Wednesday’s WHL Round-up

BRUINS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH – Mark Santorelli scored twice and added an assist as the Chilliwack Bruins rallied from a third-period deficit to earn a 5-3 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs in one of seven Western Hockey League contests on Wednesday, March 14th.
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rThe victory gives the Bruins an insurmountable five-point lead over Kelowna for fourth place in the B.C. Division, clinching them the final playoff spot in the division.
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rOscar Moller – with a goal and two assists – Matt Meropoulis and Cody Smuk also scored for the Bruins (24-40-4-2), who earn a playoff spot in their inaugural season of play. Matt Esposito made 21 stops to pick up the win. The Bruins will now meet the Vancouver Giants in the first round of the playoffs.
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rLevko Koper, Derek Ryan and David Rutherford – on a third-period penalty shot – scored for the Chiefs (35-27-4-4) while Dustin Tokarski made 22 saves in the defeat. The loss officially resigns the Chiefs to fourth place in the U.S. Division, meaning a first-round playoff match-up versus the Everett Silvertips.
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rBLADES 3, WARRIORS 1
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rDerek Hulak and Joe Logan each tallied a goal and an assist as the Saskatoon Blades kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Wednesday night.
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rBrad Cole also scored for the Blades (26-40-2-2) while Braden Holtby made 17 saves to pick up the win. The victory leaves the Blades only two points behind the Prince Albert Raiders for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division.
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rSteven Gillen scored the only goal for the Warriors (27-40-3-0), who drop their second straight game, while Joey Perricone made 31 saves in the loss. The defeat keeps the Warriors one point behind the Raiders for fourth place in the East Division.
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rPATS 2, RAIDERS 1
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rGarrett Festerling scored with only 1:15 remaining in the third period to lift the visiting Regina Pats to a 2-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night.
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rKaspars Saulietis also scored for the Pats (35-27-2-6), who have earned points in 10 straight games, while Linden Rowat turned in a 33-save performance to pick up the victory. The Pats have already guaranteed themselves second place in the East Division, and will play the Swift current Broncos in the opening round of the playoffs.
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rRyan DePape – with his 25th of the season – scored the lone goal for the Raiders (26-38-3-3), who drop their fifth game in a row, while Jesse Deckert made 23 saves in a losing cause. The defeat keeps the Raiders desperately clinging to a one-point lead for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division.
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rCOUGARS 3, SILVERTIPS 1
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rDana Tyrell scored his 30th goal of the season and added an assist to lead the visiting Prince George Cougars to a 3-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips on Wednesday.
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rJared Walker and Greg Gardner also scored for the Cougars (33-29-3-5), who win their third straight game, while Scott Bowles made 15 saves for the victory. The Cougars have already claimed third place in the B.C. Division, and will meet the Kamloops Blazers in the first round of the playoffs.
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rKyle Beach – with his 29th goal of the season – scored the lone marker for the Silvertips (53-14-1-2), who lose for only the fifth time on home ice this season. Leland Irving made 20 saves in the loss. The ‘Tips have already clinched first overall in the WHL, and are slated to face the Spokane Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs.
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rREBELS 3, HITMEN 2
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rMartin Hanzal and Kirill Starkov each tallied a goal and an assist to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen in the back half of a home-and-home series between the Central Division rivals on Wednesday night.
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rTed Vandermeer also scored for the Rebels (35-27-4-5), who avenge a 7-5 loss in Calgary on Tuesday night, while James Reimer turned in a 33-save effort to earn his 26th victory of the season. The Rebels have already been resigned to fourth place in the division, and will meet the Medicine Hat Tigers in the first round of the playoffs.
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rDevon Kalinski and Carson McMillan scored for the Hitmen (39-25-3-4) while Dan Spence made 23 saves in the loss. The Hitmen are already guaranteed third place in the Central Division, and will face Kootenay in the first round of the post-season.
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rAMERICANS 2, WINTER HAWKS 1
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rJoel Broda scored once and chipped in an assist to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Portland Winter Hawks on Wednesday.
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rShaun Vey potted the game-winner for the Americans (44-23-1-1), who win their third straight game, while Chet Pickard made 21 saves in the victory. The win keeps the Americans four points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds for second place in the U.S. Division, with both teams having three remaining games.
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rColton Sceviour scored the only goal for the Winter Hawks (16-50-1-2), who lose 50 games for the first time since 1990-91. Kurtis Mucha made 32 saves in a losing cause. The Hawks have already been eliminated form playoff contention.
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r THUNDERBIRDS 3, BLAZERS 2
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rPrab Rai scored a pair of goals to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday night.
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rThomas Hickey – with a goal and an assist – also counted for the Thunderbirds (36-19-3-11), who win for the 13th time in 14 games, while Derek Yeomans made 13 saves in the win. Despite the victory, the T-Birds remain four points behind Tri-City in the race for second place in the U.S. Division, and home-ice advantage in their upcoming first-round playoff match-up.
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rMatt Kassian and Brock Nixon scored for the Blazers (40-25-4-1), who drop their fourth straight game, while Dustin Butler made 23 saves in the defeat. The Blazers are already guaranteed second place in the B.C. Division, and will meet Prince George in the first round of the playoffs.
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