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Shaw BCHL Playoff Recap: Apr. 9

Photo credit: Garrett James Photography

Wenatchee Wild – 4
Cranbrook Bucks – 2

The Wenatchee Wild are moving on to Round 2 after defeating the Cranbrook Bucks 4-2 in Game 6 of their first-round series. Ean Somoza got Wenatchee on the board in the first and Arvega Hovsepyan potted a second period marker to put the home team up 2-0, but Cranbrook replied with two quick goals, one by Luke Pfoh and the other by Jack Silich, to tie the game at 2-2 headed to the third. In the final frame, Parker Murray scored his league-leading 12th of the playoffs 2:51 in and Cade Littler scored an insurance goal shorthanded with less than three minutes to go to make it a 4-2 final. Murray had three of Wenatchee’s four game-winning goals in the series. Wild goalie Andy Vlaha made 35 saves in the win to boost his postseason save percentage to .930. The Wild will play the Penticton Vees in the second round.

Vernon Vipers – 3
West Kelowna Warriors – 0

Thomas Tien, Julian Facchinelli and Reagan Milburn each scored within the first 7:04 of the second period and Ethan David stopped all 14 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the postseason as the Vernon Vipers beat the West Kelowna Warriors 3-0 in Game 6 to take the series 4-2 and advance to the second round of the BCHL Playoffs. After a scoreless period where the Vipers outshot the Warriors 10-5, Tien scored 1:24 into the middle frame, which briefly opened the floodgates for Vernon to score the only three goals of the game. Since taking over the starter’s crease in Game 4, David has won all three of his starts and only let in one goal. His .949 save percentage and 1.29 goals-against average are both second-best in the postseason. The Vipers will play the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in Round 2.