Western Conference waters awfully muddy

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
There are three nights and a total of 12 games left before the teams in the WHL’s Western Conference will have wrapped up the regular season.
It may take until the end of the last one, which features the Everett Silvertips at the Spokane Chiefs on Sunday night, for the playoff picture to become clear.
Oh, we know which eight teams will appear in the Western Conference playoffs; we’ve known that for months, thanks to the uncompetitive nature of the rebuilding Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent) and Prince George Cougars.
But of the eight teams that will perform in the first round of the playoffs only the Vancouver Giants know where they will finish — second — but have no idea who will be their opening opponent.
As Spokane Chiefs head coach Hardy Sauter told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review earlier this week: “There’s no way to predict how it’s all going to play out. It does make it easier to win your games and take care of your own spot and let everything shake itself out.”
Sauter‘s Chiefs are fourth in the Western Conference at the moment, but could finish first, third, fourth or fifth depending on how things shake out over this final weekend.
The Kamloops Blazers, meanwhile, haven’t played since Sunday, when they beat the visiting Cougars, 4-3. While Kamloops, which has won two in a row and four of five, was idle, it fell into a tie for seventh place with the Chilliwack Bruins, who posted two 7-4 victories in Prince George.
The Cougars, then, will take a 15-game losing streak into tonight’s game with the Blazers at Interior Savings Centre. Game time is 7 o’clock.
The Blazers will conclude their regular season on Saturday in Vancouver in what could prove to be an interesting matchup, considering that Kamloops drubbed the visiting Giants 6-1 on March 5.
The Bruins finish up their season at home to the Portland Winterhawks tonight and in Everett against the Silvertips on Saturday.
And let’s not forget the Kelowna Rockets, who are in sixth place but just two points ahead of the Blazers and Bruins. Kelowna is in Vancouver tonight and entertains Prince George on Saturday.
Should Kamloops end up tied with either Kelowna or Chilliwack, the first tiebreaker is regular-season victories. Going into tonight, Kelowna has won 33 games; the Blazers and Bruins are at 32.
The second tiebreaker is regular-season games between the teams and the Blazers hold the edge over both Kelowna and Chilliwack, having gone 6-2-0-0 against the Rockets and 5-3-0-0 versus the Bruins.
While some observers ponder the three S’s — the standings, schedule and stars — the coaches just go on coaching. In the case of Guy Charron, the Blazers’ head coach is doing what he has done since taking over the team on Nov. 23 — looking for consistency.
“Our effort has to be more consistent,” said Charron, who signed a two-year contract Wednesday. “Going into the playoffs, the teams that have success are teams that, whether they’re on a roll or not, they’re playing a brand of of hockey that allows them to be successful.
It is important, then, that the Blazers reach that level over their last two games. And, said Charron, that is a level he has seen in recent games, particularly a 6-3 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Feb. 27 and the afore-mentioned victory over the Giants.
“If we go into (tonight’s) game and play the brand of hockey that we need to play in the playoffs, that would be my goal,” Charron said. “If we play hard and play well against P.G. and Vancouver, whatever that leads us to in the playoffs, we’ll live with it.
“But we need that consistency.”
The Blazers may get a boost tonight from the return of defenceman Ryan Funk, who is the team captain. If he doesn’t play tonight, Funk, who has missed 11 games with an ankle injury, almost certainly will play Saturday.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

SCOUTINGREPORT
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS at KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
Today, 7 p.m., Interior Savings Centre (Radio NL 610)

PRINCE GEORGE (11-56-1-2): After playing here tonight, the Cougars wrap up their season Saturday against the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . The Cougars were at home Tuesday and Wednesday to the Chilliwack Bruins, twice losing 7-4 to run their losing streak to 15. . . . F Troy Bourke, the 26th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft, scored twice in Tuesday’s game — it was his second WHL game — and added another Wednesday. Bourke, 15, finished second in the Alberta midget AAA league scoring race. He led the league with 27 goals. . . . F Brett Connolly, the CHL’s rookie of the year last season, returned from a hip injury to play in both games. He hadn’t played since Dec. 5 when he re-aggravated the injury in Kamloops. . . . The Cougars played here Sunday, losing 4-3. . . . Former Blazers F Alex Rodgers, 20, was named the Cougars’ MVP prior to their final home game of the season. He leads them in goals (20), assists (36) and points (56). . . . Former Blazers D Garrett Thiessen, 20, was named the Cougars’ most-dedicated player. . . . F Spencer Asuchak, who is from Kamloops, got the fans’ choice award. . . . Injuries: D Kurt Torbohm (broken hand, out), D Jesse Forsberg (shoulder, out).
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KAMLOOPS (32-32-2-4): The Blazers haven’t played since Sunday when they beat the visiting Cougars, 4-3. . . . The Blazers will close out the regular season on Saturday night in Vancouver against the Giants. A victory and a loss will leave them with the same record as last season — 33-33-2-4. . . . If head coach Guy Charron is smiling more than usual tonight, it may be because of the two-year contract he has tucked in his hip pocket. The deal was announced Wednesday. . . . The Blazers will open the playoffs on the road, likely on March 19 and 20, and likely against the Tri-City Americans, Vancouver, or the Everett Silvertips. . . . D Ryan Funk, the team captain, should play tonight. He has missed 11 games with an ankle injury. . . . G Kurtis Mucha is 107 saves short of the WHL career record for saves (Danny Lorenz, 6,958). . . . This will be the final regular-season home games for Funk, Mucha and C C.J. Stretch, all of whom are 20 years of age. . . . Stretch leads his team in goals (29), assists (48) and points (77). . . . It is Fan Appreciation Night, with numerous prizes to be handed out. The Blazers also will hand out individual awards prior to the game. . . . Injuries: D Ryan Funk (ankle, probable).
— GREGG DRINNAN