WHL Morning Skate: April 4, 2025
NEED TO KNOW
– Andrew Cristall’s first playoff hat trick helped the Chiefs take a 3-1 lead on Thursday night
– Six different players have recorded hat tricks this postseason
– Five teams can advance to Round Two of the 2025 WHL Playoffs with wins on Friday
TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 3
Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall returned to the lineup with a vengeance on Thursday night. The regular-season leading scorer popped off for three goals, including the game-winner, for his first postseason hat trick. The 20-year-old struck twice on the powerplay, with Seattle Kraken prospect and Chiefs Captain Berkly Catton assisting all three tallies and regular season goals leader Shea Van Olm serving up two helpers. Cristall is tied for second in playoff goals with seven, despite missing Game 3. He’s two goals behind Medicine Hat Tigers Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt (7). Cristall and Chiefs rookie Mathis Preston, who put up a hat trick in Game 2, are the first Spokane skaters to achieve playoff hat tricks in 15 years. Winger Blake Gal scored three times to eliminate the Chilliwack Bruins in Game 5 of their first-round series in 2011.
RESULTS
Vancouver 2, Spokane 6
Spokane leads 3-1
A trio of powerplay goals helped Spokane put Vancouver on the ropes with a dominant win at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Twenty-year-old Max Muranov opened the scoring for the Giants just over five minutes into the match, but Andrew Cristall responded seconds later with a sharp wrister from the faceoff dot. Chase Harrington capped off the opening flurry of goals on the next play with a bad-angle one-timer to give Spokane the lead. Cristall completed the hat trick in short order, while Harrington added a second tally and Mathis Preston added an insurance marker in the second period to go along with a pair of assists. Top 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward Cameron Schmidt found the net in the third period to breathe some life into the Giants bench with a powerplay goal, but they were ultimately unable to muster any more goals. Spokane can advance to Round Two with a win at home on Saturday night.
THREE STARS
1- Andrew Cristall, SPO
– 3G
2- Mathis Preston, SPO
– 1G-2A
3- Berkly Catton, SPO
– 3A
ON TAP
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