Wednesday notes. . . .

The Regina Pats have been fined $500 after being involved in their third multiple-fight situation — ahh, that’s league-speak for line brawl — of the season Sunday in Saskatoon. The Blades donated $250 to the cause as it was their second line brawl. . . . Regina LW Troy Ofukany served a one-game suspension for a hit from behind on Saskatoon D Teigan Zahn in that game. . . . Ofukany, by the way, is from Kamloops and there are strong rumours that he is headed to the Blazers in a swap that will involve Kamloops D Ryan Bender, a fifth-year player who is the team captain. . . .

On the subject of captains, the Kelowna Rockets will be without their captain, LW James McEwan, indefinitely. It turns out he suffered two severed tendons in a Saturday scrap with LW Garet Hunt of the Vancouver Giants. McEwan underwent surgery in Vancouver on Sunday after being cut across the left wrist by one of Hunt’s skates. . . . It is the fourth time this season that McEwan has been injured. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers are continuing to remake their front office. . . . On Wednesday, they named Brian Fortin the general manager for the duration of this season. Fortin, a long-time Blazers scout, had been interim director of hockey operations following the firing of GM/head coach Dean Clark. . . . As well, the Blazers named former WHL/NHL goaltender Steve Passmore as their goaltender coach. He replaces Larry Robinson, who was hired by Clark last season and who commuted from Kelowna for spend time with the Blazers. Passmore has been working with the junior B Kamloops Storm, alongside head coach Ed Patterson, a position with which he will continue. . . .

The knee injury suffered by Kootenay Ice C Steve Da Silva isn’t as bad as originally thought. He was hurt Saturday in a 1-0 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane and missed Monday’s 5-2 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. He is expected to be back in the lineup this weekend. . . .

And how about a tip of the cap to Kootenay C Tylan Stephens. He took a stick to the mouth on Friday — it was teammate Kevin King’s twig that hit him after a missed check — and lost four teeth. Stephens didn’t miss a game, though, and was back on the ice for Saturday’s victory in Spokane. . . .

Garth MacBeth, our man with both eyes on the European scene, reports that former Kelowna F Tomas Oravec has signed with Stjernen of the Norwegian Elitserien for the rest of this season. Oravec started the season with Banska Bystrica in Slovakia’s Division 1. . . .

Former Brandon Wheat Kings LW Mark Derlago, who led the WHL in scoring last season, has been honoured by the Brandon Sun as the 50th winner of the prestigious H.L. (Krug) Crawford Memorial Award, emblematic of sporting excellence in southwestern Manitoba. Derlago, then 20, scored 46 goals last season to lead the WHL. The Wheat Kings’ rookie of the year for 2003-04, he sat out the 2004-05 season after suffering a broken neck in an exhibition game. . . . Derlago, a nephew of former Wheat Kings sniper Bill Derlago, now is with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors.