Sunday Notes

with Gregg Drinnan

Sunday notes . . .
Some players already have left their WHL teams, others will leave this week. Yes, it’s World Junior Championship time. . . . And for a list of which teams are losing which players, check out Alan Caldwell’s blog — Small Thoughts At Large. . . .

SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
In Regina, the Pats overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit with three second-period goals and went on to beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-3. . . . C Jordan Eberle broke a 3-3 tie at 9:13 of the third period with his 24th goal of the season. . . . The Pats (21-13-0-1) got a big goal from F Kirt Hill, who tied the game 2-2 with a shorthanded goal in the second period. . . . Hill was part of a six-player trade between the teams a year ago. This was the first game between the teams since that deal. . . . The Rockets (17-11-2-3) opened a six-game Prairie tour with a 3-2 shootout loss in Lethbridge on Friday. Kelowna held a 2-0 lead in that game, too. . . . Regina head coach Curtis Hunt was behind the Pats bench for his 241st game, moving past Brad Tippett on the franchise’s all-time list. Hunt now trails only the late Bob Turner (499). . . .

In Seattle, F Greg Scott’s shootout goal lifted the Thunderbirds to a 4-3 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Scott also scored Seattle’s first goal, his 11th of the season. . . . Chilliwack C Mark Santorelli, who leads the WHL’s points race with 58, had a goal and an assist but didn’t take part in the shootout as F Jaden Potter, RW Oscar Moller and D Nick Holden failed to score. . . . Seattle G Riku Helenius stopped 16 shots before making three saves in the circus. . . . Seattle F Bud Holloway forced OT with a goal at 19:45 of the third period. . . . Seattle (14-10-5-1) has won three in a row. . . . Chilliwack G Matt Esposito stopped 34 shots through OT. . . . D Dylan Chapman scored his first goal of the season for the Bruins in the first period. . . . The Bruins (17-13-3-1) are 3-1 in shootouts this season. . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants set a franchise record with five power-play goals as they whipped the Kamloops Blazers, 7-1. . . . The Giants (22-7-1-3), who have won four straight, were 5-for-10 on the PP, while the Blazers went 0-for-5. . . . D Jon Blum had two goals and two assists — all via the PP — for the Giants. . . . Vancouver C Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored a shorthanded goal, with D Justin Palazzo drawing the lone assist. Both players are from Kamloops. . . . Kamloops (15-15-1-1) has lost two in a row. . . . Vancouver had a 47-24 edge in shots. . . .

In Lethbridge, G Joey Perricone stopped 28 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-0 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Moose Jaw (16-9-4-2) has won five in a row. . . . Lethbridge (22-10-1-1) had won its previous five games. . . . Perricone put up his third shutout of the season and eighth of his career. . . . It was the second time Lethbridge has been blanked. . . . LW Frazer McLaren had his fifth goal in five games for Moose Jaw. . . . (If you were wondering, only the Tri-City Americans, Prince George Cougars, Brandon Wheat Kings, Swift Current Broncos and Moose Jaw haven’t been shut out this season). . . .

In Portland, the Winter Hawks forced overtime with two late third-period goals before losing 5-4 in a shootout to the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Spokane (24-5-1-2) got a goal and an assist from each of Chris Bruton, Jared Spurgeon and Drayson Bowman. . . . Portland C Jacob Dietrich cut the Chiefs’ lead to 4-3 with a goal at 18:13 of the third period. LW Kevin Undershute tied it with a PP score at 19:42. . . . Both goals came with G Kurtis Mucha on the bench for an extra attacker. . . . Mucha stopped 47 shots and two more in the circus. . . . Spokane C Jace Coyle, with one goal in 29 games, was the lone scorer to snipe in the circus. . . . The Winter Hawks fell to 5-25-0-1.