A preview of the first-round playoff series between the Wenatchee Wild and the Kelowna Rockets.

The four-vs-five matchup in the Eastern Conference will feature the Wenatchee Wild taking on the Kelowna Rockets. Since this is Wenatchee's first year in the WHL, this will be the first time these two teams have faced off in the postseason. A balanced regular season series, each team pocketing two wins with only one game going past regulation. 

In their first WHL season, the Wild built a balanced team that gets contributions from their entire lineup. Led by Kenta Isogai, Graham Sward and Briley Wood, this group has strong leaders who understand what it takes to go deep in the postseason. If they can stay focused and play their game, they have a good chance of moving on to the second round. 

As for the Rockets, they come into the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the WHL. Led by 111-point man Andrew Cristall, top prospect Tij Iginla and captain Gabriel Szturc, it will be tough to keep them off the scoresheet. Despite being the lower seed, they should be considered the favourites heading into this series.

Prediction: Kelowna in 6

Playoff Schedule:

Game 1: Friday, March 29, 7:00 p.m. PT @ Wenatchee
Game 2: Saturday, March 30, 6:00 p.m. PT @ Wenatchee 
Game 3: Tuesday, April 2, 7:05 p.m. PT @ Kelowna
Game 4: Wednesday, April 3, 7:05 p.m. PT @ Kelowna
*Game 5: Friday, April 5, 7:00 p.m. PT @ Wenatchee
*Game 6: Sunday, April 7, 2:05 p.m. PT @ Kelowna
*Game 7: Tuesday, April 9, 6:00 p.m. PT @ Wenatchee

Season Series:

Wenatchee 2-1-1-0
Kelowna 2-2-0-0

Kelowna 3 @ Wenatchee 6 (Jan 6, 2024) Final
Wenatchee 4 @ Kelowna 5 (Nov 29, 2023) Final OT
Kelowna 0 @ Wenatchee 4 (Oct 28, 2023) Final
Wenatchee 3 @ Kelowna 5 (Sep 30, 2023) Final

Leading Scorers During Season Series:

Wenatchee Wild:

1) Graham Sward: 4 GP, 1 G, 7 A, 8 P
2) Kenta Isogai: 3 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 P
3) Briley Wood: 4 GP, 1 A, 4 A, 5 P
4) Miles Cooper: 4 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 4 P
5) Evan Friesen: 4 GP,  3 G, 1 A, 4 P

Kelowna Rockets:

1) Andrew Cristall: 4 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 P
2) Tij Iginla: 4 GP, 2 G, 4 A 6 P
3) Michael Cicek: 4 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
4) Hiroki Gojsic: 4 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
5) Max Graham: 4 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 P

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