Things that make me go hmm....

• They just won't go away! The Kamloops Blazers are making it extremely difficult for the Kelowna Rockets to clinch 6th place in the Western Conference. The two teams are separated by just two points heading into the final week of the regular season. The Rockets have three more games left while the Blazers have just two. Kamloops closes out against Prince George and Vancouver this weekend.
• If the two are tied in points after the regular season ends, the team with the most wins would clinch 6th. If they finish tied in points, they may finish with the same number of wins, so a second tie breaker would be necessary. That tie breaker is points earned against one another in the seasonal series. That heavily favours Kamloops. The Blazers earned 12 points in the eight games while the Rockets accumulated just five points against Kamloops.
• While the Rockets have won three straight, the Blazers have won four of their last five.
• What did it take to clinch 6th place in the Western Conference last season? 72 points. The Blazers were 6th in the conference, which added up to a date with the 3rd place Kelowna Rockets in round one.
• Pre-playoff pressure. Is their such a thing? It's interesting to see several top end team's struggling a bit down the stretch with the playoffs just two weeks away. Tri City is stumbling without starting goaltender Drew Owsley. The Americans have lost four of their last six games and three in a row overall. It just shows you how valuable Owsley truly is to that team. In the east, the Saskatoon Blades have lost three of their last four games. Right now the Blades would meet Red Deer in an opening round playoff series. The Rebels are on the verge of winning 40 games this season. To face a team that has 40 wins under their belt in round one as the higher seed is a tough pill to swallow. It just tells you how good that conference has been this season.
• Does Jesse Wallin get consideration for coach of the year? What a great job he has done with that Red Deer Rebels team this season. The Rebels won just 25 games last season.
• How good is the Eastern Conference this season? Fourteen (14) of the top 20 scorers are from either the Central or Eastern Division.
• Congratulations to Spokane Chiefs forward Kyle Beach for scoring 50 goals this season. Beach, who technically has 51 goals, is the first WHL player to reach the mark this season. In an interview Wednesday, I asked him about his fight totals, or most recently, a-lack-there-of. Beach told me he made a promise to Spokane head coach Harty Sauter that he would not to fight for 15 games, instead using his energy to focus on staying on the ice and providing offense. Beach appears to be a man of his word. The just turned 20 year-old has not fought in 13 games. To keep his promise, Beach will have to avoid fighting majors in games against the Rockets Tuesday and against Tri City Friday night. He can then let loose against the Americans Saturday night before getting his nose dirty in the final game of the regular season, Sunday against Everett.
• Vancouver Giants forward Brett Breitkruez told me before Saturday's game that he still wears the same shoulder pads that he wore in pee-wee. It's not like the Giants won't give him new gear. He just likes to go with what feels comfortable.
• Have you ever heard the old saying, the best move you made was the one you didn't make? That would apply to not trading 19 year-old Brandon McMillan at the trade deadline. McMillan has been solid since the trade deadline came and went. McMillan is getting hot at just the right time, and is arguably the teams best forward right now.
• Dallas Jackson often doesn't get the notoriety he deserves because he plays in the shadows of Tyson Barrie. Jackson has quietly put together a four game point streak and has points in nine of his last ten games.