FRIDAY’S WHL ROUND-UP
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WARRIORS SHUT DOWN TIGERS – Luke Siemens made 22 saves to claim his fourth shutout of the season as the Moose Jaw Warriors blanked the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 6-0 in Western Hockey League action on Friday night.
Quinton Howden scored twice and Cam Braes tallied a goal and two assists while Sam Fioretti, Dallas Ehrhardt and Eric Arnold also scored for the Warriors (37-15-5-1), who earn their sixth straight win and close to within three points of Edmonton for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Kenny Cameron made 31 saves in the defeat for the Tigers (35-20-2-2), who drop their second straight decision but remain in third place in the Eastern Conference.
BLADES 7, BRONCOS 3
Defenceman Darren Dietz scored four goals to lead the Saskatoon Blades to a 7-3 win over the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Friday.
Dietz’s four-goal effort ties a WHL record for goals in a single game by a defenseman.
Brett Stovin, Travis McEvoy and Matej Stransky also scored for the Blades (35-23-0-1), who converted three of five power play chances in the win. Andrey Makarov turned in a 41-save effort to backstop the Blades to the victory.
Coda Gordon scored twice and former Blade Levi Bews also scored for the Broncos (21-32-2-4), who have lost eight of their last 10 games. Jon Groenheyde and Austin Smith combined for 38 saves in a losing effort.
WHEAT KINGS 6, RAIDERS 1
Mark Stone tallied a goal and set up four more to lift the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-1 win over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Friday night
Michael Ferland scored twice and set up another and Brenden Walker notched a goal and two assists for the Wheat Kings (31-26-1-2), who pick up their third straight win and remain eight points clear for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, while Ryan Pulock also scored. Brandon Anderson made 29 saves to record his 13th win of the season.
Antoine Corbin broke Anderson’s shutout bid with a goal 15:55 into the third period for the Raiders (18-36-2-2), who drop their seventh consecutive decision. Luke Lee-Knight made 30 saves on 33 shots through 51 minutes of action after replacing starter Cole Holowenko, who allowed three goals on nine shots in the first 10 minutes of the game.
ICE 4, CHIEFS 3
Max Reinhart and Joe Antilla each tallied a goal and two assists to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-3 triumph over the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Friday.
Drew Czerwonka and Jon Martin also counted for the Ice (32-18-4-4), who led 3-1 after the opening period en route to their 18th home-ice win of the season. Mackenzie Skapski made 25 saves to claim the win.
Dominik Uher scored twice and Marek Kalus tallied a goal and an assist for the Chiefs (31-19-4-1), who suffer their third loss in a row and fall four points back of Vancouver for fourth place in the Western Conference. Eric Williams made 18 saves in the setback.
HURRICANES 6, PATS 4
Brody Sutter scored twice and set up another to pace the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 6-4 victory over the visiting Regina Pats on Friday.
Phil Tot and Brady Ramsay each notched a goal and a pair of assists while Jaimen Yakubowski and Tyler Kizuik also counted for the Hurricanes (23-36-0-1), who scored four times in the second period en route to the win. Damie Ketlo made 24 saves to best his former team.
Dyson Stevenson scored twice and Martin Marincin notched a goal and two assists while Matt MArantz also counted for the Pats (30-23-5-1), who went 1-for-5 on the power play but allowed four power play goals on seven ‘Canes’ chances. Matt Hewitt made 20 saves in the defeat.
REBELS 3, BLAZERS 2
Charles Inglis scored the go-ahead goal 17:37 into the third period to lift the visiting Red Deer Rebels to a 3-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers on Friday.
Kevin Pochuk scored his first WHL goal and Alex Petrovic also counted for the Rebels (26-26-1-4), who move back to the .500 mark for the season but remain eight points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Bolton Pouliot made 37 saves to record the win.
Tim Bozon and Brendan Ranford scored for the Blazers (41-13-1-3), who see a five-game winning streak come to an end. Cole Cheveldave made 31 saves in the loss.
HITMEN 7, ROCKETS 1
Danny Gayle scored twice and Alex Gogolev tallied a goal and two helpers to lead the visiting Calgary Hitmen to a 7-1 win over the Kelowna Rockets on Friday.
Victor Rask, Greg Chase and Alex Roach each notched a goal and an assist while Brady Brassart also scored for the Hitmen (34-22-2-1), who went 3-for-5 on the power play as they earn their second win in a row to start their B.C. Division road trip. Chris Dreidger made 22 saves to claim his 17th win of the season.
Madison Bowey broke Driedger’s shutout bid with a shorthanded marker 19:24 into the third period for the Rockets (24-27-3-5), who were outshot 38-23 by the visitors en route to their sixth straight defeat. Adam Brown and Jordon Cooke combined for 31 saves in the loss.
ROYALS 4, COUGARS 2
Steven Hodges and Jamie Crooks each tallied a goal and an assist to lead the Victoria Royals to a 4-2 win over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Friday.
Brandon Magee – with his 20th of the season – and Dakota Conroy also scored for the Royals (18-34-2-4), who scored four times in the second period as they move into a tie with Seattle for seventh place in the Western Conference. Keith Hamilton made 18 saves to record the win.
Caleb Belter and Jake Mykitiuk scored for the Cougars (18-36-0-2), who now sit four points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Drew Owsley made 22 saves in the loss.
GIANTS 6, OIL KINGS 2
Jordan Martinook scored his 31st and 32nd goals of the season to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 6-2 win over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night.
The win clinches the Giants a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Brendan Gallagher, Cain Franson, Matt Bellerive and Jackson Houck also scored for the Giants (35-21-1-2), who broke open a 2-2 tie in the second period with the game’s last four goals. Adam Morrison made 26 saves to post his 30th win of the season.
Tyler Maxwell – with his 35th of the season – and Rhett Rachinski scored for the Oil Kings (38-14-3-4), who drop their second decision over their last three games but remain in first place in the Eastern Conference. Laurent Brossoit made 27 saves to take the loss.
WINTERHAWKS 4, SILVERTIPS 1
Sven Bartschi scored his 22nd goal of the season and chipped in an assist to help the visiting Portland Winterhawks to a 4-1 win over the Everett Silvertips on Friday.
Marcel Noebels and Oliver Gabriel also each tallied a goal and an assist while Ty Rattie scored his 45th goal of the season for the Winterhawks (39-15-2-1), who stretch their win streak to five games and remain tied with Tri-Cities for first place in the U.S. Division. Mac Carruth made 26 saves to post his 36th win of the season, which is a franchise record for a Winterhawks goalie.
Jordyn Boyd scored the only goal for the Silvertips (15-33-1-8), who now sit three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Kent Simpson made 43 saves in the loss.
AMERICANS 5, THUNDERBIRDS 2
Brendan Shinnimin scored twice and set up another to lead the visiting Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday.
Connor Rankin also scored twice while Adam Hughesman tallied a goal and an assist for the Americans (39-15-1-2), who scored the game’s first four goals en route to the win. Eric Comrie stopped 36 of 38 shots to post his 17th win of the season.
Connor Honey scored twice for the Thunderbirds (20-35-1-1), who were outshot 53-38 in the contest. Calvin Pickard made 48 saves in a losing cause.
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