefs are making their first appearance in the Western Conference Championship series since the 1999-00 season after sweeping the Everett Silvertips in the opening round, then knocking out the defending Memorial Cup champ Vancouver Giants in six games in the second round. Spokane’s strength in the post-season has been a nearly-unbeatable defense, strong goaltending from Dustin Tokarski, and timely scoring from a variety of sources. The Chiefs don’t have a single player with a negative plus/minus rating through the first two rounds of the post-season. A key for the Chiefs will be getting their power play going as they managed just six power play goals on 47 man advantage opportunities through their first 10 playoff games. Spokane won three of six visits to Kennewick during the regular season, outscoring the Ams 16-14 in the process. They’ll need to continue their road success versus the Ams if they want to win the series.
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rSeries Schedule
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r#1 – Spokane @ Tri-City; Friday, April 18 (7:05pm)
r#2 – Spokane @ Tri-City; Sunday, April 20 (5:05pm)
r#3 – Tri-City @ Spokane; Monday, April 21 (7:00pm)
r#4 – Tri-City @ Spokane; Tuesday, April 22 (7:00pm)
r#5 – Spokane @ Tri-City: Saturday, April 26 (7:35pm) If Necessary
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r#6 – Tri-City @ Spokane; Monday, April 28 (7:00pm) If Necessary
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r#7 – Spokane @ Tri-City; Tuesday, April 29 (7:05pm) If Necessary
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