Swift Current 6 @Prince Albert 5
The Swift Current Broncos (40-13-3-1) completed a perfect three-in-three weekend with a 6-5 win on the road against the Prince Albert Raiders (22-22-9-2). The 40-win campaign is the first by Swift Current since 2008-09 and puts them three points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors for best record in the East Division and the entire WHL.
Andrew Fyten had two goals for the Broncos, Max Patterson had a goal and an assist and Glenn Gawdin had a three-point night. Gawdin now has 104 points, tops in the WHL.
Fyten opened the scoring 3:25 in and after Nikita Kivokrasov tied things up, he added his second with 2:19 left in the frame to take the lead back.
Jordy Stallard netted a goal on the rare four-on-three power play to tie the game up again with 38 seconds left in the first.
In the second, Kody McDonald gave the Raiders their first lead as a shot from MaxPatterson deflected off of him and in.
Then the Broncos went on a tear and turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 advantage. Gawdin started the streak off a nice backhand feed from Patterson on the power play. Then a shot form Josh Andeson got through a ton of traffic to beat Ian Scott. Lastly, Tyler Steenberen buried a drop pass from Colby Sissons for his 39th of the year.
Curtis Meger came on in relief of Scott midway through the second. Scott stopped 11 of 16.
The Raiders stormed back in the third to tie the game up again. McDonald netted his second of the game off a strange bank off of Stuart Skinner’s pad and in from a bad angle. Then Cole Fonstad stick-handled through traffic and beat Skinner glove side.
The Raiders comeback would not have a happy ending though. With just over four minutes left in regulation Jeremy Masella lost and edge while handling the puck deep in his own zone. Matteo Gennaro, who was fore-checking was first on the puck and fed Patterson. The first shot from Patterson was blocked, but the follow up beat Meger and stood as the game winner.
Skinner turned away 23 of 28 for Swift Current and Meger came in and stopped 12 of 13.
Swift Current takes their four-game win streak back home where they host the Brandon Wheat Kings Wednesday. P.A. hosts those same Wheat Kings Friday.
Everett 3 @Spokane 2
Try as they might, the Spokane Chiefs (36-17-2-2) did not have the late-game heroics to comeback in this one. Two nights after they pulled out a miracle win against the Everett Silvertips (30-20-3-2), they turned a 3-0 deficit into a 3-2 one, but could not come back any further.
Riley Sutter had two points for the Silvertips and Dustin Wolf stopped 32 of 34 as Everett held onto top spot in the U.S. Division.
With the Portland Winterhawks also winning Sunday, Everett kept their two-point lead over Portland with 15 games left in the regular season.
Everett got things going with a late-second period goal from Spencer Gerth. Sutter added another with one minute left in the frame to carry a two-goal lead into the final frame.
Connor Dewar added another goal to make it 3-0 midway through the third.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan finally beat Wolf on a power play with 7:50 left.
Kailer Yamamoto then made the score 3-2 with 3:53 left but the Chiefs got no closer.
Donovan Buskey stopped 18 of 21 in the game.
Everett next plays on Friday, when they take on their rivals the Seattle Thunderbirds. Spokane is off until Saturday when they host the Tri-City Americans.
Spokane sits three points up on Tri-City for third in the U.S. Division, with the Americans having one game in hand.
