WHL Morning Skate: Thursday, April 4
NEED TO KNOW
-Swift Current completed its first playoff sweep since 1997 by dispatching Lethbridge in four games, highlighted by a Game 4 double-overtime thriller
-Prince George and Portland also swept their First Round series
-Nashville Predators prospect Kalan Lind stunned Medicine Hat by scoring with 2 seconds remaining to give Red Deer a 3-1 series lead
RESULTS
Saskatoon 4, Prince Albert 1
SAS leads 3-1
Saskatoon held Prince Albert to a measly 16 shots on net while peppering Max Hildebrand with 36 of their own. Easton Armstrong netted his fifth of the series and Misha Volotovskii scored his first and second to put the game out of reach for the Raiders. Saskatoon now has a chance to advance in front of its hometown crowd on Friday.
THREE STARS
1- Misha Volotovskii, Sas
-1G, 1A, +2
2- Ryder Ritchie, PA
-1G, -1
3- Easton Armstrong, SAS
-1G
Prince George 3, Spokane 2
PG wins 4-0
The big guns made all the difference in a decisive Game 4 win. Regular season leading scorer and Washington Capitals prospect Zac Funk tallied the series winner, while Spokane’s Conner Roulette earned both of Spokane’s goals in his final WHL game with assists from top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Berkly Catton. This marks Prince George’s first playoff sweep since blanking Kamloops in the first round of the 2007 playoffs.
THREE STARS
1- Conner Roulette, SPO
-2G, +2
2- Berkly Catton, SPO
-2A, +2
3- Terik Parascak, PG
-2A, +1
Swift Current 5, Lethbridge 4 (2OT)
SC wins 4-0
For the second time in the series, Swift Current had some major catchup to do to pull off a win. Trailing 4-1 in the second period, Clarke Caswell and Luke Mistelbacher scored just over a minute apart to kickstart the Broncos’ offence. Grayson Burzynski buried the equalizer in the third, and just 23 seconds into the second overtime period, Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie silenced the crowd at the Enmax Centre with the series-winning goal.
THREE STARS
1- Joe Arnsten, LET
–1
2- Sean Tschigerl, LET
–3
3- Dylan Sydor, LET
–2
Portland 4, Victoria 1
POR wins 4-0
Josh Zakreski scored twice in the first period, and that would have been that, but Portland continued to fill the net. Florida Panthers prospect Josh Davies and Kyle Chyzowski chipped in while Victoria star rookie Cole Reschny, Coyotes prospect Justin Kipkie and alternate captain Dawson Pasternak got the Royals on the board.
THREE STARS
1- Josh Zakreski, POR
-2G, 1A, +3
2- Kyle Chyzowski, POR
-1G, 1A, +2
3- Braden Holt, VIC
-41/45 saves
-.911 save percentage
Moose Jaw 6, Brandon 4
MJ leads 3-0
The highest-scoring series of the First Round delivered again in Game 3. Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie scored twice to put Moose Jaw up 4-1 heading into the final frame, but a wild five-goal third period saw Brandon come close to tying it. Warriors Captain and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk added some insurance in the final period with his first goal of the series to put Moose Jaw in a position to sweep Brandon on Thursday night.
THREE STARS
1- Matthew Savoie, MJ
-2G, 1A, -1
2- Denton Mateychuk, MJ
-1G, 2A, +2
3- Roger McQueen, BDN
-1G, 1A, +2
Everett 3, Vancouver 1
EVT leads 2-1
Powerplay goals by defenceman Parker Berge and Vegas Golden Knights prospect Ben Hemmerling gave Everett all the juice they needed to seal a win in Game 3 in Langley. Vancouver blueliner Logan Hammett briefly leveled the game in the middle frame, but Hemmerling snagged the game-winner just three minutes later. Everett and Vancouver have served up the lowest-scoring series of the playoffs so far, though it hasn’t been for a lack of shooting- Brett Mirwald has faced 30 or more shots in all three games so far.
THREE STARS
1- Ben Hemmerling, EVT
-1G
2- Tyson Zimmer, VAN
-+1
3- Tyler Palmer, EVT
-30/31 saves
-.967 save percentage
Medicine Hat 2, Red Deer 3
RD leads 3-1
This wild series seemed primed for another trip to overtime, but an ill-timed Tigers penalty lake in the period gave Red Deer a golden opportunity. With the clock ticking down, a rebound landed on the stick of a wide-open Kalan Lind, who flicked the puck into a yawning cage to give Red Deer its first lead of the night with 2 seconds left. The Nashville Predators prospect now has two game-winning goals this series (the first was the overtime winner in Game 1) to push the higher-seeded Tigers to the brink of elimination.
THREE STARS
1- Chase Wutzke, RD
-33/35 saves
-.942 save percentage
2- Carson Birnie, RD
-1G, +1
3- Ethan McCallum, MH
-31/34 saves
-.911 save percentage
Wenatchee 1, Kelowna 3
KEL leads 3-1
After an eight-goal outburst in Game 1, Wenatchee has only scored a goal per game in the three following contests. Top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Tij Iginla nabbed the game-winner and the Cristall-Szturc connection was out in full force. Captain Szturc, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, had a goal and assists while Washington Capitals prospect Cristall earned a pair of helpers. The Rockets will try to eliminate the Wild in enemy territory on Friday.
THREE STARS
1- Jari Kykkanen, KEL
-34/35 saves
-.971 save percentage
2- Gabriel Szturc, KEL
-1G, 1A, +1
3- Kenta Isogai, WEN
-1G
WHL PLAYOFFS TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 3
The bigger the stage, the bigger the goals from Red Deer’s Kalan Lind.
The Nashville Predators prospect delivered his second game-winning goal of the Rebels’ series against the Tigers with a buzzer-beater in Game 3.
Lind also scored the double-overtime winner on March 29.
He leads the entire Rebels roster with five points (two goals, three assists) in his four appearances in the 2024 WHL Playoffs.
KALAN LIND! 0.9 SECONDS LEFT!!!!@Rebelshockey | @PredsNHL | #Preds pic.twitter.com/3fAzFYMsxh
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 4, 2024
ON TAP
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