Thursday's over . . .

The Portland Winter Hawks (2-10-0-0) face a tough task Friday when they travel to Kennewick, Wash. The Tri-City Americans (11-3-0-0) have won 19 straight games at home and have beaten the Winter Hawks in their last seven meetings. . . . Portland G Kurtis Mucha will serve out his three-game suspension Friday. . . . Portland C Aaron McGill has been suspended for two games for a charging major and game misconduct he incurred Tuesday against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . .

As if the Americans, who are first in the Western Conference, needed more motivation, they didn’t have any players selected to represent the WHL in the ADT Challenge against a Russian side in November. . . . Also not represented are the Brandon Wheat Kings, Edmonton Oil Kings, Portland and the Spokane Chiefs. . . . If you haven’t yet seen the WHL rosters for the ADT Challenge, visit the WHL website at www.whl.ca. . . . The Regina Pats had four players named, which didn’t have anything to do with the fact that Regina head coach Curtis Hunt is the WHL team’s head coach. . . . D Logan Pyett, D Nick Ross, D Colten Teubert and F Jordan Eberle were picked by a committee of WHL general managers and Hockey Canada head scout Al Murray. . . . Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat) and Don Hay (Vancouver Giants) are the assistant coaches. . . .

Two Brandon players drew suspensions out of Wednesay’s loss to the host Americans. . . . D Daryl Boyle will sit for a game (he had tape on a hand in a fight) and F Robert Brandis got two games for a clipping major. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades, riding a five-game losing streak, close out a U.S. Division swing in Seattle against the Thunderbirds tonight. . . . The Blades will be without D Jyri Niemi (wrist), who leads them with six goals. . . . Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the Blades have made six trips through the U.S. Division since 1998-99 and have twice gone winless. . . .

Things are getting serious in Kingston where the stumbling, bumbling Frontenacs fired head coach Bruce Cassidy earlier this week. . . . How bad are they getting? . . . Check out this site: firelarrymavety.wordpress.com/ . . .

Former NHL goaltender Steve Passmore, who played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans, Victoria Cougars and Kamloops Blazers, has gotten into the coaching game. Earlier this week, he joined the coaching staff of the junior B Kamloops Storm. The Storm’s head coach is Ed Patterson, who had WHL stops in Swift Current, Seattle and Kamloops. . . .

The Medicine Hat Tigers will play in front of their 200th consecutive sellout (4,006 fans) on Saturday when they entertain the Cranbrook Ice. That includes regular-season and playoff games. . . . The Tigers have surrendered a 2008 fifth-round bantam pick to acquire D Patrick Kozyra, 18, from the Spokane Chiefs. Kozyra, from Sherwood Park, Alta., played 55 games with the Red Deer Rebels last season, totaling five points. Inn eight games with Spokane, he had one assist. He is expected to play against the Ice in Cranbrook on Friday night. . . .

RW J.D. Watt, 20, has completed his six-game suspension and will be back in the Red Deer Rebels’ lineup tonight as they play host to the Swift Current Broncos. He drew the stiff sentence for a hit that left Saskatoon Blades D Teigan Zahn concussed. “I felt bad when I saw he was unconscious, but I did feel that it was a clean hit and so did the referee who was standing about three feet away,” Watt, who wasn’t penalized for the hit at the time, told the Red Deer Advocate. “I was shocked to say the least when I heard it was six games. I was shocked when I heard it was one game, when the coach (Brian Sutter) told me I couldn’t play the next night.” . . .

In Thursday’s lone game, G Mike Maniago stopped 29 shots as the Lethbridge Hurricanes dumped the host Calgary Hitmen, 4-0. . . . It was Maniago’s second shutout this season and fourth of his career. . . . This shutout was especially sweet as Maniago, 19, is from Calgary and played for the midget AAA Buffaloes. . . . Dwight King had two goals as the Hurricanes improved to 7-7-1-0. . . . The Hitmen (11-4-0-1) outshot the visitors 29-14.