The Calgary Hitmen beat the Tri-City Americans 4-1 Friday to win the WHL Finals four games to one, ending the most successful playoff run in franchise history.
The Americans, who needed to win to avoid elimination for the second straight game, took a 1-0 lead at 5:02 of the first period when Adam Hughesman scored his third goal of the playoffs. However, the lead did not last long. Misha Fisenko scored a power play goal to tie it 1:01 later to get Calgary going.
Michael Stone's first of two consecutive goals in the second period gave Calgary a lead the Hitmen would not relinquish. It came at the 6:43 mark of the period and made it 2-1. Stone's second goal, a power play goal, came at the 9:57 mark of the first period. Tyler Fiddler scored the final goal of the period, and the final goal of the game, at 13:34 to make it 4-1.
Calgary goalie Martin Jones, who made 21 saaves on the 22 shots he faced, was named the WHL's playoff MVP. Alexander Pechurskiy made 23 saves on 27 shots for the Americans. Calgary was 2-3 on the power play while the Americans were 0-4.
Calgary advances to the Memorial Cup, which will be played in Brandon, Manitoba next week. The Hitmen will join the host Brandon Wheat Kings in representing the WHL in the tournament.
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Courtesy WHL
