Oil Kings edge Winterhawks, IceDogs take down Knights

Jordan Peddle scored the short-handed game winner Thursday as the Edmonton Oil Kings defeated the Portland Winterhawks 3-2 in Game 1 of the Western Hockey League final.

Rhett Rachinski and Martin Gernat also scored for Edmonton. Curtis Lazar, who leads the Oil Kings with 16 points in the post-season, was held off the scoresheet.

Marcel Noebels and Sven Bartschi scored for Portland as the Winterhawks attempted to come back from a 3-0 deficit. Ty Rattie's assist on Bartschi's goal in the second kept him on top of WHL scoring in the post-season with 30 points.

Edmonton led 3-0 with Peddle's short-handed goal 14:30 into the second period with Lazar in the box for checking from behind. But Noebels scored 12 seconds later before Lazar's penalty could expire to give Portland life.

Bartschi scored less than two minutes later to make it 3-2 but Portland couldn't find the tying goal.

IceDogs 3, Knights 2

Defenceman Dougie Hamilton scored 9:03 into the second overtime Thursday as the Niagara IceDogs took Game 1 of the Ontario Hockey League final, 3-2 over the London Knights.

Hamilton scored on a long point shot that found its way through a maze of players and past London goaltender Michael Houser. Freddie Hamilton and Tom Kuhnhackl were awarded assists on Dougie Hamilton's fifth goal of the post-season.

Dougie Hamilton, who also had two assists, was named the league's top blue-liner and recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy just a few days ago.

Mitchell Theoret gave Niagara a 1-0 lead in the opening five minutes of the first, but Max Domi scored the game-tying goal before the period was over.

Andrew Agozzino put the IceDogs up in the second period, but overtime was forced exactly three minutes into the third on Seth Griffith's ninth of the playoffs.

London failed to get a shot on goal in the second overtime. Niagara outshot London 54-43 overall in a goaltending battle between the IceDogs' Mark Visentin and London's Houser.

Both clubs were 0-for-4 on the power play, including Niagara going 0-for-2 in overtime.

Game 2 is Saturday in St. Catharines, Ont.