The 2009-10 WHL regular season has reached its final week, and the races in both the Western and Eastern Conferences are going down to the wire.
In the Western Conference, three teams are still in the hunt for the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs. The Everett Silvertips and Tri-City Americans begin the week tied for first with 93 points, with the Spokane Chiefs still within reach at 89 points.
Everett has a slight edge in the race because the Tips have four games remaining while the Americans have just three. Spokane also has four games remaining, including two against Tri-City. Everett plays in Spokane on the season’s final day.
Portland, which is in fourth in the U.S. Division at 85 points, can still catch Spokane for third. However, the Winterhawks must make up four points with just three games remaining.
Vancouver has already clinched the B.C. Division title and will take the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference for the first round. Kelowna, Kamloops and Chilliwack are still jockeying for the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds. Kelowna is in sixth at 72 points with three games remaining, Kamloops is in seventh at 70 points with two games remaining, and Chilliwack is in eighth at 66 points with four games remaining.
The Eastern Conference also sees three teams still with a chance of grabbing the top seed. However, Central Division champion Calgary is in good position at 101 points, three points ahead of Brandon and six ahead of Saskatoon. Calgary and Brandon have three games remaining, Saskatoon has four.
Meanwhile, barring a Calgary collapse, Brandon and Saskatoon will slug it out for the East Division title and the No. 2 seed.
Three teams in the east are still fighting for the fourth seed and the final home-ice slot in the first round. Medicine Hat has passed struggling Kootenay and leads 86-85, with Red Deer at 83. Medicine Hat has two games remaining, Kootenay three and Red Deer four.
Moose Jaw has a three-point lead over Swift Current for seventh. Swift Current needs just one more point or one point dropped by Prince Albert to clinch the league’s final playoff berth.
In the event of ties, the first tiebreaker is total wins. If the tied teams have the same number of wins, then the second tiebreaker is head-to-head results.
Around the WHL
The Seattle Thunderbirds raised more than $130,000 during their 12th annual Hockey Challenge. The proceeds go to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington. … Brandon’s Brayden Schenn signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The Kings selected the 18-year-old forward fifth overall in last year’s NHL draft. … The Portland Winterhawks inducted their first class into their new hall of fame. The inaugural class includes former owner and general manager Brian Shaw, former coach and general manager Ken Hodge, former player Dennis Holland and former trainer Innes Mackie. … Kelowna’s Brandon McMillan was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old forward had two goals and five assists as the Rockets went 3-0. … Spokane’s Tyler Johnson was named the WHL Player of the Month for February. The 19-year-old forward had 10 goals and 14 assists in 13 games.
League leaders
Points — Jordan Eberle (Regina) 102; goals — Kyle Beach (Spokane) 51; assists — Brandon Kozun (Calgary) 67; penalty minutes — Brad Ross (Portland) 193; wins — James Reid (Spokane) 35; goals against average — Martin Jones (Calgary) 2.24; save percentage — Thomas Heemskerk (Everett) .926.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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