Saturday . . .

Darryl Porter, one of the owners of the Chilliwack Bruins, returned to the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday for the first time in a while. In fact, Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald, reports that Porter hadn’t been back since he sold the Americans to former WHL/NHL players Olaf Kolzig and Stu Barnes in April 2005. . . . Fowler also reports that Porter refused two requests for interviews on Saturday, “in front of a half-dozen of his players outside the Bruins locker room.” . . . The Bruins were in Kennewick for Games 1 and 2 of their first-round playoff series with the Tri-City Americans.
Later, Fowler wrote:
When Porter and his ownership group of NHL heavyweights Brian Burke and Glen
Sather sold the team in 2005, he had kind parting words.
“I would hope the people in the Tri-Cities are really excited,” Porter said
in April 2005. “I would be the happiest guy if this works out for them. I
really commend Stu and Olie for stepping up. They were good ambassadors for
us, and they will be good owners for the community.”
So why no interview?
Maybe things haven’t gone the way Porter envisioned when he was awarded a
franchise in Chilliwack. In four years, the team has made the playoffs three
times. This season the Bruins set records for wins, points and goals scored.
But, the team’s attendance has dropped 20 per cent since last season.”
For more, check right here to see if/when Fowler’s story is posted.
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Former WHL linesman Kelly Reitenbach was killed in an avalanche Friday while snowmobiling near Revelstoke, B.C. Reitenbach, 31, spent seven years working as a WHL linesman. At the time of his death, he was working in the oil industry in Alaska. There is more right here.
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F Carter Ashton of the Regina Pats scored his first professional goal for the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals on Friday night. There’s more right here.
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FIRST ROUND
Conference Quarterfinals
(Best-of-7)
(all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Moose Jaw leads series 2-0)
Saturday: Moose Jaw 4 at Calgary 1
Monday: Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
———
Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Swift Current home games to be played in Regina)
(Brandon leads series 2-0)
Saturday: Swift Current 3 at Brandon 5
Tuesday: Brandon at Swift Current (at Regina), 7 p.m.
———
Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon leads series 1-0)
Saturday: Red Deer 0 at Saskatoon 3
Sunday: Red Deer at Saskatoon, 6:05 p.m.
———
Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Kootenay leads series 2-0)
Saturday: Medicine Hat 0 at Kootenay 4
Tuesday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City leads series 2-0)
Saturday: Chilliwack 1 at Tri-City 8
Tuesday: Tri-City at Chilliwack, 7 p.m.
———
Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver leads series 2-0)
Saturday: Kamloops 3 at Vancouver 6
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
———
Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Everett leads series 2-0)
Saturday: Kelowna 2 at Everett 5
Tuesday: Everett at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
———
Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Spokane leads series 1-0)
Saturday: Spokane 5 at Portland 4
Sunday: Spokane at Portland, 5 p.m.
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SATURDAY:
In Vancouver, the Giants scored two PP goals in the last three minutes of the second period and went on to beat the Kamloops Blazers, 6-3. . . . The Giants had won the opener 4-3 in OT on Friday. . . . The Blazers twice held one-goal leads, getting the game’s first goal from F Brendan Ranford, at 3:37 of the first period, and a second-period PP goal from F C.J. Stretch. . . . Vancouver F Craig Cunningham, who finished with two goals and three assists, scored at 3:53 of the first. . . . F Brendan Gallagher, at 17:34 of the second, and D Kevin Connauton, 1:54 later, put the Giants out front. . . . They iced it when Cunningham got his second of the game, and fourth in two games, at 3:58 of the third and F James Henry added another just 16 seconds later. . . . Gallagher finished with a goal and three helpers. . . . Cunningham, who didn’t score in his last nine regular-season games, leads the WHL in goals (4) and points (7) after two playoff games. . . . The Giants, who were 0-for-9 on the PP in the opener, were 3-for-7 in this one, while the Blazers were 1-for-6. . . . Kamloops G Kurtis Mucha stopped 23 of 28 shots before being lifted in favour of Jon Groenheyde, who turned aside seven of eight. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 21 shots. . . . Attendance was 7,082. . . . The Blazers, who requested the addition of three assists to goals in Friday’s game, asked for two more assist additions after Saturday’s game. . . . The Blazers are 5-38 in playoff games since reaching the WHL final in the spring of 1999. They also have lost 17 straight playoff games. . . . The series shifts to Kamloops for games Tuesday and Wednesday.
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin scored three times and set up another as the host Tri-City Americans beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 8-1. . . . The Americans had won the opener, 4-2, on Friday. . . . The Americans scored Game 2’s first eight goals. . . . F Todd Kennedy scored twice, while F Adam Hughesman and F Justin Feser each had three assists. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 28 shots before being replaced by Alex Pechruskiy, who stopped seven of eight. He lost the shutout when F Roman Horak scored on a penalty shot at 14:42 of the third period. . . . Tri-City head coach Jim Hiller made the goaltending move after Chilliwack F Brendan Persley was penalized for goaltender interference at 11:03 of the third period. Owsley was making his second start since returning from a concussion. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore, who played the first two periods, and Braden Gamble combined to make 24 saves. . . . The Americans were 6-for-9 -- yes, 6-for-9 -- on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-3. . . . Tri-City had D Tyler Schmidt back in the lineup after he served a one-game suspension. . . . Attendance was 3,505. . . . The teams now head for Chilliwack and games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
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In Everett, F Shane Harper had two goals and an assist to help the Silvertips to a 5-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Everett won the opener, 5-4 in OT, on Friday. . . . F Chris Langkow and D Ryan Murray had a goal and two assists each for the winners. . . . F Markus McCrea broke a 1-1 tie at 10:58 of the second period and Harper added his second goal at 13:19. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 24 shots; Kelowna’s Adam Brown made 26 saves. . . . Thomas Heemskerk, the other half of Everett’s great goaltending tandem, had gone the distance in Game 1. . . . Everett was 2-for-6 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 5,032. . . . Everett D Radek Gudas, a Western Conference all-star, left in the first period with an upper body injury. The Silvertips say he is out day-to-day. . . . The series resumes in Kelowna with games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . In an interesting tidbit from this series, Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that when Rockets head coach Ryan Huska played the only NHL game of his career with Chicago (1997-98), the Blackhawks’ head coach was Craig Hartsburg, who now is the head coach in Everett.
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In Portland, the Spokane Chiefs scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Winterhawks, 5-4, to open their series. . . . This was the Winterhawks’ first playoff game since the spring of 2006 when they beat out the Seattle Thunderbirds in seven games and then lost to the Vancouver Giants in five games. . . . The second game is scheduled for Sunday in Portland. The Chiefs have home-ice advantage in a 2-3-1-1 format necessitated by the NCAA basketball tournament taking over the arena in Spokane for this weekend. . . . The Winterhawks got the game’s first two goals, from F Stefan Schneider, at 2:47 of the first period, and D Taylor Aronson, on the PP, eight minutes later. . . . Spokane F Kyle Beach, who was on crutches after a game a week earlier, score a PP goal four minutes into the second period and F Steve Kuhn tied it at 6:03. . . . Observers report that Beach appeared to be moving “gingerly” at times. . . . The Winterhawks regained the two-goal lead on second-period scores by F Brad Ross (15:37) and D Luca Sbisa (19:24). . . . Spokane D Stefan Ulmer got a PP goal at 4:37 of the third period and F Tyler Johnson tied it at 6:25. . . . Beach, who led the WHL with 52 goals in the regular season, got the winner on a 30-footer at 18:32. Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston said the shot deflected off Sbisa’s stick. . . . F Ryan Johansen and F Nino Niederreiter each had three assists for Portland. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 27 shots, seven more than Portland’s Mac Carruth. . . . The Chiefs were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 1-for-1. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 6,517. . . . It’s playoff time, so D Eric Doyle was in Portland’s lineup. He had been out with a concussion since taking a hit from Tri-City F Todd Kennedy on Feb. 23 and, according to GM/head coach Mike Johnston, hadn’2t participated in any contact drills.
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In Calgary, G Jeff Bosch stopped 30 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . The Warriors, the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed, went into Calgary and took two games from the top-seeded Hitmen. Bosch stopped 48 shots in a 4-2 victory on Thursday. . . . These teams now have played six times this season, with the Warriors winning four times. . . . Games 3 and 4 will be played in Moose Jaw on Monday and Tuesday. . . . The Warriors scored three first-period goals, with F Jason Bast opening the scoring at 1:27. F Antonin Honejsek added another at 16:40 and F Dylan Hood made it 3-0 at 19:32. . . . Bast got his second of the game, and third in two games, just eight seconds into the third period. . . . F Kris Foucault scored for Calgary at 1:07 of the third. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 25 shots. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-for-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 10,126.
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In Brandon, F Jay Fehr broke a 3-3 tie at 14:54 of the third period as the Wheat Kings scored a 5-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings, who won 5-2 on Friday, had taken a 3-1 lead with two PP goals early in the third period, F Aaron Lewadniuk scoring at 4:32 and D Travis Hamonic finding the range at 7:22. . . . Fehr drew an assist on each of those goals. . . . Swift Current tied it on goals by F Justin Dowling, at 8:41, and F Stepan Novotny, at 10:24. . . . Lewadniuk added insurance at 18:55. . . . Brandon was 3-for-8 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-5. . . . Brandon G Jacob DeSerres stopped 20 shots, 16 fewer than the Broncos’ Mark Friesen. . . . Attendance was 3,821. . . . With the Ford women’s world curling championship taking over the arena in Swift Current, the Broncos will play their home games in Regina. Games 3 and 4 are there on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
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In Saskatoon, G Steven Stanford stopped 24 shots and F Gaelan Patterson scored two first-period goals to help the Blades to a 3-0 victory over the Red Deer Rebels in Game 1 of their series. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday in Saskatoon. . . . The Rebels missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons. . . . F Curt Gogal scored the game’s first goal, also in the first period. . . . Saskatoon had three veteran players back in the lineup -- F Curtis Hamilton (broken collarbone), D Jyri Niemi (broken finger) and D Teigan Zhan (broken leg). All three had been out with long-term injuries. . . . Attendance was 4,443. . . . Stanford, who was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders early in the season, was making his first WHL playoff appearance.
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In Cranbrook, G Todd Mathews stopped 20 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . F Kevin King scored twice, giving him three goals in the Ice’s two victories. . . . F Max Reinhart and F Elgin Pearce also scored. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 25 shots. . . . The Ice was 2-for-7 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-5. . . . Attendance was 2,452. . . . The series will resume in Medicine Hat on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . A note from Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman: “Through the first two games, the Tigers, the league's second-highest scoring team in the regular season, have been out-scored 10-2, gone 0-12 on the power play, and haven't scored since 17:07 of the first period of Game 1.”