WHL Tri-City Americans

Shinnimin Nets Winner with 32.2 Left in OT; Americans Earn 5-4 Win Over Edmonton

Published on January 26, 2012 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


EDMONTON, AB - With alumnus Kruise Reddick in the stands watching, Brendan Shinnimin did his best to try and emulate the former Americans' captain, who was known throughout his career for coming up with big goals in big moments.

And, with 32.2 seconds left in overtime, Shinnimin used his second goal of the night to beat Laurent Brossoit low on the glove, lifting the visiting #3 Tri-City Americans (35-11-0-1, 71 pts) past the #6-ranked Edmonton Oil Kings (32-11-2-4, 70 pts) 5-4 in front of 6,148 fans at Rexall Place. With the win, the Americans snapped their two-game slide, both overall and on the road, while improving to 3-0 in Edmonton since the Oil Kings' inception in 2007-08. Meanwhile, Edmonton saw their 3-game winning streak snapped while falling to 1-4 all-time vs. Tri-City.

On paper, Wednesday night's match-up had all the makings of a classic and, by the end of the night, it certainly did not disappoint.

Edmonton-native Ty Rimmer kept the league's highest scoring offense in check for most of the first period. But, with 6:35 left in the period, T.J. Foster cleaned up a blast from Keegan Lowe, putting the home team on the board. By the end of the first, though, Rimmer had stopped 18 of 19 to keep the Americans close.

And, before the 2-minute mark of the second, it proved beneficial, as Tri-City's quick-strike offense rallied to give the Americans the lead. Just 1:15 into the second, Patrick Holland finished off his coast-to-coast effort by tucking a shot between the pads of Brossoit. Then, 39 seconds later, and just 7 seconds into their second power play, Justin Feser buried a cross-ice pass from Jordan Messier to put Tri-City on top 2-1.

The lead was short-lived, though, as Griffin Reinhart tacked on two goals a minute and a half apart. First, at the 12:59 mark, Reinhart hustled into the play, eventually connecting off a Stephane Legault rebound. Then, 1:29 later, and after Dylan Wruck made a nice effort to keep the puck in the Tri-City zone, Reinhart watched as his shot from the slot glanced off a sliding Zachary Yuen and past Rimmer for a 3-2 Oil Kings lead.

But, to start the third period, the Americans again used two quick strikes to re-take the lead. Only 2:36 into the period, Shinnimin used a backhander to tie the game at 3. Then, 2:20 later, Brian Williams' shot ricocheted off the skate of Malte Strömwall and past Brossoit, giving Tri-City a 4-3 lead.

At the 7:35 mark, however, Edmonton battled back to deadlock it at 4. Following a couple of outstanding saves by Rimmer, Martin Gernat capitalized on a cross-crease feed from Wruck, notching his 8th goal of the season.

But, following a tense final 12:25, the contest would eventually be decided in overtime. And, with under a minute to play, Holland found Shinnimin, who proceeded to skate around the Edmonton goal and into the left circle. From there, Shinnimin quickly turned and fired a quick shot that seemed to surprise Brossoit, ending the game in dramatic fashion.

After facing a season-high 46 shots, Rimmer came away with a 42-save effort and his 20th win of the season. It also snapped Rimmer's 4-game winless drought. Meanwhile, Brossoit had his 4-game winning streak halted after allowing 5 goals on 44 shots. Tri-City finished the night 1-for-3 on the power play and was a perfect 2-of-2 on the penalty kill.

Following a day off on Thursday, the Americans return to the ice on Friday, January 27 against the Red Deer Rebels (21-21-1-4). Game time is 6:30 p.m. (PST) at the Enmax Centrium. The Americans will be gunning for their league-leading 17th road win of the season. Meanwhile, Red Deer, which took out Vancouver 4-2 on Wednesday, has won 2 of its last 3. The game will be aired regionally on ROOT Sports and SHAW, starting at 6:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on NewsTalk 870 AM, starting with the Sterling Savings Bank Warm-up Show at 6:15 p.m.

Applebee's 3 Stars:

1, Patrick Holland, Tri-City

2, Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton

3, Ty Rimmer, Tri-City

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2012


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