Some Twitter tidbits from Saturday’s two WHL playoff games . . .
Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow): ”Heading back to Saskatoon for Game 7 as the Pats win at home for first time in series. Count on usual suspects to keep the party going. Alexander Suzdalev scores twice, Connor Bedard brings in a goal, 3 assists, and Stanislav Svozil secures 3 helpers.” . . . “Suzdalev extends point streak to 7 with two goals, seventh multigoal game this season. Svozil also a point in 7 straight. Recorded six games of at least 3 assists during the season. Add another 4 points to Connor Bedard, 19 in series. Bowen Byram led playoffs in 2019 with 26.” . . .
Brandow, again: “The Portland Winterhawks are moving on thanks to an overtime goal from Robbie Fromm-Delorme, team’s first OT win to clinch since a CQF win against Seattle in 2015. First career postseason goal, scoring for 8th time. Gabe Klassen, James Stefan whip up G & A.” . . .
Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “Kamloops and Portland faced off in 8 playoff series between 1984 and 1995 and just 2 since. Hawks won in 2012 and 2013, Blazers last won in 1995. Kamloops will be the heavy favorite this time around.”
Winterhawks historian Andy Kemper (@AndyKemper): “The OT winner for Robbie Fromm-Delorme was the first series-clinching goal on home ice in OT in Winterhawks franchise history. They had clinched four road series in OT before, but never on home ice.”
Is that Scotty Bowman in the front row on the right side of the photo?
WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:
The Regina Pats and the Blades will settle their first-round series tonight when they play Game 7 in Saskatoon. Yes, there will be a healthy crowd in SaskTel Centre. . . . In the Pats’ last five visits to Saskatoon, announced attendance has totalled 62,497. . . . If Saskatoon wins, the Blades will meet the Red Deer Rebels in the second round, with the Winnipeg Ice facing the Moose Jaw Warriors. A Regina victory sends the Pats to Winnipeg and Moose Jaw to Red Deer. . . .
Lucas Punkari of the Brandon Sun notes: Regina’s last Game 7 win was over Swift Current in the 2017 Quarters . . . Swift Current got its revenge in the 2018 first round . . . Saskatoon’s last Game 7 win was over Regina in the 2000 first round . . . The Blades lost Game 7s in the first round to Lethbridge in 2009 and Brandon in 2002. . . .
Michael Ball, who posted the above tweet, was doing play-by-play of Saturday’s game between Saskatoon and Regina when the Pats scored a third-period goal that originally was declared a goal, then was reversed on video review, then was allowed to stand after another video review. . . . The WHL Supervisor for the game was Tim Tisdale, a former Pats assistant coach and head coach (1998-2000). It was Tisdale who asked Access Communications if they had more angles than the WHL video review booth of the play in question. . . . You have to think that didn’t sit well with the Blades and their supporters. . . . Tisdale, of course, scored the winning goal in OT that gave the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the host Blades in the 1989 Memorial Cup final. . . . Now there are rumblings that former Blades head coach Marcel Comeau will be the WHL Supervisor for Game 7. . . .
There was an interesting situation at the CN Centre in Prince George before the Cougars and Tri-City Americans hooked up for Game 6 of their first-round series on Sunday. . . . The CN Centre’s Twitter account posted: “Due to the Easter holiday, our concessions were not able to schedule extra staff to accommodate the packed arena. For tonight’s playoff game only, guests may bring in outside food. Outside beverages of any kind are still not permitted.” . . . Of course, outside food in an arena seems to be a real delicacy these days, doesn’t it?
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SUNDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (5) at Prince George (4) — F Chase Wheatcroft scored in OT as the 
Prince George Cougars beat the visiting Tri-City Americans, 5-4, to advance to the second round. . . . The Cougars won the series, 4-2, by winning the last three games, the first two of which were played in Kennewick, Wash. . . . This will be the Cougars’ first time in the second round since 2007. . . . Wheatcroft’s third goal of the series came from the right side off a 2-on-1 break at 2:31 of OT. This was Wheatcroft’s 50th goal this season; he had 47 in the regular season. . . . The Cougars’ victory means the Western Conference’s top four seeds all have advanced. The No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds will meet the No. 4 Cougars in the second round and will follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format, while the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers face the No. 3 Portland Winterhawks. . . . Those series will open Friday in Kent, Wash., and Kamloops. . . . The Cougars took a quick 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Riley Heidt (2), at 4:51, and F Cole Dubinsky (3), at 7:57. . . . Heidt also had two assists. . . . F Reese Belton (2), who was celebrating his 21st birthday, got the Americans to within a goal at 12:23, but F Fischer O’Brien (1) got that one back for the Cougars at 17:05. . . . Tri-City tied it on second-period goals by F Ethan Ernst (1), at 0:17, and F Tyson Greenway (5), at 17:18. . . . Prince George F Zac Funk (4) broke the 3-3 tie at 2:02 of the third period. . . . The Americans pulled even again at 13:34 on a goal by F Jake Sloan (3). . . . Each team was 0-for-1 on the PP. For the series, the Cougars were 1-for-15; the Americans were 1-for-17. . . . G Ty Young recorded the victory with 34 saves, two more than Tri-City’s Tomas Suchanek. . . . The announced attendance was 5,383, the third-largest crowd in Prince George this season. A visit by F Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats on Dec. 2 drew 6,027, 5,880 showed up for the Cougars’ last home game of the regular season against the Kamloops Blazers on March 25.
With the 10th anniversary of her kidney transplant within in sight, Dorothy is taking part in her 10th straight Kamloops Kidney Walk. So, yes, she is fund-raising. . . . The 2023 Walk is scheduled for June 4. . . . If you would like to donate to her cause, you are able to do so right here.
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If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:
Living Kidney Donor Program
St. Paul’s Hospital
6A Providence Building
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-9027
Toll free: 1-877-922-9822
Fax: 604-806-9873
Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca
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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney
Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182
kidneydonornurse@vch.ca
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Or, for more information, visit right here.
TAKING NOTE 