CHL Daily presented by Cavendish Farms: Blades win 50th game of season
CHL Three Stars
Moose Jaw’s Jagger Firkus (SEA) took the CHL scoring crown after he had five points (3G, 2A) Saturday in an 11-1 win against Regina to take his season total to 126. Firkus also scored 61 goals, the second most in the CHL. Saturday night was Firkus’ sixth hat-trick of the season.
David Goyette (SEA) had five points (1G, 4A) as Sudbury again won huge after a 9-2 win in Niagara. Goyette’s 117 points were the most in the OHL in 2023-24.
Calgary defenceman Reese Hamilton had the best game of his rookie season after he had five points (1G, 4A) in a 6-3 win over Swift Current. Hamilton tallied eight goals and 31 points from the Hitmen blue line.
CHL Top 10
Riley Heidt (MIN) had a hat-trick to lead the Prince George Cougars (1) to a 5-2 win over Kamloops. The Cougars finished the season with 49 wins and enter the WHL playoffs on a 17-0-2 streak.
James Stefan (EDM) reached the 100-point mark as the Portland Winterhawks (4) took down Seattle 7-4 for their 47th win. The Winterhawks can reach the 100-point mark Sunday if they can collect a point against the T-Birds.
The Baie-Comeau Drakkar (3) dropped a 4-2 decision to the Drummondville Voltigeurs (8) in their final game of the regular season. The Drakkar finish the campaign with a CHL best 53 wins while the Volts secured the QMJHL’s Western Conference with 48 wins and 102 points.
After an 8-5 win over Windsor, the Saginaw Spirit (5) will go for a 50th win of the season Sunday in their regular season finale. The Spirit’s 49 wins are already a franchise record while their victory Saturday saw them reach the 100-point mark for the first time.
The Saskatoon Blades (6) recorded the third 50-win season in franchise history after they beat Prince Albert 5-0. The Blades led the WHL in wins and became just the second CHL club to reach 50 wins in 2023-24.
Austin Roest (NSH) had two goals as the Everett Silvertips (7) beat Wenatchee 6-2 to push their streak to 9-0-2. If the Silvertips can beat Tri-City Sunday, they’ll record their second 45-win season in three years.
Antonin Verreault buried the overtime winner for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (9) as they beat Gatineau 3-2. The victory was the Huskies’ 47th of the season and also saw them reach the 100-point mark for the third time in franchise history.
NHL prospect watch
Cam Squires (NJ) scored the overtime winner for Cape Breton as they beat Charlottetown 3-2 to end the regular season on a nine-game winning streak. Squires finished the campaign with a career high 33 goals and 72 points.
The @CBEHockey are HOT right now! 🥵#NJDevils prospect Cam Squires had the OT winner this afternoon as the Eagles will enter the #QPlayoffs on a nine-game winning streak! 🦅
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 23, 2024
Quentin Musty (SJ) had four points (2G, 2A) as Sudbury beat Niagara 9-2. In the process, Musty passed the 100-point mark and alongside Goyette, it marks the first time since 1999-2000 that a pair of Wolves teammates each recorded 100 points.
Saskatoon’s Egor Sidorov (ANA) got his 50th goal of the season in dramatic fashion as he scored the landmark goal with just 35.3 seconds left in regulation. Sidorov is the first Blades player to 50 goals since Frank Bahmam scored 83 times in 1995-96.
Oh my indeed! 😱#FlyTogether prospect Egor Sidorov left it late in the season to reach the 50-goal plateau for @BladesHockey! pic.twitter.com/7nZVFOnZPF
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 24, 2024
Brayden Yager (PIT) had five assists while Matthew Savoie (BUF) had four points (1G, 3A) as part of Moose Jaw’s 11-1 win against Regina. Yager finished the season with a career high 94 points while Savoie tallied 47 points in only 23 games with the Warriors.
The Firkus 🎪 with an impressive trick to score his 60th of the year! @MJWARRIORS | #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/loA7nvUBaD
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 24, 2024
Nightly notes
Victoriaville’s Nathan Darveau won his 30th game of the season saturday in a 7-3 win over Val-d’Or but in the process tied a QMJHL record. Darveau, the 2022-23 CHL Goaltender of the Year, concluded his Q career with a .920 save percentage to tie Ondrej Pavelec’s 17-year-old record. Over 138 games, Darveau went 72-47-6 with a 2.69 GAA.
Antonin Verreault capped off a spectacular season with the overtime winner for Rouyn-Noranda. Verreault was the only QMJHL player to record 100 points this year as he finished with year with 107 (37 goals) in 68 games.
The @QMJHL's leading scorer Antonin Verreault ended the regular season in style with the OT winner for @HuskiesRn!
The victory also ensured the Huskies reached the 100-point mark for the third time in franchise history! 👏🏻
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 24, 2024
His teammate, Joseph Henneberry had a career high five assists in the win over Val-d’Or. Between the Titan and Tigres, Henneberry had a career high 69 points this year.
Victoriaville’s Maxime Pellerin ended his QMJHL career with a hat-trick in a 7-3 victory against Val-d’Or. Pellerin ends his Tigres career with 110 goals and 238 points in 282 games and of course a QMJHL championship in 2021.
Shawinigan rookie Jiri Klima finished the regular season with his first QMJHL hat-trick in an 8-4 win over the Armada. The Czechia forward had 18 goals and 31 points in his first season in North America.
Saginaw teammates Alex Christopoulos and Calem Mangone each scored hat-trick’s during Saginaw’s 8-5 win over Windsor. Christopoulos, who scored 49 times a year ago for the Spits, played in his final regular season game and concluded his OHL career with 104 goals. Mangone, who can return next year, has had a career high 63 points this year.
In the final regular season of his career, Owen Sound’s Deni Goure scored a hat-trick in a 7-6 overtime loss to Guelph. In the process, Goure became the ninth player in team history to record 100 goals with the Attack.
Nick Surzycia stopped all 41 shots he faced to record his first OHL hat-trick in his final start of the season. Surzycia appeared in a career high 52 games and recorded 16 wins alongside a 3.98 GAA.
Saskatoon captain Trevor Wong became the first Blades player to have a 100-point season in 28 years after he had a goal and an assist against Prince Albert to finish the 2023-24 season, and his final year, with 101 points.
Calgary’s Carter Yakemchuk scored his 30th goal of the season to become the first NHL Draft blueliner from the WHL to hit that landmark since Ian White had 32 in 2001-02. It also meant that alongside Saginaw’s Zayne Parekh, two NHL Draft eligible d-men in the CHL have both scored 30 or more goals in a season.
OHL results (March 23, 2024)
Guelph 7-6 Owen Sound
Erie 4-3 Kitchener (OT)
Sarnia 3-0 Flint
Kingston 4-3 Brantford (OT)
Sudbury 9-2 Niagara
Saginaw 8-5 Windsor
Barrie 4-1 Peterborough
QMJHL results (March 23, 2024)
Cape Breton 3-2 Charlottetown (OT)
Moncton 7-5 Acadie-Bathurst
Halifax 7-4 Saint John
Drummondville 4-2 Baie-Comeau
Chicoutimi 4-3 Sherbrooke
Rimouski 7-3 Quebec
Rouyn-Noranda 3-2 Gatineau (OT)
Shawinigan 8-4 Blainville-Boisbriand
Victoriavlle 7-3 Val-d’Or
WHL results (March 23, 2024)
Calgary 6-3 Swift Current
Lethbridge 4-3 Medicine Hat
Moose Jaw 11-1 Regina
Portland 7-4 Seattle
Prince George 5-2 Kamloops
Edmonton 7-3 Red Deer
Saskatoon 5-0 Prince Albert
Everett 6-2 Wenatchee
Spokane 6-3 Tri-City
Kelowna 5-2 Vancouver
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