WHL Morning Skate: May 2, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

– Spokane has advanced to the WHL Championship Series for the first time since winning it all in 2008

– The Chiefs will face the Medicine Hat Tigers in a clash for the Ed Chynoweth Cup

– Rasmus Ekstrom and Owen Martin scored 2:36 apart to overcome a Portland comeback attempt in Game 4

– This marks the first time in WHL history that both finalists swept their respective Conference Championships

TOP PERFORMER-MAY 1

Can’t burst his bubble. WHL Playoff scoring leader Andrew Cristall scored twice in the opening period and assisted alternate captain Shea Van Olm’s insurance marker to knock out the Portland Winterhawks, and, more importantly, punch Spokane’s ticket to the big dance against Medicine Hat. With the game scoreless midway through the first, the Hawks were unable to swap a rolling puck into a wide-open Chiefs net. A second Portland shot bounced off a player in front and sent Cristall streaking down the ice on a breakaway to beat Ondrej Stebetak with a slick backhander. Portland would tie the game shortly after, but Cristall responded with another tally from the left circle on the powerplay. The Washington Capitals prospect has goals in eight straight games and points in all 14 postseason games he’s participated in. With 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points in 14 games, Cristall has tied Lethbridge’s Brad Morrison for the second-most points in a single playoff run in modern WHL history.

RESULTS

Spokane 6, Portland 4

Spokane wins 4-0

The Portland Winterhawks battled back to tie Game 4 on three separate occasions and took the lead once, but were unable to weather the unrelenting Spokane attack in the end. Alex Weiermair scored twice to level the game twice, Ryan Miller buried his fourth goal of the playoffs and alternate captain Josh Zakreski briefly gave the Winterhawks the lead with a quick strike just 24 seconds into the final frame. Rasmus Ekstrom and Owen Martin quickly quelled that momentum as they found the back of the net twice in less than three minutes to seal Portland’s fate. Regular season goals leader Shea Van Olm added some insurance with a late empty-netter for his 11th goal of the season. Now, the Chiefs and Tigers get a bit of a break before clashing in the 2025 WHL Championship Series, beginning next week.

THREE STARS

1- Kyle Chyzowski, POR

– 2A

2- Ryder Thompson, POR

3- Tyson Jugnauth, POR

– 3A