WHL HEADLINES – Saturday Night Recap

BLAZERS BLANK CHIEFS – Reid Jorgensen (pictured) scored the game’s only goal as the visiting Kamloops Blazers eked out a 1-0 win over the Chiefs in one of nine Western Hockey League contests on Saturday, October 22nd.
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rMichael Maniago stopped all 28 shots he faced for his first career WHL shutout in the Blazers’ win. The victory improves the Blazers to 8-5-0-0 and moves them into third place in the B.C. Division.
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rJim Watt stopped 24 of 25 shots in a losing effort for the Chiefs. The loss – the Chiefs’ second straight defeat – leaves them at 4-6-0-0 and tied for third in the U.S. Division.
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rElsewhere on Saturday night, Curtis Billsten scored a pair of goals as the Lethbridge Hurricanes got by the visiting Swift Current Broncos 5-2.
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rMark Olafson, Michael Kaye and Ken Petkau also counted for the Hurricanes while Kevin Opsahl stopped 28 shots for the win. The victory improves the ‘Canes to 5-6-0-1 and leaves them third in the Central Division.
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rJeremy Schenderling netted a goal and an assist for the Broncos while Paul Postma also scored in the defeat. Travis Yonkman and Kyle Moir combined for 22 saves for the Broncos in the loss. The defeat drops the Broncos to 3-7-0-2 and they remain fifth in the Central Division.
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rIn Kelowna, Mitch Bartley scored twice in regulation, and then the deciding goal in a shoot-out to lift the visiting Vancouver Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Rockets, ending the Rockets’ 10-game wining streak.
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rRookie goaltender Tommy Tartaglione stopped 31 shots through 65 minutes of regulation and overtime for the Giants, and denied both Kelowna shooters in the shoot-out for the victory. The win improves the Giants to 6-4-0-1 but they remain fifth in the B.C. Division.
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rAlexander Edler and Colin Long – with his first WHL tally – scored for the Rockets while Derek Yeomans stopped 30 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime, but was beaten twice in the shoot-out for the loss. The defeat – their first since an October 1st setback versus Portland – leaves the Rockets at 11-3-0-1 but they remain first in the B.C. Division and first overall.
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rIn Regina, Denis Tolpeko scored twice to lead the Pats to a 5-3 win over the visiting Kootenay Ice on Saturday.
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rCraig Schira, Matt Robinson and Justin Bernhardt also scored for the Pats while Linden Rowatt made 27 saves for the victory. The win – Regina’s fourth straight – improves them to 9-4-0-0 and keeps them atop the East Division.
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rAndrew Bailey scored his first two WHL goals for the Ice while Ben Maxwell also found the net in the defeat. Kris Lazaruk made 36 saves in a losing cause. The defeat drops the Ice to 7-5-0-1 and leaves them fourth in the B.C. Division.
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rIn Moose Jaw, Dustin Boyd scored twice to lead the Warriors to a 4-0 win over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
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rTroy Brouwer netted a goal and two assists for the Warriors while Jesse Zetariuk also scored in the win. Joey Perricone was perfect in the Warriors net, recording his first shutout of the season. The win improves the Warriors to 7-2-1-1 and leaving them two points behind Regina for top spot in the East Division.
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rAlex Archibald turned aside 34 shots in a losing effort for the Raiders. The defeat leaves the Raiders at 3-5-0-4 and fourth in the East Division.
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rIn Calgary, Fredrik Pettersson scored a goal and added an assist to lift the Hitmen to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday.
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rRyan White and Keegan Dansereau also scored for the Hitmen, who snap a two-game losing skid, while Justin Pogge stopped 13 of 14 shots for the win. The victory improves the Hitmen to 9-3-0-0 and keeps them first in the Central division.
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rMatthew Cline scored the lone goal for the Rebels while James Reimer made 39 saves in a losing cause. The defeat drops the Rebels to 5-9-0-0 and leaves them fourth in the Central Division.
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rIn Everett, Torrie Wheat scored three goals as the Silvertips skated to a 5-1 win over the visiting Tri-City Americans on Saturday.
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rKarel Hromas netted a goal and two assists for the ‘Tips, Shaun Heshka had a goal and one helper, and Peter Mueller chipped in four assists in the win. Leland Irving made 19 saves for the victory. The win improves the Silvertips to 6-4-0-0 and moves them into first place in the U.S. Division.
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rMatt Schneider scored the only goal for the Ams while Carey Price stopped 23 shots in the defeat. The loss leaves the Ams at 3-5-0-0 and fifth in the U.S. Division.
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rIn Seattle, Ladislav Scurko scored once and added an assist to lead the Thunderbirds to a 3-1 win over the visiting Portland Winter Hawks on Saturday night.
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rScott Jackson and Roman Tomanek also scored for the Thunderbirds, who win their second straight, while Bryan Bridges made 33 saves for the victory. The win improves the T-Birds to 3-5-1-1 and moves them into a tie for third in the U.S. Division.
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rBrian Woolger scored the lone goal for the Winter Hawks while Dustin Butler stopped 23 shots in the defeat. The loss drops the Hawks to 5-4-0-0 but they remain second in the U.S. Division.
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rIn other Saturday action, Blair Stengler scored 1:37 into overtime to give the Prince George Cougars a 4-3 win over the visiting Saskatoon Blades.
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rNicholas Drazenovic, Fred Wikner, and Colin Patterson also scored for the Cougars, who win their fifth straight game, while Scott Bowles made 27 saves for the victory. The win improves the Cougars to 9-4-0-0 and keeps them second in the B.C. Division.
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rEvan Haw, Joe Barnes and Wacey Rabbit scored for the Blades while Kevin Armstrong made 22 saves in a losing cause. The overtime loss leaves the Blades at 5-5-1-1 and third in the East Division.
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