The auditors have arrived! The auditors have arrived! . . . Well, it’s not quite a movie, but the gang from KPMG arrived in Portland on Monday, along with Yvonne Bergmann, the WHL’s vice-president operations. . . . They are asking questions and checking out what’s been going on with the Winter Hawks. . . . Gotta think the job will be a little tougher than it might have been had the Portland owners not fired the finance director in last week’s purge of front-office folks. . . .
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The BCHL’s Powell River Kings announced this week that they have received commitments for next season from F Cole Pruden and D Matt Bodie, two players off the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. The Manitoba-champion Thrashers enjoyed a 40-0-0 regular season during which they scored 268 goals and allowed only 43. They are headed for nationals (Arnprior, Ont., April 22-27) with a 47-1 record. . . . Both are 1990-born players. . . . Pruden will go to camp with the Tri-City Americans. If Pruden, who is best friends with Tri-City D Tyler Schmidt, doesn’t stick there, he will go to Powell River. . . . Pruden, 6-foot-0 and 170 pounds, had 43 points in 40 regular-season games. . . . Bodie, also 6-foot-0 and 170 pounds, is the Thrashers’ captain and a two-time all-star who had 39 points in 34 games. . . .
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The Prince Albert Raiders have signed assistant coach Craig Bedard and athletic therapist Duane Bartley to contracts that run through 2009-10 with a club option for 2010-11. Bedard joined the Raiders prior to last season, coming over from the BCHL’s Penticton Vees where he worked under Bruno Campese, now the GM/head coach in Prince Albert. Bartley is preparing for his eighth season with the Raiders. . . .
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If you’re wondering what playoff revenue means to a small-market WHL team, consider the case of the Swift Current Broncos. The Prairie Post reports that with 2,865 fans in the pews the Broncos have “netted $35,000 to $40,000 in ticket sales alone per game” in the playoffs. The newspaper adds that during Game 6 of a first-round series against the Regina Pats, “concession sales were around $7,500, compared to between $2,000 and $3,000 in regular-season games. The 50/50 for that game was $2,300, up from an average of $800. Beer sales, normally less than $3,000, were around $6,600.” . . .
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WHL scoring champ Mark Santorelli has an NHL contract in his hip pocket. Santorelli, a forward with the Chilliwack Bruins who had 101 points this season, has signed a three-year deal with the Nashville Predators, who selected him with the 199th pick of the 2007 NHL draft. Santorelli is to report to Nashville’s AHL affilite, the Milwaukee Admirals. . . .
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The playoffs resumed on three fronts Tuesday night. . . .
In Calgary, F Ryan White’s goal at 19:07 of the second overtime period gave the Hitmen a 6-5 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hitmen lead the series 2-1 with Games 4 and 5 in Calgary on Wednesday and Friday nights. . . . The Broncos led this one 5-2 late in the second period. . . . Calgary D Karl Alzner scored a PP goal at 19:28 of the second to spark the comeback. . . . Calgary F Brock Nixon, at 2:14 of the third, and F Ian Schultz, at 9:11, tied the game 5-5. . . . White, who has three goals in the playoffs, drew three assists as did D Keith Seabrook. . . . Nixon finished up with two goals, giving him six in these playoffs. . . . Nixon and White each was plus-3. . . . The game was delayed for about 15 minutes in the third period after a Nixon shot shattered the glass behind Broncos G Travis Yonkman. . . . Swift Current led 2-0 on early first-period goals by F Dale Weise (0:57) and F Matt Tassone (6:21). . . . Tassone had two goals on the night. . . . Calgary outshot the visitors, 62-37. . . . Broncos D Jesse Dudas (broken wrist) played for the first time since being injured in Game 2 of the first round. He is wearing a playing cast. . . . Attendance was 7,235. . . .
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In Cranbrook, the Lethbridge Hurricanes turned in a dominating performance in dumping the Kootenay Ice, 5-2. . . . The Hurricanes hold a 2-1 lead with Game 4 in Cranbrook on Wednesday night. . . . The Hurricanes outshot the host side, 51-13, meaning Kootenay G Kris Lazaruk was rather busy. . . . Lethbridge held a 17-6 edge in shots in the first period but the Ice led 1-0 on D John Negrin’s PP goal with two seconds left. . . . F Zach Boychuk and F Mitch Fadden scored PP goals in the second period to put Lethbridge out front. . . . The visitors put it away with three third-period scores. . . . F Colton Sceviour had two assists for Lethbridge, which outshot the Ice 21-3 in the third period. . . . The Hurricanes didn’t dress F Mike Wuchterl (flu). . . . Lethbridge was, uhh, 4-for-16 on the PP; the Ice was 2-for-4. . . . Kootenay took 58 of the 68 penalty minutes issued by referees Graham Skilliter and Andy Thiessen. That included a game misconduct and two misconducts late in the third period. . . . D Zach Sim, who also plays up front, returned from a knee injury for the Ice. . . . Attendance was 2,876. . . . And what did Ice head coach Mark Holick think? “"That is the worst I've seen any team play that I have coached," he told Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay NewsAdvertiser. "I'm at a loss for words, it's that bad. Thirteen shots, allow 51. Stupid, selfish penalties all night long. If it wasn't for Kris (Lazaruk) I'm scared to think how
many records would've been set tonight. Awful." . . .
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In Seattle, F Taylor Procyshen’s third-period goal broke a 2-2 tie as the Tri-City Americans beat the Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . The Americans lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Seattle on Wednesday night. . . . The Thunderbirds were without D Thomas Hickey for the second straight game. He took a knee to the head during Game 1 and hasn’t played since, although the Thunderbirds said prior to Game 2 that he had clearance to return. . . . Seattle has added D Eddie Friesen, who turns 18 on April 14. He started the season with the Everett Silvertips but played mostly in the MJHL. . . . Procyshen’s first goal of the playoffs came at 6:44 of the final period. . . . Seattle C Jim O’Brien gave his side a 1-0 lead at 3:36 of the first period when he scored on the Thunderbirds’ first shot on goal. . . . F Shaun Vey and F Adam Hughesman, from behind the Seattle goal, scored PP goals for Tri-City in the second period. . . . O’Brien forged a 2-2 tie at 14:41 of the second period with his second goal of the game and of these playoffs. . . . Tri-City held a 45-24 edge in shots, including 18-8 in the second period and 16-7 in the third, with Riku Helenius in goal for Seattle and Chet Pickard for the Americans. . . . Tri-City was 2-for-5 on the PP and now is 7-for-14 in the series. The Thunderbirds were 0-for-9 and now are 1-for-24 in the three games. . . . The Americans have scored one even-strength goal in the series.
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