Swift Current 4 @Regina 1
Stuart Skinner showed his value this weekend. In a home-and-home his Swift Current Broncos (35-12-3-1) had with the Regina Pats (25-22-5-0), the 19-year-old goalie stopped 63 of 65 total shots and led the Broncos to all four points in a tight East Division race.
Coming into the weekend, the Pats had been on a roll. It’s safe to say Skinner and Swift Current put that to an end.
On Sunday afternoon, Skinner turned away 42 of 43 and Aleksi Heponiemi had a goal and two assists as the Broncos turned away the Pats 4-1.
The best power play in the league was at it again as the Broncos scored twice on the man advantage. Their 32.3 percent success rate is nearly four percent higher than the next best team in the league.
Heponiemi set up the first goal of the game off a face off. He played the puck forward then got to it first, passing over to Beck Malenstyn in tight on Pats goalie Ryan Kubic. Malenstyn tapped home his sixth of the year for the 1-0 lead with just over a minute left in the first.
Matteo Gennaro doubled the Broncos lead in the second after Jesse Gabrielle mishandled a pass in his own zone. Gennaro hammered home his 31st this year for the 2-0 advantage.
Then five minutes into the third period and on the power play, Gennaro corralled a bouncing puck in the slot and drew the Pats defense before firing a cross-ice pass to Heponiemi. The Finnish forward blasted in his 24th this year on a one-timer.
Cale Fleury got a low shot by Skinner a couple minutes later, making the game close, but then Glenn Gawdin put the game away on a five-on-three advantage late for the 4-1 win.
Swift Current hosts the Prince George Cougars on Tuesday, while the Pats hope to get back to their winning ways Wednesday vs. those same Cougars.
Lethbridge 2 @Red Deer 1 (OT)
In his last three starts, 17-year-old rookie goalie Ethan Anders has given the Red Deer Rebels (12-25-9-3) the opportunity to win. In a season where they are mired at the bottom the Eastern Conference standings, that is something to build on. One night after Anders stymied the Kelowna Rockets to the tune of 41 saves on 43 shots, he one-upped himself by stopping 42 of 44 against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes (23-21-6-0). Unfortunately Anders’ great night was only enough to earn his Rebels one point as this time, the Rebels lost in overtime 2-1 thanks to Jordy Bellerive.
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed prospect put an incredible effort in one the game winner. He tied up a tired Kristian Reichel while his team got fresh legs on the ice. He then got the puck to Tate Olson, who worked it back to Bellerive. Anders stopped his first shot, but Bellerive went to his knees and backhanded home the rebound for his second of the game. He an Olson were in on 100 percent of the team’s goals.
Red Deer got their only goal of the night on a fortunate bounce. On a delayed penalty and while short handed, a shot from Josh Tarzwell was blocked and the puck rolled right to the waiting Reese Johnson, who powered home his 17th this year.
Bellerive tied the game and forced the eventual overtime with 10:18 left in regulation. He netted his first of the night on a fortunate bounce of their own for his Hurricanes. A low shot from Tate Olson, banked off the leg of Bellerive and by Anders.
No opportunistic bounce was needed on the winner though and the ‘Canes took the extra point.
Lethbridge goalie Logan Flodell got the win by stopping 22 of 23.
Red Deer now heads on a trip out east which starts on Tuesday in Prince Albert. Lethbridge next plays February first vs. the Swift Current Broncos.
Everett 6 Spokane 5 (OT)
Connor Dewar is not known for being lackadaisical out on the ice. He did not earn the nickname “pit bull” by being a pushover. So him potting both a game-tying goal with 24 seconds left and the overtime winner, would be greeted by a Everett Silvertips (32-16-1-2) fan with the comment: “sounds about right.”
Dewar’s Silvertips ended their three-games within the U.S. Division in three-nights weekend with five of a possible six points. That is a big win this time of year.
Dewar meanwhile had three points in this one and six points overall in the three games.
Carter Hart stopped 37 of 42 in getting the win 6-5 in OT over the visiting Spokane Chiefs (26-19-3-2). Kailer Yamamoto potted four points in the loss and now has 22 points over his ongoing 10-game point streak.
Everett stays within the division by heading down to the Rose City for a game with Portland Wednesday. They have a five point lead over them for tops in the division. Spokane has only one game over the next 10 days and that comes next Friday in Cranbrook vs. the Kootenay ICE.
Victoria 7 Calgary 3
Maybe the 8-4 loss to the Kelowna Rockets that the Victoria Royals (30-17-3-1) withstood last Saturday was a bit of a wake up call. Since that loss, the Royals have reeled off three straight wins, with the last two coming in decisive fashion over the Calgary Hitmen (15-28-5-1).
After taking them out 4-1 on Saturday, the Royals opened up the floodgates and scored a touchdown in their 7-3 win Sunday.
Tyler Soy and two recent additions led the way with Soy, Lane Zablocki and Noah Gregor all having a goal and an assist. Dean McNabb picked up the rare start and got his first win since October 29th by stopping 28 of the 31 pucks that came his way.
Calgary actually had the game’s first goal as Luke Coleman skated in short handed 3:38 in and took his time before wiring a hard wrist shot by McNabb’s head.
Gregor then tied the game up with an end to end rush. He drove hard at Hitmen goalie Nick Schneider before lifting the puck over the down goalie.
Kade Jensen gave the Royals the lead just a minute later as his shot in on Schneider stuck in the goalie’s pads. However, when Schneider starting looking for the puck, it rolled off his pads an into the net behind him.
Zablocki made it 3-1 a couple minutes into the second period. Her forced a turnover along the half boards and then peeled to the middle of the zone before lifting a host past Schneider’s blocker for his 12th goal this year.
Soy added his 23rd this year a few minutes later and it was 4-1. On the power play Dante Hannoun lifted a pass into the space about to be filled by Soy and and the Anaheim Ducks prospect beat Schneider, ending his night. Schneider left after giving up four goals on 19 shots.
The Hitmen responded well to their goalie being lifted and closed the gap down to two goals. Tristen Nilsen took advantage of a Royals miscue, by skating in alone on McNabb and putting a slick deke on him, before backhanding a shot by him.
That high would not last long for the Hitmen. Their hopes were dashed by three Victoria goals in-a-row over a span of 13:04 over the second and third periods.
Braydon Buziak scored just his second goal since being acquired from the Regina Pats to get things going. His slick wrist shot from the slot made the game 5-2. Then in the third period, former Hitmen forward Andrei Grishakov found a loose puck and beat backup Calgary goalie Matthew Armitage to make it 6-2.
Hannoun then finished the scoring for the Royals off a slick feed from behind the net by Matthew Phillips.
Calgary added a late goal by Jakob Stukel but the writing was already on the wall. Coleman got one of the assists and ended the night with two points.
Armitage came on in relief and stopped 18 of 21.
The Royals head to Kennewick next for a game with Tri-City, while the Hitmen have a handful of days off in B.C., before taking on the Vancouver Giants.
