Reid Gardiner leads the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals

The soft spoken and very humble Reid Gardiner is letting his stick do the talking for him. Currently Gardiner leads the WHL in goals and points in post season play with 12 goals and 10 assists in 11 games.

He played the starring role in both the Kamloops and Portland season enders.

In game six versus Kamloops, Gardiner scored a hat trick in the 4-2 win. The Blazers had fought back from a 2-0 deficit late in the third period to tie it at two in their attempt to force a game seven in Kelowna. Gardiner responded 17 seconds later with the game winner, then with an empty net goal to send the Blazers to the golf course.

In game five versus Portland, he factored in all six goals in the 6-2 series winning game. He scored four goals and added two assists to send the Winterhawks on a long bus ride home.

In an earlier interview with KelownaNow, Gardiner said, "“I think lots of pressure comes from putting expectations on myself. I want to be as good as I can be, and if that's the best then so be it, and if it's not then I'll keep working at it to be at that point. As I surpass goals I set new goals for myself and I usually set them pretty high because I like to push myself.”

When you watch him, you quickly realize that this shy young man off the ice knows how to lead on the ice. He leads by example with work ethic, and you can see his leadership in stoppages. Most of all, he leads with results.

Reid was drafted into the WHL in 2011 by the Prince Albert Raiders and played four seasons with the team, amassing 220 regular season points. In the 2015-2016 season, he placed eighth in the WHL scoring race with 92 points. In October of 2016, the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins signed Gardiner to an American Hockey League contract, and he collected six points in 23 games played before making his way to Kelowna.

The Kelowna Rockets received Gardiner in a deal with the Prince Albert Raiders in January, and he was all too happy to hit the ice with his younger brother.

The Portland series win advances Kelowna to the Western Conference Finals for the fourth consecutive season. The Kelowna Rockets will now clash with the Seattle Thunderbirds for the second year in a row in the Western Conference Finals.

Last season the Rockets were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by Seattle in just four games. However, with the addition of Gardiner, the Rockets are in a prime position to get their revenge and secure the Western Conference title.

In the four game regular season series versus Seattle, Kelowna won the first three games, October 22, in Seattle by a score of 5-1, December 7, at home by a score of 6-1 and again at home on February 13 by a score of 6-3.

The final regular season game was a 5-3 loss in Seattle on February 25.

Seattle finished the season with 46 wins and 98 points while Kelowna had 45 wins and 95 points. Seattle is undefeated in playoffs, sweeping the Tri-City Americans, then sweeping the Everett Silvertips. The T-birds have scored 39 goals and allowed 18 in their 8 games, while Kelowna has scored 38 and allowed 24 in 11 games.

The series begins at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington on Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22 for games one and two. The Rockets are back home to Kelowna for games three and four on Tuesday and Wednesday. Game five and six if necessary will be played on April, 28 and 30. Game seven will be played in Seattle on May 2, 2017 if necessary.

From an earlier interview with KelownaNow, “Being able to share this experience with my brother is pretty cool,” expressed the elder Gardiner. “I'd do anything for any of my teammates. Obviously I don't like fighting, but if I have to I will. But when certain guys go after Erik, especially late in the game, I'll tell him to keep his head up and be safe. He always tells me to **** off. He wants to do his own thing, and I want to let him, but at the same time want him to be safe and succeed.”