Tri-City Herald: WHL’s West in limbo entering final weekend

By Annie Fowler | Tri-City Herald

KENNEWICK — The Western Hockey League’s regular season ends this weekend, and in the Western Conference, there still are things that must be settled.

Kelowna (42-27-0-1, 85 points) has secured the B.C. Division crown after Vancouver wore it the last five years, but the U.S. Division title and the conference’s top seed remain up for grabs.

Portland (48-18-0-3, 99 points) holds a one-point lead over Spokane (46-17-4-2, 98 points). Both have three games left, including a tilt against each other Sunday in Portland.

“It’s a big weekend for us,” said Spokane general manager Tim Speltz, whose team has never won a U.S. Division title. “We haven’t had a season like this since 2008, when all the marbles were on the last game with Tri (Tri-City). We lost the U.S. title and the Scotty Munro that year, but won the Memorial Cup. The key right now is to win the conference and be the No. 1 seed.”

Everett, Prince George, Seattle and Kamloops are in a battle for the last two playoff spots.

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