CHILLIWACK, B.C. -- Brandon Manning had a hat trick in leading the Chilliwack Bruins over the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks 6-2 in Western Hockey League action Sunday.
With their fifth straight victory, the Bruins (30-30-5) continue to climb in the standings. They now sit tied for sixth place with the Everett Silvertips and enjoy games in hand on the teams behind them.
Manning's three goals give him 20 on the season, just two shy of the team record for defencemen, held by Nick Holden. T.C. Cratsenberg, Jamie Crooks and Ryan Howse also scored for Chilliwack, while Kevin Sundher had two assists. Howse's 48th of the season sets a new career high.
Brendan Leipsic and Nino Niederreiter replied for the Winterhawks (45-18-3). Niederreiter's goal was his ninth in his last five contests. Ryan Johansen had an assist for the 150th point of his WHL career.
Lucas Gore continued his hot streak, making 43 saves for the win. He has blocked 165 of the last 172 shots he's faced.
Keith Hamilton made 24 saves, as the Winterhawks saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.
Americans 5, Giants 1
VANCOUVER -- Carter Ashton scored two goals and added an assist as the Tri-City Americans skated to a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants in WHL play Sunday night.
Kruise Reddick had a goal and two assists while Brendan Shinnimin and Matt MacKenzie were the other Tri-City scorers as the Americans (39-21-4) posted their second consecutive win.
Michael Burns tallied for the Giants (33-27-5), who suffered their third straight loss.
Ashton scored both of his goals on the power play as the Americans converted two of three man-advantage opportunities. Vancouver was blanked on three.
Vancouver played without injured top scorer Brendan Gallagher (head) and lost two other key players, second-leading scorer Spencer Bennett and Teal Burns (no relation to Michael) to injuries during the game.
Shinnimin opened the scoring only nine seconds into the game as he fired a wrist shot past Giants starting goaltender Mark Segal.
The Giants lost both Bennett and Burns midway through the first, while Andrej Stastny was cut in the face by a high stick and was not available until near the end of the opening period.
Reddick gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the final minute of the first as he put in Ashton's pass from behind the net. Tri-City outshot Vancouver 10-3 in the initial session.
Burns reduced Tri-City's lead four and a half minutes into the second period, intercepting Tri-City goaltender Drew Owsley's pass behind the net and beating him with a high shot after he had returned to his crease.
Vancouver lost winger Jordan Martinook to a leg injury with just over four minutes remaining in the second after Americans defenceman Paul Sohor stuck his knee into him behind the play. Sohor received a tripping penalty.
MacKenzie erased any hope of a Vancouver comeback 3:40 into the third as he beat goaltender Segal on the short side from a sharp angle.
Vancouver backup goaltender Brendan Jensen replaced Segal after Ashton closed out scoring at 15:08 of the third. Segal stopped 19 of 24 shots while Jensen only had to make one save.
NOTE: A Giants spokesman said Sunday that Gallagher was knocked unconscious when he was checked heavily into the corner boards Saturday by Portland centre Brendan Leipsic. No penalty was called on the play. Gallagher, who has 43 goals and 45 assists, saw a doctor Sunday and is due to undergo further evaluation Monday ... Vancouver also played without defenceman Darren Bestland (back) for the second straight game.
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