Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Morgan RiellyMoose Jaw Warriors defenceman Morgan Rielly started this season on a roll. He notched an impressive three goals and 18 points throughout his first 18 games. He seemed to be bound for a breakout season that could have ultimately emerged the 18-year-old as the top blueliner of the 2012 draft crop.

Unfortunately for Rielly, his promising season was derailed. He tore his ACL in a game against the Calgary Hitmen on November 6. There was undoubtedly a possibility that he could return this season. However, no one knew for certain if he would be able to fully recovery from his knee injury before year's end.

"When Morgan suffered the injury and the surgery was set in place we built a time frame and schedule for his rehab," says Warriors director of hockey operations Alan Millar. "We didn't know 100 percent if Morgan would return this year. We just knew if his rehab went as planned and we could make it far in the playoffs, then there would be a strong possibility."

This strong possibility turned

Lukas Walter has been an interesting side note in the Portland/Tri-City rivalry this year. (Photo: Tri-City Americans)KENNEWICK, Wash. — They may have other, more prominent long-standing rivals, but the heat has been turned up this year when the Tri-City Americans and Portland Winterhawks have gotten together.

Americans fans are used to saving most of their vitriol for the Spokane Chiefs, while the Seattle Thunderbirds have long been the Winterhawks' favorite target (Seattle fans actually chant "Portland sucks" after goals, sometimes when they aren't even playing Portland).

And with all the star power in Kennewick and Portland, with names like Sven Baertschi, Brendan Shinnimin, Ty Rattie and Patrick Holland in the mix, who would've thought that the bad blood between the teams would originate over little-used Americans forward Lukas Walter?

It started all the way back in September, when Tri-City general manager Bob Tory took the unusual step of adding Walter to the Americans' protected list when he was playing in the preseason for the Winterhawks.

After a preseason tournament in Everett, during which Portland beat Tri-City 3-2, Tory liked what he saw from Walter and realized that the Winterhawks didn't have him on their protected list. So Tory -- presumably without giving advance warning -- simply claimed Walter, forcing Portland to give him up:

"He caught my eye at the Everett tournament and when they were here last weekend," Tri-City general manager Bob Tory said. "He was unprotected, and I picked him up. I don't think they are too happy with me."

"This was unexpected," Walter said of the move. "It's a good feeling to be wanted. It's quite a bit of a change from Portland, and the whole system is different, too." (Tri-City Herald)

With nearly a dozen players gone at NHL camps, the Winterhawks needed every warm body in camp they could get. Instead, Walter was gone and they had to cancel their final preseason games because they could couldn't field a roster (which had more to do with the NHL guys, but losing Walter didn't help).

Tory's cunning move -- or bit of gamesmanship depending on how you look at it -- looked destined to be but a small side note as Walter settled in as a fourth liner who didn't score a goal in 49 games with the Americans.

But Walter wasn't done being caught up in controversy.

Ottawa 67's captain Marc Zanetti (OHL Images)Optics — an academic term for the gut reaction to a controversial incident in a hockey game — can outweigh a dastardly deed or its impact. Suffice to say, Ottawa 67's captain Marc Zanetti, who's already served one suspension in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs for something which happened in a nationally televised game, could be in trouble again after another incident that was beamed across Canada.

After the Niagara IceDogs' Tom Kühnhackl opened the scoring early in the third period in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference championship on Friday, bumping Ottawa goalie Petr Mrazek after he completed his deke to score, he was knocked down by the 67's Jake Cardwell with a late hit. Players converged around Cardwell and Kühnhackl, who was down on the ice. As skated toward the skirmish, Zanetti's right foot clearly made contact with the back of Kühnhackl's head. Sportsnet's Patrick King noted it "probably look[ed] worse than it actually is, but there's no way he doesn't get suspended." Kicking an opponent, it goes without saying, is very taboo in hockey. It was  was clear foot-to-head contact.

Zanetti did not get a penalty on the play. (Ironically, Kühnhackl later got a penalty for bumping Mrazek.)

(Update: Zanetti has been suspended indefinitely, putting him out Game 2 on Sunday and quite likely longer.)

IceDogs coach-GM Marty Williamson seemed to be preparing to make a crux of his grievance following the 2-1 overtime win.

Niagara IceDogs overtime hero Mitchell Theoret (OHL Images)New York Islanders draft pick Mitchell Theoret ended a goaltenders' duel 5:10 into overtime for the Niagara IceDogs, who open the third round with a 2-1 home-ice overtime win like they did in the previous round against Brampton. Meantime, injuries and a suspendable offence involving two veteran Ottawa defenders seem to the main post-game questions.

Niagara 2 Ottawa 1 (IceDogs lead Eastern Conference series 2-0; Game 2 on Sunday) — How much trouble would Ottawa be in if it loses Marc Zanetti and Jake Cardwell for any length of time? Not only is Zanetti out for Game 2 (at least)status for Game 2 possibly in jeopardy after he kicked Niagara's Tom Kühnhackl in the head during a skirmish that ensued following the IceDogs' third-period goal, but there is concern about Cardwell. The 19-year-old defenceman, who plays in all situations for the underdog 67's, blocked a slapshot on his right ankle during the second period and went off in pain. He finished the game and heavens knows the pain threshold for a hockey player is better than yours and mine, but he could be limited.

The 67's defence suffered a huge loss when Jake Cardwell had to leave the game after taking a shot from the point off his left ankle. He was already playing with an infected foot. (Ottawa Citizen)

The 67's rely heavily on potential top-10 NHL pick Cody Ceci, Cardwell, Zanetti and Michal (Big Mike) Cajkovsky to hold down their back end. There were times during Zanetti's five-game suspension in the first round of the playoffs where they seemed to have a three-man defence, so they are a little thin. They also won't have three TV timeouts per period in Game 2 on Sunday in St. Catharines. The soft ice at the Jack Gatecliff Arena might help with containing the IceDogs forwards.

Calgary Flames prospect Sven BärtschiNo. 1 star: Sven Bärtschi, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

He only needs one opening to make the game-winning play. Bärtschi had three points (1G-2A) to lead the Winterhawks to a 5-4 overtime win over the Tri-City Americans in their widely anticipated showdown in the Western Conference final, including the assist on Marcel Noebels' marker 7:52 into bonus hockey. The Winterhawks were on their heels throughout the overtime and had to sweat out a penalty kill against the potent Americans and their three 100-point scorers, Patrick Holland, Adam Hughesman and conference player of the year Brendan Shinnimin.

The penalty came after 'Hawks goalie Mac Carruth got a penalty for playing the puck outside of the trapezoid behind his net. As Scott Sepich related, the Winterhawks had Ty Rattie serve Carruth's penalty. That meant he and Bärtschi were on the ice to coax a turnover from the Americans, which Bärtschi seized on to feed Noebels for the winner.

Bärtschi also set up the game's first goal by Brendan Leipsic in the second period and scored himself in the second period. Both times took their time building up to a tempo after playing long seven-game series in Round 2, but the finish raises hope that it will be a dramatic series. Bärtschi's night pulled him into a tie with Rattie for the Dub's playoff scoring lead. Each has 24 points in Portland's 12 games. Carruth also came up big with 43 saves.

Portland killed off an unusual overtime penalty to Mac Carruth for playing the puck outside the trapezoid, then netted the game-winner seconds laterKENNEWICK, Wash. — At first glance, it seemed like a brilliant coaching move by Portland's Mike Johnston to put Ty Rattie in the penalty box when Mac Carruth was caught handling the puck outside the trapezoid 5:36 into an overtime that was being dominated by the Tri-City Americans.

But, alas, there was no grand plan by Johnston.

"By rule, I had to put someone in the box who was on the ice when the penalty happened," said Johnston.

He wasn't going to put one of his defensemen in the box, so it came down to a choice among the forwards on his top line: Sven Baertschi, Marcel Noebels and Rattie.

"I just thought I'd put Rattie in so he could jump out and play with whoever was on the ice when he got out," Johnston said.

After the Winterhawks fended off a number of high-quality chances by the Americans, Rattie helped create the winning goal by linemate Marcel Noebels at the 7:52 mark of overtime. Portland won 5-4 to take Game 1 of the WHL's Western Conference final.

Rattie nearly got to leave the box and skate off the ice on the losing end of the game, but the Americans were denied on three key opportunities during the power play. Justin Feser glanced the crossbar with a shot from the slot, then Carruth made two big glove saves on Brendan Shinnimin.

With the penalty running down, Tri-City coach Jim Hiller called a timeout to keep his top power play unit on the ice. It worked to the benefit of the Winterhawks, who scored 16 seconds after the penalty ended.

"I was able to put Baertschi back on the ice after the timeout," Johnston noted. "That led to the opportunity."

After Rattie came out of the box, he and Baertschi bore down on Americans defenseman Derek Ryckman, who turned the puck over. Baertschi collected it and sent it across the ice to Noebels, who had just come on the ice. Noebels wired a one-timer past Tri-City goalie Ty Rimmer at 7:52 of the extra period to win the game 5-4.

Halifax Mooseheads centre Nathan MacKinnon (Richard Wolowicz, Getty Images)If the Rimouski Océanic's Casey Babineau didn't get the licence plate number on that Mac truck which hit him, it's 22.

The Halifax Mooseheads were downed decisively 4-1 by the Océanic in Game 1 of their QMJHL semifinal series on Friday. However, in a post-season where he's already provided plenty of highlights, 16-year-old puck prodigy Nathan MacKinnon delivered another one, only with his shoulder rather than with his soft hands and quick feet. Late in the gamewith the outcome all but decided, MacKinnon sent a message for Game 2 by levelling Babineau with a textbook thunderous bodycheck just outside the Mooseheads blueline, knocking the Océanic defenceman who is 3 1/2 years his elder off his feet. The sold-out crowd at the Halifax Metro Centre loved it.

Imagine that: getting back at someone with a clean and massive bodycheck. It still touched off a brief mêlée.

Quebec Remparts coach, GM and part-owner Patrick Roy (The Canadian Press)Do you see what Patrick Roy did there? The Quebec Remparts coach, general manager and part-owner, the subject of endless rumours about him possibly rejoining the Montreal Canadiens, had to address all of that Friday during the QMJHL's team season-ending press conference.

Longish story short, Roy expects to still be coaching in Quebec come September. But he just had to lead people on a bit.

From Marianne White:

"I have had no discussions whatsoever with (Habs owner) Mr. (Geoff) Molson," Roy told reporters in Quebec City Friday during an end-of-season newser for the Quebec Remparts.

"But my cellphone is always turned on." (Postmedia News)