There are no WHL games scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday. This is believed to be because WHL commissioner Ron Robison is a big fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, who will supply the halftime entertainment. . . .
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Chilliwack, RW Evan Pighin had two goals and an assist to lead the Bruins to a 6-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Bruins (23-24-3-2) had lost five straight. They are eighth in the Western Conference, two points behind Kamloops and with three games in hand. . . . The Rockets (31-17-2-5) have lost two in a row and four of five. . . . Kelowna got the game’s first goal, at 2:41 of the first period, but the Bruins promptly took control with three goals in the next four minutes. . . . The Bruins also got two goals from F Ryan Howse. . . . Kelowna is 5-2-0-0 against Chilliwack. . . .
In Everett, the Vancouver Giants broke open a scoreless game with goals 31 seconds apart early in the second period and went onto a 5-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Giants (35-12-1-5) have won three in a row. They clinched a playoff spot Friday, the third Western Conference team to do so. . . . Vancouver remains the conference’s second seed as the B.C. Division leader. It is five points behind Spokane. . . . The Silvertips (29-24-0-2) have lost four in a row and is fifth in the conference. . . . D Brent Regner and F Chris Cloud, each with his sixth goal, scored a 4:29 and 5:00 of the second. . . . Regner later added an empty-netter. . . . Vancouver RW Michal Repik scored again; he has a goal in each of the three games he has played since returning from a concussion. . . . LW Kyle Beach got his 25th goal for Everett, while D Neil Manning scored his first for Vancouver. . . . Vancouver held a 48-32 edge in shots in front of 8,382 fans. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith ran is record to 33-9-1-5. . . .
In Medicine Hat, the Calgary Hitmen became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot as they dumped the Tigers, 4-1. . . . The Hitmen (39-13-1-3) are 7-0-0-1 in their last eight games and lead the overall standings by one point over Spokane. . . . The Tigers (29-18-5-1) suffered their first regulation-time loss in six games. . . . Medicine Hat opened the scoring – F Tyler Ennis scored midway in the first period – but the Hitmen countered with four straight goals – from Ryan White, who also had two assists, Ian Schutz, Kyle Bortis, and Brock Nixon, the latter into an empty net. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Joel Broda scored his 23rd goal at 1:13 of the first period and the Warriors went on to dump the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-1. . . . The Warriors (29-15-4-5) are fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Regina and Lethbridge. . . . Brandon (31-19-0-2) slid into a tie for seventh with Medicine Hat. . . . LW Terrance Delaronde had a goal and an assist for the Warriors. . . . Brandon was 0-for-8 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-2. . . .
In Portland, G Jordan White stopped 68 shots but could keep his Winter Hawks from falling, 4-0, to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle G Riku Helenius stopped 22 shots for his second shutout of the season and his team’s fourth. . . . Portland (9-44-1-1) has been blanked a WHL-leading 10 times and has lost 10 straight. . . . The Thunderbirds (26-18-5-2) are sixth in the Western Conference, a point behind Everett. . . . RW Bud Holloway had two goals for Seattle. . . .
In Prince George, the Kamloops Blazers scored six second-period goals and beat the Cougars, 8-1. . . . The Blazers (25-27-1-2) had lost three straight, including a 5-4 setback in Prince George on Friday. They are seventh in the Western Conference, six points behind Seattle, which has four games in hand, and two ahead of Chilliwack, which has three games in hand. . . . The Cougars (15-35-1-2) are ninth, 18 points out of a playoff spot. . . . C Devon Kalinski had two goals and an assist for Kamloops, while RW Kenton Dulle had four assists. . . . Kalinski went into the weekend without a point since coming over from Calgary prior to the trade deadline; he had two goals and two helpers in the two games in P.G. . . . At one point, the Blazers scored on five straight shots. . . .
In Regina, the Red Deer Rebels scored the only goals of the third period and beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . The Rebels (15-34-4-2) are last in the Eastern Conference, while the Pats (33-17-3-2), who have lost two in a row, are the second seed as they lead the East Division. . . . F Brandon Sutter pulled the Rebels into a tie with his 19th goal at 14:45 of the third and F Landon Ferraro won it with his 10th at 16:38. . . . Sutter also had two assists. . . . In contrast to Friday night’s game in Regina during which the Pats and Saskatoon Blades really went at it, there were two minors and one misconduct in this one. . . . Red Deer held a 37-20 edge in shots. . . . Regina head coach Curtis Hunt sat this one out with a suspension following Friday night's game with visiting Saskatoon. . . .
In Saskatoon, G Mark Guggenberger stopped 29 shots for his second shutout as the Swift Current Broncos dumped the Blades, 3-0. . . . The Broncos (30-20-0-5) have won seven in a row and this one lifted them into sixth in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of Brandon and Medicine Hat and a point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Blades (18-31-3-2) are 10th in the Eastern Conference. . . . Guggenberger, acquired from Portland at the trade deadline, has both shutouts since joining the Broncos, who have posted four blank jobs this season. . . . The Blades have been blanked six times. . . . The Broncos were 2-for-6 on the PP, getting goals from F Levi Nelson and D Jesse Dudas on their first two opportunities. . . . The Blades were without GM/head coach Lorne Molleken, who was suspended by the WHL after Friday night’s Showdown at the Brandt Centre in Regina. . . .
In Spokane, LW Drayson Bowman scored three times to help the Chiefs to a 5-4 circus-time victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Bowman, who has 33 goals, also scored in the circus. . . . The Chiefs (38-10-1-4) are 6-0-0-1 in their last seven games and lead the Western Conference. . . . The Ice (30-18-4-2) is fifth in the Eastern Conference. . . . On Friday, the Ice, playing at home, beat the Chiefs 3-2 in the circus. . . . Spokane got the game’s first two goals, but then gave up four in a row and had to come from behind. . . . Bowman, who missed six games with a shoulder injury before returning Friday, forced overtime with his third goal at 17:36 of the third period. He scored the only goal of the shootout. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., G Chet Pickard stopped 26 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Americans (38-12-1-2) have won three in a row and are the third seed in the Western Conference. . . . The Raiders (18-32-3-2) are 23 points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. . . . Pickard picked up his 33rd victory of the season, tying Brian Boucher’s single-season franchise record from 1995-96. . . . The Americans raised $17,525 during their third annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night. The home team wore pink jerseys and the game was played on pink ice.
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