Monday's musings . . .

F Carter Bancks of the Lethbridge Hurricanes is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had four goals in two games as the Hurricanes completed a sweep of the Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference final. . . . The OHL’s championship final, featuring the Kitchener Rangers and Belleville Bulls, opens in Kitchener on Wednesday. The best-of-seven series will switch cities each game and will continue every second night until a winner is decided. . . . The QMJHL final, between the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Gatineau Olympiques, opens Friday and Saturday with the Huskies holding home-ice advantage. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Gatineau on May 6 and 7. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald is reporting that the Silvertips may lose their captain. D Jonathan Harty, who is eligible to return as a 20-year-old, has told Patterson that he is seriously considering going to school, heading for either the U of New Brunswick in Fredericton or St. Mary’s U in Halifax. Harty, one of the WHL’s premier defencemen, told Patterson that he is disappointed that professional opportunities haven’t been afforded him. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders have added Evan Lindsay, 28, to their coaching staff as goaltending consultant. Lindsay, who played for the Raiders from 1996-2000, was named by fans to the team’s all-time first all-star team in 2001. He went on to a seven-season pro career. A firefighter, Lindsay lives in Calgary. . . .
————————
Of course, the Tri-City Americans and Spokane Chiefs worked overtime again Monday night. It was Game 6 of the Western Conference final and they went to overtime for the fifth time. . . . The cheering you heard was coming from Lethbridge, where the Hurricanes are preparing to head west — they leave Wednesday — and meet the survivor in the WHL’s championship final that should start Friday. . . . The Hurricanes will be pulling for more overtime in Game 7. . . .
———
In Spokane, C Kruise Reddick’s power-play goal at 4:39 of overtime gave the Tri-City Americans a 2-1 victory over the Chiefs to force Game 7 in the Western Conference final. . . . The deciding game will be played Tuesday night in the Toyota Center at Kennewick, Wash. Tickets are to go on sale at 7 a.m. . . . Fans should show up prepared to stay late — five of the first six games have gone to OT, with three of them being decided in double OT.. . . . Through six games, the Chiefs have won the odd-numbered games, the Americans have won the even-numbered games. . . . The Americans are 6-3 in Spokane this season. . . . The Chiefs are 4-5 in Kennewick. . . . The Chiefs have outscored the Americans 10-9 over the first six games. . . . Spokane D Jared Spurgeon was penalized for hooking Tri-City F Taylor Procyshen at 3:13 of OT. . . . Reddick scored his third goal of these playoffs with assists from F Shaun Vey and D T.J. Fast. . . . Just moments earlier, Spokane G Dustin Tokarski, who made 19 saves, had robbed Tri-City LW Colton Yellow Horn. . . . Tri-City G Chet Pickard turned aside 35 shots in winning for the 57th time this season. . . . Spokane F Judd Blackwater, who had two goals in Game 5, opened the scoring at 4:09 of the first period. The Americans had just killed off a Spokane PP when Blackwater scored from the high slot. . . . Tri-City D Brett Plouffe hit the inside of the left post on a second-period power play. . . . F Petr Stoklasa, with his first WHL playoff goal, tied it at 18:32 of the second period. He, too, scored from the high slot. . . . Stoklasa is the 17th Tri-City player to score in these playoffs. . . . Spokane had what it thought was a goal waved off about a minute before Stoklasa’s goal when referee Derek Zalaski ruled the whistle had gone before the puck entered the net. . . . Tri-City went on the PP at 13:39 of the third period after D Tyler Schmidt was high-sticked by F David Rutherford. . . . Spokane is 2-for-39 on the PP; the Americans are 2-for-30. . . . The Chiefs elevated their game in the third period and outshot the Americans, 14-1. . . . Attendance was 8,108. . . . The Americans were without F Drew Hoff, one of their top playoff performers and a player who provides them with a lot of energy. He was injured early in the second period of Game 5 on a hit by Blackwater.