WHL Tri-City Americans

Americans Reach Century Mark with 2-0 Shutout of Kelowna

March 9, 2008 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


KELOWNA, B.C. - Needing to make a statement after getting shutout in Spokane the night before, the Tri-City Americans and goaltender Chet Pickard did just that.

Pickard collected 19 saves in route to his second shutout of the season and the Tri-City Americans (48-16-2-2, 100 pts) downed the Kelowna Rockets (35-25-2-6, 78 pts) 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd at Prospera Place. For Pickard, the win (68) also moved him into sole possession of second place on the Americans' all-time wins list, passing Tyler Weiman. Meanwhile, the win snapped Tri-City's two-game losing streak and kept them tied atop the Western Conference, as both Vancouver and Spokane both continued their winning ways. It marks the first time in WHL history that three teams have cracked the 100-point plateau in the same conference and the first time Tri-City has reached the 100-point mark in franchise history. As for the Rockets, they have now lost their past two games and seven of their last 10.

The Americans jumped out early, taking the lead just 3:08 into the contest. Colton Yellow Horn set-up Adam Hughesman, who collected his 15th goal of the season. Hughesman has been hot as of late, scoring 10 of his goals in his last 10 games. However, the contest quickly turned into a goaltender's duel between Pickard and Kelowna netminder Kristofer Westblom. The Americans outshot the Rockets 12 to 8 after the first period and 21 to 12 after two periods of play, but the score remained 1-0.

The third period was a different story, as the Americans were bit by the penalty bug numerous times. But, time after time, Pickard and Tri-City's second-ranked penalty kill were able to shut down the Rockets' third-ranked power play units and the League's leading scorer, Colin Long. Finally, with just over six minutes remaining in regulation, Shaun Vey fed a nice pass to Jason Reese, who was able to beat Westblom for a little extra breathing room. It was Reese's 23rd goal of the season and his fourth goal in his past six games. Westblom finished the night with 25 saves in the tough luck loss. The Americans were 0-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 7-for-7 on the penalty kill.

There will be no rest for the weary, though, as the Americans make the nearly six hour trek back home to the Toyota Center. Once there, they will prepare to face-off against the Portland Winter Hawks tomorrow, Sunday, March 9. Game time is 5:05 p.m. Tri-City owns a 7-1 record in the nine-game series with Portland this season, outscoring the 'Hawks 39 to 12. However, Portland will be coming in on a bit of a high, after they knocked off their arch rivals, the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday night, snapping their 22-game losing streak. Tickets are available through all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Toyota Center box office, all Fred Meyer locations or online at www.ticketmaster.com. You can catch all the action live on NewsTalk 870 AM, starting with the Budweiser Warm-up Show at 4:45 p.m.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2008


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