Friday's package. . .

WHL commissioner Ron Robison opened the playoffs in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday where he presented the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy to the regular-season champion Tri-City Americans. Robison will be in Vancouver on Saturday for Game 2 between the Giants and Chilliwack Chiefs. . . . Add C Jacob Dietrich to the list of WHLers who have moved on to the pro game. Dietrich, who played out his eligibility with the Portland Winter Hawks, has joined the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. . . . The WHL has had a new playoff logo designed in honour of Ed Chynoweth, the former president and present chairman of the board of governors. The WHL’s playoff championship trophy was named the Ed Chynoweth Cup in his honour during last spring’s Memorial Cup. The logo also is being turned into a decal and once they are ready will go on players’ helmets. This is a wonderful tribute to Chynoweth who is battling health problems. Here’s hoping that as each player looks at that logo for the first time he comes to understand how much Chynoweth has meant to the WHL.
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While in Kennewick on Friday, Robison provided me with an update on the Portland situation.
“We’re in constant contact,” Robison said, referring to his relationship with the Winter Hawks’ ownership group. “We are doing a review of their entire operation and hope to have that completed by mid-April.”
Robison said he is determined to get “things turned around” in Portland.
As he pointed out, it was the Winter Hawks who annually seemed to lead the WHL in attendance before the Calgary Hitmen developed such a following.
“We’re confident the (Portland) market is strong,” Robison said.
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FRIDAY IN THE WHL:
The first games are over. All series resume Saturday in the same venues, with the exception of the series between the Calgary Hitmen and Moose Jaw Warriors. With the Calgary Flames playing at home Saturday night, the Hitmen and Warriors will resume hostilities Sunday afternoon in the Pengrowth Saddledome. . .
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In Vancouver, the defending Memorial Cup-champion Giants opened defence of their championship with a 2-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Giants are 32-9 going back to the start of the 2006 playoffs. . . . The Giants took out the Bruins in five games last season and won eight of 10 games between the teams this season. . . . RW Michal Repik had a goal and an assist for the Giants. He got the game’s first goal at 16:10 of the first period. . . . Vancouver captain Spencer Machacek made it 2-0 on the PP at 12:34 of the second. . . . Chilliwack F Oscar Moller got that PP goal back at 1:49 of the third. . . . Chilliwack G Mark Friesen stopped 31 shots. . . . Vancouver’s Tyson Sexsmith stopped 23 shots. . . . Chilliwack was 1-for-3 on the PP; the Giants were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 8,076. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., the Americans celebrated their first regular-season championship by opening with a 6-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Americans, who have bowed out in the first round each of the last three seasons, broke a scoreless tie with four second-period goals, the first from RW Radek Meidl at 1:14. . . . LW Colton Yellow Horn, who led the WHL with 48 regular-season goals, scored twice for the Americans and added an assist. . . . Tri-City was 3-for-10 on the PP; the Blazers, who took 61 of 110 penalty minutes, were 0-for-4. . . . The Americans have won their last six games. . . . Kamloops has one victory in its last 16 games. . . . F Shaun Vey had three assists for the Americans. . . . Attendance was 3,676. . . . This one ended with Tri-City head coach Don Nachbaur exchanging greetings with Kamloops interim head coach Greg Hawgood. After both coaches made postgame radio appearances, Hawgood tried to initiate a conversation with Nachbaur but the Tri-City boss didn’t seem overly interested in listening. . . . “I just didn’t like the way the end of the game happened,” Nachbaur said. “I’ve been on the other side of the scoreboard too so I know how he felt.” . . . Hawgood also appeared to exchange pleasantries with some fans near game’s end. However, when asked about it at game’s end, he said: “No. No, I wasn’t.” . . . Kamloops C Alex Rodgers (flu) didn’t make the trip south. . . .
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In Spokane, LW Drayson Bowman scored two goals to lead the Chiefs to a 5-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Chiefs, who were 26-7-0-3 at home during the regular season, didn’t disappoint 4,732 fans in Game 1. . . . Everett has lost its last six games. . . . The Chiefs were 4-for-8 on the PP; the Silvertips were 1-for-3. . . . Spokane scored its first three PP goals in a 5:18 span of the first period to go up 3-0. . . . In the regular season, the Chiefs’ PP was 4-for-45 against Everett. . . . Spokane got 26 saves from G Dustin Tokarski. . . . Everett G Leland Irving was beaten four times on 19 shots before Shaye Barrie took over early in the second period. . . . Everett D Taylor Ellington returned after missing 21 games with a broken foot. . . .
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In Seattle, RW Brady Leavold’s PP goal at 7:21 of the third period broke a 2-2 tie as the Kelowna Rockets got past the Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Leavold pulled the Rockets into a 2-2 tie at 19:46 of the second period. . . . Kelowna C Colin Long, who lost the scoring title by one point on the last day of the regular season, drew three assists for Kelowna. . . . D Tyson Barrie, the fine 16-year-old who runs the Kelowna PP, drew two assists as the Rockets went 2-for-5 with the man advantage. . . . Seattle was 2-for-4 on the PP. . . . G Kris Westblom got the start and made 27 saves for Kelowna, four more than Seattle’s Riku Helenius. . . . Attendace was 3,002. . . . Kelowna has won five straight postseason games in Seattle. . . .
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In Calgary, D Ryan Gillen scored on the home team’s first shot and the Hitmen went on to a 5-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Hitmen won four of five in the season series. . . . D Paul Postma scored 52 seconds after Gillen and the Hitmen were rolling with a 2-0 lead before the game was four minutes old. . . . Gillen had two goals in the regular season. . . . Moose Jaw G Joey Perricone stopped 33 shots. . . . Postma also had two assists. . . . Calgary G Dan Spence stopped 18 shots. . . . With the Flames at home Saturday night, Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. . . . Attendance was 8,713. . . .
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In Regina, the Pats had their physical and defensive games in gear as they scored a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Regina is 9-2-1-0 in its last 12 games. . . . Attendance was 5,945. . . . On the game’s first shift, Regina RW Brett Leffler checked Swift Current D Michael Wilson behind one net. Wilson was helped off and didn’t return. . . . Regina’s Colten Teubert and Swift Current’s Zack Smith exchanged first-period goals. . . . C Tim Kraus got the winner on a Regina PP at 5:16 of the second period. . . . Swift Current G Travis Yonkman was sharp, with 33 saves. . . . Regina G Linden Rowat stopped 19 shots. . . Regina was 2-for-7 on the PP; Swift Current, minus Wilson, who runs their PP, was 0-for-7. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes got power-play goals from F Dwight King and F Zach Boychuk just over a minute part in the third period to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . F Tyler Dittmer had given Brandon the lead at 3:12 of the third period. . . . Lethbridge got 27 saves from G Juha Metsola in his first playoff appearance. . . . The Hurricanes were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-for-5. . . . Attendance was 4,123. . . . Brandon G Joe Caligiuri was outstanding in a 22-save effort. . . . Brandon D Chad Erb returned after missing 12 games with a broken wrist. . .
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In Medicine Hat, C Ben Maxwell scored twice, the last one into an empty net, as the Kootenay Ice opened with a 5-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . This is the first time these teams have met in the playoffs. . . . Attendance was 3,903, 103 under capacity (4,006), ending a streak of 228 consecutive sellouts (regular season and playoffs) for the Tigers. . . . F Steve Da Silva got the Ice started with a goal 2:49 of the first period. . . . The visitors led 3-1 after the first period. . . . D Chad Greenan and F Dustin Sylvester each drew two assists for the Ice. . . . The Ice won the regular series with the Tigers, 4-2, and was 2-1 in The Hat. . . . Kootenay was 2-for-2 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-for-4.