TUESDAY’S GAMES:
At Kelowna, F Conner Bruggen-Cate’s second goal of the season, an empty-netter, was the winner as
the Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-2. . . . F Collin Shirley’s 15th goal had given the Blazers the lead at 2:12 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Kole Lind tied with when he scored No. 20, on a PP, at 17:29. . . . The Rockets took their first lead when F Nolan Foote got No. 8, on a PP, at 5:00 of the second period. . . . Bruggen-Cate scored his empty-netter, at 19:17 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Erik Miller then got his third goal of the season, at 19:35. . . . F Nick Merkley had two assists for the Rockets. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots for the Rockets, while Dylan Ferguson also stopped 30 for Kamloops. . . . Kelowna was 2-6 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . The Rockets (23-12-2) have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . Kamloops (21-14-2) is third in the B.C. Division, four points behind Kelowna. . . . D Kaedan Korczak, 15, made his WHL debut with the Rockets. From Yorkton, Sask., the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder has six goals and 12 assists in 26 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Maulers. He was the 11th overall selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. . . . Kamloops F Luc Smith, who was acquired from the Regina Pats on Tuesday, wasn’t in the Blazers’ lineup. He flew into Kelowna but didn’t get there in time to play. . . . Announced attendance: 6,238.
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| CONNER BRUGGEN-CATE |
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Zak Zborosky struck for three goals to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 6-4 victory over
the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . It was Zborosky’s second career hat trick. He also had one last season when he scored 32 times in 58 games. . . . The Ice got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from F Jake Elmer (3), at 7:27 of the first period, and Zborosky, at 8:55. . . . F Brett Davis (3) pulled Lethbridge to within one at 15:10. . . . The Ice restored its two-goal lead as F Tanner Sidaway (2) scored 28 seconds into the second period. . . . Lethbridge’ F Zane Franklin (4) got that one back at 2:07. . . . The Ice then put it away with three straight goals, Zborosky scored at 5:19 and 12:48 of the second period, and F Austin Wellsby (3) counting at 13:50. . . . Zborosky now has 26 goals, second in the WHL to F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who has 29. . . . The Hurricanes got the game’s last two goals, both from F Tyler Wong, who haas 23. . . . The Ice got two assists from F Matt Alfaro, while Elmer added one to his goal. . . . D Igor Merezhko and D Brandon Menell each had two helpers for the visitors. . . . G Payton Lee stopped 30 shots for the Ice. . . . The Hurricanes started G Stuart Skinner, who gave up four goals on 13 shots in 25:19. Ryan Gilchrist finished up by stopping 12 of 14 shots over 25:19. . . . Kootenay was 1-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-5. . . . The Ice (7-22-8) had lost its previous six games (0-5-1). . . . The Hurricanes (18-13-5) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,839.
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| ZAC ZBOROSKY |
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At Medicine Hat, F Max Gerlach scored the only goal of a three-round shootout as the Tigers got past the
Calgary Hitmen, 5-4. . . . The Tigers had to come from behind to get to OT. Trailing 4-2 late in the third period, D Clayton Kirichenko (4) scored, on a PP, at 15:28 and F John Dahlstrom, who assisted on Kirichenko’s goal, tied it, at 17:58. . . . Dahlstrom has 17 goals. . . . F Beck Malenstyn gave Calgary a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 5:33 of the first period. . . . The Tigers scored the next two goals, with F Ryan Chyzowski (5) counting at 9:59 and F James Hamblin (8) scoring at 1:42 of the second period. . . . The Hitmen then appeared to take control with three straight goals. . . . F Mark Kastelic (5) scored at 13:47, Malenstyn (12) got his second of the night at 15:51 and F Jakob Stukel scored his 11th at 2:15 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen got two assists from each of F Matteo Gennaro and D Micheal Zipp, with Stukel and Malenstyn adding one apiece. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 33 shots. He leads the WHL with 24 victories. He has won his last five decisons. . . . The Hitmen got 42 stops from G Cody Porter. . . . Calgary was 1-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-5. . . . The Tigers lost F Chad Butcher, their leading scorer, at 5:55 of the second period after he was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Calgary F Murphy Stratton. . . . The Tigers (26-10-1) have won five in a row and are one point behind the Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars, who are tied atop the overall standings. . . . Calgary now is 13-16-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,808.
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| MAX GERLACH |
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@PARaidersHockey playing 1 skater short...10 forwards and 7 defencemen; @BladesHockey with 11 F and 7 D dressed, but @kustra_99 playing C.— Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice) December 28, 2016
At Prince Albert, the Raiders scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Saskatoon
Blades, 5-3. . . . D Cody Paivarinta got the Raiders on the scoreboard with his first career goal, in his 50th game, at 4:35 of the first period. That was the Raiders’ first goal against the Blades this season, in two-plus games. . . . F Luke Coleman made it 2-0 with No. 6, at 12:24, and F Cole Fonstad (6) upped it to 3-0 at 15:45, on a PP. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Christensen (8) scored shorthanded, at 18:04. . . . F Drew Warkentine’s second goal, at 16:57, restored the Raiders’ two-goal lead. . . . The Blades cut into the deficit at 19:05 when F Braylon Shmyr scored on a PP. . . . The Raiders got insurance from F Cavin Leth (9), at 5:32, with Shmyr (16) finishing the scoring at 8:05. . . . F Tim Vanstone had two assists for the winners, with Warkentine and Coleman each adding one. . . . Christensen also had an assist for Saskatoon. . . . The Raiders got 38 stops from G Ian Scott, while Logan Flodell blocked 27 at the other end. . . . Saskatoon was 2-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-6. . . . The Raiders had D Rhett Rhinehart in their lineup as he made his WHL debut. Rhinehart, who turned 15 on Nov. 27, was the 13th overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is eligible for the NHL’s 2020 draft. Rhinehart, who is from Lloydminster, Alta., has four goals and 14 assists in 13 games with the Yale Hockey Academy prep team in Abbotsford, B.C. . . . F Austin Glover (ill) was among the Raiders’ scratches, as was D Vojtek Budik, who is with the Czech Republic’s national junior team although he isn’t on its roster. . . . D Libor Hajek, who was dropped by the Czech Republic’s national junior team before the World Junior Championship began, wasn’t in Saskatoon’s lineup. . . . Saskatoon had F Matt Mosher, 16, in its lineup. From White Rock, B.C., he was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He has six goals and five assists in 16 games with the prep team at the Delta, B.C., Hockey Academy. . . . The Blades had been 2-0-0 against the Raiders, having posted shutouts in both games. . . . Prince Albert (8-26-2) had lost its previous three games. . . . Saskatoon (13-20-4) has lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . Announced attendance: 2,313.
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| CODY PAIVARINTA |
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At Red Deer, the Rebels got shorthanded goals 16 seconds apart as they beat the Edmonton Oil Kings,
3-0. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 28 shots, 13 of them in the first period, in recording the third shutout of his freshman season. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei scored his 16th goal, while shorthanded, at 11:45 of the second period. . . . F Matt Campese notched his first with the Rebels, also while shorthanded, at 11:57. . . . F Brandon Hagel, who also had an assist, scored No. 17 at 14:51 of the third period to put this one away. . . . The Oil Kings got 39 saves from G Patrick Dea, 19 of them in the first period. . . . Each team was 0-6 on the PP. . . . Red Deer (17-14-6) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The victory allowed the Rebels, who are third in the Central Division, to move four points ahead of Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings (16-16-4) had points in their previous four games (2-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 5,392.
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| RILEY LAMB |
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#WHL BDN/REG: @WHLPats Austin Wagner falls to 0-for-5 in career in penalty shots. He and J. Papirny also faced off on Dec. 5, 2014.— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) December 28, 2016
At Regina, F Adam Brooks and F Sam Steel each had five points as the Pats got past the Brandon
Wheat Kings, 7-4. . . . Brooks has 10 points over his last two games, including back-to-back hat tricks. . . . Brandon F Tyler Coulter (12) scored the game’s first goal, at 14:29 of the first period. . . . Regina replied with three straight as F Austin Wagner got No. 15 at 19:33, Brooks scored at 8:30 of the second and F Dawson Leedahl (15) counted at 10:25. . . . The last two of those came via the PP. . . . The Wheat Kings got to within one, at 3-2, when F Reid Duke got his 19th, shorthanded, at 11:24. . . . However, D Connor Hobbs (15), shorthanded, at 15:58 and Brooks, at 3:31 of the third period, but the home side back in control. . . . Still, the visitors got back to within a goal when Coulter scored, at 4:14, and F Ty Lewis added his 17th at 11:00. . . . Steel, who has 24 goals, provided some insurance, at 11:46, and Brooks got No. 20 into an empty net, at 19:04. . . . When the dust had cleared, Steel was leading the scoring race with 59 points, one more than Brooks. . . . Wagner and Leedahl each added an assist, as did Coulter and Duke. . . . G Tyler Brown blocked 31 shots for the Pats. With G Jordan Hollett still injured, Max Paddock of the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings backed up Brown. Paddock is a nephew to John Paddock, the Pats’ GM and head coach. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny made 29 saves. Wagner was unable to beat him on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-10. . . . The Wheat Kings again were without F Nolan Patrick, who hasn’t played since Oct. 11. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs left at 12:50 of the third period with a kneeing major and game misconduct. . . . D Dawson Davidson, acquired earlier in the day from the Kamloops Blazers, was in Regina’s lineup, but was pointless. . . . F Ben McCartney, a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, has joined the Wheat Kings for a few days, although he didn’t play in this one. A native of Portage la Prairie, Man., he has 13 goals and 12 assists with a prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. . . . Regina (23-3-6) has won two in a row and is two points out of first place in the overall standings. The Pats have five games in hand on the Prince George Cougars and two on the Everett Silvertips, who are tied atop the standings. . . . Brandon (15-15-4) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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| SAM STEEL |
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At Kent, Wash., F Sami Moilanen broke a 2-2 tie at 12:12 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds
beat the Spokane Chiefs, 3-2. . . . D Ethan Bear (11) gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 9:39 of the first period, only to have F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (18) pull Spokane even at 15:50. . . . Seattle went back out front on F Scott Eansor’s 17th goal, at 6:02 of the second period. . . . D Tyson Helgesen (4) tied it for the Chiefs at 10:28 of the third period. . . . Moilanen won it with his 12th goal. . . . Bear and Eansor each had an assist. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto drew two assists for the Chiefs. . . . Seattle got 41 stops from G Rylan Toth, while Dawson Weatherill stopped 21 for Spokane. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-1 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-2. . . . F Alex Mowbray, 20, who was added to the Chiefs’ roster earlier in the day, was in Spokane’s lineup. . . . The Chiefs also welcomed back F Curtis Miske, who hadn’t played since Nov. 27. . . . However, F Wyatt Sloboshan, who didn’t return from the Christmas break, and F Kolby Morrisseau were among Spokane’s scratches. . . . Morrisseau is out with an injury after taking a hit from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit on Dec. 13 in Kent. Morrisseau, 16, needed attention from both trainers before leaving the ice. He spent some time in hospital after leaving a Sept. being injured during a Sept. 3 exhibition game against the Portland Winterhawks in Everett. That day, Morrisseau left the ice on a stretcher in the third period. . . . The Chiefs had been 2-0-0 in Kent this season, while the Thunderbirds are 1-0-0 in Spokane. . . . Seattle (18-13-3) has won two straight. . . . Spokane (14-14-6) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 6,200.
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| SAMI MOILANEN |
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen scored three goals and added an assist to help the Broncos to a 6-
1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Broncos had lost seven straight games to the Warriors. . . . Swift Current took control with three first-period goals. . . . G Glenn Gawdin (9) scored at 3:05, with F Aleksi Hopinieme (11) making it 2-0 at 5:28. Steenbergen followed with three straight goals — at 7:42 of the first period, 13:10 of the second and 6:30 of the third. He’s got 25 goals in 36 games after finishing his freshman season with 20 in 67. This was his first career hat trick. . . . Moose Jaw F Brett Howden scored his 16th goal at 17:46, with Broncos F Lane Pederson (16) getting that one back at 18:16. . . . Heponiemi also had two assists, with D Max Lajoie getting two and Pederson adding one. . . . The Broncos got 28 saves from G Taz Burman. . . . Moose Jaw started Zach Sawchenko allowed five goals on 40 shots in 55:30. Reliever Brody Willms stopped eight of nine shots in 5:30. . . . The Broncos were 1-4 on the PP; the Warriors’ unit never saw action. . . . The Broncos (19-10-7) have points in five straight (4-0-1). The victory moved them into a second-place tie with the Warriors in the East Division. . . . The Warriors (20-9-5) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 2,342.
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| TYLER STEENBERGEN |
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Parker AuCoin and F Michael Rasmussen each scored twice to help the Tri-City
Americans to a 6-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rasmussen now has 25 goals. . . . AuCoin, who didn’t have even one point over his last 14 games prior to the Christmas break, now has 11 goals. . . . F Skyler McKenzie scored both Portland goals, his first giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 2:57 of the opening period. His second got Portland to within a goal, at 3-2, at 5:40 of the third period. He’s got 24 goals. . . . Rasmussen tied the game, 1-1, at 3:32 of the second period, on a PP. . . . AuCoin scored back-to-back goals, at 19:07 of the second and 2:14 of the third, for a 3-1 lead. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu (9) added insurance at 13:41 of the third period, with Rasmussen getting his second goal, on a PP, at 16:13 and F Vladislav Lukin (15) adding another PP goal, at 18:50. . . . D Dylan Coghlan drew three assists for the winners, while D Parker Wotherspoon had two and Rasmussen, Sandhu and Lukin each added one. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 23 shots for Tri-City, while Cole Kehler blocked 26 for Portland. . . . The Americans were 3-9 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 1-3. . . . The Americans have taken five of seven games from Portland this season. Tri-City last won five games from Portland in 2011-12. . . . The Americans (20-15-3) had lost their previous four games. . . . The Winterhawks (19-17-1) have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,080.
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| PARKER AuCOIN |
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🎉🎂 Happy Birthday, @KlcCoach! 🎉🎂 pic.twitter.com/4H1SllewW4— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) December 27, 2016
At Langley, B.C., F Ty Ronning scored 31 second into OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over
the Everett Silvertips. . . . Ronning won it with his 12th goal of the season. It was his second straight OT winner. . . . F James Malm had forced OT, completing his first career three-point game — on his father’s birthday — with his ninth goal at 17:08 of the second period. . . . F Eetu Tuulolo (9) gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 4:09 of the first period. . . . The Giants responded with the next three goals. . . . F Alec Baer (3) scored on a PP, at 10:16 of the first period and F Brendan Semchuk (5) counted just 14 seconds later. . . . Vancouver F Owen Hardy (2) made it 3-1 at 12:27. . . . Everett scored three times in the second period to take a 4-3 lead. . . . F Dominic Zwerger, who has 15 goals, got the first two, at 0:41 and 11:45. . . . F Connor Dewar (5) broke the tie at 13:44. . . . F Tyler Benson had two assists for Vancouver, with Baer and Semchuk adding one each. . . . G Ryan Kubic turned aside 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Everett’s Mario Petit stopped 21 shots. . . . Vancouver was 1-4 on the PP; Everett was 1-6. . . . Everett had been 3-0-0 against Vancouver these season and is 8-0-3 against teams from the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (14-18-3) have won three in a row. . . . The Silvertips (24-4-6) have points in four straight (3-0-1) and are tied with the Prince George Cougars atop the overall standings. Everett holds three games in hand. . . . Vancouver D Ryan Jones, who suffered a shoulder injury during the exhibition season, played his first game of this season. With only 17 skaters dressed, Jones played on a forward line. . . . Everett head coach Kevin Constantine celebrated his 58th birthday by taking a game misconduct at 9:46 of the second period. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Constantine was “angry about Zwerger dive call” at 6:49. . . . Announced attendance: 4,317.
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| TY RONNING |
FWIW: In KRKO post-game interview Tips assistant Mitch Love said this was 2nd time Kevin Constantine has been tossed by ref Mike Campbell.— Jesse Geleynse (@JesseGeleynse) December 28, 2016
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At Victoria, F Tyler Soy returned to the Royals’ lineup with a bang, his three goals and an assist leading
them to a 5-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Soy, 19, hadn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury on Nov. 19. . . . He scored Victoria’s last three goals, giving him 15 goals in 22 games, and his second hat trick this season. He has four in his career, including two in 2014-15. . . . F Matt Phillips (25) and Soy gave the Royals a 2-0 lead, with goals at 1:18 of the first period and 7:31 of the second. . . . F Brad Morrison’s 16th goal got the Cougars close at 8:31. . . . Soy completed his three-goal game by scoring at 15:05 of the second and 28 seconds into the third. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (6) got Victoria’s last goal, at 15:13. . . . D Ryan Gagnon had two assists for the Royals, while Reddekopp had one. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 42 shots for the Royals. . . . G Ty Edmonds, who stopped 19 shots, made his 189th career regular-season appearance with Prince George, setting a franchise record in the process. . . . Victoria was 0-1 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . The Royals (18-15-4) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Cougars (26-9-2) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . . Announced attendance: 5,285.
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| TYLER SOY |
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Regina at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Prince George at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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