Thursday, May 1 – Portland, OR — The Spokane Chiefs have punched their ticket to the WHL Championship Series for the first time since 2008, sweeping the Portland Winterhawks with a thrilling 6–4 win in Game 4 on Thursday night.
Led by captain Berkly Catton, who has racked up an astounding 35 points (8 goals, 27 assists) so far this postseason, the Chiefs continued their dominant playoff run. Catton’s line mates, Shea Van Helm and Andrew Cristall, combined for five points in Game 4 to help secure the series-clinching victory.
Portland’s Tyson Jugnauth, who was instrumental in the Winterhawks’ 2024 run to the conference finals, recorded two assists in his final WHL appearance. The 20-year-old defenseman wraps up his junior career with 33 playoff points (4 goals, 29 assists) this season.
Spokane has been an offensive powerhouse throughout the playoffs, dispatching the Vancouver Giants in five games in Round One and eliminating B.C. Division champions, the Victoria Royals, in six games during the second round. The Chiefs are currently the highest-scoring team in the postseason.
Following the win, WHL Vice President Richard Doerksen presented the Western Conference Championship trophy to Catton, who was soon joined by the rest of the team for a celebratory photo. Spokane boasts two WHL Player of the Year finalists in Catton and Cristall, further underscoring the talent and depth of their roster.
Next up, the Chiefs will take on the Eastern Conference Champion Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2025 WHL Championship Series, which begins Friday, May 9, at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. Remarkably, both Spokane and Medicine Hat advanced to the finals by sweeping their respective conference championship series—a first in WHL history.
The Tigers, who defeated the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Swift Current Broncos, and Prince Albert Raiders in consecutive series sweeps, will meet the Chiefs for the first time in a WHL final.
The championship will follow a 2-3-2 series format. Game 3 will take place at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Tuesday, May 13.
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Firebirds Blank Wranglers Behind Kokko’s First Playoff Shutout; Advance to Round Two Against Canucks
<b>Coachella Valley, CA </b>- The Coachella Valley Firebirds shut out the Calgary Wranglers 2-0 on Saturday night at Acrisure Arena. Goaltender <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken/jgnhsqsDjjRMjwNLqzgx/comment/ESJnYahF8CYUFT1GrumW?backLinkUrl=%2Fbbs%2Fseattle-kraken%2Fsearch%2Fcomments%3Fq%3Dkokko&backLinkLabel=Back%20to%20search%20results">Nikke Kokko</a> was perfect between the pipes, stopping all 23 shots he faced to earn his first AHL playoff shutout.
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