Sunday’s WHL Round-up

SANTORELLI PACES BRUINS TO WIN OVER ROCKETS — Mark Santorelli scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Chilliwack Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets in one of seven Western Hockey League contests on Sunday, December 2nd.
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rSantorelli, from Burnaby, B.C., has now racked up nine goals and 14 points in his last five games, and leads the WHL in scoring with 54 points in 31 games this season.
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rOscar Moller added a goal – his 25th of the season – and an assist for the Bruins (16-12-3-0), who win their third straight game. Matt Esposito made 17 saves to pick up his 14th win of the season. The victory leaves the Bruins just one point behind Kelowna for second place in the B.C. Division and fourth in the Western Conference.
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rColin Long scored the only goal for the Rockets (16-10-2-2), who are 5-3-1-1 in their last 10 games, while Kristofer Westblom made 30 saves in a losing cause. Despite the defeat, the Rockets hold onto second spot in the B.C. Division.
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rGame Summary
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rHITMEN 6, COUGARS 2
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rIan Duval netted a pair of goals and chipped in an assist to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Sunday.
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rKyle Bortis – with two goals – Bostjan Golicic and Ryan White also scored for the Hitmen (20-8-1-2), who become the first Eastern Conference team to hit the 20-win mark. Dan Spence made 17 saves to record his 55th career victory. The win gives the Hitmen a three-point lead over Lethbridge for first place in the Central Division.
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rGreg Gardner and Cory Tyrell scored for the Cougars (11-20-0-0), who suffer their second straight defeat, while Real Cyr made 27 saves in the loss. The defeat keeps the Cougars in fifth place in the B.C. Division and ninth in the Western Conference.
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rWARRIORS 3, OIL KINGS 2 O/T
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rJordan Knackstedt scored 3:23 into overtime to lift the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday.
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rMartin Filo and Frazer McLaren also scored for the Warriors (13-9-4-2), who have won four of their last six games. Joey Perricone turned in a 34-save effort to pick up the win. The victory leaves the Warriors three points behind Swift Current for third place in the East Division.
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rTomas Vincour – with a goal and an assist – and Craig McCallum scored for the Oil Kings (11-14-2-3), who have dropped eight of their last 10 games, while Alex Archibald made 33 saves in a losing cause. The overtime loss leaves the Oil Kings five points behind Moose Jaw for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
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rGIANTS 6, WINTER HAWKS 1
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rSpencer Machacek scored twice to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 6-1 victory over the visiting Portland Winter Hawks on Sunday.
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rMario Bliznak – with a goal and an assist – Evander Kane, Lance Bouma and Craig Cunningham also counted for the Giants (20-7-1-3), who win their second straight contest, outscoring their opposition 13-1 in the process. Kraymer Barnstable stopped 16 of 17 shots he faced to record his first career WHL victory. The win gives the Giants an eight-point cushion over Kelowna for first place in the B.C. Division.
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rTravis Ehrhardt – with his sixth of the season – had the lone goal for the Winter Hawks (5-22-0-0), who suffer their third straight defeat. Kurtis Mucha turned aside 43 of 49 shots he faced in a losing cause. With the loss, the Hawks remain 17 points behind Seattle for fourth place in the U.S. Division and eighth in the Western Conference.
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rWHEAT KINGS 3, TIGERS 2 S/O
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rNathan Green scored the deciding goal in the 10th round of a shootout to lift the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Sunday.
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rMatt Calvert and Matt Lowry scored in regulation for the Wheat Kings (19-9-0-1), who pick up their fifth consecutive victory. Joe Caligiuri made 27 saves through regulation and overtime, and was beaten just twice in 10 Tigers’ shootout attempts to earn his 16th win of the season. The victory moves the Wheat Kings into a tie with Regina for first place in the East Division.
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rDaine Todd – with the tying goal late in the third period – and Yashar Farmanara scored for the Tigers (16-11-2-1), who have dropped four of their last six outings, including two losses to Brandon. Tomas Vosvrda made 20 saves through 65 minutes of regulation and overtime, but was beaten three times in the shootout to take the loss. The shootout defeat moves the Tigers into a tie with Swift Current for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
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rCHIEFS 2, REBELS 0
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rDustin Tokarski turned aside all 18 shots he faced to record his third shutout and 12th victory of the season as the visiting Spokane Chiefs skated to a 2-0 victory over the Red Deer Rebels on Sunday.
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rChris Langkow and Drayson Bowman scored for the Chiefs (21-4-1-2), who have lost just three times in their last 21 games. The win keeps the chiefs one point ahead of Vancouver for top spot in the Western Conference and first overall in the WHL standings.
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rJames Reimer turned in a valiant 40-save performance in a losing cause for the Rebels (8-19-4-1), who suffer their second shutout defeat in their last three games. With the defeat, the Rebels remain in sixth place in the Central Division and tied with Saskatoon for 11th in the Eastern Conference.
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rICE 4, RAIDERS 3
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rAndrew Bailey‘s goal in the dying seconds of the second period stood as the game-winner as the visiting Kootenay Ice managed a 4-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders on Sunday.
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rArnaud Jacquemet – with two – and Dustin Sylvester also scored for the Ice (18-10-3-0), who have won 11 of 12 games they’ve played since the start of November. Thomas Heemskerk made 27 saves to earn his sixth victory of the season. The win leaves Kootenay just one point behind Lethbridge for second place in the Central Division.
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rMatt Robertson and Dustin Cameron each netted a goal and an assist for the Raiders (10-17-3-1), who drop their fourth straight decision, while Justin Bernhardt also counted. Dustin Butler made 23 saves in a losing cause. The defeat leaves the Raiders six points behind Moose Jaw for fourth place in the East Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference.
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