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WHL Western Hockey League

WHL Playoff Preview

March 17, 2004 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


The Western Hockey League playoffs are set to begin Thursday, March 18th in Prince Albert following one of the closest seasons in years.

Starting Thursday in the Eastern Conference, the Prince Albert Raiders host the Brandon Wheat Kings as these East Division rivals kick-off the 2004 WHL Playoffs in what promises to be an exciting race for the WHL Championship.

The rest of the Eastern Conference series start Friday as the Swift Current Broncos travel to Medicine Hat to face the Tigers, the Calgary Hitmen visit the Red Deer Rebels and the Regina Pats open their series with the Warriors in Moose Jaw.

In the Western Conference, playoff action begins Friday night as the Kelowna Rockets begin defence of the WHL Championship at home against the Kootenay Ice.

"We are excited to get started," said Bruce Hamilton, President and General Manager of the Kelowna Rockets. "We look forward to the challenge of repeating as WHL Champions"

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Giants open the playoffs on home ice for the first time in team history as they face the Kamloops Blazers.

In the U.S. Division, the Winter Hawks welcome the Tri-City Americans to Portland, while Everett fans are getting ready for the thrill of playoff action as the U.S. Division Champion Silvertips play host to the Spokane Chiefs.

"Our fans are definitely Silvertip crazy and cannot wait to see what the WHL Playoffs are all about," said Everett General Manager Doug Soetaert.

The following is a preview of the eight first-round series in the 2004 WHL Playoffs:

Eastern Conference

East Division

Moose Jaw Warriors (41-22-8-1) vs. Regina Pats (24-37-7-4)

Regular Season: The Warriors are coming off a season which saw them win their first division title, tie a franchise record for fewest losses, allow the fewest goals against, while also recording the most wins since moving to Moose Jaw. The Warriors enter the playoffs having gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 games...The Pats finished 32 points behind Moose Jaw, finishing fourth in the division for the second year in a row. Regina, in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, heads into the post season having lost six of its last 10 games.

Season Series: The Warriors won the season series with a 7-1-1-1 record against the Pats...Moose Jaw outscored Regina 41-16...Both the Pats victories against the Warriors were shutouts.

Goaltending: Rookie Mike Brodeur took over as the number one goaltender for the Warriors in January and was a key contributor to the team's success. Brodeur finished the season with five shutouts, including two against the Pats, and a 2.11 G.A.A...Rookie Dustin Slade arrived in Regina at the trade deadline and posted a record of 10-9-4 in a Pats uniform with four shutouts, including two against the Warriors.

Scoring: Moose Jaw is led in scoring by Kyle Brodziak (39g, 54a), who finished third overall in WHL scoring with 93 points and Tomas Fleischmann (33g, 42a). Brodziak also led the WHL in short handed goals with nine. On the blueline, Aaron Rome (10g, 42a) ranked third in the WHL scoring amongst defenceman... Regina forwards Daniel Waschuk (25g, 21a), Rick Rypien (19g, 26a) and Jon Bubnick (19g, 22a) finished 1-2-3 in Pats scoring. Waschuk led the Pats with eight power play goals, while Bubnick countered with seven.

Prince Albert Raiders (38-23-6-5) vs. Brandon Wheat Kings (28-32-9-3)

Regular Season: Prince Albert (85 Pts) finished second in the East Division, 19 points ahead of third place Brandon...The Raiders and Wheat Kings ranked second and third respectively in the WHL for Power play efficiency...Brandon enters the playoffs as on of the WHL's hottest teams, winning six in row and posting a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games. Prince Albert, winners of three straight leading up to the playoffs, went 5-4-1 in its last 10 games.

Season Series: The Raiders and Wheat Kings met 10 times during the regular season with Prince Albert winning six of those matches...Prince Albert outscored Brandon by a margin of 39-30, while also being shutout once by the Wheat Kings... Leading the way for the Raiders against the Wheat Kings is forward Seth Leonard with 20 points (17g, 3a), while Brandon forward Tyler Dyck had 11 points (7g, 4a) in 10 games versus Prince Albert.

Goaltending: Prince Albert netminder Rejean Beauchemin saw action in 62 games this past season, posting an overall record of 30-21-6, including a 5-4-0 record versus Brandon. Along the way, Beauchemin set the Raiders club records for most shutouts in a single season with six and lowest G.A.A. of 2.32... Josh Harding posted a 2-2-0 record with one shutout versus the Raiders since the Wheat Kings acquired the former Regina Pat at the trade deadline. Harding finished the season with an overall record of 25-25-5 with seven shutouts, including five in a Wheat Kings uniform.

Scoring: Prince Albert boasts a balanced scoring attack both up front and from the blueline. The Raiders are led by forwards Seth Leonard (50g, 40a) and Jeremy Colliton (24g, 26a), while defencemen Mark Ardelan (19g, 54a) and Travis Young (7g, 43a) chip in offensively from the point...Brandon scored 230 goals during the regular season thanks in large part to five different players scoring 20+ goals. Leading the way for the Wheat Kings was Eric Fehr (50g, 34a) followed by teammates Tyler Dyck (37g, 35a), Lance Monych (29g, 26a), Ryan Stone (20g, 38a), and 2002-03 WHL points leader Erik Christensen (27g, 35a).

Central Division

Medicine Hat Tigers (40-20-9-3) vs. Swift Current Broncos (36-29-7-0)

Regular Season: Medicine Hat captured the Eastern Conference crown behind an offence that finished first in the WHL with 277 goals scored. Winners of four straight heading into the playoffs, the Tigers finished the season with the top rated power play unit in the WHL...Swift Current finished up the regular season in fourth place in the Central Division, while having the top two leading scorers in the WHL. The Broncos franchise, while making the playoffs for the 30th consecutive season, however, closed out the season on a six game losing streak.

Season Series: The Tigers and Broncos squared off eight times during the season with Medicine Hat taking the series with five wins. The Tigers outscored Swift Current 32-25 and finished 13 points ahead of the Broncos in the regular season standings. Chris St. Jacques had seven goals and 14 points to lead Medicine Hat versus the Broncos, while Tyler Redenbach replied with 11 points (5g, 6a) to lead Swift Current against the Tigers.

Goaltending: Kevin Nastiuk has been the Tigers go-to-guy, appearing in 68 games. Nastiuk finished second in the WHL with 40 wins combined with a 2.77 G.A.A...Kyle Moir appeared in 47 games for the Broncos, registering 22 wins and a 2.90 G.A.A. Moir shared the goaltending duties down the stretch with Blake Grenier, who posted a record of 6-10-1 since being acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Scoring: The Tigers had four players reach the 30 goal plateau, while four others scored 20 or more. Chris St. Jacques (33g, 59a), Darren Reid (33g, 48a), Clarke MacArthur (35g, 40a) and Stefan Meyer (34g, 41g) all ranked within the top 15 scorers in the WHL. Defenceman Cam Barker chipped in with 21 goals from the point...The Broncos finished second in the WHL with 234 goals scored led by forwards Tyler Redenbach and Jeremy Williams. Redenbach led the WHL in assists with 74, while Williams scored a WHL leading 52 goals, including 24 on the power play. Rookie Alex Leavitt, who finished second in WHL Rookie scoring, provided an offensive spark from the wing by scoring 27 goals and 68 points.

Red Deer Rebels (35-22-10-5) vs. Calgary Hitmen (34-24-8-6)

Regular Season: Red Deer played out the last stretch of the season by posting a record of 5-3-2, enabling the Rebels to secure second place and home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The Rebels ranked eighth in WHL power play efficiency and sixth in penalty kill percentage...Calgary went 4-4-2 in their last 10 games to secure a playoff spot for the seventh consecutive season. The Hitmen finished the season only three points behind the Rebels and have the sixth ranked power play in the WHL.

Season Series: Calgary and Red Deer met 10 times during the regular season with the Hitmen holding the edge in the series with a 5-3-2-0 record. Calgary outscored the Rebels 29-22. Hitmen forward Andrew Ladd led all skaters with 12 points (5g, 7a) in 10 games in the season series.

Goaltending: Cam Ward had 31 victories this season giving him 30+ wins for the third consecutive season for the Rebels while sporting a 2.05 G.A.A. and Save % of .926... Barry Brust was handed the starting position after arriving in Calgary at the trade deadline. The 20-year-old responded by going 12-8-3 with two shutouts in a Hitmen uniform.

Scoring: Colin Fraser (24g, 29a) led the Rebels in scoring this season followed by Dion Phaneuf (19g, 24a), who finished seventh amongst WHL defencemen in scoring...The Hitmen respond offensively with Ryan Getzlaf (28g, 47a) and rookie Andrew Ladd (30g, 45a), who led Calgary with 75 points each.

Western Conference

B.C. Division

Kelowna Rockets (47-21-4-0) vs. Kootenay Ice (32-30-7-3)

Regular Season:For the second year in a row the Rockets captured the WHL Regular Season Championship. Kelowna, with 98 points, captured the crown behind a stingy defence that allowed only 125 goals against – a WHL record for fewest goals against in a season. The Rockets also finished with the number one ranked penalty kill unit in the WHL...Kootenay is making the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season after finishing fourth in the B.C. Division. The Ice enter the playoffs having posted a record of 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.

Season Series: These two divisional rivals only met on four occasions this season, with each club winning two games. The Ice won the first two meetings back in October before Kelowna captured the last two games in February. Ice forward Nigel Dawes had three goals in four games to lead Kootenay against the Rockets this season.

Goaltending: Kelly Guard finished off his record setting season with a record of 44-14-4. Guard appeared in 62 games while leading the WHL in G.A.A. (1.56), wins (44) and shutouts (13). It is the second season in row that Guard has had a G.A.A. below 2.00...Jeff Glass established himself as Kootenay's starting goaltender, appearing in 57 games and finishing with a record of 26-20-6 with five shutouts.

Scoring: Kelowna forwards Randall Gelech (30g, 19a), and Justin Keller (25g, 21a) led the way for the Rockets up front, while defenceman Josh Gorges (11g, 31a) provided the offence from the blueline. Gelech led the WHL with 10 game winning goals...Ice forward Nigel Dawes scored 47 goals and 70 points in just 56 games this season, while Adam Cracknell (26g, 35a) and Dale Mahovsky (21g, 39a) each chipped in with 60 or more points.

Vancouver Giants (33-24-9-6) vs. Kamloops Blazers (34-28-8-2)

Regular Season:The Giants led the Western Conference with goals scored by netting 215, enabling Vancouver to finish second in the B.C. Division. While having a breakout year offensively, the Giants had the third ranked penalty kill unit in the WHL...Kamloops , whose penalty kill unit ranks fourth in the WHL, locked up third place in the division by posting a 6-3-1 record down the stretch. The Blazers haven't missed the playoffs since the 1980-81 season.

Season Series: Vancouver held a 4-1-2-1 record over the Blazers in eight meetings this season...The Giants outscored Kamloops by a margin of 23-20 during the season series. Vancouver forward Adam Courchaine registered 14 points (7g, 7a) to lead the Giants against the Blazers, while Kamloops forward Jonas Johansson led all Blazers with four goals and eight points against the Giants.

Goaltending: Giants MVP Aaron Sorochan had an impressive season, finishing up with a record of 23-14-7 with three shutouts. Sorochan earned WHL player of the week honours by recording three wins, including a shutout in three games during the week of January 19-25...Devan Dubnyk of the Blazers set a club record for shutouts in a season with six and finished with a 20-18-5 record. Backup Geoff McIntosh is capable of stepping in at any time. The overage goaltender has over 100 games of WHL experience under his belt.

Scoring: Five players for the Giants scored 20 or more goals, including Adam Courchaine (39g) and Mitch Bartley (31g) who scored 30+. Rookie sensation Gilbert Brule finished second in scoring for the Giants with 25 goals and 60 points, while leading all Western Conference rookies in points...Grant Jacobsen led all Blazers in points with 58, while Kris Hogg scored a team high 24 goals. Forwards Jarret Lukin (18g, 34a) and Jonas Johansson (18g, 19a) should add some offensive punch for the Blazers, while Paul Brown (11g, 20a) brings some added grit with his team-leading 222 PIM.

U.S. Division

Everett Silvertips (35-27-8-2) vs. Spokane Chiefs (32-29-8-9)

Regular Season:The expansion Silvertips enjoyed a record setting year as Everett set WHL and CHL records for most wins and points by a first year club. Backed by the number two ranked penalty kill unit in the WHL, the Silvertips captured their first U.S. Division title...Spokane ended the regular season going 7-3-1 over its final 10 games, securing their fifth consecutive playoff berth. The Chiefs also have the fourth ranked power play in the WHL.

Season Series: These two divisional rivals met eight times during the season, splitting the series with four wins apiece. Spokane shutout the Silvertips 2-0 in their last meeting of the season. Forward Riley Armstrong paced the Silvertips with five points (3g, 2a) versus the Chiefs, while Spokane forward Chad Klassen countered with five goals and seven assists against the Silvertips.

Goaltending: Silvertips goaltender Jeff Harvey had the second best G.A.A in the WHL at 1.97 and finished with a record of 24-15-5 with five shutouts. His backup, Mike Wall had a solid season as well. Wall had a G.A.A of 2.27 to go along with two shutouts...Spokane's tandem of Jim Watt and Gerry Festa are equally impressive, combining for seven shutouts. Watt compiled four shutouts and a record of 16-15-1, while Festa had three shutouts and G.A.A of 2.56.

Scoring: Silvertips forward John Dahl lead Everett with 25 goals and tied with teammate Riley Armstrong (18g, 26a) for the team lead with 44 points. Armstrong finished tied for third in the WHL for game winning goals with eight, while Dahl had seven...Brad Schell (35g, 57a) edged out teammate Chad Klassen (35g, 56a) by one point for the Chiefs overall lead in points with 92. Joff Kehler was the only other Spokane player to score 20 goals.

Portland Winter Hawks (34-29-6-3) vs. Tri-City Americans (31-27-10-4)

Regular Season:The Winter Hawks went 5-5 in their final 10 games to finish up the season in second place in the division with 77 points, only three points out of first. Portland qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season...The Americans finished one point behind the Winter Hawks with 76 points, good for third in the division. Tri-City heads into the post season looking to snap a four game losing streak.

Season Series: Portland dominated the season series with Tri-City, winning eight of 10 games, including a 2-1 victory in their last meeting. Defenceman Michael Funk and forward Alex Aldred each had nine points (2g, 7a) to lead the Winter Hawks against the Americans. Tri-City forward Ryan Kinasewich led all American scorers with 12 points (6g, 6a) versus the Winter Hawks this season.

Goaltending: Portland netminder Krister Toews had a 2.36 G.A.A. versus the Americans this season and finished the season with a record of 25-25-6 record with three shutouts in 56 appearances...Americans netminder Tyler Weiman appeared in 54 games, compiling a record of 23-21-7 with one shutout. In nine games versus the Winter Hawks this season, Weiman had a G.A.A. of 3.52.

Scoring: Winter Hawks forward Brandon Dubinsky (30g, 48a) led Portland in scoring this season with 78 points and had seven points (4g, 3a) in nine games versus the Americans. Dan Da Silva had 36 goals to lead the Winter Hawks up front, while defenceman Richie Regehr (9g, 34a) is an offensive threat from the blueline...Dylan Stanley led the Americans with 34 goals and 72 points. Forward Ryan Kinasewich finished the regular season as the club's second leading scorer with 33 goals and 69 points, while defenceman Nikita Korovkin scored 14 goals and added 30 assists from the blueline.

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