Hitmen tied for last playoff spot ... Blazers applying heat to Cougars ... Thunderbirds stun Winterhawks

There was an error on the online scoresheet involving the winning goal in the Everett Silvertips’ 3-2 OT victory over the host Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night. . . . According to the scoresheet, the winning goal came from D Lucas Skrumeda. It turns out that it actually was scored by F Eetu Tuulola, his 15th of the season. Tuulola, who will turn 19 on March 17, is from Finland and is in his freshman season. That was his second game-winning goal.

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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, the Hitmen erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals and went on to a 3-2 victory over the

MARK KASTELIC

Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Hitmen (22-26-10) are 3-0-1 in their past four games. They now are tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Hitmen, fourth in the Central Division, also are just two points behind the third-place Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades (23-28-8) have lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 27th goal, on a PP, at 2:00 of the first period. . . . F Andrew Fyten (6) tied the score at 15:10. . . . The Hitmen took a 2-1 lead when D Vladislav Yeryomenko notched his fifth goal, at 8:42 of the second period. . . . F Mark Kastelic’s 10th goal upped that to 3-1 at 12:49. . . . F Mason McCarty got the Blades to within a goal with No. 17, on a PP, at 6:38 of the third period. . . . Shynkaruk also had an assist. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 16 shots for Calgary. . . . At the other end, G Logan Flodell blocked 34. . . . Saskatoon was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Blades were playing their third game in three different cities in fewer than 48 hours. They went 0-2-1. . . . Saskatoon was without F Cole Johnson, who served a one-game suspension after taking a major and game misconduct for goaltending interference on Saturday in Lethbridge. . . . Announced attendance: 6,254.

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At Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots to lead the Blazers to a 3-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers (36-19-6) have won two in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division

CONNOR INGRAM

and have closed to within two points of the Cougars (38-19-4). These two teams will meet four more times this season. . . . Kamloops is 2-2-0 in the season series; Prince George is 2-1-1. . . . Ingram has four shutouts this season and 11 in his career. He leads the WHL with a .934 save percentage and is second in GAA (2.14). Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips leads at 1.95. . . . F Collin Shirley gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 19:16 of the first period. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers (34) added insurance at 13:46 of the second period. . . . F Garrett Pilon’s 16th goal sealed the victory at 1:32 of the third period. . . . The Cougars got 39 saves from G Ty Edmonds. . . . Prince George was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . Prince George had lost 5-2 to the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday night. The Rockets are third in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops with two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 3,727. . . . After the loss in Kelowna, Prince George head coach Richard Matvichuk told Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier that the game in Kamloops “is a must two points for us, but if we’re not willing to put the work in and willing to win the little puck battles, you’re not going to beat any team in this league. We have to get back to working first and our skill will follow up after. It’s crazy, you talk to anybody in the Canadian Hockey League and they say this is the toughest division in the country. You look at the four teams and, unfortunately, someone gets bounced out in the first round.”

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At Portland, the Seattle Thunderbirds overcame a 4-2 third-period deficit to beat the Winterhawks, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . F Mathew Barzal scored for Seattle in the first round of the shootout, with Portland F

SAMI MOILANEN

Keegan Iverson equalizing in the second round. F Sami Moilanen won the game as he scored to finish the third round. . . . F Tyler Adams had given Seattle a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 6:58 of the first period. . . . Portland tied it at 14:22 when F Evan Weinger (18) scored on a PP. . . . F Alexander True’s 20th goal gave the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead at 2:19 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks responded with the next three goals. . . . D Caleb Jones (7) scored a shorthanded beauty at 6:19 to tie the score. . . . F Skyler McKenzie gave Portland a 3-2 lead at 13:42. . . . D Keoni Texeira upped that to 4-2 with his 11th goal at 8:50 of the third period. . . . Seattle closed to within a goal at 11:33 as F Donovan Neuls got No. 19. . . . The Thunderbirds forced OT as Moilanen got his 18th goal at 19:14 with G Matt Berlin on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Jarret Tyszka. . . . McKenzie and Texeira had an assist each for Portland. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp was held off the scoresheet, ending his point streak at 16 games. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 16:42 of the third period with his side leading, 4-3. . . . Berlin finished the game with 29 saves, while Portland’s Cole Kehler stopped 45 shots. . . . Portland was 1-2 on the PP; Seattle was 1-6. . . . The Thunderbirds, who dressed only 16 skaters, apparently have added F Keegan Kolesar to their injury list. He was a last-minute scratch. . . . Each team was playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. . . . Seattle was beaten, 4-2, by the host Tri-City Americans on Friday, then beat Portland 5-3 in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Red Deer Rebels 4-3 on Friday. . . . The Thunderbirds (38-17-5) have won two in a row. They are second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Everett with the Silvertips holding two games in hand. . . . The Winterhawks (32-24-4) have lost two straight (0-1-1). They are fourth in the U.S. Division, five points behind Tri-City. Portland does hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Victoria Royals. . . . In the season series, Seattle is 5-3-2, while Portland is 5-4-1. Yes, the loser point has to go!. . . . The Thunderbirds and Winterhawks will meet twice more this season, too. . . . Announced attendance: 9,233.

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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.

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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Prince George, 7 p.m.

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