KENNEWICK, WA - Tri-City head coach Jim Hiller stressed the need to 'figure out' Chilliwack goaltender Lucas Gore before the start of their first round playoff series. It took an interesting play to finally chink Gore's armor but, once cracked, the Americans took full advantage.

After being shutout over the first 40 minutes of play, the Tri-City Americans (1-0-0, 2 pts) notched four goals in a four-minute span early in the third period, eventually outlasting the visiting Chilliwack Bruins (0-1-0, 0 pts) 4-2 in front of 3,383 fans at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. With the win, Tri-City snapped their two-game losing skid to the Bruins while taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Meanwhile, the Bruins dropped their first playoff game since missing out on the 2009 post-season and have dropped three straight games including the regular season. The two will now face-off in Game 2 of their first-round series tomorrow, Saturday, March 20 in Kennewick. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center.

Chilliwack Bruins fans will see a familiar face behind the Tri-City Americans bench when the two Western Hockey League teams faceoff at Prospera Centre next week.

Former Bruins coach Jim Hiller was handed the Americans' ropes last summer, just months after being fired by Chilliwack.

Hiller said that while the novelty of facing his old team has worn off after four regular season games, retained knowlege about the Bruins personnel may prove valuable during the series.

"I think I know about half the guys and some of their strengths," he told the Times.

The Chilliwack Bruins and Tri-City Americans are unlikely rivals. Seperated by a mountain range and 387 kilometres of traffic-snarled highway, few Chilliwack residents could likely place the Americans' home city of Kennewick, Wash., on a map.

But for Tri-City fans, Chilliwack is more than a first-round opponent for a franchise seeking its first Memorial Cup. Rather, Chilliwack is the city that almost stole their team away from Washington five years ago.

For those in need of a refresher, in the spring of 2005, then-Tri-City Americans owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather tried to move the struggling franchise north to Chilliwack, where council had just approved the addition of 1,000 seats to the Prospera Centre, if needed.

Every coach loves to seize the role of the underdog.

It's tremendously motivating to walk into a locker room and tell your team that no one believes in them. No one thinks they can win and it's them against the world.

Coaching 101.

No suprise then that Chilliwack Bruins head coach Marc Habscheid was eager to point out the many virtues of his team's first-round playoff opponent this week.

KENNEWICK - On paper, the Chilliwack Bruins shouldn't have a prayer of winning a game against the Tri-City Americans in the first round of the WHL playoffs that begin today at Toyota Center.

The Americans just won their third straight U.S. Division banner, their second Western Conference title in three years and have a combined 308 games of playoff experience.

The Bruins are the eighth seed in the Western Conference, finished 26 points behind the Americans and have just 84 combined games of playoff experience.

Calgary, AB - The Western Hockey League announced today the 2009-10 WHL Conference First and Second All-Star Teams and the Conference Finalists for the 2010 WHL Awards. The WHL Player of the Year finalists will be announced on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010. The winners of these awards along with the WHL Player of the Year will be announced at the 2010 WHL Awards Luncheon in Edmonton, Alberta on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010.

The WHL announced the Finalists in the following categories...

WHL WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR TEAMS

FIRST ALL-STAR TEAM
Goaltender - Calvin Pickard (Winnipeg, MB), Seattle Thunderbirds
Defenceman - Tyson Barrie (Victoria, BC), Kelowna Rockets
Defenceman - Kevin Connauton (Edmonton, AB), Vancouver Giants
Forward - Craig Cunningham (Trail, BC), Vancouver Giants *
Forward - Kyle Beach (Kelowna, BC), Spokane Chiefs
Forward - Mitch Wahl (Seal Beach, CA), Spokane Chiefs

SECOND ALL-STAR TEAM
Goaltender - Drew Owsley (Lethbridge, AB), Tri-City Americans
Defenceman - Jared Cowen (Allan, SK), Spokane Chiefs
Defenceman - Radko Gudas (Kladno, Czech Rep.), Everett Silvertips
Forward - Shane Harper (Valencia, CA), Everett Silvertips
Forward - Nino Niederreiter (Chur, SUI), Portland Winterhawks
Forward - Prab Rai (Surrey, BC), Seattle Thunderbirds

KENNEWICK - OK, Tri-City Americans fans. The team goes into their playoff series with the Chilliwack Bruins with some good news and some bad news.

Which do you want first?

The good news? Goaltender Drew Owsley is back on the ice and it's business as usual between the pipes for the second-year netminder, who missed nine games with a concussion.

The bad news? Tri-City defenseman Tyler Schmidt was suspended one game by the Western Hockey League for his clipping major and game misconduct Saturday against Spokane's Kyle Beach. The verdict came down Tuesday from league disciplinarian Rick Doerksen.

CALGARY, AB - The quest for Western Hockey League supremacy and a chance to join the Brandon Wheat Kings and compete in the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Brandon, MB, begins as the 2010 WHL Playoffs kick off on Thursday, March 18th.

The Brandon Wheat Kings may be the host team for the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament, but they'll face some tough battles in the playoffs if they want to get to the tournament as WHL Champions. What about the Calgary Hitmen? Do they have what it takes to make their way back to the WHL Championship series after finishing in first place in the WHL standings for a second consecutive season? The Tri-City Americans squeaked into the top spot in the Western Conference, but will they be the best in the West through the 2010 WHL playoffs? The Portland Winterhawks have finally ended their playoff drought, but will they be able to turn a strong regular season into playoff success? The Giants have been the B.C. Division's best for five years, but can they enjoy another lengthy springtime playoff run?

Here's a look at the first-round Husky WHL Eastern and Kal Tire WHL Western Conference Quarter-Final match-ups...

The Chilliwack Bruins will face the Tri-City Americans in the first round of the Western Hockey League playoffs after picking up a single point from a pair of weekend games.

The Bruins lost in overtime against the Portland Winterhawks Friday, and were shellacked 5-0 by the Everett Silvertips Saturday to finish the season eighth in the Western Conference.

They'll face the first-place Americans in Kennewick, Wash., when the playoffs kick off on Friday.