WHL Roundup: Giants snap Rocket's 16-game win streak with 4-2 victory

VANCOUVER - Jackson Houck scored three times as the Vancouver Giants halted the Kelowna Rockets' 16-game win streak with a 4-2 victory on Friday in Western Hockey League action.

Anthony Ast also scored for the Giants (20-14-7) while Arvin Atwal and Cain Franson chipped in with two assists each.

Ryan Olsen and Justin Kirkland scored for the Rockets (32-4-2), whose last defeat came on Nov. 20 against the Victoria Royals.

Jared Rathjen made 15 saves for Vancouver as Jackson Whistle turned away 22-of-26 shots for Kelowna.

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RAIDERS 3 HURRICANES 1

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Calder Brooks scored once and set up two more as the Raiders toppled Lethbridge.

Mackenze Stewart and Carson Perreaux also scored for Prince Albert (21-17-2) while Cole Cheveldave made 36 saves for the victory.

Brady Ramsay gave the Hurricanes (8-29-5) a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the first period before being halted the rest of the way by Cheveldave.

Corbin Boes turned aside 44-of-46 shots for Lethbridge.

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PATS 4 BLADES 3 (SO)

REGINA — Dyson Stevenson scored the shootout winner as the Pats edged Saskatoon.

Kyle Burroughs, Colby Williams and Dryden Hunt scored in regulation for Regina (20-17-4).

The Blades (11-27-4) got all their offence from the blue-line as defencemen Clayton Kirichenko, Ayrton Nikkel and Graeme Craig had a goal apiece.

Pats' goaltender Dawson MacAuley replaced Nick Schneider halfway through the second period and stopped all 10 shots he faced to earn the victory. Schneider allowed three goals on 12 shots in 29 minutes of action.

Saskatoon's Troy Tremblay kicked out 43-of-46 shots in a losing cause.

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OIL KINGS 6 WARRIORS 3

EDMONTON — Cody Corbett scored twice and added an assist as the Oil Kings doubled up Moose Jaw.

Ashton Sautner, Luke Bertolucci, Edgars Kulda and Michell Moroz also scored for Edmonton (25-12-1) while Henrik Samuelsson tacked on two assists.

Sam Fioretti, Josh Uhrich and Brayden Point supplied the offence for the Warriors (12-23-6).

Tyler Santos made 26 saves for the Oil Kings as Moose Jaw's Justin Paulic stopped 31-of-36 shots in defeat.

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ICE 3 BRONCOS 1

CRANBROOK, B.C. — Austen Vetterl scored in the first period and then set up two goals in the third period to lift Kootenay over Swift Current.

Tim Bozon broke a 1-1 tie for the Ice (20-19-3) at 14:48 of the third and added an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Graham Black scored the lone goal for the Broncos (21-15-6).

Wyatt Hoflin made 21 saves for Kootenay while Swift Current's Eetu Laurikainen turned away 32-of-34 shots.

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REBELS 5 THUNDERBIRDS 1

RED DEER, Alta. — The Rebels scored five unanswered goals to shock the Thunderbirds.

Vukie Mpofu scored twice for Red Deer (12-17-2), with singles coming from Cole Chorney, Matt Bellerive and Earl Webb.

Branden Troock had the only goal for Seattle (22-12-5) in the first period.

Patrik Bartosak finished with 29 saves for Red Deer, while at the other end of the ice Danny Mumaugh stopped 24 shots.

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COUGARS 9 BLAZERS 5

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C — Klarc Wilson and Todd Fiddler each had a hat trick as the Cougars downed Kamloops.

Zach Pochiro and Troy Bourke had a goal and three assists apiece for Prince George (15-21-5) while Fiddler added two assists for a five-point night. Jordan Tkatch had a goal and an assist to round out his club's offence.

Joe Kornelsen scored two goals for the Blazers (10-26-4) and Aspen Sterzer, Ryan Rehill and Josh Connolly had the others.

Ty Edmonds made 19 saves for the Cougars. Taran Kozun gave up five goals on 16 shots in just 16 minutes of action for Kamloops and was pulled for Bolton Pouliot, who stopped 24-of-29 shots in relief.

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CHIEFS 5 ROYALS 3

SPOKANE, Wash. — Mitch Holmberg scored twice for the Chiefs, including the game winner, as the Chiefs defeated Victoria.

Holmberg is the first WHL player to hit the 40-goal mark and his second goal of the game was his ninth game-winner of the season.

Dominic Zwerger, Cole Wedman and Markson Bechtold also scored for Spokane (23-13-2) while Eric Williams made 21 saves for the win.

Brandon Fushimi, Taylor Crunk and Jack Walker scored for the Royals (27-13-2), who dropped their first game in regulation in nine contests, and Patrik Polivka stopped 36 shots in defeat.

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AMERICANS 5 WINTERHAWKS 1

KENNEWICK, Wash. — Eric Comrie made 37 saves as Tri-City snapped a seven-game slide by defeating Portland.

Lucas Nickles had a goal and an assist for the Americans (18-18-2) while Jordan Davies, Beau McCue, Philip Tot and Brian Williams scored the others.

Chase De Leo scored the lone goal for the Winterhawks (25-11-4), who have dropped three straight contests.

Brendan Burke started in net for Portland but was pulled when he gave up a third goal on just 12 shots. Jarrod Schamerhorn came on in relief and stopped 14-of-16 shots in 19 minutes of action.