WHL Roundup: Steel surpasses 300-point milestone as Pats down Blades

 

Saskatoon Blades (3) at Regina Pats (7)
Saskatoon (23-23-2-1) // Regina (25-20-5-0)

Regina Pats captain Sam Steel (Anaheim Ducks) waltzed past a milestone in style Wednesday against the Saskatoon Blades, tallying five assists to surpass 300 points for his Western Hockey League career. 

Josh Mahura (Anaheim Ducks) added a goal and four points and Cameron Hebig (Edmonton Oilers) reached the 200-point plateau in his WHL career by scoring twice and finishing with three points as the Pats put together a 7-3 drubbing of the Saskatoon Blades on home ice.

Mahura and Chase Wouters traded goals in the first 8:30 of the game, but Libor Hajek (Tampa Bay Lightning) would add his ninth of the season later in the frame to put the Pats up by one after 20.

In the second, goals from Nick Henry (Colorado Avalanche), Jesse Gabrielle (Boston Bruins), and Jared Legien featured in the first 14:32 of the period. Max Gerlach would make things close, scoring in the final minute of the second and the opening minute of the third.

That’s as close as the Blades would get though, as Hebig scored 41 seconds after Gerlach’s second goal and then again just past the midway point of the period to round out all the offence in the game. The seven goals were more than enough for Ryan Kubic, who stopped 26 of 29 shots against his former team.

Tyler Brown stopped 38 shots in his return to Regina.

Shining offensively in the game were Jake Kustra, who had a pair of assists for the Blades, while 15-year-old Cole Dubinsky picked up the second point of his WHL career in the victory. Aaron Hyman, acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds at the WHL Trade Deadline, picked up his first point in a Pats’ uniform Wednesday.

Steel’s five-point effort extended his point streak against the Blades to nine games dating back to Nov. 4. In those nine games, Steel has 20 points (6G-14A) over that nine-game streak.

MILESTONE!! Pats captain Sam Steel (@ssteel23) eclipsed the 300 point mark for his WHL career tonight!! Sits 17th all-time in franchise scoring with 303 points!! #JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/Zro0sfm3d8

— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) January 25, 2018

VIDEO: Post game comments from John Paddock and Sam Steel. Watch here: https://t.co/lIwu2LwSHk#JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/qTEyxEYvJB

— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) January 25, 2018

Medicine Hat Tigers (4) at Edmonton Oil Kings (3) — OT
Medicine Hat (25-19-5-0) // Edmonton (13-27-5-2)

Kristians Rubins scored 63 seconds into overtime Wednesday at Rogers Place, helping the Medicine Hat Tigers avoid losing control of a game in the third period for a second straight night.

Colton Kehler opened the scoring in the first period with the only goal, but the Tigers fired back in the second with goals from Ryan Jevne, Dalton Gally, and Josh Williams in a 5:42 span to take a two-goal lead.

The Oil Kings fired back in the third, erasing the two-goal deficit thanks to David Kope and Tomas Soustal, forcing the game into overtime. Though the Oil Kings battled hard, the winning goal would come off a tough play as a shot from the blueline by Jevne bounced off the end boards and out at the side of the net to a waiting Rubins, who pounced on the opportunity for his fifth of the season.

Jordan Hollett (Ottawa Senators) stood tall between the pipes for the Tigers, making 27 saves on 30 shots. Josh Dechaine also delivered a solid performance, stopping 36 of 40 shots.

2016 first round selection Matthew Robertson had the first multi-point game of his WHL career Wednesday for the Oil Kings. Ryan Chyzowski added a pair of assists for the Tigers in the victory, giving him 34 points on the season. Tomas Soustal’s game-tying goal in the third was the 150th point of his WHL career.

The Medicine Hat Tigers leave Rogers Place with a 4-3 victory in OT! #EDMvsMH #livebreatheorange #gotigers #medhat pic.twitter.com/Mfy49xBSpE

— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) January 25, 2018

Kelowna Rockets (4) at Lethbridge Hurricanes (3) — OT
Kelowna (30-14-2-1) // Lethbridge (22-21-5-0)

Kole Lind (Vancouver Canucks) finished off a four-point game with his second goal of the contest on a breakaway in overtime Wednesday, lifting the Kelowna Rockets to their 30th victory of the season.

To get to that point required some perseverance though as Carsen Twarynski (Philadelphia Flyers) scored in the final minute to tie the game before Lind won it with 27 seconds left in the extra frame.

Kaedan Korczak and Jadon Joseph traded goals 12 seconds apart in the first 32 seconds of the second period following a scoreless first. Lind would put the Rockets up by one midway through the period, but a late second period goal from Jordy Bellerive (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Igor Merezhko’s fourth of the season in the third left the Rockets down by a goal with six minutes to go.

Never a team to worry, the Rockets found the equalizer with 38 seconds to go from Twarynski and then had Lind notch the 195th point of his WHL career on the game-winner.

Nolan Foote added a pair of assists in the victory while Zane Franklin had a pair of helpers for the Hurricanes.

Making his second career WHL start, in his hometown of Lethbridge, Alta. no less, Cole Tisdale stopped 25 of 28 shots for the victory. Reece Klassen continued to dazzle for the Hurricanes with some beautiful stops, turning aside 45 shots in the overtime loss.

Spokane Chiefs (5) at Vancouver Giants (0)
Spokane (26-19-1-2) // Vancouver (25-16-4-3)

With seven straight games on the road, the Spokane Chiefs wanted to start the trip off on the right foot against the Vancouver Giants.

Dawson Weatherill was on top of his game and then some, stopping all 31 shots for his second career WHL shutout as the Chiefs blanked the Giants by a 5-0 score.

Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton Oilers) scored twice and Hudson Elynuik (Carolina Hurricanes) added a goal and three points as the Chiefs won their second straight game against the B.C. Division. Zach Fischer (Calgary Flames) had the only goal of the first, while Yamamoto added the insurance goal and a short-handed tally in a 2:11 span during the first 3:10 of the middle period.

Luke Toporowski and Elynuik added goals in the third. Jeff Faith, Tyson Helgesen, Riley Woods, Filip Kral, and Milos Fafrak all picked up an assist in the victory.

The offence was more than enough for Weatherill to handle as he made 15 saves in the first, eight in the second and eight more in the third.

David Tendeck stopped 23 of 27 shots before being replace by 16-year-old Trent Miner, who made 14 saves on 15 shots in his first taste of WHL action.

Ty Ronning (New York Rangers) led the Giants Wednesday with six shots.

🎆CHIEFS WIN🎆

Chiefs take game 1 of their 7 straight on the road in impressive fashion beating the Giants 5-0.

Shutout #2 for @35_dawson!#GoChiefsGo

— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) January 25, 2018