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WHL Playoff Hockey Live On SHAW Friday, March 19 - Kamloops Blazers at Vancouver Giants

March 19, 2010 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, AB - Craig Cunningham and the Vancouver Giants (41-25-3-3) host C.J. Stretch and the Kamloops Blazers (32-33-2-5) for Game 1 of their Kal Tire WHL Western Conference quarter-final series as the 2010 WHL Playoffs continue on Friday night.

Friday's playoff contest between the Blazers and Giants can be seen LIVE throughout western Canada on SHAW and SHAW Direct Channel 299 (7:30pm PST).

The Giants come into the post-season as B.C. Division champions for a fifth consecutive season, tying a WHL record for the most consecutive division titles. The Giants went 22-13-0-1 on home ice this season, but have only played two games at their home rink, the Pacific Coliseum, since the start of January. Cunningham (37g-60a) led the Giants in scoring during the regular season with 97 points.

The Blazers finished in third place in the B.C. Division and seventh in the Western Conference during the regular season, and are making their fourth straight post-season appearance. The Blazers managed just 12 wins on the road this season. Stretch led the Blazers in regular-season scoring with 30 goals and 81 points.

The Blazers and Giants met eight times during the regular season, with the Giants winning on six occasions.

Elsewhere on Friday, Brendan Shinnimin and the Tri-City Americans (47-22-1-2) host Ryan Howse and the Chilliwack Bruins (32-33-2-5) for Game 1 of their Kal Tire WHL Western Conference first-round match-up.

The Americans captured their third straight U.S. Division title while also finishing in first place in the Western Conference during the regular season. The Americans led all Western Conference teams with 27 wins on home ice this season.

The Bruins finished the 2009-10 WHL regular season in eighth place in the Western Conference after posting their most successful regular-season campaign in franchise history. The Bruins won three of four meetings versus the Ams during the regular season.

In Everett, WA, Shane Harper and the Everett Silvertips (46-21-3-2) welcome Shane McColgan and the Kelowna Rockets (35-31-2-4) for the opening game of their Kal Tire WHL Western Conference quarter-final series.

The Silvertips enjoyed their second-best regular-season campaign in franchise history, finishing in second place in the U.S. Division and in third place in the Western Conference. Harper set a franchise record for goals in a single season with 42.

The Rockets finished in sixth place in the Western Conference during the regular season, and enter the 2010 WHL playoffs as the defending champions, having won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2009. McColgan is the WHL Western Conference nominee for the 2010 WHL Rookie of the Year after posting 69 points as a 16-year-old first-year player.

HUSKY WHL EASTERN CONFERENCE

Matt Calvert and the Brandon Wheat Kings (50-18-1-3) host Cody Eakin and the Swift Current Broncos (37-30-1-4) for Game 1 of their Husky WHL Eastern Conference quarter-final series on Friday.

The Wheat Kings, the host team for the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament, finished the regular season as East Division champs after posting their first 50-win season since 1995-96. Calvert, the Wheat Kings co-scoring leader, signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets this week.

The Broncos finished the 2009-10 season in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, and are making their fifth straight post-season appearance. Eakin led the Broncos with a career-best 47 goals this season.

In other Husky WHL Eastern Conference action on Friday, Dustin Sylvester and the Kootenay Ice (43-24-3-2) host Emerson Etem and the Medicine Hat Tigers (41-23-3-5) for Game 1 of their first-round series.

The Ice enter the post-season as the Eastern Conference's fourth seed after posting their 12th straight season with a record over the.500 mark. The Ice went 21-12-2-1 on home ice this season.

The Tigers finished in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, only one point behind the Ice, and are making their eighth straight playoff appearance. Etem led all WHL rookies with 37 goals this season.

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