WHL Roundup: Winterhawks hold off Thunderbirds to earn 4-3 shootout victory

By The Canadian Press on December 11, 2022.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Marcus Nguyen scored the winner, Dante Giannuzzi stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout and the Portland Winterhawks escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday.

Nguyen also scored in regulation, with Luca Cagnoni and Dawson Pasternak adding the others for Western Conference-leading Portland (20-4-2-1). Giannuzzi made 34 saves between regulation and overtime.

Jared Davidson, Bryce Pickford and Nico Myatovic replied for Seattle (19-4-1-1), which sits right behind the Winterhawks in the West standings. Scott Ratzlaff stopped 30 shots between regulation and overtime while stopping 2-of-3 in the shootout.

Down 2-0 after a scoreless second period, the Thunderbirds scored three unanswered goals, capped by Davidson’s marker at 16:17 of the third to snatch the lead.

However, Cagnoni knotted the contest with only 30 seconds remaining in regulation to send it to overtime.

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BLADES 9 RAIDERS 0

PRINCE ALBERT, SASK. – Brandon Lisowsky had a hat trick and one assist, Austin Elliott posted a 25-save shutout and Saskatoon (21-5-0) pummelled Prince Albert (10-18-2). Lukas Hansen and Egor Sidorov, along with one assist, each scored two goals.

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REBELS 5 OIL KINGS 2

EDMONTON – Jayden Grubbe and Craig Armstrong each notched a goal and an assist as the Red Deer (21-5-1-3) downed Edmonton (4-25-1). Kyle Kelsey stopped 23 shots in the win.

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BLAZERS 6 ROYALS 1

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Matthew Seminoff recorded a goal and two assists, Daylan Kuefler notched four assists and Kamloops (16-6-3-2) dominated Victoria (5-22-3). Dylan Ernst lost his shutout bid midway through the third period but made 28 saves in the win.

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HURRICANES 4 BRONCOS 3 (SO)

SWIFT CURRENT, SASK. – Tyson Zimmer and Noah Chadwick scored in the shootout to lead Lethbridge (18-11-0-1) past Swift Current (12-14-0-1) to a fourth straight win. Harrison Meneghin stopped both shots he faced in the shootout and Tyson Laventure scored twice in regulation.

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TIGERS 6 WARRIORS 3

MEDICINE HAT, ALTA. – Brendan Lee scored two goals as Medicine Hat (11-15-4-1) cruised past Moose Jaw (19-11-0). The Tigers took a 4-0 lead by 4:35 of the second period and held on for the win from there.

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AMERICANS 4 COUGARS 3

KENNEWICK, WA. – Jordan Gavin scored the game-winner at 13:37 of the third period as Tri-City (14-13-0) downed Prince George (14-14-1) for its sixth straight win. Carter MacAdams netted the final marker of the contest three minutes later as his Cougars dropped their fourth in a row.

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PATS 5 HITMEN 2

REGINA – Alexander Suzdalev recorded a goal and an assist as Regina (16-12-1-1) handily defeated Calgary (14-9-3-1). Drew Sim made 38 saves as the Pats won their fourth in a row.

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GIANTS 3 ROCKETS 2 (OT)

LANGLEY, B.C. – Brenden Pentecost netted the game-winning goal 1:57 into overtime as Vancouver (11-13-3-2) defeated Kelowna (10-13-3). Jesper Vikman stopped 27 shots as the Giants handed the Rockets their second straight loss.

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WHEAT KINGS 2 CHIEFS 1

BRANDON, M.B. – Brett Hyland scored the game-winning goal at 9:19 of the third period as Brandon (12-15-3) edged Spokane (5-20-0-1). Carson Bjarnason made 26 saves in the win.

This roundup was generated automatically with a CP-developed application.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2022.

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