WHL Roundup: T-Birds exact revenge, strike back for shootout victory against Wheat Kings

 

Lethbridge Hurricanes (3) at Kootenay ICE (7)
Lethbridge (22-21-4-0) // Kootenay (21-23-4-0)

Brett Davis (Dallas Stars) scored twice, while Colton Veloso, Peyton Krebs and Brad Ginnell all added a goal and an assist as the Kootenay ICE exploded for seven goals against the Lethbridge Hurricanes Tuesday night in Cranbrook, B.C.

Colton Kroeker added three assists, Martin Bodak had a pair of helpers and Duncan McGovern picked up his ninth victory of the season after making 24 saves.

Jordy Bellerive (Pittsburgh Penguins) opened the scoring in the contest, scoring his 30th goal of the season, but the ICE answered back on Ginnell’s seventh of the season to tie things up after 20 minutes.

The second period was where the game took shape as the ICE tallied four goals in a 2:39 span. Krebs scored the first of the four goals, followed by Kaedan Taphorn, Keenan Taphorn and Davis’ first goal of the game as the game was quickly put out of reach.

Keltie Jeri-Leon and Brad Morrison would cut the ICE’s lead to two with goals in the second half of the period, but that would be their only ofence in the contest as Veloso and a short-handed goal from Davis featured in the third.

With the Hurricanes’ potent offence threatening to get back in the game, McGovern stopped all 11 Lethbridge shots in the third period.

Logan Flodell and Reece Klassen shared time in net for Lethbridge during the loss.

Improving our power play stats 1 goal at a time..#ICEvLET #ICEcountry #VelosoGoal pic.twitter.com/LtKekRnt4o

— Winnipeg ICE (@WHLWpgICE) January 24, 2018

Nothin' but net 🥅@brett_davis4 pic.twitter.com/IOOt7CxPt8

— Winnipeg ICE (@WHLWpgICE) January 24, 2018

Medicine Hat Tigers (1) at Red Deer Rebels (4)
Medicine Hat (24-19-5-0) // Red Deer (11-25-8-3)

A three-goal third period from the Red Deer Rebels helped to send the Medicine Hat Tigers down to defeat Tuesday night.

Behind a 36-save performance from Ethan Anders, Mason McCarty scored twice and captain Grayson Pawlenchuk added a goal and an assist.

It was the Tigers opening the scoring Tuesday, as Jaeger White notching his seventh goal of the season. McCarty would strike back with his 23rd of the season later in the period to keep things tied after the opening 20 minutes.

Things remained deadlocked at one until the late moments of the third, when the Rebels took control of the game on the scoreboard. First, McCarty scored with 3:37 to go, followed 89 seconds later by the captain Pawlenchuk. The flurry of goals was capped off 36 seconds after that on an empty-net goal by Kristian Reichel.

After stopping 11 of 12 shots in the first, Anders was impossible to beat, stopping all 25 shots in the final two periods. Michael Bullion stopped 28 of 31 shots in the loss for the Tigers.

Streak. Snapped.
REBELS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/pLC6D0kkRD

— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) January 24, 2018

Swift Current Broncos (2) at Spokane Chiefs (4)
Swift Current (33-12-3-1) // Spokane (25-19-1-2)

Filip Kral scored twice while Ethan McIndoe and Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton Oilers) each added a goal and an assist to help the Spokane Chiefs double up the visiting Swift Current Broncos Tuesday night.

Jeff Faith and Jaret Anderson-Dolan (Los Angeles Kings) each added a pair of assists.

After ending the scoring in Saturday’s game with the overtime-winner, Yamamoto opened the scoring 31 seconds into Tuesday’s game. Giorgio Estephan would tie up the game later on in the period, but Kral’s first of the game restored the one-goal lead after 20 minutes.

The Broncos tie things up once more early in the second on a goal from defenceman Artyom Minulin, but the Chiefs would retain the lead by the end of the second as McIndoe scored the eventual game-winner.

Kral’s second of the game was the only goal of the third and Dawson Weatherill capped off the game with a 28-save performance to ensure the victory. Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers) stopped 21 of 25 shots in the loss.

Hudson Elynuik (Carolina Hurricanes) and Riley Woods also earned assists in the Chief’s victory Tuesday.

Yamamoto’s assist on the game-winning goal marked the 250th point of his WHL career.

.@kralf1 closed out the scoring tonight with a 2nd goal from distance, showing some love to his mom in the stands in celebration. #GoChiefsGo pic.twitter.com/E6xESJ8M1r

— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) January 24, 2018

Brandon Wheat Kings (5) at Seattle Thunderbirds (6) — SO
Brandon (15-14-4-1) // Seattle (25-16-4-2)

It took the better part of two years, but the Seattle Thunderbirds put some bad memories to rest Tuesday night.

The last time the Brandon Wheat Kings came to Kent, Wash., it ended with them raising the Ed Chynoweth Cup on Friday, May 13, 2016. Tuesday, the Thunderbirds pulled off a strong comeback, edging Brandon 6-5 in a shootout.

Fittingly enough, it was forward Donovan Neuls, who played in that May 2016 game, scoring the shootout-winner Tuesday as Noah Philp and Blake Bargar also scored in the shootout.

Before things got to that point though, there was a long and winding road. Connor Gutenberg and Ty Lewis (Colorado Avalanche) put Brandon up 2-0 early, but Neuls’ 18th of the season cut their lead in half after 20 minutes.

Stelio Mattheos (Carolina Hurricanes) and Linden McCorrister added goals in the second to build up a three-goal lead for the visiting Wheat Kings in the second, but the T-Birds came back once again with goals from Jake Lee and Noah Philip to again hold Brandon’s lead at one.

Lewis’ second of the game came early in the third to push the lead to multiple goals once again, but the T-Birds made another push, with Dillon Hamaliuk and Zack Andrusiak adding goals to force overtime and eventually the shootout, where the Thunderbirds would get some measure of revenge.

Dorrin Luding stopped 24 of 29 shots and even picked up an assist on Seattle’s second goal. He stopped one of the shots sent his way in the shootout.

Andrusiak recorded his first 50-point season in style, notching a goal and two assists. Philp’s goal was his 11th in a Seattle uniform and the 25th of his WHL career. 2016 WHL Bantam Draft first round pick Jake Lee added a goal and an assist for the second multi-point game of his young WHL career.

Lewis finished with four points in the contest, moving him two assists away from 100 for his WHL career. Evan Weinger picked up a pair of helpers in the contest while Mattheos and McCorrister each recording a goal and an assist.

Logan Thompson stopped 35 of 40 shots in the loss.

🚨 NEULS!!!!! T-BIRDS WIN 6-5 IN SHOOTOUT!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/jh2fK4fAUz

— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) January 24, 2018