Outhouse plays Giant killer as the Royals knock out Vancouver

Half of the eight WHL Conference quarter-final series went the maximum seven games with the home team winning all four.

The first round of the playoffs concluded on Tuesday night.

The Victoria Royals raced out to a 4-1 lead and held on for a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants.

Former Cariboo Cougar Griffen Outhouse of Likely, B.C. made 30 saves for the Royals, who were outshot 33-24.

The day before in game six, Victoria edged Vancouver 4-3 in Langley in overtime.

Outhouse, who turned 20 last month, had 40 saves, including six in overtime, as the Giants outshot the Royals 43-20.

In other action:

The Portland Winterhawks eliminated the Spokane Chiefs by a 3-1 score to win the series 4-3.

Former PG Cougar Dennis Cholowski assisted on the game winner by Kieffer Bellows late in the third period.

Elsewhere, the Moose Jaw Warriors edged the Prince Albert Raiders 5-4 in game seven.

Ex PG Cougar Justin Almeida scored a pair of power play goals for the Warriors.

The other game seven concluded Monday as the Swift Current Broncos nipped the Regina Pats 3-2.

The four Conference semi-finals, will all start on Friday: Tri-City at Victoria, Portland at Everett, Swift Current at Moose Jaw and Brandon at Lethbridge.

Tri-City swept Kelowna 4-0, Everett took out Seattle 4-1, Lethbridge won its series 4-1 over Red Deer and Brandon came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Medicine Hat 4-2, with game six going to overtime.

Lethbridge sniper Brad Morrison of Prince George and Matthew Phillips of Victoria are tied for the WHL playoff scoring lead.

Both players have 16 points, including six goals.