THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS
In Prince George, the Cougars got the only goals of the shootout as they dumped the Vancouver Giants, 4-3. . . . The game was rescheduled from Friday due to schedule concerns. The Cougars have to play the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday, while the Giants are at home to the Everett Silvertips. . . . Prince George (11-18-0-0) now has won two in a row after halting a nine-game losing streak. . . . The Giants (18-7-1-3) have lost four of five. . . . Vancouver RW Michal Repik had a three-game goal streak ended. . . . The Giants led 2-0 early in the second period but then gave up three straight goals. . . . D Jon Blum scored for Vancouver at 10:49 of the third period on a power play to force overtime. . . . F Alex Poulter and D Ty Wishart both scored for the Cougars in the circus, while neither F Casey Pierro-Zabotel nor F Mike Piluso was able to score for the Giants. . . . D Jesse Dudas (thigh) was back in Prince George’s lineup and had a goal and an assist. . . . Former Vancouver G Tommy Tartaglione stopped 25 shots and two more in the circus for the victory. . . .
The CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10, as selected by a panel of NHL scouts (showing rank, team, last week, weeks in rankings):
1. Kitchener Rangers (21-3-0-1) 1 8
2. Spokane Chiefs (19-3-1-2)) 3 5
3. Halifax Mooseheads (20-4-0-4) 2 8
4. Tri-City Americans (19-6-0-0) 4 10
5. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (18-6-1-1) 5 10
6. Windsor Spitfires (17-5-1-3) 7 9
7. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (19-8-2-1) 6 5
8. Vancouver Giants (18-7-1-2) 8 7
9. Gatineau Olympiques (19-9-2-2) - 1
10. Calgary Hitmen (19-8-0-2)
The Chilliwack Bruins have traded D Cam Stevens to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a seventh-round bantam draft pick in an unspecified year. Stevens is coming off a leg injury suffered during the offseason and has yet to play this season. A Brandon native, Stevens, 18, had two assists and 30 penalty minutes in 47 games with the Bruins last season. . . .
LW Troy Ofukany has been suspended for a second time this season by the Regina Pats. Ofukany will miss home games against the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday and the Kootenay Ice on Saturday. According to the Regina Leader-Post: Pats GM Brent Parker said the disciplinary action stems from an off-ice incident that involved breaking minor “team rules.” . . . “He knew what they were so he’ll miss a couple games,” explained Parker. “It’s nothing serious but there are things that creep in. The guys know. They understand what’s acceptable and what’s not. They set the rules themselves early in the year, what the punishment is and how it fits the crime. There’s no grudge or no carryover affect (for Ofukany). He’ll sit his two games and we’ll look forward to getting him back on Tuesday (against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings).” . . . Ofukany, 20, was acquired last season as part of six-player deal with the Kelowna Rockets. He missed a Nov. 14 game in Medicine Hat for disciplinary reasons. . . . Ofukany, who missed the first 11 games of the season with a knee injjry, has 15 points in 17 games. . . .
F Bryce Reddick, the son of former WHL G Pokey Reddick, has signed a letter of intent to play at Michigan Tech, starting in 2008-09. Bryce, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, has 33 points in 26 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. . . . Also committing to Michigan Tech was F Evan Witt of Spokane, who will head there for 2009-10. Witt , who was taken 78th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2004 bantam draft, has nine points in 29 games with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
THURSDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
In Prince George, the Cougars got the only goals of the shootout as they dumped the Vancouver Giants, 4-3. . . . The game was rescheduled from Friday due to schedule concerns. The Cougars have to play the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday, while the Giants are at home to the Everett Silvertips. . . . Prince George (11-18-0-0) now has won two in a row after halting a nine-game losing streak. . . . The Giants (18-7-1-3) have lost four of five. . . . Vancouver RW Michal Repik had a three-game goal streak ended. . . . The Giants led 2-0 early in the second period but then gave up three straight goals. . . . D Jon Blum scored for Vancouver at 10:49 of the third period on a power play to force overtime. . . . F Alex Poulter and D Ty Wishart both scored for the Cougars in the circus, while neither F Casey Pierro-Zabotel nor F Mike Piluso was able to score for the Giants. . . . D Jesse Dudas (thigh) was back in Prince George’s lineup and had a goal and an assist. . . . Former Vancouver G Tommy Tartaglione stopped 25 shots and two more in the circus for the victory. . . .
The CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10, as selected by a panel of NHL scouts (showing rank, team, last week, weeks in rankings):
1. Kitchener Rangers (21-3-0-1) 1 8
2. Spokane Chiefs (19-3-1-2)) 3 5
3. Halifax Mooseheads (20-4-0-4) 2 8
4. Tri-City Americans (19-6-0-0) 4 10
5. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (18-6-1-1) 5 10
6. Windsor Spitfires (17-5-1-3) 7 9
7. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (19-8-2-1) 6 5
8. Vancouver Giants (18-7-1-2) 8 7
9. Gatineau Olympiques (19-9-2-2) - 1
10. Calgary Hitmen (19-8-0-2)
The Chilliwack Bruins have traded D Cam Stevens to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a seventh-round bantam draft pick in an unspecified year. Stevens is coming off a leg injury suffered during the offseason and has yet to play this season. A Brandon native, Stevens, 18, had two assists and 30 penalty minutes in 47 games with the Bruins last season. . . .
LW Troy Ofukany has been suspended for a second time this season by the Regina Pats. Ofukany will miss home games against the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday and the Kootenay Ice on Saturday. According to the Regina Leader-Post, Pats GM Brent Parker said the disciplinary action stems from an off-ice incident that involved breaking minor “team rules.” . . . “He knew what they were so he’ll miss a couple games,” explained Parker. “It’s nothing serious but there are things that creep in. The guys know. They understand what’s acceptable and what’s not. They set the rules themselves early in the year, what the punishment is and how it fits the crime. There’s no grudge or no carryover affect (for Ofukany). He’ll sit his two games and we’ll look forward to getting him back on Tuesday (against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings).” . . . Ofukany, 20, was acquired last season as part of six-player deal with the Kelowna Rockets. He missed a Nov. 14 game in Medicine Hat for disciplinary reasons. . . . Ofukany, who missed the first 11 games of the season with a knee injjry, has 15 points in 17 games. . . .
F Bryce Reddick, the son of former WHL G Pokey Reddick, has signed a letter of intent to play at Michigan Tech, starting in 2008-09. Bryce, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, has 33 points in 26 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. . . . Also committing to Michigan Tech was F Evan Witt of Spokane, who will head there for 2009-10. Witt , who was taken 78th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2004 bantam draft, has nine points in 29 games with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Calla, Wasden use buddy system
From The Daily News of Friday, Nov. 30, 2007 . . .
The way Brady Calla sees it, Scott Wasden is just what the Kamloops Blazers
need.
“He’s the type of guy we’re looking for,” Calla said following Thursday’s
practice at Interior Savings Centre. “He’s a good defensive-minded player.
He’s great in his own end and on the penalty kill.
“He’s the type of quality leader and person you want on your hockey club.”
Of course, in the interests of full disclosure, it should be pointed out
that Calla and Wasden are lifelong friends.
“Yeah, I grew up with him,” Calla added with a smile. “I went to school with
him. We played minor hockey and spring league hockey together.”
Wasden, 19, was acquired Wednesday from the Medicine Hat Tigers, along with
a 2008 seventh-round bantam pick, for left-winger Travis Dunstall, 18.
Calla, 19, came over from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Nov. 8, in exchange for
defenceman Keaton Ellerby,19.
Calla and Wasden will lead the Blazers back into action tonight as they meet
the Rockets in Kelowna. This one is special, too, because Calla is from
Kelowna and Wasden calls Westbank home.
So, yes, there will be family on hand.
Wasden expects his parents, Karen and Gord, to be there, along with brothers
Ben, 18, and Jared, 13.
“It’s perfect,” Wasden said. “Playing in front of my parents and friends . .
. and they’ll be able to make the drive to Kamloops and to games like
Vancouver.
“They were a little excited (to hear) that I was coming home.”
At the same time, Wasden admits to some sadness at leaving The Hat.
“I was a little suprrised at what happened,” he said. “The first time you’re
traded it’s a bit of a sad time, when you’re leaving your friends and stuff.
“But when I heard I was coming to Kamloops I was excited about the history
and the community and the great fan support. So I’m excited to come here.”
Wasden has 29 points in 136 regular-season WHL games, all of them with the
Tigers. But the Blazers are more concerned with his postseason experience —
he played in 23 WHL playoff and four MemorialCup games with the
league-champion Tigers last season.
As Calla said: “He’ll be able to talk at times and guys will listen and take
some lessons from him.”
“I bring some leadership, some playoff experience,” Wasden said. “Last
season, making the Memorial Cup run was a great experience. I can bring
that.”
Wasden also prides himself on his work ethic, physical play, especially on
the forecheck, and his ability in the faceoff circle.
“I’m strong in the defensive zone and, as a faceoff man, I can win some
draws,” he said.
The art of the draw is most under-rated and is an area the Blazers have
struggled with this season. A consistent faceoff man can help save a lot of
wear and tear on a team’s legs as it’s much easier to play with the puck
than to be chasing it all night.
It’s likely that Wasden will play tonight between left-winger Shayne Wiebe
and right-sider Sasha Golin, a product of Summerland. Wasden and Golin, it
turns out, were frequent opponents in minor hockey.
After tonight, the Blazers, who had a five-game winning streak snapped when
the dropped a 3-2 decision to the Kootenay Ice on Saturday, are at home
tomorrow night to the Chilliwack Bruins. Kamloops goes into the weekend in
seventh spot in the Western Conference, one point behind the Bruins and four
in arrears of the fourth-place Rockets.
“They’re huge . . . the biggest games of our season, so far,” Calla said.
“We have to pick up our intensity level for (tonight’s) game. We’ve tried to
do that all week. It’s hard to do it in practice. But if we pick it up right
before the game and get each other excited, we’ll be totally fine.
“We need these points and we need to start knocking on their door. They know
we’re right behind them.”
And they should know that Calla is bringing an old friend with him to the
battle.
JUST NOTES: The Blazers will be short one coach tonight as assistant
GM/assistant coach Shane Zulyniak stays home with his family. He and his
wife, Pam, welcomed daughter Sydni Dawn into our world Tuesday. Sydni Dawn
joins brother Sam, who turns three on March 1. . . . Zulyniak should be back
behind the bench for Saturday’s game. . . . Kamloops C Mark Hall skated
yesterday for the first time since having four wisdom teeth removed Tuesday.
He is questionable for tonight. . . . Blazers RW Kenton Dulle (lower
abdomen) will miss his eighth and ninth games this weekend. He may return
Tuesday against the visiting Portland Winter Hawks.
The way Brady Calla sees it, Scott Wasden is just what the Kamloops Blazers
need.
“He’s the type of guy we’re looking for,” Calla said following Thursday’s
practice at Interior Savings Centre. “He’s a good defensive-minded player.
He’s great in his own end and on the penalty kill.
“He’s the type of quality leader and person you want on your hockey club.”
Of course, in the interests of full disclosure, it should be pointed out
that Calla and Wasden are lifelong friends.
“Yeah, I grew up with him,” Calla added with a smile. “I went to school with
him. We played minor hockey and spring league hockey together.”
Wasden, 19, was acquired Wednesday from the Medicine Hat Tigers, along with
a 2008 seventh-round bantam pick, for left-winger Travis Dunstall, 18.
Calla, 19, came over from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Nov. 8, in exchange for
defenceman Keaton Ellerby,19.
Calla and Wasden will lead the Blazers back into action tonight as they meet
the Rockets in Kelowna. This one is special, too, because Calla is from
Kelowna and Wasden calls Westbank home.
So, yes, there will be family on hand.
Wasden expects his parents, Karen and Gord, to be there, along with brothers
Ben, 18, and Jared, 13.
“It’s perfect,” Wasden said. “Playing in front of my parents and friends . .
. and they’ll be able to make the drive to Kamloops and to games like
Vancouver.
“They were a little excited (to hear) that I was coming home.”
At the same time, Wasden admits to some sadness at leaving The Hat.
“I was a little suprrised at what happened,” he said. “The first time you’re
traded it’s a bit of a sad time, when you’re leaving your friends and stuff.
“But when I heard I was coming to Kamloops I was excited about the history
and the community and the great fan support. So I’m excited to come here.”
Wasden has 29 points in 136 regular-season WHL games, all of them with the
Tigers. But the Blazers are more concerned with his postseason experience —
he played in 23 WHL playoff and four MemorialCup games with the
league-champion Tigers last season.
As Calla said: “He’ll be able to talk at times and guys will listen and take
some lessons from him.”
“I bring some leadership, some playoff experience,” Wasden said. “Last
season, making the Memorial Cup run was a great experience. I can bring
that.”
Wasden also prides himself on his work ethic, physical play, especially on
the forecheck, and his ability in the faceoff circle.
“I’m strong in the defensive zone and, as a faceoff man, I can win some
draws,” he said.
The art of the draw is most under-rated and is an area the Blazers have
struggled with this season. A consistent faceoff man can help save a lot of
wear and tear on a team’s legs as it’s much easier to play with the puck
than to be chasing it all night.
It’s likely that Wasden will play tonight between left-winger Shayne Wiebe
and right-sider Sasha Golin, a product of Summerland. Wasden and Golin, it
turns out, were frequent opponents in minor hockey.
After tonight, the Blazers, who had a five-game winning streak snapped when
the dropped a 3-2 decision to the Kootenay Ice on Saturday, are at home
tomorrow night to the Chilliwack Bruins. Kamloops goes into the weekend in
seventh spot in the Western Conference, one point behind the Bruins and four
in arrears of the fourth-place Rockets.
“They’re huge . . . the biggest games of our season, so far,” Calla said.
“We have to pick up our intensity level for (tonight’s) game. We’ve tried to
do that all week. It’s hard to do it in practice. But if we pick it up right
before the game and get each other excited, we’ll be totally fine.
“We need these points and we need to start knocking on their door. They know
we’re right behind them.”
And they should know that Calla is bringing an old friend with him to the
battle.
JUST NOTES: The Blazers will be short one coach tonight as assistant
GM/assistant coach Shane Zulyniak stays home with his family. He and his
wife, Pam, welcomed daughter Sydni Dawn into our world Tuesday. Sydni Dawn
joins brother Sam, who turns three on March 1. . . . Zulyniak should be back
behind the bench for Saturday’s game. . . . Kamloops C Mark Hall skated
yesterday for the first time since having four wisdom teeth removed Tuesday.
He is questionable for tonight. . . . Blazers RW Kenton Dulle (lower
abdomen) will miss his eighth and ninth games this weekend. He may return
Tuesday against the visiting Portland Winter Hawks.
Blazers society moving forward
From The Daily News of Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007. . . .
While the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society no longer owns a WHL franchise, it does hold the first option to purchase one.
Society executive director Bob Smillie told the society’s annual meeting Tuesday at Interior Savings Centre that it holds the first option should the new owners, the Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club Inc., choose to sell.
The society voted Aug. 23 to sell its WHL franchise to Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi and four ex-Blazers players -- Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor.
”The option to purchase is at the same price less 10 per cent of what has been paid in the current transaction and is subject to the same conditions,” Smillie said. “It is transferable to any new owner who may be seeking a franchise in Kamloops.”
Society president Murray Owen confirmed that the option may be reassigned once. Because of the reassignment clause, Owen said it isn’t imperative that the society keeps on hand enough money to buy back the franchise.
”We must remember that the right of first refusal, or the right to buy the hockey club back, doesn’t mean that the society needs to keep, say, $5.6 million,” Owen explained. “. . . because if the hockey club ever came back to us because we had that right then we believe that there would be other buyers interested in keeping the hockey club here in Kamloops and that is the main purpose of that.”
Should another interested buyer surface, the society simply would transfer its option to that party.
Smillie said the inclusion of the option was deemed necessary by the board when it was putting together the purchase agreement, even though the new owners promised not to move the team.
”It’s good and well for everybody to indicate that they would be here forever,” Smillie said. “But we all know that forever is not necessarily forever.”
According to Smillie, who, among other things, chaired the society’s governance committee, the WHL’s bylaws don’t contain anything guaranteeing the franchise could not be moved.
”They have guidelines only; there are no specific requirements within the Western Hockey League bylaws for the new owners of the franchise to keep the operation within the city,” Smillie explained. “The board, in its due diligence in discussions with the league, has determined that the guidelines of the league, in fact, would request the new owners to maintain the franchise in Kamloops for a minimum of five years.”
p p p
The Blazers have traded LW Travis Dunstall, 18, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for F Scott Wasden, 19, and a 2008 seventh-round bantam draft pick.
Dunstall, from Onoway, Alta., was the 16th pick in the 2004 bantam draft but never lived up to his potential here. In his third season, the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder had nine points, six of them goals, in 23 games. In 129 career regular-season games, he has 49 points, including 21 goals, and 129 penalty minutes.
In 2003-04, Dunstall scored 58 goals with the St. Albert Raiders to set a then-Alberta Major Bantam League record. However, he never was able to demonstrate that kind of offensive talent at the WHL level.
Wasden, from Westbank, was the 231st pick in the 2003 draft. He has seven points, including two goals, in 26 games this season. Over two-plus seasons with the Tigers, he has 29 points, 10 of them goals, and 118 penalty minutes in 136 games. He had 10 points in 23 playoff games last season and was pointless in four Memorial Cup games.
The Blazers are hoping that Wasden’s playoff experience will pay off for them in a big way.
Wasden, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, is expected to make his Blazers debut Friday against the Rockets in Kelowna.
More notes from Wednesday
Let’s play WHL general manager for a few minutes. . . . The players mentioned in this exercise all have been traded this season or, in the case of RW Tayler Jordan, have left their team and are at home waiting to be sent elsewhere. . . .
It is early, really early, this season. You are in charge of the Kamloops Blazers and the Medicine Hat Tigers offer you C Scott Wasden, 19, D Zach Sim, 19, and RW Matt Lowry, 19, for D Keaton Ellerby, 19. . . . What do you do? . . .
It is later in the season. The Portland Winter Hawks will trade you C Colton Sceviour, 18, and RW Tayler Jordan, 17, for LW Travis Dunstall, 18, and D Keaton Ellerby, 19. . . . If you make that deal, you know the Winter Hawks are going to flip Ellerby to the Moose Jaw Warriors . . . . What do you do? . . .
Neither of those trades were made but I have been told by sources within the WHL that they were on the table. The first one never really got close to fruition; the second came close to happening but was killed by the Kamloops ownership group. . . . In the end, the Blazers swapped LW Travis Dunstall, 18, to the Tigers for Wasden and a 2008 seventh-round bantam pick. I also was told that at least one other team offered a third-round bantam pick for Dunstall. . . . The Tigers got a 2008 fifth-rounder out of Prince Albert for Sim. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings gave up a 2008 sixth-rounder for Lowry, who is having a terrific season. . . . Kamloops ended up sending Ellerby to Moose Jaw for RW Brady Calla, 19. There are a couple of conditional draft picks built into that deal. Should either player return as a 20-year-old, a fourth-round pick will change hands. . . . Sceviour ended up with the Letbhridge Hurricanes, when he, F Nick Hotson, 20, and D Lucas Alexiuk, 18, were traded for F Jacob Dietrich, 20, F Nick Dietrich, 18, D Ryan Kerr, 18, D Travis Bobbee, 17, and a 2008 fifth-round pick. . . .
--------------
A light day in Europe, according to Garth MacBeth. But he has one signing to report. . . . G Norm Maracle (Saskatoon) signed a two-year contract extension with Iserlohn (Germany DEL). This extension takes him through 2009-10. . . .
D Stefan Ulmer is scheduled to leave the Spokane Chiefs on Monday and make his way to Europe where he will join the Austrian national junior team at the world under-20 championship (Division I Group A) in Bad Tolz, Germany. That tournament runs from Dec. 9 through Dec. 15 and includes teams from Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Ukraine. . . . With Ulmer leaving, the Chiefs will add D Brendan Kichton, the 55th pick in the 2007 bantam draft, for games in Edmonton and Lethbridge next week. Kichton is playing with the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. . . .
RW Michal Repik of the Vancouver Giants will leave Dec. 10 to join the Czech entry at the world junior tournament. That event will be played in the Czech cities of Pardubice and Liberec, beginning on Dec. 26. Repik played for the Czech in last season’s tournament, too. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports on his blog (Dub Hub) that the Giants also may lose D Jon Blum to the American team. USA Hockey is expected to announce its roster on Dec. 4. That announcement will come on Versus during the first intermission of a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. . . .
On Nov. 21, the Tri-City Americans dealt RW Travis Gorman, 18, to the Kootenay Ice for a 2009 sixth-round bantam draft pick. Gorman, however, left the ice shortly after the trade was made. The Americans have since waived the draft pick, so the deal, in essence, didn’t happen. . . .
The Prince George Cougars have added D Matt Cumming, 16, to their roster and he is expected to play tonight against the visiting Vancouver Giants. Cumming, the 198th pick in the 2006 bantam draft, is from Kamloops. He is the son of Lorne Cumming, the head coach of the KIJHL’s Chase Chiefs. Lorne also scouts for the Vancouver Giants. Matt, 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, has been with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, for whom he had one assist and 20 penalty minutes in 20 games. He had been a healthy scratch in five straight games, so perhaps that had something to do with his decision. . . . Cumming had 13 points and 56 penalty minutes in 39 games with the major midget Thompson Blazers, who play out of Kamloops, last season. . . . Tonight’s game between the Giants and Cougars in Prince George originally was scheduled for Friday night. . . .
F Garry Nunn, 18, has left the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies and joined the Vancouver Giants. Nunn is expected to play Saturday against the visiting Everett Silvertips. Nunn, a Victoria native who was never selected in the bantam draft, had 40 points in 28 games with Victoria. He is the second high-profile BCHL player to join the Giants in the last few days. C Casey Pierro-Zabotel left the Merritt Centennials to play for the Giants. While Pierro-Zabotel gave up any chance at a scholarship from Michigan Tech, Nunn had said he was going to attend Minnesota State-Mankato and play for the Mavericks.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tigers wheeling, dealing
The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired LW Travis Dunstall, 18, from the Kamloops Blazers for F Scott Wasden, 19, and a 2008 seventh-round WHL bantam draft pick. Dunstall, from Onoway, Alta., was the 16th overall pick in the 2004 bantam draft. He has nine points, six of them goals, in 23 games this season, his third in the WHL. Wasden, who is from Westbank, B.C., is in his third season with the Tigers. He has seven points, two of them goals, in in 26 games this season. . . .
D Zach Sim, 19, is on the move. Again. He has been traded by the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Prince Albert Raiders for a fifth-round pick in the 2008 WHL bantam draft. Sim, from Saskatoon, has played for the Everett Silvertips (2004-06), Tri-City Americans (2006-07) and Medicine Hat. This season, he has four points in 19 games. . . . The Raiders are missing three defencemen – Jeff May (shoulder, 4-6 weeks), Kyle Aschim (concussion, indefinitely) and Ryan Button (virus, day-to-day). . . . Sim should be in the Raiders’ lineup Saturday when they meet the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Blazers society heads in new direction
From The Daily News of Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers Sports Society, which has been in the business of operating a WHL franchise since its formation in 1984, began the process of redfining itself Tuesday night.
There were 57 people in attendance at the society’s annual general meeting in the Sports Action Lounge at Interior Savings Centre.
They left knowing that the board will call an extraordinary general meeting for Jan. 30. At that time, the nine-person board expects to present a business plan involving the formation of a legacy fund and to seek direction as it begins to deal with its future.
The society is working to decide how to handle the net proceeds from the sale of the franchise to River City Hockey Inc., an entity that now is known as Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club Inc.
Although a final figure isn’t yet available, the society expects to net about $6.1 million from the sale. The delay in the availability of a final figure has to do with the timing — the society’s fiscal year ends May 31 and the closing date for the sale was Oct. 25, just over a month ago.
At present, the society is faced with a dilemma involving its membership. Along with agreeing to purchase the franchise, the new owners also offered to purchase members’ shares in Kamloops Blazers Holdings Ltd. Anyone with a share became a member of the society. However, while it has always been understood that by selling your share you were giving up membership in the society, it has never been put in writing.
A special resolution that would have put that into the society’s bylaws was tabled last night.
At least part of the reason for tabling the resolution was that an offer to purchase the shares hasn’t yet arrived in the hands of shareholders.
Still, society president Murray Owen was pleased with last night’s proceedings, saying things went about as the board had hoped.
“Yeah, it did. It turned out . . . we have a little bit of a dilemma with what’s happening but we’re working through it,” Owen said. “We have to get that sorted out. Other than that, the financial statement was very good.”
With the fiscal year ending May 31, treasurer Dennis Coates told the gathering that revenues outpointed expenses by $415,682. The net figure, after amortization, severance and loss on disposal of capital assets and the inclusion of interest income, was $261,583, up from $108,956 in the previous fiscal year.
This year’s figure included $250,477 in expansion fees and $25,219 in funds from the NHL draft, figures that Brent Ashby of KPMG pointed out “helped prop up last year’s financial statements.”
With the franchise having been sold, this was the last time the society’s annual meeting will deal with hockey operations.
What has to be decided, in essence, is in what direction the society will go and what will happen to the Kamloops Blazers Sports Foundation.
Foundation president Tom Mangan reported that it paid out $92,000 to 10 local organizations over the past year. The foundation, which was started in July 1996 with a $1.5-million grant from the society and now has $1.867 million with which to work, has returned more than $1 million to the community through grants to various organizations and associations.
With the board recommending that the sale proceeds stay with the society and be administered by its board, the foundation’s days may be numbered.
“We must be realistic,” Mangan said. “Would it be in the best interests of the citizens of Kamloops to have two Blazers societies doing similar purposes?”
Mangan told the meeting that “the foundation board has had initial discussions on our future and we will make our final decision after you approve your new direction.”
That direction is expected to become more apparent Jan. 30.
“We continue to work on the new direction of the society,” Owen said. “Now that we have the new board we will be meeting . . . and solidify what our (recommendation) will be. (By Jan. 30), we’ll be further along in the process of setting up a legacy fund.”
There were 194 members in attendance Aug. 23 when the society voted to sell its franchise. There were 57 people at last night’s meeting. Owen admitted that the society doesn’t know how many members will be left when all is said and done.
“This is not as sexy a membership as when we were running the hockey club. This is pretty dry,” he said. “We aniticpated that the membership would fall off considerably because of what our purpose is going to be. But that’s to be expected.”
MEETING NOTES: Bob Smillie had resigned as a director to become the society’s executive director following the Aug. 23 decision to sell the club, and vice-president Gary Cooper and director Vic Bifano chose to retire. As well, the terms of Owen, Coates and Derek Johnston had expired. In the ensuing elections, Owen, Johnston, Coates, Frank Rossi and Gord Patterson were elected to two-year terms, and Christine Cross got a one-year term. Ron Maguire, Rob Zimmer and Don Moores have one year remaining on their terms.
The Kamloops Blazers Sports Society, which has been in the business of operating a WHL franchise since its formation in 1984, began the process of redfining itself Tuesday night.
There were 57 people in attendance at the society’s annual general meeting in the Sports Action Lounge at Interior Savings Centre.
They left knowing that the board will call an extraordinary general meeting for Jan. 30. At that time, the nine-person board expects to present a business plan involving the formation of a legacy fund and to seek direction as it begins to deal with its future.
The society is working to decide how to handle the net proceeds from the sale of the franchise to River City Hockey Inc., an entity that now is known as Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club Inc.
Although a final figure isn’t yet available, the society expects to net about $6.1 million from the sale. The delay in the availability of a final figure has to do with the timing — the society’s fiscal year ends May 31 and the closing date for the sale was Oct. 25, just over a month ago.
At present, the society is faced with a dilemma involving its membership. Along with agreeing to purchase the franchise, the new owners also offered to purchase members’ shares in Kamloops Blazers Holdings Ltd. Anyone with a share became a member of the society. However, while it has always been understood that by selling your share you were giving up membership in the society, it has never been put in writing.
A special resolution that would have put that into the society’s bylaws was tabled last night.
At least part of the reason for tabling the resolution was that an offer to purchase the shares hasn’t yet arrived in the hands of shareholders.
Still, society president Murray Owen was pleased with last night’s proceedings, saying things went about as the board had hoped.
“Yeah, it did. It turned out . . . we have a little bit of a dilemma with what’s happening but we’re working through it,” Owen said. “We have to get that sorted out. Other than that, the financial statement was very good.”
With the fiscal year ending May 31, treasurer Dennis Coates told the gathering that revenues outpointed expenses by $415,682. The net figure, after amortization, severance and loss on disposal of capital assets and the inclusion of interest income, was $261,583, up from $108,956 in the previous fiscal year.
This year’s figure included $250,477 in expansion fees and $25,219 in funds from the NHL draft, figures that Brent Ashby of KPMG pointed out “helped prop up last year’s financial statements.”
With the franchise having been sold, this was the last time the society’s annual meeting will deal with hockey operations.
What has to be decided, in essence, is in what direction the society will go and what will happen to the Kamloops Blazers Sports Foundation.
Foundation president Tom Mangan reported that it paid out $92,000 to 10 local organizations over the past year. The foundation, which was started in July 1996 with a $1.5-million grant from the society and now has $1.867 million with which to work, has returned more than $1 million to the community through grants to various organizations and associations.
With the board recommending that the sale proceeds stay with the society and be administered by its board, the foundation’s days may be numbered.
“We must be realistic,” Mangan said. “Would it be in the best interests of the citizens of Kamloops to have two Blazers societies doing similar purposes?”
Mangan told the meeting that “the foundation board has had initial discussions on our future and we will make our final decision after you approve your new direction.”
That direction is expected to become more apparent Jan. 30.
“We continue to work on the new direction of the society,” Owen said. “Now that we have the new board we will be meeting . . . and solidify what our (recommendation) will be. (By Jan. 30), we’ll be further along in the process of setting up a legacy fund.”
There were 194 members in attendance Aug. 23 when the society voted to sell its franchise. There were 57 people at last night’s meeting. Owen admitted that the society doesn’t know how many members will be left when all is said and done.
“This is not as sexy a membership as when we were running the hockey club. This is pretty dry,” he said. “We aniticpated that the membership would fall off considerably because of what our purpose is going to be. But that’s to be expected.”
MEETING NOTES: Bob Smillie had resigned as a director to become the society’s executive director following the Aug. 23 decision to sell the club, and vice-president Gary Cooper and director Vic Bifano chose to retire. As well, the terms of Owen, Coates and Derek Johnston had expired. In the ensuing elections, Owen, Johnston, Coates, Frank Rossi and Gord Patterson were elected to two-year terms, and Christine Cross got a one-year term. Ron Maguire, Rob Zimmer and Don Moores have one year remaining on their terms.
More from Tuesday . . .
News from Garth MacBeth, who watches the European scene for us. . . . K-Vantaa (Finland Mestis) has signed F Chris Di Ubaldo (Kelowna/Prince George/Prince Albert) to a try-out contract. K-Vantaa’s Christmas break begins Dec. 16 so the contract may run until then. Vantaa is a suburb of Helsinki. Di Ubaldo was playing with Miesbach in the German Oberliga this season, getting four goals and four assists in 12 games. . . . F Chris Dingman (Brandon) has signed with AaB Aalborg (Danish Elitserien). . . . And our man on Europe provides this update on the Jere Karalahti situation: The courts yesterday authorized the seizure of 15,000 Euros from Karalahti’s bank accounts. It is believed that Karalahti may have been the financier of the drug ring. Karalahti remains in jail awaiting trial.
RW Scott Glennie of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who has missed six games with a concussion, has been cleared to return to action. . . . LW Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs is the CHL player of the week for a second straight week. He is the first player to cop the honour two weeks running and the second to win it twice — F John Tavares of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals won it Sept. 23 and Oct. 14. . . . Bowman had five goals and three assists in two victories last week. He leads the WHL with 23 goals and is second in the points race, with 42. . . . Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay has been fined $500 for incurring a game misconduct following a 4-3 loss to the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Saturday. It could be that Hay was upset about the manner in which referee Devin Klein allocated the power plays. Medicine Hat was 2-for-6; the Giants were 0-for-1.
Jack Donovan, the Portland Winter Hawks’ president, has told the Portland Tribune that GM Ken Hodge will report to Mark Janssens, who was hired as a special consultant. Meanwhile, principal owner/CEO Jim Goldsmith told the Tribune’s Jason Vondersmith that Janssens will “give us a competitive advantage to get into rooms and corners we couldn’t get into.” . . . Goldsmith also told Vondersmith that “Ken will be accountable to Mark. We’re creating layers, trying to create new accountabilities to be competitive in today’s league. That’s a good thing.” . . . The Winter Hawks have announced that Comcast SportsNet will televise six home and two road games, with the first of those Saturday from Kelowna. Last season, more than 30 games were televised.
RW Scott Glennie of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who has missed six games with a concussion, has been cleared to return to action. . . . LW Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs is the CHL player of the week for a second straight week. He is the first player to cop the honour two weeks running and the second to win it twice — F John Tavares of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals won it Sept. 23 and Oct. 14. . . . Bowman had five goals and three assists in two victories last week. He leads the WHL with 23 goals and is second in the points race, with 42. . . . Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay has been fined $500 for incurring a game misconduct following a 4-3 loss to the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Saturday. It could be that Hay was upset about the manner in which referee Devin Klein allocated the power plays. Medicine Hat was 2-for-6; the Giants were 0-for-1.
Jack Donovan, the Portland Winter Hawks’ president, has told the Portland Tribune that GM Ken Hodge will report to Mark Janssens, who was hired as a special consultant. Meanwhile, principal owner/CEO Jim Goldsmith told the Tribune’s Jason Vondersmith that Janssens will “give us a competitive advantage to get into rooms and corners we couldn’t get into.” . . . Goldsmith also told Vondersmith that “Ken will be accountable to Mark. We’re creating layers, trying to create new accountabilities to be competitive in today’s league. That’s a good thing.” . . . The Winter Hawks have announced that Comcast SportsNet will televise six home and two road games, with the first of those Saturday from Kelowna. Last season, more than 30 games were televised.
Tuesday . . .
According to various reports, F Drew Shore, a bantam pick by the Chilliwack Bruins, has made a verbal commitment to attend the U of Denver in time for the 2009-10 season. Shore, from Englewood, Colo., was the 22nd pick in the WHL’s 2006 draft after playing bantam hockey at the North Shore Winter Club on the Lower Mainland. Shore, whose parents both attended Denver, now is in the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . .
The board of directors of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has activated the option years on the contracts of general manager Roy Stasiuk and head coach Michael Dyck. That will take both men through 2008-09. According to a press released from the team, the board’s decision was unanimous. In that same release, board president Brian McNaughton said: “Two years ago when Roy was hired, there was very clear direction provided as to the manner in which the franchise was to be operated and the direction we wished to go. Roy has achieved and exceeded those expectations to date.” As for Dyck’s performance, McNaughton added: “Regarding the on-ice performance, we have shown improvement both in outcome of games and consistency of play. This is a challenge when the roster is in transition. More importantly, Michael has shown a commitment to the development of our players. Our young players play in all situations and during critical times. This is a key to the long-term success of the team.”
LW Daniel Bartek, 19, of the Brandon Wheat Kings will attend the Czech national junior team’s selection camp next month. Bartek, whom the Wheat Kings acquired last season from the Tri-City Americans, has 21 points in 27 games this season. He will leave Dec. 10. The world junior tournament will be held in the Czech sities of Pardubice and Liberec, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . The Wheat Kings also will lose rookies Scott Glennie, Brodie Melnychuk and Brayden Schenn as they will be with Team Western at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge that is scheduled for the post-Christmas period in London, Ont. . . .
RW Juuso Puustinen, 19, of the Kamloops Blazers will leave the team following a Dec. 9 game in Vancouver and return to his native Finland in an attempt to crack that country’s national junior team. Puustinen was a late cut from last year’s camp.
Monday, November 26, 2007
More from Monday . . .
The Spokane Chiefs received all 16 first-place votes in the Western Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association’s weekly poll ranking WHL teams.
The Chiefs are 19-3-1-2 with the league's highest winning percentage (.820). They take a six-game winning streak into a five-game Central Division tour that opens Friday in Calgary.
The rankings, showing placing, last week’s placing, team, first-place votes, and total points (22 points for a first-place vote, 21 for second, etc.):
1. (1) Spokane Chiefs (16) 352
2. (4) Tri-City Americans 330
3. (3) Vancouver Giants 316
4. (6) Calgary Hitmen 301
5. (2) Lethbridge Hurricanes 298
6. (9) Brandon Wheat Kings 261
7. (7) Regina Pats 253
8. (5) Swift Current Broncos 240
9. (13) Kootenay Ice 223
10. (8) Kelowna Rockets 206
11. (10) Medicine Hat Tigers 197
12. (11) Everett Silvertips 180
13. (14) Kamloops Blazers 16
14. (15) Moose Jaw Warriors 134
15. (12) Chilliwack Bruins 136
16. (16) Seattle Thunderbirds 123
T17. (18) Edmonton Oil Kings 84
T17. (17) Prince Albert Raiders 84
19. (T20) Saskatoon Blades 69
20. (19) Prince George Cougars 51
21. (T20) Red Deer Rebels 34
22. (22) Portland Winter Hawks 16
(Participating: Everett Herald, Seattle Times, Spokane Spokesman-Review, Tri-City Herald, Kamloops Daily News, Kelowna Daily Courier, Kelowna Capital News, Calgary Sun, Red Deer Advocate, Swift Current Prairie Post, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Prince Albert Daily Herald, Brandon Sun, Prince George Citizen, Edmonton Sun, Chilliwack Progress.)
Former Medicine Hat Tigers D Dan Idema has won the B.C. Lottery Corporation’s B.C. Poker Championship, an event that wrapped up Sunday at River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond. Idema, who is from Tsawwassen, B.C., outlasted 643 players to walk away with top prize of $402,500. “I caught some major breaks in this tournament and I was fortunate enough to win,” Idema, who ended up with pocket kings as his winning hand, said in a BCLC release. “It’s been a great experience. I never expected to make it this far.” Idema spent three seasons (2001-04) with the Tigers. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have dealt F Josh Gionfriddo, 18, to the Kootenay Ice for a 2009 seventh-round bantam draft pick. That selection originally had been traded to the Ice for D Paul MacDonald. . . . Gionfriddo, from Colorado Springs, Colo., had one assist in and 18 penalty minutes in 13 games with the Hurricanes. . . . Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay NewsAdvertiser reports: "The move also coincides with the exit of F Travis Gorman, 18, who left the
Ice of his own accord after being acquired from the Tri-City Americans last week. There's been no word on whether the 2009 sixth-round bantam pick that was dealt to the Americans for Gorman will revert back to the club."
The Chiefs are 19-3-1-2 with the league's highest winning percentage (.820). They take a six-game winning streak into a five-game Central Division tour that opens Friday in Calgary.
The rankings, showing placing, last week’s placing, team, first-place votes, and total points (22 points for a first-place vote, 21 for second, etc.):
1. (1) Spokane Chiefs (16) 352
2. (4) Tri-City Americans 330
3. (3) Vancouver Giants 316
4. (6) Calgary Hitmen 301
5. (2) Lethbridge Hurricanes 298
6. (9) Brandon Wheat Kings 261
7. (7) Regina Pats 253
8. (5) Swift Current Broncos 240
9. (13) Kootenay Ice 223
10. (8) Kelowna Rockets 206
11. (10) Medicine Hat Tigers 197
12. (11) Everett Silvertips 180
13. (14) Kamloops Blazers 16
14. (15) Moose Jaw Warriors 134
15. (12) Chilliwack Bruins 136
16. (16) Seattle Thunderbirds 123
T17. (18) Edmonton Oil Kings 84
T17. (17) Prince Albert Raiders 84
19. (T20) Saskatoon Blades 69
20. (19) Prince George Cougars 51
21. (T20) Red Deer Rebels 34
22. (22) Portland Winter Hawks 16
(Participating: Everett Herald, Seattle Times, Spokane Spokesman-Review, Tri-City Herald, Kamloops Daily News, Kelowna Daily Courier, Kelowna Capital News, Calgary Sun, Red Deer Advocate, Swift Current Prairie Post, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Prince Albert Daily Herald, Brandon Sun, Prince George Citizen, Edmonton Sun, Chilliwack Progress.)
Former Medicine Hat Tigers D Dan Idema has won the B.C. Lottery Corporation’s B.C. Poker Championship, an event that wrapped up Sunday at River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond. Idema, who is from Tsawwassen, B.C., outlasted 643 players to walk away with top prize of $402,500. “I caught some major breaks in this tournament and I was fortunate enough to win,” Idema, who ended up with pocket kings as his winning hand, said in a BCLC release. “It’s been a great experience. I never expected to make it this far.” Idema spent three seasons (2001-04) with the Tigers. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have dealt F Josh Gionfriddo, 18, to the Kootenay Ice for a 2009 seventh-round bantam draft pick. That selection originally had been traded to the Ice for D Paul MacDonald. . . . Gionfriddo, from Colorado Springs, Colo., had one assist in and 18 penalty minutes in 13 games with the Hurricanes. . . . Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay NewsAdvertiser reports: "The move also coincides with the exit of F Travis Gorman, 18, who left the
Ice of his own accord after being acquired from the Tri-City Americans last week. There's been no word on whether the 2009 sixth-round bantam pick that was dealt to the Americans for Gorman will revert back to the club."
Kennedy finds his freedom again
From The Daily News of Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007. . . .
Sheldon Kennedy is 38 years of age now.
And he says he has found his “freedom” for the first time since he was a
youngster.
When he was a kid growing up in Elkhorn, Man., he knew what freedom was.
Skating on a prairie slough, his hair tucked up under a toque that protected
his ears from the cold, he was as free as a leaf in the breeze.
These days, he says, he’s playing hockey again and, yes, he feels that same
freedom.
“I’m actually enjoying the game again, playing rec hockey,” he says one
evening during a lengthy conversation from his home in Calgary as two old
acquaintances talk for the first time in years. “I didn’t skate for probably
10 years but I’m playing again now and it’s nice to be able to get
out there.
“It’s just feeling that freedom on the ice like I had when I was a kid,
which is cool.”
For the longest time, Kennedy, who was a dazzlingly good player for three
seasons with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, couldn’t bring himself to go
near the game. He wouldn’t touch his skates. He wouldn’t watch hockey on TV.
These days, it’s like he can’t get enough.
“I hated going on the ice for a long time,” he says. “I kind of didn’t want
to go.”
Then, one day, he put on a pair of skates and found some ice.
“I ended up just going one day and playing,” he adds. “Now I actually play
quite a bit of alumni hockey. We play in the small towns.”
And he absolutely loves it. Not that it has been easy getting to this point
in his life.
“A couple of years ago,” he says, “I had to deal with wishing I would have
been able to play the game with the freedom that I have today.”
He pauses.
And, with a rueful laugh, he adds: “You know what I mean?”
Oh, do we!
By now, Kennedy’s story is well known — how he was sexually abused by Graham
James, his coach with the Broncos. Kennedy has written a book — Why I Didn’t
Say Anything: The Sheldon Kennedy Story — with James Grainger. There was a
made-for-TV movie — The Sheldon Kennedy Story.
In three seasons in Swift Current, Kennedy totaled 287 points, including 134
goals, in 159 games. He went on to a professional career highlighted by NHL
stops in Detroit, Calgary and Boston. It was during his stint in Calgary
when he spoke up about the abuse he received and sent shockwaves through the
hockey world. Eventually, James went to jail. Kennedy tried to get on with
his life. It was difficult and he left behind a trail marked by drug and
alcohol abuse.
These days, though, he sounds so much better. There were times when his
focus was more on his past than the future. That doesn’t seem to be the case
any more, though.
These days, he talks about kids and coaches.
He is part of a company, Respect In Sport, that works with such high-profile
clients as the Canadian Red Cross, Sport Manitoba, Gymnastics Canada,
Federation de Gymnastique du Quebec, Sport B.C., Sport Yukon, Baseball
Alberta and Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
“We do knowledge translation. We do education,” Kennedy says. “We have
probably trained a couple hundred thousand people.”
These days, Kennedy says, Respect In Sport is working with the IOC on
creating programs for it.
“We take research knowledge around the issues of abuse, bullying,
harassment, hazing and all that stuff,” he explains. “We simplify it. We
dummy it up so that people can understand it. We put it on line and we do
the training. We replace Speak Out in certain places. We trained every coach
in all of Manitoba. The same with all of Gymnastics Canada.
“We’re now working with the IOC to create programs for all the youth and all
the young people that are coming into the Olympics, all the volunteers and
everyone.”
What all of this means is that Kennedy spends a lot of time around young
people and with amateur sports executives. And what he hears, or doesn’t
hear, from leaders troubles him.
“The sad part is that they’re in sport and I’ve never heard kids come up
once,” he says. “It’s sad. It really is. The thing that really upsets me is
that these leaders take these positions . . . just so they can say, ‘Oh, I’m
the president of such and such‚ . . . but what are they really doing?
“When push comes to shove they are nowhere to be found.”
When Kennedy looks around the ‘amateur’ sports world, he wonders: “Where are
our leaders?”
In hockey, he says, “We expect these kids to get on that ice and to perform
and to win and to be the best they can be. Well, where are all the adults in
this?”
He is aware of the mess in which the KMHA finds itself these days and
wonders why officials from, say, the B.C. Amateur Hockey Association or
Hockey Canada haven’t made their presence known.
“Where are the leaders in hockey? Where are they?” he says. “For the big,
tough sport, where are they? Turning a blind eye again.
“It’s sad, eh?”
Pause.
“It’s just sad because sports and the game have such great things to offer
and they are such good people-builders if done the right way,” he adds.
Kennedy also is concerned about something he has started to hear coming from
Mom and Dad.
“I hear parents talk about making an investment . . . investing all this
money so that this kid can get a scholarship,” he says. “A frigging
investment! So what happens if their investment doesn’t turn out, if the
investment goes bad . . . that poor kid, the pressure he’s in.
“And then we lose these kids forever from sport and we wonder why. We say,
‘Geez, I wonder what’s wrong with that kid?’
“It is unbelievable. It really is. It’s sad.”
What isn’t sad is that Kennedy has been sober for almost three years. In
fact, he is especially proud of the fact that he is scheduled to get his
three-year cake this week.
After all those years, Sheldon Kennedy may finally be learning that, yes, he
can have his cake and eat it, too.
And you know what? That icing looks good on him.
Sheldon Kennedy is 38 years of age now.
And he says he has found his “freedom” for the first time since he was a
youngster.
When he was a kid growing up in Elkhorn, Man., he knew what freedom was.
Skating on a prairie slough, his hair tucked up under a toque that protected
his ears from the cold, he was as free as a leaf in the breeze.
These days, he says, he’s playing hockey again and, yes, he feels that same
freedom.
“I’m actually enjoying the game again, playing rec hockey,” he says one
evening during a lengthy conversation from his home in Calgary as two old
acquaintances talk for the first time in years. “I didn’t skate for probably
10 years but I’m playing again now and it’s nice to be able to get
out there.
“It’s just feeling that freedom on the ice like I had when I was a kid,
which is cool.”
For the longest time, Kennedy, who was a dazzlingly good player for three
seasons with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, couldn’t bring himself to go
near the game. He wouldn’t touch his skates. He wouldn’t watch hockey on TV.
These days, it’s like he can’t get enough.
“I hated going on the ice for a long time,” he says. “I kind of didn’t want
to go.”
Then, one day, he put on a pair of skates and found some ice.
“I ended up just going one day and playing,” he adds. “Now I actually play
quite a bit of alumni hockey. We play in the small towns.”
And he absolutely loves it. Not that it has been easy getting to this point
in his life.
“A couple of years ago,” he says, “I had to deal with wishing I would have
been able to play the game with the freedom that I have today.”
He pauses.
And, with a rueful laugh, he adds: “You know what I mean?”
Oh, do we!
By now, Kennedy’s story is well known — how he was sexually abused by Graham
James, his coach with the Broncos. Kennedy has written a book — Why I Didn’t
Say Anything: The Sheldon Kennedy Story — with James Grainger. There was a
made-for-TV movie — The Sheldon Kennedy Story.
In three seasons in Swift Current, Kennedy totaled 287 points, including 134
goals, in 159 games. He went on to a professional career highlighted by NHL
stops in Detroit, Calgary and Boston. It was during his stint in Calgary
when he spoke up about the abuse he received and sent shockwaves through the
hockey world. Eventually, James went to jail. Kennedy tried to get on with
his life. It was difficult and he left behind a trail marked by drug and
alcohol abuse.
These days, though, he sounds so much better. There were times when his
focus was more on his past than the future. That doesn’t seem to be the case
any more, though.
These days, he talks about kids and coaches.
He is part of a company, Respect In Sport, that works with such high-profile
clients as the Canadian Red Cross, Sport Manitoba, Gymnastics Canada,
Federation de Gymnastique du Quebec, Sport B.C., Sport Yukon, Baseball
Alberta and Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
“We do knowledge translation. We do education,” Kennedy says. “We have
probably trained a couple hundred thousand people.”
These days, Kennedy says, Respect In Sport is working with the IOC on
creating programs for it.
“We take research knowledge around the issues of abuse, bullying,
harassment, hazing and all that stuff,” he explains. “We simplify it. We
dummy it up so that people can understand it. We put it on line and we do
the training. We replace Speak Out in certain places. We trained every coach
in all of Manitoba. The same with all of Gymnastics Canada.
“We’re now working with the IOC to create programs for all the youth and all
the young people that are coming into the Olympics, all the volunteers and
everyone.”
What all of this means is that Kennedy spends a lot of time around young
people and with amateur sports executives. And what he hears, or doesn’t
hear, from leaders troubles him.
“The sad part is that they’re in sport and I’ve never heard kids come up
once,” he says. “It’s sad. It really is. The thing that really upsets me is
that these leaders take these positions . . . just so they can say, ‘Oh, I’m
the president of such and such‚ . . . but what are they really doing?
“When push comes to shove they are nowhere to be found.”
When Kennedy looks around the ‘amateur’ sports world, he wonders: “Where are
our leaders?”
In hockey, he says, “We expect these kids to get on that ice and to perform
and to win and to be the best they can be. Well, where are all the adults in
this?”
He is aware of the mess in which the KMHA finds itself these days and
wonders why officials from, say, the B.C. Amateur Hockey Association or
Hockey Canada haven’t made their presence known.
“Where are the leaders in hockey? Where are they?” he says. “For the big,
tough sport, where are they? Turning a blind eye again.
“It’s sad, eh?”
Pause.
“It’s just sad because sports and the game have such great things to offer
and they are such good people-builders if done the right way,” he adds.
Kennedy also is concerned about something he has started to hear coming from
Mom and Dad.
“I hear parents talk about making an investment . . . investing all this
money so that this kid can get a scholarship,” he says. “A frigging
investment! So what happens if their investment doesn’t turn out, if the
investment goes bad . . . that poor kid, the pressure he’s in.
“And then we lose these kids forever from sport and we wonder why. We say,
‘Geez, I wonder what’s wrong with that kid?’
“It is unbelievable. It really is. It’s sad.”
What isn’t sad is that Kennedy has been sober for almost three years. In
fact, he is especially proud of the fact that he is scheduled to get his
three-year cake this week.
After all those years, Sheldon Kennedy may finally be learning that, yes, he
can have his cake and eat it, too.
And you know what? That icing looks good on him.
Monday . . .
G David Reekie just can’t seem to find the right place at the right time. A bantam draft pick of the Kamloops Blazers, Reekie has played with the WHL’s Regina Pats and Everett Silvertips. And he’s put up some good numbers, like last season when he put up a 1.77 GAA in 27 games with the Silvertips. But Reekie, 20, got caught up in the numbers’ game, cleared WHL waivers and joined the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. The day he headed east, the Spitfires made a deal and acquired a third goaltender. So now, without even getting into a game with Windsor, Reekie is on the move again. Now he has joined the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. Also on the stars is D Lyon Messier, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier. Lyon, 20, was in camp with the Edmonton Oil Kings and also had a stint with the Kelowna Rockets. Messier also had a brief stay with the OHL’s Erie Otters before moving on to Lincoln. . . .
Garth MacBeth, our man with his eyes on the European scene, reports a coaching change and a couple of signings. . . . Ingolstadt (German DEL) fired head coach Ron Kennedy on Friday and replaced him with former Edmonton Oilers forward Mike Krushelnyski. Ingolstadt was in 10th place (out of 15 teams) and on a five-game losing streak. Kennedy, who is from Estevan, Sask., is a former Medicine Hat Tigers coach. . . . F Brad Mehalko (Lethbridge/Prince George/Calgary) moved from Thuringen (Germany Oberliga) to Titaanit Kotka (Finnish Mestis, the second level). He has signed for the rest of the season. Titaanit is in its first season in Mestis and Mehalko has made a favourable first impression with two goals and five assists in his first three games (two wins and a shootout loss – three games in four nights). . . . F Johannes Salmonsson (Spokane) has been loaned to Rögle Ängelholm (Sweden Allsvenskan, the second level) by Brynäs Gävle (Sweden Elitserien) for the rest of the season. Both clubs have the option to end the loan agreement at the end of January. Also with Rögle are former Toronto/NY Islanders D Kenny Jönsson and former Boston/Florida/Columbus F Brett Harkins. . . .
No one is hotter than Spokane Chiefs LW Drayson Bowman, and he is, not surprisingly, the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week for a second straight week. He had eight points, including five goals, and was plus-8 in two games. The Chiefs have won six straight and Bowman has 17 points, 12 of them goals, in that stretch. From Littleton, Colo, the 18-year-old was a third-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL’s 2007 draft.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sunday . . .
There are rumblings out of Boston that Bruins F Milan Lucic, 19, may be freed up to play for Canada’s national junior team. The junior team invitations will go out shortly, with players to report to Calgary on Dec. 10. . . . Lucic, should he play for Canada, would return to the Bruins after the tournament, or so the rumblings have it. . . .
Former NHLer Matthew Barnaby, in a radio interview with the Fan 590 in Toronto: "Kevin Constantine was the best X's and O's coach I ever played for and Kevin Constantine was the worst coach I ever played for." . . .
The Regina Pats have returned C Jordan Weal, 15, to the Vancouver-North West Giants. Weal, the B.C. major midget league’s leading scorer, had one assist in two games with the Pats. He was the 79th pick in the 2007 bantam draft. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets have dealt F James Kerr, 17, to the Portland Winter Hawks for conditional 2009 fourth-round draft pick. Kerr, 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, is the son of former NHLer Alan Kerr, who is the vice-president, GM and head coach of the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. James, who is leaning towards the NCAA route, plays for the Bulldogs and has 19 points, including four goals, and 29 penalty minutes in 31 games. . . . James, who is from Penticton, B.C., played junior B for the Summerland Sting, a team operated by Okanagan Hockey Schools, an organization of which his father is vice-president. The folks from OHS also own the Bulldogs.
Blazers postgame box
From The Daily News of Monday, Nov. 26, 2007 . . .
THE SCORE
Kootenay 3, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Ice played well. They got the lead, then blocked lanes to the net and the Blazers struggled to get to G Kris Lazaruk’s doorstep.
THE GOALTENDER
Freshman G James Priestner of the Blazers went in with a 4-1-0-1 record as a starter this season. He gave up one bad goal and struggled with rebounds, but still made 26 saves against a pretty good team.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (13-11-1-1) remain seventh in the Western Conference, two points behind the Everett Silvertips (14-13-0-2), who fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Thunderbirds in Seattle, and one behind the Chilliwack Bruins (13-12-3-0), who fell 4-3 to host Portland despite outshooting the Winter Hawks, 68-30.
THE STREAK
The Blazers’ five-game winning streak was halted by the Ice. The last time the Blazers won five in a row? From Dec. 28 to Jan. 13 of last season, they went 8-0-0-0. . . . Kamloops now has won seven of nine games and has earned 15 of a possible 20 points over its last 10 outings.
THE VETERANS
C Brock Nixon has played in 272 regular-season games, 11th on the Blazers’ all-time list and just four behind Jonathan Hobson. . . . D Ryan Bender has been in 264 games. That’s 13th, one behind Moises Gutierrez.
THE BIG GAME
Asked who he was picking in Sunday’s Grey Cup game, Kamloops head coach Greg Hawgood offered: “Tampa Bay Buccaneers . . . that’s the only football team I cheer for.”
THE KNEE
Kootenay LW Kevin King, 17, will be out up to two weeks with a knee injury after a knee-on-knee hit with Kelowna Rockets C Cody Almond on Friday night. Almond drew a major and game misconduct on the play and later was suspended for two games. That means Almond won’t play Friday when the Blazers are in Kelowna.
THE COACHES
Blazers assistant coach Andrew Milne and Ice head coach Mark Holick worked together with the AJHL’s St. Albert/Spruce Grove Saints. Holick ended up having to let Milne go for financial and logistical reasons (the other assistant coach was local) following an ownership change.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. D Victor Bartley, Kamloops. Most dominant player on the ice.
2. C Steve Da Silva, Kootenay. A game-breaker.
3. LW Michael Stickland, Kootenay. Stepped up and played big.
UP NEXT
The Blazers meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday and are at home to Chilliwack on Saturday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Ice freezes out Blazers
From The Daily News of Monday, Nov. 26, 2007. . . .
Like Robin Williams in his prime, the Kootenay Ice handed the Kamloops Blazers a line Saturday night at Interior Savings.
However, neither the Blazers nor most of the 4,771 fans in attendance were laughing.
With centre Steve Da Silva and wingers Michael Stickland and Andrew Bailey leading the way, the Ice scored a 3-2 victory, freezing the Blazers’ express in its tracks.
Kamloops went into the game having won five in a row and seven of its last eight games. The Blazers now get a few days to think about this one before meeting the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday.
Da Silva, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, had two goals and an assist, with Bailey, a 19-year-old from Hazlet, Sask., chipping in three assists and Stickland, an 18-year-old sophomore from Red Deer, adding a goal and an assist.
It was an especially big game by Stickland, who moved up to the Ice’s top unit after left-winger Kevin King went down with a knee injury during a 7-6 overtime loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday.
“He brings some speed to our line and that helps out,” Da Silva, who now has 17 goals and is among the league leaders with 35 points, said of Stickland. “He’s a good player. He got an opportunity to play with us and took advantage of it.”
The Blazers, who opened with a physical game for the second straight night, actually got on the board first, with centre Brock Nixon beating Ice goaltender Kris Lazoruk with a power-play rebound at 2:31 of the first period.
But the Ice countered with the next three goals, two of them coming before the first period ended. Da Silva scored from the back door at 8:02 and, at 19:52, Stickland fired a shot from the left wing that beat goaltender James Priestner – whoops! – low to the stick (long) side.
The Ice stretched its lead midway through the second period when Da Silva took advantage of some Kamloops confusion to bang home a rebound while on the power play.
The Blazers got to within one just over five minutes later, Shayne Wiebe blasting down the left wing and beating Lazaruk.
Then, in the third period, the Blazers had ample opportunity to pull even and perhaps win this one, what with the Ice being hit with four straight minor penalties. But the home side’s power play, which was 4-for-7 in a 6-4 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips on Tuesday, has lost its sizzle. That power play was 1-for-7, and now is 2-for-15 in its last two outings, including a 4-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Friday.
“I don’t think we’re getting pucks to the net as often as we can and we don’t have guys standing close enough to the goalie,” Kamloops head coach Greg Hawgood said. “You get a little success and they forget how we were banging pucks in from the goal crease.
“Sometimes we have three guys standing on the boards and I don’ t think we have anybody who is that good a shooter that is going to score from there.”
At the same time, the Ice – now on an 8-0-1-0 roll -- came into this one determined to improve its defensive play.
“That one was a lot of fun,” said a smiling Da Silva, referring to Friday’s goal-fest in Kelowna. “But we came in here and we wanted to be more defensive, kind of tighten up our own end. (Friday) night was kind of a run-and-gun game that we’re not used to.
“(Saturday), we just wanted to be real solid defensively and get our game back on track.”
Which is just what Kootenay did. The defencemen consistently plugged shooting and passing lanes and got ample help from the forwards. And, in the third period, Lazaruk was the Ice’s best penalty killer.
“We came expecting a real tough game and we got that,” Da Silva said. “They’re a real fast club and they move the puck real well. With our defensive play, we kind of shut them down a little bit but they still got a lot of opportunities and give credit to our goalie.”
Lazaruk, who was lifted in Friday’s first period after being beaten three times on 10 shots, finished up with 32 saves against the Blazers.
Still, the Blazers went away from this one thinking they could have won it.
“We go into the third period with a chance to win a hockey game that I didn’t think we played particularly well in,” Hawgood said. “I don’t think that’s been the case before I came.
“I’ve got a lot of guys in the dressing room who are pretty disappointed with themselves. You can’t win every game but I just don’t think anyone in that room is happy with the way we lost tonight.”
The Blazers were given Sunday off and will return to the rink today to begin preparations for Friday’s game in Kelowna.
Hawgood said his team will spend part of the next four days doing video work and “walking through situations.”
“We want to make sure,” he said, “that everyone knows what to do in every situation.”
JUST NOTES: Referee Pat Smith, showing why the one-man system is far superior to its alternative, was terrific in allowing some hard hits and battles for the puck all over the ice. . . . Kootenay took seven of 11 minors.
Too much Mucha for Bruins
Kurtis Mucha, the Portland Winter Hawks’ superb 18-year-old goaltender, stopped 65 shots Saturday night to lead his mates to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Chilliwack Bruins . . . Yes, Mucha set a Portland franchise record with the 65 saves . . . But was it a WHL record? . . . The WHL Guide doesn’t list such a record. It does, however, credit the Brandon Wheat Kings with a single-game record 85 shots on goal in a 14-4 victory over the visiting Regina Pats on March 12, 1979 . . . So the next question is: Did one goaltender start and finish for Regina? . . . The answer: No . . . The 1978-89 Wheat Kings may have been the greatest team in WHL history. That night, they put up their 55th victory. It was also the start of a stretch in which Regina would play, yes, six games in six nights. So Regina head coach Gregg Pilling, his squad in a battle for playoff position with the Edmonton Oil Kings, rested Dirk Graham, Bill Ansell, Doug Wickenheiser and No. 1 goaltender Jeff Lastiwka. As Pilling put it before the game: “We would need a shipment of arms to beat the Wheat Kings.” . . . But back to the goaltenders. Ken McNabb started in goal for Regina and stopped 19 of 26 shots. When the second period started, Darren Wilcox made his WHL debut and, over his 40 minutes, he stopped 52 of 59 shots . . . For now, then, give Mucha the WHL single-game saves record. At least, until someone can prove otherwise . . . By the way, Brandon D Don Dietrich had a goal and four assists in that victory. He has two sons, Jacob and Nick, on the Winter Hawks’ roster . . . Kelly McCrimmon, now the Wheat Kings’ owner, GM and head coach, didn’t play in that game thanks to an ankle injury . . .
The lights are out and no one is home in the WHL for the next few days. The next action is Thursday when the Vancouver Giants visit the Prince George Cougars in a game that originally was scheduled for Friday . . . No games Sunday because of the Grey Cup – for our American friends, that is our Super Bowl and it features the combatants who meet annually in the Labour Day Classic and, one week later, the Banjo Bowl . . . The Regina-based Saskatchewan Roughriders will meet the Winnipeg-based, uhh, Winnipeg Blue Bombers in our Big Game in Toronto. The Bombers, with starting quarterback Kevin Glenn out with a broken left arm, are the underdogs, by something like 11 points. The Roughriders, though, are best known for breaking their supporters’ hearts . . . So don’t be surprised if . . .
The WHL also is taking some down time with two ADT Challenge games scheduled for these parts during the week . . . The WHL team and the touring Russian side will meet in Cranbrook on Wednesday and in Medicine Hat on Thursday . . .
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
In Moose Jaw, F Levi Nelson scored the only goal of the shootout as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Warriors, 2-1 . . . The Broncos (15-8-0-5) had lost three in a row; they also have lost five shootouts this season . . . The Warriors (11-9-4-2) haven’t lost in regulation in four games (2-0-1-1) . . . Swift Current G Travis Yonkman stopped 33 shots, three more than Moose Jaw’s Joey Perricone . . . C Zack Smith scored for Swift Current in the middle of the first period, with Moose Jaw RW Martin Filo tying it at 12:06 of the second period . . . Nelson was the seventh shooter in the circus as it went four rounds. He scored, with Joel Broda, the last shooter, failing to get the equalizer . . .
In Kamloops, C Steve Da Silva scored twice to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 3-2 victory over the Blazers . . . The Ice (15-10-3-0) is 8-0-1-0 in its last nine games, the blemish a 7-6 OT loss in Kelowna on Friday . . . The Blazers (13-11-1-1) had won five in a row . . . The Blazers scored the
game’s first goal but then surrendered three in a row, with Da Silva’s line getting all three. LW Michael Stickland had two assists and RW Andrew Bailey had three . . . Stickland moved up to that line as the Ice was without LW Kevin King, who will be out up to two weeks with a knee injury. He was hurt Friday in Kelowna when he was hit by Rockets C Cody Almond . . . The Blazers had plenty of opportunities to at least tie this one as the Ice was hit with four straight minor penalties in the third period and, at one point, enjoyed a 5-on-3 advantage for 30 seconds. But the home side had few clear-cut chances and, when they did, G Kris Lazaruk was there. Lazaruk, who was yanked in Kelowna after giving up three goals on 10 shots, finished with
32 saves . . . G James Priestner of the Blazers, who was 4-1-0-1 as a starter, stopped 26 shots . . .
In Kelowna, LW Dana Tyrell had a goal and two assists to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 4-3 victory over the Rockets . . . F Morgan MacLean, who had been held out of a Friday game in Kamloops after missing a Thursday morning workout, had two goals for the Cougars . . . Prince George (10-18-0-0) had lost nine in a row . . . Two weeks earlier, the Rockets (14-9-2-2) swept a weekend doubleheader in Prince George, 5-1 and 6-1 . . . F Evan Bloodoff had two goals for Kelowna, which led 2-0 at 18:28 of the first period and then gave up a goal to MacLean 52 seconds later . . . The Rockets were without C Cody Almond, who drew a two-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct he incurred the previous night . . . G Tommy Tartaglione, back in after Real Cyr started three in a row, stopped 28 saves for the victory . . . D Ty Wishart’s eighth goal, at 8:35 of the third period on the PP, broke a 3-3 tie . . .
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored two third-period goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 2-0 . . . G Dan Spence stopped 15 shots for his second shutout of the season and ninth of his career . . . C Ian Duval’s 11th goal of the season, at 7:03 of the third period, stood up as the winner . . . The
Hitmen (19-8-0-2), who are 10-4-0-0 at home, remain atop the Eastern Conference. . . . Calgary is 7-0-0-1 in its last eight outings . . . The Rebels (7-18-4-1) are in the cellar. . . . C Ryan White got the insurance marker on the PP at 10:34 . . . Red Deer has lost three straight . . . Rebels C Tomas Polak was tossed with an interference major and game misconduct at 11:05 of the third period . . . Calgary had 49 shots on goal, meaning it has fired 105 shots on goal in its last two games. Calgary had 55 shots in a 5-3 victory over visiting Edmonton on Friday . . .
In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings . . . The victory allowed Lethbridge (18-9-1-1) to stay within two points of the Eastern Conference-leading Calgary Hitmen. Lethbridge had lost its last two games .
. . The Oil Kings (10-14-1-3) have lost two in a row . . . Colton Sceviour, on the power play, Cam Braes, at even strength, and Carter Bancks, shorthanded, scored for Lethbridge in the first period . . . Edmonton, which was 2-for-10 on the PP, got second-period goals from Brenden Dowd and
Brett Breitkreuz . . . The Hurricanes, who killed of four 5-on-3 disadvantages, were 1-for-7 on the PP . . . Lethbridge GM Roy Stasiuk earned a bench minor after chatting with referees Jason Mercer and Ryan Thompson in the second intermission . . .
In Prince Albert, LW Derek Hulak broke a 1-1 tie at 13:02 of the third period as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-1 . . . LW Ondrej Fialo sewed up with an empty-netter at 19:28 . . . D Stefan Elliott had his fifth goal, on the PP, in the first period for the Blades . . . P.A.’s Ryan DePape tied it, also on the PP, at 5:20 of the second . . . The victory allowed the Blades (10-16-1-0), who are 11th in the Eastern Conference, to close to within three points of the 10th-place Raiders (10-15-3-1) . . . Saskatoon has won two in a row; the Raiders have lost two
straight . . .
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers won a rematch of last season’s championship final, beating the Vancouver Giants, 4-3 . . . The Tigers won the WHL championship in seven games last season; the Giants, as the host team, went on to win the Memorial Cup . . . Medicine Hat C Daine Todd broke a 3-3 tie at 4:47 of the third period. That was somehow fitting as the Giants’ third goal, which was credited to D Craig Schira, had bounced off his head and past Medicine Hat G Tomas Vosvrda, who stopped 32 shots. He stood tall in the game’s last 30 seconds when the Giants pressed . . . Todd’s goal came on the PP after the Giants had been nailed for too many men . . . C Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored his first WHL goal for the Giants . . . Medicine Hat, which led 3-1 at one point, was 2-for-6 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-for-1 . . . The Tigers (15-10-2-0) had lost two in a row . . . Vancouver (18-7-1-2) slid to second in the Western Conference, two points behind the Spokane Chiefs . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Spokane Chiefs won the battle of the U.S. Division’s top two teams, beating the Tri-City Americans 5-3 in front of 4,959 fans . . . C Chris Bruton had two goals and three assists for the Chiefs, with red-hot LW Drayson Bowman scoring twice and adding an assist . . . The Chiefs (19-3-1-2) have the WHL’s best record. They are atop the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Vancouver Giants and three up on the Americans . . . The Chiefs, who have won six straight, got 19 saves from G Dustin Tokarski . . . The Americans (19-6-0-0) had won six in a row. They now are 13-2-0-0 at home . . . Spokane C Mitch Wahl, who plays on a line with Bowman and Bruton, had four assists . . . The Chiefs had two players go down with injuries. D Jared Spurgeon (ankle) left in the second period after going hard into the boards, while F Seth Compton (ankle) left after blocking a shot in the third period . . . Next up for the Chiefs is a five-game swing into the Central Division. They open Friday in Calgary . . .
In Seattle, RW Bud Holloway scored in the shootout to give the Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips . . . The Thunderbirds (10-9-4-1) got a big game from G Jacob DeSerres. He stopped 35 shots and then stopped three shooters in the circus . . . Seattle went into the game having gone 0-5 this season in games that needed OT or a shootout . . . Seattle actually had lost 13 straight shootouts . . . In fact, Seattle hadn’t won a shootout since Feb. 4, 2006, when it beat Vancouver, 3-2 . . . The Silvertips (14-12-0-2) have lost three games in a row . . . Everett, which has just four wins in 23 trips to Key Arena, outshot Seattle 37-23, including 17-6 in the first period and 5-2 in the second . . . Everett remains without RW Dan Gendur (shoulder) and D Dane Crowley (concussion), while Seattle D Scott Jackson (ankle) is still out, as are the Schappert boys – C Josh (back) and D Jeremy (shoulder) . . . The teams again Friday in Everett . . .
In Portland, G Kurtis Mucha, as referenced earlier, was the story as the Winter Hawks got past the Chilliwack Bruins, 4-3 . . . Chilliwack outshot its hosts 17-12, 19-13 and 32-5 by period . . . Portland (5-19-0-0) is on its first two-game winning streak of the season. It beat the visiting Regina Pats 4-3 on Tuesday . . . The Bruins (13-12-3-0) are 0-5-1-0 in their last six . . . Portland led this one 4-0 at 18:06 of the second period, thanks to first-period PP goals from Luke Walker and Travis Ehrhardt , a shorthanded effort by Tyler Swystun and an even-strength score by Matt Schmermund, the latter two goals coming in the second period . . . The Bruins got third-period goals from C Mark Santorelli, at 3:47, RW Oscar Moller, his 23rd, at 15:18, and Brandon Camps, at 19:31 . . . The Chilliwack power-play unit was 1-for-10, while Portland was 2-for-9. . . . There was an interesting situation in this game when Chilliwack D Cody Hobbs was listed as a scratch but got into the game. In fact, he played into the third period when he incurred a minor penalty for kneeing. At that point, as per the rules, he was removed from the game . . . And, yes, it was Teddy Bear Night in Portland . . . Walker’s goal, the first of the game, should have resulted in the stuffed toys being tossed. Unfortunately, F Chris Francis had scored one of those ‘goals’ that ended up being waved off, but that triggered the toss.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Keeping Score
From The Daily News of Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007 . . .
The London Telegraph reports that David Beckham has cut a three-year deal
with Giorgio Armani worth $41.43 million. And what could Beckham do for
Armani that would be worth that kind of dough? According to the Telegraph,
Beckham “will front Armani’s Emporio SS08 underwear campaign that is to
begin in January.” . . . Oh, goodie, something to look forward to in the
new year. . . . According to leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “Hillary Clinton
recently celebrated her 60th birthday. When asked about it, she reportedly
said ‘I feel like a 30 year old.’ And Bill said, ‘Me, too!’ ”
Ian Hamilton, in the Regina Leader-Post: “On Sunday in Toronto, the
Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will tangle in the Grey
Cup ‑ or, as Toronto residents call it, ‘The what?’ ”. . . One more from
Hamilton: “Notre Dame has lost games this season to the Naval Academy and
the Air Force Academy. Next up . . . is the gang from Police Academy.” . . .
Hmm, wonder if the Police Academy’s starting 11 includes Janet Gretzky? . .
. After Navy and then Air Force beat the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame, the
headline at TheOnion.com read: U.S. Military Wasting All Its Victories On
Notre Dame. . . . Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “Alex Rodriguez’s new deal
with the Yankees will top $300 million if he breaks the career home run
record in pinstripes. (Dear Alex: You’re a Miami guy. How about building the
Marlins a new stadium?)”
One day last week, The Score ran a soccer transaction across the bottom of
the TV screen noting that Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun would miss
three weeks due to an “abduction.” Turns out he had suffered a torn abductor
muscle. . . . Jack Todd, in the Montreal Gazette: “I was going to write a
limerick today about my least favourite Toronto Maple Leaf -- but I couldn’t
think of a word that rhymes with ‘Tucker.’ ” . . . Thomas Bonk of the Los
Angeles Times tells us that when Jack Norworth (words) and Albert Von Tilzer
(music) wrote Take Me Out to the Ballgame neither man had ever been to a big
league baseball game. . . . Major League Baseball will celebrate 100 years
of that song in 2008.
Mike Bianchi, of the Orlando Sentinel: “The three slowest-moving objects in
the world: 1. The Malaspina Glacier on Yakutat Bay in Alaska; 2. The garden
snail; 3. Shaq in the fourth quarter.” . . . There really aren’t teenage
athletes in our town who will initiate a teammate by taping a bottle of hard
liquor to a wrist and leaving it there until it’s empty, are there? . . .
Ray Allen, the Boston Celtics’ starry guard, says he takes about 250
practice shots before games. And how many does he make? “Probably about
247,” he tells the Boston Herald. “Those three I missed were when the
cheerleaders walked out.” . . . Confidentially, just between you and me, do
you have any idea which WHL owner has had employees sign confidentiality
agreements in an attempt to plug a leak? Again, confidentially, between you
and me, just asking.
Michael Jordan is to pay $150 million to make his ex-wife go away. Charles
Barkley, on Dan Patrick’s syndicated radio show, had this reaction: “I agree
with Donald Trump. Everybody who’s got money or thinks they’re going to have
money should have a pre-nup. . . . If she don’t sign it, you don’t marry
her.” . . . Here’s Hall of Fame defenceman Al MacInnis on the subject of
composite hockey sticks: “Forwards, when they’re in front of the net, they
can’t handle passes with them. I told Keith (Tkachuk), ‘Go back to that wood
stick, you’ll be scoring 50 goals again.’ ” . . . As for Guy Lafleur, who
scored a goal or two back in the day, he said one-piece sticks are “crap”
and added: “What does an extra 20 miles an hour matter when the puck goes 50
feet wide of the net?”
No one is a bigger fan of the Saskatchewan Roughriders than Kamloops Blazers
trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson. And how does he see Sunday¹s game? “They
will rename the Grey Cup the Green Cup after the game,” he says, a
Roughriders cap perched jauntily atop his cranium. . . . “It’s a big deal,”
Saskatchewan defensive tackle Scott Schultz says of playing in tomorrow’s
game. “Other than getting married and the birth of my daughter, this is the
biggest thing that’s ever happened to me.” Schultz, it should be pointed
out, is from Moose Jaw. . . . Chris Long, a 280-pound defensive end at
Virginia, is likely to be a top-10 selection in the NFL’s 2008 draft. You
may have heard of his father, former Oakland Raiders defensive star Howie
Long, now a talking head on Fox-TV’s NFL studio show.
”I realized it’s a giant black hole,” Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff
says about what once was a habit he had of complaining about and to
referees. “Now I have to tell my assistants to stop yelling at the refs.” .
. . From the Baltimore Sun’s Flip Side column: “When Mr. Flip last noted
Serena Williams’ love interest, the interest in question was actor Jackie
Long. Well, apparently it’s so long for Long. The New York Post reports that
the tennis star was snuggling with rapper Common at a party for sister Venus
in New York. A Post ‘spy’ was quoted as saying that they ‘were keeping it
cool, but you could tell Common likes himself some Serena.’ ” . . .
Manitoba’s under-18 men¹s soccer team once included Troy Westwood, Mike
Keane and John Ferguson Jr. “Fergie was real good in the air,” Westwood, the
Blue Bombers’ placement kicker, told the National Post’s Joe O’Connor. “He’d
get those elbows going, and nobody would want to mess with him. He and
Keaner, they brought a nice Canadian way of playing soccer -- a nice mix of
tough-nosed hockey etiquette -- to the soccer field.”
A University of Texas study funded by the National Institute of Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, reported “college students drink larger amounts of
alcohol on football game days.” To which Peter Yoon of the Los Angeles Times
noted: “The study also revealed that the sun sets in the West, rush hour
traffic is worse than at other times of the day, and toast is made from
bread.” . . . A spy tells me that there will be a four-team senior baseball
tournament in our town in the spring. It’ll feature the Black Sox and Prince
George Panago Axemen, along with teams from Tacoma and likely Seattle. Mark
it down for the last weekend in April. . . . Toby Harrah, who was a pretty
decent third baseman a while back, spent 1984 with the New York Yankees. As
he told Coach and Athletic Director magazine: “Everybody should play for the
Yankees one time just so they get an idea of what it¹s really like to be
hated by everybody.”
Friday's highlights . . .
FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
In Calgary, Edmonton G Alex Archibald stopped 50 shots but it wasn’t enough as his Oil Kings were beaten 5-3 by the Hitmen. . . . Calgary (18-8-0-2) has won six of seven. . . . Edmonton (10-13-1-3) has lost six of seven and has dropped five of its last six away from home. . . . The Hitmen’s 55-shot barrage tied a franchise single-game record set Sept. 30, 1995, in a 7-5 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Still, the game was tied 3-3 with 11 minutes to play. . . . Calgary RW Ian Schultz scored the winner at 9:03 of the third and Slovenian LW Bostjan Golicic added insurance with his second of the game and fourth of the seaosn just 38 seconds later. . . . Calgary outshot Edmonton 24-6 in the first period but the teams were even 2-2. . . .
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings trailed 2-1 early, then got out to a 7-3 lead and hung on for a 7-6 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Brandon (17-9-0-1) has won 10 of 12 and seven in a row at home. . . . The Broncos (14-8-0-5) have lost three straight. . . . Brandon LW Tyler Dittmer scored twice, giving him a career-high 20 goals. . . . Rookie C Brayden Schenn had two goals and two assists for the Wheat Kings. He has 24 points, including 11 goals, in 27 games and is the WHL’s highest-scoring rookie. . . . Brandon’s seventh goal was worth a free breakfast to each of the 3,773 fans in attendance through a promotion with a local restaurant. . . . Swift Current was 4-for-7 on the PP; Brandon was 2-for-5. . . . The Broncos got two goals from each of C Zack Smith and RW Dale Weise, while D Eric Doyle had a goal and three helpers. . . . Brandon scored seven times on 26 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings actually trailed 2-0 and had been outshot 7-0 in the process. . . .
In Everett. G Linden Rowat stopped 31 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 3-0 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Regina (18-11-0-0) completed its tour of the U.S. Division at 2-3. . . . .The Silvertips (14-12-0-1) have lost two straight. . . . Rowat’s night work included 17 saves in the second period. . . . The shutout was his first of the season and sixth of his career. . . . Everett was 0-for-5 on the PP and that included a two-minute 5-on-3. Everett also gave up a shorthanded goal. . . . The Silvertips were without two of their top PP guns — D Dane Crowley (concussion) and F Dan Gendur (shoulder). . . . Everett C Zack Dailey (wrist) returned from a two-game absence. . . . LW Troy Ofukany’s sixth goal of the season, at 1:43 of the second period on the PP, stood up as the winner. . . .
In Kamloops, the Blazers won their fifth game in a row, beating the Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . The Blazers (13-10-1-1) have won seven of eight. . . . The Cougars (9-18-0-0) have now lost nine in a row. . . . Prince George had won 8-3 in Kamloops on Nov. 2. . . . Kamloops outshot the visitors 34-14, including 13-2 in the second period. . . .
In Kelowna, C Colin Long’s goal 44 seconds into overtime gave the Rockets a 7-6 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rockets (14-8-2-2) have one regulation-time loss in their last 13 games. They have won five of their last six games at home. . . . The Ice (14-10-3-0) had won seven in a row and had given up only nine goals in their previous seven games. . . . The Rockets led 4-3 after two periods with five goals coming in the third period. . . . D Jordan Wilkins, who has been playing up front, scored his first goal at 14:24 of the third period to tie it at five. . . . The Ice took a 6-5 lead at 15:45 on C Steve Da Silva’s 15th goal. . . . Kelowna F Lucas Bloodoff forced the OT with his 10th goal at 15:57 of the third period. . . . LW Matthew Brusciano and D Tyler Myers each scored his first goal of the season for Kelowna, which actually held leads of 3-0 and 4-1 at various points. . . .
In Lethbridge, G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 22 shots as the Vancouver Giants
blanked the Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . Sexsmith has four shutouts this season
and 15 in his career, which puts him in a tie for 11th spot on the WHL's career list. . . . RW Michal Repik's PP goal at 12:56 of the first period stood up as the winner. . . . G Juha Metsola stopped 30 shots for the Hurricanes. . . . The Hurricanes (17-9-1-1), who had won eight in a row, have lost two straight for the first time since Oct. 16 and 17. . . . The Giants, who ended a two-game losing streak, now are 10-0 when leading after two periods. . . . Vancouver (18-6-1-2) is 9-3 against Lethbridge over the last five seasons. . . . Vancouver LW Garet Hunt and Lethbridge RW Luke Wiens dropped the gloves eight seconds into this one. . . . Vancouver D Stefan Schneider left the game with an apparent knee injury at 8:24 of the second period. . . .
In Moose Jaw, Joey Perricone stopped 25 shots as the Warriors beat the
Medicine Hat Tigers, 1-0. . . . Moose Jaw captain Riley Holzapfel had the
game's only goal at 13:05 of the second period. . . . The shutout was the
second of the season for Perricone and the seventh of his career. He is one shy of the franchise record held by Donovan Nunweiler (1993-95). . . . Perricone, who is from San Juan Capistrano, Calif., had his parents and two brothers in the crowd. . . . The Warriors (11-9-4-1) have won two in a row after ending a seven-game losing streak. . . . The Tigers (14-10-2-0) have lost seven of nine. . . . Medicine Hat has scored more than two goals in a game just once in its last seven games. . . . Moose Jaw LW Frazer McLaren and Medicine Hat D Jordan Bendfeld scrapped five seconds into this one. McLaren must be losing his touch — he fought one second into his previous game. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Blades got out to a 2-0 lead and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Blades (9-16-1-0) had lost four in a row. . . . The Raiders (10-14-3-1) are 5-4-1-1 in their last 11. . . . Saskatoon was without RW Chris Durand (shoulder) and C Colton Gillies (one-game WHL suspension). . . . Saskatoon was 2-for-3 on the PP, getting goals from LW Derek Hulak and LW Ondrej Fiala. . . . Prince Albert C Max Brandl earned a kneeing major for a hit on Saskatoon C Gaelan Patterson. Brandl ended up with a double major when he scrapped with Saskatoon D Teigan Zahn. . . . C Charles Inglis, whom the Blades took with the fourth pick of the 2007 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., C Kruise Reddick’s goal with 2:24 left in the third period gave the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Americans (19-5-0-0) closed to within one point of the U.S. Division-leading Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Chiefs (18-3-2-1) visit the Americans tonight. . . . The Americans are 13-1-0-0 at home, where they have won seven in a row. . . . The Bruins (13-11-3-0) have lost five straight. They have scored just 10 goals in their last seven games. . . . Tri-City D Eric Mestery got his first goal this season and F Joel Ridgeway got the first of his career. . . . Chilliwack RW Oscar Moller had his WHL-leading 22nd goal of the season. . . . G Chet Pickard made 34 saves for the Americans. He is 15-3 on the season.
In Calgary, Edmonton G Alex Archibald stopped 50 shots but it wasn’t enough as his Oil Kings were beaten 5-3 by the Hitmen. . . . Calgary (18-8-0-2) has won six of seven. . . . Edmonton (10-13-1-3) has lost six of seven and has dropped five of its last six away from home. . . . The Hitmen’s 55-shot barrage tied a franchise single-game record set Sept. 30, 1995, in a 7-5 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Still, the game was tied 3-3 with 11 minutes to play. . . . Calgary RW Ian Schultz scored the winner at 9:03 of the third and Slovenian LW Bostjan Golicic added insurance with his second of the game and fourth of the seaosn just 38 seconds later. . . . Calgary outshot Edmonton 24-6 in the first period but the teams were even 2-2. . . .
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings trailed 2-1 early, then got out to a 7-3 lead and hung on for a 7-6 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Brandon (17-9-0-1) has won 10 of 12 and seven in a row at home. . . . The Broncos (14-8-0-5) have lost three straight. . . . Brandon LW Tyler Dittmer scored twice, giving him a career-high 20 goals. . . . Rookie C Brayden Schenn had two goals and two assists for the Wheat Kings. He has 24 points, including 11 goals, in 27 games and is the WHL’s highest-scoring rookie. . . . Brandon’s seventh goal was worth a free breakfast to each of the 3,773 fans in attendance through a promotion with a local restaurant. . . . Swift Current was 4-for-7 on the PP; Brandon was 2-for-5. . . . The Broncos got two goals from each of C Zack Smith and RW Dale Weise, while D Eric Doyle had a goal and three helpers. . . . Brandon scored seven times on 26 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings actually trailed 2-0 and had been outshot 7-0 in the process. . . .
In Everett. G Linden Rowat stopped 31 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 3-0 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Regina (18-11-0-0) completed its tour of the U.S. Division at 2-3. . . . .The Silvertips (14-12-0-1) have lost two straight. . . . Rowat’s night work included 17 saves in the second period. . . . The shutout was his first of the season and sixth of his career. . . . Everett was 0-for-5 on the PP and that included a two-minute 5-on-3. Everett also gave up a shorthanded goal. . . . The Silvertips were without two of their top PP guns — D Dane Crowley (concussion) and F Dan Gendur (shoulder). . . . Everett C Zack Dailey (wrist) returned from a two-game absence. . . . LW Troy Ofukany’s sixth goal of the season, at 1:43 of the second period on the PP, stood up as the winner. . . .
In Kamloops, the Blazers won their fifth game in a row, beating the Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . The Blazers (13-10-1-1) have won seven of eight. . . . The Cougars (9-18-0-0) have now lost nine in a row. . . . Prince George had won 8-3 in Kamloops on Nov. 2. . . . Kamloops outshot the visitors 34-14, including 13-2 in the second period. . . .
In Kelowna, C Colin Long’s goal 44 seconds into overtime gave the Rockets a 7-6 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rockets (14-8-2-2) have one regulation-time loss in their last 13 games. They have won five of their last six games at home. . . . The Ice (14-10-3-0) had won seven in a row and had given up only nine goals in their previous seven games. . . . The Rockets led 4-3 after two periods with five goals coming in the third period. . . . D Jordan Wilkins, who has been playing up front, scored his first goal at 14:24 of the third period to tie it at five. . . . The Ice took a 6-5 lead at 15:45 on C Steve Da Silva’s 15th goal. . . . Kelowna F Lucas Bloodoff forced the OT with his 10th goal at 15:57 of the third period. . . . LW Matthew Brusciano and D Tyler Myers each scored his first goal of the season for Kelowna, which actually held leads of 3-0 and 4-1 at various points. . . .
In Lethbridge, G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 22 shots as the Vancouver Giants
blanked the Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . Sexsmith has four shutouts this season
and 15 in his career, which puts him in a tie for 11th spot on the WHL's career list. . . . RW Michal Repik's PP goal at 12:56 of the first period stood up as the winner. . . . G Juha Metsola stopped 30 shots for the Hurricanes. . . . The Hurricanes (17-9-1-1), who had won eight in a row, have lost two straight for the first time since Oct. 16 and 17. . . . The Giants, who ended a two-game losing streak, now are 10-0 when leading after two periods. . . . Vancouver (18-6-1-2) is 9-3 against Lethbridge over the last five seasons. . . . Vancouver LW Garet Hunt and Lethbridge RW Luke Wiens dropped the gloves eight seconds into this one. . . . Vancouver D Stefan Schneider left the game with an apparent knee injury at 8:24 of the second period. . . .
In Moose Jaw, Joey Perricone stopped 25 shots as the Warriors beat the
Medicine Hat Tigers, 1-0. . . . Moose Jaw captain Riley Holzapfel had the
game's only goal at 13:05 of the second period. . . . The shutout was the
second of the season for Perricone and the seventh of his career. He is one shy of the franchise record held by Donovan Nunweiler (1993-95). . . . Perricone, who is from San Juan Capistrano, Calif., had his parents and two brothers in the crowd. . . . The Warriors (11-9-4-1) have won two in a row after ending a seven-game losing streak. . . . The Tigers (14-10-2-0) have lost seven of nine. . . . Medicine Hat has scored more than two goals in a game just once in its last seven games. . . . Moose Jaw LW Frazer McLaren and Medicine Hat D Jordan Bendfeld scrapped five seconds into this one. McLaren must be losing his touch — he fought one second into his previous game. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Blades got out to a 2-0 lead and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Blades (9-16-1-0) had lost four in a row. . . . The Raiders (10-14-3-1) are 5-4-1-1 in their last 11. . . . Saskatoon was without RW Chris Durand (shoulder) and C Colton Gillies (one-game WHL suspension). . . . Saskatoon was 2-for-3 on the PP, getting goals from LW Derek Hulak and LW Ondrej Fiala. . . . Prince Albert C Max Brandl earned a kneeing major for a hit on Saskatoon C Gaelan Patterson. Brandl ended up with a double major when he scrapped with Saskatoon D Teigan Zahn. . . . C Charles Inglis, whom the Blades took with the fourth pick of the 2007 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., C Kruise Reddick’s goal with 2:24 left in the third period gave the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Americans (19-5-0-0) closed to within one point of the U.S. Division-leading Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Chiefs (18-3-2-1) visit the Americans tonight. . . . The Americans are 13-1-0-0 at home, where they have won seven in a row. . . . The Bruins (13-11-3-0) have lost five straight. They have scored just 10 goals in their last seven games. . . . Tri-City D Eric Mestery got his first goal this season and F Joel Ridgeway got the first of his career. . . . Chilliwack RW Oscar Moller had his WHL-leading 22nd goal of the season. . . . G Chet Pickard made 34 saves for the Americans. He is 15-3 on the season.
Blazers postgame box
THE SCORE
Kamloops 4, Prince George 1
WHAT HAPPENED
On Nov. 2, the Cougars beat the Blazers, 8-3. This one was that game in
reverse. It wasn’t nearly as close as the score might seem to indicate.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (13-10-1-1), having won seven of their last eight games, are
seventh in the Western Conference, one point behind the Everett Silvertips
(14-12-0-1), who fell 3-0 to the visiting Regina Pats, and the Chilliwack
Bruins (13-11-3-0), who fell 4-3 to the host Tri-City Americans last night.
THE STREAK
In their last nine games, the Blazers have gone 7-1-0-1, picking up 15 of a
possible 18 points.
THE PENALTY KILL
In their last six games, the Blazers’ penalty-killing unit is 33-for-36. And
two of the goals it has given up came on 5-on-3 situations. . . . The
Blazers have faced 13 such situations, while being on the receiving end of
seven.
THE ASSIST
Kamloops D Darcy Huisman earned an assist on his club’s second goal, but it
was D Mark Schneider who got the plus. Huisman gave the puck to C Brock
Nixon and went to the bench. It was Schneider who was on the ice when Nixon
scored.
THE WORKOUT
The Cougars scratched D Jesse Dudas and LW Morgan MacLean, both of whom
skipped a Thursday morning workout. Dudas has been out with a thigh injury
but was to have returned for this one.
THE EXPLANATION
“The fans are entitled to their opinion," Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck
told the Prince George Citizen of his decision to start G Real Cyr. "We do
things that may look, from a fan standpoint, like ‘What the hell are those
guys thinking?’ . . . but with Real’s experience and success against
Kamloops, as recently as last season’s playoffs, it’s hard to ignore that he
plays his best hockey there.”
THE GOALTENDER
Cyr went into the game 5-9-0-0 with a 4.68 GAA and a .864 save percentage,
the worst numbers in the league among goaltenders who had played at least
480 minutes. . . . Tommy Tartaglione is 4-8-0-0, 3.35, .900.
THE SEASON SERIES
The teams, who are 1-1 in the season series, next meet Dec. 14 and 15 when
they close out the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule in Prince George.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. LW Shayne Wiebe, Kamloops. Just gets better.
2. RW Tyler Shattock, Kamloops. Finding his game.
3. C Mark Hall, Kamloops. At his pestiest best.
UP NEXT
The Kootenay Ice is in the house tonight. Game time is 7 o’clock.
Kamloops 4, Prince George 1
WHAT HAPPENED
On Nov. 2, the Cougars beat the Blazers, 8-3. This one was that game in
reverse. It wasn’t nearly as close as the score might seem to indicate.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (13-10-1-1), having won seven of their last eight games, are
seventh in the Western Conference, one point behind the Everett Silvertips
(14-12-0-1), who fell 3-0 to the visiting Regina Pats, and the Chilliwack
Bruins (13-11-3-0), who fell 4-3 to the host Tri-City Americans last night.
THE STREAK
In their last nine games, the Blazers have gone 7-1-0-1, picking up 15 of a
possible 18 points.
THE PENALTY KILL
In their last six games, the Blazers’ penalty-killing unit is 33-for-36. And
two of the goals it has given up came on 5-on-3 situations. . . . The
Blazers have faced 13 such situations, while being on the receiving end of
seven.
THE ASSIST
Kamloops D Darcy Huisman earned an assist on his club’s second goal, but it
was D Mark Schneider who got the plus. Huisman gave the puck to C Brock
Nixon and went to the bench. It was Schneider who was on the ice when Nixon
scored.
THE WORKOUT
The Cougars scratched D Jesse Dudas and LW Morgan MacLean, both of whom
skipped a Thursday morning workout. Dudas has been out with a thigh injury
but was to have returned for this one.
THE EXPLANATION
“The fans are entitled to their opinion," Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck
told the Prince George Citizen of his decision to start G Real Cyr. "We do
things that may look, from a fan standpoint, like ‘What the hell are those
guys thinking?’ . . . but with Real’s experience and success against
Kamloops, as recently as last season’s playoffs, it’s hard to ignore that he
plays his best hockey there.”
THE GOALTENDER
Cyr went into the game 5-9-0-0 with a 4.68 GAA and a .864 save percentage,
the worst numbers in the league among goaltenders who had played at least
480 minutes. . . . Tommy Tartaglione is 4-8-0-0, 3.35, .900.
THE SEASON SERIES
The teams, who are 1-1 in the season series, next meet Dec. 14 and 15 when
they close out the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule in Prince George.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. LW Shayne Wiebe, Kamloops. Just gets better.
2. RW Tyler Shattock, Kamloops. Finding his game.
3. C Mark Hall, Kamloops. At his pestiest best.
UP NEXT
The Kootenay Ice is in the house tonight. Game time is 7 o’clock.
Blazers dump Cougars
From The Daily News of Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007 . . .
It was centre Mark Hall who, in typical fashion, put the exclamation mark on
the Kamloops Blazers’ sixth straight WHL victory Friday night.
With the Blazers leading 4-1 early in the third period — they would go on to
beat Prince George by that score — Hall laid a hit on Cougars defenceman
Patrik Magnusson deep in the visitor’s zone. The Swede, who goes 6-foot-7
and 250 pounds, went down. Hall, at 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, went to the
penalty box for roughing as referee Ryan Agar made perhaps the season’s
goofiest call and earned the wrath of most fans in the Interior Savings
Centre crowd of 4,606.
“To get called for roughing . . . I thought you had to get your hands up in
his face and he’s a little tall for me to get my hands in his face,” said
Hall.
Kamloops head coach Greg Hawgood just shook his head.
“I don’t know why that was a penalty,” he said. “He only hit half his body
and it was a clean check.”
“Hallsy’s known to do that,” offered Shayne Wiebe, who plays on an energy
line with Hall and Travis Dunstall. “He gets in there, greases it up and
gets the team going. That’s good to have.”
The last time these teams met, right here on Nov. 2, the Cougars outshot the
Blazers 30-21 and buried them 8-3. It was obvious early on that the Blazers’
memories extended at least that far back.
“There was lots of talk” before the game, said Hall, who also incurred a
misconduct in the third period, that for yapping at Prince George
right-winger Matt Sokol. “It was 7-3 or whatever and they put their No. 1
power play out there. So we wanted a little revenge. They embarrassed us in
our own barn.
“This is what the new Blazers are all about.”
The new Blazers have won five games in a row and seven of their last eight,
outscoring the opposition 30-19 in the process.
Veteran defenceman Victor Bartley set the tone for this one when he hammered
Prince George right-winger Alex Poulter just 10 seconds into the game.
For most of the opening 13 minutes, it was like a pinball game, with the
Blazers as the balls and the Cougars the bumpers. Only the referees — Agar
and Steve Papp — slowed down the home side, hitting it with the game’s first
three minors.
And the Cougars got the game’s first goal on the third of those penalties,
with right-winger Marcus Watson redirecting a point pass from Kalvin Sagert
past goaltender Justin Leclerc.
After that, however, it was all Blazers — they outshot the visitors, 34-14,
including 13-2 in the second period. The Blazers also rang four shots off
posts, something the Cougars did once.
Right-winger Juuso Puustinen pulled the home boys even when he snapped a
wrist shot over goaltender Real Cyr’s glove hand in the final minute of the
first period.
Centre Brock Nixon got the eventual game-winner, splitting Sagert and Art
Bidlevskii to get to a long rebound and stuff it through Cyr.
And the insurance came just 48 seconds into the second period when Dunstall,
who was pointless over his last eight games — he also missed three games
with a sprained ankle — stripped Sagert and went in to beat Cyr.
“Real maybe should have controlled the rebound better on the dump in and
then Kalvin turns the puck over,” Drew Schoneck, Prince George’s head coach,
said after his squad’s ninth straight loss. “Those are two pretty big goals
in a close game.
“That takes away the momentum you’re trying to build.”
The play that resulted in Dunstall’s goal actually began with Poulter firing
high and wide when he was in close on Leclerc’s left side. The puck rimmed
the boards and, ultimately, ended up in P.G.’s net.
“We had probably four chances where we shot overtop of the net,” Schoneck
said, “and it rimmed around, and either they get the puck or we’re having to
try and dump it back in and get something going. You’re not going to score
goals if you don’t hit the net.”
Kamloops right-winger Tyler Shattock, who was scoreless in the season’s
first 17 games, rounded out the scoring with his sixth goal in eight games.
“The guys are just getting better every day,” Hawgood said. “It was nice to
see they stuck their foot on the gas for the whole game.”
No one did that better than Wiebe, the 17-year-old freshman from Brandon who
shows all the signs of being a super pest with some touch and a first-class
penalty killer.
“I’m playing better and getting more ice time, too,” said Wiebe, who was
pointless but made his presence felt with physical play. “I’m starting to
play a little better. I’m more comfortable with the puck and more settled
down.
“Learning the systems, being here a little bit longer, getting used to
everything, knowing where you’re supposed to be,” he added. “Now it just
happens on the ice instead of me having to think about it.”
It helps, too, that he, Hall and Dunstall have something going.
“We’re definitely finding some confidence together,” Hall said. “Me and
(Wiebe) work together in practice and we hang out outside the rink. We’re
working on chemistry and it’s coming together.”
In fact, the line’s play is reflective of the team’s play, or perhaps it’s
vice versa.
No matter. The Blazers are three games over .500 for the first time this
season.
JUST NOTES: Agar and Papp combined to give each team nine minors, with the
Blazers getting the lone misconduct. . . . Each team was 1-for-8 on the
power play. . . . The Blazers are at home tonight, 7 o’clock, to the
Kootenay Ice. Kootenay lost 7-6 in overtime to the Rockets in Kelowna last
night.
It was centre Mark Hall who, in typical fashion, put the exclamation mark on
the Kamloops Blazers’ sixth straight WHL victory Friday night.
With the Blazers leading 4-1 early in the third period — they would go on to
beat Prince George by that score — Hall laid a hit on Cougars defenceman
Patrik Magnusson deep in the visitor’s zone. The Swede, who goes 6-foot-7
and 250 pounds, went down. Hall, at 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, went to the
penalty box for roughing as referee Ryan Agar made perhaps the season’s
goofiest call and earned the wrath of most fans in the Interior Savings
Centre crowd of 4,606.
“To get called for roughing . . . I thought you had to get your hands up in
his face and he’s a little tall for me to get my hands in his face,” said
Hall.
Kamloops head coach Greg Hawgood just shook his head.
“I don’t know why that was a penalty,” he said. “He only hit half his body
and it was a clean check.”
“Hallsy’s known to do that,” offered Shayne Wiebe, who plays on an energy
line with Hall and Travis Dunstall. “He gets in there, greases it up and
gets the team going. That’s good to have.”
The last time these teams met, right here on Nov. 2, the Cougars outshot the
Blazers 30-21 and buried them 8-3. It was obvious early on that the Blazers’
memories extended at least that far back.
“There was lots of talk” before the game, said Hall, who also incurred a
misconduct in the third period, that for yapping at Prince George
right-winger Matt Sokol. “It was 7-3 or whatever and they put their No. 1
power play out there. So we wanted a little revenge. They embarrassed us in
our own barn.
“This is what the new Blazers are all about.”
The new Blazers have won five games in a row and seven of their last eight,
outscoring the opposition 30-19 in the process.
Veteran defenceman Victor Bartley set the tone for this one when he hammered
Prince George right-winger Alex Poulter just 10 seconds into the game.
For most of the opening 13 minutes, it was like a pinball game, with the
Blazers as the balls and the Cougars the bumpers. Only the referees — Agar
and Steve Papp — slowed down the home side, hitting it with the game’s first
three minors.
And the Cougars got the game’s first goal on the third of those penalties,
with right-winger Marcus Watson redirecting a point pass from Kalvin Sagert
past goaltender Justin Leclerc.
After that, however, it was all Blazers — they outshot the visitors, 34-14,
including 13-2 in the second period. The Blazers also rang four shots off
posts, something the Cougars did once.
Right-winger Juuso Puustinen pulled the home boys even when he snapped a
wrist shot over goaltender Real Cyr’s glove hand in the final minute of the
first period.
Centre Brock Nixon got the eventual game-winner, splitting Sagert and Art
Bidlevskii to get to a long rebound and stuff it through Cyr.
And the insurance came just 48 seconds into the second period when Dunstall,
who was pointless over his last eight games — he also missed three games
with a sprained ankle — stripped Sagert and went in to beat Cyr.
“Real maybe should have controlled the rebound better on the dump in and
then Kalvin turns the puck over,” Drew Schoneck, Prince George’s head coach,
said after his squad’s ninth straight loss. “Those are two pretty big goals
in a close game.
“That takes away the momentum you’re trying to build.”
The play that resulted in Dunstall’s goal actually began with Poulter firing
high and wide when he was in close on Leclerc’s left side. The puck rimmed
the boards and, ultimately, ended up in P.G.’s net.
“We had probably four chances where we shot overtop of the net,” Schoneck
said, “and it rimmed around, and either they get the puck or we’re having to
try and dump it back in and get something going. You’re not going to score
goals if you don’t hit the net.”
Kamloops right-winger Tyler Shattock, who was scoreless in the season’s
first 17 games, rounded out the scoring with his sixth goal in eight games.
“The guys are just getting better every day,” Hawgood said. “It was nice to
see they stuck their foot on the gas for the whole game.”
No one did that better than Wiebe, the 17-year-old freshman from Brandon who
shows all the signs of being a super pest with some touch and a first-class
penalty killer.
“I’m playing better and getting more ice time, too,” said Wiebe, who was
pointless but made his presence felt with physical play. “I’m starting to
play a little better. I’m more comfortable with the puck and more settled
down.
“Learning the systems, being here a little bit longer, getting used to
everything, knowing where you’re supposed to be,” he added. “Now it just
happens on the ice instead of me having to think about it.”
It helps, too, that he, Hall and Dunstall have something going.
“We’re definitely finding some confidence together,” Hall said. “Me and
(Wiebe) work together in practice and we hang out outside the rink. We’re
working on chemistry and it’s coming together.”
In fact, the line’s play is reflective of the team’s play, or perhaps it’s
vice versa.
No matter. The Blazers are three games over .500 for the first time this
season.
JUST NOTES: Agar and Papp combined to give each team nine minors, with the
Blazers getting the lone misconduct. . . . Each team was 1-for-8 on the
power play. . . . The Blazers are at home tonight, 7 o’clock, to the
Kootenay Ice. Kootenay lost 7-6 in overtime to the Rockets in Kelowna last
night.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Friday . . .
If you read the piece posted yesterday about specialized coaching techniques and have any stories of your own, please e-mail them to gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca . . . I already have received a few. I will compile them and post them at a later date . . .
The Red Deer Rebels have assigned F Willie Coetzee, 17, to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. Coetzee, who is from Maple Ridge, had two goals in 23 games with the Rebels. . . .
Interesting note on Greg Harder’s blog from earlier in the week when the Regina Pats added F Todd Kennedy to their roster from the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Kennedy, from Lillooet, B.C., was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the 2005 bantam draft but later dropped from their list. The Pats added him to their list and added the 17-year-old to their roster while on their tour of the U.S. Division. Harder, who covers the Pats for the Regina Leader-Post, wrote on his blog: “The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder is basically on a tryout with the Pats, who will keep him around if they feel he can play at the major-junior level. He’s not known as a scorer but could add a physical presence. Even if Kennedy doesn’t fit in with the Pats, they won’t be sending him back to Nanaimo. Relations between the Pats and Clippers are frosty at best after the BCHL club reportedly went out of its way to make Kennedy’s departure uncomfortable. If that’s the case, it’s pretty sad that a team would spite a young player who’s simply looking to further his career. Pure bush league!” . . .
The Portland Winter Hawks will be the first of many WHL teams to hold Teddy Bear Night. The Winter Hawks big night is Saturday, when they play host to the Chilliwack Bruins, and they are hoping to finish up with more than 16,000 stuffed toys. A year ago, Portland fans set what the Winter Hawks are calling a “World Record” by donating 14,361 stuffed toys. The Calgary Hitmen promptly broke the record, with a haul of 15,540. And that is the record going into this festive season. . . .
The MJHL’s Beausejour Blades fired head coach Jamie Watts on Thursday. The Blades (3-25-0-0) are last in the Addison Division. They had lost 19 of their last 20. Watts, who also was associate GM, was replaced by Kurt Walsten, who had been associate GM/assistant coach.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Blazers liking Calla
From The Daily News of Friday, Nov. 23, 2007. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers have won six of seven games since making a coaching
change and a trade.
So, inquiring minds want to know, what has made the difference?
The players will tell you a lot of the reason for the team’s recent success
has to do with the arrival of right-winger Brady Calla. And who would have
thought that a 19-year-old from, yes, Kelowna would have a whole lot to do
with resuscitating the Blazers?
Acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors for defenceman Keaton Ellerby, 19 — if
either player returns as a 20-year-old a fourth-round bantam draft pick also
will change hands — Calla has played a pivotal role in getting the Blazers’
train back on track.
“Brady has brought everything,” offers veteran defenceman Victor Bartley.
“He brings leadership, work ethic and the greatest attitude. He’s just one
of those guys who loves to be at the rink every day. He comes here at 10
o’clock and he stays here. Most guys go for lunch, he stays here and
stretches . . . goes in the cold tub. He just loves to be here.
“And he’s a great team guy.”
Colin (Toledo) Robinson, who as the club’s trainer has his thumb on the
team’s pulse, just nods his head.
“He’s a professional,” Robinson says of Calla. “He takes such a professional
approach to preparing.”
“He is (a professional),” Bartley agrees. “He gets ready like a
professional. He’s usually one of the first guys here. He stretches every
day. He’s icing his groins. He’s on the bike. He’s always trying to get
better.”
For that, Calla says he can thank Kevin Constantine and the Everett
Silvertips. An expansion team in 2003-04, they selected Calla in the fourth
round, 61st overall, of the 2003 bantam draft, the first one in which they
participated. He went on to play 166 regular-season and 22 playoff games
with Everett before general manager Doug Soetaert dealt him to the Warriors.
A source has said that Calla was traded to free him from then-head coach
Kevin Constantine, something Calla denies.
“He was hard on all players,” Calla says. “It just came down to numbers and
I wasn’t playing the amount I wanted to and I asked for a trade. But that’s
a great organization and I’ve got nothing but good things to say about them.
It just worked out that I couldn’t get the amount of ice time I needed to
give myself a chance to be in the NHL one day.
“Kevin Constantine . . . he was another person who helped me get drafted by
the NHL.”
Calla was selected 73rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s 2006
draft. Yes, those same Panthers used the 10th pick of the 2007 draft on
Ellerby. So the two may end up as teammates at some point down the road.
It was on Dec. 12 when Soetaert sent Calla, defenceman Cody Thoring and a
2008 sixth-round bantam pick to Moose Jaw for defenceman Jesse Zetariuk and
right-winger Carter Smith.
The Warriors, who had reached the WHL final the previous spring, were
struggling.
“It’s the same situation here as when I was in Moose Jaw,” Calla says. “They
were struggling, same as here. The difference is that the Kamloops Blazers
have a winning tradition.”
Combine that with what Calla feels he can bring to the dance and, well,
you’ve got what fans have witnessed of late.
“I feel as a player I know how to win,” Calla explains. “I learned from all
those years I played under Kevin Constantine. I know I can bring a winning
attitude and leadership to this team in Kamloops.
“But it’s not just me . . . it’s all 23 guys in the dressing room.”
The Blazers, who are at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight, with the
Kootenay Ice here Saturday night, won for the sixth time in seven games
Tuesday as they dumped the Silvertips 6-4 in a rousing game.
And when it was over Calla, who drew three power-play assists, couldn’t stop
smiling.
“That was my first time playing them since I got traded from Everett,” he
explains. “So it was pretty special for me and kind of emotional at the same
time.”
Then, stopping to greet injured Everett centre Zack Dailey, Calla adds:
“I’ve got a lot of great friends over there. That’s a great organization
over there . . . but it was real cool . . . real nice to beat them.
“You can joke and laugh and hug and stuff off the ice. On the ice it’s no
different than any other game. You still play tough. You still hit. You have
to use aggression.
“If a guy wants to fight, you fight your friend. That’s how the game of
hockey works.”
And that’s how Calla plays the game.
p p p
JUST NOTES: Alan Caldwell at smallatlarge.blogspot.com points out that since
changing coaches and acquiring Calla for Ellerby, “the Blazers are 6-1
(.857); they were 6-9-1-1 (.412) before. They are averaging 3.57 goals for
per game and 2.25 goals against per game; they were at 2.18 goals for and
2.88 goals against before the changes. Meanwhile, Moose Jaw is 1-4-1 (.250)
since the trade and was 9-5-3-1 (.611) before it.” . . . The Blazers will be
without D Mike Gauthier, 20, for games tonight and Saturday. He has been
suspended by the WHL for two games for an unpenalized hit on Everett
Silvertips D Dane Crowley, 20, in the second period of Tuesday’s game.
Crowley dumped the puck into the Kamloops zone and cut into the middle of
the ice, where he was met by Gauthier. Crowley left with a concussion and
didn’t return. The Silvertips sent video of the hit to the WHL office and
asked for supplemental discipline, which they got yesterday.
The Kamloops Blazers have won six of seven games since making a coaching
change and a trade.
So, inquiring minds want to know, what has made the difference?
The players will tell you a lot of the reason for the team’s recent success
has to do with the arrival of right-winger Brady Calla. And who would have
thought that a 19-year-old from, yes, Kelowna would have a whole lot to do
with resuscitating the Blazers?
Acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors for defenceman Keaton Ellerby, 19 — if
either player returns as a 20-year-old a fourth-round bantam draft pick also
will change hands — Calla has played a pivotal role in getting the Blazers’
train back on track.
“Brady has brought everything,” offers veteran defenceman Victor Bartley.
“He brings leadership, work ethic and the greatest attitude. He’s just one
of those guys who loves to be at the rink every day. He comes here at 10
o’clock and he stays here. Most guys go for lunch, he stays here and
stretches . . . goes in the cold tub. He just loves to be here.
“And he’s a great team guy.”
Colin (Toledo) Robinson, who as the club’s trainer has his thumb on the
team’s pulse, just nods his head.
“He’s a professional,” Robinson says of Calla. “He takes such a professional
approach to preparing.”
“He is (a professional),” Bartley agrees. “He gets ready like a
professional. He’s usually one of the first guys here. He stretches every
day. He’s icing his groins. He’s on the bike. He’s always trying to get
better.”
For that, Calla says he can thank Kevin Constantine and the Everett
Silvertips. An expansion team in 2003-04, they selected Calla in the fourth
round, 61st overall, of the 2003 bantam draft, the first one in which they
participated. He went on to play 166 regular-season and 22 playoff games
with Everett before general manager Doug Soetaert dealt him to the Warriors.
A source has said that Calla was traded to free him from then-head coach
Kevin Constantine, something Calla denies.
“He was hard on all players,” Calla says. “It just came down to numbers and
I wasn’t playing the amount I wanted to and I asked for a trade. But that’s
a great organization and I’ve got nothing but good things to say about them.
It just worked out that I couldn’t get the amount of ice time I needed to
give myself a chance to be in the NHL one day.
“Kevin Constantine . . . he was another person who helped me get drafted by
the NHL.”
Calla was selected 73rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s 2006
draft. Yes, those same Panthers used the 10th pick of the 2007 draft on
Ellerby. So the two may end up as teammates at some point down the road.
It was on Dec. 12 when Soetaert sent Calla, defenceman Cody Thoring and a
2008 sixth-round bantam pick to Moose Jaw for defenceman Jesse Zetariuk and
right-winger Carter Smith.
The Warriors, who had reached the WHL final the previous spring, were
struggling.
“It’s the same situation here as when I was in Moose Jaw,” Calla says. “They
were struggling, same as here. The difference is that the Kamloops Blazers
have a winning tradition.”
Combine that with what Calla feels he can bring to the dance and, well,
you’ve got what fans have witnessed of late.
“I feel as a player I know how to win,” Calla explains. “I learned from all
those years I played under Kevin Constantine. I know I can bring a winning
attitude and leadership to this team in Kamloops.
“But it’s not just me . . . it’s all 23 guys in the dressing room.”
The Blazers, who are at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight, with the
Kootenay Ice here Saturday night, won for the sixth time in seven games
Tuesday as they dumped the Silvertips 6-4 in a rousing game.
And when it was over Calla, who drew three power-play assists, couldn’t stop
smiling.
“That was my first time playing them since I got traded from Everett,” he
explains. “So it was pretty special for me and kind of emotional at the same
time.”
Then, stopping to greet injured Everett centre Zack Dailey, Calla adds:
“I’ve got a lot of great friends over there. That’s a great organization
over there . . . but it was real cool . . . real nice to beat them.
“You can joke and laugh and hug and stuff off the ice. On the ice it’s no
different than any other game. You still play tough. You still hit. You have
to use aggression.
“If a guy wants to fight, you fight your friend. That’s how the game of
hockey works.”
And that’s how Calla plays the game.
p p p
JUST NOTES: Alan Caldwell at smallatlarge.blogspot.com points out that since
changing coaches and acquiring Calla for Ellerby, “the Blazers are 6-1
(.857); they were 6-9-1-1 (.412) before. They are averaging 3.57 goals for
per game and 2.25 goals against per game; they were at 2.18 goals for and
2.88 goals against before the changes. Meanwhile, Moose Jaw is 1-4-1 (.250)
since the trade and was 9-5-3-1 (.611) before it.” . . . The Blazers will be
without D Mike Gauthier, 20, for games tonight and Saturday. He has been
suspended by the WHL for two games for an unpenalized hit on Everett
Silvertips D Dane Crowley, 20, in the second period of Tuesday’s game.
Crowley dumped the puck into the Kamloops zone and cut into the middle of
the ice, where he was met by Gauthier. Crowley left with a concussion and
didn’t return. The Silvertips sent video of the hit to the WHL office and
asked for supplemental discipline, which they got yesterday.
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