WHL HEADLINES – Saturday Night Recap

CRACKNELL LEADS ICE PAST TIGERS – Adam Cracknell (pictured) scored twice and added an assist to lead the visiting Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers in one of nine Western hockey League contests on Saturday, February 18th.
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rCasey Lee, Steven DaSilva and Dale Mahovsky each tallied a goal and an assist for the Ice, who win their second straight contest, while Paul Kurceba chipped in three assists. Taylor Dakers stood tall in the Kootenay net, stopping 37 of 39 shots to pick up his 24th win of the season. The victory improves the Ice to 38-20-0-3 and they remain second in the B.C. Division.
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rDarren Helm and Brett Robertson scored for the Tigers, who lose in regulation for just the third time on home ice this season. Matt Keetley stopped 15 shots for the Tigers in a losing effort. The defeat drops the Tigers to 39-13-0-7 and leaves them three points behind Calgary for top spot in the Central Division.
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rElsewhere on Saturday night, Garrett Festerling scored 4:14 into overtime to lift the Regina Pats to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.
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rJustin Bernhardt scored for the Pats with 26 second remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, while Petr Kalus and Tyson Sievert also counted in the win. David Reekie made 29 saves to earn his 24th win of the season. The victory improves the Pats to 31-23-0-4 and they remain third in the East Division.
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rBjorn Svensson, Steven Gillen and Matthew Hansen scored for the Warriors, who see their 11-game win streak snapped with the defeat. Joey Perricone stopped 36 of 40 shots in a losing cause. The overtime defeat leaves the Warriors at 37-15-4-3 and they remain first in the East Division. The point gained from the overtime loss also clinches the Warriors a playoff spot.
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rIn Kelowna, Brock Nixon scored twice to lead the visiting Kamloops Blazers to a 3-1 win over the Rockets on Saturday night.
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rAshton Rome also counted for the Blazers, who beat the Rockets for the second time in as many nights, while Devan Dubnyk made 26 saves to record the win. The victory improves the Blazers to 30-27-2-3 and moves them to within one point of Prince George for the fourth and final playoff spot in the B.C. Division.
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rChris Ray scored the lone goal for the Rockets, who continue to struggle versus the Blazers, while Derek Yeomans made 20 saves in a losing cause. The loss drops the Rockets to 35-18-1-3 and they remain third in the B.C. Division.
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rIn Calgary, David Schulz scored 44 second into overtime to lift the visiting Saskatoon Blades to a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen on Saturday night.
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rChad Klassen tallied a goal and two assists for the Blades, who win their third straight contest, while Wacey Rabbit and Chris Cloud also counted in the victory. Jim Watt stopped all 29 shots he faced to record the win after replacing Anton Khudobin following the first period. The victory improves the Blades to 35-22-1-1 and they remain second in the East Division.
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rCurtis Kelner – with his first WHL tally – Riley Merkley and Brodie Dupont scored for the Hitmen, while Justin Pogge, who had his shutout streak snapped at 223 minutes and 47 seconds, stopped 22 shots in the defeat. The overtime loss leaves the Hitmen at 43-15-2-0 and keeps them first in the Central Division and tied for first overall.
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rIn Vancouver, Gilbert Brule scored once and added an assist to lead the Giants to a 4-1 win over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday night.
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rCody Franson and Paul Albers also each tallied a goal and an assist for the Giants, who win their seventh straight contest, while Michal Repik added a single in the victory. Dustin Slade stopped 23 of 24 shots to earn his 32nd win of the season. The victory improves the B.C. Division-leading Giants to 41-14-0-6 and moves them into a tie with Calgary for top spot in the WHL.
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rAaron Gagnon scored the lone goal for the T-Birds, who fall to the Giants for the second night in a row, while Kevin Opsahl made 31 saves in a losing cause. The defeat leaves Seattle at 27-25-1-4 and third in the U.S. Division.
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rIn Kennewick, Ian McDonald scored his second of the game 2:38 into overtime to lift the Tri-City Americans to a 3-2 win over the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night.
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rJason Beeman notched a goal and an assist for the Americans, who win their third straight contest, while Carey Price made 29 saves to ear the victory. The win improves the Ams to 25-25-4-3 and leaves them just two points behind Seattle for second in the U.S. Division.
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rDrayson Bowman – with a goal and an assist – and Johannes Salmonsson scored for the Chiefs, who drop their third straight outings, while Kevin Armstrong turned in a 36-save effort in the defeat. The overtime loss leaves the Chiefs at 21-29-5-3 and they remain one point behind Portland for fourth in the U.S. Division.
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rIn Everett, Peter Mueller scored the deciding goal in a shoot-out to lift the Silvertips to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Portland Winter Hawks on Saturday night.
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rJohn Lammers and Shaun Heshka scored for the ‘Tips in regulation while Leland Irving stopped 23 shots through three periods and overtime and denied all three Portland shooters in the shoot-out to take the win. The victory improves the ‘Tips to 34-20-2-2 and they remain comfortably in first place in the U.S. Division.
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rLibor Gadzik and Jonathan Bubnick scored for the Hawks, who drop their third straight contest, while Kurtis Mucha made 26 saves through 65 minutes of regulation and overtime, but was beaten once in the shoot-out to take the loss. The shoot-out defeat leaves the Winter Hawks at 22-29-3-4 and they remain fourth in the U.S. Division.
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rIn Swift Current, Daniel Rakos scored the decisive goal in a shoot-out to lead the Broncos to a 1-0 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday night.
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rKyle Moir turned in a 32-save performance during regulation and overtime, and denied three of four Cougars shoot-out attempts to earn the shutout and the victory. The win improves the Broncos to 16-30-5-8 and moves them four points ahead of idle Red Deer for fourth in the Central Division.
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rCougars’ netminder Scott Bowles stopped all 27 shots he faced through regulation and overtime, but was beaten twice in the shoot-out to take the loss. The shoot-out defeat leaves the Cougars at 31-25-0-4 but they remain one point ahead of Kamloops for fourth in the B.C. Division.
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rIn other action on Saturday, Theran Yeo scored the game-winner as the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings skated to a 3-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders.
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rSami Sandell and Daryl Boyle also counted for the Wheat Kings while Tyler Plante made 30 saves to pick up his 20th win of the season. The victory improves the Wheat Kings to 23-27-5-4 and moves them five points ahead of the Raiders for fourth in the East Division.
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rBrett Novak scored the lone goal for the Raiders while Jesse Deckert stopped 33 shots in a losing cause. The defeat drops the Raiders to 20-28-1-9 and they remain fifth in the East division.
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