Loss ends T-Birds' season

KENNEWICK -- Colton Yellow Horn scored twice and goalie Chet Pickard had 32 saves as the Tri-City Americans advanced to the Western Conference finals after beating the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-0 on Friday night to win the semifinal series 4-1.

Jason Reese and Taylor Procyshen also scored goals for the Americans, who will play the winner of the Vancouver-Spokane series, which is tied at two games apiece. Procyshen also had two assists.

Pickard got his second shutout of the playoffs -- both against Seattle. Pickard is 8-1 over the course of two playoff series after finishing the regular season with 46 wins.

Jacob DeSerres had 21 saves for the T-Birds, who won the first game of the series 7-1, then lost four in a row. The Americans outscored Seattle 15-11 in the series with 11 of their goals scored on power plays.

The T-Birds defeated the Kelowna Rockets in seven games in the first round of the playoffs after going 42-23-5-2 during the regular season.

Reese got the Americans on the board at 14:59 of the first period with a power-play goal. T.J. Fast and Shaun Vey had the assists.

Procyshen scored an unassisted goal on a breakaway at 12:13 of the second period to put Tri-City up 2-0.

Yellow Horn tallied a power-play goal at 13:53 of the third period and added an empty-net goal at 15:46.

Seattle outshot Tri-City 32- 25 in the game.