WHL Roundup: Third period surge delivers B.C. Division title to Kelowna Rockets
Prince Albert Raiders (2) at Regina Pats (3) — SO
Prince Albert (32-25-9-4) // Regina (39-25-5-1)
Jesse Gabrielle scored an incredible goal in the shootout Wednesday to lift the Regina Pats over the Prince Albert Raiders by a 3-2 score, sweeping the season series between the two clubs.
Pats’ captain Sam Steel (Anaheim Ducks) and Cameron Hebig (Edmonton Oilers) scored for the Pats in regulation while Jordy Stallard (Winnipeg Jets) and Regan Nagy responded for the Raiders.
After overtime had passed, Gabrielle was the only player to score in the shootout. Steel missed for the Pats while Stallard, Kody McDonald, and Parker Kelly (Ottawa Senators) were held off the board by Max Paddock, who also stopped 31 shots in regulation and overtime.
Curtis Meger stopped 33 of 35 for the Raiders before stopping one of two Pats shooters, taking the loss and the single point.
Curtis Miske, Cole Fonstad and Kelly had a single assist for the Raiders. Nick Henry (Colorado Avalanche), Steel, and Matt Bradley had the assists for Regina.
All four goals in regulation came at even strength as the Pats went 0-for-4 and the Raiders went 0-for-3 on the power play.
The victory by the Pats moved them three points ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings for third in the East Division. The single point by the Raiders officially set up the first of eight first round matchups in the 2018 WHL Playoffs as they’ll take on the top-seeded Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Pats concluded the season series against the Raiders with an 8-0-0-0 record while the Raiders went 0-4-3-1.
Here's another look at @JesseGabrielle's shootout game winning goal.#JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/GYkXdHKjG4
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) March 15, 2018
Saskatoon Blades (5) at Swift Current Broncos (2)
Saskatoon (33-33-3-1) // Swift Current (47-17-4-2)
In a game without the pressure of playoff implications, the Saskatoon Blades came to play against one of the Eastern Conference’s best, downing the Swift Current Broncos by a 5-2 score.
Kirby Dach had a goal and four points, Max Gerlach added a pair of goals and three points and Tyler Brown stopped 42 of 44 shots in the win.
Dach opened the scoring with the only goal of the first period. Braylon Shmyr added his 37th of the season early in the second to double Saskatoon’s lead, but the Broncos were quick to respond with goals from Kaden Elder and Matteo Gennaro.
Michael Farren would score late in the second to give the Blades the lead after 40 and Gerlach’s 30th and 31st of the season featured in the third.
Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers) stopped 22 shots in the loss. Dawson Davidson added a pair of assists for the Blades in the victory.
The Blades finished the season series 4-3-0-1 against the Broncos.
4 points and 1st ⭐️ of the game: #7️⃣7️⃣
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) March 15, 2018
Kootenay ICE (2) at Calgary Hitmen (3) — SO
Kootenay (25-38-5-2) // Calgary (23-36-9-2)
The Calgary Hitmen won the final meeting of the season series against the Kootenay ICE Wednesday evening at home, scoring one last win against a divisional rival.
Brett Davis (Dallas Stars) and Alec Baer had the goals for the ICE while Mark Kastelic and Riley Stotts scored for the Hitmen.
In the shootout, Jake Kryski, Stotts, and Jakob Stukel (Vancouver Canucks) scored for the Hitmen. Davis was the only ICE player to score in the shootout as Brad Ginnell’s attempt was stopped.
Martin Bodak had a pair of assists for the ICE. Stukel, Kryski, Egor Zamula, and Luke Coleman had the assists for Calgary.
In net for the Hitmen, Matthew Armitage was once again solid, stopping 25 of 27 shots. Jesse Makaj made his WHL debut with the ICE, turning aside 29 of 31 shots in regulation and overtime, earning a single point for his club.
“The guys aren’t giving up and you know you’ll get a full performance from them every game. We battled through and we want to finish off on a good note." ➡️ https://t.co/cLRJm4lJJj pic.twitter.com/RbenHAJjn7
— Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) March 15, 2018
Lethbridge Hurricanes (2) at Red Deer Rebels (5)
Lethbridge (32-32-6-0) // Red Deer (27-30-10-3)
So you’re saying there’s a chance.
The Red Deer Rebels, no stranger to comebacks in the second half of their season, renewed their commitment to a new goal Wednesday in a 5-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes: gaining home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
A pair of goals and four points from Kristian Reichel as well as efforts of a goal and an assist from Josh Tarzwell and Brandon Hagel (Buffalo Sabres) helped keep the Rebels in the hunt for second place in the division.
Reichel had the only goal of the first, followed 64 seconds into the second period with Josh Tarzwell’s 10th of the campaign. Zane Franklin responded for the Hurricanes to get them on the board, but Reichel notched his second of the game later in the period to restore the two-goal lead after 40 minutes.
Hagel extended Red Deer’s lead to three in the third before Jake Elmer responded with his 18th of the season to make it a two-goal game once again. Reese Johnson would tally a goal late in the game to make it a three-goal difference for the final.
Riley Lamb stopped 32 of 34 shots for the victory while Reece Klassen stopped 20 of 25 shots in the loss.
Mason McCarty added a pair of assists in the victory.
Both teams now have three games left with the Rebels trailing the Hurricanes by six points. The Hurricanes close out the regular season with a home-and-home against the Medicine Hat Tigers while the Rebels will play a home-and-home against the Kootenay ICE.
Congrats to one of our long time Rebels billets. As thanks for 20 years of housing Rebels, Teresa Stevens was presented with a fabulous gift basket from @ChattersHair & a bouquet from her current billet, @riverfahey21.
Congratulations once again, and thank you. #ChattersHairSalon pic.twitter.com/LFZwXgH5Lj— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) March 15, 2018
Vancouver Giants (4) at Kamloops Blazers (1)
Vancouver (36-25-6-3) // Kamloops (29-36-1-4)
Trent Miner delivered a dazzling 39-save performance for his third WHL victory and Ty Ronning (New York Rangers) became the first skater from the Western Conference to hit 60 goals this season as the Giants wrapped up their season series against the Kamloops Blazers with a 4-1 victory.
Jermaine Loewen’s 35th goal of the season opened the scoring but goals from Ronning, Davis Koch, Milos Roman, and captain Tyler Benson paved the way to Vancouver’s 36th victory of the season.
Dylan Ferguson (Vegas Golden Knights) took the loss in net for the Blazers.
The win kept the Giants in the hunt for second place in the B.C. Division, which would secure them home-ice advantage in their first round series against the Victoria Royals.
The Blazers and Prince George Cougars will close out their respective seasons with a home-and-home series starting Friday, March 16 (7:00 p.m. PDT) at the Sandman Centre.
WHAT. A. WIN!
The Giants defeat the Kamloops Blazers 4-1! @TylerBenson_17, @DKoch17 @milosroman_ and @TyRonning7 get the goals and rookie @trent_miner makes 39 saves! @James_Malm adds two helpers in a terrific road victory!
More to come!!
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) March 15, 2018
Prince George Cougars (3) at Kelowna Rockets (6)
Prince George (23-38-5-4) // Kelowna (41-22-5-2)
A five-goal explosion in the third period of Wednesday’s contest at Prospera Place helped propel the Kelowna Rockets to their seventh B.C. Division title in franchise history.
Led by a pair of goals and three points from captain Cal Foote (Tampa Bay Lightning), the Rockets will now await either the Tri-City Americans or Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round of the playoffs once the dust settles on the regular season.
Aaron Boyd and Nolan Foote traded goals in the first while Brogan O’Brien had the only goal of the second period to put the Cougars up 2-1 after 40.
The Rockets were just getting started though, exploding for the five goals in a 16:04 span during the final period. Kaedan Korczak started the offensive explosion with his fourth of the season 23 seconds into the period. Foote followed with his 18th of the season Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames) and Foote added goals 29 seconds apart in the second half of the third while Braydyn Chizen (Minnesota Wild) added another goal for good measure.
Ryan Schoettler added a late goal for the Cougars. Kole Lind (Vancouver Canucks) and Leif Mattson each had a pair of assists for the Rockets Wednesday.
James Porter stopped 15 of 18 shots to earn the win while Taylor Gauthier stopped 44 of 50 shots for the Cougars in the loss.
Time expires and for the 7th time in franchise history the Rockets win the B.C. Division!!!!!! NEW BANNER INCOMING! (8th including West Div. '00). Kelowna wins 6-3 over PG! Shots 50-18 for KEL, PP KEL 0/8, PG 1/4. #KELvsPG #WHLRockets #BCDIVISION 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/FX5NqV6Xp0
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) March 15, 2018
Seattle Thunderbirds (6) at Spokane Chiefs (3)
Seattle (33-26-8-2) // Spokane (39-24-3-3)
The Seattle Thunderbirds remained in pursuit of better positioning in the Western Conference wild card race with a 6-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs Wednesday.
Sami Moilanen had a pair of goals and three points while Zack Andrusiak added a goal and an assist and Liam Hughes stood tall with 37 saves on 40 shots.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan (Los Angeles Kings) and Hudson Elynuik (Carolina Hurricanes) found the back of the net for the Chiefs in the first, but between those two Spokane goals were Moilanen’s pair of goals and Samuel Huo’s second of the campaign, giving Seattle a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes.
Anderson-Dolan tied up the game with his second of the night early in the middle period, but goals from Jake Lee, Matthew Wedman and Andrusiak put the game out of reach. Nolan Volcan added a pair of assists in the win.
Dawson Weatherill and Bailey Brkin combined for 23 saves on 29 shots in the loss.
The win kept the T-Bird within striking distance of the Tri-City Americans for the first wild card spot. The Chiefs’ loss clinched home-ice advantage for the Portland Winterhawks in at least the first round of the playoffs.
VICTORY! T-Birds beat Chiefs 6-3. pic.twitter.com/owCTdEc6Je
— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) March 15, 2018
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