Americans’ WHL playoff games move to Tri-Cities. Dust Devils’ baseball begins
The Tri-Cities region’s minor-league sports teams take the main spotlight.With most of high school springs sports taking a break this week thanks to spring break.
The Tri-City Americans are in the midst of the Western Hockey League playoffs, and are tied with the Prince George Cougars 1-1 in their best-of-7 first-round series after games on Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Tri-City Dust Devils will begin their Northwest League season this week with a three-game series against the Hillsboro Hops.
After decades of playing in the short-season NWL, which usually began in late June, it’s still hard to wrap my head around the fact that the Dust Devils open their season in early April.
Here are the details:
Tri-City Americans
Tri-City, as a No. 5 seed, had to travel the over 700 miles to Prince George, British Columbia, to open the series against the No. 4 Cougars.
The Americans were looking for a split at the least, and they got the win they needed on Friday night by winning 6-4.
Tyson Greenway scored two first-period goals to give Tri-City an early 2-0 lead. And when Parker Bell added another goal early in the second period, the Ams were up 3-0.
But Prince George answered with three consecutive goals to tie the game at 3-3.
The Americans would fight back, as Jake Sloan and Deagan McMillan scored back-to-back goals for a 5-3 lead.
The Cougars cut the lead to 5-4 on a third period goal, and it looked like they tied the game at 5-5 with a minute left in regulation.
But officials reviewed the goal and determined that the net was knocked loose before the goal, and it was disallowed. That incensed the hometown Cougars fans, who threw garbage onto the ice.
PG was forced to pull its goalie in the final minute for an extra attacker.
But Tri-City’s Jalen Luypen fired the loose puck into the empty net for a goal with 43 seconds remaining, clinching the win.
Sloan, Luypen and McMillan each scored a goal and an assist on the night.
Ams goalie Tomas Suchanek was strong in the net, stopping 43 of 47 shots on the night.
Cade Brown led the Cougars with two goals.
Prince George would bounce back on Saturday night, winning 2-1 in overtime in Game 2.
Jaxson Wiebe’s goal — assisted by Cole Dubinsky and Hudson Thornton — just 4:52 into OT gave the Cougars the victory.
Tri-City’s Adam Mechura had opened the scoring with a goal in the second period for a 1-0 lead. Carter Savage assisted on the goal.
But Dubinsky tied the game later in the second period with a goal for the Cougars.
Suchanek had another strong game, stopping 36 of Prince George’s 38 shots.
Now the series moves to the Toyota Center, with Game 3 set for Tuesday, Game 4 on Wednesday, and Game 5 on Friday night. All puck drops are at 7:05 p.m.
Because of the long-distance travel involved the WHL approved of a 2-3-2 playoff format for this series.
Tickets for all three games can be purchased at the Toyota Center.
▪ The Tri-City-Prince George series is just one of two first-round series tied at 1-1. Red Deer and Calgary are also split at 1-1.
The remaining six series are all at 2-0: Seattle over Kelowna; Kamloops over Vancouver; Portland over Everett; Winnipeg over Medicine Hat; Regina over Saskatoon; and Moose Jaw over Lethbridge.
More hockey
The Tri-City Junior Americans went 0-3 in pool play this past weekend at the Chipotle USA Hockey National Championships in Maple Grove, Minn.
Playing in the Tier II 18U 2A tournament, the Junior Ams just couldn’t get on track.
On Thursday, they lost 4-2 to the Raptors of Raleigh, N.C. Jimmy Rush — yes, that standout running back and linebacker from the Southridge High School football team — scored a goal for Tri-City.
So did David Sinyuk.
The Jr. Ams fell 2-1 to the Nashville Junior Predators on Friday, with Owen Bergstrom scoring the lone Tri-City goal.
On Saturday, Tri-City lost 4-0 to the Ashburn Xtreme from Virginia.
Dust Devils baseball
The six-team Northwest League opens play Thursday, with the Dust Devils — a High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels — playing the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Hillsboro Hops.
Game times for all three games this week out at Gesa Stadium in Pasco start at 6:30 p.m.
Jack Howell, who managed the Dust Devils last season to a 58-71 record, returns for his second season at the helm.
Pitching coach Doug Henry also returns, while Ryan Sebra will be the team’s new hitting coach.
It’s early, and there are likely to be many transactions, but right now the Dust Devils have 16 pitchers on the team who played here last year.
In addition, all nine everyday players listed on the team’s roster spent some time in the Tri-Cities last year — including first baseman Gabe Matthews and outfielders D’Shawn Knowles, Steven Rivas and Mike Peabody.
Last month, Knowles played for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.
College update
▪ Back in the fall, Cydney Sanchez (Hermiston) finished second at the NWAC Cross Country Championships. Sanchez covered the women’s 5,000 meters in 18 minutes and 27 seconds, as she ran for Lane Community College.
▪ Spokane CC sophomore Joel Martinez (Richland) placed 19th overall at the NWAC Cross Country Championships back in the fall. Martinez finished running the men’s 8,000 meters course in 27 minutes and 9.50 seconds.
Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.
