WHL HEADLINES

WHL SUNDAY RECAP – Stefan Meyer scored the winner and chipped in three assists to lead the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers to an 8-1 pounding of the Regina Pats in one of four Western Hockey League contests on Sunday.
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rCam Barker tallied two goals and an assist for the Bengals while Kieran Block scored a goal and added a pair of assists in the victory. The win improves the Tigers to 42-21-4-2 and vaults them past Lethbridge into first place in the Central division.
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rJonathan Bubnick scored the lone goal for the Pats, who see their winless skid hit 29 games. The defeat leaves the Pats at 11-49-4-6 and officially eliminates them from post-season contention.
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rElsewhere on Sunday, Nate Thompson scored twice and chipped in an assist to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-0 blanking of the visiting Spokane Chiefs.
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rDenis Tolpeko added a goal and two assists for the T-Birds while Bryan Bridges made 28 saves for his league-leading 12th shutout of the season. The win improves the Thunderbirds to 42-22-2-2 and first in the U.S. division.
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rJim Watt stopped 26 shots in a losing cause for the Chiefs. The defeat leaves Spokane at 24-35-8-2 and they remain two points behind Tri-Cities for the fourth and final playoff spot in the U.S. division.
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rMartin Sagat scored the game-winner and set up another to lead the visiting Kootenay Ice to a 4-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen on Sunday afternoon.
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rNigel Dawes also scored, extending his point streak to a league-high 17 games, while Ryan Russell also chipped in a goal and an assist in the victory. The win improves the Ice to 44-15-7-3 and leaves them just two points behind Kelowna for top spot in the B.C. division and first overall.
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rRyan Getzlaf and Shaun Landolt scored for the Hitmen, who are winless in their last four outings, while Konstantin Pushkarev chipped in a pair of assists in a losing cause. The defeat leaves the Hitmen at 33-23-9-5 and they remain third in the Central division.
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rIn other Sunday action, Ryan Blatchford netted the winner as the visiting Everett Silvertips beat the Portland Winter Hawks 3-1 in the second game of a crucial home-and-home series between the teams.
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rCody Thoring and Karel Hromas also scored for the Silvertips, who avenge Saturday’s defeat to the Hawks in Everett, while Mike Wall stopped 26 shots for the victory. The win improves the ‘Tips to 32-26-8-2 and moves them two points ahead of Portland for second in the U.S. division.
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rCody McLeod scored the lone goal for the Hawks – his 30th of the season – while Blake Grenier made 25 saves in the defeat. The loss leaves the Winter Hawks at 31-27-5-5 and third in the U.S. division.
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rWARRIORS CLINCH, WILL FACE WHEATIES IN FIRST ROUND
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rThe Moose Jaw Warriors officially clinched the fourth and final playoff spot in the East division thanks to Regina’s 8-1 defeat to the Tigers on Sunday.
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rThe Warriors will now face the East-division champion Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round of the 2005 playoffs, with game one getting underway Friday, March 25th at the Keystone Centre in Brandon.
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rThe Warriors, who started the 2004-05 regular season with a 20-game winless streak, have now made the playoffs nine straight seasons.
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rThe Saskatoon Blades will face the Prince Albert Raiders in the other East-division semi-final series.
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