Thursday . . .

If you’re looking for a chuckle, chug on over to Center Ice, Dylan Bumbarger’s blog, and check out his He HATE Me WHL Power Rankings. Nothing like a good, well-thought-out list to put a smile on my face. The rankings, which are more accurate than NHL Central Scouting’s, are right here.
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F Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitmen was named Thursday as the Eastern Conference’s finalist for the WHL player of the year award. Sonne, from Maple Ridge, B.C., had 100 points, including 48 goals, inn 62 regular-season games. His NHL rights belong to the St. Louis Blues, who selected him in the third round of the 2007 draft. . . . Sonne missed four playoff games with an injury but returned for Game 4 of the sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . C Casey Pierro-Zabotel of the Vancouver Giants is expected to be named the Western Conference finalist for the award at a news conference at Pacific Coliseum on Friday.
Meanwhile, D Ian Barteaux is the Eastern Conference finalist for the WHL humanitarian of the year award and Mike Bortolussi is is the conference’s nominee for the WHL marketing and communications award.
All award winners will be honoured April 29 at a luncheon in Edmonton. For ticket information, visit www.oilkings.ca.
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The Brandon Sun reports that the flu bug has made its way through the Wheat Kings’ dressing room while the team waited to start the Eastern Conference final against the Hitmen in Calgary. F Jesse Hall and D Ryley Miller, neither of whom has dressed for a playoff game, stayed at home with the flu when the Wheat Kings left for Calgary. The series opens Friday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie and F Aaron Lewadniuk, who missed practice time during the week, skated in Calgary on Thursday.
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F Matt Wilkins, 17, has agreed to play for the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters next season. I don’t know if he still is, but he was on the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ list earlier this season. Why do I mention him? Because he played this season for the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters. . . . This means that when next season ends, Wilkins will have played for the two teams with the greatest nicknames in the entire hockey world. . . . Smoke Eaters. . . . Dynamiters. . . . Nicknames don’t get any better than those.
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THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 4 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

x — if necessary.
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THE EAST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down (11-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in 5.
Alan Caldwell (11-1), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in 5.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser (10-2): Calgary, in 6.
Gregg Drinnan (10-2), Kamloops Daily News: Brandon, in 7.
Rob Vanstone (10-2), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (9-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary in 5.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Brandon, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Calgary, in 4.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Calgary, in 5.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Brandon, in 6.
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THE WEST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down, Calgary Herald: Kelowna, in 6.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser: Kelowna, in 6.
Alan Caldwell, Small Thoughts At Large: Vancouver, in 7.
Gregg Drinnan, Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 5.
Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post: Vancouver, in 6.
Cory Wolfe, Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Vancouver, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Kelowna, in 6.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Kelowna, in 6.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Kelowna, in 6.
NOTE: I missed the Sheldon, Russell, Bartel and Potenteau first-round picks. Their second-round records looked like this — Russell, 4-0; Bartel, 4-0; Potenteau, 3-1; Sheldon, 3-1.