Seattle Thunderbirds seek revenge in WHL Western Conference final

The WHL’s Western Conference final is a series of opposites.

The team with home-ice advantage is battle-tested in every sense. The Kelowna Rockets are the defending champions and have been one of the league’s most successful organizations in recent years with four titles in since 2003. This is their third consecutive conference final appearance. However, they come into this series having needed the maximum 14 games to get by Kamloops and Victoria.

The other squad is trying to break through. The Seattle Thunderbirds won their division for the first time since 2005 and are in their first conference final since 2003. However, unlike the Rockets, they’ve done a better job this post-season. They’ve only dropped one game thus far, beating Prince George and Everett.

Familiar foes face off again. Of course recent history hasn’t been kind to the Thunderbirds. The Rockets swept them in the second round in 2014. Seattle had a 3-0 series lead in the teams’ opening-round matchup in 2013, but lost the next four games.

Will the Thunderbirds exact some revenge or will it be more of the same?

(2. B.C. Division) Kelowna Rockets (48-20-4-0, 100 points) vs. (1. U.S. Division) Seattle Thunderbirds (45-23-4-0, 94 points)

Season series: Tied 2-2. Prediction: Seattle in six.

Series in a sentence: It’s the new kids on the block against the seasoned vets in teams’ third matchup in four years.

Why the Thunderbirds should win: This is precisely why the Thunderbirds went out and acquired overage goaltender Landon Bow from Swift Current on Jan. 5. He’s been nothing short of superb during these playoffs, posting an 8-1 record with a 1.42 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and two shutouts. Their defence, led by overagers Jerret Smith and Jared Hauf along with Ethan Bear and Turner Ottenbreit, is older. And they have the most exciting offensive player in the series in New York Islanders first-rounder Mathew Barzal. He leads all players in points with 12 in nine games. Seattle is healthier and more rested.

Why the Rockets could win: The Rockets do have experience on their side and are equipped with a component and talented stable of players. Rourke Chartier was a teammate of Barzal’s on the Canadian national junior team. Chartier, Justin Kirkland and Tomas Soustal all have 11 points so far. They also boast highly regarded future NHL draft picks Dillon Dube, Lucas Johansen and Cal Foote. Goaltender Michael Herringer has filled in admirably with a 2.34 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in the absence of Jackson Whistle, who had two separate hip surgeries in March. The loss of Arizona Coyotes first-rounder Nick Merkley also hurts. Merkley underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL in February. For the Rockets to win, they’ll have to be on point. Because it appears the Rockets are running on fumes.