Music: {allcanada} WHL: JOHNSON NETS HAT TRICK AS CHIEFS PUNISH THUNDERBIRDS

Thursday, December 30, 2010

{allcanada} WHL: JOHNSON NETS HAT TRICK AS CHIEFS PUNISH THUNDERBIRDS

Tyler Johnson had a hat trick as the Spokane Chiefs rocked the Seattle Thunderbirds 8-2 in a physical Western Hockey League game Wednesday night.

Marek Kalus, Tanner Mort, Tyler Vanscourt, Steven Kuhn and Matt Marantz also scored for Spokane (21-10-5), which scored five goals in the second period to run away with the game.

Travis Toomey gave Seattle (15-13-7) a 1-0 lead early in the first that lasted until Kalus scored with 1:32 left in the period. Charles Wells also scored for the Thunderbirds.

Johnson's goals were his 100th, 101st and 102nd of his WHL career. The five-foot-nine centre has played for his hometown Chiefs for four years.

Goaltender James Reid made 12 saves on 13 shots in 50:42 of work to earn the win for Spokane. Mac Engel played in relief, giving up a goal on the only shot he faced.

Calvin Pickard started in net for the Thunderbirds and turned aside 33 of 39 shots in the first two periods of the game. Michael Salmon made 15 saves on 17 shots in the third.

Things turned ugly in the final three minutes of play. Seattle's Brenden Dillon and Spokane's Darren Kramer fought at the 16:53 mark of the third period.

Just 42 seconds after play resumed another melee broke out with the referees handing out 11 penalties between the two teams.

The Chiefs went 1-for-8 on the power play, while the Thunderbirds were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

Elsewhere in the WHL it was: Edmonton 5 Lethbridge 4 (SO); Medicine Hat 3 Kootenay 2; Saskatoon 4 Prince Albert 3; Prince George 5 Chilliwack 0 and Tri-City 5 Portland 1.

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Oil Kings 5 Hurricanes 4 (SO)

At Lethbridge, Alta., Kristians Pelss and T.J. Foster scored in the shootout as Edmonton slipped by the Hurricanes.

Dylan Wruck had two goals in regulation time for the Oil Kings (18-16-2), while Foster and Pelss also tallied.

Cam Braes struck twice for Lethbridge (12-16-8), while Max Ross and Brody Sutter chipped in as well. Ryon Moser scored in the shootout for the Hurricanes.

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Tigers 3 Ice 2

At Medicine Hat, Alta., Linden Vey scored his power-play winner with 7:21 left to play in regulation time as the Tigers snuck past Kootenay.

Vey also had a pair of assists for Medicine Hat (24-10-2), while Curtis Valk and Ryan Harrison also tallied.

Kevin King and Joe Antilla replied for the Ice (24-11-3).

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Blades 4 Raiders 3

At Prince Albert, Sask., centre Brent Benson scored the winner at the 8:52 mark of the third period as Saskatoon edged the Raiders.

Chris Collins led all scorers with a goal and two assists for the Blades(27-8-1), while Marek Viedensky and Jake Trask also found the back of the net.

Justin Maylan, Andrew Herle and Brandon Herrod scored in less than a five minute span for Prince Albert (14-20-4), but it wasn't enough to catch Saskatoon.

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Cougars 5 Bruins 0

At Prince George, B.C., James Priestner made 22 saves as the Cougars blanked Chilliwack.

Charles Inglis scored and added two assists for Prince George (19-15-3). Greg Fraser, Caleb Belter, James Dobrowolski and Shane Pilling rounded out the attack.

Braden Gamble stopped 29 shots for the Bruins (17-15-3).

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Americans 5 Winterhawks 1

At Kennewick, Wash., Adam Hughesman and Brock Sutherland each had a goal and an assist to lead Tri-City past Portland.

Zach Yuen, Neal Prokop and Drydn Dow also scored for the Americans (21-11-2), while Jordan Messier, Brendan Shinnimin and Kruise Reddick all added two assists.

Ty Rattie had the lone goal for the Winterhawks (25-11-3), who have lost three games in a row.