Craig Cunningham scored a hat trick and picked up an assist as the Vancouver Giants bested the Edmonton Oil Kings 5-2 in Western Hockey League action Saturday night.
Brendan Gallagher scored his 20th goal of the season and also added two assists for Vancouver (19-10-3), while Lance Bouma also scored.
Mark Pysyk scored both goals for Edmonton (8-16-8).
The win snaps a two game losing streak for the Giants while the Oil Kings have now lost nine in a row and sit second from last in the WHL Western Conference.
After pressing for much of the first period, Vancouver finally got on the board near the end of the first period. With the Oil Kings Logan Proulx in the penalty box for boarding, Cunningham followed in a shot and banged in the rebound at 17:35 for his 15th goal of the season.
Cunningham doubled Vancouvers lead at 10:24 of the second. Cunningham picked up a loose puck at the right face-off circle and his shot found its way in off the inside of the post.
Gallagher scored Vancouver's third but Cunningham was involved in that goal as well. Cunningham fed Gallagher from behind the net and while Gallagher didn't get great contact with his stick, he still managed to flip the puck over Torrie Jung in Edmonton's net.
Edmonton was handed a lifeline just over two minutes into the third. A weak shot from Keegan Lowe was deflected by Pysyk for his fourth of the year.
Cunningham turned the hat-trick just under two minutes after Edmonton got on the board. Gallagher fed a pass and Cunningham rifled a shot to Jungs left.
Edmonton continued to fight and their hard work was rewarded with just under five minutes remaining. Pysyk took a weak shot from the point and after a Vancouver deflection in front, the puck found its way past Mark Segal in the Vancouver net.
Bouma rounded off the night with a short-handed empty net goal with two minutes remaining.
Elsewhere, in the WHL B.C. Division, the Kamloops Blazers edge the Prince George Cougars 3-2 and the Calgary Hitmen doubled up the Chilliwack Bruins 6-3.
