NEAL’S NOTES: STILL IN GAME 7 SHOCK, CONFERENCE FINALS SET TO GO FRIDAY
Now that I’m away from home and all the distractions of a busy household, I can try and put into words what happened Tuesday, although that’s much easier said than done. This is my fifth season as Host of the WHL on Shaw. Until the Royals’ second round series with the Rockets that ended Tuesday in unbelievable fashion, I felt hands down that the best playoff series I’ve had the privilege to cover was the 2012 Championship between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks. The Oil Kings won that seven game series and it was full of excitement throughout, with great games, overtime and a wonderful atmosphere in Portland and then finally Edmonton in game 7. It was such a brilliantly played series and for all the marbles, too.
But I really think what just transpired between Victoria and Kelowna now takes that spot with me personally. There were six one goal games and even the 4-1 victory by the Rockets in game 5 was tied near the mid-way mark of the third period. There was the winner from Cole Linaker for Kelowna with 10 seconds left in game 4, the Royals hanging on to stay alive in game 6 in front of a packed Prospera Place. Then there was game 7.
Shortly after Tuesday’s classic, I went out to the Shaw truck where the crew was milling around and we all just stood there trying to comprehend what just happened. There were no answers to explain how Kelowna, so badly out-played for much of the game, came out on top. Even the Rockets’ Tyson Baillie told rink side host Stu Walters after the second period that the Rockets were losing every battle on the ice and yet here goes Kelowna to the Western Conference Championship for the third straight year, this time against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Late in the second period, the shots were something like 21-8 for Victoria and Joey Kenward, who joined us as our intermission guest from Canucks’ TV, turned to me after another scoring chance for the Royals went unsuccessful and pointed to the shot clock saying “how is this possible?”. The Royals had a brilliant first period and jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Tyler Soy and Alex Forsberg. For Soy, that was back-to-back games with a goal after not scoring in the first five contests. But Victoria just could not finish off the champs. Chance after chance in the Kelowna end and the Rockets were still within striking distance. Michael Herringer, who has to be playing with a load of confidence, along with what his mates must have in him too, was solid again with 28 saves, quite a few impressive ones, but he was let off the hook a number of times with missed nets and fanned shots.
Surely the Rockets were given some inspirational words in the second intermission from coaches and likely players, too. They got a lucky bounce to get back into the contest when the Royals failed to clear the puck and Justin Kirkland banked it off Logan Fisher, who would accidentally knock it into the Royals’ net trying to clear it from the goal line. But even though the shots were 8-4 for the Rockets in the final period, it didn’t feel like they controlled play at all. The Royals were content to bury the puck along the boards in the final two minutes to kill time, which for the most part they did. There are a couple big what ifs though in the final minute of the third. The first was when Jared Dmytriw failed to reach the red line when dumping the puck on goal. The puck was inches from ending the series, but led to another icing against the Royals, thus a face-off deep in their end. Then the failed clearing attempt from Fisher, with a good stick from the Rockets’ Dillon Dube to block it with just five seconds to go. A heads up play from Cal Foote to get the puck to Kirkland, who made a great move to get around a shot-block attempt and then whip a shot top glove side on Coleman Vollrath. Kirkland was great in the series, scoring third period goals in four straight games. He also sent game 7 to overtime with 0.2 seconds left. The video of Joe Hicketts just falling face first in front of the Royals’ net when he looked at the clock is an image that won’t soon be forgotten. Neither will the scene of a full building, everyone standing, and just shock when the puck bent the twine.
Then Calvin Thurkauf , who had been solid all series but hadn’t scored until the overtime, won it for Kelowna with a shot that snuck through the five-hole on Vollrath.
A 50-win season comes to a heart-breaking end, along with the WHL careers of Vollrath, Forsberg and Fisher. Seems doubtful that Joe Hicketts will be back for his overage year, but the rest of the crew can be, with some talent coming to challenge for roles in September. This team won’t surprise anyone next season when they’re challenging for top spot in the west again, and maybe some lessons learned from the defending champion Rockets that will help them next year, along with the motivation of getting over the second round hurdle.
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So now the conference championships are set and we’re in Brandon for the best of seven series between the Wheat Kings and the Red Deer Rebels. The Rebels had to survive a game seven themselves Tuesday night, hanging on for a 2-1 win over the Regina Pats in a series that saw each game won by the hosts.
The Rebels are in the third round for the first time since 2004 and up against the reigning conference champions. The season series was split at two wins each. The Rebels won the first two by scores of 4-0 and 10-0, but the Wheat Kings responded by winning 4-0 and 2-1 to close the series.
The Wheat Kings got a healthy scare to start the playoffs against Edmonton when they dropped the first two games of round one at home. Since then, Brandon has gone 8-1, coming off a five-game win over Moose Jaw in the second round. The Wheat Kings are a powerhouse offensive team, led by John Quenneville and Reid Duke, both with 16 points in the post-season. Duke has posted 15 points over an eight game streak in the playoffs. Tim McGauley is on a roll, with six goals over a four-game goal streak. The Wheat Kings also had two 100-point players in line-mates Jayce Hawryluk (106) and Nolan Patrick (102).
The Rebels have been without their top scorer from the regular season for most of the playoffs. Ivan Nikolishin hasn’t played since game 2 of Red Deer’s five game win over Calgary in round one with an undisclosed injury. Nikolishin had 82 points in 72 games this season. The MasterCard Memorial Cup hosts are led by their big pick-ups prior to the trade deadline, with Adam Helewka and Jake DeBrusk tied for the team lead with 12 points. Helewka scored his first goal in five games in the seventh game against Regina. Luke Philp, added from Kootenay, has 10 points along with Michael Spacek. The Rebels don’t have Connor Bleakley available after surgery for a wrist injury, but goalie Rylan Toth returned from the infirmary in game four at Regina. Toth has a .929 save percentage in the last four games.
Friday’s game 1 starts at 7:30pm Central Time, 5:30 Pacific on Shaw.
Meanwhile, the Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds will collide in the Western Conference Championship starting Friday in Kelowna. This is the third time in four seasons the teams have met in the playoffs. The Rockets erased a 3-0 series deficit to beat the Thunderbirds in seven games in 2013, and then swept Seattle the following year. The Rockets have had back-to-back game 7’s, both going to overtime, so it makes you wonder what they have left in the tank compared to the Thunderbirds who have played nine games through two rounds.
Clearly, Michael Herringer is at the top of his game in the Kelowna goal, but now the Rockets face a Thunderbirds’ squad that has won 21 of 23 games and have only allowed 13 goals. Landon Bow, acquired from Swift Current prior to the trade deadline, has a sparkling .936 save percentage. Seattle is also getting depth in scoring, led by Keegan Kolesar’s five goals and Matt Barzal’s 12 points.
Justin Kirkland, Rourke Chartier and Tomas Soustal all have 11 points to lead Kelowna, with Kirkland’s eight goals tied for second-most in the playoffs.
The Thunderbirds are in the third round for the first time since 2003. They lost to Kelowna that year in five games.
