SATURDAY NIGHT WHL PLAYOFF HOCKEY ON SHAW

ICE BATTLE HITMEN FOR GAME 6, LIVE ON SHAW – Sam Reinhart and the Kootenay Ice welcome Brady Brassart and the Calgary Hitmen for Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in WHL playoff action on Saturday night, live on SHAW TV and in HD on SHAW Channel 303 or Channel 304 and SHAW Direct Channel 299. (7:00pm MST).

The Ice pulled off a 6-5 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary in Game 5 of the series on Thursday to take a 3-2 best-of-seven series lead.  The Ice have scored at least five goals in four of the five games of the series.  Reinhart enjoyed a five-point outing on Thursday, and now leads all post-season scorers with 14 points.

The Hitmen find themselves down 2-3 in the best-of-seven series and in need of a win on Saturday to force a seventh and deciding game on Monday in Calgary.  The Hitmen have given up 10 power play goals on 29 Ice opportunities through the five games of the series.  Brassart has two goals and seven points in the series.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Curtis Valk and the Medicine Hat Tigers take on Jake DeBrusk and the Swift Current Broncos for Game 5 of their first-round Eastern Conference series.

The Tigers opened the series with back-to-back wins on home ice last weekend, but lost Game 3 and 4 in Swift Current.  DeBrusk scored the game-winning goals in each of the two Swift Current wins in the series, with his Game 4 goal coming in overtime.

In Kent, WA, Mathew Barzal and the Seattle Thunderbirds host Jujhar Khaira and the Everett Silvertips for Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round set on Saturday.

The Silvertips claimed a 6-1 win over the visiting Thunderbirds on Friday night to stave off elimination, and now trail the series 1-3.  The Thunderbirds posted a 2-1 win and a 4-3 overtime win in the previous two games of the series on home ice.

—————————————————————