WHL Tri-City Americans

Reddick, Pechurskiy Highlight Americans 5-0 Shutout Of Bruins

January 11, 2010 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


KENNEWICK, WA - Once the WHL Trade Deadline came and went without too much locker room disruption, the Tri-City Americans were free to get back to focusing on doing what they do best...playing hockey.

Kruise Reddick scored twice and Alexander Pechurskiy collected his second shutout in just his fourth WHL start to lead the Tri-City Americans (31-11-0-1, 63 pts) to a 5-0 shutout win over the Chilliwack Bruins (20-20-1-5, 46 pts) in front of 3,584 fans at the Toyota Center. With the win, the Americans notched their League-leading 7th shutout and evened the four-game regular season series with the Bruins at 1-apiece. Meanwhile, Chilliwack, who fell to 1-7 all-time at Toyota Center, has now dropped two straight and three of their last five games.

Just 1:22 into the contest, Tri-City wasted little time getting on the board. During a scramble in front of Chilliwack netminder Braden Gamble, Justin Feser knocked in a rebound that sat in the crease, putting the Americans on top early. It proved to be the first of four first-period goals for Tri-City, as they stepped on the gas and never looked back.

With 5:06 remaining in the period, Brooks Macek sent a nice feed to Jordan Messier who, from inside the slot, beat Gamble for his 16th goal of the season. Then, with just over two minutes remaining and after being hauled down by a Chilliwack defender on a breakaway, Johnny Lazo converted his penalty shot attempt to make it 3-0. Finally, with less than a minute remaining, Messier fed Reddick from behind the Bruins' net. Reddick, who was parked in front of Gamble, buried his shot and sent the Americans to the locker room up by four after one period of play.

Tri-City did not let up in the second period, as they out shot the Bruins by a 16-to-8 margin over the next 20 minutes. Then, as the period neared the midway point and while on the power play, Reddick connected again, notching his 15th goal of the season.

That was all the offense Pechurskiy needed, as Tri-City's defense shutdown the Bruins offense and never allowed them any strong scoring opportunities. Pechurskiy stopped all 22 shots he faced to complete the shutout. Meanwhile, Gamble picked up a career-high 37 saves in the loss. The Americans finished the night 1-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

Tri-City will now prepare for another busy week, as they return to the Toyota Center ice on Wednesday, January 13 to meet the Seattle Thunderbirds. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The 10-game regular season series between the two division rivals is currently knotted at 2, with three of the four match-ups occurring in Kent. It will be the first meeting in over a month between the clubs, as Seattle knocked off Tri-City 5-1 back on Dec. 11 at ShoWare Center. The T'birds, currently six points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, come in having dropped eight of their last 10. Tickets are available through all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Toyota Center box office, all Fred Meyer outlets, or online at ticketmaster.com. The game will also be broadcast live on NewsTalk 870 AM, starting with the Sterling Savings Bank Warm-up Show at 6:45 p.m.

Applebee's 3 Stars:

1, Kruise Reddick, Tri-City

2, Alexander Pechurskiy, Tri-City

3, Jordan Messier, Tri-City

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from January 11, 2010


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