By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Talk about your double whammys!
The Kamloops Blazers lost their leading sniper from last season and the lead
within moments of each other Tuesday night.
Five minutes after right-winger Kenton Dulle went to the bench, the Blazers
were down 4-1 and on their way to a 6-2 loss at the hands of the Memorial
Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs in front of 3,919 fans at Interior Savings
Centre.
The teams were 1-1 early in the second period when Dulle, who scored 21
times last season, attempted a shot from a prime scoring area to the left of
goaltender Dustin Tokarski. Dulle got off a weak shot, headed straight to
the bench and disappeared into the tunnel. He would later return.
“I tweaked my shoulder,” said Dulle, 20, who has one goal in six games. “I’m
gripping my stick too tight. It’s not happening for most guys right now. Our
confidence level isn’t where it needs to be and it’s really hurting us in
the offensive part of our game.”
Seconds after Dulle left, the Chiefs gathered up the puck and skated it up
the ice, where left-winger Levko Koper went to the deke and beat goaltender
Jon Groenheyde. The visitors now had a lead they wouldn’t surrender.
Before the period ended, the Chiefs added goals from centre Mitch Wahl, who
also had their first score and two assists, left-winger Drayson Bowman and
defenceman Stefan Ulmer.
The Chiefs (3-1-0-0) were almost methodical in taking apart the Blazers, who
are 2-3-0-1 and have lost three straight. It was like watching vultures pick
over a carcass — they make sure the beast won’t fight back and then go to
work.
The Blazers took one minor penalty, which tells you they weren’t aggressive.
And the Chiefs scored two unassisted goals and two that carried just one
assist each, so you know the Blazers were turning over the puck against a
team that is quick to capitalize.
Asked if the Chiefs had their swagger back this early in the season, Wahl,
who has nine points in four games, replied: “I think so. We’ve got
hard-working guys in there . . . it’s a good group . . . and I like our
chances.”
Wahl’s nine points have him in a tie for the WHL scoring lead with centre
Brenden Dowd, the former Blazer who now is with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Wahl
said he got a big boost yesterday from the return of Bowman, who had been
with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
“I had Drayson Bowman back on the wing so that helped me out a lot,” Wahl
said. “Tonight, obviously, we played well together. We’re back in the
groove.”
Bowman had one assist to go with his goal as he and Wahl each was plus-4.
“Those two guys are easy to play with,” offered defenceman Brett Bartman,
who was, uhh, plus-6. “They both have a tremendous amount of skill. It’s fun
to watch them.”
Which is something the Blazers did a lot of last night.
“They’re a good team. Let’s be serious,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said. “They moved the puck and we just didn’t do the right things. We were
out of sync. It’s very disappointing.
“Obviously, we try to prepare the team and tell them what they’re going to
be seeing . . . and tonight the guys thought they new better. They’ll figure
out tomorrow that they didn’t know better.”
Left-winger Dustin Donaghy scored Spokane’s last goal, while the Blazers got
power-play scores from right-winger Tyler Shattock, to tie the game 1-1 in
the opening period, and centre C.J. Stretch, who closed out the scoring at
9:58 of the third period.
The Chiefs also got a solid effort from Tokarski, the Memorial Cup MVP who
stopped 30 shots.
“He’s awesome,” Bartman said of his goaltender. “He’s really vocal. He’s
very calm. He’s definitely the guy who makes all the good saves and that’s
why we win games.”
Groenheyde turned aside 29 shots and was especially sharp in the first
period when he was beaten just once on 14 shots.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t go to pucks, we didn’t move our feet,”
Smith said. “We didn’t play the style we needed to to win.
“It wasn’t about breakneck, open it up and let them go, because we can’t
hang with that kind of a team and play an open style. We did and we see what
the results were. Jonny had no support tonight.
“That was a team effort, as bad as it was . . . nobody was good.”
JUST NOTES: Referee Andy Thiessen gave the Chiefs seven of eight minors and
one of two majors. . . . Spokane was 0-for-1 on the power play; the Blazers
were 2-for-7. . . . The Chiefs had 13 players off their Memorial
Cup-championship roster dressed for this one. Four others were scratched for
one reason or another. . . . Spokane RW Justin McCrae, 20, returned from the
camp of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, only to suffer a knee injury last
weekend against the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Blazers will practise
today and then leave Thursday for Alberta where they play in Edmonton on
Friday and meet the Hitmen in Calgary on Saturday.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Blazers box
THE SCORE
Spokane 6, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The defending Memorial Cup champions showed the home boys just how far they
have to go if they hope to reach that level. This was a real schooling in
all aspects of the game.
THE ATTENDANCE
The announced crowd count was 3,919. That is the smallest crowd to attend a
regular-season game in this facility since Feb. 18, 1993, when the Blazers
beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. In 1992-93, there were 15 crowds
smaller than 3,919. Since then there haven’t been any.
THE LEAGUE LEADERS
Kamloops LW Shayne Wiebe went into the game having scored in each of the
team’s first five games. He had a league-high six goals, but was blanked in
this one. . . . Kamloops D Giffen Nyren went in with the league lead in
assists (7) and added one to his total.
THE DEPARTED
LW Matt Wray, who turns 19 on Nov. 22, has left the Blazers. A healthy
scratch for two weekend games against the Kelowna Rockets, Wray, who is from
Qualicum Beach, wasn't happy with his playing time. He had four points and
147 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Blazers last season.
THE SUSPENSION
Kamloops D Nick Ross served Game 1 of a two-game suspension for the
interference major and game misconduct he incurred Saturday in Kelowna.
Rockets D Kyle Verdino, who was hit by Ross on the play in question, has
been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his left knee. He won't play tonight
against the visiting Everett Silvertips.
THE HEAD COACH
Spokane head coach Hardy Sauter was the Chiefs’ lead assistant coach last
season. He also is a former Chiefs defenceman. He is the son of one-time
Flin Flon Bombers toughie Mike Sauter, who also coached in the WHL, and the
nephew of former WHL GM and coach Doug Sauter.
THE PRESENTATION
The Blazers Booster Club, represented by president Joanne Burnell and
vice-president Fred Nicolson, saluted the Chiefs’ 2008 Memorial Cup
championship by presenting Spokane captain Seth Compton with a plaque in a
pregame ceremony. The fans responded with a standing ovation.
THE SCOUTS
Among the numerous scouts in attendance were Stu MacGregor and Bob Brown,
both of whom work for the Edmonton Oilers and are former Blazers general
managers.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. C Mitch Wahl, Spokane. Smooth and four points.
2. D Brett Bartman, Spokane. Plus-6. Enough said!
3. LW Drayson Bowman, Spokane. Looked like he was still in Carolina.
UP NEXT
The Blazers meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Friday and the Hitmen in
Calgary on Saturday. Kamloops next plays at home on Oct. 10 when the Prince
George Cougars are here.
Spokane 6, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The defending Memorial Cup champions showed the home boys just how far they
have to go if they hope to reach that level. This was a real schooling in
all aspects of the game.
THE ATTENDANCE
The announced crowd count was 3,919. That is the smallest crowd to attend a
regular-season game in this facility since Feb. 18, 1993, when the Blazers
beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. In 1992-93, there were 15 crowds
smaller than 3,919. Since then there haven’t been any.
THE LEAGUE LEADERS
Kamloops LW Shayne Wiebe went into the game having scored in each of the
team’s first five games. He had a league-high six goals, but was blanked in
this one. . . . Kamloops D Giffen Nyren went in with the league lead in
assists (7) and added one to his total.
THE DEPARTED
LW Matt Wray, who turns 19 on Nov. 22, has left the Blazers. A healthy
scratch for two weekend games against the Kelowna Rockets, Wray, who is from
Qualicum Beach, wasn't happy with his playing time. He had four points and
147 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Blazers last season.
THE SUSPENSION
Kamloops D Nick Ross served Game 1 of a two-game suspension for the
interference major and game misconduct he incurred Saturday in Kelowna.
Rockets D Kyle Verdino, who was hit by Ross on the play in question, has
been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his left knee. He won't play tonight
against the visiting Everett Silvertips.
THE HEAD COACH
Spokane head coach Hardy Sauter was the Chiefs’ lead assistant coach last
season. He also is a former Chiefs defenceman. He is the son of one-time
Flin Flon Bombers toughie Mike Sauter, who also coached in the WHL, and the
nephew of former WHL GM and coach Doug Sauter.
THE PRESENTATION
The Blazers Booster Club, represented by president Joanne Burnell and
vice-president Fred Nicolson, saluted the Chiefs’ 2008 Memorial Cup
championship by presenting Spokane captain Seth Compton with a plaque in a
pregame ceremony. The fans responded with a standing ovation.
THE SCOUTS
Among the numerous scouts in attendance were Stu MacGregor and Bob Brown,
both of whom work for the Edmonton Oilers and are former Blazers general
managers.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. C Mitch Wahl, Spokane. Smooth and four points.
2. D Brett Bartman, Spokane. Plus-6. Enough said!
3. LW Drayson Bowman, Spokane. Looked like he was still in Carolina.
UP NEXT
The Blazers meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Friday and the Hitmen in
Calgary on Saturday. Kamloops next plays at home on Oct. 10 when the Prince
George Cougars are here.
Tuesday . . .
The Kamloop Blazers have designated LW Matt Wray, who turns 19 on Nov. 22, for assignment. Wray had been a healthy scratch for the club’s last two games and expressed disappointment with the lack of playing time. He joined the Blazers a year ago after being cut by the Prince George Cougars and had four points and 147 penalty minutes in 43 games. The Blazers now are carrying 23 players – including eight defencemen and 13 forwards. . . . G Kraymer Barnstable, who left the Vancouver Giants last week after losing his backup spot to Jamie Tucker, has joined the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. Barnstable 18, backed up Tyson Sexsmith last season. . . . F Brent Raedeke of the Edmonton Oil Kings has signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. Raedeke, 18, attended Detroit’s camp as an undrafted free agent and earned a contract. . . . D Tyler Myers has been returned to the Kelowna Rockets by the Buffalo Sabres. Myers, 18, was a first-round selection by the Sabres in the NHL's 2008 draft. He is expected to play Wednesday against the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . The Rockets will be without D Kyle Verdino, who suffered a knee sprain in Saturday's 5-4 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers. Verdino, who turns 17 on Oct. 27, was injured when he was hit by D Nick Ross, who drew a major for interference and a game misconduct following what was an attempted hip-check. Ross was later suspended by the WHL for two games. Ross won't play tonight against the visiting Spokane Chiefs or Friday in Edmonton. Verdino could return on the weekend when the Rockets also are touring Alberta.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday . . .
F Joel Broda of the Moose Jaw Warriors is the WHL’s Boston Pizza player of the week. Broda, 18, had been in camp with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. He rejoined the Warriors and had five goals and an assist as the Warriors went 3-0 last week. . . . Kent Simpson of the Everett Silvertips is the WHL nominee as ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He beat the Portland Winter Hawks 2-0 in his first WHL start last week.
---
D Nick Ross of the Kamloops Blazers has been suspended for two games after incurring an interference major and a game misconduct in a 5-4 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday. Ross threw a hip-check on Kelowna D Kyle Verdino in the second period. Verdino came out of it with a knee injury. . . . Ross won’t play Tuesday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs or Friday in Edmonton against the Oil Kings.
---
The Seattle Thunderbirds have claimed F Chris Cloud, 20, off waivers from the Vancouver Giants. And guess who the Thunderbirds play on Friday? Yes, they are to visit Vancouver. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that “the Giants did get trade offers for Cloud, reportedly from the Chilliwack Bruins and Saskatoon Blades, but nothing could be worked out.” The Giants will go with LW Casey Pierro-Zabotel and two defencemen – Mike Berube and Craig Schira – as their three 20-year olds. . . . The Thunderbirds appear to have dropped F Ashton Hewson, whose name no longer appears on their roster on the WHL website, while hanging on to LW Devon Leblanc and C Jared Jagow as their other 20-year-olds. . . . WHL teams have until Oct. 16 to get down to three 20-year-old players.
---
The Spokane Chiefs have assigned G Alex Wright, 18, to the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. The Chiefs had acquired his rights from the Prince George Cougars on Aug. 28, for an undisclosed conditional bantam draft pick. . . . The move leaves the Chiefs with veteran Dustin Tokarski, 19, and James Reid, who turns 18 on Dec. 15.
---
F Matt Fraser of the Kootenay Ice suffered a separated shoulder in Friday’s 3-1 victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. He will miss a couple of weeks.
---
D Travis Ehrhardt of the Portland Winter Hawks has had his suspension set at two games. He was suspended for a hit on RW Matt Ius of the Everett Silvertips on Friday night.
---
Let’s say good night with a look at Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Rob Sumner in action on Friday night, just in case you wondered why the WHL Department of Justice relieved him of $500 on Saturday. Check it out right here.
---
D Nick Ross of the Kamloops Blazers has been suspended for two games after incurring an interference major and a game misconduct in a 5-4 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday. Ross threw a hip-check on Kelowna D Kyle Verdino in the second period. Verdino came out of it with a knee injury. . . . Ross won’t play Tuesday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs or Friday in Edmonton against the Oil Kings.
---
The Seattle Thunderbirds have claimed F Chris Cloud, 20, off waivers from the Vancouver Giants. And guess who the Thunderbirds play on Friday? Yes, they are to visit Vancouver. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that “the Giants did get trade offers for Cloud, reportedly from the Chilliwack Bruins and Saskatoon Blades, but nothing could be worked out.” The Giants will go with LW Casey Pierro-Zabotel and two defencemen – Mike Berube and Craig Schira – as their three 20-year olds. . . . The Thunderbirds appear to have dropped F Ashton Hewson, whose name no longer appears on their roster on the WHL website, while hanging on to LW Devon Leblanc and C Jared Jagow as their other 20-year-olds. . . . WHL teams have until Oct. 16 to get down to three 20-year-old players.
---
The Spokane Chiefs have assigned G Alex Wright, 18, to the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. The Chiefs had acquired his rights from the Prince George Cougars on Aug. 28, for an undisclosed conditional bantam draft pick. . . . The move leaves the Chiefs with veteran Dustin Tokarski, 19, and James Reid, who turns 18 on Dec. 15.
---
F Matt Fraser of the Kootenay Ice suffered a separated shoulder in Friday’s 3-1 victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. He will miss a couple of weeks.
---
D Travis Ehrhardt of the Portland Winter Hawks has had his suspension set at two games. He was suspended for a hit on RW Matt Ius of the Everett Silvertips on Friday night.
---
Let’s say good night with a look at Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Rob Sumner in action on Friday night, just in case you wondered why the WHL Department of Justice relieved him of $500 on Saturday. Check it out right here.
Priestner off to Brandon
By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
James Priestner admits that, once or twice over the last five days, he was a little worried.
Worried that he might not play another WHL game this season. Worried that he might have to wait around his Edmonton home for a few more days. Worried that there might not be another WHL team that wanted him.
Those worries turned out to be unfounded as Priestner, a 17-year-old goaltender, was traded Monday from the Kamloops Blazers to the Brandon Wheat Kings for a third-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft.
“I was pretty frustrated — I didn't know what was happening,” said Priestner, who went home on Wednesday to await a deal. “I didn't know if the deal fell through.
“It was relieving to hear this morning that the deal had been made and I could get on the road and on my way.”
Priestner knew a deal would be coming, and likely with the Wheat Kings. He just thought things would be done a little more quickly.
“I had been told about five times it would be the next day, the next day,” said Priestner, who was to stay in Regina last night before heading to Brandon this morning. “I thought I would be home a day or two tops.”
Kamloops is scheduled to play host to the Spokane Chiefs tonight, 7 o'clock, at Interior Savings Centre. The move leaves the Blazers with Justin Leclerc and backup Jon Groenheyde as their goaltender.
“When teams were looking at James, they were looking at his potential,” said Blazers general manager Craig Bonner. “He played last season, but he's still kind of unknown.”
The trade brought to an end a tumultuous career with the Blazers for Priestner. A second-round pick (31st overall) in the 2006 bantam draft, Priestner played one game as a 15-year-old before going 6-12-0-1 with a 3.41 GAA, .873 save percentage and two shutouts in 2007-08.
But his name will always be linked to his father's unsuccessful attempt to purchase the Blazers in the summer of 2007. Mike Priestner's bid came at the same time as River City Hockey — a group that comprises Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi, who is the majority owner, and former Blazers players Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor — made an offer.
The Blazers shareholders eventually voted to sell their assets to RCH. Less than a year after the sale went through, James Priestner was shipped as far away as the Blazers could send him.
“It probably had something to do with it,” Priestner said. “I'm sure that played a part, but I tried to stay out of that. That was my dad's decision, not mine.
“I don't know if that had a huge effect on me — maybe it did — but I'm just there to play hockey.”
Priestner entered the season with plenty of optimism — he had made a minor change to his game late last season and posted a 2.64 GAA and a .917 save percentage in his last six games. During that time, he posted a 35-shot shutout in a 1-0 victory over the host Prince George Cougars on March 8, which was the Blazers' only victory in their last 19 games.
When this season came around, Groenheyde, a 17-year-old who allowed only two goals and won his only start with the Blazers last season, had moved past him.
“We had three guys fighting for two jobs and they all played well in exhibition,” Bonner said. “That made it tougher. We thought the best fit for us was to go with Jon and Justin — James was the odd man out.”
Whatever happened over the last season and a bit, Priestner has already forgotten. While driving near Lloydminster yesterday, he talked about the potential of the Wheat Kings (2-2-0), who were picked as a favourite prior to the season.
“This season, from everything I've heard, we could do a lot of damage,” Priestner said. “That's what I'm looking forward to.
“Hopefully we can do well in playoffs.”
p p p
D Nick Ross has been suspended two games by the WHL.
Ross was suspended for an attempted hip check during Saturday's 5-4 loss to the host Kelowna Rockets that resulted in Rockets D Kyle Verdino suffering a left-knee injury.
The game's referees, Matt Kirk and Colby Smith, thought the play was dangerous, as did WHL vice president Richard Doerksen. Ross disagreed.
“I'm pretty sure there's at least a second and a half where you're allowed to hit a guy,” Ross said after the game. “I didn't leave my feet or anything so I thought it was clean. I stood my ground and I stood up after so it's not like I went lower than I could have. I tried to stay high. I felt his hip on my hip.
“It's a tough break that I got somebody's knee.”
Ross will miss tonight's game against the Chiefs, as well as Friday's contest when the Blazers are in Edmonton to take on the Oil Kings. He is eligible to return against the Hitmen in Calgary on Saturday.
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Reporter
James Priestner admits that, once or twice over the last five days, he was a little worried.
Worried that he might not play another WHL game this season. Worried that he might have to wait around his Edmonton home for a few more days. Worried that there might not be another WHL team that wanted him.
Those worries turned out to be unfounded as Priestner, a 17-year-old goaltender, was traded Monday from the Kamloops Blazers to the Brandon Wheat Kings for a third-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft.
“I was pretty frustrated — I didn't know what was happening,” said Priestner, who went home on Wednesday to await a deal. “I didn't know if the deal fell through.
“It was relieving to hear this morning that the deal had been made and I could get on the road and on my way.”
Priestner knew a deal would be coming, and likely with the Wheat Kings. He just thought things would be done a little more quickly.
“I had been told about five times it would be the next day, the next day,” said Priestner, who was to stay in Regina last night before heading to Brandon this morning. “I thought I would be home a day or two tops.”
Kamloops is scheduled to play host to the Spokane Chiefs tonight, 7 o'clock, at Interior Savings Centre. The move leaves the Blazers with Justin Leclerc and backup Jon Groenheyde as their goaltender.
“When teams were looking at James, they were looking at his potential,” said Blazers general manager Craig Bonner. “He played last season, but he's still kind of unknown.”
The trade brought to an end a tumultuous career with the Blazers for Priestner. A second-round pick (31st overall) in the 2006 bantam draft, Priestner played one game as a 15-year-old before going 6-12-0-1 with a 3.41 GAA, .873 save percentage and two shutouts in 2007-08.
But his name will always be linked to his father's unsuccessful attempt to purchase the Blazers in the summer of 2007. Mike Priestner's bid came at the same time as River City Hockey — a group that comprises Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi, who is the majority owner, and former Blazers players Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor — made an offer.
The Blazers shareholders eventually voted to sell their assets to RCH. Less than a year after the sale went through, James Priestner was shipped as far away as the Blazers could send him.
“It probably had something to do with it,” Priestner said. “I'm sure that played a part, but I tried to stay out of that. That was my dad's decision, not mine.
“I don't know if that had a huge effect on me — maybe it did — but I'm just there to play hockey.”
Priestner entered the season with plenty of optimism — he had made a minor change to his game late last season and posted a 2.64 GAA and a .917 save percentage in his last six games. During that time, he posted a 35-shot shutout in a 1-0 victory over the host Prince George Cougars on March 8, which was the Blazers' only victory in their last 19 games.
When this season came around, Groenheyde, a 17-year-old who allowed only two goals and won his only start with the Blazers last season, had moved past him.
“We had three guys fighting for two jobs and they all played well in exhibition,” Bonner said. “That made it tougher. We thought the best fit for us was to go with Jon and Justin — James was the odd man out.”
Whatever happened over the last season and a bit, Priestner has already forgotten. While driving near Lloydminster yesterday, he talked about the potential of the Wheat Kings (2-2-0), who were picked as a favourite prior to the season.
“This season, from everything I've heard, we could do a lot of damage,” Priestner said. “That's what I'm looking forward to.
“Hopefully we can do well in playoffs.”
p p p
D Nick Ross has been suspended two games by the WHL.
Ross was suspended for an attempted hip check during Saturday's 5-4 loss to the host Kelowna Rockets that resulted in Rockets D Kyle Verdino suffering a left-knee injury.
The game's referees, Matt Kirk and Colby Smith, thought the play was dangerous, as did WHL vice president Richard Doerksen. Ross disagreed.
“I'm pretty sure there's at least a second and a half where you're allowed to hit a guy,” Ross said after the game. “I didn't leave my feet or anything so I thought it was clean. I stood my ground and I stood up after so it's not like I went lower than I could have. I tried to stay high. I felt his hip on my hip.
“It's a tough break that I got somebody's knee.”
Ross will miss tonight's game against the Chiefs, as well as Friday's contest when the Blazers are in Edmonton to take on the Oil Kings. He is eligible to return against the Hitmen in Calgary on Saturday.
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca
From KIBIHT to LIBIHT
By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
KIBIHT is dead. Long live LIBIHT?
Fred Cavanagh, the former president of the Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament (KIBIHT), told The Daily News on Monday that the tournament is moving to Langley.
KIBIHT celebrated 40 years in Kamloops with its 2008 tournament. The new-look tournament in Langley will feature spring-league teams and is scheduled for April 28 to May 2.
KIBIHT announced on Aug. 27 that it wouldn't run a tournament in Kamloops next year. Cavanagh had been in contact with interested parties in Victoria and Langley about relocating the tournament, and decided on Langley.
“It's been in the process for about a week now,” said Cavanagh, who will help get things going in Langley next year. “Langley was the best choice to carry on the tradition that was carried on here.”
Because KIBIHT is a registered name, there was a financial exchange between those in Langley and the KIBIHT society.
“There was a slight monetary (exchange),” Cavanagh said. “Not much — basically it was needed in order to change the name. KIBIHT is a registered name, and to change it, you have to own the rights.”
There are a number of reasons KIBIHT has left Kamloops, the biggest of which is ice time.
Because of provincial championships and other championship tournaments around Easter — when KIBIHT traditionally was held — Cavanagh and the rest of the society decided that if the tournament was to survive, it would have to run later in the spring.
But the City of Kamloops pulls the ice out of the McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre — the most desirable location, with its two ice surfaces — for trade shows, lacrosse and other user groups. The City tried to get KIBIHT to use two city arenas — Interior Savings Centre and Valleyview Arena — as well as the privately owned Ice Box Arena.
Four ice surfaces would be needed to run a tournament, Cavanagh said, and that is something Kamloops wasn't able to accommodate.
“Langley has ice in (four buildings) year-round,” Cavanagh said. “It all boiled down, from Day 1, to the fact . . . we had to have ice at the end of April at the earliest. Langley has four sheets of ice in year-round.”
KIBIHT often was considered the crown jewel of Kamloops, which bills itself as the Tournament Capital of Canada. For four decades, the tournament brought the best 13- and 14-year-old hockey players to Kamloops.
Players such as Mario Lemieux (1979), Joe Sakic (1984) and Cliff Ronning (1980) played in the tournament before going on to NHL careers.
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Reporter
KIBIHT is dead. Long live LIBIHT?
Fred Cavanagh, the former president of the Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament (KIBIHT), told The Daily News on Monday that the tournament is moving to Langley.
KIBIHT celebrated 40 years in Kamloops with its 2008 tournament. The new-look tournament in Langley will feature spring-league teams and is scheduled for April 28 to May 2.
KIBIHT announced on Aug. 27 that it wouldn't run a tournament in Kamloops next year. Cavanagh had been in contact with interested parties in Victoria and Langley about relocating the tournament, and decided on Langley.
“It's been in the process for about a week now,” said Cavanagh, who will help get things going in Langley next year. “Langley was the best choice to carry on the tradition that was carried on here.”
Because KIBIHT is a registered name, there was a financial exchange between those in Langley and the KIBIHT society.
“There was a slight monetary (exchange),” Cavanagh said. “Not much — basically it was needed in order to change the name. KIBIHT is a registered name, and to change it, you have to own the rights.”
There are a number of reasons KIBIHT has left Kamloops, the biggest of which is ice time.
Because of provincial championships and other championship tournaments around Easter — when KIBIHT traditionally was held — Cavanagh and the rest of the society decided that if the tournament was to survive, it would have to run later in the spring.
But the City of Kamloops pulls the ice out of the McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre — the most desirable location, with its two ice surfaces — for trade shows, lacrosse and other user groups. The City tried to get KIBIHT to use two city arenas — Interior Savings Centre and Valleyview Arena — as well as the privately owned Ice Box Arena.
Four ice surfaces would be needed to run a tournament, Cavanagh said, and that is something Kamloops wasn't able to accommodate.
“Langley has ice in (four buildings) year-round,” Cavanagh said. “It all boiled down, from Day 1, to the fact . . . we had to have ice at the end of April at the earliest. Langley has four sheets of ice in year-round.”
KIBIHT often was considered the crown jewel of Kamloops, which bills itself as the Tournament Capital of Canada. For four decades, the tournament brought the best 13- and 14-year-old hockey players to Kamloops.
Players such as Mario Lemieux (1979), Joe Sakic (1984) and Cliff Ronning (1980) played in the tournament before going on to NHL careers.
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca
Blazers, Wheat Kings make deal
The Kamloops Blazers have dealt G James Priestner, 17, to the Brandon Wheat Kings for a third-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft.
Priestner has been at home in Edmonton since Wednesday as he awaited a move. He was a second-round pick, 31st overall, by the Blazers in the 2006 draft.
The acquisition of Priestner, who is expected in Brandon on Tuesday, leaves the Wheat Kings with three goaltenders, the other two being Joe Caligiuri, 19, and Andrew Hayes, 18.
Kamloops is left with Justin Leclerc, 19, and Jon Groenheyde, 17.
Meanwhile,the Wheat Kings lost LW Jay Fehr, 19, and D Chad Erb, 20, over the weekend. Fehr is being evaluated after suffering a shoulder injury. Erb is out indefinitely after taking a slapshot to the face.
Priestner has been at home in Edmonton since Wednesday as he awaited a move. He was a second-round pick, 31st overall, by the Blazers in the 2006 draft.
The acquisition of Priestner, who is expected in Brandon on Tuesday, leaves the Wheat Kings with three goaltenders, the other two being Joe Caligiuri, 19, and Andrew Hayes, 18.
Kamloops is left with Justin Leclerc, 19, and Jon Groenheyde, 17.
Meanwhile,the Wheat Kings lost LW Jay Fehr, 19, and D Chad Erb, 20, over the weekend. Fehr is being evaluated after suffering a shoulder injury. Erb is out indefinitely after taking a slapshot to the face.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday . . .
A sore back prevented Regina G Jeff Bosch from making it four starts in a row on Saturday. . . . Regina C Mitch Czibere (knee) left Saturday’s loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders in the second period and didn’t return. As well, the Pats lost RW Brett Leffler (concussion) in the first period. . . . Czibere and Leffler aren’t likely to play Wednesday when the Moose Jaw Warriors visit Regina. . . . The Carolina Hurricanes have returned LW Drayson Bowman to the Spokane Chiefs. Look for him in the Chiefs’ lineup when they meet the Blazers in Kamloops on Tuesday. . . . The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets have released scrapper Jon (Nasty) Mirasty. . . . The NHL’s Florida Panthers have assigned RW Brady Calla and D Keaton Ellerby to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Both players are 20 years of age. Early last season, Kamloops dealt Ellerby to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for Ellerby. . . . D Alex Plante, a first-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 2007 draft, had asked the Calgary Hitmen to trade him. Now, however, it seems that he has changed his mind and will play for the Hitmen. He was in their lineup Saturday night. Head coach Dave Lowry told both Calgary newspapers that the page has been turned. However, Plante hasn’t yet been allowed to speak to the media and tell his side of things.
———
SUNDAY: F Brent Raedeke’s PP goal at 9:07 of the third period broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Edmonton Oil Kings a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . Edmonton C Brenden Dowd, 20, picked up an assist to give him a WHL-leading nine points. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan made 25 saves in his first WHL start. . . . The Ice had D John Negrin in its lineup after he was returned by the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . .In Chilliwack, D Jon Blum, who returned from the NHL’s Nashville Predators earlier in the day, had a goal and an assist to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. Blum was playing in a pair of skates right off a store shelf after the Predators staff apparently forgot to pack his with his gear. . . . Vancouver LW Todd Kennedy injured a hand in a second-period bout with Chilliwack’s Liam Darragh and didn’t return. . . . The Giants have won four straight, including three in a row over the weekend. . . . With Blum back, the Giants plan to reassign D Mitch Spooner, their first-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft.
———
SUNDAY: F Brent Raedeke’s PP goal at 9:07 of the third period broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Edmonton Oil Kings a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . Edmonton C Brenden Dowd, 20, picked up an assist to give him a WHL-leading nine points. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan made 25 saves in his first WHL start. . . . The Ice had D John Negrin in its lineup after he was returned by the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . .In Chilliwack, D Jon Blum, who returned from the NHL’s Nashville Predators earlier in the day, had a goal and an assist to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. Blum was playing in a pair of skates right off a store shelf after the Predators staff apparently forgot to pack his with his gear. . . . Vancouver LW Todd Kennedy injured a hand in a second-period bout with Chilliwack’s Liam Darragh and didn’t return. . . . The Giants have won four straight, including three in a row over the weekend. . . . With Blum back, the Giants plan to reassign D Mitch Spooner, their first-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft.
Rockets throw major party
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
KELOWNA — The Kelowna Rockets threw a major party Saturday night at Prospera Place.
The Rockets (2-2-0-0) opened the home portion of their WHL regular season by scoring three times as Kamloops (2-2-0-1) attempted to kill off a major penalty to defenceman Nick Ross and went on to a 5-4 victory over the Blazers in front of 6,118 fans.
It was the Rockets’ 14th home-opener since relocating from Tacoma, Wash., their ninth at Prospera Place, and the Blazers were looking to play spoiler.
The roadies were looking good, too, especially after getting the game’s first three goals, from forwards Jimmy Bubnick, Brendan Ranford and Shayne Wiebe.
“It’s 3-0 . . . they had nothing,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith said. “If we don’t get that call or even kill it, the game’s over.”
Smith referred to his team’s play as “total domination” which may have been an overstatement but not by much.
“They weren’t even in it . . . not even close,” Smith said.
With the game more than half over, the Blazers held a 3-1 lead, had outshot their hosts, 18-11, and had silenced the crowd.
But, 15 minutes into the second period, Kelowna defenceman Kyle Verdino lugged the puck up the left side as a power play wound down. As he entered the Blazers’ zone he shoved the puck ahead and was greeted by Ross’ attempted hip check.
Verdino went down with a left knee injury — he will be evaluated in the days ahead — and Ross was hit with a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct.
“I don’t want to comment on the refereeing because we’ve decided as a team we’re just going to play,” said Smith, who had been vocal about the officiating after a 6-2 loss to the Rockets in Kamloops just 24 hours earlier. “We’re going to play and we’ll deal with it. That’s what’s called adversity. If the kids had killed that off, we’ve got it going.”
As for Ross, he said he didn’t think it was interference.
“I’m pretty sure there’s at least a second and a half where you’re allowed to hit a guy,” said a contrite Ross. “I didn’t leave my feet or anything so I thought it was clean. I stood my ground and I stood up after so it’s not like I went lower than I could have. I tried to stay high. I felt his hip on my hip.
“It’s a tough break that I got somebody’s knee.”
It was a tough break for the Blazers, too, because the Rockets, who weren’t anywhere close to being in this game, scored three power-play goals in 1:31 to take a 4-3 lead.
Centre Colin Long had gotten Kelowna on the board at 12:29 of the second period. On the power play, Evan Bloodoff (17:20), Long (18:21) and Kyle St. Denis (18:51) beat Leclerc. Two of the goals came off back-door plays that began behind the Blazers’ goal line; on the third, St. Denis finished off a 2-on-1 with hard-working Brandon McMillan.
“They have a great power play,” said Leclerc, who finished with 20 saves, “and I think we found that out tonight as well as last night.”
The Rockets wound up 3-for-8 with the man advantage; they had been 4-for-11 on Friday in posting a 6-2 victory in Kamloops.
“The last 10 minutes of the second period,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said, “I thought was pretty good. But for the rest of the game I thought we got outworked for the most part, with the exception of our power play. Our power play came up big for us tonight . . . 5 on 5, I don’t think we were the better team.”
The Blazers outshot the Rockets 10-7 in the third period as each team scored once. Right-winger Lucas Bloodoff, playing with a broken hand, upped his side’s lead to 5-3 at 4:52 and Bubnick completed his second two-goal effort of the season five minutes later.
After that, the Blazers pressed but couldn’t beat goaltender Kris Lazaruk, who made 24 saves.
“They got nothing in the third,” Smith said. “We had some great chances. In the end, we couldn’t score. We’re not pure goal scorers but we work and we work and we work.”
Smith said that despite the outcome he was “really proud” of his guys.
“I asked them to do character things tonight,” he said. “I told them, ‘Come back and show yourselves what you can do,’ and they did.
“I hope there were people here tonight to see how well they played and what they did. I told them, ‘You play like that all year (and) you’re going to come out on top 90 per cent of the time.’ ”
JUST NOTES: The penalty to Ross will be reviewed by the WHL office, as are all such major-game misconduct calls. . . . Wiebe’s goal was his sixth of the season and gave him the league lead. . . . Ranford and Bubnick had great nights for the Blazers. Ranford, especially, was a threat to score on virtually every shift. . . . Kris Hartley of Kamloops was one of the linesmen in Saturday’s game. He now lives in Kelowna where he works as a mortgage broker. . . . The Blazers are at home Tuesday to the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs. Game time is 7 p.m. . . . When the Rockets scored six times in Friday’s victory, it marked the first time they had hit six in Kamloops since a 6-2 victory on Dec. 7, 2003. In between six-packs, the teams played 20 games in Kamloops. . . . RW Brady Calla, 20, and D Keaton Ellerby, 20, have been assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans by the NHL’s Florida Panthers. Early last season, the Blazers sent Ellerby to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for Calla. . . . More than 20 of Doug McLeod’s friends gathered at The Thirsty Dog on Saturday to remember the former Blazers employee who died earlier this month. The gathering was at McLeod’s request; he didn’t want a funeral.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
KELOWNA — The Kelowna Rockets threw a major party Saturday night at Prospera Place.
The Rockets (2-2-0-0) opened the home portion of their WHL regular season by scoring three times as Kamloops (2-2-0-1) attempted to kill off a major penalty to defenceman Nick Ross and went on to a 5-4 victory over the Blazers in front of 6,118 fans.
It was the Rockets’ 14th home-opener since relocating from Tacoma, Wash., their ninth at Prospera Place, and the Blazers were looking to play spoiler.
The roadies were looking good, too, especially after getting the game’s first three goals, from forwards Jimmy Bubnick, Brendan Ranford and Shayne Wiebe.
“It’s 3-0 . . . they had nothing,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith said. “If we don’t get that call or even kill it, the game’s over.”
Smith referred to his team’s play as “total domination” which may have been an overstatement but not by much.
“They weren’t even in it . . . not even close,” Smith said.
With the game more than half over, the Blazers held a 3-1 lead, had outshot their hosts, 18-11, and had silenced the crowd.
But, 15 minutes into the second period, Kelowna defenceman Kyle Verdino lugged the puck up the left side as a power play wound down. As he entered the Blazers’ zone he shoved the puck ahead and was greeted by Ross’ attempted hip check.
Verdino went down with a left knee injury — he will be evaluated in the days ahead — and Ross was hit with a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct.
“I don’t want to comment on the refereeing because we’ve decided as a team we’re just going to play,” said Smith, who had been vocal about the officiating after a 6-2 loss to the Rockets in Kamloops just 24 hours earlier. “We’re going to play and we’ll deal with it. That’s what’s called adversity. If the kids had killed that off, we’ve got it going.”
As for Ross, he said he didn’t think it was interference.
“I’m pretty sure there’s at least a second and a half where you’re allowed to hit a guy,” said a contrite Ross. “I didn’t leave my feet or anything so I thought it was clean. I stood my ground and I stood up after so it’s not like I went lower than I could have. I tried to stay high. I felt his hip on my hip.
“It’s a tough break that I got somebody’s knee.”
It was a tough break for the Blazers, too, because the Rockets, who weren’t anywhere close to being in this game, scored three power-play goals in 1:31 to take a 4-3 lead.
Centre Colin Long had gotten Kelowna on the board at 12:29 of the second period. On the power play, Evan Bloodoff (17:20), Long (18:21) and Kyle St. Denis (18:51) beat Leclerc. Two of the goals came off back-door plays that began behind the Blazers’ goal line; on the third, St. Denis finished off a 2-on-1 with hard-working Brandon McMillan.
“They have a great power play,” said Leclerc, who finished with 20 saves, “and I think we found that out tonight as well as last night.”
The Rockets wound up 3-for-8 with the man advantage; they had been 4-for-11 on Friday in posting a 6-2 victory in Kamloops.
“The last 10 minutes of the second period,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said, “I thought was pretty good. But for the rest of the game I thought we got outworked for the most part, with the exception of our power play. Our power play came up big for us tonight . . . 5 on 5, I don’t think we were the better team.”
The Blazers outshot the Rockets 10-7 in the third period as each team scored once. Right-winger Lucas Bloodoff, playing with a broken hand, upped his side’s lead to 5-3 at 4:52 and Bubnick completed his second two-goal effort of the season five minutes later.
After that, the Blazers pressed but couldn’t beat goaltender Kris Lazaruk, who made 24 saves.
“They got nothing in the third,” Smith said. “We had some great chances. In the end, we couldn’t score. We’re not pure goal scorers but we work and we work and we work.”
Smith said that despite the outcome he was “really proud” of his guys.
“I asked them to do character things tonight,” he said. “I told them, ‘Come back and show yourselves what you can do,’ and they did.
“I hope there were people here tonight to see how well they played and what they did. I told them, ‘You play like that all year (and) you’re going to come out on top 90 per cent of the time.’ ”
JUST NOTES: The penalty to Ross will be reviewed by the WHL office, as are all such major-game misconduct calls. . . . Wiebe’s goal was his sixth of the season and gave him the league lead. . . . Ranford and Bubnick had great nights for the Blazers. Ranford, especially, was a threat to score on virtually every shift. . . . Kris Hartley of Kamloops was one of the linesmen in Saturday’s game. He now lives in Kelowna where he works as a mortgage broker. . . . The Blazers are at home Tuesday to the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs. Game time is 7 p.m. . . . When the Rockets scored six times in Friday’s victory, it marked the first time they had hit six in Kamloops since a 6-2 victory on Dec. 7, 2003. In between six-packs, the teams played 20 games in Kamloops. . . . RW Brady Calla, 20, and D Keaton Ellerby, 20, have been assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans by the NHL’s Florida Panthers. Early last season, the Blazers sent Ellerby to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for Calla. . . . More than 20 of Doug McLeod’s friends gathered at The Thirsty Dog on Saturday to remember the former Blazers employee who died earlier this month. The gathering was at McLeod’s request; he didn’t want a funeral.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Net detective on the job in Kelowna
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
KELOWNA — It was Chapter 2 in the WHL’s Great Net Caper here Saturday night.
The Kamloops Blazers, who discovered one week earlier in Chilliwack that the Prospera Centre net they were to defend for two periods was three inches left of centre, ran into a similar situation here at Prospera Place.
Moments after the national anthem punctuated the ceremonies prior to what was the Kelowna Rockets’ home-opener, Blazers goaltender Justin Leclerc spoke with referee Colby Smith about a problem he perceived in his goal area.
“The net wasn’t in the middle of the crease,” Leclerc, 19, said after the Blazers had dropped a 5-4 decision to the Kelowna Rockets. “It felt like it was in the middle of the ice to me but it wasn’t in the middle of the crease.”
The crease, according to Leclerc, was a bit too far to the right of centre.
“From the experience in Chilliwack,” he explained, “even though the net felt like it was in the middle of the ice, I made them stop the game and gave myself some time to figure out exactly what was wrong.
“The crease being a little bit off doesn’t make too much of a difference as long as the net was where it was supposed to be in accordance with the circles.”
A week earlier, on-ice officials in Chilliwack chose to remove the long pegs used to anchor the net, shift it over about three inches and use the short, sharp pegs that normally are used in practices.
In Kelowna, however, the problem wasn’t deemed to be serious enough to need any action.
“I don’t think any of these things are done intentionally,” Leclerc said. “Maybe it’s a mistake that someone who’s not a goaltender really wouldn’t think about. The blue line being out two inches, that’s not a big deal. So I don’t think they would think twice about the crease being out.
“But maybe the league should measure it out.”
Leclerc said all of this didn’t have anything to do with the game’s outcome.
“Having said all that, it really wasn’t a problem,” he said. “I was where I was supposed to be in my mind . . . but maybe it’s just something that should be looked into.”
The Spokane Chiefs meet the Blazers on Tuesday in Kamloops where things are lined up properly.
“I measured them and they’re fine,” Leclerc said. “Credit to the rink people there. They’re great.”
After Tuesday’s game, the Blazers journey into Alberta for games Friday (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Saturday (Calgary Hitmen). Attendants in both arenas, both of which are NHL facilities, should consider themselves forewarned.
“Now I’m going to measure them out,” Leclerc said. “I’ve never found this problem before.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
(NOTE: Regan Bartel is the radio voice of the Rockets. Here's a related piece off his blog — "The game last night was delayed from starting when Blazers goaltender Justin Leclerc complained that the net wasn't properly centered in the crease. The off-ice officials looked at Leclerc's complaint, but frankly little could be done about it. I happened to walk down to that area of the rink after the game, and Leclerc's claims were true. The net isn't properly centered in the crease. While it's only about a puck length out, you can bet the ice crew at Prospera Place will have it properly centered for Wednesday night's game."
Daily News Sports Editor
KELOWNA — It was Chapter 2 in the WHL’s Great Net Caper here Saturday night.
The Kamloops Blazers, who discovered one week earlier in Chilliwack that the Prospera Centre net they were to defend for two periods was three inches left of centre, ran into a similar situation here at Prospera Place.
Moments after the national anthem punctuated the ceremonies prior to what was the Kelowna Rockets’ home-opener, Blazers goaltender Justin Leclerc spoke with referee Colby Smith about a problem he perceived in his goal area.
“The net wasn’t in the middle of the crease,” Leclerc, 19, said after the Blazers had dropped a 5-4 decision to the Kelowna Rockets. “It felt like it was in the middle of the ice to me but it wasn’t in the middle of the crease.”
The crease, according to Leclerc, was a bit too far to the right of centre.
“From the experience in Chilliwack,” he explained, “even though the net felt like it was in the middle of the ice, I made them stop the game and gave myself some time to figure out exactly what was wrong.
“The crease being a little bit off doesn’t make too much of a difference as long as the net was where it was supposed to be in accordance with the circles.”
A week earlier, on-ice officials in Chilliwack chose to remove the long pegs used to anchor the net, shift it over about three inches and use the short, sharp pegs that normally are used in practices.
In Kelowna, however, the problem wasn’t deemed to be serious enough to need any action.
“I don’t think any of these things are done intentionally,” Leclerc said. “Maybe it’s a mistake that someone who’s not a goaltender really wouldn’t think about. The blue line being out two inches, that’s not a big deal. So I don’t think they would think twice about the crease being out.
“But maybe the league should measure it out.”
Leclerc said all of this didn’t have anything to do with the game’s outcome.
“Having said all that, it really wasn’t a problem,” he said. “I was where I was supposed to be in my mind . . . but maybe it’s just something that should be looked into.”
The Spokane Chiefs meet the Blazers on Tuesday in Kamloops where things are lined up properly.
“I measured them and they’re fine,” Leclerc said. “Credit to the rink people there. They’re great.”
After Tuesday’s game, the Blazers journey into Alberta for games Friday (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Saturday (Calgary Hitmen). Attendants in both arenas, both of which are NHL facilities, should consider themselves forewarned.
“Now I’m going to measure them out,” Leclerc said. “I’ve never found this problem before.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
(NOTE: Regan Bartel is the radio voice of the Rockets. Here's a related piece off his blog — "The game last night was delayed from starting when Blazers goaltender Justin Leclerc complained that the net wasn't properly centered in the crease. The off-ice officials looked at Leclerc's complaint, but frankly little could be done about it. I happened to walk down to that area of the rink after the game, and Leclerc's claims were true. The net isn't properly centered in the crease. While it's only about a puck length out, you can bet the ice crew at Prospera Place will have it properly centered for Wednesday night's game."
Keeping Score
The Ryder Cup, which was played last weekend in Kentucky, is named in honour of Samuel Ryder. He so loved golf that ’tis said his five-iron is buried with him. "Really, the only sensible thing to do with golf clubs," writes Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News. . . . Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press had a favourite Ryder Cup player: "Boo Weekley. It sounds like a Lions fan, doesn't it?" . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: "Hockey Mom voting bloc beats up Figure Skating Mom voting bloc." . . . Dan Daly, in the Washington Times: "First, David Eckstein, 5-foot-7 with his spikes on, is voted Most Valuable Player of the 2006 World Series. And now Dustin Pedroia, listed at 5-foot-9 but said to be closer to Eckstein's size, is making a serious run at the American League MVP Award. Welcome to post-BALCO baseball."
Last week, before facing New England, Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter, noting that Matt Cassel would be quarterbacking the Patriots, said: “If it's not Tom Brady, it shouldn't be that hard.'' To which the Miami Herald’s Greg Cote wrote: “Maybe the fact Joey is getting up there in football years explains it. Or, has he had a recent concussion they didn't tell us about? All I can figure is that Porter momentarily forgot where he was and thought he was still playing for mighty Pittsburgh.” . . . Porter had the last laugh when the Dolphins whipped the Patriots. . . . One more from Cote: “A Russian sumo wrestler banned for life from competing in Japan after a marijuana charge is suing for reinstatement. Hmm. A pot-smoking sumo wrestler? Great. Just what a guy that size needs. The munchies.” . . . Cote had a fine week: “Syracuse unveiled a bronze statue honoring 1950s football star Ernie Davis, the first black Heisman winner. One problem. Davis is shown in a modern uniform, including cleats with a Nike swoosh. Cannot confirm the sculptor is working on a statue of Abraham Lincoln listening to an iPod.”
Social note: Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times points out that Cassel and his brother, Jack, a Houston Astros pitcher, are married to Lauren Killian and Julie Mariani, who are former college roommates and were teammates on USC’s women's volleyball team. . . . Here’s a little Jeopardy from Elliott Harris of the Chicago Sun-Times. . . . Answer: "Magic number." . . . Question: "What would you call the anesthesia that former Lakers star Earvin Johnson receives from the dentist?" . . . A quick quiz from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “The Howard who is not one of The Three Stooges (though certainly not for lacking of trying) is: (a) Moe; (b) Curly; (c) Shemp; (d) Josh." . . . The way the Kamloops Blazers played their first three games, a nickname soon may be in order. Sorry, but Cardiac Kids has been overused.
Jeff Schultz, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Baseball playoffs: Yankees out, Dodgers in. Imagine this is going over differently in the Steinbrenner and Torre households?” . . . You realize, of course, that the stars have aligned and it’ll be the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Gotta think Manny will just be Manny in that one. . . . Trivia question: With Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium done after this season, name the four oldest remaining Major League Baseball parks. . . . It was the late Rodney Dangerfield who said he once went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. Well, someone mentioned the other night that they went to a Blazers game and an automobile commercial broke out.
Word on the street is that former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is taking piano lessons. As L.A. Times reader Bill Littlejohn noted: "He gives new meaning to the phrase 'chin music.' " . . . Trivia answer: 1. Fenway Park; 2. Wrigley Field; 3. Dodger Stadium; 4. Angel Stadium. . . . Peter Loubardias, a former radio voice of the Regina Pats, now will call Calgary Flames games for Rogers Sportsnet, replacing Roger Millions, who once called Saskatoon Blades games on radio. Strangely enough, Loubardias and Millions, who be the host on the Flames' telecasts, once worked together at a Regina radio station and later at a Saskatoon TV station. . . . That was John Herrera, a former Saskatchewan Roughriders GM (1983-84), trying to defend the Oakland Raiders' honour by getting into it with San Jose Mercury-News columnist Tim Kawakami at a Monday news conference. Herrera worshipped at the Al Davis shrine when he was in Regina, and he obviously still does.
Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: "I'm telling you, those weren't Saskatchewan people throwing cans of beer at B.C. Lions players last weekend in Regina. Trust me on this; nobody from Saskatchewan would ever throw a can that still contained beer. Lions fans are expected to seek revenge the next time Saskatchewan is in Vancouver by throwing their latte mugs at the Roughriders." . . . Defenceman Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues suffered a knee injury during the team’s golf tournament. He got a foot stuck between the accelerator and the brake, tore an ACL and could miss the entire season. Of course, hockey fans are wondering what really happened. You may recall that it was in St. Louis in 1985 when Doug Wickenheiser suffered a horrible knee injury while on a snipe hunt. . . . You can find that story on the Internet. . . . My sympathies if you are planning a garage sale over the next couple of weeks. Sheesh, who is going to see your sign in the sea of orange, blue and red that is covering the landscape? . . . Lehman Brothers has filed for bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch is in the process of being sold. AIG is in a horrible mess. As comedian Amy Poehler says: "Basically, if your commercials air during golf tournaments, you're done."
I doubt that I’m the first, but please allow me to offer up congratulations to Jolene Bacon, who won the Nez Perce County Fair hog-calling contest in Idaho. . . . Tampa Bay quarterback Brian Griese threw 67 passes as the Bucs beat the host Chicago Bears 27-24 in OT on Sunday. Griese’s father, Bob, led the Miami Dolphins to victory in Super Bowl VII. That day, he threw 11 passes in the entire game. . . . By the way, 67 passes is the fourth-most ever thrown in an NFL game. . . . The record (70) was set by Drew Bledsoe of New England in 1994. . . . A new book — Boys Will Be Boys, written by Jeff Pearlman — is making noises in Dallas Cowboys circles, meaning it’s one not to be missed. This book apparently details the Cowboys’ glory years in all the ugliness. . . . Independent American presidential candidate Ralph Nader, as quoted at politico.com, after editors at the Washington Post told him the paper wouldn't cover his campaign because he has no chance of winning: "Then why are you covering the Nationals?''
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Last week, before facing New England, Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter, noting that Matt Cassel would be quarterbacking the Patriots, said: “If it's not Tom Brady, it shouldn't be that hard.'' To which the Miami Herald’s Greg Cote wrote: “Maybe the fact Joey is getting up there in football years explains it. Or, has he had a recent concussion they didn't tell us about? All I can figure is that Porter momentarily forgot where he was and thought he was still playing for mighty Pittsburgh.” . . . Porter had the last laugh when the Dolphins whipped the Patriots. . . . One more from Cote: “A Russian sumo wrestler banned for life from competing in Japan after a marijuana charge is suing for reinstatement. Hmm. A pot-smoking sumo wrestler? Great. Just what a guy that size needs. The munchies.” . . . Cote had a fine week: “Syracuse unveiled a bronze statue honoring 1950s football star Ernie Davis, the first black Heisman winner. One problem. Davis is shown in a modern uniform, including cleats with a Nike swoosh. Cannot confirm the sculptor is working on a statue of Abraham Lincoln listening to an iPod.”
Social note: Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times points out that Cassel and his brother, Jack, a Houston Astros pitcher, are married to Lauren Killian and Julie Mariani, who are former college roommates and were teammates on USC’s women's volleyball team. . . . Here’s a little Jeopardy from Elliott Harris of the Chicago Sun-Times. . . . Answer: "Magic number." . . . Question: "What would you call the anesthesia that former Lakers star Earvin Johnson receives from the dentist?" . . . A quick quiz from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “The Howard who is not one of The Three Stooges (though certainly not for lacking of trying) is: (a) Moe; (b) Curly; (c) Shemp; (d) Josh." . . . The way the Kamloops Blazers played their first three games, a nickname soon may be in order. Sorry, but Cardiac Kids has been overused.
Jeff Schultz, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Baseball playoffs: Yankees out, Dodgers in. Imagine this is going over differently in the Steinbrenner and Torre households?” . . . You realize, of course, that the stars have aligned and it’ll be the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Gotta think Manny will just be Manny in that one. . . . Trivia question: With Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium done after this season, name the four oldest remaining Major League Baseball parks. . . . It was the late Rodney Dangerfield who said he once went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. Well, someone mentioned the other night that they went to a Blazers game and an automobile commercial broke out.
Word on the street is that former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is taking piano lessons. As L.A. Times reader Bill Littlejohn noted: "He gives new meaning to the phrase 'chin music.' " . . . Trivia answer: 1. Fenway Park; 2. Wrigley Field; 3. Dodger Stadium; 4. Angel Stadium. . . . Peter Loubardias, a former radio voice of the Regina Pats, now will call Calgary Flames games for Rogers Sportsnet, replacing Roger Millions, who once called Saskatoon Blades games on radio. Strangely enough, Loubardias and Millions, who be the host on the Flames' telecasts, once worked together at a Regina radio station and later at a Saskatoon TV station. . . . That was John Herrera, a former Saskatchewan Roughriders GM (1983-84), trying to defend the Oakland Raiders' honour by getting into it with San Jose Mercury-News columnist Tim Kawakami at a Monday news conference. Herrera worshipped at the Al Davis shrine when he was in Regina, and he obviously still does.
Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: "I'm telling you, those weren't Saskatchewan people throwing cans of beer at B.C. Lions players last weekend in Regina. Trust me on this; nobody from Saskatchewan would ever throw a can that still contained beer. Lions fans are expected to seek revenge the next time Saskatchewan is in Vancouver by throwing their latte mugs at the Roughriders." . . . Defenceman Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues suffered a knee injury during the team’s golf tournament. He got a foot stuck between the accelerator and the brake, tore an ACL and could miss the entire season. Of course, hockey fans are wondering what really happened. You may recall that it was in St. Louis in 1985 when Doug Wickenheiser suffered a horrible knee injury while on a snipe hunt. . . . You can find that story on the Internet. . . . My sympathies if you are planning a garage sale over the next couple of weeks. Sheesh, who is going to see your sign in the sea of orange, blue and red that is covering the landscape? . . . Lehman Brothers has filed for bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch is in the process of being sold. AIG is in a horrible mess. As comedian Amy Poehler says: "Basically, if your commercials air during golf tournaments, you're done."
I doubt that I’m the first, but please allow me to offer up congratulations to Jolene Bacon, who won the Nez Perce County Fair hog-calling contest in Idaho. . . . Tampa Bay quarterback Brian Griese threw 67 passes as the Bucs beat the host Chicago Bears 27-24 in OT on Sunday. Griese’s father, Bob, led the Miami Dolphins to victory in Super Bowl VII. That day, he threw 11 passes in the entire game. . . . By the way, 67 passes is the fourth-most ever thrown in an NFL game. . . . The record (70) was set by Drew Bledsoe of New England in 1994. . . . A new book — Boys Will Be Boys, written by Jeff Pearlman — is making noises in Dallas Cowboys circles, meaning it’s one not to be missed. This book apparently details the Cowboys’ glory years in all the ugliness. . . . Independent American presidential candidate Ralph Nader, as quoted at politico.com, after editors at the Washington Post told him the paper wouldn't cover his campaign because he has no chance of winning: "Then why are you covering the Nationals?''
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Saturday . . .
"Ever since Slap Shot I've been swearing more. I knew I had a problem one
day when I turned to my daughter and said, 'Would you please pass the
f---ing salt?' " -- Paul Newman.
---
Check out Terry Frei's tribute to Paul Newman. It¹s right here.
---
It has been eight days since the Kelowna Rockets made the first major move of this WHL season, acquiring G Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice and jettisoning G Torrie Jung, 19.
Why was this such a stunning move?
Had it happened in a month or so, it wouldn’t have raised more than an eyebrow or two. But because it happened on the opening weekend of the season, with Jung having just returned from the camp of the Tampa Bay Lightning, well, more than a few people were surprised.
The Rockets, however, feel they gave Jung ample opportunity last season to prove that he could be a No. 1 goaltender in this league. Based on what they saw then, they decided they wouldn’t hand him the starter’s job this season, but they would give him another opportunity to earn it. At the same time, though, they would be keeping their eyes on the marketplace.
Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton and Kootenay GM Jeff Chynoweth had chatted over the summer. And when Chynoweth decided on the eve of the season to go with Thomas Heemskerk, 19, and Nathan Lieuwen, 18, the Rockets were forced into making a decision in a hurry.
So they ditched Plan A and turned to Plan B -- which meant making a trade for Lazaruk, giving up a conditional fourth-round bantam pick which, by the way, Hamilton thought was a steep price to pay for a 20-year-old goaltender.
Anyway . . . the Rockets, to date, are thrilled with Lazaruk.
As for Jung, he’s at home in Nanaimo waiting to find out about his next destination. If no one in the WHL expresses interest in trading for him, he’ll go on waivers. If no one picks him up, it is believed that he will head for the OHL.
---
Speaking of the Rockets, their new bus will be ready for them this week.
The final touches will be done early in the week -- license on Monday, TVs hooked up and logos pained on the outside on Tuesday -- and they’ll be riding it Wednesday night when they
leave for Medicine Hat after entertaining the Everett Silvertips.
”I’ve seen it,” offered one Rockets employee. “It’s juicy.”
According to those in the know, it’s more than juicy and includes more leather than Pammy Anderson’s wardrobe.
---
Two WHL head coaches heard from the WHL’s Department of Justice on Saturday and it cost them $500 apiece. Rob Sumner of the Seattle Thunderbirds and Steve Pleau of the Edmonton Oil Kings were fined after getting tossed from games on Friday night. . . . D Travis Ehrhardt of the Portland Winter Hawks, who is just back from the Detroit Red Wings’ camp, was suspended
indefinitely for an elbowing major he incurred on Friday. That suspension will be determined after further investigation. . . . As well, Saskatoon Blades F Mike Reich has been hit with a $250 fine. It seems he had a thing or two to say about the eight-game suspension he was hit with on Sept. 16.
Reich has just learned that freedom of speech carries a price in the WHL.
---
JUST NOTES: D Alex Plante, who had demanded to be traded by Calgary, played for the Hitmen on Saturday night. He had been in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, who took him in the first round of the NHL’s 2007 draft. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes picked up RW Brent Henke, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a 2009 seventh-round bantam draft pick. An Edmonton native, Henke was a fifth-round pick by the Kootenay Ice in the 2005 draft. He had eight points and 24 penalty minutes in 63 games with the Oil Kings last season.
---
Chilliwack Bruins sniper Oscar Moller is making quite an impression with the
Los Angeles Kings. There¹s an L.A. Times story right here.
---
SATURDAY: The Moose Jaw Warriors won their third straight game Saturday, beating visiting Brandon 5-2 for their second straight victory over the Wheat Kings. Brandon led 2-0 after one period. Brandon D Chad Erb lost four teeth after taking a puck to the face in the second period. On Friday, Moose Jaw had won 6-3 in Brandon. . . . LW Daniel Bartek had a goal and two first-period assists to lead the host Everett Silvertips to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds, who have lost their first four games. Everett welcomed back D Taylor Ellington, who had been in camp with the Vancouver Canucks, but was without RW Matt Ius (concussion), who was injured Friday against Portland. . . . The Kelowna Rockets erased a 3-1 deficit by scoring three times during a major penalty to Kamloops D Nick Ross and went on to beat the visiting Blazers, 5-4. Ross drew an interference major and a game misconduct after an attempted hip check on Kelowna D Kyle Verdino. Verdino suffered an injury to his left knee and will be re-evaluated in the days ahead. . . . F Landon Ferraro’s PP goal 51 seconds into OT gave the host Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. C Brenden Dowd of Edmonton forced the OT with a goal at 19:24 of the third period. . . . G Mark Guggenberger ran his record against Saskatoon to 5-0 as the visiting Swift Current Broncos beat the Blades 4-3. Guggenberger made 26 saves after replacing starter Travis Yonkman (shoulder) early in the first period. Swift Current RW Keegan Dansereau, who is from Saskatoon, had a goal and two assists as the Broncos ran their record to 4-0-0-0. . . . The host Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s last five goals as they beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . G Dustin Tokarski stopped 31 shots as the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs won their home-opener 4-0 over the Tri-City Americans. It was his second shutout this season and the 10th of his career. That tied Jim Watt’s Chiefs’ record for career shutouts. Attendance was 10,538. . . .In Calgary, F Carson McMillan was the only one of eight shooters to score in the shootout as the Hitmen beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-2. . . . LW Brian Matte’s goal at 2:09 of OT gave the visiting Prince George Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. Prince George G Kevin Armstrong stopped 39 shots. . . . G Jamie Tucker stopped 19 shots to lead the visiting Vancouver Giants to a 5-0 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. Tucker, a 17-year-old from Victoria, has put up two shutouts in his first three WHL starts.
day when I turned to my daughter and said, 'Would you please pass the
f---ing salt?' " -- Paul Newman.
---
Check out Terry Frei's tribute to Paul Newman. It¹s right here.
---
It has been eight days since the Kelowna Rockets made the first major move of this WHL season, acquiring G Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice and jettisoning G Torrie Jung, 19.
Why was this such a stunning move?
Had it happened in a month or so, it wouldn’t have raised more than an eyebrow or two. But because it happened on the opening weekend of the season, with Jung having just returned from the camp of the Tampa Bay Lightning, well, more than a few people were surprised.
The Rockets, however, feel they gave Jung ample opportunity last season to prove that he could be a No. 1 goaltender in this league. Based on what they saw then, they decided they wouldn’t hand him the starter’s job this season, but they would give him another opportunity to earn it. At the same time, though, they would be keeping their eyes on the marketplace.
Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton and Kootenay GM Jeff Chynoweth had chatted over the summer. And when Chynoweth decided on the eve of the season to go with Thomas Heemskerk, 19, and Nathan Lieuwen, 18, the Rockets were forced into making a decision in a hurry.
So they ditched Plan A and turned to Plan B -- which meant making a trade for Lazaruk, giving up a conditional fourth-round bantam pick which, by the way, Hamilton thought was a steep price to pay for a 20-year-old goaltender.
Anyway . . . the Rockets, to date, are thrilled with Lazaruk.
As for Jung, he’s at home in Nanaimo waiting to find out about his next destination. If no one in the WHL expresses interest in trading for him, he’ll go on waivers. If no one picks him up, it is believed that he will head for the OHL.
---
Speaking of the Rockets, their new bus will be ready for them this week.
The final touches will be done early in the week -- license on Monday, TVs hooked up and logos pained on the outside on Tuesday -- and they’ll be riding it Wednesday night when they
leave for Medicine Hat after entertaining the Everett Silvertips.
”I’ve seen it,” offered one Rockets employee. “It’s juicy.”
According to those in the know, it’s more than juicy and includes more leather than Pammy Anderson’s wardrobe.
---
Two WHL head coaches heard from the WHL’s Department of Justice on Saturday and it cost them $500 apiece. Rob Sumner of the Seattle Thunderbirds and Steve Pleau of the Edmonton Oil Kings were fined after getting tossed from games on Friday night. . . . D Travis Ehrhardt of the Portland Winter Hawks, who is just back from the Detroit Red Wings’ camp, was suspended
indefinitely for an elbowing major he incurred on Friday. That suspension will be determined after further investigation. . . . As well, Saskatoon Blades F Mike Reich has been hit with a $250 fine. It seems he had a thing or two to say about the eight-game suspension he was hit with on Sept. 16.
Reich has just learned that freedom of speech carries a price in the WHL.
---
JUST NOTES: D Alex Plante, who had demanded to be traded by Calgary, played for the Hitmen on Saturday night. He had been in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, who took him in the first round of the NHL’s 2007 draft. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes picked up RW Brent Henke, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a 2009 seventh-round bantam draft pick. An Edmonton native, Henke was a fifth-round pick by the Kootenay Ice in the 2005 draft. He had eight points and 24 penalty minutes in 63 games with the Oil Kings last season.
---
Chilliwack Bruins sniper Oscar Moller is making quite an impression with the
Los Angeles Kings. There¹s an L.A. Times story right here.
---
SATURDAY: The Moose Jaw Warriors won their third straight game Saturday, beating visiting Brandon 5-2 for their second straight victory over the Wheat Kings. Brandon led 2-0 after one period. Brandon D Chad Erb lost four teeth after taking a puck to the face in the second period. On Friday, Moose Jaw had won 6-3 in Brandon. . . . LW Daniel Bartek had a goal and two first-period assists to lead the host Everett Silvertips to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds, who have lost their first four games. Everett welcomed back D Taylor Ellington, who had been in camp with the Vancouver Canucks, but was without RW Matt Ius (concussion), who was injured Friday against Portland. . . . The Kelowna Rockets erased a 3-1 deficit by scoring three times during a major penalty to Kamloops D Nick Ross and went on to beat the visiting Blazers, 5-4. Ross drew an interference major and a game misconduct after an attempted hip check on Kelowna D Kyle Verdino. Verdino suffered an injury to his left knee and will be re-evaluated in the days ahead. . . . F Landon Ferraro’s PP goal 51 seconds into OT gave the host Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. C Brenden Dowd of Edmonton forced the OT with a goal at 19:24 of the third period. . . . G Mark Guggenberger ran his record against Saskatoon to 5-0 as the visiting Swift Current Broncos beat the Blades 4-3. Guggenberger made 26 saves after replacing starter Travis Yonkman (shoulder) early in the first period. Swift Current RW Keegan Dansereau, who is from Saskatoon, had a goal and two assists as the Broncos ran their record to 4-0-0-0. . . . The host Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s last five goals as they beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . G Dustin Tokarski stopped 31 shots as the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs won their home-opener 4-0 over the Tri-City Americans. It was his second shutout this season and the 10th of his career. That tied Jim Watt’s Chiefs’ record for career shutouts. Attendance was 10,538. . . .In Calgary, F Carson McMillan was the only one of eight shooters to score in the shootout as the Hitmen beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-2. . . . LW Brian Matte’s goal at 2:09 of OT gave the visiting Prince George Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. Prince George G Kevin Armstrong stopped 39 shots. . . . G Jamie Tucker stopped 19 shots to lead the visiting Vancouver Giants to a 5-0 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. Tucker, a 17-year-old from Victoria, has put up two shutouts in his first three WHL starts.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Reggie Dunlop . . . R.I.P.
Paul Newman is dead. He died Friday surrounded by family after a long battle with cancer.
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=al6uKK20aC84&refer=home
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=al6uKK20aC84&refer=home
Saturday . . . early
THE MacBETH REPORT: G Tomas Vosvrda (Medicine Hat) has signed with Vitkovice (Czech
Extraliga).
Garth MacBeth, who keeps an eye on the European scene for Taking Note, also noticed something else in his recent Internet travels.
When he discovered that Vosvrda had signed with Vitkovice, MacBeth checked out their roster and discovered that LW Ondrej Roman, 19, who spent the last two seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, is listed there.
Not only that, but Vitkovice, according to MacBeth, "has played eight league games through Friday . . . (and) Roman has dressed for five of the eight games."
In those eight games, Roman has two assists -- one in each of the last two games -- and is plus-3.
The Chiefs have said since the start of training camp that they've been waiting for an international transer for Roman. But if he is playing for Vitkovice, you have to think that his chances of coming back to this side of the pond aren't that great.
Extraliga).
Garth MacBeth, who keeps an eye on the European scene for Taking Note, also noticed something else in his recent Internet travels.
When he discovered that Vosvrda had signed with Vitkovice, MacBeth checked out their roster and discovered that LW Ondrej Roman, 19, who spent the last two seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, is listed there.
Not only that, but Vitkovice, according to MacBeth, "has played eight league games through Friday . . . (and) Roman has dressed for five of the eight games."
In those eight games, Roman has two assists -- one in each of the last two games -- and is plus-3.
The Chiefs have said since the start of training camp that they've been waiting for an international transer for Roman. But if he is playing for Vitkovice, you have to think that his chances of coming back to this side of the pond aren't that great.
Friday's stuff . . .
FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Wheat Kings, 6-3. . . . The Warriors (2-2-0-0) got goals each from C Joel Broda and C Thomas Frazee, the latter getting his second into an empty net. . . . Brandon (2-1-0-0) got all three of its goals via the PP but was outscored 5-0 when the teams played 5-on-5. . . . Brandon LW Andrew Clark and C Matt Lowry, both 20, each was minus-4, while D Matt McCue, 20, and D Keith Aulie, 19, each was minus-3. . . . G Kyle Birch, in his first appearance since Moose Jaw acquired him from the Tri-City Americans, stopped 33 shots. . . . Brandon lost C Jay Fehr to injury early in the game and he didn’t return.
———
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings erased a three-goal deficit beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . Edmonton (2-2-0-0) scored three times in the circus, with C Brenden Dowd getting the last one to win it. . . . Red Deer (2-2-0-0) got two shootout goals. . . . Edmonton G Dalyn Flette stopped Red Deer RW Willie Coetzee to preserve the victory. . . . Dowd had scored the game’s first goal. But the Oil Kings then fell behind 4-1, giving up three PP goals in the process. . . . Edmonton got three third-period goals, the last one, from C Brent Raedeke, coming with 3:52 left. . . . Edmonton, in its second season, set a franchise record with 55 shots on goal. . . . In the third period, Edmonton set another franchise record by holding Red Deer to two shots.
———
In Everett, G Kent Simpson of Edmonton stopped 28 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 2-0 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . Simpson, 16, was making his first WHL start. The Silvertips’ first pick in the 2007 bantam draft stopped 17 shots in the second period. . . . D Mike Alexander’s PP goal at 5:39 of the second period was the winner as the Silvertips (1-1-1-0) won for the first time. . . . G Kurtis Mucha, in his first start since returning from the Phoenix Coyotes, stopped 27 shots for Portland (1-2-0-0). . . . Everett was 1-for-5 on the PP and is 2-for-19 in three games. . . . The Winter Hawks actually thought they had scored about five minutes into the game when LW Brad Ross beat Simpson. But it turned out that play had been whistled dead because of a fight — Everett’s Jordan Mistelbacher vs. Portland’s Ryan Kerr — behind the play. . . . Everett lost RW Matt Ius in the second period when he took an elbow from Portland D Travis Ehrhardt, who was hit with a major and game misconduct. Ius didn’t return.
———
In Kamloops, the Kelowna Rockets scored four PP goals and beat the Blazers, 6-2. . . . The Rockets (1-2-0-0) got goals from Colin Long and Cody Almond, both of whom were playing their first games after stints with NHL teams. . . . Kelowna was 4-for-11 on the PP. . . . The Blazers (2-1-0-1) lost in regulation time for the first time this season.
———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice halted a three-game skid with a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . LW Jesse Ismond’s second goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie at 8:15 of the second period and stood up as the winner for the Ice (2-2-0-1). . . . The Hitmen (2-2-0-0) were outshot 41-17. . . . Calgary C Brett Sonne, who had seven points in his first three games, was held pointless.
———
In Lethbridge, C Dwight King’s goal 18 seconds into overtime gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola stopped 19 shots for his second straight shutout. . . . Medicine Hat G Ryan Holfeld stopped 25 shots. . . . The Hurricanes are a perfect 3-0-0-0, while the Tigers are 1-0-1-1. . . . Lethbridge C Cam Braes took a hit to the head in the first period and didn’t return.
———
In Prince Albert, the Raiders erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Freshman C Jordan Weal, the WHL’s player of the week with five points in two games, scored the game’s first goal for Regina (0-2-0-1). . . . The Raiders (2-2-0-0) travel to Regina for a Saturday rematch. . . . P.A. took a 4-1 lead into the third and gave up goals with 1:11 and 30 seconds remaining in the third period. . . . Regina had RW Jordan Eberle, RW Brett Leffler, D Colten Teubert and D Matt Delahey in the lineup after their having been in NHL camps. G Linden Rowat is due back Saturday from the Los Angeles Kings.
———
In Swift Current, D Spencer McAvoy broke a 1-1 tie with goals at 4:43 and 7:07 of the third period to lead the Broncos to a 3-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Broncos (3-0-0-0) got 30 saves from G Mark Guggenberger, five fewer than Saskatoon’s Braden Holtby. . . . Saskatoon (1-2-0-0) was 0-for-5 on the PP and is 1-for-16 in three games. . . . The teams play again tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Blades D Jyri Niemi, 18, arrived back in Saskatoon from the camp of the New York Islanders with a fractured bone in his lower back. He won’t play for up to four weeks.
———
In Kennewick, Wash., LW Adam Hughesman scored twice as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-3. . . . C Jason Reese, in his 250th regular-season game, added his fourth goal in two games for the Americans (2-0-0-0). . . . C Johnny Lazo, who had four points in the Ams’ first game, added two assists. . . . Seattle G Jacob DeSerres stopped 25 shots in his first game since returning from the Philadelphia Flyers’ camp. . . . Head coach Rob Sumner of the Thunderbirds (0-3-0-0) was hit with a game misconduct by referee Sean Raphael at 19:56 of the third period. . . . F David Richard scored twice for Seattle. . . . The Americans are expected to start G Chet Pickard on Saturday when they play the Chiefs in Spokane. It will be his first start since his return from the Nashville Predators.
———
In Vancouver, Craig Cunningham and Neil Manning had two goals each as the Giants dumped the Prince George Cougars, 7-3. . . . The Giants (2-0-0-1) drew 9,069 to their home-opener. . . . The Giants won this one in the second period, outshooting the Cougars (2-1-0-0) 21-11 and outscoring them 5-1. . . . Gordie Howe and Pat Quinn, each minority owners of the Giants, took part in the ceremonial faceoff.
---
NOTES: Someone had inquired a few days ago about the status of Phil Gervais. I‚m told that he was in camp with the Edmonton Oil Kings and was cut. Rather than play junior A, he has chosen to retire. . . . D Taylor Ellington, 20, was returned to the Everett Silvertips on Friday. . . . The OHL’s Oshawa Generals will retire Bobby Orr’s No. 2 on Nov. 27. And you’re wondering why that hasn’t happened before now, considering that Orr, then 14, began his junior career there in 1962? Well, my understanding is that Orr didn’t give his approval for the move until recently. . . .
———
A note from the Canwest News Service:
Nineteen-year-old Colton Gillies might not quite have the Minnesota Wild's GM in his corner yet, but he has the coach.
Jacques Lemaire didn't hide much when asked if he thought the Western Hockey League star is ready to make the jump to the NHL this season.
"My boss decides that," Lemaire said with a chuckle to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, referring to general manager Doug Risebrough. "I made up my decision on (Gillies), but the boss is still the boss."
Lemaire added that he doesn't think Gillies has much to gain with another season in the WHL with Saskatoon.
"I think he's progressing very well," Lemaire added. "I like what he does on the ice. He's a good skater, he plays a physical game. He's quick. You know, he's fast for his size. He has a presence.
"We'll have to work on his shot, around the net, his hands, so he'll get some points, but I'm very pleased the way he's playing."
———
"I'm not afraid to take a few,” Jon (Nasty) Mirasty told the Columbus Dispatch before making his NHL debut on Friday with the Blue Jackets. “Getting punched in the face kind of pumps you up. It's like getting that first check of the game, it gets you going. I like to fight wide open, that's my style and I think it's the most entertaining."
———
Mirasty played four shifts covering four minutes 13 seconds. He got into his first NHL fight just 2:27 into the game as he scrapped with Nashville’s Josh Gratton. The Blue Jackets won the game, 4-3.
In Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Wheat Kings, 6-3. . . . The Warriors (2-2-0-0) got goals each from C Joel Broda and C Thomas Frazee, the latter getting his second into an empty net. . . . Brandon (2-1-0-0) got all three of its goals via the PP but was outscored 5-0 when the teams played 5-on-5. . . . Brandon LW Andrew Clark and C Matt Lowry, both 20, each was minus-4, while D Matt McCue, 20, and D Keith Aulie, 19, each was minus-3. . . . G Kyle Birch, in his first appearance since Moose Jaw acquired him from the Tri-City Americans, stopped 33 shots. . . . Brandon lost C Jay Fehr to injury early in the game and he didn’t return.
———
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings erased a three-goal deficit beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . Edmonton (2-2-0-0) scored three times in the circus, with C Brenden Dowd getting the last one to win it. . . . Red Deer (2-2-0-0) got two shootout goals. . . . Edmonton G Dalyn Flette stopped Red Deer RW Willie Coetzee to preserve the victory. . . . Dowd had scored the game’s first goal. But the Oil Kings then fell behind 4-1, giving up three PP goals in the process. . . . Edmonton got three third-period goals, the last one, from C Brent Raedeke, coming with 3:52 left. . . . Edmonton, in its second season, set a franchise record with 55 shots on goal. . . . In the third period, Edmonton set another franchise record by holding Red Deer to two shots.
———
In Everett, G Kent Simpson of Edmonton stopped 28 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 2-0 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . Simpson, 16, was making his first WHL start. The Silvertips’ first pick in the 2007 bantam draft stopped 17 shots in the second period. . . . D Mike Alexander’s PP goal at 5:39 of the second period was the winner as the Silvertips (1-1-1-0) won for the first time. . . . G Kurtis Mucha, in his first start since returning from the Phoenix Coyotes, stopped 27 shots for Portland (1-2-0-0). . . . Everett was 1-for-5 on the PP and is 2-for-19 in three games. . . . The Winter Hawks actually thought they had scored about five minutes into the game when LW Brad Ross beat Simpson. But it turned out that play had been whistled dead because of a fight — Everett’s Jordan Mistelbacher vs. Portland’s Ryan Kerr — behind the play. . . . Everett lost RW Matt Ius in the second period when he took an elbow from Portland D Travis Ehrhardt, who was hit with a major and game misconduct. Ius didn’t return.
———
In Kamloops, the Kelowna Rockets scored four PP goals and beat the Blazers, 6-2. . . . The Rockets (1-2-0-0) got goals from Colin Long and Cody Almond, both of whom were playing their first games after stints with NHL teams. . . . Kelowna was 4-for-11 on the PP. . . . The Blazers (2-1-0-1) lost in regulation time for the first time this season.
———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice halted a three-game skid with a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . LW Jesse Ismond’s second goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie at 8:15 of the second period and stood up as the winner for the Ice (2-2-0-1). . . . The Hitmen (2-2-0-0) were outshot 41-17. . . . Calgary C Brett Sonne, who had seven points in his first three games, was held pointless.
———
In Lethbridge, C Dwight King’s goal 18 seconds into overtime gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola stopped 19 shots for his second straight shutout. . . . Medicine Hat G Ryan Holfeld stopped 25 shots. . . . The Hurricanes are a perfect 3-0-0-0, while the Tigers are 1-0-1-1. . . . Lethbridge C Cam Braes took a hit to the head in the first period and didn’t return.
———
In Prince Albert, the Raiders erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Freshman C Jordan Weal, the WHL’s player of the week with five points in two games, scored the game’s first goal for Regina (0-2-0-1). . . . The Raiders (2-2-0-0) travel to Regina for a Saturday rematch. . . . P.A. took a 4-1 lead into the third and gave up goals with 1:11 and 30 seconds remaining in the third period. . . . Regina had RW Jordan Eberle, RW Brett Leffler, D Colten Teubert and D Matt Delahey in the lineup after their having been in NHL camps. G Linden Rowat is due back Saturday from the Los Angeles Kings.
———
In Swift Current, D Spencer McAvoy broke a 1-1 tie with goals at 4:43 and 7:07 of the third period to lead the Broncos to a 3-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Broncos (3-0-0-0) got 30 saves from G Mark Guggenberger, five fewer than Saskatoon’s Braden Holtby. . . . Saskatoon (1-2-0-0) was 0-for-5 on the PP and is 1-for-16 in three games. . . . The teams play again tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Blades D Jyri Niemi, 18, arrived back in Saskatoon from the camp of the New York Islanders with a fractured bone in his lower back. He won’t play for up to four weeks.
———
In Kennewick, Wash., LW Adam Hughesman scored twice as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-3. . . . C Jason Reese, in his 250th regular-season game, added his fourth goal in two games for the Americans (2-0-0-0). . . . C Johnny Lazo, who had four points in the Ams’ first game, added two assists. . . . Seattle G Jacob DeSerres stopped 25 shots in his first game since returning from the Philadelphia Flyers’ camp. . . . Head coach Rob Sumner of the Thunderbirds (0-3-0-0) was hit with a game misconduct by referee Sean Raphael at 19:56 of the third period. . . . F David Richard scored twice for Seattle. . . . The Americans are expected to start G Chet Pickard on Saturday when they play the Chiefs in Spokane. It will be his first start since his return from the Nashville Predators.
———
In Vancouver, Craig Cunningham and Neil Manning had two goals each as the Giants dumped the Prince George Cougars, 7-3. . . . The Giants (2-0-0-1) drew 9,069 to their home-opener. . . . The Giants won this one in the second period, outshooting the Cougars (2-1-0-0) 21-11 and outscoring them 5-1. . . . Gordie Howe and Pat Quinn, each minority owners of the Giants, took part in the ceremonial faceoff.
---
NOTES: Someone had inquired a few days ago about the status of Phil Gervais. I‚m told that he was in camp with the Edmonton Oil Kings and was cut. Rather than play junior A, he has chosen to retire. . . . D Taylor Ellington, 20, was returned to the Everett Silvertips on Friday. . . . The OHL’s Oshawa Generals will retire Bobby Orr’s No. 2 on Nov. 27. And you’re wondering why that hasn’t happened before now, considering that Orr, then 14, began his junior career there in 1962? Well, my understanding is that Orr didn’t give his approval for the move until recently. . . .
———
A note from the Canwest News Service:
Nineteen-year-old Colton Gillies might not quite have the Minnesota Wild's GM in his corner yet, but he has the coach.
Jacques Lemaire didn't hide much when asked if he thought the Western Hockey League star is ready to make the jump to the NHL this season.
"My boss decides that," Lemaire said with a chuckle to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, referring to general manager Doug Risebrough. "I made up my decision on (Gillies), but the boss is still the boss."
Lemaire added that he doesn't think Gillies has much to gain with another season in the WHL with Saskatoon.
"I think he's progressing very well," Lemaire added. "I like what he does on the ice. He's a good skater, he plays a physical game. He's quick. You know, he's fast for his size. He has a presence.
"We'll have to work on his shot, around the net, his hands, so he'll get some points, but I'm very pleased the way he's playing."
———
"I'm not afraid to take a few,” Jon (Nasty) Mirasty told the Columbus Dispatch before making his NHL debut on Friday with the Blue Jackets. “Getting punched in the face kind of pumps you up. It's like getting that first check of the game, it gets you going. I like to fight wide open, that's my style and I think it's the most entertaining."
———
Mirasty played four shifts covering four minutes 13 seconds. He got into his first NHL fight just 2:27 into the game as he scrapped with Nashville’s Josh Gratton. The Blue Jackets won the game, 4-3.
Rockets zoom past Blazers
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Barry Smith, the head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, made a mistake
Friday night and he knew it.
It was midway in the third period and just five minutes after the Blazers
had gotten back to within two goals of the Kelowna Rockets when Smith ran
afoul of referee Nathan Wieler.
Smith, who had been in Wieler’s kitchen off and on, didn’t agree with a
cross-checking call on defenceman Kurt Torbohm and the coach’s reaction
earned him a minor penalty.
That presented the Rockets with a two-man advantage on which they scored to
go up 5-2 en route to what would be a 6-2 victory in front of 4,394 fans at
Interior Savings Centre.
“The refereeing was outstanding again tonight in the league,” Smith said. “I
didn’t say anything. I didn’t know that if I went like this (a shrug of the
shoulders with arms raised) that that’s a two-minute minor. But I guess it
is.”
Before Smith, who is in his first season with the Blazers after a five-year
run as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, cut too deeply
into his next paycheque, however, he performed a quick mea culpa.
“My fault,” he said. “That’s a bad penalty on my part. It doesn’t set a good
example.
“You know what? Coaches make mistakes, too. That was a mistake on my part.”
The Blazers, now 2-1-0-1 and still atop the Western Conference, actually got
off to a good start in this one. They got the game’s first goal, when
defenceman Nick Ross got a shot through traffic and past goaltender Kris
Lazaruk just 3:13 into the proceedings.
But the Rockets tied it at 13:44 when centre Colin Long, in his first game
since a stint with Ross with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, scored the first of
Kelowna’s four power-play goals.
For the better part of the next 40 minutes, the Rockets dominated.
“We took a little breath of air” after starting solidly, Smith said, “and we
quit moving our feet. They battled hard and kept their feet moving. That was
the difference.
“That was a hungry team. They were coming off two losses and weren’t going
to let us back in like other teams have.”
The Rockets had opened with two road losses in the U.S. Division. But those
losses came without the services of Long and centre Cody Almond, who keyed
last night’s victory.
“It was a little struggle off the start,” said Almond, who had been with the
NHL’s Minnesota Wild, “but we’ve got some of the older guys back in the
lineup now. We’ve got to kind of show the young guys — we’ve got a few young
guys on the team — what it’s all about.
“I thought we did some really good things. I thought our penalty kill was
good and our power play was pretty good.”
The Kelowna power play won the game, that’s all, is it struck four times on
11 opportunities.
“Having Cody Almond and Colin Long . . . back in our lineup really helped
us,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said. “They move pucks around very well
and they make us tougher to play against than we were last weekend.”
Defenceman Collin Bowman, Almond, right-winger Stepan Novotny, right-winger
Kyle St. Denis and left-winger Brandon McMillan each scored his first goal
of the season for the Rockets.
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe, with his fifth goal in four games, also scored for
Kamloops.
The Blazers got a solid game out of goaltender Justin Leclerc, who finished
with 34 saves. He was especially strong early when the game was still on the
line.
At the same time, the Rockets got a solid effort from Lazaruk, the
goaltender they acquired a week ago from the Kootenay Ice. He made 25 saves,
11 of them in the third period.
“As much as you don’t want to see your team loosen up in the third period,
it was really nice to see Kris come to play and make some big saves for us,”
Huska said.
Blazers captain Scott Wasden felt this game was the reverse of earlier games
in which his team has started slowly.
“The first couple of games . . . we got better as the game went on,” he
said. “This time, we had a good start and took the last two periods off. We
were headed in the right direction in the third and got into penalty
trouble.”
The teams meet again tonight in Kelowna as the Rockets stage their
season-opener.
“We just have to get back at it tomorrow,” Smith said. “I told the team,
‘It’s how you come back tomorrow. . . . The best thing is you play again
tomorrow night against the same team and that’ll show you where your at and
what your character is.’
“I think we’ll be all right tomorrow.”
The Rockets are certain to be greeted by a full house at Prospera Centre and
they will be excited.
“Yeah, it’s still a little nerve-wracking,” said Almond, a 19-year-old from
Calgary. “It’s a lot of fun, though . . . a really exciting time.
“We’ll have Jamie Benn back in the lineup, too.
Yes, Benn, a 33-goal man last season, should be back from the NHL’s Dallas
Stars in time to play.
JUST NOTES: Wieler, who flew solo in this one, gave the Blazers 12 of 20
minors, two of four majors and a misconduct. The latter went to C C.J.
Stretch late in the second period. . . . The Rockets were without Benn and
two of their other top players. Defenceman Luke Schenn was playing, and
scoring a goal, in a 5-4 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. D Tyler
Myers still is with the Buffalo Sabres. . . . Kelowna LW Lucas Bloodoff
played with a cast to protect a broken hand suffered when he blocked a shot
in a game last weekend. He picked up two assists and played an effective
game.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
Barry Smith, the head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, made a mistake
Friday night and he knew it.
It was midway in the third period and just five minutes after the Blazers
had gotten back to within two goals of the Kelowna Rockets when Smith ran
afoul of referee Nathan Wieler.
Smith, who had been in Wieler’s kitchen off and on, didn’t agree with a
cross-checking call on defenceman Kurt Torbohm and the coach’s reaction
earned him a minor penalty.
That presented the Rockets with a two-man advantage on which they scored to
go up 5-2 en route to what would be a 6-2 victory in front of 4,394 fans at
Interior Savings Centre.
“The refereeing was outstanding again tonight in the league,” Smith said. “I
didn’t say anything. I didn’t know that if I went like this (a shrug of the
shoulders with arms raised) that that’s a two-minute minor. But I guess it
is.”
Before Smith, who is in his first season with the Blazers after a five-year
run as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, cut too deeply
into his next paycheque, however, he performed a quick mea culpa.
“My fault,” he said. “That’s a bad penalty on my part. It doesn’t set a good
example.
“You know what? Coaches make mistakes, too. That was a mistake on my part.”
The Blazers, now 2-1-0-1 and still atop the Western Conference, actually got
off to a good start in this one. They got the game’s first goal, when
defenceman Nick Ross got a shot through traffic and past goaltender Kris
Lazaruk just 3:13 into the proceedings.
But the Rockets tied it at 13:44 when centre Colin Long, in his first game
since a stint with Ross with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, scored the first of
Kelowna’s four power-play goals.
For the better part of the next 40 minutes, the Rockets dominated.
“We took a little breath of air” after starting solidly, Smith said, “and we
quit moving our feet. They battled hard and kept their feet moving. That was
the difference.
“That was a hungry team. They were coming off two losses and weren’t going
to let us back in like other teams have.”
The Rockets had opened with two road losses in the U.S. Division. But those
losses came without the services of Long and centre Cody Almond, who keyed
last night’s victory.
“It was a little struggle off the start,” said Almond, who had been with the
NHL’s Minnesota Wild, “but we’ve got some of the older guys back in the
lineup now. We’ve got to kind of show the young guys — we’ve got a few young
guys on the team — what it’s all about.
“I thought we did some really good things. I thought our penalty kill was
good and our power play was pretty good.”
The Kelowna power play won the game, that’s all, is it struck four times on
11 opportunities.
“Having Cody Almond and Colin Long . . . back in our lineup really helped
us,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said. “They move pucks around very well
and they make us tougher to play against than we were last weekend.”
Defenceman Collin Bowman, Almond, right-winger Stepan Novotny, right-winger
Kyle St. Denis and left-winger Brandon McMillan each scored his first goal
of the season for the Rockets.
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe, with his fifth goal in four games, also scored for
Kamloops.
The Blazers got a solid game out of goaltender Justin Leclerc, who finished
with 34 saves. He was especially strong early when the game was still on the
line.
At the same time, the Rockets got a solid effort from Lazaruk, the
goaltender they acquired a week ago from the Kootenay Ice. He made 25 saves,
11 of them in the third period.
“As much as you don’t want to see your team loosen up in the third period,
it was really nice to see Kris come to play and make some big saves for us,”
Huska said.
Blazers captain Scott Wasden felt this game was the reverse of earlier games
in which his team has started slowly.
“The first couple of games . . . we got better as the game went on,” he
said. “This time, we had a good start and took the last two periods off. We
were headed in the right direction in the third and got into penalty
trouble.”
The teams meet again tonight in Kelowna as the Rockets stage their
season-opener.
“We just have to get back at it tomorrow,” Smith said. “I told the team,
‘It’s how you come back tomorrow. . . . The best thing is you play again
tomorrow night against the same team and that’ll show you where your at and
what your character is.’
“I think we’ll be all right tomorrow.”
The Rockets are certain to be greeted by a full house at Prospera Centre and
they will be excited.
“Yeah, it’s still a little nerve-wracking,” said Almond, a 19-year-old from
Calgary. “It’s a lot of fun, though . . . a really exciting time.
“We’ll have Jamie Benn back in the lineup, too.
Yes, Benn, a 33-goal man last season, should be back from the NHL’s Dallas
Stars in time to play.
JUST NOTES: Wieler, who flew solo in this one, gave the Blazers 12 of 20
minors, two of four majors and a misconduct. The latter went to C C.J.
Stretch late in the second period. . . . The Rockets were without Benn and
two of their other top players. Defenceman Luke Schenn was playing, and
scoring a goal, in a 5-4 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. D Tyler
Myers still is with the Buffalo Sabres. . . . Kelowna LW Lucas Bloodoff
played with a cast to protect a broken hand suffered when he blocked a shot
in a game last weekend. He picked up two assists and played an effective
game.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Blazers box
THE SCORE
Kelowna 6, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers got off to a solid start but faded fast once the Rockets pushed
back. And it was over once Kamloops got caught up in the officiating.
THE BENCH MINOR
Kamloops head coach Barry Smith ran afoul of referee Nathan Wieler, who
worked solo in this one, and picked up a bench minor at 10:34 of the third.
It put his team two-men down and the Rockets promptly scored to go up 5-2.
THE RIVALRY
These two teams will meet nine times this season, with five of those
gatherings in Kamloops. Last season, they met eight times, with the Blazers
going 5-3-0-0. Of course, this is the WHL, so if you’re a Rockets’ fan, they
were 3-3-0-2 in the series.
THE STREAK
The Rockets went into this one on a six-game winless streak in Kamloops.
They had last won here on Nov. 14, 2006, when they beat the Blazers, 5-4.
THE TUESDAY GAME
Contrary to what you may have read here yesterday, the Blazers do have a
home game before heading into Alberta late next week. The Memorial
Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs make their first of two appearances here on
Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m. After that, the Blazers head for weekend
games in Edmonton and Calgary.
THE GOALTENDER
There wasn’t anything new on the trade front Friday regarding Blazers G
James Priestner, 17, who is at home in Edmonton awaiting a swap. Word in WHL
circles is that the Blazers and Brandon Wheat Kings could get something done
Sunday.
THE GENERAL MANAGER
Kelly Kisio, the GM of the Calgary Hitmen, was in attendance last night.
Don’t get too excited, though. He has a daughter attending TRU so this trip
was more personal than business.
THE OWNER
Another face in the crowd belonged to former Blazers sniper Len Barrie, now
a co-owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He was here to watch his son,
Tyson, one of the Rockets defencemen.
THE TRYOUT
LW Troy Ofukany, who is from Kamloops and used up his WHL eligibility last
season, has signed an amateur tryout deal with the AHL's Quad City Flames,
who open training camp at the wireless Center in Moline, Ill., on Tuesday.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. C Cody Almond, Kelowna. Two points and leadership.
2. LW Lucas Bloodoff, Kelowna. Two assists for a one-handed man who was
supposed to miss four weeks.
3. D Tyson Barrie, Kelowna. The quarterback.
UP NEXT
The Blazers are in Kelowna tonight and at home to the Spokane Chiefs on
Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Kelowna 6, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers got off to a solid start but faded fast once the Rockets pushed
back. And it was over once Kamloops got caught up in the officiating.
THE BENCH MINOR
Kamloops head coach Barry Smith ran afoul of referee Nathan Wieler, who
worked solo in this one, and picked up a bench minor at 10:34 of the third.
It put his team two-men down and the Rockets promptly scored to go up 5-2.
THE RIVALRY
These two teams will meet nine times this season, with five of those
gatherings in Kamloops. Last season, they met eight times, with the Blazers
going 5-3-0-0. Of course, this is the WHL, so if you’re a Rockets’ fan, they
were 3-3-0-2 in the series.
THE STREAK
The Rockets went into this one on a six-game winless streak in Kamloops.
They had last won here on Nov. 14, 2006, when they beat the Blazers, 5-4.
THE TUESDAY GAME
Contrary to what you may have read here yesterday, the Blazers do have a
home game before heading into Alberta late next week. The Memorial
Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs make their first of two appearances here on
Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m. After that, the Blazers head for weekend
games in Edmonton and Calgary.
THE GOALTENDER
There wasn’t anything new on the trade front Friday regarding Blazers G
James Priestner, 17, who is at home in Edmonton awaiting a swap. Word in WHL
circles is that the Blazers and Brandon Wheat Kings could get something done
Sunday.
THE GENERAL MANAGER
Kelly Kisio, the GM of the Calgary Hitmen, was in attendance last night.
Don’t get too excited, though. He has a daughter attending TRU so this trip
was more personal than business.
THE OWNER
Another face in the crowd belonged to former Blazers sniper Len Barrie, now
a co-owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He was here to watch his son,
Tyson, one of the Rockets defencemen.
THE TRYOUT
LW Troy Ofukany, who is from Kamloops and used up his WHL eligibility last
season, has signed an amateur tryout deal with the AHL's Quad City Flames,
who open training camp at the wireless Center in Moline, Ill., on Tuesday.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. C Cody Almond, Kelowna. Two points and leadership.
2. LW Lucas Bloodoff, Kelowna. Two assists for a one-handed man who was
supposed to miss four weeks.
3. D Tyson Barrie, Kelowna. The quarterback.
UP NEXT
The Blazers are in Kelowna tonight and at home to the Spokane Chiefs on
Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday . . . early
F Jon (Nasty) Mirasty makes his NHL debut tonight (Friday) with the Columbus Blue Jackets as they play host to the Nashville Predators. Two other players of interest whose names still are on the Columbus training camp roster are D Nick Holden and F Derek Dorsett. . . . The New York Islanders have returned D Travis Hamonic to the Moose Jaw Warriors. He was a second-round pick in the 2008 NHL draft. . . . The Phoenix Coyotes have returned D Michael Stone to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . D Benn Olson, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, has been assigned to the AHL’s Albany River Rats by the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
---
I have attempted to compile a list of WHLers still in NHL camps. This list doesn’t include 20-year-olds who are eligible to play anywhere in an NHL team’s system; the yes or no indicates whether the player has signed an NHL contract:
BRANDON: None.
CALGARY: D Alex Plante, Edmonton Oilers, no; G Martin Jones, Los Angeles Kings, no.
CHILLIWACK: F Oscar Moller, Los Angeles Kings, yes.
EDMONTON: None.
EVERETT: F Kyle Beach, Chicago, no.
KAMLOOPS: None.
KELOWNA: D Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres, no; D Luke Schenn, Toronto Maple Leafs, no.
KOOTENAY: D John Negrin, Calgary, yes.
LETHBRIDGE: F Zach Boychuk, Carolina Hurricanes, no; D Luca Sbisa, Philadelphia Flyers, no.
MEDICINE HAT: None.
MOOSE JAW: None.
PORTLAND: None.
PRINCE GEORGE: None.
RED DEER: F Brandon Sutter, Carolina Hurricanes, yes.
REGINA: None.
SASKATOON: F Colton Gillies, Minnesota Wild, yes; D Jyri Niemi, New York Islanders, no.
SEATTLE: D Thomas Hickey, Los Angeles Kings, yes.
SPOKANE: F Drayson Bowman, Carolina Hurricanes, yes; D Jared Spurgeon, New York Islanders.
SWIFT CURRENT: None.
TRI-CITY: None.
VANCOUVER: D Jon Blum, Nashville Predators, yes.
---
I have attempted to compile a list of WHLers still in NHL camps. This list doesn’t include 20-year-olds who are eligible to play anywhere in an NHL team’s system; the yes or no indicates whether the player has signed an NHL contract:
BRANDON: None.
CALGARY: D Alex Plante, Edmonton Oilers, no; G Martin Jones, Los Angeles Kings, no.
CHILLIWACK: F Oscar Moller, Los Angeles Kings, yes.
EDMONTON: None.
EVERETT: F Kyle Beach, Chicago, no.
KAMLOOPS: None.
KELOWNA: D Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres, no; D Luke Schenn, Toronto Maple Leafs, no.
KOOTENAY: D John Negrin, Calgary, yes.
LETHBRIDGE: F Zach Boychuk, Carolina Hurricanes, no; D Luca Sbisa, Philadelphia Flyers, no.
MEDICINE HAT: None.
MOOSE JAW: None.
PORTLAND: None.
PRINCE GEORGE: None.
RED DEER: F Brandon Sutter, Carolina Hurricanes, yes.
REGINA: None.
SASKATOON: F Colton Gillies, Minnesota Wild, yes; D Jyri Niemi, New York Islanders, no.
SEATTLE: D Thomas Hickey, Los Angeles Kings, yes.
SPOKANE: F Drayson Bowman, Carolina Hurricanes, yes; D Jared Spurgeon, New York Islanders.
SWIFT CURRENT: None.
TRI-CITY: None.
VANCOUVER: D Jon Blum, Nashville Predators, yes.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday's notes . . .
Dale Derkatch, the Regina Pats’ new head coach, should have his complete roster at his disposal tonight as his squad opens a home-and-home series with the Raiders in Prince Albert. Yesterday, the Pats welcomed back RW Jordan Eberle (Edmonton Oilers) and D Matt Delahey (New Jersey Devils), along with G Linden Rowat and D Colten Teubert, both of whom were with the Los Angeles Kings. . . . F Brett Leffler (Washington Capitals) returned to Regina earlier in the week. . . .
———
The Swift Current Broncos have welcomed back D Ryan Molle from the camp of the New Jersey Devils. Molle, a seventh-round pick in the NHL’s 2007 draft, is expected to play this weekend in a home-and-home series with the Saskatoon Blades. The series begins Friday in Swift Current. . . . Other players on their way back, as of late Thursday, were: D Stefan Warg to the Seattle Thunderbirds from the Anaheim Ducks; C Cody Almond (Minnesota Wild) to the Kelowna Rockets; RW Carson McMillan (Minnesota) to the Calgary Hitmen; D Tyler Schmidt (Minnesota) to the Tri-City Americans; and, D Tomas Kundarek (New York Rangers) to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
———
The Lethbridge Hurricanes remain without F Mitch Fadden, 20, who was sent by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning to the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals; D Luca Sbisa (Philadelphia Flyers); and, F Zach Boychuk (Carolina Hurricanes). . . . Lethbridge got LW Carter Bancks back from the Atlanta Thrashers but he returned with a broken foot and won’t play until the latter part of October.
———
The New York Rangers have assigned D Tysen Dowzak, 20, to the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack. Which means the Kelowna Rockets may be waiting a while to get him back. . . . Where are they now: LW Troy Ofukany, who completed his WHL eligibility last season with the Red Deer Rebels, has signed an amateur tryout deal with the AHL’s Quad City Flames. . . . D Justin Palazzo, 20, who played three seasons in the WHL before finishing up last season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, is going to school in Kamloops and working a part-time job.
———
If you’re wondering why so many people hold Wayne Gretzky, the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, in such high esteem, consider this story, as related by Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier in story about Rockets’ centre Colin Long:
“In Phoenix, Long’s exhibition team included NHLers Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski and Peter Mueller. Long added that Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky also coached his team for one game. . . . Further, Long added that Gretzky asked him if his parents were in town for one game, and Long said, ‘Yes, they were.’
“That night, No. 99 made Long a starter.”
———
In the same story, Potenteau mentioned that while in Phoenix, Long spent a lot of time on a line with Russian RW Enver Lisin. To show you how small the hockey world is, Lisin, who is from Moscow, played on the Russian team in the 2006 World Junior Championship. That team played three games in Kelowna’s Prospera Place.
———
The Saskatoon Blades assigned G Matthew Krahn, 17, to the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, so will go with Braden Holtby, 19, and freshman Adam Morrison, 17, as their goaltenders. . . . Saskatoon also sent LW Jamie Crooks to the midget AAA Lloydminster Bobcats. . . .
———
While F Chris Cloud isn’t on the Vancouver Giants’ roster, the team is hanging on to his WHL playing rights. Cloud lost out in the numbers game as the Giants have chosen to keep D Mike Berube, D Craig Schira and F Casey Pierro-Zabotel as their 20-year-olds. But Cloud remains in Vancouver while GM Scott Bonner tries to find another WHL team that will take him. With the Giants scheduled to play the host Chilliwack Bruins on Sunday, there’s no way Bonner would risk having Cloud surface with the Lower Mainland rivals in time to play in that game. If he doesn’t resurface in the WHL, Cloud likely will end up with the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
———
The Bonner brother now are in the same boat — each is trying to trade a goaltender.
Craig Bonner, the GM of the Kamloops Blazers, has been working on dealing sophomore G James Priestner all week. Priestner, 17, left the Blazers on Wednesday and is at home in Edmonton awaiting word on a destination.
Scott Bonner, the Giants’ veteran GM, is trying to move Kraymer Barnstable, 18, who backed up Tyson Sexsmith last season. Barnstable left the Giants on Thursday after it became apparent that freshman Jamie Tucker, 17, would be backing up Sexsmith this season. Tucker, in fact, started Vancouver’s first two games this season. Sexsmith, who has been in camp with the San Jose Sharks, will start Friday in the Giants’ home-opener against the Prince George Cougars.
And just like that the WHL’s goaltender market has been flooded.
The Kelowna Rockets are trying to find a spot for Torrie Jung, 19. He is at home in Nanaimo, B.C., after the Rockets acquired Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice last weekend.
The Regina Pats’ roster shows four goaltenders — Derek Tendler, 16, from Regina; Damien Ketlo, 17, from Fort Fraser, B.C.; veteran Linden Rowat, 19; and, sophomore Jeff Bosch, 18.
The Calgary Hitmen are carrying three goaltenders — freshman Michael Snider, 17, and veterans Martin Jones, 18, and Dan Spence, 20.
With veteran Kurtis Mucha, 19, back from the Phoenix Coyotes, the Portland Winter Hawks are carrying three, the others being Jordan White, 20, and Keith Hamilton, 18.
The Moose Jaw Warriors also are carrying three, having acquired Kyle Birch, 18, from the Tri-City Americans and added him to sophomore Todd Mathews, 18, and freshman Devin Dubyk, 17.
Also carrying three are the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs. Right now, veteran Dustin Tokarski, 19, is being supported by Alex Wright, 18, a recent acquisition from the Prince George Cougars, and sophomore James Reid, 19.
So just who is in the market for a goaltender?
Craig Bonner was close to sending Priestner to the Brandon Wheat Kings and those talks are believed to be continuing. Bonner also is believed to be talking with Tri-City GM Bob Tory. Of course, no one in the WHL is involved in more trade chatter over a season than ‘Trader’ Bob.
The Everett Silvertips are rumoured to be interested, but would want someone with starting experience. Right now, the ’Tips have sophomore Shayne Barrie, who turns 19 on Nov. 30 and backed up Leland Irving last season, and freshman Kent Simpson, 17.
———
Did you know: Claude Lemieux, yes that Claude Lemieux, is skating and pondering an attempted comeback. Lemieux is 43.
———
The Swift Current Broncos have welcomed back D Ryan Molle from the camp of the New Jersey Devils. Molle, a seventh-round pick in the NHL’s 2007 draft, is expected to play this weekend in a home-and-home series with the Saskatoon Blades. The series begins Friday in Swift Current. . . . Other players on their way back, as of late Thursday, were: D Stefan Warg to the Seattle Thunderbirds from the Anaheim Ducks; C Cody Almond (Minnesota Wild) to the Kelowna Rockets; RW Carson McMillan (Minnesota) to the Calgary Hitmen; D Tyler Schmidt (Minnesota) to the Tri-City Americans; and, D Tomas Kundarek (New York Rangers) to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
———
The Lethbridge Hurricanes remain without F Mitch Fadden, 20, who was sent by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning to the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals; D Luca Sbisa (Philadelphia Flyers); and, F Zach Boychuk (Carolina Hurricanes). . . . Lethbridge got LW Carter Bancks back from the Atlanta Thrashers but he returned with a broken foot and won’t play until the latter part of October.
———
The New York Rangers have assigned D Tysen Dowzak, 20, to the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack. Which means the Kelowna Rockets may be waiting a while to get him back. . . . Where are they now: LW Troy Ofukany, who completed his WHL eligibility last season with the Red Deer Rebels, has signed an amateur tryout deal with the AHL’s Quad City Flames. . . . D Justin Palazzo, 20, who played three seasons in the WHL before finishing up last season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, is going to school in Kamloops and working a part-time job.
———
If you’re wondering why so many people hold Wayne Gretzky, the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, in such high esteem, consider this story, as related by Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier in story about Rockets’ centre Colin Long:
“In Phoenix, Long’s exhibition team included NHLers Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski and Peter Mueller. Long added that Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky also coached his team for one game. . . . Further, Long added that Gretzky asked him if his parents were in town for one game, and Long said, ‘Yes, they were.’
“That night, No. 99 made Long a starter.”
———
In the same story, Potenteau mentioned that while in Phoenix, Long spent a lot of time on a line with Russian RW Enver Lisin. To show you how small the hockey world is, Lisin, who is from Moscow, played on the Russian team in the 2006 World Junior Championship. That team played three games in Kelowna’s Prospera Place.
———
The Saskatoon Blades assigned G Matthew Krahn, 17, to the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, so will go with Braden Holtby, 19, and freshman Adam Morrison, 17, as their goaltenders. . . . Saskatoon also sent LW Jamie Crooks to the midget AAA Lloydminster Bobcats. . . .
———
While F Chris Cloud isn’t on the Vancouver Giants’ roster, the team is hanging on to his WHL playing rights. Cloud lost out in the numbers game as the Giants have chosen to keep D Mike Berube, D Craig Schira and F Casey Pierro-Zabotel as their 20-year-olds. But Cloud remains in Vancouver while GM Scott Bonner tries to find another WHL team that will take him. With the Giants scheduled to play the host Chilliwack Bruins on Sunday, there’s no way Bonner would risk having Cloud surface with the Lower Mainland rivals in time to play in that game. If he doesn’t resurface in the WHL, Cloud likely will end up with the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
———
The Bonner brother now are in the same boat — each is trying to trade a goaltender.
Craig Bonner, the GM of the Kamloops Blazers, has been working on dealing sophomore G James Priestner all week. Priestner, 17, left the Blazers on Wednesday and is at home in Edmonton awaiting word on a destination.
Scott Bonner, the Giants’ veteran GM, is trying to move Kraymer Barnstable, 18, who backed up Tyson Sexsmith last season. Barnstable left the Giants on Thursday after it became apparent that freshman Jamie Tucker, 17, would be backing up Sexsmith this season. Tucker, in fact, started Vancouver’s first two games this season. Sexsmith, who has been in camp with the San Jose Sharks, will start Friday in the Giants’ home-opener against the Prince George Cougars.
And just like that the WHL’s goaltender market has been flooded.
The Kelowna Rockets are trying to find a spot for Torrie Jung, 19. He is at home in Nanaimo, B.C., after the Rockets acquired Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice last weekend.
The Regina Pats’ roster shows four goaltenders — Derek Tendler, 16, from Regina; Damien Ketlo, 17, from Fort Fraser, B.C.; veteran Linden Rowat, 19; and, sophomore Jeff Bosch, 18.
The Calgary Hitmen are carrying three goaltenders — freshman Michael Snider, 17, and veterans Martin Jones, 18, and Dan Spence, 20.
With veteran Kurtis Mucha, 19, back from the Phoenix Coyotes, the Portland Winter Hawks are carrying three, the others being Jordan White, 20, and Keith Hamilton, 18.
The Moose Jaw Warriors also are carrying three, having acquired Kyle Birch, 18, from the Tri-City Americans and added him to sophomore Todd Mathews, 18, and freshman Devin Dubyk, 17.
Also carrying three are the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs. Right now, veteran Dustin Tokarski, 19, is being supported by Alex Wright, 18, a recent acquisition from the Prince George Cougars, and sophomore James Reid, 19.
So just who is in the market for a goaltender?
Craig Bonner was close to sending Priestner to the Brandon Wheat Kings and those talks are believed to be continuing. Bonner also is believed to be talking with Tri-City GM Bob Tory. Of course, no one in the WHL is involved in more trade chatter over a season than ‘Trader’ Bob.
The Everett Silvertips are rumoured to be interested, but would want someone with starting experience. Right now, the ’Tips have sophomore Shayne Barrie, who turns 19 on Nov. 30 and backed up Leland Irving last season, and freshman Kent Simpson, 17.
———
Did you know: Claude Lemieux, yes that Claude Lemieux, is skating and pondering an attempted comeback. Lemieux is 43.
Nyren producing for Blazers
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Barry Smith, the head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, called his boss a
thief on Thursday.
No, Smith’s Nissan 250Z didn’t disappear from the Interior Savings Centre
Parking lot.
Rather, Smith was referring to the club’s preseason acquisition of
defenceman Giffen Nyren, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
On Sept. 15, Blazers general manager Craig Bonner gave up 2009 fourth- and
fifth-round bantam draft picks, both of which originated with the Warriors,
in exchange for Nyren and a 2010 fifth-round pick.
“What a deal that was!” Smith said as practice wound down at The ATM
yesterday. “People are shaking their heads. (Bonner) was the thief on that
one.”
Nyren goes into tonight’s game against the visiting Kelowna Rockets with
five assists — one off the league lead — in three games. Nyren, who is from
Calgary, also is plus-2. He had two power-play assists in Wednesday’s 4-3
shootout victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
“He’s a great puck mover,” Smith said, “and he doesn’t have any heat in his
kitchen.”
In other words, Nyren has displayed a high panic point; as a rule, he
doesn’t cough up the puck under pressure.
“He’s going to turn some pucks over and piss you off a little bit,” Smith
added, “but more often than not he’s going to make a great play.”
Nyren’s ability to jump up into the play has proven to be key for the
Blazers, because that’s the way Smith likes to attack the oppostion’s
neutral zone trap. Smith wants his defencemen to get into the neutral zone
because it causes “problems and confusion.”
In fact, the coaching staff has been working with third-year D Jordan Rowley
and sophomore Kurt Torbohm to get them jumping into the play “a bit more.”
“Those guys can get up there and make something happen,” Smith said.
p p p
Smith was quite pleased with the play of D Nick Ross on Wednesday. Ross
returned to Kamloops earlier in the day after a stint with the NHL’s Phoenix
Coyotes. A first-round pick by the Coyotes in the NHL’s 2007 draft, Ross has
signed an NHL contract.
While Ross didn’t pick up any points, he did take two minor penalties, one
of them for clipping in overtime, but he redeemed himself with two key
blocked shots late in overtime.
“I thought Nicky was real good,” Smith said. “It was one of his better
games. He blocked those two shots at the end and you don’t see a lot of that
from Nicky Ross.
“I think he’s in the right frame of mind. He didn’t have too much casualness
about his game and that’s usually what you’re moaning about when he plays.”
As for RW Tyler Shattock, who was playing his first game since returning
from the San Jose Sharks, Smith said he thought he saw some fatigue.
“I thought he was a little bit tired and trying to do too much fancy stuff,”
said Smith, who agreed that Shattock was better on the penalty kill where he
had “a good stick and was in good position.”
“We talked a bit,” Smith said, “and he said, yeah, he was a little tired. .
. . I expect more out of him.”
* * *
The only player on the Blazers’ roster who has yet to play in the regular
season is D Brandon Underwood, a 16-year-old from San Marcos, Calif.
Smith said he is thinking about dressing seven defencemen tonight, which
would get Underwood into the lineup.
Smith said after practice that he hadn’t determined what lineup changes he
would make tonight. On Wednesday, he sat Underwood, veteran centre Devon
Kalinski, 18, who was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen in January in the
deal in which Kamloops gave up fifth-year C Brock Nixon, D Mark Schneider
and RW Jake Trask.
* * *
Smith did say that he will be going back to G Justin Leclerc tonight and may
come back with him again Saturday in Kelowna.
Leclerc, 19, who is in his fourth WHL season, went the distance in the first
two games and backed up Jon Groenheyde, 17, on Wednesday.
“Jonny played well and that’s where we wanted him,” Smith said. “We’ll see
how it goes. If I think Justin is worn out or I think it’s that kind of game
and I need to come back with a fresh goalie to go into Kelowna then I will.
“If not, it’s Justin for both games.”
* * *
Bonner spent at least part of Thursday attempting to trade G James
Priestner, 17, who returned home to Edmonton on Wednesday.
However, Bonner wasn’t able to get anything done, so is sure to be on the
phone again today.
* * *
The announced attendance at Wednesday’s game was 4,114, which was four fewer
than last season’s smallest crowd. That was on Dec. 4 when 4,118 fans
watched the Blazers beat the Portland Winter Hawks, 6-4.
The ISC opened in the fall of 1992 — it was Riverside Coliseum — and in that
first season there were 19 crowds smaller than 4,114. The smallest
regular-season crowd in this building was 2,988 on Jan. 3, 1993. That night,
the Tri-City Americans beat the Blazers, 7-4.
* * *
Spike Wallace, the Blazers’ community liaison, wants to remind the young
fans out there that the first Blueliner Breakfast is scheduled for Nov. 23,
8:30 a.m., in the ISC’s Sports Action Lounge. There are four breakfasts
scheduled, with the fourth one, on Feb. 22, the 100th of this program.
For more info, call Spike at 250-828-1144.
* * *
The Rockets acquired G Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice on Saturday,
giving up a conditional 2010 fourth-round bantam draft pick in exchange. As
a result, Rockets veteran G Torrie Jung, 19, has gone home to Nanaimo to
await a trade.
Tonight, you will notice that Lazaruk is wearing his Ice equipment — he has
black pads with gold trim — while backup Adam Brown, 17, has white and green
gear that comes from the midget team he played with in Dallas last season.
Brown’s father, Newell, is a former pro defenceman who now is an assistant
coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
* * *
One of the Rockets’ newcomers is D Curt Gogol, an eighth-round pick in the
2006 WHL bantam draft. He is the son of Brent Gogol, who holds the WHL
record for most penalty minutes in a single season (1977-78). Back when the
WHL counted misconducts and game misconducts in its totals, Papa Gogol
scrapped his way to 511 penalty minutes, 46 with the Victoria Cougars and
465 with the Billings Bighorns.
Lorne Frey, the Rockets’ assistant GM and director of player personnel, can
take a bow because the younger Gogol is one of five defencemen taken in the
2006 draft who are on the Kelowna roster. While Frey took Gogol with the
165th pick, he also took Tyson Barrie (18), Collin Bowman (39), Aaron
Borejko (102) and Kyle Verdino (123).
* * *
Another of the Rockets’ rookies is F Spencer Main, 16, of North Vancouver.
He was the 27th pick in the 2007 bantam draft and spent last season with the
major midget Northwest Giants. His grandfather, Stuart McNeill, played 10
games over three seasons (1957-60) with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
Barry Smith, the head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, called his boss a
thief on Thursday.
No, Smith’s Nissan 250Z didn’t disappear from the Interior Savings Centre
Parking lot.
Rather, Smith was referring to the club’s preseason acquisition of
defenceman Giffen Nyren, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
On Sept. 15, Blazers general manager Craig Bonner gave up 2009 fourth- and
fifth-round bantam draft picks, both of which originated with the Warriors,
in exchange for Nyren and a 2010 fifth-round pick.
“What a deal that was!” Smith said as practice wound down at The ATM
yesterday. “People are shaking their heads. (Bonner) was the thief on that
one.”
Nyren goes into tonight’s game against the visiting Kelowna Rockets with
five assists — one off the league lead — in three games. Nyren, who is from
Calgary, also is plus-2. He had two power-play assists in Wednesday’s 4-3
shootout victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
“He’s a great puck mover,” Smith said, “and he doesn’t have any heat in his
kitchen.”
In other words, Nyren has displayed a high panic point; as a rule, he
doesn’t cough up the puck under pressure.
“He’s going to turn some pucks over and piss you off a little bit,” Smith
added, “but more often than not he’s going to make a great play.”
Nyren’s ability to jump up into the play has proven to be key for the
Blazers, because that’s the way Smith likes to attack the oppostion’s
neutral zone trap. Smith wants his defencemen to get into the neutral zone
because it causes “problems and confusion.”
In fact, the coaching staff has been working with third-year D Jordan Rowley
and sophomore Kurt Torbohm to get them jumping into the play “a bit more.”
“Those guys can get up there and make something happen,” Smith said.
p p p
Smith was quite pleased with the play of D Nick Ross on Wednesday. Ross
returned to Kamloops earlier in the day after a stint with the NHL’s Phoenix
Coyotes. A first-round pick by the Coyotes in the NHL’s 2007 draft, Ross has
signed an NHL contract.
While Ross didn’t pick up any points, he did take two minor penalties, one
of them for clipping in overtime, but he redeemed himself with two key
blocked shots late in overtime.
“I thought Nicky was real good,” Smith said. “It was one of his better
games. He blocked those two shots at the end and you don’t see a lot of that
from Nicky Ross.
“I think he’s in the right frame of mind. He didn’t have too much casualness
about his game and that’s usually what you’re moaning about when he plays.”
As for RW Tyler Shattock, who was playing his first game since returning
from the San Jose Sharks, Smith said he thought he saw some fatigue.
“I thought he was a little bit tired and trying to do too much fancy stuff,”
said Smith, who agreed that Shattock was better on the penalty kill where he
had “a good stick and was in good position.”
“We talked a bit,” Smith said, “and he said, yeah, he was a little tired. .
. . I expect more out of him.”
* * *
The only player on the Blazers’ roster who has yet to play in the regular
season is D Brandon Underwood, a 16-year-old from San Marcos, Calif.
Smith said he is thinking about dressing seven defencemen tonight, which
would get Underwood into the lineup.
Smith said after practice that he hadn’t determined what lineup changes he
would make tonight. On Wednesday, he sat Underwood, veteran centre Devon
Kalinski, 18, who was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen in January in the
deal in which Kamloops gave up fifth-year C Brock Nixon, D Mark Schneider
and RW Jake Trask.
* * *
Smith did say that he will be going back to G Justin Leclerc tonight and may
come back with him again Saturday in Kelowna.
Leclerc, 19, who is in his fourth WHL season, went the distance in the first
two games and backed up Jon Groenheyde, 17, on Wednesday.
“Jonny played well and that’s where we wanted him,” Smith said. “We’ll see
how it goes. If I think Justin is worn out or I think it’s that kind of game
and I need to come back with a fresh goalie to go into Kelowna then I will.
“If not, it’s Justin for both games.”
* * *
Bonner spent at least part of Thursday attempting to trade G James
Priestner, 17, who returned home to Edmonton on Wednesday.
However, Bonner wasn’t able to get anything done, so is sure to be on the
phone again today.
* * *
The announced attendance at Wednesday’s game was 4,114, which was four fewer
than last season’s smallest crowd. That was on Dec. 4 when 4,118 fans
watched the Blazers beat the Portland Winter Hawks, 6-4.
The ISC opened in the fall of 1992 — it was Riverside Coliseum — and in that
first season there were 19 crowds smaller than 4,114. The smallest
regular-season crowd in this building was 2,988 on Jan. 3, 1993. That night,
the Tri-City Americans beat the Blazers, 7-4.
* * *
Spike Wallace, the Blazers’ community liaison, wants to remind the young
fans out there that the first Blueliner Breakfast is scheduled for Nov. 23,
8:30 a.m., in the ISC’s Sports Action Lounge. There are four breakfasts
scheduled, with the fourth one, on Feb. 22, the 100th of this program.
For more info, call Spike at 250-828-1144.
* * *
The Rockets acquired G Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice on Saturday,
giving up a conditional 2010 fourth-round bantam draft pick in exchange. As
a result, Rockets veteran G Torrie Jung, 19, has gone home to Nanaimo to
await a trade.
Tonight, you will notice that Lazaruk is wearing his Ice equipment — he has
black pads with gold trim — while backup Adam Brown, 17, has white and green
gear that comes from the midget team he played with in Dallas last season.
Brown’s father, Newell, is a former pro defenceman who now is an assistant
coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
* * *
One of the Rockets’ newcomers is D Curt Gogol, an eighth-round pick in the
2006 WHL bantam draft. He is the son of Brent Gogol, who holds the WHL
record for most penalty minutes in a single season (1977-78). Back when the
WHL counted misconducts and game misconducts in its totals, Papa Gogol
scrapped his way to 511 penalty minutes, 46 with the Victoria Cougars and
465 with the Billings Bighorns.
Lorne Frey, the Rockets’ assistant GM and director of player personnel, can
take a bow because the younger Gogol is one of five defencemen taken in the
2006 draft who are on the Kelowna roster. While Frey took Gogol with the
165th pick, he also took Tyson Barrie (18), Collin Bowman (39), Aaron
Borejko (102) and Kyle Verdino (123).
* * *
Another of the Rockets’ rookies is F Spencer Main, 16, of North Vancouver.
He was the 27th pick in the 2007 bantam draft and spent last season with the
major midget Northwest Giants. His grandfather, Stuart McNeill, played 10
games over three seasons (1957-60) with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Blazers scouting report
KELOWNA ROCKETS at KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
Today, 7 p.m., Interior Savings Centre (Radio NL 610)
KELOWNA (0-2-0-0): The Rockets started with two road losses — 5-2 to the
Tri-City Americans and 2-1 to Portland Winter Hawks. . . . As of last night,
the Rockets still had four players in NHL camps — RW Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), D Tysen Dowzak (New York Rangers), D Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres) and D Luke Schenn (Toronto Maple Leafs). . . . They got C Colin Long, who finished second in the points derby last season, back from the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday and C Cody Almond (Minnesota
Wild) was reassigned late yesterday. . . . Kelowna acquired
G Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice on Saturday and he played both
weekend games. His backup is Adam Brown, a 17-year-old freshman. . . . With
Dowzak away, Lazaruk is the lone 20-year-old on the Rockets’ roster. . . .
Injuries: LW Lucas Bloodoff (broken hand, out)
———
KAMLOOPS (2-0-0-1): The Blazers beat the visiting Vancouver Giants 4-3 in a
shootout on Wednesday. . . . Kamloops has played three games — one has ended
in OT and the other two have been decided in the circus. . . . LW Shayne
Wiebe has a team-high four goals in three games. Counting the exhibition,
Wiebe, who scored nine goals as a rookie last season, has 10 goals in his
last six games. . . . Wiebe, C C.J. Stretch and D Giffen Nyren each has a
team-high five points. Nyren is tops in assists, with five. . . . The
Blazers had 25 players at practice Thursday, the first time they have had
their entire roster on hand, with the exception of the injured Mark Hall,
since early in training camp. . . . Veteran G Justin Leclerc gets the start
tonight after backing up G Jon Groenheyde on Wednesday. Leclerc started the
Blazers’ first two games this season. . . . Groenheyde, who made one start
last season, is 2-0 in his WHL career. . . . After playing in Kelowna on
Saturday, the Blazers are home to the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday and then head into Alberta for a doubleheader. Kamloops plays the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Oct. 2 and the Hitmen in Calgary on Oct. 3. . . . Injuries:
C Mark Hall (knee, out).
— GREGG DRINNAN
Today, 7 p.m., Interior Savings Centre (Radio NL 610)
KELOWNA (0-2-0-0): The Rockets started with two road losses — 5-2 to the
Tri-City Americans and 2-1 to Portland Winter Hawks. . . . As of last night,
the Rockets still had four players in NHL camps — RW Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), D Tysen Dowzak (New York Rangers), D Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres) and D Luke Schenn (Toronto Maple Leafs). . . . They got C Colin Long, who finished second in the points derby last season, back from the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday and C Cody Almond (Minnesota
Wild) was reassigned late yesterday. . . . Kelowna acquired
G Kris Lazaruk, 20, from the Kootenay Ice on Saturday and he played both
weekend games. His backup is Adam Brown, a 17-year-old freshman. . . . With
Dowzak away, Lazaruk is the lone 20-year-old on the Rockets’ roster. . . .
Injuries: LW Lucas Bloodoff (broken hand, out)
———
KAMLOOPS (2-0-0-1): The Blazers beat the visiting Vancouver Giants 4-3 in a
shootout on Wednesday. . . . Kamloops has played three games — one has ended
in OT and the other two have been decided in the circus. . . . LW Shayne
Wiebe has a team-high four goals in three games. Counting the exhibition,
Wiebe, who scored nine goals as a rookie last season, has 10 goals in his
last six games. . . . Wiebe, C C.J. Stretch and D Giffen Nyren each has a
team-high five points. Nyren is tops in assists, with five. . . . The
Blazers had 25 players at practice Thursday, the first time they have had
their entire roster on hand, with the exception of the injured Mark Hall,
since early in training camp. . . . Veteran G Justin Leclerc gets the start
tonight after backing up G Jon Groenheyde on Wednesday. Leclerc started the
Blazers’ first two games this season. . . . Groenheyde, who made one start
last season, is 2-0 in his WHL career. . . . After playing in Kelowna on
Saturday, the Blazers are home to the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday and then head into Alberta for a doubleheader. Kamloops plays the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Oct. 2 and the Hitmen in Calgary on Oct. 3. . . . Injuries:
C Mark Hall (knee, out).
— GREGG DRINNAN
Robinson family copes with help of hockey world
Gregg Drinnan column from The Daily News of Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008:
These are not the best of times for Ernie and Dave Robinson, parents who buried their eldest son, Darcy, just under a year ago. They aren’t any easier for Ryan and Danny, Darcy’s brothers.
More than many of us they understand full well the meaning of that hackneyed phrase about time marching on. It does, you know, and it does so regardless of the pain involved.
Which is why the Robinsons soon will travel to Vancouver for a series of medical tests.
p p p
A year ago, Darcy Robinson, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenceman who was the picture of health, was into his third season with Asiago HC, a team in Italy’s top hockey league.
And then it happened.
It was Sept. 27. Asiago’s season-opening game with AS Renon was three minutes old when Robinson, a Kamloops native, collapsed to the ice and died. His fiancée, Kristen Windsor of Kamloops, was in the stands.
How, people wondered, could something like that have happened to a physical specimen like Robinson?
As so often happens in situations such as this, there were rumours, all of them unfounded, as people searched for answers.
It turns out that Darcy Robinson’s heart, for whatever reason, just decided it had had enough. It happens, you know, and it happens with superbly conditioned young athletes far more often than we realize.
“His heart was fine, though,” Ernie, his mother, says and the tone of her voice tells you that she doesn’t understand. Why would she? How could she? As she says, her son was so concerned about his health that “he hardly even drank.”
So how could his heart, a heart that was so strong one moment, just quit? Why would his heart, so strong for so many years, decide to let down her son and cause so many people so much pain? Her son understood that his body was his temple and that he, and only he, was responsible for what he ingested. So how could this have happened? Why?
“He didn’t have any clogged arteries or anything like that. But he did die suddenly,” Ernie says. “I guess your heart goes into fibrillation and once you don’t have that rhythm it’s hard to get it back.”
An autopsy was done, of course, but it took the better part of a year for the report to get to the Robinsons. The Italians, it seems, take things like this rather seriously and there was the matter of translating and transcribing everything from Italian to English.
The report, Ernie says, contains words like “fibrillation” and “natural cardiac event” and “unusual original rhythm” and “arrhythmia.” It also indicates that Darcy had contacted a virus that ended up in the heart wall.
According to the report, he died of a natural cardiac event, something called ventricular fibrillation (VF) or sudden cardiac death.
That virus may have contributed to his death. But, for whatever reason, Darcy Robinson’s heart, which had been ticking so strongly for more than 26 years, up and quit. Just like that. Which is why it’s called sudden cardiac death.
According to emedicine.com, “VF is the primary cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD)” and “the incidence of SCD in the United States is approximately 300,000 cases per year.”
One of the symptoms of SCD is fatigue, although the same could be said for events preceding virtually any major cardiac event.
Ernie recalls her son, in one of their last conversations, talking about being tired.
“He said he thought he had the flu,” she recalls.
He talked to his mother about the start of each season in Italy seemingly getting harder, when he thought it should be getting easier.
“He went to camp and they practised twice a week . . . he thought he had the flu but of course he wasn’t going to miss the opening game,” Ernie says. “He passed his physical.”
Ernie points out that while her son passed his physical, “The team captain didn’t . . . because he had a heart murmur. He wasn’t cleared to play until January.”
All of which makes the web just that much more tangled.
“Darcy’s heart was completely clear,” his mother says. “His heart was healthy.”
Toxicology tests also were done.
“It came back absolutely clear. We have the report here . . . it says here, the negativity of chemical toxicology analysis . . . so nothing was found. It says he was very healthy,” Ernie says. “He didn’t have anything . . . our son was such a health fanatic he hardly even drank. There’s no rhyme nor reason . . .”
All of which makes what happened that much harder to comprehend.
“Yeah, it does (make it harder),” she says and her voice wavers just a bit. “Yeah . . . he took very good care of himself.”
So now Ernie and Dave, along with sons Ryan, 24, and Danny, 22, will journey to Vancouver and undergo tests in an attempt to discover whether they might be susceptible to the same thing. Might this be genetic? Might it happen to one of them?
“It’s for peace of mind,” Ernie says.
At the same time, they are well aware that this kind of thing can sneak up on you like a thief in the night. As Ernie points out, Darcy attended various training camps over the previous eight or 10 years and underwent vigorous physical testing.
“At those camps they have excruciating physicals,” Ernie says. “You would think that if he would have some kind of arrhythmia, it would have shown up.”
p p p
Over the last year, while the Robinsons mourned the loss of a son and a brother, they have learned just how many people Darcy touched during his far-too-brief life.
Ernie can’t believe the number of people, most but not all from the hockey world, who have contacted them.
“We have received a lot of things, including a box of blueberry jam from a Darcy Robinson in Kentucky,” Ernie says with a laugh.
A couple from Saskatoon had one of the jerseys Darcy had worn when he played with the WHL’s Blades. That jersey was hanging in a cabin near Saskatoon.
“They went to their cabin around Easter, saw it and mailed it to us with a letter saying they had met him,” Ernie recounts. “Their daughter was getting married this summer to Jon Barkman who was the Blades’ captain one time when Darcy was there. Jon played in Italy . . . and had just talked to Darcy at an exhibition game.
“This couple just felt we should have the sweater.”
And then there are Robo’s Readers.
Darcy played parts of four seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pennsylvania-based AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had selected him in the eighth round of the NHL’s 1998 draft.
The Robinsons had no idea of the impact their son had made in this hardscrabble area of northeastern Pennsylvania. And then, last spring, the Baby Penguins brought in Ernie and Dave for a weekend.
“He had a lot of fans in Wilkes-Barre,” Ernie says. “His friends at the Arena Bar and Grill . . . everyone was wonderful to us when we were there. One couple had won a game-worn jersey. They presented it to us during a game.”
A banner bearing Darcy’s No. 5 was raised to the rafters. The banner also includes the signatures of numerous fans, all of whom paid for that honour. The money went to a school that specializes in children with dyslexia.
“It was really nice . . . a very special weekend for us,” Ernie says.
More than anything, though, that weekend was about Robo’s Readers. The Baby Penguins turned a program known as the Penguins’ All-Star Reading Program into Robo’s Readers — Darcy’s nickname was Robo — and the Robinsons know this will be their son’s legacy.
“Darcy had dyslexia,” Ernie says. “Players have to do public service and one of the things he did was to go to school and talk about dyslexia and how important it is to finish high school.”
More than 8,000 children in 300 classrooms participated in Robo’s Readers last season and they combined to read more than 60,000 books. Read five books and a student gets a free ticket to a Baby Penguins game. The class that reads the most books is treated to a pizza party in a corportate box during a game.
“This program will continue every year,” she adds. “It’s an ongoing thing. It’s going to happen every year . . . Robo’s Readers.”
Darcy’s memory hasn’t been forgotten in Italy either. Asiago HC played the first Darcy Robinson Memorial game on Sunday, beating Bolzano 5-4. A commemorative plaque was presented and Asiago announced that Darcy’s No. 5 has been retired.
p p p
In Kamloops, the gifts keep arriving.
“Little tree ornaments and things like that that have No. 5 on them,” Ernie says. “People in the hockey world . . . once they get to know a player they feel they are close to him. Players Darcy played with in Saskatoon sent candles . . . he certainly knew a lot of nice people.”
The Robinsons are discovering that their eldest son touched each and every one of those people.
Hopefully, there is at least some peace in knowing that.
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.
These are not the best of times for Ernie and Dave Robinson, parents who buried their eldest son, Darcy, just under a year ago. They aren’t any easier for Ryan and Danny, Darcy’s brothers.
More than many of us they understand full well the meaning of that hackneyed phrase about time marching on. It does, you know, and it does so regardless of the pain involved.
Which is why the Robinsons soon will travel to Vancouver for a series of medical tests.
p p p
A year ago, Darcy Robinson, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenceman who was the picture of health, was into his third season with Asiago HC, a team in Italy’s top hockey league.
And then it happened.
It was Sept. 27. Asiago’s season-opening game with AS Renon was three minutes old when Robinson, a Kamloops native, collapsed to the ice and died. His fiancée, Kristen Windsor of Kamloops, was in the stands.
How, people wondered, could something like that have happened to a physical specimen like Robinson?
As so often happens in situations such as this, there were rumours, all of them unfounded, as people searched for answers.
It turns out that Darcy Robinson’s heart, for whatever reason, just decided it had had enough. It happens, you know, and it happens with superbly conditioned young athletes far more often than we realize.
“His heart was fine, though,” Ernie, his mother, says and the tone of her voice tells you that she doesn’t understand. Why would she? How could she? As she says, her son was so concerned about his health that “he hardly even drank.”
So how could his heart, a heart that was so strong one moment, just quit? Why would his heart, so strong for so many years, decide to let down her son and cause so many people so much pain? Her son understood that his body was his temple and that he, and only he, was responsible for what he ingested. So how could this have happened? Why?
“He didn’t have any clogged arteries or anything like that. But he did die suddenly,” Ernie says. “I guess your heart goes into fibrillation and once you don’t have that rhythm it’s hard to get it back.”
An autopsy was done, of course, but it took the better part of a year for the report to get to the Robinsons. The Italians, it seems, take things like this rather seriously and there was the matter of translating and transcribing everything from Italian to English.
The report, Ernie says, contains words like “fibrillation” and “natural cardiac event” and “unusual original rhythm” and “arrhythmia.” It also indicates that Darcy had contacted a virus that ended up in the heart wall.
According to the report, he died of a natural cardiac event, something called ventricular fibrillation (VF) or sudden cardiac death.
That virus may have contributed to his death. But, for whatever reason, Darcy Robinson’s heart, which had been ticking so strongly for more than 26 years, up and quit. Just like that. Which is why it’s called sudden cardiac death.
According to emedicine.com, “VF is the primary cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD)” and “the incidence of SCD in the United States is approximately 300,000 cases per year.”
One of the symptoms of SCD is fatigue, although the same could be said for events preceding virtually any major cardiac event.
Ernie recalls her son, in one of their last conversations, talking about being tired.
“He said he thought he had the flu,” she recalls.
He talked to his mother about the start of each season in Italy seemingly getting harder, when he thought it should be getting easier.
“He went to camp and they practised twice a week . . . he thought he had the flu but of course he wasn’t going to miss the opening game,” Ernie says. “He passed his physical.”
Ernie points out that while her son passed his physical, “The team captain didn’t . . . because he had a heart murmur. He wasn’t cleared to play until January.”
All of which makes the web just that much more tangled.
“Darcy’s heart was completely clear,” his mother says. “His heart was healthy.”
Toxicology tests also were done.
“It came back absolutely clear. We have the report here . . . it says here, the negativity of chemical toxicology analysis . . . so nothing was found. It says he was very healthy,” Ernie says. “He didn’t have anything . . . our son was such a health fanatic he hardly even drank. There’s no rhyme nor reason . . .”
All of which makes what happened that much harder to comprehend.
“Yeah, it does (make it harder),” she says and her voice wavers just a bit. “Yeah . . . he took very good care of himself.”
So now Ernie and Dave, along with sons Ryan, 24, and Danny, 22, will journey to Vancouver and undergo tests in an attempt to discover whether they might be susceptible to the same thing. Might this be genetic? Might it happen to one of them?
“It’s for peace of mind,” Ernie says.
At the same time, they are well aware that this kind of thing can sneak up on you like a thief in the night. As Ernie points out, Darcy attended various training camps over the previous eight or 10 years and underwent vigorous physical testing.
“At those camps they have excruciating physicals,” Ernie says. “You would think that if he would have some kind of arrhythmia, it would have shown up.”
p p p
Over the last year, while the Robinsons mourned the loss of a son and a brother, they have learned just how many people Darcy touched during his far-too-brief life.
Ernie can’t believe the number of people, most but not all from the hockey world, who have contacted them.
“We have received a lot of things, including a box of blueberry jam from a Darcy Robinson in Kentucky,” Ernie says with a laugh.
A couple from Saskatoon had one of the jerseys Darcy had worn when he played with the WHL’s Blades. That jersey was hanging in a cabin near Saskatoon.
“They went to their cabin around Easter, saw it and mailed it to us with a letter saying they had met him,” Ernie recounts. “Their daughter was getting married this summer to Jon Barkman who was the Blades’ captain one time when Darcy was there. Jon played in Italy . . . and had just talked to Darcy at an exhibition game.
“This couple just felt we should have the sweater.”
And then there are Robo’s Readers.
Darcy played parts of four seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pennsylvania-based AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had selected him in the eighth round of the NHL’s 1998 draft.
The Robinsons had no idea of the impact their son had made in this hardscrabble area of northeastern Pennsylvania. And then, last spring, the Baby Penguins brought in Ernie and Dave for a weekend.
“He had a lot of fans in Wilkes-Barre,” Ernie says. “His friends at the Arena Bar and Grill . . . everyone was wonderful to us when we were there. One couple had won a game-worn jersey. They presented it to us during a game.”
A banner bearing Darcy’s No. 5 was raised to the rafters. The banner also includes the signatures of numerous fans, all of whom paid for that honour. The money went to a school that specializes in children with dyslexia.
“It was really nice . . . a very special weekend for us,” Ernie says.
More than anything, though, that weekend was about Robo’s Readers. The Baby Penguins turned a program known as the Penguins’ All-Star Reading Program into Robo’s Readers — Darcy’s nickname was Robo — and the Robinsons know this will be their son’s legacy.
“Darcy had dyslexia,” Ernie says. “Players have to do public service and one of the things he did was to go to school and talk about dyslexia and how important it is to finish high school.”
More than 8,000 children in 300 classrooms participated in Robo’s Readers last season and they combined to read more than 60,000 books. Read five books and a student gets a free ticket to a Baby Penguins game. The class that reads the most books is treated to a pizza party in a corportate box during a game.
“This program will continue every year,” she adds. “It’s an ongoing thing. It’s going to happen every year . . . Robo’s Readers.”
Darcy’s memory hasn’t been forgotten in Italy either. Asiago HC played the first Darcy Robinson Memorial game on Sunday, beating Bolzano 5-4. A commemorative plaque was presented and Asiago announced that Darcy’s No. 5 has been retired.
p p p
In Kamloops, the gifts keep arriving.
“Little tree ornaments and things like that that have No. 5 on them,” Ernie says. “People in the hockey world . . . once they get to know a player they feel they are close to him. Players Darcy played with in Saskatoon sent candles . . . he certainly knew a lot of nice people.”
The Robinsons are discovering that their eldest son touched each and every one of those people.
Hopefully, there is at least some peace in knowing that.
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.
More from Wednesday . . .
WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Kamloops, the Blazers were badly outplayed in the early going — they were down 2-0 and outshot 13-0 at one point — before coming back to beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,114, the smallest regular-season crowd in Kamloops since Oct. 11, 1993, when 4,112 fans watched the Blazers beat the Spokane Chiefs, 8-1. In between, the Blazers played 572 home regular-season games. . . . G Tyson Sexsmith, who had been in camp with the San Jose Sharks, was dressed for Vancouver but didn’t play.
———
In Prince Albert, the Moose Jaw Warriors won their first game in three starts, beating the Raiders, 4-3. . . . Moose Jaw F Jason Bast got the winner at 8:54 of the third period of a 2-on-1 break. . . . Moose Jaw F Jason Broda, who is from P.A. and had been in camp with the Washington Capitals, scored a shorthanded marker.
———
In Calgary, G Dan Spence set a franchise record for regular-season victories as the Hitmen dumped the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-1. . . . Spence has 75 victories, one more than former Calgary star Brent Krahn.
———
The Vancouver Giants appear to have settled on their three 20-year-olds — C Casey Pierro-Zabotel, D Mike Berube and D Craig Schira. F Chris Cloud, who was their fourth 20-year-old, didn’t appear on any of three rosters included in the game notes prior to Wednesday’s game in Kamloops. . . . D Teigan Zahn, 18, was returned to the Saskatoon Blades by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, while G Tyson Sexsmith, 19, is back with the Giants after being in camp with the San Jose Sharks. . . . The Blades also got back G Braden Holtby. He had been in camp with the Washington Capitals. . . . D Jyri Neimi (New York Islanders) is the lone Saskatoon player still in an NHL camp but is due back in ’Toontown on Sunday. . . . The Swift Current Broncos announced a profit of $89,500 for their last fiscal year at their annual meeting on Tuesday night. That was about half of the previous year’s profit. But the Broncos had to deal with an unfinished arena — the Credit Union i-plex was undergoing serious renovations when last season began — and WHL teams also didn’t get an influx of expansion, Memorial Cup or World Junior Championship money. . . . The Broncos also revealed that they have set a franchise record by selling more than 1,700 season tickets for this season. . . . Vancouver G Jamie Tucker is the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He stopped 30 shots in shutting out the host Everett Silvertips on Saturday in his first WHL start. Tucker, 17, is from Victoria. . . . LW Dana Tyrell was returned to the Prince George Cougars by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.
The Cougars have auctioned off some jerseys and raised $7,025 for the North Healthcare Foundation. Tyrell’s jersey went for a team-high $505 in the silent auction, while freshman F Brett Connolly’s jersey led the way at $1,075 in the live auction. Connolly is from Prince George. . . . The Everett Silvertips have reinstated F Jordan Mistelbacher, who was sent home during training camp after a curfew violation. He and D Tyler Kieffer both were sent home; Kieffer was later traded to Medicine Hat for D Shayne Brown, but hasn’t yet reported to the Tigers. Mistelbacher, 18, was shopped around but the Silvertips didn’t trade him. He arrived back in Everett on Tuesday night. Mistelbacher is expected to play Friday against visiting Portland. . . . Everett still is without LW Kyle Beach (Chicago Blackhawks) and D Taylor Ellington (Vancouver Canucks).
Medicine will be without C Bretton Cameron for up to six weeks with a fractured hand. He broke it during a fight with Red Deer D Tommi Kivisto on Saturday night. . . . The Carolina Hurricanes have returned F Justin McCrae to the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Chiefs still are without LW Drayson Bowman (Carolina), D Justin Falk (Minnesota Wild), D Jared Spurgeon (New York Islanders). . . . The Memorial Cup-champion Chiefs hold their home-opener Saturday against the Tri-City Americans. D Trevor Glass, 20, will miss that game as he has accepted an invitation to go to camp with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs of head coach Bill Peters, who was the Chiefs’ head coach last season. Also missing from Spokane is veteran F Ondrej Roman, who is still waiting for his international release.
In Kamloops, the Blazers were badly outplayed in the early going — they were down 2-0 and outshot 13-0 at one point — before coming back to beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,114, the smallest regular-season crowd in Kamloops since Oct. 11, 1993, when 4,112 fans watched the Blazers beat the Spokane Chiefs, 8-1. In between, the Blazers played 572 home regular-season games. . . . G Tyson Sexsmith, who had been in camp with the San Jose Sharks, was dressed for Vancouver but didn’t play.
———
In Prince Albert, the Moose Jaw Warriors won their first game in three starts, beating the Raiders, 4-3. . . . Moose Jaw F Jason Bast got the winner at 8:54 of the third period of a 2-on-1 break. . . . Moose Jaw F Jason Broda, who is from P.A. and had been in camp with the Washington Capitals, scored a shorthanded marker.
———
In Calgary, G Dan Spence set a franchise record for regular-season victories as the Hitmen dumped the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-1. . . . Spence has 75 victories, one more than former Calgary star Brent Krahn.
———
The Vancouver Giants appear to have settled on their three 20-year-olds — C Casey Pierro-Zabotel, D Mike Berube and D Craig Schira. F Chris Cloud, who was their fourth 20-year-old, didn’t appear on any of three rosters included in the game notes prior to Wednesday’s game in Kamloops. . . . D Teigan Zahn, 18, was returned to the Saskatoon Blades by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, while G Tyson Sexsmith, 19, is back with the Giants after being in camp with the San Jose Sharks. . . . The Blades also got back G Braden Holtby. He had been in camp with the Washington Capitals. . . . D Jyri Neimi (New York Islanders) is the lone Saskatoon player still in an NHL camp but is due back in ’Toontown on Sunday. . . . The Swift Current Broncos announced a profit of $89,500 for their last fiscal year at their annual meeting on Tuesday night. That was about half of the previous year’s profit. But the Broncos had to deal with an unfinished arena — the Credit Union i-plex was undergoing serious renovations when last season began — and WHL teams also didn’t get an influx of expansion, Memorial Cup or World Junior Championship money. . . . The Broncos also revealed that they have set a franchise record by selling more than 1,700 season tickets for this season. . . . Vancouver G Jamie Tucker is the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He stopped 30 shots in shutting out the host Everett Silvertips on Saturday in his first WHL start. Tucker, 17, is from Victoria. . . . LW Dana Tyrell was returned to the Prince George Cougars by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.
The Cougars have auctioned off some jerseys and raised $7,025 for the North Healthcare Foundation. Tyrell’s jersey went for a team-high $505 in the silent auction, while freshman F Brett Connolly’s jersey led the way at $1,075 in the live auction. Connolly is from Prince George. . . . The Everett Silvertips have reinstated F Jordan Mistelbacher, who was sent home during training camp after a curfew violation. He and D Tyler Kieffer both were sent home; Kieffer was later traded to Medicine Hat for D Shayne Brown, but hasn’t yet reported to the Tigers. Mistelbacher, 18, was shopped around but the Silvertips didn’t trade him. He arrived back in Everett on Tuesday night. Mistelbacher is expected to play Friday against visiting Portland. . . . Everett still is without LW Kyle Beach (Chicago Blackhawks) and D Taylor Ellington (Vancouver Canucks).
Medicine will be without C Bretton Cameron for up to six weeks with a fractured hand. He broke it during a fight with Red Deer D Tommi Kivisto on Saturday night. . . . The Carolina Hurricanes have returned F Justin McCrae to the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Chiefs still are without LW Drayson Bowman (Carolina), D Justin Falk (Minnesota Wild), D Jared Spurgeon (New York Islanders). . . . The Memorial Cup-champion Chiefs hold their home-opener Saturday against the Tri-City Americans. D Trevor Glass, 20, will miss that game as he has accepted an invitation to go to camp with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs of head coach Bill Peters, who was the Chiefs’ head coach last season. Also missing from Spokane is veteran F Ondrej Roman, who is still waiting for his international release.
Blazers box
WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers were embarrassed in the first period but got it together after that, while the Giants ran into penalty problems and ended up losing this one.
THE DEFENCEMAN
Kamloops D Giffen Nyren set up two PP goals as his club tied the score and was solid again. He was a preseason acquisition from the Moose Jaw Warriors, who wanted to play him at forward. He now has five assists in three games.
THE DINNER
Vancouver GM Scott Bonner and his father, Terry, drove into Kamloops on Tuesday. They had dinner in the home off Kamloops GM Craig Bonner, Scott’s younger brother, that evening. Terry scouts for the Giants, the team Craig left to take over as the Blazers’ GM.
THE BRAGGING RIGHTS
Craig Bonner said his mother, with obvious interests going both ways, would be OK with the outcome. “My Mom will be happy,” he said with a smile. “She’s happy with a tie and whatever happens from there we can’t control.”
THE HISTORY
Last season, the Blazers were 1-7-0-0 against the Giants. The lone Kamloops victory came via the shootout — 5-4 — at home on Dec. 30. This season, the teams will play each other nine times.
THE CAMPERS
Vancouver was without D Jon Blum, who is due back from the NHL’s Nashville Predators on Sunday. They got G Tyson Sexsmith back from the San Jose Sharks; he was in uniform but didn’t play. . . . Kamloops had RW Tyler Shattock (San Jose) and D Nick Ross (Phoenix Coyotes) in the lineup for the first time.
THE SOPHOMORE
G James Priestner, who is into his second WHL season, left Kamloops for his home in Edmonton on Wednesday. He is anticipating a trade, perhaps to the Brandon Wheat Kings, sometime this week. Kamloops GM Craig Bonner said Priestner’s leaving the team was a mutual decision.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. D Giffen Nyren, Kamloops. Another strong effort.
2. G Jon Groenheyde, Kamloops. Kept his side in it in the first.
3. LW Evander Kane, Vancouver. Can do it all.
UP NEXT
The Blazers go home-and-home with the Kelowna Rockets this weekend. They play here Friday and are in Kelowna on Saturday. Game time both nights is 7 o’clock.
The Blazers were embarrassed in the first period but got it together after that, while the Giants ran into penalty problems and ended up losing this one.
THE DEFENCEMAN
Kamloops D Giffen Nyren set up two PP goals as his club tied the score and was solid again. He was a preseason acquisition from the Moose Jaw Warriors, who wanted to play him at forward. He now has five assists in three games.
THE DINNER
Vancouver GM Scott Bonner and his father, Terry, drove into Kamloops on Tuesday. They had dinner in the home off Kamloops GM Craig Bonner, Scott’s younger brother, that evening. Terry scouts for the Giants, the team Craig left to take over as the Blazers’ GM.
THE BRAGGING RIGHTS
Craig Bonner said his mother, with obvious interests going both ways, would be OK with the outcome. “My Mom will be happy,” he said with a smile. “She’s happy with a tie and whatever happens from there we can’t control.”
THE HISTORY
Last season, the Blazers were 1-7-0-0 against the Giants. The lone Kamloops victory came via the shootout — 5-4 — at home on Dec. 30. This season, the teams will play each other nine times.
THE CAMPERS
Vancouver was without D Jon Blum, who is due back from the NHL’s Nashville Predators on Sunday. They got G Tyson Sexsmith back from the San Jose Sharks; he was in uniform but didn’t play. . . . Kamloops had RW Tyler Shattock (San Jose) and D Nick Ross (Phoenix Coyotes) in the lineup for the first time.
THE SOPHOMORE
G James Priestner, who is into his second WHL season, left Kamloops for his home in Edmonton on Wednesday. He is anticipating a trade, perhaps to the Brandon Wheat Kings, sometime this week. Kamloops GM Craig Bonner said Priestner’s leaving the team was a mutual decision.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. D Giffen Nyren, Kamloops. Another strong effort.
2. G Jon Groenheyde, Kamloops. Kept his side in it in the first.
3. LW Evander Kane, Vancouver. Can do it all.
UP NEXT
The Blazers go home-and-home with the Kelowna Rockets this weekend. They play here Friday and are in Kelowna on Saturday. Game time both nights is 7 o’clock.
Blazers win in shootout
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
C.J. Stretch said the glove side was open. He was correct.
Stretch, a 19-year-old centre with the Kamloops Blazers, scored the only goal of the shootout Wednesday night as the home side scored an improbable 4-3 WHL victory over the Vancouver Giants before 4,114 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
That is the smallest regular-season home crowd since 4,112 fans watched the Blazers beat the Spokane Chiefs 8-1 on Oct. 11, 1993.
For the first 20 minutes, the Blazers didn’t belong on the same ice surface as the Giants. From that point on, the Blazers were the better team as the Giants self-destructed, taking too many penalties and becoming far too concerned with the state of the officiating.
How poorly did the Blazers play in the first period? Well, they gave up three odd-man breaks in the game’s first five minutes, during which time they were outshot 6-0.
What? You want more?
By the 10:24 mark, the Giants had a 2-0 lead, on goals from forwards James Wright and Evander Kane, and held a 13-0 edge in shots on goal.
“I thought we were ready to go. I did,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith said. “I thought everybody was prepared. But we wanted to go east-west. We weren’t competing on pucks. We weren’t skating. We weren’t moving our feet. We were waiting for stuff to happen instead of making it happen.”
Smith said the arrivals of right-winger Tyler Shattock and defenceman Nick Ross from NHL camps may have played a role in the early going.
“In think part of it was, you get a couple of guys back and everybody’s going, ‘Oh, we’re that much better.’ They’re young kids and that’s what they start to think about.
“But it’s still a chipping game. If you do that early, you back teams off and then all the other stuff will happen as time goes on.”
Stuff did happen as this one wore on. But for the longest time it didn’t look good for the home boys.
When forward Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored at 4:09 of the second period, the Giants had a 3-1 lead and, well, the boo-birds were starting to hum.
But the Giants, who showed an uncharacteristic lack of discipline, skated into penalty trouble and got burned by two power-play goals late in the period.
First, the Blazers were presented with a two-man advantage when forward Lance Bouma was penalized after crashing the net and bowling over goaltender Jon Groenheyde and then talked his way into another minor, and defenceman Craig Schira was nailed for tripping.
Slovakian centre Dalibor Bortnak responded with his first WHL goal, going five-hole at 14:14.
Then, at 19:01, with Kane off for hooking, Slovakian defenceman Michal Siska beat Giants goalie Jamie Tucker, who was struggling with traffic, with a screened shot from the point.
Both goaltenders — Groenheyde, who finished with 30 saves and kept his mates in it early, and Tucker, who stopped 20 shots — were solid from that point.
Come the shootout, five skaters shot and five shooters failed, which brought Stretch into the spotlight.
“We were watching the other two and the glove was open so we wanted to shoot on that,” said Stretch, who had 11 goals in 65 games last season. “Everyone was telling me to shoot so I looked for it and got it.”
As the puck hit the twine, the Blazers poured off the bench.
“I wanted to get Jon a win,” Stretch said, referring to Groenheyde, a 17-year-old freshman from Surrey who was making his second WHL start.
Groenheyde may have wanted the first goal back — Wright floated one past him from the high slot — but he was terrific after that.
“I think it hit a skate,” Groenheyde said of Wright’s goal. “It hit something for sure. It was going pretty quick and it slowed down. You think about it for a couple of seconds but you know that there’s more coming so you can’t think about it too much.”
He was able to put it behind him on a day when he learned that he will be staying with the Blazers.
Goaltender James Priestner, 17, who backed up here last season, has returned home to Edmonton as he awaits a trade. The Blazers are in talks with at least two teams, believed to be the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans.
“Obviously, I’m really excited to be here and officially be part of the Kamloops Blazers,” Groenheyde said. “I’m really happy.”
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe, with his fourth goal in three games, had the Blazers’ first goal.
“I’ll give it to our guys,” Smith said. “They got emotionally up again. Some yelling and some screaming does it but you can’t do this every night.”
All three of the Blazers’ games have been decided in overtime or a shootout.
The Blazers (2-0-0-1), with five points from three games, woke up this morning atop the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Prince George Cougars (2-0-0-0). The Cougars, however, are in the No. 8 slot in the CHL’s Top 10.
Prince George plays Friday in Vancouver where the Giants (1-1-0-0) are certain to be a little surly.
JUST NOTES: That Friday game will the Giants’ home-opener. . . . D Craig Schira, 20, is wearing the ‘C’ for Vancouver in the absence of D Jon Blum, who is in camp with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. . . . Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska and assistant coach Ryan Cuthbert were in attendance. The Rockets are here Friday night.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
C.J. Stretch said the glove side was open. He was correct.
Stretch, a 19-year-old centre with the Kamloops Blazers, scored the only goal of the shootout Wednesday night as the home side scored an improbable 4-3 WHL victory over the Vancouver Giants before 4,114 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
That is the smallest regular-season home crowd since 4,112 fans watched the Blazers beat the Spokane Chiefs 8-1 on Oct. 11, 1993.
For the first 20 minutes, the Blazers didn’t belong on the same ice surface as the Giants. From that point on, the Blazers were the better team as the Giants self-destructed, taking too many penalties and becoming far too concerned with the state of the officiating.
How poorly did the Blazers play in the first period? Well, they gave up three odd-man breaks in the game’s first five minutes, during which time they were outshot 6-0.
What? You want more?
By the 10:24 mark, the Giants had a 2-0 lead, on goals from forwards James Wright and Evander Kane, and held a 13-0 edge in shots on goal.
“I thought we were ready to go. I did,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith said. “I thought everybody was prepared. But we wanted to go east-west. We weren’t competing on pucks. We weren’t skating. We weren’t moving our feet. We were waiting for stuff to happen instead of making it happen.”
Smith said the arrivals of right-winger Tyler Shattock and defenceman Nick Ross from NHL camps may have played a role in the early going.
“In think part of it was, you get a couple of guys back and everybody’s going, ‘Oh, we’re that much better.’ They’re young kids and that’s what they start to think about.
“But it’s still a chipping game. If you do that early, you back teams off and then all the other stuff will happen as time goes on.”
Stuff did happen as this one wore on. But for the longest time it didn’t look good for the home boys.
When forward Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored at 4:09 of the second period, the Giants had a 3-1 lead and, well, the boo-birds were starting to hum.
But the Giants, who showed an uncharacteristic lack of discipline, skated into penalty trouble and got burned by two power-play goals late in the period.
First, the Blazers were presented with a two-man advantage when forward Lance Bouma was penalized after crashing the net and bowling over goaltender Jon Groenheyde and then talked his way into another minor, and defenceman Craig Schira was nailed for tripping.
Slovakian centre Dalibor Bortnak responded with his first WHL goal, going five-hole at 14:14.
Then, at 19:01, with Kane off for hooking, Slovakian defenceman Michal Siska beat Giants goalie Jamie Tucker, who was struggling with traffic, with a screened shot from the point.
Both goaltenders — Groenheyde, who finished with 30 saves and kept his mates in it early, and Tucker, who stopped 20 shots — were solid from that point.
Come the shootout, five skaters shot and five shooters failed, which brought Stretch into the spotlight.
“We were watching the other two and the glove was open so we wanted to shoot on that,” said Stretch, who had 11 goals in 65 games last season. “Everyone was telling me to shoot so I looked for it and got it.”
As the puck hit the twine, the Blazers poured off the bench.
“I wanted to get Jon a win,” Stretch said, referring to Groenheyde, a 17-year-old freshman from Surrey who was making his second WHL start.
Groenheyde may have wanted the first goal back — Wright floated one past him from the high slot — but he was terrific after that.
“I think it hit a skate,” Groenheyde said of Wright’s goal. “It hit something for sure. It was going pretty quick and it slowed down. You think about it for a couple of seconds but you know that there’s more coming so you can’t think about it too much.”
He was able to put it behind him on a day when he learned that he will be staying with the Blazers.
Goaltender James Priestner, 17, who backed up here last season, has returned home to Edmonton as he awaits a trade. The Blazers are in talks with at least two teams, believed to be the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans.
“Obviously, I’m really excited to be here and officially be part of the Kamloops Blazers,” Groenheyde said. “I’m really happy.”
Left-winger Shayne Wiebe, with his fourth goal in three games, had the Blazers’ first goal.
“I’ll give it to our guys,” Smith said. “They got emotionally up again. Some yelling and some screaming does it but you can’t do this every night.”
All three of the Blazers’ games have been decided in overtime or a shootout.
The Blazers (2-0-0-1), with five points from three games, woke up this morning atop the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Prince George Cougars (2-0-0-0). The Cougars, however, are in the No. 8 slot in the CHL’s Top 10.
Prince George plays Friday in Vancouver where the Giants (1-1-0-0) are certain to be a little surly.
JUST NOTES: That Friday game will the Giants’ home-opener. . . . D Craig Schira, 20, is wearing the ‘C’ for Vancouver in the absence of D Jon Blum, who is in camp with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. . . . Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska and assistant coach Ryan Cuthbert were in attendance. The Rockets are here Friday night.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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