WHL Roundup: Stallard’s strikes sink Speedy Creek
Kootenay ICE (4) at Brandon Wheat Kings (2)
Kootenay (8-8-1-0) // Brandon (9-6-0-1)
The Kootenay ICE scored four times in the first period en route to a 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings Friday night.
Sebastrian Streu, Michael King, Kaeden Taphorn and Cale Fleury scored consecutively as the ICE built a 4-0 to take control of the proceedings before the first period came to a close. Taphorn finishe the night with a goal and an assist to his credit.
Ty Lewis and Ty Ettinger replied for the Wheat Kings, who have lost three straight outings.
Duncan McGovern turned aside 33 pucks to earn his victory as a member of the ICE, following a mid-season trade from the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The win moved the ICE back to .500 and into a tie with the Red Deer Rebels for second in the Central Division.
Big congrats to Sebastian Streu @24_sebe who scored his first WHL goal tonight.#ICEcountry pic.twitter.com/NVbygNOpxM
— Kootenay ICE (@WHLKootenayICE) November 4, 2017
Red Deer Rebels (3) at Regina Pats (4)
Red Deer (8-8-1-0) // Regina (11-6-2-0)
The Regina Pats continued to roll, collecting points for the fourth consecutive contest with a 4-3 regulation win over the Red Deer Rebels Friday night.
Using special teams strength, the Pats converted on 3-of-7 power-play opportunities to knock off the visiting Rebels, erasing two separate two-goal deficits in the process.
Austin Pratt and Kristian Reichel provided a 2-0 lead for Red Deer in the first period, before defenceman Josh Mahura notched his first goal of the evening to cut into the Rebels edge. Early in the second period, Jack Flaman restored the Rebels two-goal advantage, only to have Jonathan Smart reply midway through.
Mahura’s second of the evening – a power-play marker – knotted the affair 3-3 late in the second period before Matt Bradley’s 14th of the season came on another man advantage midway through the third period to provide Regina with the win.
Smart (1G-1A) and Wyatt Sloboshan (2A) finished with multipoint performances for the Pats.
Veteran Tyler Brown batted away 25 shots to claim his eighth victory of the campaign.
Tonight’s @keithhershphoto summary of action.
Not Pictured: #johnpaddocksluggage
Returned Safe & Sound! pic.twitter.com/5bIjHgtGuY
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) November 4, 2017
Calgary Hitmen (6) at Lethbridge Hurricanes (3)
Calgary (5-10-1-0) // Lethbridge (7-7-1-0)
Tristen Nielsen scored twice, including the game-winning goal, as the Calgary Hitmen doubled up the Lethbridge Hurricanes by a 6-3 margin Friday.
A 2-2 game after 20 minutes, the Hitmen took control in the middle period.
Andrei Grishakov broke the deadlock with his fifth of the year before Nielsen’s first of the night and third of the campaign made it a 4-2 game after 40 minutes.
Nielsen boosted the Hitmen advantage early in the third period only to have Giorgio Estephan’s sixth of the season making this a little closer once again.
Belarussian defenceman Vladislav Yeryomenko iced the victory with an empty-net effort late in the festivities.
Rookie Orca Wiesblatt scored his first career WHL goal after signing a WHL standard player agreement with the Hitmen last week. Yeryomenko (1G-1A), Nielsen (2G), Grishakov (1G-1A) and Luke Coleman (2A) all enjoyed multipoint nights for Calgary.
Calgary Flames prospect Nick Schneider made 34 saves between the pipes.
SWEEEEET VICTORY!!!! #LETvsCGY pic.twitter.com/Iu70AINbCb
— Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) November 4, 2017
Swift Current Broncos (1) at Prince Albert Raiders (5)
Swift Current (10-3-1-0) // Prince Albert (7-5-3-0)
Jordy Stallard registered a hat trick, guiding the Prince Albert Raiders to a key triumph over the Swift Current Broncos Friday evening.
After Justin Nachbaur notched his first career WHL goal, Stallard went to work in the first period, collecting his 10th goal of the season to make it a 2-0 game. Before the buzzer sounded, the 20-year-old product of Brandon, Man., converted on a power play to make it a 3-0 Raiders lead after 20 minutes of play.
But the Winnipeg Jets prospects wasn’t done just yet.
Midway through the second period, he made good on another power-play opportunity, sending his 12th goal of the season to the back of the net, completing the hat trick and providing Prince Albert with a commanding 4-0 lead.
Aleksi Heponiemi got Swift Current on the board moments later before Sean Montgomery’s fifth of the campaign restored the Raiders’ four-goal lead for good.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ian Scott stopped 30 of 31 shots for the win as the Raiders kept pace in the tightly contested Eastern Conference.
The Insurance Goal of the Game was scored by #19 @jstallard27! Check out more #InsuranceGoals at https://t.co/6jMYE5Ggdn pic.twitter.com/8DPaFuGt4c
— PrinceAlbert Raiders (@PARaidersHockey) November 4, 2017
Saskatoon Blades (2) at Medicine Hat Tigers (7)
Saskatoon (6-8-1-0) // Medicine Hat (9-6-0-0)
Tyler Preziuso posted a goal and two assists while David Quenneville scored twice as the Medicine Hat Tigers maintained their Central Division lead with a 7-2 win over the Saskatoon Blades Friday night.
After Josh Paterson tallied to open the scoring for Saskatoon, Gary Haden evened the affair and Preziuso’s fifth of the campaign broke the tie for good, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.
Quenneville registered back-to-back markers in the second period while Ryan Chyzowski chipped in with his seventh of the season to put the hosts out front by a 5-1 count after 40 minutes of play.
James Hamblin and Dylan MacPherson made it a 7-1 game before Cameron Hebig sent his 13th of the year to the back of the net, rounding out the scoring.
Kristians Rubins (2A), Hamblin (1G-1A), Ryan Jevne (2A), Quenneville (2G), Preziuso (1G-2A) and Linus Nassen (3A) recorded multipoint efforts for the Tigers.
Jordan Hollett stopped 20 shots for the win.
The Medicine Hat Tigers bounce back and defeat the Saskatoon Blades 7-2. pic.twitter.com/IjijQYq8AG
— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) November 4, 2017
Portland Winterhawks (4) at Spokane Chiefs (1)
Portland (11-4-0-0) // Spokane (8-7-1-1)
Cole Kehler kicked out 47 shots, backstopping the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-1 triumph over the Spokane Chiefs Friday evening.
Kieffer Bellows scored twice and Cody Glass provided a goal and an assist for Portland.
Los Angeles Kings prospect Jaret Anderson-Dolan opened the scoring for Spokane before three consecutive Winterhawks goals changed the course of the game to end the first period.
Matthew Quigley knotted things up 1-1 with his second of the season before Bellow’s 11th of the year put Portland in front. The New York Islanders prospect made it a 3-1 game before the first period came to a close.
Glass provided additional insurance late in the third period with his eighth goal of the campaign.
For the 19-year-old Kehler, Friday’s win goes in the books as his ninth of the season in what was his 99th career WHL regular season appearance.
#Winterhawks beat Spokane on the road 4-1! pic.twitter.com/qMoeKouGer
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) November 4, 2017
Kamloops Blazers (5) at Vancouver Giants (4)
Kamloops (5-11-0-0) // Vancouver (5-8-1-2)
Garret Pilon scored twice, including the game-winner, while rookie Max Palaga earned his first career WHL victory as the Kamloops Blazers slipped past the Vancouver Giants 5-4 Friday.
A see-saw game from start to finish, Quinn Benjafield opened the scoring before Brad Morrison and Dawson Holt scored consecutively as the Giants staked out a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The second period saw the tables turn once again as Luc Smith, Pilon and Jermaine Loewen score to put the Blazers out front by a 4-2 margin after 40 minutes of action.
Once the third period rolled around, Morrison found the net once again to make it a one-goal game, after which Ty Ronning registered his 13th goal of the season to tie the contest 4-4 with only 2:30 to go in regulation.
Pilon posted his second of the night on a power play with only 17 seconds remaining in regulation as the Blazers snuffed out the Giants efforts to force overtime.
Palaga, the Kamloops product, made 23 saves for his first career WHL victory in his sixth career WHL appearance.
The win comes as the second consecutive for the Blazers as they look to make up ground in the B.C. Division.
Congrats to the kid @Maxpalaga on his first ever WHL win?
— Dylan Ferguson (@dferg_98) November 4, 2017
Kelowna Rockets (4) at Victoria Royals (2)
Kelowna (8-5-2-1) // Victoria (12-5-1-0)
The Kelowna Rockets scored twice in the third period, breaking a 2-2 deadlock to claim a 4-2 win over the Victoria Royals on Friday.
Leif Mattson secured the game-winning effort with only 3:10 to go in regulation before Dillon Dube iced the affair with his second goal of the evening, which came into an empty net in the final minute of the contest.
Dube, who will captain Team WHL at the upcoming 2017 CIBC Canada Russia Series, scored his sixth and seventh of the season to help pace the Rockets offense. Cal Foote, who will also join Dube at next week’s national event, notched his fifth goal of the year as well.
Jared Legien and Dante Hannoun replied for Victoria.
James Porter made 26 saves for the win as Kelowna collected points for the fifth straight game.
Rockets win 4-2 in Victoria. Details: https://t.co/DRBOyoHI3n #KELvsVIC #WHLRockets #Winning ?? pic.twitter.com/0j0e2rt9eL
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) November 4, 2017
Prince George Cougars (1) at Everett Silvertips (3)
Prince George (5-8-2-2) // Everett (7-9-1-0)
The Everett Silvertips sent a whopping 50 shots towards Prince George Cougars goaltender Tavin Grant, working their way to a 3-1 win Friday night.
Despite facing a firing squad, Grant stood tall and gave his club a chance to win, turning aside 47 of the 49 pucks he faced. Only Orrin Centazzo and Patrick Bajkov were able to beat the Cougars crease master in Friday’s affair, while Connor Dewar deposited his 10th goal of the season into an empty net for some late game insurance.
Josh Maser provided the lone response for the Cougars.
The victory goes into the books as Everett’s third in a row.
Woo! Chalk that up as a win! #LetsGoTips pic.twitter.com/xSm3SZqZPz
— Pink The Rink: 11/4 (@WHLsilvertips) November 4, 2017