F Tyrell Goulbourne of the Kelowna Rockets has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. Goulbourne, who turned 21 on Jan. 26, was a third-round selection in the NHL’s 2013 draft. In his fifth season with the Rockets, he has 38 points, including 17 goals, in 55 games. In 268 career regular-season games, Goulbourne has 118 points, 55 of them goals. The Edmonton native is one of the WHL’s top power forwards.
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The Florida Panthers had both of their goaltenders — Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya — go down with injuries during a game against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs last night. Confusion reigned. At one point, Panthers goaltending coach Rob Tallas, who played three seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds (1991-94), was dressed as the backup. George Michael of the Miami Herald has more right here.
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If you were wondering, the WHL playoffs will begin on Thursday, March 26. In a Tuesday news release regarding the deadline for fans to order playoff tickets, the Brandon Wheat Kings revealed that their first two home games will be played Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27. . . . The way things are right now, the Edmonton Oil Kings will be providing the opposition in those games. . . .
Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that F Nolan Patrick of the Wheat Kings is back skating but is wearing a non-contact sweater. Henderson also reports that F Reid Duke and D Kale Clague remain out week-to-week. . . .
Lucas Punkari of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that Warriors F Axel Blomqvist (groin strain) is expected to return tonight against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. He didn’t play over the weekend. . . . According to Punkari, F Tanner Eberle, who left a Saturday game with an injury, may play tonight, depending on how he does in the morning skate. . . . Meanwhile, the status of D Tyler Brown and F Jaimen Yakubowski has yet to be determined. They were injured on Friday. . . .
The Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament (KIBIHT) is adding a Premier Division, meaning it will have three divisions in its 2016 tournament. According to KIBIHT, the Premier Division will comprise eight teams from academies, winter clubs and top-ranked teams from across Canada and the U.S. . . . KIBIHT also will feature 12 teams in a Tier 1 Division and 16 in the Tier 2 Division. . . . The next KIBIHT will run from Dec. 30 through Jan. 3.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:
EAST DIVISION: Brandon (9 games remaining) will finish atop the Eastern Conference standings and now trails Kelowna by two points in the race for first place overall. . . . Regina (9) will finish second in the division. . . . Swift Current (9) is third, eight points ahead of Moose Jaw (9), which is eight points behind Edmonton (8), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth. . . . Prince Albert (9) is four points behind Moose Jaw and eight points out of a playoff spot.CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary (8) is atop the division, two points ahead of Medicine Hat (8). . . . Red Deer (9) is third, nine points behind Medicine Hat and five ahead of Kootenay (8), which is in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Edmonton (9) is four points behind Kootenay.
B.C. DIVISION: Kelowna (8) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and holds a two-point lead over Brandon atop the overall standings. . . . Victoria (8) will finish second. . . . Prince George (9) has won three straight and is third, one point ahead of Vancouver (9) and Kamloops (8). . . . Vancouver and Kamloops also are two points behind Tri-City (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
U.S. DIVISION: Everett (8) sits atop the division, four points ahead of Portland (10). . . . Seattle (8) is third, six points behind Portland and seven ahead of Spokane (10). . . . Spokane holds the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Spokane is nine points ahead of Tri-City (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card spot.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern ConferenceBrandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Craig Leverton scored the only goal of a six-round shootout to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Raiders F Austin Glover forced OT with his 13th goal at 7:44 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock scored his 30th goal, on a PP, at 11:06 of the first. . . . Raiders D Jesse Lees tied it with his 12th goal at 3:56 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci restored the one-goal lead with his ninth goal at 6:39 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots through OT, one more than Prince Albert’s Nick McBride. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton gave Jarry full credit for earning his team the loser point. “We owe Tristan for the point tonight,” Hamilton said on the team’s website. “There’s no question about that. He was the most substantial difference maker in the lineup tonight. It’s disappointing that Tristan gave us that kind of effort and we weren’t able to respond in front of him.” . . . Edmonton was 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . The Raiders (25-35-3) had lost their previous three games. . . . Edmonton (29-28-7) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL scoring race, had two goals as the Tigers got past the Red Deer Rebels, 4-0. . . . Cox, who now has 99 points, including 25 goals, scored on a PP at 7:30 of the first period and on a penalty shot at 13:08 of the second. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley scored his 15th at 11:10 of the second and F Chad Labelle got his eighth goal, into an empty net, at 18:58 of the third. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 24 shots for his first shutout of the season. . . . Langhamer, the last European goaltender in the WHL, has five career shutouts. . . . The Tigers (40-21-3) have won three straight. . . . The Rebels (32-21-10) have been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . 
In Kamloops, D Colby Harmsworth’s third goal of the season, at 4:45 of OT, gave the Calgary Hitmen a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . With the teams playing three skaters aside due to penalties, Harmsworth and F Radel Fazleev took off on a 2-on-1. Fazleev slid a pass to Harmsworth and he got the puck under G Connor Ingram for the winner. . . . Calgary led this one 2-0 after one period and 3-1 in the second period, only to have Kamloops scored three second-period goals to take a 4-3 lead. . . . F Collin Shirley scored twice for the Blazers, giving him 22. . . . Calgary F Connor Rankin forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 30th of the season, at 5:23 of the third. . . . F Terrell Draude also scored twice for Calgary, giving him 12 goals. . . . D Travis Sanheim, F Jody Stallard — I hope his nickname is Tracy — and F Taylor Sanheim each had two assists for Calgary. . . . F Matt Revel scored his 16th goal and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke, who has won nine straight decisions, stopped 29 shots, five fewer than Connor Ingram of the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-5. . . . D Jake Bean, the terrific 16-year-old, was among Calgary’s scratches. He is expected to miss at least four weeks after suffering a suspected shoulder/collarbone injury in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . The Blazers have put F Deven Sideroff (suspected wrist) on the injured list. They show him as out week-to-week. . . . Kamloops also scratched F Matt Needham with an undisclosed injury. . . . Needham and Sideroff have played almost the entire season with F Cole Ully on one of the WHL’s top lines. . . . The Hitmen (40-19-5) are 6-1-0 on their franchise record 11-game road swing. They left Calgary on Feb. 19 and had travelled 2,579 km when they left Kamloops for Prince George last night. . . . Calgary has won 17 of its last 19 games and is 13-1-1 on the road since Jan. 4. . . . The Blazers (24-33-7) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Victoria, D Shea Theodore had a goal and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory over the Royals. . . . Victoria had beaten Seattle 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night. . . . One night later, the visitors scored the game’s first three goals, two of them in the first period. . . . F Cory Millette got his 19th goal at 1:13 and Theodore added his 11th at 17:03. . . . D Jerret Smith made it 3-0 at 8:50 of the second, on a PP, and the Royals weren’t able to get back in this one. . . . D Joe Hicketts scored his 11th goal for the Royals, on a PP, at 2:08 of the third. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 29 shots. . . . Each team was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds (32-23-9) had lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . The Royals are 34-26-4. . . . 
In Everett, F Kohl Bauml scored with 39 seconds left in OT to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Bauml has 30 goals this season. . . . Everett scored the game’s last three goals. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 36th goal, on a PP, at 6:46 of the first period. . . . Rockets F Leon Draisaitl, who drew an assist on Baillie’s goal, got his 15th goal, on a PP, at 4:19 of the second. Draisaitl now has goals in six straight games. . . . Everett F Nikita Scherbak got his guys on the board with his 27th goal at 3:54 of the third and F Dawson Leedahl tied it with his 13th at 10:16. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-1. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 37 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . Hart is 9-1-1 since Jan. 1. . . . The Silvertips scratched D Kevin Davis and D Tristen Pfeifer, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches as it went with 17 skaters. . . . The Silvertips improved to 38-19-7. . . . Kelowna (48-11-5) has lost two in a row. . . . 
In Spokane, F Adam Helewka scored three goals and G Garret Hughson stopped 29 shots as the Chiefs dropped the Vancouver Giants, 7-0. . . . Hughson has two shutouts in his last four games. He has four career shutouts. . . . Helewka, who has 38 goals, scored the game’s first two goals, the first one coming while shorthanded at 15:18 of the first period. He also drew one assist. . . . It was Helewka’s second career hat trick. He scored four times against Vancouver on Nov. 1, 2013. . . . F Calder Brooks added his 20th goal and three assists, while F Kailer Yamamoto scored his 19th goal and had two helpers. . . . D Jason Fram and F Liam Stewart each had two assists. . . . The Chiefs (31-27-4) have won four in a row and outscored the opposition 22-2 in the process. . . . The Giants (26-34-3) have lost three straight.———
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
(all times local)Lethbridge at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES
(all times local)No Games Scheduled.
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Can officially say that I have scored a goal on every team in the WHL. Great feeling 🚨 https://t.co/XS40fkT8LO
— Cory Millette (@corbomb95) March 4, 2015
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In Regina, D Colby Williams had a goal and three assists to lead the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Pats erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits as they scored the game’s last four goals. . . . Pats F Patrick D’Amico tied it 2-2 with his 16th goal, shorthanded, at 2:32 of the third. . . . Williams broke the tie with his sixth at 8:32. . . . Regina F Jake Leschyshyn, brought in for the game from the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers, scored his first goal at 17:41 of the third, on the PP. He was a first-round selection by Red Deer in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft, but was dealt to Regina at the trade deadline last month. . . . F Sam Steel had two assists for the Pats. . . . D Brycen Martin had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 49 shots, 18 more than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Pats have beaten the Blades the last 12 times they have met. . . . Regina (29-17-6), which is likely to finish second in the East Division, has points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Blades slipped to 15-32-3. . . . The Pats are at home to Spokane tonight, while the Blades are in Swift Current. . . . 
In Cranbrook, the Brandon Wheat Kings erased a 3-1 deficit with four third-period goals to beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-3. . . . The Ice took a 3-1 lead into the second and third periods. . . . Brandon F Quintin Lisoway cut that to 3-2 with his eighth goal, at 4:15 of the third, and D Eric Roy tied it, with his fourth, at 7:33. With seven defencemen dressed, Roy actually moved up to the forward ranks for the third period and also drew an assist on Lisoway’s goal. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his club’s last two goals, at 7:48 and 19:57, the latter into an empty net. . . . McGauley, who also had an assist, has 33 goals. . . . Wheat Kings D Colton Waltz had two assists, as did D Kale Clague. He was playing his first game since Oct. 28 after suffering a wrist injury in early November at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. This was only his 16th game of the season. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau earned his 250th career regular-season assist when he was in on F Luke Philp’s 23rd goal at 11:46 of the first period. . . . F Tim Bozon scored his 21st goal for the Ice and F Levi Cable got his 23rd. . . . Ice D Tanner Lischynsky had two assits. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP as the Ice took the game’s last five minors. . . . The Ice PP was 0-for-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (39-9-5), who lead the Eastern Conference by 10 points over Medicine Hat, have points in their last 11 games (10-0-1). . . . The Ice (27-25-1) has lost two in a row. It holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, a point ahead of Edmonton. . . . The same teams meet again tonight in Cranbrook. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story from Friday 
In Prince George, F Jari Erricson scored twice to lead the Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Erricson, who had missed four games with a concussion, has 17 goals. . . . Cougars F Kody McDonald broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal, at 14:19 of the first period. . . . Erricson stretched the lead with second-period goals at 4:54 and 10:40. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo scored his 11th goal and added and assist, while F Edgars Kulda had two assists. . . . Prince George F Aaron Macklin scoed his fourth goal, to open the game’s scoring, but he left later with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 34 shots. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry tied Laurent Brossoit’s franchise career record for most regular-season appearances (147). However, Jarry left at 10:40 of the second period after surrounding four goals on 16 shots. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . The Cougars (21-31-2) snapped a 12-game losing skid (0-10-2). They are fifth in the B.C. Division, but now just two points behind third-place Kamloops. . . . The Oil Kings (24-24-6), who hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, have lost three straight. . . . They’ll play again tonight in Prince George. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier scored once and added two assists to lead the Rockets to a 5-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Chartier leads the WHL with 42 goals. . . . His goal, 12 minutes into the second period, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . Rockets F Tyson Baillie scored his 21st goal just 18 seconds later for a 3-1 lead. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley had two assists, while Baillie and F Cole Linaker each had a goal and an assist. . . . Linaker has nine goals. . . . F Deven Sideroff scored his 16th goal and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Kamloops had import defencemen Michael Fora (undisclosed injury) and Patrik Maier (suspected concussion) back in the lineup. . . . The Rockets are 6-0-0 in the season series; the Blazers are 0-5-1. . . . The Rockets (40-8-4) have points in seven straight (6-0-1) and are the first WHL team to 40 victories. They lead the overall standings by one point over Brandon. . . . The Blazers (20-28-6) have lost two in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, a point ahead of Vancouver. . . . The Rockets and Blazers are to meet again tonight, this time in Kamloops. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Ty Ronning’s first goal, at 19:02 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Rebels D Colton Bobyk had given his side a 4-3 lead with his third goal at 11:14 of the third. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer tied it with his 11th at 11:59. . . . Red Deer D Austin Strand took a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Ronning at 17:01 of the third. Ronning scored the winner on the ensuing PP. . . . Giants D Josh Thrower and D Brennan Menell each had two assists. F Zane Jones scored his 25th goal — his seventh since being acquired from Lethbridge at the trade deadline — and had an assist, while Baer added an assist to his goal. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson scored No. 21 and added an assist. . . . Red Deer F Conner Bleackley scored his 27th goal, at 15:20 of the first period, for a 2-0 lead. But the Rebels captain later took a hit from D Clayton Kirichenko, left the game and didn’t return. . . . The Giants (21-28-3) had lost four in a row (0-3-1). The victory got them to within a point of third-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division. Vancouver travels to Kent, Wash., to play Seattle tonight. . . . The Rebels (28-16-8), who are in Victoria tonight, are 1-1-1 in their last three. They are second in the Central Division, a point ahead of idle Calgary. . . . 
In Kamloops, the Blazers scored three times before the game was 11 minutes old and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 26 shots, and was especially sharp in the second period when the Americans held a 14-1 edge in shots. . . . Ingram, a 17-year-old freshman from Imperial, Sask., was selected as the game’s first star for a fifth straight home game. . . . Tri-City G Evan Sarthou, who was making his 17th straight start, was coming off back-to-back shutouts. . . . Kamloops D Patrik Maier scored the game’s first goal 46 seconds into the first period. He has four goals this season, two of them against the Americans. . . . F Matt Needham had two assists for Kamloops. One of them came on F Cole Ully’s 21st goal. Ully also had an assist. . . . Tri-City F Ty Comrie scored the game’s last goal, his fifth, at 15:35 of the first. . . . The Americans came in with the 11th-best PP in the WHL, but went 0-for-6 with the man advantage against a penalty-killing unit that was No. 20. . . . D Brandon Carlo was among the Americans’ scratches. He is at the Top Prospects Game in St. Catharines, Ont. . . . The Americans also scratched D Riley Hillis, F Braden Purtill, F Vladislav Lukin, G Eric Comrie and F Brian Williams, all of whom are injured. . . . With Comrie injured, Beck Warm, a 15-year-old from the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants, backed up Sarthou. . . . F Michael Rasmussen, 15, made his WHL debut with the Americans. From Surrey, B.C., he was the seventh overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. This season, in 36 games with OHA Prep White in Penticton, he has 45 points, including 24 goals. That team is coached by former Regina Pats head coach Malcolm Cameron. . . . The Blazers (17-24-6) have won three straight for the first time this season. They now are tied with Vancouver for fourth place in the five-team B.C. Division, just two points behind Prince George. . . . The Americans (22-22-2) had won their previous two games. . . . The Blazers will play in Victoria on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Americans return home to face Seattle on Friday.
In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 39 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Ice took a 3-1 lead into the third period and were up 4-2 when Vancouver F Dalton Sward scored his ninth goal at 19:54 of the third period. . . . F Luke Philp scored his 21st goal for the Ice, which got two assists from F Sam Reinhart and a goal and an assist from F Zak Zborosky. He’s got 13 goals. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson scored his 11th goal 15 seconds into the second period for a 1-1 tie. . . . Philp scored at 5:15 and F River Beattie gave the Ice a 3-1 lead at 10:20 with his fourth goal. . . . D Mason Geertsen scored his ninth goal and added an assist for Vancouver. . . . Giants G Payton Lee stopped 25 shots. . . . The Giants opened a six-game Central Division swing with this game. . . . They are scheduled to play in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . Vancouver was without F Thomas Foster, who sat out Game 2 of a three-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct he incurred on Friday night. He went knee-to-knee with Tri-City F Brian Williams. . . . According to Tri-City’s injury report, Williams, who didn’t play Saturday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs, will be out for up to three weeks. . . . The Ice is 23-22-1. . . . The Giants (19-24-2) have lost four in a row. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored five goals on eight second-period shots as they beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 8-2. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk scored three times for the Warriors, giving him six this season. He’s got five goals in 18 games since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers. . . . F Tanner Eberle added two goals for Moose Jaw, giving him 23, while F Jack Rodewald scored his 19th goal and had two assists. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Warriors scored four times in a span of 8:21 in the second. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 25 shots. . . . The Warriors were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . Prince Albert is without D Tomas Andrlik, who suffered an ankle injury while playing with his billets on an outdoor rink. . . . The Warriors (16-20-4) snapped a seven-game (0-6-1) losing skid. . . . The Raiders (16-23-1) have lost five in a row, scoring only six goals in the process. . . . The Warriors are fourth in the East Division, three points clear of the Raiders. Moose Jaw is six points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos and seven points out of a wild-card spot. . . . 
In Edmonton, F Davis Koch broke a 1-1 tie at 14:00 of the second period as the Oil Kings beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . Koch has two goals this season. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock opened the scoring at 10:16 of the first, scoring his 17th on a PP. That was Edmonton’s first PP goal in five games. . . . The Ice tied it on F Matt Alfaro’s sixth goal at 10:12 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer got his 11th goal into an empty net at 19:18 of the third. . . . The Ice was 0-for-7 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-for-3. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 32 shots, three more than Kootenay’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . The Oil Kings were able to dress only 10 forwards, and only four of those are veterans of the Memorial Cup-championship team. . . . The Oil Kings (19-16-5) have won three in a row. The victory allowed them to pull into a tie for third in the Central Division with Kootenay and Calgary. . . . The Ice (21-18-1) had points in each of its previous seven games (6-0-1). . . . Prior to the game, the Ice announced that D Tanner Lishchynsky will stay with the team for the remainder of the season. He went into last night with two assists in four games. A Saskatoon native, he had been with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers. Lishchynsky, who turns 20 on Monday, was a 10th-round pick by the Vancouver Giants in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . 
In Lethbridge, D Brett Cote scored in the sixth round of the shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge F Ryley Lindgren and Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell also scored in the shootout. . . . Red Deer F Preston Kopeck forced OT with his 10th goal at 18:09 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead into the second on goals by F Miles Warkentine, his second, and F Tyler Cooper, his 12th. . . . Red Deer D Nelson Nogier scored his second goal of the season at 17:53 of the second. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 36 shots, five more than Red Deer’s Taz Burman. . . . The Rebels improved to 21-14-5 and remain second in the Central Division. . . . The Hurricanes (9-23-6) have lost four straight. . . . 
In Portland, G Adin Hill stopped 35 shots for his first WHL shutout as the Winterhawks dumped the Tri-City Americans, 3-0. . . . The Winterhawks held a 50-35 edge in shots. . . . F Evan Weinger’s sixth goal, at 8:55 of the second period, got Portland started. . . . D Anton Cederholm got his fifth at 2:38 of the third and F Miles Koules scored his 14th into an empty net at 18:08. . . . F Keegan Iverson had two assists. . . . Tri-City D Brandon Carlo was back after playing with the U.S. side at the World Junior Championship. . . . The Winterhawks had F Chase De Leo back after his time with the U.S. team. . . . D Layne Viveiros was among Portland’s scratches. . . . The Americans dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. D Tyler Fraser, 17, played his first game this season. . . . F Austin Gray played his first game with Portland. He plays for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars and leads the B.C. Major Midget League in scoring, with 46 points in 25 games. . . . The Winterhawks (20-17-3), who entertain Seattle tonight, ended a three-game losing skid. . . . The Americans (18-18-2) have lost three in a row (1-1-1). . . .
In Victoria, F Austin Carroll broke a 2-2 tie at 11:57 of the second period and the Royals went on to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Royals had beaten the visiting Chiefs 8-1 on Friday night. . . . Carroll has 26 goals. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto’s 16th goal, at 19:30 of the first, on a PP, gave his guys a 2-1 lead. . . . Victoria D Travis Brown tied it with his 15th at 8:49 of the second. . . . Royals F Tyler Soy scored his 13th into an empty net at 19:14 of the third. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka got his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Royals (20-18-3) have won three in a row. . . . The Chiefs (21-14-3) have lost two straight. . . . The Royals beat the Chiefs 8-1 on Friday night. . . . 
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