The Portland Winterhawks will take on the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL Championship. Portland won the Western Conference in Game 6, with a double overtime goal to defeat the Prince George Cougars. Moose Jaw booked their ticket to the finals with a game seven overtime win over the Saskatoon Blades. These teams met once this regular season. On February 28th, the Warriors won by a score of 4-3 in Portland.
Moose Jaw has two players that are currently tied for the most points in this postseason. Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus has 12 goals and 15 assists in the Warriors 16 games. Firkus leads the team in power-play goals with three, but also leads the team in total penalty minutes. Defenseman Denton Mateychuk has earned 8 goals and 19 assists in these playoffs. Mateychuck also has the best plus/minus on the team at +18. Also noteworthy, both Mateychuk and Firkus have been instrumental on the power play. They each have tallied five assists when man-up.
Many players have stepped up for Portland on their path to the finals. However, the largest contributor has been a more recent addition this season. Nate Danielson was traded to the Winterhawks back on January 10th from the Brandon Wheat Kings. Since then, the Detroit Red Wings draft pick earned 41 points in 28 regular season games. This postseason, Danielson has five goals and 16 assists in just 14 playoff games. Danielson now leads the Winterhawks in total points, and is also 4th on the team in +/-, with a +14.
The best of seven series to decide who will hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup and advance to the Dow Memorial Cup in Saginaw, Michigan will start on Friday, May 10. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Northwest Sports Desk 