Sounds like the Vancouver Giants are about ready for a quick two-game trip into the Central Division. The Giants, who play in Lethbridge on Friday and Medicine Hat on Saturday, finished Thursday’s practice with a scrap. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports on his blog that the bout featured D Jon Blum and captain Spencer Machacek. Yes, they are two of the club’s top players. Apparently, the scrap took place as the team was skating laps near the end of the session. . . . The Giants have lost two in a row and obviously are feeling a bit nasty as they head east. . . . Ewen reports that the Giants have reassigned D Dillon Scholten, 17, with the return of D Neil Manning from a wrist injury. Scholten is likely to end up in the BCHL. . . .
The WHL has announced some changes to team rosters for the ADT Canada-Russia games coming up next week in Cranbrook and Medicine Hat. . . . No, LW Kyle Beach of the Everett Silvertips hasn’t been added to a roster. . . . Rather, Kootenay Ice F Dustin Sylvester will replace injured teammate Ben Maxwell for the Nov. 28 game in Cranbrook. . . . As well, Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith won’t play in the Nov. 29 game in Medicine Hat because his Giants are to play that night in Prince George. That means G Braden Holtby of the Saskatoon Blades will get a closeup look at the Russian side in Sexsmith’s spot. . . . And, yes, Vancouver head coach Don Hay, who was to be on the WHL coaching staff, won’t work the Medicine Hat game, as he will be in P.G. That means Dean Chynoweth, the GM and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos, will be on the WHL team’s bench. . . . Chynoweth should get a rousing welcome in Medicine Hat where he played on the 1987 and 1988 Memorial Cup championship teams. . . . Yes, he was on the 1988 team (he was the captain), even though his name isn’t included in the Tigers’ roster in the WHL Guide. . . .
Missed this one on Monday as the WHL hit Red Deer Rebels RW J.D. Watt, 20, with a two-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct he incurred early in a game Sunday against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. This is noteworthy because Watt earlier served a six-game sentence for a hit – he left his feet on that one – on Saskatoon Blades D Teigan Zahn. . . .
WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
In Prince Albert, G Dustin Butler made 27 saves as the Raiders beat the Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . The Broncos (14-7-0-5) now have lost four times in regulation to the Raiders (10-13-3-1) this season. . . . P.A. is 6-3-1-1 in its last 11. Still, it was only its fourth victory in 14 home games. . . . The Broncos are 7-5-0-2 on the road. . . . The Raiders jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Broncos got a goal from C Justin Dowling midway through the third period. . . .
In Seattle, LW Troy Ofukany’s goal at 3:41 of overtime gave the Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over the Thunderbirds. . . . Regina (17-11-0-0) got 36 saves from Linden Rowat as it ended a three-game losing streak. The Pats now are 1-3 on a U.S. Division tour. . . . Seattle (9-10-3-1) has lost five of six. . . . D Logan Pyett drew three assists for Regina. . . . Seattle now has lost five straight games that have needed overtime or a shootout. . . . Seattle D Thomas Hickey forced overtime with a goal at 11:59 of the third period. . . . Seattle was 2-for-5 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-4. . . .
In Spokane, LW Drayson Bowman, named the CHL’s player of the week on Tuesday, continued to roll as the Chiefs whipped the Chilliwack Bruins, 6-0. . . . Bowman scored three times, giving him 21, and set up two others as the Chiefs (18-3-1-2) ran their winning streak to five games. Bowman, who enjoyed is first career five-pointer, now is tied with Regina’s Jordan Eberle and Chilliwack’s Oscar Moller for the WHL goal-scoring lead. . . . In his last 10 games, Bowman has 12 goals and nine assists. He now has 39 points, tying him for second in the WHL points race. . . . C Mitch Wahl of the Chiefs set up four goals, while Chris Bruton, the third member of that line, had a goal and an assist. . . . G Kevin Armstrong stopped 21 shots for his second shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . The Bruins had beaten the Chiefs 5-3 in Chilliwack on Oct. 8. . . . Chilliwack (13-10-3-0) has lost four in a row. . . . Veteran C David Rutherford (groin) returned to Spokane’s lineup for the first time since Oct. 5. He was pointless, but had seven penalty minutes. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., LW Colton Yellow Horn had two goals and two assists as the Tri-City Americans struck for six second-period goals and dumped the Kelowna Rockets, 6-1. . . . Yellow Horn has nine goals and nine assists in his last seven games. . . . The Americans (18-5-0-0) have won five straight and nine of 11. They are 12-1-0-0 at home. . . . The Rockets (13-8-2-2) had been 6-0-0-2 in their last eight games. This was their first regulation-time loss in 12 games. . . . The Americans led this one 6-0 when Kyle St. Denis scored for the Rockets at 10:30 of the third period. . . . C Jason Reese added a goal and two helpers for the winners, while RW Taylor Procyshen chipped in goals No. 14 and 15, and C Shaun Vey had three assists. . . . The game included a line brawl with eight seconds left, and another scrap with a second on the clock. . . .
In Brandon, sophomore F Jay Fehr and freshman F Brayden each scored twice as the Wheat Kings dumped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (16-9-1-0) have won nine of their last 12 games. . . . Medicine Hat (14-9-2-0) was 0-for-3 on the PP and has just three PP goals in 43 chances in nine road games. . . . Schenn, who scored the game’s first two goals, has nine scores this season; Fehr has five. . . . Brandon, winner of six straight at home, was 2-for-6 on the PP. . . . Medicine Hat GM/head coach Willie Desjardins has 227 victories with the Tigers, one shy of Jack Shupe’s franchise record. . . . The Wheat Kings had C Andrew Clark back after he missed four games with a shoulder injury. He drew one assist. . . .
In Edmonton, Czech C Tomas Vincour had two goals to lead the Oil Kings to a 6-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Oil Kings (10-12-1-3) has lost five straight and five of six at home. . . . Lethbridge (17-8-1-1) had an eight-game winning streak halted. Still, the Hurricanes have won 13 of 15. . . . After giving up the game’s first goal, Edmonton scored five in a row. . . . C Colton Sceviour had one of Lethbridge’s goals, giving him five in seven games. . . . Edmonton RW Robin Figren had a goal, his 12th, and two helpers. . . . Vincour now has six goals on the season. . . . Lethbridge was 2-for-7 with the man advantage; Edmonton was 3-for-7. . . . Edmonton LW J.P. Szaszkiewicz scored his second goal of the season and his first since opening night. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors halted a seven-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Warriors (10-9-4-1) won it with two second-period goals, Jordan Knackstedt breaking a 1-1 tie at 12:46 and Joel Broda adding insurance at 19:57. . . . The Blades (8-16-1-0) have lost four in a row. . . . There were two fights before the game was seven seconds old; no Garet Hunt wasn’t involved (he’s still with Vancouver). . . . Saskatoon’s Garrett Klotz (6-6, 235) and Moose Jaw’s Frazer McLaren (6-5, 225) scrapped at 0:01 of the first period; Kevin Philp (6-7, 225) of the Blades and Moose Jaw’s Ryley Grantham (6-3, 207) dropped the mitts five seconds later. . . . Philp left after the scrap and didn’t return. . . . The Blades lost F Colton Gillies at 4:00 of the first period to a boarding major and game misconduct.
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