WHL Roundup: Cougars rally to beat Giants in overtime

LANGLEY, B.C. — Ethan Samson scored his second goal of the night 1:58 into overtime and the Prince George Cougars completed a comeback, beating the Vancouver Giants 3-2 in Western Hockey League action on Friday.

The Giants (15-16-2) took a 2-0 lead early in the second period, thanks to goals from Justin Lies and Justin Sourdif. Zack Ostapchuk assisted on both.

But the Cougars (14-17-2) clawed their way back, with Samson and Koehn Ziemmer scoring two minutes apart to tie the game.

It was a busy night for both goalies. Vancouver’s Jesper Vikman had 35 saves and Tyler Brennan stopped 37-of-39 shots for the win.

ROCKETS 6 ROYALS 4

KELOWNA, B.C. — Jake Poole scored twice for Kelowna (17-10-4) as they snapped a two-game losing skid. Brayden Schuurmann had two goals and two assists for Victoria (12-15-4).

WINTERHAWKS 4 THUNDERBIRDS 3 (OT)

KENT, WASH. — Just six seconds into overtime, James Stefan buried the game winner on a power play, extending Portland’s (18-11-4) win streak to six games. Seattle (19-9-4) went 2 for 7 on the power play.

SILVERTIPS 6 CHIEFS 2

SPOKANE, WASH. — Bear Hughes opened the scoring for Spokane (10-18-3) but Everett (25-6-4) responded with four-straight goals to capture the win. The Silvertips remain atop the Western Conference.

AMERICANS 5 BLAZERS 4

KENNEWICK, WASH. — Logan Stankoven had two goals and an assist as Kamloops (21-10-1) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. Tri-City (10-17-4) rallied with five unanswered goals, including two apiece from Samuel Huo and Jake Sloan, and snapped a four-game losing streak.

WHEAT KINGS 4 REBELS 1

RED DEER, ALTA. — Ridly Greig had a hand in all four Wheat Kings goals, scoring once and notching three assists as Brandon (17-13-4) topped Red Deer (22-10-3).

RAIDERS 5 HURRICANES 1

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. — A pair of goals from Sloan Stanick powered Prince Albert (14-17-2) to its second straight win. Tyson Laventure scored the lone goal for Lethbridge (13-14-2).

WARRIORS 6 TIGERS 2

MOOSE JAW, SASK. — Robert Baco capped his hat trick with a short-handed strike midway through the third period, lifting Moose Jaw (17-14-4) to its third win of the season over Medicine Hat (8-21-4).

BLADES 6 BRONCOS 4

SWIFT CURRENT, SASK. — Blades centre Tristen Robins scored twice on the power play and once on a penalty shot to complete a hat trick as Saskatoon (18-14-2) downed Swift Current (14-15-5).

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