Lethbridge 6 @Regina 2
A night after the offense of the struggling Lethbridge Hurricanes (15-16-2-0) hit a season-low when they were shutout by the Brandon Wheat Kings, they rebounded with a six-goal effort against the Memorial Cup host Regina Pats (16-16-3-0). The ‘Canes were mired in a four-game losing streak and were looking for a breakout performance from one of their forwards. They got just that as Taylor Ross, who was acquired earlier this year from the Spokane Chiefs, potted two goals and added two assists for a four-point night. Jordy Bellerive also had three assists in the win and Stuart Skinner stopped 3 of the 35 Regina shots.
Regina now has lost three in-a-row and the team has one last game (Sunday vs. Saskatoon) before a Christmas break that likely has head coach and general manager John Paddock contemplating his teams next big move.
Lethbridge opened the scoring on the power play as Bellerive and Ross banged away at a loose puck around goalie Tyler Brown and Ross put it home, 9:43 into the game.
Regina tied the game at one with a rebound goal of their own by Robbie Holmes off a shot by Josh Mahura. Mahura had been returned from Hockey Canada’s World Junior camp, but an injury to Dante Fabbro has him returning to the team.
Here is Leader-Post hockey writer Greg Harder's exclusive on Pats defenceman Josh Mahura rejoining Canada's world junior team, at least for now, due to an injury situation https://t.co/6Y13zsQB0X
— Regina Leader-Post (@leaderpost) December 17, 2017
The newest Hurricanes, Lane Zablocki would get himself on the score sheet in the second, to help his new team out to a 2-1 lead. He took a pass over to Brown’s right and patiently waited out the goalie, before finding Jake Elmer at the back post for the goal.
Dylan Cozens added a power play goal on what looked like the fourth attempt in tight on Brown, to extend the lead to two a couple minutes later.
Ryan Bowen later scored on another rebound to make the game 4-1 and Ross added another on the power play to extend that to 5-1 after 40.
Brown was yanked from the net after the second. He gave up five goals on 28 shots. Four of the five goals he gave up came on rebounds.
Matt Bradley got the Pats a little closer in the third with a snipe, but Giorgio Estephan got that one back on the power play to close this one out. 6-2 ‘Canes. Lethbridge will now be off until after Christmas break.
Swift Current 3 Kamloops 1
Max Patterson is enjoying his time playing up with Glenn Gawdin on the Swift Current Broncos (25-7-2-0) top line. In the absence of Tyler Steenbergen and Aleksi Heponiemi to World Junior preliminary camps, the former Kootenay ICE forward has been given an increase in playing time and responsibility. He has responded. Patterson had an assist Saturday as the Broncos defeated the visiting Kamloops Blazers (16-17-0-1) 3-1 and now has five points over his last three games. Patterson has six of his season total of 10 points, in just his last five games. The Broncos have won all five of those matches. 
Gawdin and Matteo Gennaro both scored vs the Blazers and Owen Blocker notched his first ever WHL goal. Logan Flodell also turned away 40 of 41 shots to get his 21st win this year. That leads the WHL.
The Broncos opened the scoring as Patterson won a board battle, swung a cross-ice pass to Artyom Minulin and the Russian d-man found Gawdin back door. That was Gawdin’s 31st goal of the year. He now sits just three points back of Heponiemi for the WHL point lead with a total of 68.
Logan Foster then set up Blocker with a slick drop pass to extend the lead to two.
Kamloops crawled back into this one later in the first as Brady Reagan toe-dragged around a Bronco and sniped a shot past Flodell for his first goal since March 18th, when he was still with the Calgary Hitmen.
Kamloops would get no closer though and Gennaro would score his 20th of the year into an empty net to finish this one out.
The Broncos sit just four points back of the East Division leading Moose Jaw Warriors with a game in hand as both teams head into the Christmas break.
Everett 4 Prince George 0
There is no secret what has been the driving force behind the Everett Silvertips (20-13-1-1) rise in the standings. Goaltender Carter Hart has put up insane numbers and back-stopped them to within arms-reach of the Portland Winterhawks for the division lead. This was a year many thought Everett would be forced to be a seller at the trade deadline. That is simply not the case right now as they have the chance to take the division lead with a win Sunday vs Portland. 
Despite no Hart in net, due to being with Team Canada, the Silvertips still found themselves with a goalie who would simply not allow the other team to beat him. 16-year-old rookie Dustin Wolf stopped all 31 shots he saw from the visiting Prince George Cougars (12-16-3-2) for his first career shutout.
Riley Sutter led the ‘Tips offensively with two goals and an assist, while Matt Fonteyne and Patrick Bajkov added two point nights.
Sutter opened the scoring for Everett in the second after Bryce Kindopp drove the net and created a rebound for him to slip past Cougars goalie Taylor Gauthier.
P.G.’s own 16-year-old netminder had himself a career game as he faced 54 shots and was able to make 50 stops. This was 10 more saves than he had ever made before in a WHL game.
The ‘Tips added another in the middle frame as Bajkov finished off a two-on-one rush with Fonteyne, with a patented one-timer. The goal came while P.G. was on the power play.
Sutter added a redirect goal on the power play in the third and Sean Richards scored his 14th this year a couple minutes later to finalize the 4-0 score.
The Cougars will head to Langley to play their last game before break Sunday. They currently sit in last place in the Western Conference.
Vancouver 6 @Victoria 2
The Vancouver Giants (17-13-2-2) are slowly getting revenge for the way they were bused by the Victoria Royals (20-13-3-0) at the start of the season. During the opening weekend to the WHL campaign back in September, the Giants lost to the Royals on back-to-back nights: 7-1 and 6-1.
After two more, much closer, losses to the Royals, the Giants have now reeled off three wins in-a-row against their close rivals. The latest, a 6-2 win by the Giants, was a sign that the two teams are surging in the opposite directions. The Giants have won seven of their last 11 games, while the Royals have only been victorious four times in that same span.
The Giants were led on Saturday by two point nights from Dylan Plouffe, Ty Ronning, James Malm, Dawson Holt and Brayden Watts. Todd Scott stopped 25 of 27 in the win.
Griffen Outhouse was considerably busier in the Victoria net, stopping 38 of 43 shots.
Both teams will not be in action again until December 27th.
