Wednesday . . .

If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Prince Albert and Edmonton are tied, but P.A. has one more victory. A tie for the last playoff spot would result in a sudden-death playoff game. . . . Regina lost in Calgary, while Prince Albert won in Cranbrook and Edmonton won at home, so the Pats now are five points off the pace with eight games left. . . . Brandon is four points behind Saskatoon. The teams meet Friday and Saturday in Brandon and Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . Swift Current is one piont behind Medicine Hat. . . . Lethbridge is a point behind Kootenay. . . . And to make things even more interesting, Prince Albert and Edmonton are only four points behind Lethbridge.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Saskatoon at Brandon; Regina at Kootenay; Prince Albert at Medicine Hat; Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Edmonton at Swift Current.
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Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Spokane won 5-2 in Kamloops in what may have been a first-round preview. . . . Kelowna is one point behind Spokane, which is eight being Tri-City. . . .. Kamloops is two behind Seattle and three ahead of Everett.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Tri-City at Everett; Kamloops at Prince George; Kelowna at Red Deer; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
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THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 63 17 43 1 2 37
Chilliwack 65 15 43 2 5 37
Portland 61 16 41 2 2 36
Moose Jaw and Chilliwack both lost Wednesday night.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
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In Cranbrook, F James Dobrowolski scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Dobrowolski's first goal was his first in 18 games. He now has 10 goals this season. . . . The Raiders led this one 5-1 before the Ice scored PP goals late in the third. . . . Prince Albert G Garrett Zemlak stopped 39 shots.
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In Kamloops, LW Drayson Bowman scored his side’s first four goals as the Spokane Chiefs dropped the Blazers, 5-2. . . . Bowman, who has 39 goals this season, has three hat tricks this season. . . . The Chiefs won their 40th game. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 34 shots. . . . RW Brady Calla had three assists and C Ondrej Roman drew two as that line combined for nine points. . . . Spokane D Trevor Glass left in the second period with an apparent right shoulder injury. He initiated a check on Kamloops F Jimmy Bubnick early in the second period, left favouring his shoulder and didn’t return. The Chiefs already were without D Jared Cowen (knee) and D Stefan Ulmer (concussion).
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Mason Wilgosh and F Mitch Fadden each scored twice to help the host Tri-City Americans to an 8-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Wilgosh, who has six goals this season and nine in his two seasons, enjoyed the first multi-goal game of his career. . . . F Jason Reese added a goal and two assists for the Americans, who went 4-0 against the Bruins and outscored them 21-2 this season. . . . Tri-City D Riley McIntosh, who turned 19 on Wednesday, had one assist and was plus-5. . . . With a 6-1 lead, Tri-City head coach Don Nachbaur lifted G Chet Pickard and gave backup Brett Martyniuk some playing time. Martyniuk stopped all nine shots he saw. . . . The Americans have won six straight. . . . Pickard started his 21st straight game. . . . Chilliwack is without F Ryan Howse (shoulder), F Randy McNaught (ribs), F Matt Meropoulis (shoulder), F Jadon Potter (neck) and F David Robinson (concussion).
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In Everett, G Garry Nunn scored three times and G Tyson Sexsmith put up yet another shutout as the Vancouver Giants whipped the Silvertips, 8-0. . . . These teams last met on Jan. 24 when the host Giants won, 7-0. . . . The Giants have blanked Everett three times this season and outscored it 22-3 in four games. . . . Sexsmith made 29 saves in putting up his sixth shutout this season and the 26th of his career. He holds the CHL record for career shutouts. Including playoffs, Sexsmith now has 30 career shutouts. . . . “They're a good team,” Everett head coach John Becanic told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald. “They do everything well, they're deep at every position. Their 12th forward has 12 goals and 13 assists. Right now on our team that would put him in the top four forwards. Their depth up front is outrageous, their depth on the blue line is the best in the Western Hockey League, and Sexsmith is a goalie who won a Memorial Cup. If everybody knew how to figure them out they would have lost more games by now.” . . . Vancouver C Casey Pierro-Zabotel had one assist and now has a WHL-leading 106 points, three more than F Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen.
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In Brandon, G James Priestner turned aside 34 shots to help the Wheat Kings double the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . Brandon has won five straight games and is four points behind the Saskatoon Blades, who are the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Blades are in Brandon for games Friday and Saturday nights. . . . They play in Saskatoon on Tuesday. . . . Lethbridge scored first, when F Zac Boychuk got his 20th, but Brandon scored the next four goals. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola stopped 30 shots. . . . Brandon D Mark Schneider left in the second period with an arm injury. . . . According to Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun: “Lethbridge head coach Michael Dyck kept his team behind closed doors for 35 minutes after the game.”
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings kept pace with Prince Albert by dumping the Red Deer Rebels, 4-1. . . . F Brenden Dowd and F Tomas Vincour each scored twice for Edmonton. . . . Dowd scored his 25th at 3:49 of the first on the PP and Vincour followed with his 16th at 5:25, just two seconds after another PP had ended. . . . Each scored again in the second period. . . . Dowd also had an assist; he has 16 points over his last 14 games. . . . G Torrie Jung stopped 34 shots for Edmonton, losing his shutout bid when Jordie Deagle scored at 1:05 of the third. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Pleau wasn’t happy. “It was obviously key to get up 2-0,” he told the Edmonton Journal’s Mario Annicchiarico. “We got the power-play goal early and that was good , but . . . when your team gets outworked in every aspect of the game . . . We won because of Junger. I expect a little more than that at this time of the (season). I can handle losing at times, but when you get outworked and outcompeted, that’s unacceptable.”
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In Medicine Hat, the Kelowna Rockets struck for five first-period goals and went on to beat the Tigers, 6-1. . . . On Jan. 30, the Tigers visited Kelowna and the Rockets won, 10-1. . . . Kelowna scored on its first three shots on Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz, who was replaced by Ryan Holfeld. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored the last two of those goals 19 seconds apart. His 13th goal of the season at 6:40 gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. . . . Callahan also had two fights and was plus-3. . . . Kelowna F Spencer Main added his first career goal. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger made 17 saves.
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In Calgary, F Brett Sonne and F Joel Broda each scored twice as the Hitmen doubled the Regina Pats, 6-3. . . . Broda, the WHL’s leading sniper, has 49 goals. . . . Sonne has six two-goal games in his last 11 games. . . . Regina had a 2-1 lead in the middle of the first period when Sonne and Broda scored 3:33 apart. . . . Calgary, which has won 12 in a row, was nursing a 4-3 lead late in the second period when Broda and Sonne scored 1:41 apart. . . . Sonne has 46 goals on the season. . . . Calgary F Brandon Kozun picked up his 100th career assist as he ran his points streak to 16 games. . . . Regina G Linden Rowat stopped 44 shots, while Calgary’s Martin Jones turned aside 12 in getting victory No. 42. . . . The Hitmen announced that they will open the playoffs at home on March 19, with Game 2 there on March 22. . . . Calgary closes out the home portion of its schedule on Saturday against the Kelowna Rockets. The Hitmen will finish up on the road as the Canadian men’s curling championship takes over the Pengrowth Saddledome.
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In Saskatoon, the Blades doubled up on the Moose Jaw Warriors, 8-4. . . . Saskatoon got two goals from F Charles Inglis and three assists from F Milan Kytnar. . . . Saskatoon led 7-2 after the second period. . . . Inglis, in his first season, scored his goals 3:28 apart in the second period. It was his first two-goal game. He has eight goals. . . . While the Warriors were playing in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw citizens were voting in a referendum on a new facility. A majority (60 per cent) voted in favour of putting $34.5 million into a new $61-million multi-purpose facility.