Friday's notes, quotes and anecdotes. . .

The Saskatoon Blades have announced that C Colton Gillies has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild, who selected him 16th overall in the NHL's 2007 draft. The contract kicks in next season. In the meantime, Gillies, 19, is on a tryout agreement with the AHL's Houston Aeros. . . . Next season, Gillies, who had 47 points in 58 games with Saskatoon, will either play for the Wild or the Blades; he will still be too young to be assigned to the minors. . . . In case WHL players wonder how important the stretch run us, consider that Gillies got a contract after totaling 16 points in the last 11 games for a team that wasn’t going to make the playoffs. . . . The Wild doesn’t seem likely to sign Saskatoon LW Ondrej Fiala, 20. He was the 40th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft. . . .
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The Chilliwack Bruins have announced that D Nick Holden, 20, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. Holden, an undrafted free agent, was the Bruins’ captain. He has used up his WHL eligibility. This season, he had 60 points, including 22 goals. He led WHL defencemen in goals. Holden is to report to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch next week. . . .
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Two members of the Kamloops Blazers are joining AHL teams. D Nick Ross, a first-round pick of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes in 2007, will report to the San Antonio Rampage. Ross was with the Regina Pats when he was drafted. . . . RW Brady Calla is off to join the Rochester Americans. Calla was a third-round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2006 when he was with the Everett Silvertips. . . .
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The folks at Shaw report that they have three Game 7s on their radar — one on Monday (Brandon at Lethbridge) and two on Tuesday (Kootenay at Medicine Hat and Moose Jaw at Calgary). . . . I am hoping for Game 7 in Calgary. That game would be played in the Calgary Corral, a facility that contains more history than you can imagine. . . . Shaw also will pick up another series when the second round begins April 4. . . .
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THE MacBETH REPORT: Garth MacBeth, who watches the European scene on our behalf, reports that former Kamloops D Micki DuPont and former Regina C Josh Holden have signed one-year contracts with Zug in the Swiss National League A. . . . DuPont had 43 points, including 10 goals, in 65 games with Peoria (AHL) this season. . . . Holden played for Langnau in the Swiss National League A this season, finishing second in league scoring with 43 points, including 26 goals, in 48 games. . . . Zug will be coached by current Finnish national team head coach (and former AHL coach) Doug Shedden.
And there’s more on the Jere Karalahti case. “The prosecution has filed a criminal complaint against Pentti Matikainen, the former GM and managing director of Karalahti’s old club (HIFK Helsinki) and former national team head coach,” MacBeth reports. “Police have been ordered to investigate whether or not HIFK money has been used for financing of Karalahti’s drug deals. Matikainen was called as a witness in Karalahti’s trial and denies having lied in his testimony.”
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C Jacob Dietrich’s professional career is off to quite a start with the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. You can read about it here. . . .
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When the Seattle Thunderbirds meet host Kelowna in Game 6 tonight, the Rockets will be without LW James McEwan, their captain, who has been suspended for one game. McEwan initiated contact with Seattle G Riku Helenius at the final buzzer of the Thunderbirds’ 6-2 victory on Thursday. “I don’t agree with it. Maybe they were just trying to send a message to
me,” McEwan told Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier. “But I don’t know; all I did really was give him a push. I don’t think it’s worth one game, especially when there’s a lot on the line. It’s going to be pretty tough sitting and watching; it’s a must-win, and I have confidence that we’re going to win it, but I want to be there battling, too. “I don’t think it’s (worth a) one-game (suspension). It was a push, to say the least, and I think he embellished it quite a bit.” . . . Seattle takes a 3-2 lead into Saturday’s game. . . . A seventh game, if needed, would be played Tuesday in Seattle. . . . Potenteau points out that prior to Thursday’s loss Kelowna had won six straight playoff games in Key Arena. . . .
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FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE WHL:
The Brandon Wheat Kings and Lethbridge Hurricanes are headed back to Alberta to decide their first-round series. D Matt McCue, a trade-deadline acquisition from the Chilliwack Bruins, scored his first goal of the series at 6:48 of OT to give Brandon a 4-3 victory. This series, in which Lethbridge won the first two games, is following a 2-3-2 format, so goes back to Lethbridge for Game 6 on Sunday. A seventh game, if needed, will be played on Monday. . . . Lethbridge D Luca Sbisa forced OT with a goal at 19:33 of the third period. . . . Lethbridge had a 35-26 edge in shots. . . . Attendance was 3,800. . . . Only once in WHL history has a team won a series after losing the first three games. In the spring of 1996, the Spokane Chiefs rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Portland Winter Hawks. The Chiefs won Game 7 at home, meaning the Wheat Kings are trying to become the first team in WHL history to rally from a 3-0 deficit by winning the last two on the road. . . .
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The defending-champion Medicine Hat Tigers bowed out of the playoffs, thanks to a 3-1 home-ice loss to the Kootenay Ice, which won the series, 4-1. . . . The Ice got off to a winning start on first-period goals from F Dustin Sylvester (shorthanded) and Tylan Stephens. . . . Attendance was 3,788. . . . LW Kevin Undershute, who was traded by Medicine Hat to the Portland Winter Hawks and then had his final WHL season ended by a shoulder injury, was keeping stats for the Tigers. . . .
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The visiting Moose Jaw Warriors staved off elimination with a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Jason Bast scored three times for the Warriors, the last one into an empty net. . . . Bast got the Warriors rolling with two PP goals 68 seconds part in the first period as the Hitmen took five straight minors. . . . F Riley Holzapfel had three assists for the Warriors, who got 43 saves from G Joey Perricone. . . . The Warriors were 3-for-7 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 8,949. . . . Calgary holds a 3-2 lead with Game 6 in Moose Jaw on Sunday. . . . The Hitmen are 5-0 in Moose Jaw this season. . . . A seventh game, if needed, would be played in the Calgary Corral on Tuesday. . . .
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The Swift Current Broncos broke a 3-3 tie with three third-period goals as they beat the Pats in Regina, 6-3. . . . The Broncos hold a 3-2 lead with Game 6 in Swift Current on Saturday . . . . If needed, a seventh game would be played Tuesday in Regina. . . . Broncos F Levi Nelson scored at 10:22 and 12:36 of the third period to give the visitors a 5-3 lead. . . . Swift Current was 1-for-6 on the PP; the Pats were 1-for-10 and surrendered two shorthanded goals. . . . Broncos D Michael Wilson returned after missing three game with a concussion. . . . Regina F Brett Leffler returned from the three-game suspension he received for a Game 1 hit on Wilson. . . . Attendance was 6,137. . . . Swift Current lost F Erik Felde early in the third period. He left on a stretcher with an apparent knee injury after blocking a shot by Regina C Tim Kraus. . . .
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In Everett, C Mitch Wahl’s goal at 12:21 of OT gave the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips and a sweep of their first-round series. . . . Spokane outscored Everett 16-6 in the four games. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski made 33 saves. . . . Everett sat G Leland Irving and went with rookie Shayne Barrie, who made 32 saves. . . . Everett D Jon Harty forced OT with a PP goal at 19:05 of the third period. . . . Everett lost its last five games of the regular season so finished up with nine straight losses. . . . The Chiefs will meet the Vancouver Giants in the second round. Spokane will have home-ice advantage as teams are reseeded by regular-season points for the second round. . . . The Western Conference’s other semifinal will feature the Tri-City Americans against Seattle or Kelowna. . . . The Spokane-Vancouver seasons opens with Games 1 and 2 in Spokane on April 4 and April 6. Games 3, 4 and, if needed, 5 will be played in Vancouver on April 9, 11 and 12. Games 6 and 7 would be played in Spokane on April 14 and 15.