Sunday’s WHL Round-up

T-BIRDS TOP AMS IN O/T – Bud Holloway scored his second goal of the game 1:59 into overtime to lift the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-2 victory over U.S. Division rivals the Tri-City Americans in one of six Western Hockey League contests on Sunday, February 11th.
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rJosh Schappert also scored for the Thunderbirds (25-19-2-11), who win their second game in a row and clinch the final playoff spot in the U.S. Division in the process. Derek Yeomans stopped 18 shots to earn the victory. The win leaves the T-Birds three points behind the Spokane Chiefs for third place in the U.S. Division.
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rShaun Vey and Drew Hoff scored for the Americans (34-19-1-1), who see their two-game win streak halted, while Carey Price made 34 saves in a losing cause. The overtime defeat gives the Ams a four-point lead over Spokane for second place in the U.S. Division.
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rGIANTS 7, ROCKETS 0
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rMilan Lucic and Michal Repik each netted two goals and an assist to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 7-0 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Sunday.
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rBrendan Mikkelson, Michael Wuchterl and Wacey Rabbit also scored for the Giants (36-12-3-6), who win their third straight decision, while Tyson Sexsmith made 11 saves for his seventh shutout of the season. The victory keeps the Giants two points ahead of Kamloops for top spot in the B.C. Division.
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rTorrie Jung and Daniel Salamandyk combined for 40 saves in a losing cause for the Rockets (17-32-5-3), who were out-shot 47-11 in the contest. With the defeat, the Rockets remain three points ahead of the Bruins for fourth place in the B.C. Division
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rICE 4, WARRIORS 1
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rCurtis Billsten scored twice and added two assists to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday.
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rMichael Busto and Chad Greenan also counted for the Ice (38-15-2-1) while Ryan Russell chipped in three assists. Taylor Dakers made 28 saves to earn the victory. The win leaves the Ice six points behind Medicine Hat for the Central Division lead.
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rBrady Calla scored the lone goal for the Warriors (20-32-3-0) while Joey Perricone and Kurt Jory combined for 47 saves in the loss. The defeat keeps the Warriors two points behind Saskatoon for fifth in the East Division.
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rPATS 5, WHEAT KINGS 1
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rBrett Leffler scored once and added two assists to pace the Regina Pats to a 5-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Sunday.
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rKaspars Saulietis – with a goal and an assist – Levi Lind, Mike Reich and Justin Scott also scored for the Pats (27-24-1-4), who win for the eighth time in 10 games. Linden Rowat turned in a solid 37-saves performance to earn the win. The victory leaves the Pats eight points behind Brandon for top spot in the East Division.
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rRobert Klinkhammer scored the only goal for the Wheat Kings (29-19-2-7) while Tyler Plante made 36 saves in the loss. Despite the defeat, the Wheaties remain first in the East Division.
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rBLAZERS 8, WINTER HAWKS 0
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rReid Jorgensen scored three times in the opening eight minutes of the game to lead the Kamloops Blazers to an 8-0 victory over the visiting Portland Winter Hawks on Sunday.
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rTerrance Delaronde scored twice for the Blazers (38-15-2-1) while Juuso Puustinen – with a goal and three assists – Travis Dunstall and Ivan Rohac also counted in the win. Dalyn Flette made 15 saves to earn his first career WHL shutout. The victory keeps the Blazers two points behind the Giants for top spot in the B.C. Division.
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rKurtis Mucha and Chris Ward combined for 36 saves in a losing effort for the Winter Hawks (15-40-1-1), who drop their fourth game in a row. The defeat, combined with Seattle’s win, eliminates the Winter Hawks from playoff contention in the U.S. division.
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rHITMEN 4, BRONCOS 3
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rBrodie Dupont scored twice and added an assist to lead the visiting Calgary Hitmen to a 4-3 win over the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday.
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rFredrik Pettersson and Keegan Dansereau also scored for the Hitmen (31-21-3-4) while Dan Spence made 22 saves to earn the victory. The win moves Calgary five points ahead of Red Deer for third place in the Central Division.
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rDavid Stieler, Dale Weise and Daniel Rakos scored for the Broncos (25-29-1-2) while Kyle Moir and Travis Yonkman combined for 27 stops in the loss. The defeat keeps the Broncos tied with the Raiders for third place in the East Division.
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