Here’s a look at fines paid by teams this season, showing number of fines and total amount paid:
Regina 8/$4,500
Saskatoon 6/$3,500
Moose Jaw 3/$3,250
Portland 4/$1,000
Edmonton 2/$750
Lethbridge 1/$500
Brandon 1/$250
Chilliwack 1/$250
Everett 1/$250
Medicine Hat 1/$250
Prince George 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
TOTALS 31/$15,250
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WHL GOALTENDERS WITH 40 VICTORIES IN ONE SEASON:
49:
Glen Hanlon, Brandon, 1976-77
48:
Corey Hirsch, Kamloops, 1989-90
Grant Fuhr, Victoria, 1980-81
47:
Trevor Kruger, Swift Current, 1988-89
46:
Chet Pickard, Tri-City, 2007-08
Milan Hnilicka, Swift Current, 1992-93
45:
Bart Hunter, Regina, 1979-80
44:
Kelly Guard, Kelowna, 2003-04
Tim Cheveldae, Saskatoon, 1987-88
43:
Tyson Sexsmith, Vancouver, 2007-08
42:
Matt Keetley, Medicine Hat, 2006-07
Matt Keetley, Medicine Hat, 2005-06
David Lemanowicz, Spokane, 1995-96
41:
Norm Maracle, Saskatoon, 1993-94
Travis Laycock, Prince Albert, 1991-92
40:
Kevin Nastiuk, Medicine Hat, 2003-04
Cam Ward, Red Deer, 2002-03
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WITH ONE DAY LEFT:
It’s doubtful if so much has ever been decided in one evening. . . . Going into Saturday night, hardly anything was determined in terms of first-round matchups. When the teams put the gear away at night’s end, everything had been settled except for home-ice advantage in one series. Here’s a look at how it unfolded (x – guaranteed to finish there):
Eastern Conference
x-1. Calgary (finished first; will play Moose Jaw)
x-2. Regina (East Division champ so is second seed; will play Swift Current)
x-3. Lethbridge (one game left but will finish third and play Brandon)
4. Medicine Hat, 93 points (no games left)
5. Kootenay, 92 (needs to win Sunday in Calgary to finish fourth and have home-ice advantage in first round against Medicine Hat)
x-6. Brandon (will play Lethbridge)
x-7. Swift Current (will play Regina)
x-8. Moose Jaw (will play Calgary)
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Western Conference
x-1. Tri-City (clinched first-place overall, will play Kamloops)
x-2. Vancouver (opens against Chilliwack)
x-3. Spokane (will play Everett in 2-3-2 format as NCAA Division I women’s basketball regional is booked into Chiefs’ facility)
x-4. Seattle (will open against Kelowna)
x-5. Kelowna (gets Seattle in first round)
x-6. Everett (off to Spokane for Friday)
x-7. Chilliwack (gets the Giants in first round for second straight season)
x-8. Kamloops (opens against the Americans in Kennewick on Friday)
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The Everett Silvertips were without F Kyle Beach and D Jon Harty on Saturday night. Both players drew one-game suspensions out of a loss to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday night. The Silvertips also were fined $250 for becoming involved in their second line brawl of the season. . . . Beach picked up a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct, thus his
suspension. Harty got tossed from that game and it was his third game misconduct of the season, so his suspension was of the automatic variety. . . .
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SATURDAY IN THE WHL:
In Kennewick, Wash., the Americans opened up a 2-0 lead and hung on for a 2-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Americans (52-16-2-2) won their last five games to win the WHL’s overall points title. . . . The Chiefs (50-15-1-5) had an eight-game winning streak snapped. They had won three times in Kennewick this season. . . . The Americans, who had never won even one banner in their history, wrapped up the U.S. Division pennant, the Western Conference flag and first place overall, meaning they get the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. . . . The Toyota Center was sold out (5,969). . . . Tri-City G Chet Pickard stopped 28 shots to earn his 46th victory of the season. Only four goaltenders in WHL history have won more games in one season. . . . F Blair Macaulay, who was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades last summer, got the game’s first goal at 9:12 of the first period. D T.J. Fast made it 2-0 at 12:18 of the second period on the PP. . . . F Judd Blackwater scored for Spokane, getting the Chiefs to within one in the third period. . . . Spokane, with the WHL’s top-ranked PP unit, was 0-for-3, including a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:30; the Americans were 1-for-3. . . . Tri-City LW Colton Yellow Horn didn’t score, so finished the season with a WHL-high 48 goals. . . . Pickard finished 46-12-4-0. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 27 shots. He went 30-10-3-0. . . . The Chiefs conclude their season against the Winter Hawks in Portland on Sunday. A victory would give the Chiefs 108 points, the same as the Americans. But the Americans would have more victories – 52-51 – and that would be the tiebreaker. . . . Should Spokane win Sunday it would set a franchise single-season record with 51 victories, one more than the 1995-96 edition put up. . . . The Americans handed out some awards after the game. Yellow Horn and Pickard were named co-MVPs. Part of the postgame celebrations included an appearance by members of the Blackfoot Nation, the Alberta tribe to which Yellow Horn belongs. Several were in full ceremonial dress. . . . That would have been a post-game party worth seeing. . . .
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In Cranbrook, the Calgary Hitmen blanked the Kootenay Ice 4-0 to clinch first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. . . . The Hitmen (46-20-1-4) will open the playoffs against the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice (42-21-5-3) hadn’t lost in regulation time in 11 games (9-0-1-1). Kootenay has one game left and with a victory would finish fourth in the Eastern Conference which would mean home-ice advantage in a first-round series with the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . . F Brock Nixon scored the game’s first goal on the PP at 6:11 of the first period. It was his 30th
goal of the season. . . . Calgary G Dan Spence, who is 5-0 against the Ice this season, stopped 28 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and 11th of his career. . . . Calgary had a 43-28 edge in shots. . . . Calgary was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-4. . . . The Hitmen are 6-1 against the Ice this season. . . . Kootenay G Kris Lazaruk was tremendous in making 39 saves. . . .
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In Brandon, F Jay Fehr scored on a breakaway with 23 seconds left to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Wheat Kings (42-24-3-3) will finish sixth in the Eastern Conference and will face Lethbridge. They are 3-0-0-1 in their last four games. . . . The Pats (44-22-4-2) won the East Division pennant and are the conference’s second seed. They get Swift Current in the first round. . . . Regina went into this one on a six-game winning streak. . . . Fehr scored the winner moments after Regina C Jordan Eberle failed to score on a breakaway. . . . Regina F Kirt Hill tied the game 2-2 just 36 seconds before Fehr got the winner. . . . Attendance was 5,498 as the Wheat Kings came within 231 fans of breaking the attendance record they set last season. . . . Brandon G Joe Caligiuri stopped 23 shots to earn his 30th victory of the season. . . . Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon’s head coach, earned his 200th WHL coaching victory. . . .
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In Chilliwack, F Mark Santorelli set up three goals to leave the Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . With 99 points, Santorelli, who has one game left, is one point behind Kelowna Rockets C Colin Long, who wrapped up his regular season Saturday. The Bruins play the Giants in Vancouver on Sunday, but Bruins head coach Jim Hiller has said he may rest some players and one of those sitting might be Santorelli. . . . The Bruins (28-34-4-5) will finish seventh in the Western Conference and play the B.C. Division-champion Giants in the first round. . . . The Silvertips (39-29-0-3), who have lost four in a row, will finish sixth and meet the Spokane Chiefs in the opening round. . . . The Silvertips complete their regular season Sunday in Seattle against the Thunderbirds. . . . Chilliwack G Mark Friesen stopped 28 shots. . . . Looking ahead to the first round, Chilliwack has lost seven in a row to Vancouver and has scored only five goals in those games. . . . Chilliwack was 4-for-11 on the PP. . . . Bruins RW Evan Pighin scored twice. He has 22 goals this season, as does D Nick Holden, who scored once. . . . Everett was 0-for-6 on the PP. . . . C Zack Dailey had Everett’s lone goal, scoring late in the third period. . . .
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In Kamloops, C Casey Pierro-Zabotel’s PP goal at 11:26 of the third period broke a 1-1 tie and the Vancouver Giants went on to a 3-1 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Giants (48-15-2-6), who set a franchise record with their 48th victory, will be the Western Conference’s second seed and
will open against the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Blazers (27-40-2-2) will finish eighth and will open in Kennewick, Wash., against the first-place Tri-City Americans. . . . Kamloops is 16-17-1-1 at home after being 27-7-2-0 last season. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, who played his minor hockey in Kamloops, scored from a wild scramble in the Kamloops crease area. . . . Kamloops G Justin Leclerc kept this one close with 40 saves. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 16 shots in putting up his 43rd victory of the season. . . . The Giants were 1-for-10 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-for-4. . . . Kamloops took 68 of 124 penalty minutes. . . . The Giants won seven of eight games with the Blazers. . . . The Giants will celebrate minority owner Gordie Howe’s 80th birthday today when the entertain the Bruins. Among the celebrities to appear will be Jean Beliveau and Marcel Dionne. And rumour has it that Wayne Gretzky, whose Phoenix Coyotes meet the Canucks in Vancouver on Monday, may put in an appearance. . . .
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In Kelowna, LW Jamie Benn scored two goals to lead the Rockets to a 6-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Rockets (38-26-2-6) finished fifth in the Western Conference and will meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round. . . . The Cougars (19-48-1-3) have lost three straight. . . . Kelowna C Colin Long had two assists, upping his WHL-leading point total to 100. He has a one-point lead over Chilliwack Bruins F Mark Santorelli, who finishes up Sunday in Vancouver against the Giants. . . . A member of the Rockets has never won the WHL scoring title. . . . Long had 28 points last season. . . . Benn, who has 33 goals in his rookie season, has scored four times in three games after returning from a 17-game absence thanks to an ankle injury. . . . Kelowna lead 4-0 before the game was 12 minutes old. . . . Prince George captain Greg Gardner scored his 23rd goal and set a franchise career record for most games played (337). The previous record was held by Chris Falloon. . . . The Cougars close other their season Sunday in Kamloops against the Blazers. . . . Attendance was 6,128, the Rockets’ 156th consecutive sellout. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, F Colton Sceviour’s two goals led the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 5-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Hurricanes (44-21-5-2) had lost their last two games. They will finish third in the Western Conference and play the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round. . . . The Tigers (43-22-2-4) had a five-game winning streak snapped. They will wind up fourth or fifth in the conference and will meet the Kootenay Ice in the first round. . . . . The Tigers went 5-1-1-1 against Lethbridge this season. . . . Sceviour has 33 goals this season. . . . The key goal may have been a shorthanded marker by Lethbridge’s Mitch Fadden, his 34th goal of the season, that gave the visitors a 3-1 lead late in the second period. . . . Fadden also had two assists. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola stopped 32 shots as he won his 20th game. . . . Lethbridge was 2-for-4 on the PP; Medicine Hat went 1-for-11. . . .
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In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings wrapped up their expansion season with a 6-3 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Oil Kings (22-38-4-7), who complete their first season Sunday in Lethbridge, bet the Rebels 5-1 on Friday in Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings finished 11th in the Eastern Conference, 12 points ahead of the Rebels (18-47-4-3), who lost their last six games. . . . Edmonton was 4-for-8 on the PP; the Rebels were 1-for-7. . . . F Brett Breitkreuz had a goal and two assists for the Oil Kings. . . . Red Deer G Morgan Clark took the loss, his 30th setback of the season. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Justin Bernhardt scored in the circus to give the Prince Albert Raiders a 2-1 victory over the Blades. . . . The Raiders (26-41-3-1) had lost their last three games. They finish 10th in the 12-team Eastern Conference. . . . The Blades (29-34-3-6) wound up ninth after a strong finish. They went 5-0-0-2 in their last seven games. . . . Saskatoon F Curtis Hamilton forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 15:20 of the second period. Hamilton finished his season with 14 goals. . . . Prince Albert G Dustin Butler, 20, wound up his WHL career with 33 saves and he turned aside all three Saskatoon shooters in the circus. . . . Saskatoon C Chris Durand, who has used up his WHL eligibility, will join the AHL’s Manitoba Moose on a tryout basis Monday. . . .
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In Seattle, F Bud Holloway scored three goals and set up another to lead the Thunderbirds to an 8-2 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . The Thunderbirds (41-23-5-2) have won 10 of their last 13 games and will finish fourth in the Western Conference. They will play the Kelowna Rockets in the first round. . . . Seattle went 11-1 against Portland this season. . . . The Winter Hawks (10-58-2-1) have lost 25 of their last 26 games. . . . Holloway has 42 goals this season after totaling 27 last season. . . . Seattle F Greg Scott drew four assists, while C Jim O’Brien got his 20th goal. . . . Seattle D Brad Haber scored his first WHL goal. . . . Portland D Dan Johnston, the 104th pick in the 2007 bantam draft, counted his first WHL goal on a third-period PP. . . .
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In Swift Current, the Moose Jaw Warriors opened a 5-2 lead and hung on for a 5-4 victory over the Broncos. . . . The Warriors (37-21-6-8) finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and will play Calgary in the first round. . . . The Broncos (41-24-1-6) won 40 games for the first time since they put up 42 victories in 2001-02. They wound up seventh in the conference and will play Regina. . . . Swift Current F Geordie Wudrick scored his 20th goal, giving the Broncos seven 20-goal scorers. F Matt Tassone finished with 19 goals. . . . The Broncos wound up 6-1-0-1 against the Warriors. . . . F Jordan Knackstedt scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 31 on the season. . . . The Broncos also got two goals from F Keegan Dansereau. . . . D Ty Wishart set up three goals for Moose Jaw.
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