With files from Shawn Mullin
A double overtime thriller ended the season for Macklin's Cole Reschny and the WHL's Victoria Royals on Tuesday night.
Taking on the Spokane Chiefs in a must-win Game 6 and down two goals in the third period, the Royals sent the game to overtime after former Saskatoon Blade Brandon Lisowsky came up clutch, but Victoria would only keep their season alive an extra 38 minutes before Spokane got the winner to earn a berth in the Western Conference finals.
Leading the playoffs in points headed in, Reschny was held off the scoresheet in Tuesday's game but still managed a +1 rating, five shots on goal, and a busy night in the faceoff dot winning 21/48 draws. He finished the playoffs with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) in 11 games played.
Reschny's postseason performance no doubt raised the west-central Saskatchewan native's draft stock. Reschny was just recently named WHL Player of the Week, after being named the #25 skater in North America for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
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- Macklin’s Reschny lands top 25 ranking from NHL Central Scouting
- Reschny’s playoff tear continues as Royals fight to stay alive
If Reschny and the Royals advanced they would have been up against a pair of Swift Current products in the conference final, Hudson and Griffin Darby on the Portland Winterhawks, who took a Game 7 victory last night to take down the Everett Silvertips.
It was Hudson who scored the game tying goal for the Winterhawks, who never looked back on their way to a 4-2 win for the chance to advance to the final four of the WHL playoffs.
The only conference semi-final series left sees the Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes getting set for a Game 7 tonight in Calgary, as whoever comes out on top from the Saddledome will earn a date with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference finals.
After the WHL championship wraps up in May, the winners will join the OHL and QMJHL champions, along with host team Rimouski Océanic, to compete for the Memorial Cup. The round-robin tournament begins May 22, with the final set for June 1.