Sunday . . .

With the WHL changing its playoff format, teams are going to have to be more cognizant early of what’s going on in their conference’s other division. Which is why Prince George Cougars GM Dallas Thompson spent the weekend in Kennewick, Wash., watching the Tri-City Americans’ tournament. “Dallas is in Tri-City watching that tournament to get a feel for what the U.S. Division has,” Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck said after his club dropped a 4-3 decision to the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday. “It is a different landscape . . . instead of the top four you have to be in the top eight. The U.S. seems to be stronger this season. I think Kamloops is going to be really strong and Vancouver will be good again. Everett, Spokane and Seattle are all going to be very good hockey clubs. There won’t be any (easy) games and it’s going to be a fight right to the end.” . . .

With RW Juuso Puustinen in camp with the Calgary Flames, Kamloops had sophomore Tyler Shattock playing alongside C Brock Nixon and LW Travis Dunstall on Saturday and they combined for nine points. Shattock, who has all the tools to be a tremendous power forward, responded with his third and fourth goals of the preseason. “I wouldn’t mind filling (the right wing alongside Nixon) myself,” the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Shattock said, “but Juuso’s a good player. I’m going to have to work hard to stay anywhere up there.” . . . Puustinen and Nixon had good chemistry together last season and Dunstall showed some potential early on the left side. But Dunstall lost his spot there early in the season after he was sent home for running afoul of team rules. After his return, the trio never really seemed to click again and didn’t spend a whole lot of time together. But don’t be surprised if they are back together once Puustinen returns from Calgary. . . .

The Kelowna Rockets have lost a couple of players to injury. F Brandon McMillan came out of Friday’s 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Giants in Ladner, B.C., with a bruised right shoulder. Rookie D Kyle Verdino, 16, will watch for up to six weeks with a separated shoulder. LW Matt Brusciano has a suspected concussion, and C Justin Bernhardt has a sore groin. . . . Prince Albert D Cody Vann was suspended for one game after incurring an elbowing major and game misconduct in a game against Saskatoon on Friday. . . .

The junior A USHL scored quite a victory Saturday when the visiting Omaha Lancers crushed the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic 6-0. In Quebec City, the Remparts beat the Indiana Ice, 5-3. The USHL ended up going 2-1-1 in the four-game series. . . . Yes, they were only exhbition games, but they’re never really exhibition games when the underdog wins, are they?. . . .

The Red Deer Rebels reassigned two players Sunday, sending F Josh Cowen, 16, of Salmon Arm, B.C., to the Kamloops-based Thompson Blazers, who play in the B.C. major midget league, and F Connor Redmond, 15, to that league’s Vancouver-North East Chiefs. . . .

What follows are the results from Sunday’s exhibition games. And please allow me my first rant of this season over something that has really rankled me ever since the pooh-bahs started tinkering with what used to be a grand game. I have inserted team’s pre-season records, as indicated on the WHL’s website, in each game report. I leave it for you to figure out what they mean. For example, the Everett Silvetips went into Sunday at 1-2-1, while the Tri-City Americans were 1-1-1-1. It is up to you to figure out whether the numbers represent wins, losses, ties, overtime losses, shootout losses, shootout ties, shootout victories, or a drive-thru order at Burger King. Oh, how we yearn for the good old days when a tie was like kissing your sister.

SUNDAY’S GAMES
Medicine Hat 4, Regina 1 — Tyler Ennis, Wacey Hamilton, Zach Sim and Sean Ringrose scored for the host Tigers (2-0) in a game that featured a third-period line brawl. Cody Gross had a goal, shorthanded, for the Pats (3-2). Ryan Holfeld stopped 17 shots in Medicine Hat’s goal, while Regina’s Damien Ketlo turned aside 41 shots.

Brandon 4, Prince Albert 2 — No details available. Perhaps the game was played under a cone of silence.

TRI-CITY TOURNAMENT
Seattle 2, Portland 1 — Lindsay Neilsen and Greg Scott scored before the first period was three minutes old and the Thunderbirds (1-4) held on for the victory. Luke Walker scored for Portland (1-4) midway in the third period. Goaltender Tyler Esau turned aside 18 shots for Seattle, while Kurtis Mucha stopped 34 shots for Portland. Seattle was 0-for-7 on the power play; Portland was 1-for-10.

Everett 4, Tri-City 0 — David Reekie stopped 31 shots to post the shutout for the Silvertips (2-3). Kyle Beach, with two, Brennan Sonne and Brandon Campos had the goals in a game that featured 123 penalty minutes. The Americans are 1-3-1. The teams will face each other in the season-opener Sept. 21 in Everett. Tri-City G Kyle Birch stopped 31 shots.