CONTACTS EARN EMPHATIC FIRST WIN, SCORE EIGHT UNANSWERED TO ROUT WOLVES

LEDUC, Alta. – Reid Gardiner scored twice and Carson Stadnyk added a goal and three assists as the Saskatoon Contacts finally got their first win of the 2012 TELUS Cup, routing the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves 9-1 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Contacts started the tournament by skating to a 2-2 tie with the Red Deer Rebels and dropping a 6-2 decision to the Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin; the loss was just the third by a West Region team in 51 games, dating back to the 2005 tournament.

Austin Glover, Rourke Chartier, Branden Scheidl, Rhett Kehoe, Dawson Leedahl and Austin Calladine also had goals for Saskatoon (1-1-1), which scored eight times unanswered after Josh Moore had tied the game for Sudbury (0-3) just 12 seconds into the second period.

Overall, the Contacts got at least one point from 13 different skaters and four – Gardiner, Stadnyk, Leedahl and Calladine – had at least three points.

The early-tournament struggles continued for the Wolves, who have trailed by at least five goals and changed goaltenders in each of their three games. They’ve been outscored 21-6 in their three losses.

Saskatoon looks to build on its first win when it takes on the host Leduc Oil Kings on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. MT), while Sudbury tries to get on track against another winless team, the Moncton Flyers, in the day’s early game (12:30 p.m. MT).