Seattle versus Kelowna in the playoffs is becoming a tradition. This was the ninth time these two teams have faced each other in the postseason since 2001. The Thunderbirds have now won five of those series, including three in row. In fact, Seattle has ended the Rockets season in three of the last five WHL postseasons.
The series went just five games but the last two went overtime before being decided and the last three games were tied going into the third period. This was another typical Seattle-Kelowna postseason matchup. It's the second time in their last three postseason meetings that the series winner was scored in overtime by a Seattle player named Matt: Wedman in 2016 and Rempe in 2022.
Where was this series decided? Well, the T-bird top four-point producers from the regular season (Davidson, Svejkovsky, Roulette and Rybinski) produced 31-points in the five games. Meanwhile, Kelowna's top four regular season point producers (Dach, Cristall, Novak and Kydd) mustered just eight points total in the five games.
I'm not sure what the T-birds game plan was for controlling Colton Dach, who led Kelowna during the regular season with 79-points (29g. 50a) in 61-games, but it worked. Seattle held Dach, a second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, to zero points. That's right, none. No goals no assists in five games. Meanwhile, the T-birds leading scorer from the regular season, Jared Davidson had 11 points (3g, 8a).
Seattle's next two best point producers in Round One? A couple of first time draft eligible 17-year-olds in Kevin Korchinski and Jordan Gustafson. Both players had nine points in the series. NHL scouts want to see how these two handle the pressure of postseason play, when the stakes are bigger, and the spotlight shines brighter. So far, so good for this duo. Gustafson set up the game winning overtime, series clinching goal in Game Five, by stealing the puck from a 20-year-old Rockets defenseman.
Another area that helped decide the series in the T-birds favor? Goaltending. Seems strange to say with how well the Rockets Talyn Boyko played in the final two games, but Seattle's Thomas Milic was the more steady, consistent goalie in the series. Just go back to the first two games when Boyko allowed 12 goals against while Milic only surrendered three. The numbers back it up too. In the series Milic finished with a 1.89 GAA and .923 SVPCT. Boyko finished with a GAA of 4.68 and his SVPCT was .875.
Playoff hockey in the WHL is built for teams with a strong, deep group of 19-year-old players. Or at least traditionally it is. Yet the T-birds have only five 2002 born players on their roster; Ty Bauer, Sam Knazko, Jared Davidson, Matt Rempe and Chase Lacombe. By comparison Seattle's 2017 championship roster featured eight 19-year-olds. But I believe they are still deep enough to make a deep playoff run. Just know, that as much of a battle Round One against Kelowna was, it only gets tougher from here.
Of the five teams still remaining in the Western Conference hunt, the rosters for most of them are fairly young. Each team is, of course, carrying the requisite three 20-year-old but as mentioned, Seattle has just five 2002 born players on their roster, Portland has just six, Kamloops has seven. Everett and Vancouver are the older teams. The Silvertips have eight 2002s on their roster. Vancouver is carrying ten, but three of them are goalies. Kelowna, the team Seattle just eliminated, had just four. So, it looks like talent, more than experience, is going to decide the Western Conference.
For the second time this season, in a game against Kelowna, Seattle challenged a Rockets goal for offside. They did it in a regular season game in Kelowna back in December and then again in Game Five Friday, issuing a coach's challenge on the Rockets tying goal in the third period. The result each time was the same. The goal was allowed to stand because of inconclusive video evidence. On the challenge in Game Five, it appeared a Rockets player may have entered the offensive zone ahead of the puck.
Because the WHL doesn't deploy as many cameras as the NHL, you are more than likely to get an inconclusive call on review. Was it a gamble by the T-birds coaching staff? Sure. If they are wrong not only does the goal stand but they are also assessed a bench minor, which would have put the Rockets on the power play. To be assessed the penalty though, there has to be clear and irrefutable evidence that clearly showed the Rockets were NOT offside.
Seattle coaches knew the video available probably wasn't enough to overturn the call on the ice, but if it showed anything, it appeared to show a Rockets player entering the zone ahead of the puck. The hope was the video review judge would agree with them. In the end it was a worthwhile challenge, no harm, no foul.
My T-birds Three Star of Round One.
Third Star: G Thomas Milic. As stated above, he was consistent from the opening faceoff of Game One to the final moments of Game Five. In the playoffs, that's what you want from your goalie. His teammates are confident playing in front of him because they know he is reliable. He didn't face as much rubber as his opposing number, but he still came up with a number of clutch saves.
Second Star: C Matt Rempe. Not only did Rempe score the series clinching overtime goal in Game Five, but he tied for second on the team in goals scored with three, while playing in just four of the five games. And that's the other story for the New York Rangers prospect. He played much of the series against the Rockets at less than 100-percent. But it's the playoffs and he gutted it out. Two goals in a series clinching win is stepping up and embracing the moment.
First Star: C/W Jared Davidson. He led the team in scoring in the regular season and he's leading the team in scoring in the postseason after the opening round. You want your best players to be your best players in the postseason and Davidson is being just that. Seattle was pumping a lot of shots on the Rockets net in Game Five, with no results. They then fell behind. His tying goal in the second period was a reminder that if you stick to the process, and don't get frustrated, thing will work out.
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