Sunday notes and highlights

The Portland Winter Hawks have become the latest team to jettison a goaltender. They dropped Jordan White, 20, on Saturday night, leaving them with veteran Kurtis Mucha, 19, and freshman Keith Hamilton, 16, a Kelowna product who was the 39th pick in the 2007 bantam draft. The Winter Hawks are just one of a number of teams to have a goaltender available should someone want/need one. Here’s a look:
BRANDON WHEAT KINGS: Joe Caligiuri, 19, who was in his third season with the Wheat Kings, is at home in Winnipeg awaiting a possible trade. The Wheat Kings have chosen to go with sophomore Andrew Hayes, 18, and James Priestner, 17. Priestner was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers earlier this month. He backed up Justin Leclerc there last season.
CALGARY HITMEN: The Hitmen still show three goaltenders on their roster – veteran Martin Jones, 18, who went to camp with the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent and earned a contract; veteran Dan Spence, 20; and, freshman Michael Snider, 17. . . . Spence is one of four 20-year-olds on Calgary’s roster, with the deadline to declare three arriving Thursday.
CHILLIWACK BRUINS: Sophomore Mark Friesen, 18, and freshman Lucas Gore, who turns 18 on Oct. 22, are tending goal in Chilliwack. Matt Esposito, 19, who had the starter’s spot for most of last season until Friesen took over, chose not to report to camp. He stayed at home in Edmonton but hasn’t been traded.
KELOWNA ROCKETS: It was expected that veteran Torrie Jung, 19, would start the season as the go-to guy and freshman Adam Brown, 17, won the backup spot. But the Rockets chose to acquire Kris Lazarukm 20, as the season began and Jung, a seven-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2007 NHL draft, went home to Nanaimo, B.C., to wait for a move.
MOOSE JAW WARRIORS: The Warriors acquired Kyle Birch, 18, from the Tri-City Americans for a conditional 2011 draft pick. Birch had backed up Chet Pickard with the Americans last season. Birch, however, has been dropped and is at home awaiting a move. That means the Warriors have gone back to Todd Mathews, 18, and Devin Dubyk, 17.
PORTLAND WINTER HAWKS: A team that is expected to undergo an ownership change in the week ahead has veteran Kurtis Mucha starting and freshman Keith Hamilton backing up. Jordan White, 20, is awaiting a move.
REGINA PATS: The Pats continue to carry three goaltenders – veterans Linden Rowat, 19, and Jeff Bosch, 18, and freshman Damien Ketlo, 17. As well, Derek Tendler, a 16-year-old with a tremendous upside, is with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians.
SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS: The Broncos appeared set in goal until starter Travis Yonkman (shoulder) went down. Now the 20-year-old Yonkman is out indefinitely and Mark Guggenberger, a 19-year-old acquired from Portland last season, is the starter. They have had to bring in Joel Danyluk, 18, in support. Danyluk, who has made a couple of camp appearances with the Prince George Cougars, had been with his hometown Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan junior league.
TRI-CITY AMERICANS: Last season’s Western Conference regular-season champs will give most of the starts to veteran Chet Pickard. Two 17-year-olds – Brett Martyniuk and Drew Owsley – are competing for the backup spot. Martyniuk, a nephew of Ray Martyniuk, who played goal for the Flin Flon Bombers a long while back, is from Winnipeg. Owsley is from Lethbridge.
VANCOUVER GIANTS: Kraymer Barnstable, who backed up Tyson Sexsmith last season, left the club and went home to await a move. Now Barnstable, 18, has joined the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. Sexsmith has 20 career regular-season shutouts, one shy of the WHL record. His backup is Jamie Tucker, a 17-year-old from Victoria.
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SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
In Calgary, F Gaelan Patterson broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period and the Saskatoon Blades went on to a 3-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . The Blades (7-4-0-0) have won six in a row, including four straight on the road. This was their third road victory in as many nights, as they won 5-2 in Edmonton on Friday and 4-2 in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . The Hitmen (7-3-0-0) had a five-game winning streak end as they lost for the first time in seven home games. . . . D Stefan Elliott put this one away with an empty-netter at 19:50 of the third. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison, a 17-year-old freshman from Surrey, stopped 22 shots to improve to 2-0-0-0. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones made 21 saves.
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In Red Deer, G James Priestner stopped 25 shots to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Landon Ferraro’s second goal, at 3:41 of the second period, gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead. The Wheat Kings (5-4-0-0) scored the next five goals. . . . The Rebels (3-5-0-3) have lost six in a row. . . . C Nathan Green had a goal and three assists for the Brandon. . . . LW Matt Calvert added two goals and a helper. . . . Priestner, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers earlier in the month, was making his second start for the Wheat Kings. He is 1-1-0-0. . . . Priestner’s effort included stopping Ferraro on a penalty shot at 5:31 of the second period. . . . Brandon was 3-for-4 on the PP; the Rebels were 1-for-6. . . . Brandon’s penalty-killing unit is 35-for-38 this season. . . . Red Deer LW Cass Mappin was hit with a match penalty for attempt to injure during a second-period fight with Brandon C Matt Lowry.
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In Swift Current, G Mark Guggenberger stopped 32 shots to help the Broncos to a 2-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The shutout was the first of the season and fifth of his career for Guggenberger. . . . The Broncos (8-2-0-0) won their second in a row. . . . The Tigers fell to 4-3-2-1. . . . The Broncos got goals from F Justin Dowling, at 13:34 of the first period, and F Matt Tassone, at 7:08 of the second.
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In Chilliwack, freshman F Kevin Sundher scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Bruins (5-2-1-1) have won three in a row. . . . Seattle (2-6-0-1) had won two of three. . . . D Thomas Hickey scored for Seattle at 3:48 of the first period. . . . Chilliwack F Jaden Potter forced OT at 17:50 of the third period. Sundher drew an assist on the goal, giving him 10 points in nine games. . . . G Lucas Gore, who beat his hometown Kamloops Blazers 3-2 in Kamloops on Saturday, stopped 35 shots for the Bruins.