Western Conference three-peat

Ty rattie was named MVP of the Western Conference Finals as the Winterhawks took down the Kamloops Blazers in five games. Portland now moves on to the WHL Championship, which will begin on Friday at the Rose Garden. Photo by Karl Kuchs.

With a victory at the Rose Garden on Friday night, the Portland Winterhawks claimed the WHL Western Conference championship over the Kamloops Blazers. Winterhawks winger Ty Rattie earned MVP honors in the series, compiling four goals and eight assists in five games. With the win, Portland became the first WHL team in a decade to take three straight conference titles, matching the success of the Red Deer Rebels from 2001–03.

Game 3

Rattie struck first for the Winterhawks against Kamloops on Tuesday, finishing off a 5-on-3 power play with his 14th goal of the playoffs to give Portland a 1-0 lead early in the first period. But Colin Smith responded for the Blazers with a power-play equalizer 3 1/2 minutes before the intermission, and a four-goal flurry in the second period allowed Kamloops to steal back some of the momentum in the series with a 5-1 victory.

Kamloops left winger Tim Bozon, who returned for the Western Conference finals after missing seven games with a fractured right hand suffered in the first round of the playoffs, scored two goals and two assists for the Blazers in the victory. Turning away 35 of Portland’s 36 shots, Blazers goalie Cole Cheveldave outdueled his counterpart Mac
Carruth to get the win.

Game 4

After an uncharacteristically rough outing in Game 3, Carruth rebounded the following evening, stopping all 29 Kamloops shots as he earned his fourth shutout of the postseason and seventh of his WHL career in the 3-0 Winterhawks victory.

For the second straight contest, a 5-on-3 power play in the first period allowed Portland to snatch an early lead as Nicolas Petan scored the first of his two goals on the night. Ten minutes later, defenseman Seth Jones ripped a shot from the point that beat Cheveldave and doubled the lead before the intermission.

The Blazers ratcheted up their offensive pressure in the middle frame, outshooting Portland 16-5, but Carruth proved impenetrable in net. After neither team scored in the second period, Petan punished Kamloops for leaving a loose puck in the crease as he scored his second of the game 1:35 into the third period. Rattie assisted on all three goals, moving him past former Kamloops forward Rob Brown for third all-time in WHL playoff points.

Game 5

The Winterhawks closed out the series with a 4-1 victory over Kamloops in front of 9,742 fans at the Rose Garden on Friday. Only a goal by J.C. Lipon 36 seconds from the first intermission prevented Carruth from recording another shutout as Portland earned a trip to the WHL championship round.

For the third straight game, Kamloops gave up an early 5-on-3 power play in the first period, and for the third straight game Portland made the Blazers pay for their lack of discipline. Sixteen seconds after Lipon had returned to the ice following a slashing penalty, the Winterhawks held control of the puck in the offensive zone, and Seth Jones knocked in the goal on the 5-on-4 advantage.

Lipon leveled the game just before the first intermission, but Taylor Leier’s goal 4:23 into the second period and a shorthanded tally by Rattie midway through the third restored the Portland lead. Petan would add another power-play marker 6:02 from the final buzzer to put the game out of reach for Kamloops.

Portland now awaits the winner of the series between the Calgary Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings. The Winterhawks will host the Eastern Conference champion in Game 1 at the Rose Garden on Friday night. “I have no preference whatsoever,” Winterhawks head coach Travis Green said about Portland’s next opponent. “[Against] either team it will be a tough series, but I know one thing: When we play our best, we’re hard to beat.”