WHL Roundup: Chiefs, T-Birds strike down U.S. Division foes Saturday
Prince Albert Raiders (3) at Brandon Wheat Kings (4)
Prince Albert (23-24-9-2) // Brandon (31-22-3-2)
The Brandon Wheat Kings used a three-goal first period Saturday to earn a split of their home-and-home in front of their own fans.
Ty Lewis (Colorado Avalanche) opened the scoring 26 seconds into the game and goals followed from Marcus Sekundiak and Ty Ettinger.
Jordy Stallard (Winnipeg Jets) and Brett Leason answered back with goals 72 seconds apart to cut the deficit to a single goal after 40 minutes, but that’s as close as they’d come on this night.
Rylan Bettens scored in the third to push the lead to two goals once again, but the Raiders came back with a goal from Spencer Moe to keep things within a goal.
Logan Thompson bounced back from a loss Friday with a 39-save performance Saturday, earning his 60th career Western Hockey League victory.
The Wheat Kings made good use of limited shots Saturday, scoring four times in 13 shots and going 0-for-4 on the power play. Kody McDonald had a pair of assists for the lone multi-point game from either side Saturday.
The win moved the Wheat Kings back into third in the East Division while the regulation loss kept them four points away from the Saskatoon Blades for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Tonight's Insurance Goal of the Game tonight scored by @rylan29bettens early in the third period as the #BWK beat Prince Albert 4-3. Check out more #InsuranceGoals at https://t.co/KvIMtHk9Ar #GoldRush
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) February 18, 2018
Kootenay ICE (2) at Lethbridge Hurricanes (5)
Kootenay (25-32-3-0) // Lethbridge (28-24-6-0)
The Lethbridge Hurricanes aided their playoff chances while also dealing a blow to the Kootenay ICE Saturday, beating them by a 5-2 final.
Captain Jordy Bellerive (Pittsburgh Penguins) had a pair of goals, Brad Morrison added a goal and an assist and Logan Flodell made 29 saves to open up a home-and-home series between the two clubs that’ll conclude tomorrow in Cranbrook, B.C.
Early goals from Cameron Hausinger and Gillian Kohler had the ICE up by a pair, but the Hurricanes responded with five straight goals. Dylan Cozens and Morrison scored in the first to tie up the game after 20 minutes, Bellerive scored the game-winner in the second and goals from Jadon Joseph and Bellerive featured in the third.
Matt Berlin stopped 37 of 41 shots in the loss. Brett Davis (Dallas Stars) and Jake Elmer each had a pair of assists for the ICE and Hurricanes respectively.
WE LIKE IT, WE LOVE IT! An empty-net goal makes it a 5-2 win for your Lethbridge Hurricanes! #WHLCanes #YQL pic.twitter.com/Jrqdh5uBh3
— Lethbridge Hurricanes (@WHLHurricanes) February 18, 2018
Swift Current Broncos (3) at Medicine Hat Tigers (4) — OT
Swift Current (42-13-4-1) // Medicine Hat (29-24-7-0)
The Medicine Hat Tigers and Swift Current Broncos combined for four goals in a wild third period comeback by the Tigers Saturday to secure them a much-needed victory.
Ryan Jevne played the role of hero Sunday, scoring his second of the game 3:07 into overtime to top one of the two WHL clubs to have clinched a playoff spot.
Jevne opened the scoring with the only goal of the first, but Broncos’ captain Glenn Gawdin (Calgary Flames) came right back with the only goal of the second period, his 51st of the season, to tie the game after 40.
The Broncos seemed destined for another victory 6:14 into the third. First, Aleksi Heponiemi (Florida Panthers) had scored his 25th of the season, followed two minutes later by Artyom Minulin’s 12th of the campaign.
On most nights, that would be more than enough, but the Tigers had other plans. Bryan Lockner’s 11th of the campaign and Elijah Brown’s sixth of the season brought the game back to a tie with minutes to go in the game, followed shortly into the extra period by Jevne’s second of the game and third career game-winning goal.
Michael Bullion was sharp in net, stopped 28 of 31 shots for the victory. Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers) was also on his game, making 34 saves on 38 shots while earning a single point for his club.
Mark Rassell didn’t find the back of the net, but did pick up a pair of assists. Both Gawdin and Heponiemi finished with a goal and an assist in the loss.
The win kept the Tigers’ cushion as leaders of the Central Division at three points. The Broncos missed an opportunity to overtake the Warrior for first in the league, instead moving into a tie with 89 points, a tiebreaker that favours the Warriors due to their fewer amount of games played.
The Medicine Hat Tigers comeback to defeat the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in OT!#MHvsSC #livebreatheorange #gotigersgo #medhat pic.twitter.com/WrMsYeCzWh
— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) February 18, 2018
Prince George Cougars (7) at Kamloops Blazers (6) — SO
Prince George (20-30-4-4) // Kamloops (26-28-1-4)
Twelve goals, seven lead changes, and one shootout later, the Prince George Cougars successfully snapped a four-game losing streak on the road against the Kamloops Blazers.
Josh Maser and Vladislav Mikhalchuk each had a pair of goals in regulation and Ethan Browne scored the winner in the shootout to help top their hosts Saturday to begin a four-game road trip.
Nick Chyzowski opened the scoring, but the game quickly got out of hand on the scoreboard. Mikhalchuk and Maser scored to make it 2-1 for the Cougars, but goals from Justin Sigrist and Jackson Shepard turned the advantage back in favour of the Blazers after just 20 minutes of action.
Maser and Josh Curtis scored to open the second, returning the advantage to the Cougars’ side, but quick goals from Jermaine Loewen and Quinn Benjafield once again put the home side in front.
Mikhalchuk and Jared Bethune would give the Cougars the last laugh in a six-goal second period, helping them pull ahead by a 6-5 margin heading to the third.
Unsurprisingly, fans didn’t have to wait long to see the lone goal of the final period of regulation as Tylor Ludwar’s first career WHL goal came 2:06 in to once again level the game.
Things would eventually reach the shootout, where Mikhalchuk and Browne scored for the Cougars while Sigrist had the lone goal through three Blazers’ shooters.
Tavin Grant stopped 39 of 45 shots in regulation and overtime, making two more saves in the shootout. Max Palaga and Dylan Ferguson (Vegas Golden Knights) split the workload, combining for 25 saves on 31 shots.
Ryan Schoettler had pair of assists in the Cougars’ victory. Sean Strange and Nolan Kneen also had a pair of helpers for the Blazers.
Cougars win! Cougars win! @ethanbrowne01 seals it in the shootout, 7-6 final! Cats snap the 4-game losing streak.#WHL #PGvsKAM
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) February 18, 2018
Seattle Thunderbirds (3) at Everett Silvertips (2) — SO
Seattle (28-20-7-2) // Everett (37-17-2-3)
Noah Philp and Zack Andrusiak both scored in the shootout as the Seattle Thunderbirds handed the Everett Silvertips a rare defeat on home ice Saturday.
Martin Fasko-Rudas had the only goal of the first period, while Blake Bargar, Jarret Tyszka (Montreal Canadiens), and Riley Sutter all scored in the second.
Things remained tied until the shootout when the Silvertips tallied just one goal from the stick of Matt Fonteyne on three shots while the T-Birds converted on both of their chances.
The victory helped to pull Seattle within a point of the Tri-City Americans for the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Silvertips meanwhile gained a single point, sitting five points clear of the Portland Winterhawks for first in the U.S. Division with an extra game played.
Dorrin Luding stopped 41 of 43 shots to beat out Carter Hart (Philadelphia Flyers), who stopped 30 of 32 in the loss.
DORRIN LUDING GLOVE SAVE!!!!!
T-BIRDS WIN 3-2!!! pic.twitter.com/4Mo0pFtDOG
— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) February 18, 2018
Edmonton Oil Kings (3) at Kelowna Rockets (2) — SO
Edmonton (18-33-5-2) // Kelowna (35-18-4-2)
The Edmonton Oil Kings improved to 5-5 in their last 10 games as Trey Fix-Wolansky netted the shootout-winner to top the Kelowna Rockets by a 3-2 score Saturday.
Captain Cal Foote (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Conner McDonald traded goals in the first period while Braydyn Chizen (Minnesota Wild) and former Rocket Tomas Soustal exchanged goals in the second.
Things stayed deadlocked until the shootout, where all three Rockets shooters couldn’t beat Todd Scott with Fix-Wolansky scoring the only goal of the extra frame.
Scott earned the victory and extra point for the Oil Kings, finishing with 29 saves on 31 shots. James Porter put in a respectable 27-save performance, but had his only blemish in the shootout come to decide the game.
Sitting second last in the Central Division, the Oil Kings are still very much on the outside of the playoff race, but are still with 10 points of the third place Red Deer Rebels. The Rockets picked up a single point, which turned out to be huge, keeping them in the top spot in the B.C. Division following a win by the Victoria Royals.
https://twitter.com/EdmOilKings/status/965106971295694848
Vancouver Giants (3) at Victoria Royals (4)
Vancouver (31-19-5-3) // Victoria (35-21-3-2)
The Victoria Royals rebounded after a one-goal loss Friday with a one-goal victory Saturday, helping to grow the gap between them and the Vancouver Giants in the B.C. Division.
Tyler Soy (Anaheim Ducks) and Dino Kambeitz each had a pair of goals while captain Matthew Phillips (Calgary Flames) added three assists in the victory.
Kambeitz’s second goal of the game was a dagger in the hearts of the Giants as he scored with 11 seconds left in regulation for the stunning victory the handed the Royals two points and held the Giants off the scoresheet.
Griffen Outhouse returned to the crease, stopping 24 of 27 shots in the victory.
Ty Ronning (New York Rangers) scored twice to give him goals 52 and 53 on the campaign, while Brayden Watts notched his 15th goal of the season in the loss. Trent Miner stopped 38 of 42 shots in the loss.
Scott Walford (Montreal Canadiens), Igor Martynov, and Ralph Jarratt all picked up assists for the Royals in the victory while defenceman Kade Jensen played in the 300th game of his WHL career.
James Malm, captain Tyler Benson (Edmonton Oilers), Jared Dmyrtiw, Brennan Riddle, and Bowen Byram all picked up assists for Vancouver in the loss.
Five points now separate the Royals and Giants, the second and third place teams in the B.C. Division, in the standings. The Royals have played three more games than the Giants though.
Saturday’s game marked the conclusion of the season series between the two clubs that could see each other as quickly as the first round of the WHL playoffs. The last three games of the series ended in 4-3 scores, all in favour of the Royals, with Victoria winning seven of them.
Congratulations to Royals' defenseman @Kjensen83 who is playing in his 300th @TheWHL game tonight! pic.twitter.com/qGSkRy4jb9
— Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) February 18, 2018
Tri-City Americans (1) at Spokane Chiefs (5)
Tri-City (29-21-7-1) // Spokane (32-20-3-2)
A goal and three points from Jake McGrew (San Jose Sharks) led the way Saturday as the Spokane Chiefs strengthened their grip on third place in the U.S. Division with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans.
Ethan McIndoe and Ty Smith scored to begin the game, but Maxwell James kept the Chiefs’ lead at one after scoring his seventh of the season.
That mattered little to the Chiefs, who used second period goals from Luke Toporowski and McGrew to grow their lead before Dalton Hamaliuk potted the lone goal of the third.
Riley Woods had a pair of assists in the victory while Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Filip Kral, Hudson Elynuik (Carolina Hurricanes) and Eli Zummack all picked up assists in the victory. Nolan Yaremko had the lone assist for the Ams in the loss.
Dawson Weatherill stopped 18 of 19 shots for the victory while Patrick Dea stopped 27 of 32 shots while taking the loss.
Chiefs take down the Americans 5-1!
⭐⭐⭐ Hamaliuk
⭐⭐McGrew
⭐Woods— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) February 18, 2018
