Ryan Howse made quick work of the Vancouver Giants.
Already setting the pace for scoring this season in the Western Hockey League, Howse connected for the fastest three goals in Chilliwack Bruins' history Saturday in a 6-3 win over the visiting Giants.
His 12th, 13th and 14th goals of the season all came on the power play in a 58-second span of the first period, giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead over their archrivals.
Howse's hat-trick took twice as much time as Jim Harrison needed to set the WHL record in 1966 but it was still an unforgettable experience for the 19-year-old Prince George minor hockey graduate.
"The first one, on a 5-on-3 power play, the shot went off the glass and nobody knew where it was and it came right to me so I had the whole net," said Howse.
"The second one was a 5-on-4 and it was just a nice pass from the defenceman (his second assist in the game from teammate Brandon Manning of Prince George) and just a one-timer in.
"(Coach Mark Habscheid) told me to stay out after the second one and I got lucky and capitalized on a 2-on-1. I got a nice pass from (Roman) Horak and I had the whole net to shoot at. It makes you feel good to get a start like we did there and we just kept rolling."
Howse scored at 7:59, 8:38 and 8:57 of the first period.
As a member of the Estevan Bruins, Harrison set the league record, getting the job done in 24 seconds on Dec. 4, 1966 against Regina. The Bruins were trailing 5-3 with less than a minute to play when Harrison scored at 19:31, 19:44 and 19:55 to lead Estevan to a miraculous 6-5 win.
Now with 14 goals in just nine games, Howse is on pace to score 132 goals in a 72-game season. He also has three assists to lead the Bruins with 17 points.
"It's been a good start, there's not much more to say, hopefully I can keep it up," said Howse, a third-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 2009. "My linemates (Horak and Robin Soudek) have been playing well with me and they've been putting up good numbers as well. It's pretty easy when the whole line's playing good and being consistent."
Chilliwack (5-4-0-0) ranks third in the B.C. Division, one point behind the second-place Prince George Cougars and two behind Vancouver, with the Bruins holding games in hand over both teams.
"When you're winning it makes it that much better and I think we're a pretty strong team," said Howse. "We have a bunch of games coming up so it's time to make some ground up."
Howse was invited to Hockey Canada's world junior team tryout in the summer but wasn't one of the standout players. He's hoping to earn another tryout in December.
"It was good to get the invite and I think I could have done better and I knew coming into this season I had to have a good start to get the invite back so that's what I set my mind to do," said Howse. "Only time will tell, they are the ones who make those decisions. I want to be a complete hockey player and I'm working hard at that now."
A knee injury kept him out of the Flames' pre-season tournament in Penticton but he did spend two weeks in his second NHL camp, which helped him get off to a strong start with Chilliwack.
"The second time you go there you know what to expect and the nerves kind of settled down and it was a great experience," Howse said.
Howse will have to wait until Dec. 28 and 29 to take on the Cougars in Prince George. But there's a good chance he will be part of the WHL all-star team that takes on the Russians in the Subway Super Series, Nov. 18 at CN Centre.
