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WHL Western Hockey League

Alberta remain undefeated to clinch first place

October 21, 2017 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The third day of the 2017 WHL Cup saw Team Alberta remain undefeated to clinch first place in round-robin competition while Team British Columbia got into the win column for the first time this week, setting up for a semifinal matchup with Team Saskatchewan.

Jack Finley, Payton Mount and Justin Sourdif each scored twice as Team B.C. notched its first victory of the tournament with a 6-0 defeat of Team Saskatchewan Friday night at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary.

Finley (Spokane Chiefs / Kelowna) notched both of his markers in the second period, while Mount (Seattle Thunderbirds / Victoria) found the back of the net in the first and third. Sourdif (Vancouver Giants / Surrey) provided some added insurance with two in the final 20 minutes of the contest.

Ethan Ernst (Kelowna Rockets / Weyburn) provided an energetic performance for Saskatchewan, but it wasn't enough to get the Land of Living Skies on the scoreboard Friday.

Koen MacInnes (Saskatoon Blades / Burnaby) turned aside 18 shots to record the shutout.

With Team B.C. finishing in second place, they will take on third-place Team Saskatchewan in the second semifinal Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

Team Alberta (4) at Team Manitoba (3) FULL STATISTICS / GAME STORY

Lethbridge Hurricanes prospect Noah Boyko notched a second consecutive multipoint performance to lead Team Alberta to a 4-3 triumph over Team Manitoba as the Wild Rose province wrapped up round robin with a perfect record Friday night.

Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders / Sherwood Park), Connor McClennon (Kootenay ICE / Wainwright) and Kyle Crnkovic (Saskatoon Blades / Chestermere) each recorded two assists to help spur the offense for Alberta.

Nolan Ritchie (Brandon Wheat Kings / Brandon) registered a goal and an assist to boost Manitoba. Defenceman Cory King (Moose Jaw Warriors / Souris) tallied his first of the tournament with 11 minutes to play in regulation, pulling Manitoba within one, but that's as close as they'd get.

Garin Bjorklund (Medicine Hat Tigers / Calgary) turned aside 12 shots to secure the win for Alberta.

With a perfect record through three round-robin games, Team Alberta finishes first and will face fourth-place Manitoba in the first semifinal game Saturday at 1 p.m.

Leading Scorers

1. Kyle Crnkovic (AB) - 1G-6A - 7pts

2. Kaiden Guhle (AB) - 3G-3A - 6pts

3. Connor McClennon (AB) - 3G-3A - 6pts

4. Noah Boyko (AB) - 2G-3A - 5pts

5. Alex Ozar (SK) - 1G-3A - 4pts

Standings

1. Team Alberta (3-0-0-0, 9pts)

2. Team British Columbia (1-0-1-1, 4pts)

3. Team Saskatchewan (1-0-2-0, 3pts)

4. Team Manitoba (0-1-2-0, 2pts)

Event Schedule - Saturday, October 21

Markin MacPhail Centre - WinSport / Calgary, Alta.

*All times local

1:00-3:30 p.m. - Semifinal 1: Team Manitoba vs. Team Alberta

4:30-7:00 p.m. - Semifinal 2: Team Saskatchewan vs. Team British Columbia Taylor Rocca via email (roccat@whl.ca) for all accreditation and interview requests.

Check out the Western Hockey League Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from October 21, 2017


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