Some thought the Kelowna Rockets could come out of the Western Conference and compete for the Ed Chynoweth Cup this year. Instead, the Rockets are the first team to be kicked off the dance floor as the Tri-Cities Americans completed a four-game sweep of the BC Division regular-season champs with a 5-3 win. Morgan Geekie had the hat-trick for the winners who now face either Victoria or Vancouver.
All three WHL playoff games were played in the Western Conference Friday. Other results were:
Victoria 7 Vancouver 3 — Tyler Soy (VIC) 3G (Best of seven Western Conference series tied at 2)
Portland 4 Spokane 3 –Joachim Blichfeld (PORT) 2G (7 seconds apart), 1A (Portland leads best of seven Western Conference series 3-1)
Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! @SanJoseSharks prospect @joachimblich strikes twice in SEVEN seconds! #PORvsSPO #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/SSXYeOjNd7
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 30, 2018