Music: {allcanada} WHL: REINHART SCORES FIVE GOALS, ICE CRUSH TIGERS TO ADVANCE

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

{allcanada} WHL: REINHART SCORES FIVE GOALS, ICE CRUSH TIGERS TO ADVANCE

CRANBROOK, B.C. -- Kootenay forward Max Reinhart tied a Western Hockey League playoff record with five goals and the Ice hammered the Medicine Hat Tigers 7-2 Wednesday to sweep the Eastern Conference final in four games.

Reinhart is the fourth player in WHL history to score five goals in a playoff game, joining Dave Chartier, Don Nachbaur and Dave Kryskow.

The Ice will face the winner of the Western Conference final between Spokane and Portland in the league final.

Cody Eakin had Kootenay's other two goals to increase his goal-scoring streak to five games. Matt Fraser added three assists.

Kellan Tochkin and Cole Grbavac replied for the Tigers.

The Ice opened the scoring at 6:20 of the first period as Reinhart's long shot was stopped by Medicine Hat goalie Tyler Bunz. However, Bunz didn't know the puck was loose behind him in the crease and Reinhart jumped behind him to put the puck into the net.

Brayden McNabb assisted on the goal, tying a franchise playoff record with a nine-game point streak.

The Ice made it 2-0 on a 2 on-1 break at 11:18 as Joe Antilla fed it to Reinhart, who scored with a one-time wrist shot high on to Bunz's glove side.

Reinhart completed his first-period hat trick less than two minutes later as he received a behind the net feed from Fraser and beat Bunz with a quick shot, forcing Medicine Hat to call a time out.

It was the second playoff hat trick by the Ice this season and the ninth in franchise history.

The Tigers got on the board at 14:17 of the first when Tochkin scored with a wrist shot from the top of the circle that surprised goalie Nathan Lieuwen.

The Ice regained their three-goal lead late in the first on another odd man rush. Kevin King got a backhand shot on the Tigers' net and Eakin put in the rebound.

The Tigers cut the lead to 4-2 4:42 into the second period as Wacey Hamilton fed a wide open Grbavac.

Kootenay then made it 5-2 as Hayden Rintoul's point shot was stopped, but Eakin put in the rebound. That was it for Bunz, who was replaced by Deven Dubyk.

Reinhart scored a short-handed goal at 9:15 of the second as he picked up the puck at centre ice and went in on a breakaway, beating Dubyk through his pads.

Reinhart capped his scoring outburst with his second straight short-handed goal 4:50 into the third as he leaned into a backhand shot that beat Dubyk high on his glove side.

Drew Czerwonka, who left Game 3 on a stretcher, was cleared to play by the medical staff by didn't play due to soreness. Czerwonka fell into the end boards head first and then was taken to hospital, where X-rays showed no problems.

The Ice have now won 11 playoffs games in a row. The WHL record is 12, which has been done five times.