More magic

Edmonton lost last night, so for the Hitmen, their playoff spot is now officially mathematically clinched. They are the first Eastern team to do so, and join Spokane, Tri-City, and Vancouver in the playoff picture so far.

As for everyone else.....

East:
Lethbridge: 4 wins or Edmonton losses
Regina: 5 wins or Edmonton losses
Moose Jaw: 7 wins or Edmonton losses
Swift Current: 7 wins or Edmonton losses
Kootenay: 7.5 wins or Edmonton losses
Medicine Hat: 7.5 wins or Edmonton losses
Brandon: 8.5 wins or Edmonton losses

West:
Kelowna: 1.5 wins or Prince George losses
Everett: 6 wins or Prince George losses
Seattle: 6.5 wins or Prince George losses
Kamloops: 9.5 wins or Prince George losses
Chilliwack: 10.5 wins or Prince George losses

And what it will take for the eventual 6 non-playoff teams to be mathematically eliminated:

Portland: 1.5 losses or Chilliwack wins
Red Deer: 3.5 losses or Brandon wins
Prince Albert: 6 losses or Brandon wins
Saskatoon: 6 losses or Brandon wins
Edmonton: 8.5 losses or Brandon wins
Prince George: 10 losses or Chilliwack wins

I see Brandon has now completed their free-fall from contending for first place in the East earlier in the year, down to 8th place.

Regina has now dropped out of 2nd place in the overall East standings for the first time in, well, a really long time. Lethbridge has overtaken them after the Canes laid a beating Edmonton last night while the Pats lost their third straight, to Medicine Hat. The Pats still have the #2 seed in the conference for the first round due to leading the Eastern division, but those seeds go out the window in the 2nd round so home ice beyond the first round is at stake for the Pats now.

Couple other notes....Portland overager Kevin Undershute's WHL career is over. He will have season-ending shoulder surgery to fix a problem that has kept him out of the lineup since early January. More details on Andy Kemper's blog - link is on the left.

Swift Current's Jesse Dudas is out with a knee injury. Shocking, I know. This guy spends more time in doctor's offices than most doctors.

Two weeks after playing in the Top Prospects game, James Wright of the Giants is now a healthy scratch. He has found his way into coach Don Hay's doghouse due to lackadaisical play.

And lastly, a story with mostly NHL content but some WHL implications: the Edmonton Oilers' ownership group members have voted to sell the team to Edmonton billionaire (Rexall drugstore chain, mostly) Daryl Katz. The Oil Kings have not been mentioned in any of the stories surrounding the sale of the Oilers, but since the Oilers own the Oil Kings, presumably the Oil Kings will be part of the deal and will also be owned by Katz now. You wouldn't think that there would be any problems for the Oil Kings coming out of this deal, but I guess we'll just have to see. Maybe Katz will decide he's not interested in junior hockey and will look to sell the WHL team. Who knows.