Mason Wilgosh scored two goals and added an assist Wednesday as the Tri-City Americans swept their Western Hockey League first-round playoff series against Vancouver with a 5-1 win over the Giants.
"They don't come too often for me, so it's always good to pot a couple," said Wilgosh, a 19-year-old Winnipeg native who produced a modest seven goals and 12 assists in 68 regular-season games.
The Americans ousted the Giants for the second straight year after eliminating Vancouver in the Western Conference final last spring. The loss marked the first time Giants coach Don Hay has seen his team swept since he was guiding the Americans in 1999-2000. Vancouver had not lost in the opening round since 2004-05.
The loss means Hay will have to wait at least another season before he claims the WHL's all-time playoff coaching win record. He is tied with former Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks coach Ken Hodge at 101.
"People can say, well, maybe we deserved a little bit better fate," Hay said. "Usually, when it's a short series, it means that the better team won.
"Tri-City was the better team. They were able to create more offensive opportunities. They were able to score on their power play and they were able to kill a lot of power plays. Their experience and their poise really came through tonight."
The Prince George Cougars were also eliminated Wednesday after a 4-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets.
Elsewhere in the WHL it was: Chilliwack 5 Spokane 4 (OT); Prince Albert 6 Saskatoon 3; Kootenay 5 Moose Jaw 0; and Portland 5 Everett 4.
At Vancouver, Jordan Messier, Carter Ashton and Justin Feser also scored for the Americans, who outshot the Giants 28-18.
Brendan Gallagher replied for the Giants. But Gallagher's penchant for penalties, mainly out of frustration, also cost his club.
The Americans went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Giants were blanked on three man-advantage opportunities.
Tri-City led 2-1 after the first period and a scoreless second before putting the game out of reach with two goals 21 seconds apart early in the third.
Messier opened the scoring just 2:11 into the game as he put in a loose puck with Vancouver goaltender Mark Segal flat on his belly.
Hay tried to shake up his team by scratching regulars Nathan Burns and Connor Redmond. However, the changes had little effect.
The Giants did not get their first shot on goal until the nine-minute mark, but Gallagher made it count. He broke down the wing on a two-on-one and, instead of passing, fired the puck over Americans' goaltender Drew Owsley's catching glove for a 1-1 tie.
The crowd of 7,064 let out a loud cheer in relief, but the Giants' penalty-killing unit, which surrendered three power-play goals on six man-advantage opportunities Tuesday, struggled again and left hosts trailing after 20 minutes.
Ashton gave Tri-City a 2-1 lead at 18:01 of the first as he put in a pass from Adam Hughesman, who had scored two power-play goals Tuesday. The marker came on Gallagher's second high-sticking penalty of the period.
The Americans put the game out of reach with two goals 21 seconds apart early in the third. Vancouver goaltender Segal misplayed Feser's harmless shot as the puck to hit his toe went into the net. Wilgosh then put in a long rebound after Segal shot the puck around the boards to the blue-line and had to hustle back to his net.
After the goal, Segal was pulled in favour of Brendan Jensen, who allowed Wilgosh's second goal on a shot through his legs in the final minute.
"It's not (Segal's fault) at all," said Giants winger Spencer Bennett. "Their third goal was just unfortunate. It was not his fault."
It was Tri-City's fifth win in six meetings with Vancouver, including regular season and playoffs.
"I thought they deserved better," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said of the Giants. "We could have been sitting 2-2 easy enough. So, yeah, as far as the sweep goes, it didn't feel like that at all. It was a nail-biter every game."
Rockets 4 Cougars 2
At Prince George, B.C., Shane McColgan scored twice and Kelowna finished a sweep of the Cougars.
Zak Stebner and Damon Severson also scored for the Rockets.
Sena Acolaste and Alex Forsberg replied for Prince George.
---
Bruins 5 Chiefs 4 (OT)
At Spokane,Wash., Lucas Gore made 54 saves and Kevin Sundher scored his second goal of the game in overtime as Chilliwack beat the Chiefs 5.
Ryan Howse and Robin Soudek also scored for Chilliwack.
Anthony Bardaro, Tyler Johnson and Cole Hamblin scored for Spokane.
Spokane leads the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final 2-1. Game 4 is Thursday in Spokane.
---
Raiders 6 Blades 3
At Prince Albert, Sask., Igor Revenko and Brandon Herrod each scored twice as the Raiders beat the top-ranked Blades.
Jordan Rowley and Justin Maylan also scored for the Raiders.
Josh Nicholls, Chris Collins and Matej Stransky replied for the Blades.
Saskatoon leads the series 2-1. Game 4 is Thursday in Prince Albert, Sask.
---
Ice 5 Warriors 0
At Moose Jaw, Sask., Nathan Lieuwen made 25 saves as Kootenay tied its Eastern Conference quarter-final with Moose Jaw at two games each.
Joe Antilla had two goals while Matt Fraser, Steele Boomer and Cody Eakin also scored.
Game 5 is Friday in Cranbrook, B.C.
---
Winterhawks 5 Silvertips 4
At Everett, Wash., Sven Bartschi had a goal and an assist as Portland took a commanding lead over the Silvertips in their Western Conference quarter-final.
Nino Niederreiter, Ty Rattie, Brad Ross and Ryan Johansen also scored for top-seeded Portland.
Rasmus Rissanen had two goals while Ryan Murray and Tyler Maxwell also scored for the Silvertips.
The Winterhawks lead the series 3-0 lead. Game 4 is Thursday in Everett.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment