Saturday salutations . . .

The Phoenix Coyotes have yet to make a decision on an assistant coach and a scource with knowledge of the situation has told me that the NHL team has told Marc Habscheid to sit tight for a bit longer. Habscheid, the former Kamloops and Kelowna head coach who was fired by the Boston Bruins as associate coach earlier this summer, is at his offseason home near Swift Current, along with his family. His son, Zach, will play with the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires; he was a ninth-round selection by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2007 bantam draft. Right now, Habscheid’s options would seem to be this: 1. If the NHL suspends Coyotes assistant coach Rich Tocchet because of his conviction on gambling-related charges, Habscheid will be on the team’s coaching staff; 2. If the NHL chooses not to suspend Tocchet, he will return to the coaching staff and Habscheid will at least start the season in the Swift Current area with his family, watching Zach play hockey and cashing Boston‘s cheques. . . . Looks like Habscheid is a winner either way. . . .

It seems that G Daniel Spence was about the fittest player in the Calgary Hitmen camp when they did their fitness testing. Which is why Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun asked goaltending coach Darcy Wakaluk: When was the last time a goaltender showed up as the fittest player in camp. "I guess it might have been 1984 when I was at rookie camp in Kelowna," Wakaluk said with a chuckle. . . .

The way was cleared Friday for former Kamloops Blazers C Brady Mason, 20, to join the BCHL’s Westside Warriors, who dealt F Konrad Becker, 19, and futures to the Quesnel Millionaires for his rights. Becker, from Spruce Grove, Alta., had 16 points and 61 penalty minutes in 51 games with Westside last season. Mason played the last two seasons in Kamloops but fell victim to the WHL’s annual 20-year-old numbers game earlier in the week. . . .

SATURDAY’S GAMES
EDMONTON TOURNAMENT
Kamloops 2, Regina 1 -- C.J. Stretch’s power-play goal midway through the third period won it for the Blazers. Brock Nixon tied the score 1-1 in the first period after Josh Elder had scored a power-play goal for the Pats. Kamloops outshot Regina, 26-14. Veterans Dustin Butler, last season’s starter, and Justin Leclerc, acquired last month from Lethbridge, split the goaltending for Kamloops. Linden Rowat went the distance in Regina’s net. Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-7.

Edmonton 4, Kelowna 3 -- There were about 1,700 fans at Servus Credit Union Place in St. Albert to watch the expansion Oil Kings’ first game. Jesse Paradis gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal in the first period, with Edmonton’s Scott Skrudland replying with a shorthanded goal before the end of the period. Tomas Vincour scored two second-period goals to put Edmonton in front by two. Clayton Cumiskey had Edmonton’s other goal. Myles MacRae scored twice for Kelowna. Alex Archibald (14 saves) and Chris Ward (17) split the goaltending for Edmonton, with Kris Westblom (7) and Torrie Jung (13) doing the same for Kelowna.

Prince George 4, Swift Current 3 -- The Cougars scored three power-play goals and got a goal and an assist from defenceman Kalvin Sagert. Prince George also got a big game from G Joel Danyluk, who made 31 saves. Geordie Wudrick, Ryan Molle and Justin Dowling scored for the Broncos, who outshot the Cougars, 34-13.

EVERETT TOURNAMENT
Spokane 5, Tri-City 1 -- The Chiefs won their second straight game, outshooting the Americans 41-22 en route to victory. Dustin Donaghy, with two, Tyler Johnson, Justin Falk and Mitch Wahl scored for the victors. Freshman James Reid, 17, went the distance in goal for Spokane, stopping 22 shots. Spokane was 0-for-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-3.

Vancouver 7, Portland 3 -- Tim Kraus, who was deep in head coach Don Hay’s doghouse when last season ended, had a goal and three assists for the Giants. Linemates Spencer Machacek (two goals and an assist) and Lance Bouma (two assists) also were sharp. Brent Regner, James Wright, Dillon Scholten and Nolan Toigo also scored for Vancouver. Tyler Swystun, Matt Sokol and Frazer McLaren scored for Portland. Vancouver, which has won 16 straight exhibition games, was 0-for-10 on the power play; Portland was 1-for-11. Vancouver outshot Portland 42-23.

Everett 4, Seattle 1 -- Tyler Eskesen, Jonathan Harty, Jesse Burt and Cameron Abney scored for Everett, which got two goals in the last six minutes of the third period. Brenden Silvester scored for Seattle in a game that included high intensity and three bouts. One of those, at 8:34 of the first period, was between Seattle D Benn Olson and Everett F Kyle Beach. . . . David Reekie went the distance in goal for Everett, making 19 saves. Tyler Esau started in goal for Seattle and stopped 11 of 13 shots; Jacob De Serres came on to stop 12 of 14. . . . Seattle was 0-for-6 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-7. . . . Two of the 15-year-olds signed by Everett on Friday -- forwards Markus McCrea and Tyler Parker -- have returned home to California. . . . Seattle D Scott Jackson, who was taken by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 2005 NHL but never signed, is going to camp with the Detroit Red Wings.