Kegling, hockey, cross-country skiing. . . .

Doug Soetaert, the general manager of the Everett Silvertips, is smiling these days. That’s because his uncle, Jules, is in the kegling headlines — also the record book — for having accomplished an incredible feat at the West Edmonton Mall lanes on Monday night. Jules, 77, bowled two perfect games in a mixed league. Not only that, he bowled CONSECUTIVE perfect games. He is the sixth person in Canadian bowling history to do that and now is the oldest person in North American to have done it. . . . “Yes, he is my uncle . . . my Dad’s brother,” Doug wrote in an email. “He has been 10-pin bowling for as long as I can remember.” . . . You will recall, of course, that Doug was a pretty good goaltender a year or two back with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Turns out Jules knows his way around a rink, too. “He was a pretty good hockey player way back when he was a kid,” Doug added, “and signed a C card with the Montreal Canadiens.” . . . By the way, Jules now has bowled 12 perfect games. . . .

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If you’re wondering what Prince George Cougars owner Rick Brodsky has planned for his franchise, check out Jim Swanson’s piece in Friday’s Prince George Citizen. . . . You can read it here and there’s video with it, too.

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As a long-time hockey fan, I can remember reading about the old Western Hockey League — the pro league that ran up and down the West Coast — in The Hockey News. It was in the days of the six-team NHL and I would wonder why some of the players in that league could put up what were big numbers for then and not get into the WHL. Hey, what did a 12-year-old know? Which brings us to the Portland Winter Hawks, who will salute the Portland Buckaroos on Saturday. The Winter Hawks are playing the Seattle Thunderbirds that night, but it will be Buckaroos’ night. According to a release from the Winter Hawks: “The event will feature on-ice introductions of former Buckaroos players and team management, meet-and-greet opportunities for fans during both game intermissions and a post-game live auction of all Buckaroos jerseys worn by the Winter Hawks that night. The following Buckaroos players and representatives have confirmed attendance: Roger Bellerive, Rick Dunbar, Jim Hay, Art Jones, Norm Johnson, Dave Kelly, Ken Laufman, C.J. Lindsay, Jim McLeod, Neal Muller, Mike Roddy, Len Ronson, Bill Saunders, Arnie Schmautz, Dennis Seymour, Tom McVie, Bob Vroman and team founder Harry Glickman.” . . . A fun time will be had by all. . . . Oh, and a few stories might be told . . . You can check out the Buckaroos at www.portlandbuckaroos.com . . .

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THE MacBETH REPORT, Part 1: Garth MacBeth, our man on the European scene, is keeping close watch on the Jere Karalahti situation and reports that the Finnish media is giving this drug-related story big coverage. “It’s a major story in that drug crimes are fairly infrequent, and any case connected to the Bandidos would make some news. Karalahti is a well-known sports figure, having played on the national team a number of times, and he’s a repeat offender, having been nailed in the mid-1990s for marijuana and heroin possession. Some papers carry it more than others (the Helsinki tabloids, for one, are giving it great play) and it has been the lead hockey story all week on the Finnish Broadcasting Company’s TV channels.” . . . Finland, a country near and dear to MacBeth as he played hockey there and his wife is from there, is experiencing another drug scandal today as cross-country skier Katri Varis has tested positive. Again. . . . MacBeth reports that Karalahti “has been bumped off the lead sports story by a cross-country skier, Katri Varis. She was caught in 2003 using EPO at the world Nordic championships in Italy. She switched to biathlon after she served her two-year suspension and tested positive for EPO on Jan. 6 in a biathlon competition in Austria. Her B sample came back positive today. It is likely that she will be banned for life.” . . . Cross-country skiing, of course, is a way of life in Finland so we can only imagine how big this story is. As MacBerth reports: “This is a big deal in Finland — front page news, lead story in tonight’s national TV news — because cross-country skiing is something Finns are pretty good at (Example 1: The Second World War, when Finnish troops on skis took apart the Soviet Army fairly well). Also, when the world Nordic championships were in Finland in 2001, there was a big doping scandal when at least six Finns tested positive for doping (using a prohibited plasma expander).” . . . By the way, MacBeth reports there may be some good news for Karalahti, as “Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia Extraliga) is interested in signing him, according to his agent.” . . . No word on whether the team also is interested in Varis. . . .

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THE MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: F Andrej Podkonicky (Portland) has moved from Vityaz Chekhov (Russian Superliga) to Liberec (Czech Extraliga), where he will be a teammate of F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle/Kootenay), F Petr Sachl (Tri-City) and F Milan Bartovnic (Brandon/Tri-City). Podkonicky had played three seasons with Liberec before moving to Russia at the start of this season. He had six goals and four assists in 36 games for Vityaz.

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THURSDAY NOTES: Swedish RW Robin Figren of the Edmonton Oil Kings scored his team-leading 18th goal in Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. And now he‚s out for perhaps a month. Figren, 19, has had surgery on a wrist to repair an injury that occurred earlier in the season but wasn’t discovered until recently. . . . The Saskatoon Blades have lost C Gaelan Patterson, 17, for the rest of the season after he was scheduled for surgery Thursday to repair a wrist injury. Patterson’s was injured Wednesday night in Swift Current when he hit Broncos D Jesse Dudas and one of Dudas’s skateblades came up and cut one of Patterson’s wrists. Meanwhile, the Blades are awaiting the results of tests on rookie F Curtis Hamilton before they’ll know how long he’ll be out. Hamilton played the last three games with what was believed to be the flu but now appears to be more than that. Tests for mononucleosis came back negative and he now is being tested for pneumonia. . . . The Blades are expected to have D Jyri Niemi (foot, groin) and LW Garrett Klotz (knee) in the lineup tonight when they meet the Pats in Regina. Klotz hasn’t played since the middle of December.

The Spokane Chiefs will go home-and-home with the Kootenay Ice this weekend, starting Friday in Cranbrook. LW Drayson Bowman, who leads the Chiefs in goals (30) and points (60), will be a game-time decision. He has been out with a shoulder injury. . . . Spokane F Curtis Kelner, however, won’t play. He, too, has a shoulder injury and will be re-evaluated next week. . . . Brandon’s Andrew Clark, the club’s top centre, is back skating but won’t play tonight when the Wheat Kings are at home to the Red Deer Rebels. Clark (broken ankle) is expected back towards the middle of the month. D Theran Yeo (ankle), D Chad Erb (shoulder) and LW Tyler Dittmer (groin) didn’t take part in Brandon’s Thursday practice. Brandon LW Daniel Bartek (knee) has missed six games but may return Friday. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reported on his blog Thursday afternoon that the Silvertips “were walking along the highway near Hope, B.C., after their bus broke down, so needless to say their arrival back in Everett had been delayed.” The Silvertips had weather-related problems getting to Kelowna for a Wednesday n ight game — the Rockets beat them 5-1 — and then couldn’t get out of town after the game. And then, once they did get headed home, their bus had mechanical problems. . . .

They’ll be skating on pink ice Saturday when the Prince Albert Raiders meet the host Tri-City Americans in the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash. The Americans also will be wearing pink jerseys as they hold their third annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night. The game will benefit the Tri-Cities Cancer Center. . . . Kelowna C Cody Almond will play with a full shield Friday as the Rockets play the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. He suffered a broken nose in a Wednesday night bout with D Dane Crowley of the Everett Silvertips. . . .

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And if you’re looking for a Super Bowl treat, something that is a little bit different than the usual non-smiling Belichick versus Coughlin stuff, check out Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel here. You’ll love it! Guaranteed!

McMillan a grand coach

Congrats to old friend Dwight McMillan, the head coach of the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings. He has put up 999 victories as Weyburn’s head coach, and you should pause and think about that for a moment. But don’t just think about the four-digit number that’s up next and go WOW!. Rather, think about the number of young men whose lives he has impacted – now that’s a WOW!. That, folks, is what coaching junior hockey is all about and no one does it any better at the junior A level than Dwight McMillan – with help from his longtime partner, Ron Rumball, the Red Wings’ general manager. He and McMillan go together like ham and eggs. . . . McMillan may get No. 1,000 on Friday night in La Ronge against the Ice Wolves. . . . Tim Switzer of the Regina Leader-Post has done up a terrific story on McMillan and all he’s about. It’s well worth the read and it’s right here . . .

As well, Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun takes a look at that city’s decision to bid on playing host to a future World Junior Championship. His piece is here . . . Hockey Canada must be thrilled that so much money is on the line with this event about to be played in Canada with such regularity. . . .

Wednesday's highlights . . .

It isn’t often that major junior players are critical of teammates but it has happened twice in recent days in the WHL. First, there was Portland Winter Hawks G Kurtis Mucha telling Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune: “You see some players on our team who think they’re better than they are. Too cocky. And then there are a couple players who shouldn’t even be in this league. It’s not their fault. They’re being thrown into a situation they’re not used to, and almost set up to fail. But we’ve got nobody else.” . . . Now comes D Garrett Thiessen of the Prince George Cougars. Among other things, Thiessen told Jim Swanson, the sports editor of the Prince George Citizen: “We need to look in the mirror, and figure out who we want to be — if we want to be hockey players. If you don’t want to play, then why are you here? We don’t want guys who don’t want to compete. Guys who were traded here and didn’t want to come to Prince George, that’s fine — I don’t care if they get 200 points, if they don’t want to be here, I don’t want them on my team.” . . . Thiessen is from Prince George and obviously is feeling the sting of playing for a losing team in his hometown. . . .

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The CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10 for Week 18, showing ranking, team, record, last week and weeks in rankings:
1. Kitchener Rangers (39-6-1-2) 1 16
2. Spokane Chiefs (37-10-1-3) 2 13
3. Calgary Hitmen (36-13-1-3) 4 14
4. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (35-14-2-1) 5 13
5. Baie Comeau Drakkar (36-13-1-4) 10 11
6. Vancouver Giants (32-12-1-5) 3 15
7. Tri-City Americans (35-12-1-2) 7 18
8. Belleville Bulls (33-10-3-2) 6 5
9. Saint John Sea Dogs (32-13-1-3) 8 5
10. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (32-13-1-3) 9 18

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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Vancouver, the Giants scored three first-period goals and went on to beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 3-1. . . . The Giants (33-12-1-5) had lost two in a row. They haven’t suffered three straight regulation losses since the start of the 2005-06 season. . . . Vancouver is 19-4-1-0 at home. . . . Lethbridge (32-15-2-3) had won four straight, including three on this B.C. Division tour. . . . RW Michal Repik scored for Vancouver in his first game since Dec. 1 when he suffered a concussion. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 26 shots. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings got goals from five players as they dumped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-1. . . . The Oil Kings (18-25-4-6) had lost seven of their previous nine games. . . . The Warriors (28-15-4-4) had won seven of eight. . . . The Oil Kings, who were being outshot 7-1 at one point in the first period, scored the game’s first five goals. . . . G Alex Archibald stopped 19 shots for Edmonton, losing his shutout when C Tomas Karpov scored at 2:42 of the third period. . . . Some of the Oil Kings have dyed their hair pink in support of a local charity. For details, visit the Oil Kings’ website. . . . Moose Jaw LW Frazer McLaren sat this one out with a one-game suspension. It seems he has one too many fights off game-opening faceoffs. Three of those and you sit for one. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 5-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Rockets (31-15-2-5) had lost their last two games. They have won eight straight at home. . . . Kelowna is a comfortable fourth in the Western Conference. . . . The Silvertips (29-23-0-2) have lost three straight. . . . Everett RW Dan Gendur, who had 18 points in his previous six games, was held pointless. . . . LW Kyle Beach (concussion) was back in Everett’s lineup. . . . The Rockets were without LW Jamie Benn, the sniper on their big line. He sprained his right ankle in practice on Tuesday and is likely to sit for three weeks. . . . Kelowna C Colin Long, who leads the WHL points parade, is fighting a flu bug and didn’t play a whole lot. . . .

QUESTION: Is there a team in the WHL that doesn’t have the flu bug in its dresing room right now?

In Cranbrook, C Ryan White had two goals and three assists to lead the Hitmen to a 6-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . .Calgary (37-13-1-3) has won five in a row. The Hitmen had beaten the visiting Ice 5-1 on Tuesday night. . . . Calgary has 78 points and is tied with the idle Spokane Chiefs for first place overall. The Chiefs hold three games in hand. . . . The Ice (29-18-4-1) has lost three straight and four of its last five at home. . . . Kootenay is sixth in the Eastern Conference, a point behind the Moose Jaw Warriors and Medicine Hat Tigers and one ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Ice captain Steve Da Silva didn’t play another shift after taking a misconduct at the end of the second period. He was penalized for shooting the puck well after the buzzer. . . . C Brock Nixon had three assists for the Hitmen. He and White both finished plus-4. . . . Nixon has 17 points and is plus-12 in 11 games since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers. . . . White got the Gordie Howe hat trick with a late third-period bout with D Paul Kurceba. . . .

In Portland, G Chet Pickard stopped 33 saves for the shutout as the Tri-City Americans blanked the Winter Hawks, 4-0. . . . The Americans (36-12-1-2) are three points behind U.S. Division-leading Spokane. . . . The Winter Hawks (9-42-1-1) have lost eight in a row and have scored just six goals over that stretch. . . . Pickard has one shutout this season and five for his career. . . . It was the first time this season that Tri-City has posted a shutout; it was the ninth time Portland has been blanked. . . . C Shaun Vey led the Americans with a goal and two assists. . . .

In Seattle, C Branden Silverster scored his first WHL goal to get the Thunderbirds started toward a 3-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Thunderbirds (25-17-5-2) have won six of seven; they are 15-5-3-2 at home. . . . Seattle is sixth in the Western Conference, three points behind Everett and six ahead of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Raiders (17-31-3-2) are 22 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Seattle also got a goal from C Charles Wells, the second of his career. . . . Prince Albert G Steven Stanford stopped Seattle LW Prab Rai on a second-period penalty shot. . . .

In Swift Current, C Levi Nelson and LW Erik Felde scored 1:47 early in the third period to lead the Broncos to a 3-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Broncos (28-20-0-5) have won six straight and are threatening to move up the Eastern Conference standings. They are eighth but are just three points out of fourth. . . . The Blades (17-30-3-2) have lost four straight. . . . LW Ondrej Fiala scored twice for the Blades, getting the game’s first and last goals.

Tuesday's over. . . .

THE VERDICTS ARE IN: The Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades have been fined $750 apiece after each being involved in their fourth line brawls of the season on Sunday. Yes, it happened in Regina. Yes, the rematch is Friday. Yes, that, too, will be played in Regina. . . . Get your tickets now!!!! . . . Regina D Colten Teubert drew an automatic two-game suspension for incurring his fourth game misconduct. . . . Saskatoon F Mike Reich got a one-game sentence for picking up game misconduct No. 3. . . . The Regina Leader-Post’s Greg Harder reports that Reich has been told by WHL disciplinarian Richard Doerksen that he has to toe the line the rest of the way. According to Harder: “The 19-year-old pugilist took several free shots at Pats rookie Garrett Mitchell during a second-period brawl after Mitchell had been restrained by referee Reagan Vetter. The ref was hit by several glancing blows from Reich, who later had to be restrained at the bench to keep him from rejoining the fracas.” . . . Harder notes, in passing, of course, that “Reich leads the league with 17 fighting majors.” . . . Both head coaches, Regina’s Curtis Hunt and Saskatoon’s Lorne Molleken, escaped suspensions because they weren’t with their teams during an earlier brawl. Hunt was in Europe with Canada’s national junior team at that time, while Molleken was off on a scouting expedition. . . . Oh yes, and Regina GM Brent Parker was fined $500 for saying more than “hello” to WHL officiating supervisor Brad Howard in the press box after the donnybrook. . . . Meanwhile, Doerksen also suspended Brandon D Matt McCue for two games for a checking from behind penalty – originally hit with a match penalty, it has been changed to a major – and hit Portland Winter Hawks D Scott Gabriel with two games for a charging incident. . . . Oh yes, the Winter Hawks and Oil Kings also got fined for a line brawl they staged in Edmonton on Saturday. Edmonton paid $500 for what was their third line brawl; Portland got touched for $250 as it was their second such incident. . . . There wasn’t any discipline stemming from a line brawl between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Blazers in Kamloops on Sunday.

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Here’s a look at fines paid by teams this season, showing number of fines and total amount paid:
Regina 4/$1,750
Saskatoon 3/$1,500
Edmonton 3/$1,250
Portland 4/$1,000
Spokane 2/$500
Brandon 1/$250
Chilliwack 1/$250
Medicine Hat 1/$250
Moose Jaw 1/$250
Prince George 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
(Notes: Portland, Spokane and Seattle have been fined because of battling goaltenders; Saskatoon and Moose Jaw got dinged for warmup violations.)

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A list of coaches and general managers who have been disciplined by the WHL this season, showing games suspended, number of times fined and total amount fined:
Games Fines/Total
John Becanic, Everett 0 2/$1,000
Don Hay, Vancouver 0 2/$1,000
Dean Chynoweth, Swift Current 2 1/$500
Greg Hawgood, Kamloops 0 1/$500
Dave Hunchak, Moose Jaw 0 1/$500
Curtis Hunt, Regina 0 1/$500
Wade Klippenstein, Prince George 0 1/$500
Brent Parker, Regina 0 1/$500

Bill Peters, Spokane 0 1/$500
Steve Pleau, Edmonton 0 1/$500
Roy Stasiuk, Lethbridge 0 1/$500
Turner Stevenson, Seattle 0 1/$500
Rob Sumner, Seattle 0 1/$500
Brian Sutter, Red Deer 0 1/$500
TOTALS 2 16/$8,000

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TWO COACHES BITE THE DUST: The QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan have fired head coach Denis Francoeur. He has been replaced by Ron Choules, who had been scouting for the Titan. The Titan was 23-22-1-2 when it let Francoeur go. Before joining the Titan, he spent 11 seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes. . . . In the SJHL, the Battlefords' North Stars have fired GM/head coach Gary Clark, with assistant coach Blair Atcheynum taking over both jobs for the balance of this season. The North Stars, one of the SJHL’s youngest teams, were 5-39-3-3 when the move was made. Atcheynum played four seasons in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Swift Current Broncos and Saskatoon Blades (1985-89) . . .

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JUST NOTES: The Portland Winter Hawks finally headed south from Red Deer on Tuesday morning. The Winter Hawks, 4-1 losers to the Rebels on Sunday night, encountered bus problems due to the cold weather and ended up spending Sunday and Monday nights in Red Deer. . . . Former WHL goaltender Tommy Tartaglione stopped 36 shots, scored a goal and was the first star Tuesday as the Surrey Eagles beat the Powell River Kings 5-2 in a BCHL game.

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TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored twice in the game’s first 1:33 and went on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-1. . . . Calgary (36-13-1-3) ran its winning streak to four and stayed two points behind the Spokane Chiefs, who lead the overall standings. . . . The Ice (29-17-4-1) had won three in a row on the road. . . . C Ryan White scored 39 seconds in and C Kyle Bortis made it 2-0 at 1:33, at which time Kootenay head coach Mark Holick used his timeout. . . . After Bortis scored his 26th goal at 4:04, Holick yanked G Kris Lazaruk and sent in Thomas Heemskerk. Lazaruk was making his return from a groin injury. . . . LW T.J. Galiardi upped the lead to 4-0 at 1:18 of the second, with Bortis drawing an assist, and the Hitmen coasted from there. . . . Calgary has won four of five from the Ice with the teams wrapping up their series Wednesday in Cranbrook. . . .

In Chilliwack, G Matt Esposito turned aside 49 shots but it wasn’t enough as his Bruins fell 3-2 in the circus to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge (32-14-2-3) is third in the Eastern Conference and has won four in a row. It is 3-0-0-0 on a tour of the B.C. Division. . . . The Bruins (22-23-3-2) have lost four in a row and are 5-11-0-2 since Dec. 8. They are eighth in the Western Conference, two points behind Kamloops. . . . The Bruins led 2-0 in the second period before the visitors tied it on goals from its big line. Mitch Fadden got his 25^th at 2:23 of the second and Colton Sceviour, with his 22^nd, tied it five minutes later on a power play. . . . Dwight King and Fadden scored in the circus to win it as G Juha Metsola stopped Chilliwack’s Mark Santorelli and Mitch Holden. . . .

In Everett, the Prince Albert Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead and went on to a 2-1 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Everett (29-22-0-2) had won six of seven and is fifth in the Western Conference, five points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold five games in hand. . . . The Raiders (17-30-3-2) ended a three-game losing skid. They are 20 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Prince Albert got a goal from C Max Brandl with 28.2 seconds left in the second period that stood up as the winner. . . .

In Kamloops, RW David Rutherford’s goal at 14:18 of the third period broke a 1-1 tie as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the Blazers, 2-1. . . . The Chiefs (37-10-1-3) have won five straight and are 19-6-1-0 on the road. Spokane leads the overall standings by two points over the Calgary Hitmen. In the Western Conference, Spokane is eight points ahead of the second seed, the B.C. Division-leading Vancouver Giants and five points ahead of the Tri-City Americans, who are second in the U.S. Division. . . . D Nick Ross scored for Kamloops. He has 14 points, including four goals, in 13 games since being acquired from the Regina Pats. . . . The Blazers (24-26-1-2) are seventh in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins. . . .

In Red Deer, G Joey Perricone stopped 30 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-0 victory over the Rebels. . . . Perricone has five shutouts this season, one short of the franchise single-season record, and 10 in his career. . . . The Warriors (28-14-4-4) moved into a tie for fourth with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Division. They have won seven of eight. . . . The Rebels (14-33-4-2) are 25 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Warriors scored their first three goals on the PP as they went 3-for-6 with the man advantage. . . . The Rebels were 0-for-7. . . . Moose Jaw LW Frazer McLaren and Red Deer D Mark Louis fought three seconds into this one. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Geordie Wudrick scored twice and set up two others to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 7-3 victory over the Blades. . . . The Broncos (27-20-0-5) have won four in a row. They are eighth in the Eastern Conference but now are just three points behind the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Blades (17-29-3-2) have lost three in a row and are 20 points behind Swift Current. . . . The Broncos scored the game’s first three goals. . . . LW Ondrej Fiala got Saskatoon on the board when he counted on a late first-period penalty shot. . . . Wudrick, who has 15 goals, then scored goals 3:04 apart early in the second period to about put it out of reach. . . . D Bretton Stamler added a goal and two helpers for the winners. . . . The Broncos were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-3. . . . G Mark Guggenberger stopped 26 shots to run his record to 2-0 with the Broncos. . . . Frigid weather conditions kept attendance to 2,437. . . . The teams meet again Wednesday in Swift Current. . . . F Burke Gallimore, a midget AAA player from Edmonton, played his second game with the Blades. He was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs in a deal at the trade deadline.

Blazers box

THE SCORE
Spokane 2, Kamloops 1
WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers, with great goaltending -- again -- from Justin Leclerc, gave the
top team in the WHL a real scare. But there is a reason the Chiefs have won
27 games more than they've lost in regulation time.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (24-26-1-2) remain seventh in the Western Conference and now are
two points ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins, who hold three games in hand.
Kamloops trails the sixth-place Seattle Thunderbirds by four points.
THE SEASON SERIES
The Chiefs hold a 2-1-0-0 edge over the Blazers. The series concludes here
March 12.
THE CROWD
Attendance was announced at 4,255, but there were a lot of no-shows. In
fact, there appeared to be perhaps 2,500 people in the arena. The announced
crowd was the eighth smallest since the 1993-94 season. Seven of the 12
smallest crowds since then have come from this season.
THE PLUS MEN
Five Chiefs were in the WHL's top 10 in plus-minus going into last night -- C
Chris Bruton, D Jared Spurgeon and C Mitch Wahl are tied for fourth (+29),
LW Drayson Bowman is tied for seventh (+29), with Justin Falk 10th (+25).
Tops on the Blazers? RW Juuso Puustinen (+12).
THE LINE
The Blazers line of, left to right, Ivan Rohac, Alex Rodgers and Juuso
Puustinen has combined for 36 points in its last eight games. They have been
on on 18 of the club's last 29 goals.
THE FLU BUG
RW Brady Calla returned to the Blazers' lineup after missing a game because
of the flu. C Alex Rodgers was questionable because he wasn't feeling well,
but he took the pregame skate and was deemed fit enough to play.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. G Justin Leclerc, Kamloops. Kept his side in it.
2. G Dustin Tokarski, Spokane. Diving glove save on Nick Ross was a keeper.
3. RW David Rutherford, Spokane. Lots of energy and got the winner.
UP NEXT
The Blazers hit the road for three games before returning home to face the
Kelowna Rockets on Feb. 8. Game time is 7 p.m.

Chiefs get past Blazers

From The Daily News of Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008 . . .

The Kamloops Blazers may be lacking in some areas. Heart isn't one of them.
Two days after interim head coach Greg Hawgood suggested a heart transplant
might be in order and a day after he all but skated them into the ice, the
Blazers, who were playing their fifth game in seven nights, turned in one of
their grittiest performances of the season.
Still, it wasn't enough as they fell 2-1 to the Spokane Chiefs before an
announced crowd of 4,255 at Interior Savings Centre on Tuesday night. But it was a whole lot
better than what fans witnessed Sunday when the locals fell 8-1 to the
Lethbridge Hurricanes.
After that game, Hawgood questioned his club's heart. On Monday, he skated
them hard during a practice in which pucks were in short supply.
"The effort was good, obviously a drastic improvement from last game,"
Hawgood said. "But you're so close to a really good team. We had an awful
lot of turnovers and we gave up too many scoring chances that consistently
aren't going to get you wins.
"We had our chances but I think we'd be kidding ourselves . . . we just gave
them too many great scoring chances and they didn¹t get the bounces
tonight."
Spokane head coach Bill Peters, for one, wasn't surprised with the way the
Blazers pushed his club to the wall.
"I'm not surprised they played as well as they did," said Peters, whose
Chiefs (37-10-1-3) have the WHL's best record and now have won five in a
row. "They played real well in our building both times. They beat us in
there the first time and it was a 3-2 game in the middle of the game the
last time. I'm not surprised they came out with a real good effort."
The Blazers won 4-3 in Spokane on Nov. 9 in what was Hawgood's first game
behind the bench after he replaced the fired Dean Clark. The Chiefs won 6-2
on Jan. 9.
In this one, the Blazers were outshot 37-28 and badly outchanced as they
once again used Justin Leclerc's goaltending to keep them close.
"It's a nice feeling knowing that your goalie is going to stand on his head
every game," Hawgood said. "That's just the way we expect Justin to play."
"Justin's been playing great," Blazers captain Scott Wasden added. "We know
he's going to make some big stops. We just have to bail him out; we can't be
giving up odd-man rushes and turning over the puck."
As seems to have become the custom, the Blazers did give up too many odd-man
rushes. But, on this night, they didn"t pay a price for that.
"We had a lot of chances but we didn't show a lot of composure offensively,"
Peters said. "Those 2-on-1's in the first . . . it would have been nice to
find a way to finish one of those.
"We had some good chances that we didn't make anything happen on."
Leclerc likely would want back Spokane's first goal -- winger Chris Bruton
beat him to the long side from the top of the right circle at 2:41 of the
first period -- but the third-year goaltender was rock solid after that.
The Blazers pulled even with 11 seconds left in the first period when
defenceman Nick Ross, taking advantage of a turnover deep in the Spokane
zone, blasted a slapshot from the point that beat goaltender Dustin
Tokarski.
That was payback for Ross, who was shocked at a save Tokarski made off him
earlier in the period. Staring at an open side, Ross thought he had scored,
only to have Tokarski drive across and glove the puck.
"I will have to see that one again," Peters said. "Did he glove it? I was
waiting for the light to go on. That was great battle by him. He's beat and
he just doesn't quit and makes a great competitive save there."
After the game, Ross still was wondering if it wasn't a goal.
"If they could have looked at the video, they might have been able to . . .
his glove was pretty far back in the net," Ross said. "It was definitely a
really good save. His glove just came out of nowhere and saved it but I was
pretty sure it was past the line.
"He stretched back to save it but if I had put it on the ice it probably
would have gone in."
There wasn't anything Leclerc could do about the winner when winger David
Rutherford played give-and-go with centre Tyler Johnson, a rookie from
Spokane, and scored on a low shot inside the left post.
The goal came at 14:18 of the third period, just 42 seconds after Hawgood
had used his timeout -- the Blazers had just killed a penalty, had three
defencemen on the ice and were called for icing.
After that goal, try as they did, the Blazers weren't able to mount any
offence.
"The guys are a little tired but we're not using that as an excuse," Wasden
said. "We've got a couple of days off here to get ready for the weekend up
in Prince George."
The Blazers will meet the Cougars, who have lost seven in a row and are 18
points out of a playoff spot, on Friday and Saturday nights.
JUST NOTES: Referee Derek Zalaski gave the Blazers five of eight minor
penalties. . . . The Chiefs were 0-for-4 on the power play; the Blazers were
0-for-2. . . . Hawgood said that D Mark Schneider is "tender" and has some
stitches and swelling on his face. Schneider, who was struck in the face by
a puck in Sunday's loss, didn't play last night.

Monday's musings . . .

THE COMMITMENT, Part 1: D Andrew MacWilliam, who plays for the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, has made a verbal commitment to attend the U of North Dakota. MacWilliam is from Calgary. His WHL rights belong to the Medicine Hat Tigers. MacWilliam is at No. 59 in NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings of North American skaters eligible for the 2008 NHL draft. He is to join the Fighting Sioux in 2008 or 2009. . . . The Spokane Chiefs selected MacWilliam with the 163rd pick of the 2005 bantam draft. On Oct. 27, 2007, they dealt his rights to the Tigers for future considerations. . . .

THE COMMITMENT, Part 2: D Patrick Wiercioch, who plays for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and is at No. 119 in Central Scouting’s rankings, has said he will attend Wisconsin and play for the Badgers. A second-round bantam draft pick of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2005, his WHL rights now belong to the Portland Winter Hawks. They acquired him, along with D Lee Morrow, 16, from the Tigers for D Michael Sauer on Dec. 27, 2006. . . . Wiercioch, from Maple Ridge, B.C., has missed a lot of this season with a hand injury. . . .

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THE MacBETH REPORT: It’s coming up on the next round of national team tournaments. The two on tap next are the LG Hockey Games in Stockholm, Feb. 7-10, with Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden participating, and The Skoda Cup, Feb. 8-10 in Lausanne, Switzerland, with France, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland. . . . Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland have named their teams. Sweden and the Swiss have no ex-WHL players on their teams.
Russia has named former Seattle F Oleg Saprykin to its team. Saprykin is having a nice season with Central Red Army Moscow. He is currently eighth in scoring in the Russian Superliga, with 25 goals and 16 assists. He has 115 PM, and is plus-12 in 46 games.
Czech Republic has named G Milan Hnilicka (Swift Current), D Josef Melichar (Tri-City), F Jan Hrdina (Seattle/Spokane) and F Jakub Klepis (Portland) to its team. Hnilicka is with Ufa (Russian Superliga), Melichar with Linköping (Sweden Elitserien), Hrdina with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden Elitserien), and Klepis with Slavia Prague (Czech Extraliga).
Slovakia named G Rastislav Stana (Moose Jaw/Calgary) and F Andrej Podkonicky (Portland). Stana is with Linköping (Sweden Elitserien) and Podkonicky is with Vityaz Chekhov (Russia Superliga).
Germany named D Jason Holland (Kamloops), D Chris Schmidt (Seattle) and F Yannic Sedenberg (Medicine Hat) to its team. Holland and Sedenberg are with Ingolstadt (German DEL) and Schmidt is with Iserlohn (DEL).

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The weekly ranking of WHL teams from the Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association, showing ranking, last week’s ranking, team, first-place votes and points (22 for a first, 21 for a second, etc.):
1. (2) Spokane Chiefs (11) 367
2. (4) Calgary Hitmen (4) 350
3. (3) Tri-City Americans (1) 348
4. (1) Vancouver Giants (1) 326
5. (5) Regina Pats 303
6. (7) Lethbridge Hurricanes 291
7. (6) Kelowna Rockets 276
T8. (8) Kootenay Ice 233
T8. (9) Moose Jaw Warriors 233
10. (11) Medicine Hat Tigers 226
11. (12) Everett Silvertips 209
12. (10) Brandon Wheat Kings 195
13. (13) Seattle Thunderbirds 177
14. (14) Swift Current Broncos 155
15. (16) Kamloops Blazers 128
16. (15) Chilliwack Bruins 122
17. (17) Edmonton Oil Kings 100
18. (18) Saskatoon Blades 90
19. (19) Prince Albert Raiders 64
20. (20) Red Deer Rebels 57
21. (21) Prince George Cougars 33
22. (22) Portland Winter Hawks 18

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MONDAY’S CHATTER: Former WHLer Ray Neufeld is back in the coaching game. He has been named an assistant coach with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. Neufeld, who will work under head coach Marlin Murray, played for the Flin Flon Bombers/Edmonton Oil Kings (1976-79). He had been serving as a colour analyst on Selkirk Steelers broadcasts. . . . With G Kris Lazaruk (groin) expected to play Tuesday against the Hitmen in Calgary, the Kootenay Ice has returned G Nathan Lieuwen to the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. . . . The Ice is hoping to get C Ben Maxwell (thigh) back this week, perhaps Friday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . LW Drayson Bowman, who leads the Chiefs in goals (30) and points (60), is sidelined with an arm injury but he, too, may return Friday. . . . Also due back this week is Vancouver Giants RW Michal Repik, who has missed 20 games with a concussion. Repik was in a regular jersey at practice on Monday. . . . Everett Silvertips RW Kyle Beach, out with a concussion since Jan. 16, isn’t likely to play Tuesday against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders or Wednesday in Kelowna against the Rockets. He may, however, get in the lineup for a Saturday night visit by Vancouver. . . . The Giants are at home to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday. This is an interesting matchup when you consider that (a) the Hurricanes are 2-0 and have outscored their opposition 17-1 in their first two B.C. Division stops; (b) the Giants have lost two in a row and they have lost three straight in regulation time only once since the start of 2005-06; and, (c) Lethbridge head coach Michael Dyck was on Vancouver head coach Don Hay’s staff before taking the Hurricanes’ job. . . . Game on!!!

Blazers go for a skate

From The Daily News of Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008. . . .

General manager Brian Fortin and defenceman Mark Schneider sat high in the
seats at Interior Savings Centre late Monday afternoon.
Down below, the Kamloops Blazers were skating . . . and skating . . . and
skating . . . and skating . . .
The Blazers, who followed a four-game losing streak by going 5-2-0-1, laid a
giant egg Sunday when they surrendered six first-period goals en route to an
8-1 shellacking at the hands of the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Schneider left that game in the third period after being struck in the face
by a puck. He sat yesterday afternoon holding an icepack to his face.
“Nothing’s broken . . . I don’t think,” he said, adding that he won’t play
tonight when the Blazers meet the high-flying Spokane Chiefs at Interior
Savings Centre. Game time is 7 o’clock.
You had to wonder if the pain Schneider was feeling was anything like what
his teammates were going through down below.
Judging by yesterday’s practice, Greg Hawgood, the Blazers’ interim head
coach, and Shane Zulyniak, the assistant general manager/assistant head
coach, weren’t impressed by what they had witnessed the previous night.
Up and down the ice skated the players, who had been split into two groups.
Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. And on and
on it went. . . .
“The message,” Hawgood said, “is that they didn’t work yesterday so they’re
going to work today . . . losing is just not acceptable; it doesn’t bother
them as much as it should.
“They didn’t care about one another last night and it’s not acceptable.”
Fans will find out tonight whether the Blazers got the message, or whether
that kind of practice, combined with this being the club’s fourth game in
five nights, will prove to be too be much.
Of course, the Chiefs also will be playing their fourth game in five nights,
but there was no hard practice for them. While the Blazers were being routed
at home Sunday, the Chiefs, who boast the WHL’s best record, best defence
and third-best offence, were beating the Bruins 5-2 in Chilliwack. (Kamloops
is tied for 15th in record, and is 15th in offence and 19th in defence.)
That was the fourth victory in a row for the Chiefs, who are 7-2-0-1 in
their last 10 outings.
In fact, Spokane has the best 50-game record in franchise history, its 36
victories three more than it had through 50 games in 1999-2000.
The Chiefs have won four or more games in a row five times this season.
Spokane, which had gone four seasons without winning four in a row, has had
nine- and seven-game winning streaks this season. The Chiefs have earned at
least a point in 40 of 50 games and have lost back-to-back games just once
this season.
“We’ve been hit and miss a little bit,” Spokane head coach Bill Peters said,
adding “we’ve had a couple of injuries here and there but everybody does at
this time of the season.”
Statistics would seem to show one weakness in the Chiefs’ game — their
penalty killers are ranked 16th out of the WHL’s 22 teams. Peters, however,
said that unit had been running at better than 90 per cent since Christmas
until it had one bad weekend.
“We got hammered,” Peters said, referring to games of Jan. 18 and 19 when
they gave up three power-play goals in a 5-4 shootout victory over the
Thunderbirds in Seattle and then allowed four in losing 4-2 to the
Silvertips in Everett.
“We gave up seven in two nights. That’s what dropped it,” Peters said. “Now
we’re trying to get it back up again.”
JUST NOTES: The Chiefs are without LW Drayson Bowman, who leads them in
goals (30) and points (60). Bowman, who has an arm injury, may return Friday
when the Chiefs meet the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . The Ice may
welcome back C Ben Maxwell that night. A thigh injury has limited him to 11
of the Ice’s 50 games this season.

Getting Here From There: The Fall of the Kamloops Blazers

CHAPTER 5 – The Road to Privatization

While the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society’s board of directors continued to work to extricate the organization from the mess left when Colin Day, its president for 17 years, was forced to resign and office manager Maxine Patrick was charged with fraud, the wheels that would lead to privatization had begun to turn.

The 2006 World Junior Championship had been held in Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna. Dennis Coates, a Kamloops lawyer and the society’s treasurer, was a co-chairman of the Kamloops organizing committee. He told The Daily News on Feb. 2, 2006, that at least one group had been kicking the Blazers’ tires.

Coates, who said “two or three people” had approached him during the tournament, also told the newspaper that he had told the society’s board that it should expect to hear from groups or individuals who were interested in purchasing the WHL franchise.

"I alerted our group," said Coates. "I said, 'You know what? You are going to get an inquiry or an offer or something. So you had better prepare yourself for the question as to how you're going to deal with it.' "

And just who was it who was interested in buying the WHL team?

"They knew I was involved (with the Blazers)," said Coates, who declined to reveal identities for reasons of confidentiality. "There are people out there who are snooping around wanting to acquire teams just because (Vancouver Giants owner Ron) Toigo has sort of given it credibility in B.C., and so has the ownership group in Chilliwack. People can see that it's fun and profitable and entertaining. There are people who would be interested."

Coates said his message to the inquiring minds was: "I can't tell you whether it is or it isn't (for sale), and if you think you are interested you had better write to the board."

It turned out that Coates had heard from Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi, the president of Northland Properties, which owns, among other things, Sandman Hotels, Inns and Suites, Denny’s and Moxie’s restaurants, and the Shark Club Bar and Grill.

Coates, a lawyer with the Kamloops firm of Mair Jensen Blair, specializes in liquor-licensing matters and has done work for Northland Properties.

Asked on Feb. 2, 2006, what he thought of privatization, Coates, who was one of the men responsible for the WHL coming to Kamloops in the first place, said:

"It is an interesting issue. My personal reaction, although I really haven't thought it out . . . I know the one critical criteria that would have to be met if you were ever going to consider it . . . there would have to be a 100 per cent, absolute, gold-wrapped guarantee that (the Blazers) would never leave town. Beyond that, I haven't really thought it out.

"But that would be an absolute necessity."

The Blazers were one of five community-owned teams in the WHL, the others being the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos. While the Blazers had mostly been able to steer clear of rumours involving potential sales to private interests, that can't be said of the other four.

The Warriors, Raiders and Broncos all found themselves involved in the rumour mill when the NHL's Edmonton Oilers began shopping for a WHL franchise in 2003. Around the same time, the Hurricanes' board had to quell rumours that the franchise was going to be sold to a group that included brothers Rich and Ron Sutter, who had been attempting to purchase the team.

Who would have thought that the Blazers would be the team to be privatized?

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On June 21, 2006, River City Hockey Inc. (RCH) – Gaglardi owned 60 per cent at the time, with ex-Blazers players Shane Doan, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor owning the rest – offered to purchase the Blazers for $6 million. That was at least $1.5 million more than had ever been paid for a WHL franchise.

The NHL's Edmonton Oilers paid Cdn$4 million for an expansion franchise. The Portland Winter Hawks were sold after the 2005-06 season for US$2.7 million – new owners also had to take on general manager Ken Hodge’s five-year contract. In an even more-complicated deal, the Tri-City Americans changed hands for US$2.6 million US, with their former owners picking up the Chilliwack Bruins expansion franchise for Cdn$2.2 million.

The four men involved in RCH all have strong ties to Kamloops. Gaglardi’s grandfather, Flyin’ Phil Gaglardi, was a prominent B.C. politician from Kamloops, and Tom’s father, Bob, is from Kamloops. The family owns property in the area, and Tom and his wife, Brittney, who have three young sons, have a summer home on Kamloops Lake near Savona.

Doan and Sydor and their families have property in the Shuswap and spend their summers in the Kamloops area. Recchi, who owns property in the city, is from Kamloops and has family in the city.

On June 27, 2006, the society's board of directors – without speaking to anyone in the Gaglardi group and without meeting with its 194 shareholders – unanimously recommended rejection of the offer and called a membership meeting for July 11.

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From June 27 to July 11, the society’s board was pretty much at sea.

It didn’t have any idea how much its franchise was worth. There was concern over the issue of capital gains. The board expressed concerns about taking a tax hit if it were to sell the franchise and assign the proceeds to the Kamloops Blazers Sports Foundation.

But the board didn’t obtain an expert opinion.

RCH did and was told the board would have nothing about which to concern itself, that there wouldn‘t have been a tax hit and that proceeds could have been turned over to the Kamloops Blazers Sports Foundation. That message, however, never got through to the membership, at least in part because the offer never was considered.

The Daily News contacted a local accountant who said the best-case scenario would be a tax cost of zero.

"Non-profit and community-owned groups and what not . . . they've done fairly well over the years in terms of government . . . art galleries and community kind of stuff have done very well in terms of tax breaks," the accountant said.

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In early July, rumours surfaced that former Blazers head coach Ken Hitchcock, very much a legend in the Kamloops area, was involved in the would-be ownership group.

"I am not involved at all. Period," said Hitchcock, at the time the head coach of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. "Why are people talking like that?"

"I don't even think about that. I don't think it's appropriate for an active coach to have ownership in another area. It's just a distraction. It takes every bit of your focus just to coach. At our level, it's nine months of total focus.

"For me, if you're going to do something like own a sports franchise or a business you're going to have to be active every day in it."

Not being involved with RCH didn’t mean Hitchcock wasn’t following what had turned into something of a soap opera.

"I'm very much like everybody . . . I'm watching with intrigue," he said. "There is a lot of emotion on both sides. If you think this is the talk in town, you should hear the talk with former players. The phone lines are buzzing with alumni talking about it . . . because Mark and Shane and Darryl represent the alumni.

"I know the three kids really well. I know that they are very, very proud Kamloopsians. They want to return the bar to when it was so high . . . they want the opportunity to put the bar back up there. They want that responsibility."

Of course, Hitchcock also was close friends with members of the board and with various shareholders. So how was he hoping it all would end?

"I'm not trying to stay neutral. I have passions on both sides," he said. "I just feel . . . those kids are doing it for the right reasons and that's the thing that impresses me more than anything. They're not doing it to make money. They're doing it for one reason and one reason only -- that is the competitive side of things. They watch other franchises like Kelowna go to the top of the heap year after year after year and they want Kamloops back there.

"There are four or five guys on the directorship who were there when I was here in 1984. A lot of them are very, very good friends. The direction coming from the three players is that they feel very strongly that this was a huge part of their lives. It was a stepping stone to what they have. This is now, for all three of them, their home and the team is their home. And they want the franchise back to the top of the heap again.

"In talking with Mark and Shane and Darryl . . . they feel very strongly that over the next 20 years they want to be the people . . . they feel responsible. That's their motivation. They look at the next 20 years and say, we want to be the model franchise for the Western Hockey League."

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On July 11, 2006, the society’s membership met and voted 49-38 that its assets weren’t for sale. There were 194 shareholders but only 96 were in attendance. Do the math and you discover that 49.5 per cent of the membership showed up and 25.3 per cent voted "No" and carried the day.

The RCH offer never was presented to membership by the board of directors, so it was never even given consideration.

"I think we've heard the members of the society say very clearly that the assets of the society are not for sale," said society vice-president Gary Cooper, who was guiding the board in the absence of its vacationing president, Case van Diemen, "so it's business as usual in the sense that we are now going to get ready for the upcoming season. We're delighted with the response but there was lot of emotion, a lot of passion."

RCH had been turned down when it asked for permission to attend the meeting. And that meeting was tightly managed by the board, something that didn't sit well with all concerned.

"This meeting from the beginning was very much weighted," said Derek Johnston, who would be elected to the board a couple of months later and would be on the board when the franchise was sold to RCH slightly more than a year later. "We came into the meeting knowing absolutely nothing about what was going on. Obviously, we knew it was about the sale of the Blazers . . . but all it was was rehearsed speeches to tell us why not to sell the Blazers. I'm really disappointed in that.

"That's an unfair advantage . . . you saw how close the vote was. How many of those votes might have gone the other way if anyone had an opportunity to look at the offer?"

Reached after the meeting, Gaglardi said: "All I know is we lost. I don't know anything about the process. I guess they made their bed . . . they get to lie in it."

Board member Don Moores, the chairman of the society’s hockey committee, had spoken passionately about the franchise and the fact that it has always been community-owned.

"The Kamloops Blazers should not be for sale and should never be for sale," he told the meeting. "I totally understand and I appreciate that (Doan, Recchi and Sydor) want to get it back to where it was. But it is a community-owned franchise and it should remain that way."

After the meeting, Moores said: "It's the right move for the Kamloops Blazers. I really think it's the darkest before the dawn and I really believe this club is going to turn the corner.

"Right from the start, I just believe it's a community-owned franchise. It's been that way for 25 years. It belongs to the entire community; it always has and I just believe it should stay that way."

A year later, Moores would address another meeting and say pretty much the same thing. This time, however, his pleas would fall on deaf ears.

NEXT (Feb. 4): The Summer of the Sale

Sunday notes . . .

Fines and suspensions will be forthcoming after Sunday’s action included two line brawls, or multiple-fight situations as the WHL prefers they be called. In Regina, the Pats and Saskatoon Blades dropped the mitts in the middle of the second period, the fourth time this season each of those teams has participated in a line brawl. In Kamloops, the Blazers and Lethbridge Hurricanes went at it late in the third period. . . . Here’s a look at fines paid by teams this season, showing number of fines and total amount paid:
Regina 3/$1,000
Portland 3/$750
Edmonton 2/$750
Saskatoon 2/$750
Spokane 2/$500
Brandon 1/$250
Chilliwack 1/$250
Medicine Hat 1/$250
Moose Jaw 1/$250
Prince George 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
(Notes: Portland, Spokane and Seattle have been fined because of battling goaltenders; Saskatoon and Moose Jaw got dinged for warmup violations.)

SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Regina, the Pats blew a 4-1 lead before beating the Saskatoon Blades 5-4 on an OT goal by C Scott Doucet. . . . He counted 1:52 into extra time. . . . Doucet also scored the OT winner Friday when the Pats won 3-2 in Medicine Hat. . . . The Pats (33-15-3-2) are 9-0-2-1 in their last 12 games. Eleven of those games were played against teams with winning records. . . . The Blades (17-28-3-2) have lost three in a row. . . . C Jordan Eberle’s 31st goal at 8:10 of the second period gave Regina a 4-1 lead. . . . D Stefan Elliott, LW Darian Dziurzynski and LW Ondrej Fiala scored to tie it. Fiala’s goal, at 17:34 of the third period, forced the OT. . . . D Derek Hulak drew three assists for the Blades. . . . The WHL office will get involved in this one due to a multi-fight situation that developed in the second period. While that was going on, Regina GM Brent Parker paid a visit in the press box to Brad Howard, one of the WHL’s supervisors of officials. . . . Regina lost D Colton Teubert to his fourth game misconduct, which should bring with it a two-game suspension. . . . This was the fourth line brawl of the season for both teams, meaning head coaches Curtis Hunt of Regina and Lorne Molleken of Saskatoon are likely to get one-game suspensions. . . . The Blades return to Regina on Friday. . . . Get your tickets now. . . .

In Calgary, C Brock Nixon scored four times to help the Hitmen to a 9-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Hitmen (35-13-1-3) are atop the Eastern Conference and two points shy of the Spokane Chiefs, who lead the overall standings. Calgary is 3-0-0-1 in its last four. . . . The Wheat Kings (30-18-0-2) are tied for sixth with the idle Moose Jaw Warriors in the Eastern Conference. . . . Brandon D Matt McCue was hit with a match penalty for a hit from behind on Calgary RW Ian Schultz. . . . Nixon scored shorthanded, power-play and regular-strength goals as he ran his total to 21. . . . LW Matt Calvert scored on a first-period penalty shot for Brandon, which was playing its third game in as many nights. . . . Calgary G Dan Spence stopped 17 shots in earning his 20th victory. . . .

In Edmonton, the Medicine Hat Tigers got two goals from Bretton Cameron as they dropped the Oil Kings, 7-1. . . . The Tigers (29-17-5-1) are 4-0-1-0 in their last five. They moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Oil Kings (17-25-4-6) are 13 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Medicine Hat was 4-for-5 on the PP. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . The Rebels (14-32-4-2) are 23 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Winter Hawks (9-41-1-1) have lost seven straight and are 28 points out of a playoff spot. . . . D Colin Archer scored his first WHL goal for the Rebels, while F Colin Reddin did the same for the Winter Hawks. . . . The Rebels outshot the visitors 52-29. . . . C Brandon Sutter had two goals for Red Deer, giving him 18 on the season. . . . D Alex Petrovic, the 33rd pick in the 2007 bantam draft, made his debut with the Rebels. He plays for the midget AAA Edmonton Maple Leafs. . . . The Winter Hawks were to have headed for home right after the game but their bus broke down so they were to spend the night in Red Deer. . . .

In Chilliwack, the Spokane Chiefs outshot the Bruins 22-4 in the second period and went on to a 5-2 victory. . . . The Chiefs (36-10-1-3) have won four in a row and have the WHL’s best record. . . . The Bruins (22-23-3-1) have lost three straight. . . . The Chiefs actually became the first team to clinch a playoff spot when they won — and the Prince George Cougars lost — on Saturday night. . . . The Bruins had the game tied 2-2 in the middle of the second period before running out of gas, at least in part because of illness that has really hit the team hard. . . . F Brandon Campos scored his fourth goal in three games for Chilliwack. . . . The Bruins were outshot 46-15. . . . Chilliwack C Oscar Moller hasn’t scored in five games. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., RW Bud Holloway scored his 24th goal to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Americans (35-12-1-2) had won three straight. . . . The Thunderbirds (24-17-5-2) are sixth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . G Jacob DeSerres stopped 24 shots for Seattle. . . . The Americans were without LW Colton Yellow Horn, RW Petr Stoklasa and D Mitch McColm, all of whom have what the team says are minor injuries. . . . In six games against Tri-City, Holloway has eight points, including six goals. . . .

In Kamloops, the Lethbridge Hurricanes scored six times in the first period and went on to beat the Blazers, 8-1. . . . Lethbridge (31-14-2-3) is
7-0-1-2 in its last 10 games. It is third in the Eastern Conference. . . . Kamloops (24-25-1-2) was coming off back-to-back victories over the
Chilliwack Bruins. Kamloops is seventh in the Western Conference, three
points ahead of the Bruins and four behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .
Zach Boychuk, Colton Seviour and Dwight King all had three-point nights for Lethbridge, which was 4-for-6 on the PP.

Blazers box

From The Daily News of Monday, Jan. 28, 2008. . . .

THE SCORES
Kamloops 7, Chilliwack 4
Lethbridge 8, Kamloops 1

WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers got taken to school Sunday as they were outplayed by Lethbridge
in every aspect of the game. . . . On Saturday, the Blazers got up off the
canvas to score the game’s last four goals and whip an out-of-gas Chilliwack
side.

THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (24-25-1-2) are seventh in the Western Conference, four points
out of sixth and three out of eighth.

THE SEASON SERIES
This was the only meeting of the season between Lethbridge and Kamloops. It
was the Hurricanes’ first visit since Oct. 14, 2005, when they dropped a 2-1
decision. . . . The Blazers are 6-2-0-1 against the Bruins this season. The
season series concludes March 14 in Chilliwack.

THE FIRST PERIOD
The Blazers gave up six goals in the first period Sunday. The last time they
allowed six goals in a period at home was Jan. 17, 1997, when they lost 12-1
to the Portland Winter Hawks, who scored six in the third period. (Blazers
assistant coach Steve Gainey had the lone Kamloops goal in that one). . . .
Kamloops has been outscored 74-34 in first periods this season.

THE CAPTAIN
When Blazers C Scott Wasden, the newly named team captain, scored Saturday
it ended a 16-game drought. He hadn't scored since striking three times in a
7-2 victory in Prince George on Dec. 14.

THE DEBUT I
D Alex Theriau made his Lethbridge debut. Theriau, who is from Cowichan
Valley, was the sixth pick in the 2007 bantam draft. He helped Burnaby
Winter Club to the 2007 Western Canadian bantgam championship last season.
He now plays for the B.C. major midget league’s Valley West Hawks.

THE DEBUT II
RW Ryan Hankin played his first WHL game for Chilliwack on Saturday. Hankin,
who plays for the junior B Hope Ice Breakers, was the 73rd pick in the 2006
bantam draft. The Bruins got that pick from the Blazers in lieu of a player
when they stocked their roster in an expansion draft.

THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
SUNDAY
1. LW Zach Boychuk, Lethbridge. Dominant.

2. RW Colton Sceviour, Lethbridge. Smooth.

3. RW Craig Orfino, Lethbridge. First goal, an assist, at least four blocked
shots.

SATURDAY
1. D Nick Ross, Kamloops. Fired up the offence.

2. LW Ivan Rohac, Kamloops. Three points and lots of energy.

3. RW Brady Calla, Kamloops. Played hard for 60 minutes.

UP NEXT
The Western Conference-leading Spokane Chiefs are here Tuesday. Game time is
7 p.m.

Hurricanes blow through Kamloops

From The Daily News of Monday, Jan. 28, 2008. . . .

No mercy was shown during Sunday’s WHL game at Interior Savings Centre.
Whoever is responsible for announcing the winning number in the 50-50 draw
refused to do it earlier than normal, which meant all those with tickets had
to stay until midway through the third period.
By then this one had been over for a long, long time.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes, 9-0 winners over the Cougars in Prince George on
Saturday night, continued their ransacking of the B.C. Division as they
embarrassed the Blazers 8-1 in front of 4,326 fans.
The loss came 24 hours after the Blazers, in front of 4,534 fans, scored the
game’s last four goals and beat the flu-riddled Chilliwack Bruins, 7-4.
Sunday’s game wasn’t 15 minutes old when the Blazers’ coaching staff, its
side already trailing 5-0, called a timeout.
Rather than wave a white flag, assistant coach Shane Zulyniak unleashed a
verbal whipping the likes of which hasn’t been witnessed in these parts for
a long time.
Less than two minutes later it was 6-0. So much for Plan B.
“No heart. No determination,” Kamloops head coach Greg Hawgood said when
this one, including the predictable late third-period line brawl, had ended.
“All the systematic things we had done so well for so long just went right
out the door. It was just really wrong.
“Once we got into a bit of a panic situation, all the talking on the bench
and trying to settle everybody down, nobody went out and took the bull by
the horns and tried to change the course of the game.
“It just got worse and worse.”
The Blazers were in this game for 15 seconds, which is how long it took
defenceman Spencer Fraipont to take the game’s first penalty. That led to
Lethbridge’s first goal — the Hurricanes would go 4-for-6 on the power play
— and it was all downhill from there for the locals.
Bill O’Donovan, the public address voice, received the first cheer of his
career when he announced there was less than one minute left in the first
period. At period’s end, the Blazers were booed off the ice.
Zach Boychuk, with two, Luca Sbisa, Carter Bancks, Craig Orfino, with his
first WHL goal, Dwight King, Cam Braes and Mitch Fadden scored for the
Hurricanes. They got 17 saves from goaltender Mike Maniago, who began his
WHL career with the Blazers.
“It’s great when you have such good teammates . . . such a good team,” said
Maniago, whose club is 7-0-1-2 in its last 10 outings. “They come out every
night and play for a full 60 minutes.
“It was great tonight. It was my first time back in Kamloops and it’s always
fun when you get back for your first time.”
The Hurricanes definitely had fun in this one, although head coach Mike Dyck
admitted they didn’t anticipate an easy time of it.
“We didn’t expect that, neither last night nor tonight,” Dyck said. “We
recognized this was their third game in three nights and we wanted to get a
jump on them early and hopefully establish some momentum.”
Which is exactly what they did.
The Blazers opened with James Priestner in goal after Justin Leclerc had
made seven straight starts. Priestner’s teammates played as though he owes
them all money — they were outshot 15-3 in the first period and he was gone
at 15:58, having been beaten six times on 14 shots.
Jordan Rowley scored Kamloops’ lone goal, cutting the deficit to 6-1 at 7:01
of the second period.
On Saturday, the Bruins erased a 3-1 deficit with three quick goals early in
the third period but the lead wasn’t kind to them.
Kamloops winger Kenton Dulle tied it on a power play at 6:53 and, seven
minutes later, defenceman Nick Ross went coast-to-coast to beat goaltender
Mark Friesen for the eventual winner.
Ivan Rohac, who had two assists, Scott Wasden, Alex Rodgers, Jimmy Bubnick
and Juuso Puustinen also scored for the home side.
Brandon Campos, with two, Evan Pighin and Nick Holden replied for
Chilliwack.
The Blazers again got a tremendous effort from Leclerc, who turned aside 30
shots and seemed to absolutely own Swedish sniper Oscar Moller, starting
with stoning him on a breakaway at 12:08 of the first period.
In those seven starts, Leclerc went 5-1-0-1 with a 2.14 GAA and a .929 save
percentage.
JUST NOTES: Maniago, who said he is having a “career” season, has won 21
games. . . . Kamloops D Mark Schneider left Sunday’s game at 13:46 of the
third period after taking a puck to the left side of his face. He ended up
face down in a pool of blood. After the game he had an icepack on his face.
A prognosis won’t be known until today. . . . With the AHL on its all-star
break, former Blazers D Ray Macias, now with the Cleveland-based Lake Erie
Monsters, took in the game.

Keeping Score

From The Daily News of Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008 . . .

Jerry Crowe, in the Los Angeles Times: “While undoubtedly causing hearts to
stop all across New England, the video of Tom Brady wearing a walking boot
Monday in New York was disturbing only in that it focused so little
attention on Gisele Bundchen. . . . Brady's Brazilian supermodel girlfriend
deserves better.” . . . Jerry Greene, in the Orlando Sentinel: “Surely
you’ve seen the video of Tom Brady apparently wearing a walking boot on his
right foot? The New York Post added this headline: OGirlie Man Limps Home.’
That’s right, make the Patriots angry. That always works.” . . . After
Detroit Pistons guard Rip Hamilton put in 39 points against the Toronto
Raptors, he told The Associated Press: "That's my real estate in the corner.
It's like Monopoly. I've got four houses and a hotel on there. It's what I
do." . . . Hmm, I don’t know about you but there’s no Hamilton Avenue on my
Monopoly game.

Construction on the new Yankee Stadium, which is due to open in 2009, is
ahead of schedule. As David Letterman notes: "There's a good reason for it:
The workers are taking the same stuff the players are." . . . Is there an
athlete today who is more fun to watch than the Cypriot tennis player,
Marcos Baghdatis? It was a joy to watch him lose a five-setter to Lleyton
Hewitt last weekend at the Aussie Open. If ever an athlete just enjoys the
moment, it is Baghdatis. . . . ExtraTV.com has obtained some info that is
part of Shaquille O’Neal’s divorce proceedings. According to an affidavit,
he brings in about $2 million a month. Among his expenses are $110,000 on
monthly vacations, $22,000 in maid services and a monthly cable TV bill of
$1,500. . . . That much for TV? My wife would divorce me, too.

Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “Three things Scotty Bowman
wanted before he would agree to take over the Maple Leafs: 3. Robinson; 2.
Lapointe; 1. Savard.” . . . One more from Hutchinson: “Following an NBA
ruling that a game between Miami and Atlanta will resume with 52 seconds
back on the clock, the Toronto Maple Leafs asked the NHL if Game 7 of their
1993 Western Conference final against Los Angeles could also be replayed.” .
. . By the way, it’s believed the Maple Fleas signed Cliff Fletcher only
because Johnny Bower wasn’t available and Eddie Shack was on tour with some
hockey oldtimers. . . . Note to the producers of CFJC-TV’s Ice Time: Dustin
Butler, not Devan Dubnyk, holds the Kamloops Blazers’ single-season record
for shutouts. Butler had seven last season to break Dubnyk’s record. That’s
what you get for trusting the WHL Guide.

If you are a fan of the Boston Red Sox, you will have to get up early to
watch them open the 2008 season. They will meet the Oakland Athletics in the
Tokyo Dome, March 25 and 26. Game time will be 3:07 a.m. Pacific time. . . .
If you surf over to homerderby.com you should be able to find a compilation
of video clips showing the demolition of various major league parks. . . .
And if you stay there and check out homerderby.com/archives/1776 you will
find clips from the 1997 Grand Forks International tournament. Yes, that is
Josh Beckett, then a junior in high school, on the hill for a Houston team.
And he is facing Kosuke Fukudome, now of the Chicago Cubs. Beckett actually
faced Fukudome three times in that game and walked him each time. Still,
Houston won, 9-1. . . . This is the same kind of tournament that is to be
held in Prince George, July 18-24, 2009. The World Baseball Challenge will
feature teams from Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Cuba, the U.S., and the host city,
and it won't get any better than that. . . . This isn’t quite in that league
but there will be a four-team senior baseball tournament here, April 26-28.
It will feature the Kamloops Black Sox, Prince George Panago Axemen, Tacoma
Fox Homes Cascades and a squad from Surrey.

What will make more noise on Opening Day, the sound of Barry Bonds not
playing or the release of Jose Canseco’s latest book, Vindicated? . . . The
San Francisco Chronicle’s Scott Ostler: "Clemens update: The Rocket, in his
campaign to hold his breath and turn purple until everyone believes he
didn't use steroids, has just reached 'mauve.' " . . . Philip Hersh, in the
Los Angeles Times: “Marion Jones told Oprah Winfrey she finally 'fessed up
about doping because she no longer could carry the Oweight and baggage’ of
living a lie. Why didn't Oprah ask Marion how much heavier that burden
became after the feds pressured her to admit doping because of her
involvement in a check fraud scheme? Without that, Jones would still be in
denial.” . . . King Kaufman, at salon.com, after Jones’ chat with Oprah:
“Showing up for a 2 o'clock autograph session at 3 because you entered it
into your Blackberry wrong? That's a mistake. This wasn't a mistake. Her
Omistake’ was getting caught.” . . .

Ted Wyman, in the Winnipeg Sun: “You have to feel sorry for the Dallas
Cowboys, who probably would have made it to the Super Bowl if Jessica
Simpson hadn't dropped all those passes.” . . . One more from Wyman: “Kent
Austin's timing is beautiful. He has now twice won Grey Cups for the
Roughriders and still managed to be one of the most hated people in
Saskatchewan.” . . . Janice Hough, at leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “Can you
believe Golfweek magazine putting a NOOSE on the cover < and then the editor
said he was shocked at the reaction? What’s next, an interview with O.J. on
the golf course about his search for the real killer?” . . . When crude hit
$100 a barrel, big oil couldn’t wait to push the price of a litre of regular
gasoline in Kamloops to $1.10.9. Is it worth pointing out that the price of
a barrel now is under $90 and the price of a litre of gas remains at
$1.10.9?

Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Now that the case apparently
is closed, Nosy Neds like me will never know why a female lawyer working on
a divorce case involving Pacman Jones would meet with him at a strip club.
Doesn’t she have an office? A van? A Starbucks?” . . . Bob Molinaro, in the
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot: “With the death of Bobby Fischer at 64, we’re
reminded of the early ’70s, when Fischer vs. Boris Spassky was as big as
Ali-Frazier, and chess matches were covered like the Super Bowl. Remember
that the next time you think the sports landscape has never been screwier
than it is today.”

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. Keeping Score, which appears Saturdays, returns
Feb. 16.

Saturday's stuff. . . .

G Kurtis Mucha has told the Portland Winter Hawks to bring in some better players or he may ask for a trade before another season gets here. Mucha, who has faced more rubber this season than a dead skunk in the middle of the road, told the Portland Tribune’s Jason Vondersmith that he spoke with Winter Hawks president Jack Donovan before the trade deadline. “I didn’t ask for a trade,” Mucha told Vondersmith. “I told them I hoped they would try to bring some players in and help me. I’ve been here for three years. It’s home, I have great memories, I like playing here, I’ve got an awesome billet, the fans have been good to me. I’ve got nothing to complain about, other than we’re not winning. I don’t want to go anywhere.” . . . Mucha admitted frustration to Vondersmith, something the third-year player from Sherwood Park, Alta., has kept bottled up inside him until now. “You see some players on our team who think they’re better than they are. Too cocky,” Mucha said. “And then there are a couple players who shouldn’t even be in this league. It’s not their fault. They’re being thrown into a situation they’re not used to, and almost set up to fail. But we’ve got nobody else.” . . . And the losing, he added, is getting to him. “It’s not a good thing, really, because I don’t want to be accustomed to it,” Mucha told Vondersmith. “But I don’t know what to do. Hopefully we’re good next season. If not, I think it might be time for a change.” . . .

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored three times in the circus to beat the Saskatoon Blades, 3-2. . . . The Warriors (27-14-4-4) are in a three-way tie for fifth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Blades are 17-29-2-2. . . . RW Jordan Knackstedt, C Riley Holzapfel and D Ty Wishart scored for the Warriors in the circus; LW Ondrej Fiala and C Colton Gillies countered for the Blades. . . . Gillies scored twice for Saskatoon in regulation time. Gillies, who has 14 goals, opened the scoring at 15:44 of the first period and forced overtime with a PP goal at 1:07 of the third. . . . The Blades were 1-for-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-5. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos got circus goals from RW Dale Weise and C Matt Tassone to beat the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . The Broncos (26-20-0-5) have won three in a row. . . . The Pats (32-15-3-2) are 8-0-2-1 in their last 11 games. . . . The Broncos led 2-0 midway through this one on goals by Tassone and LW Geordie Wudrick. . . . Regina tied it when C Michael MacAngus scored
on a third-period penalty shot and RW J.D. Watt got his 10th at 11:24. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Yashar Farmanara, the 11^th shooter, scored in the circus to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Tigers (28-17-5-1) are tied for fifth with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Rockets (30-15-2-5) are a comfortable fourth in the Western Conference. . . . F Tyler Ennis scored twice for the Tigers in real time, with C Cody Almond doing the same for the Rockets. . . . Kelowna G Torrie Jung made 40 saves through OT. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals, all in the second half of the third period, and beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (30-17-0-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Ice (29-16-4-1) had points in its previous six games (4-0-1-1). . . . Brandon LW Matt Calvert broke a 2-2 tie with his 16th and 17th goals at 11:59 and 13:52 of the third period. C Brayden Schenn drew assists on both goals. . . .

In Edmonton, RW Robin Figren scored second-period goals 1:24 apart to get the Oil Kings started toward a 3-0 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . Edmonton G Alex Archibald stopped 18 shots for his second shutout this season and the eighth of his career. . . . The Oil Kings (17-24-4-6) are 13 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Winter Hawks are 9-40-1-1. . . . According to the Edmonton Sun, Archibald celebrated with a chew of tobacco, which is certain to cause some excitement in the WHL office, which frowns on such activity. . . . The game featured a late third-period line brawl that resulted from a collision between Portland D Scott Gabriel and Archibald. . . .

In Spokane, D Jared Spurgeon set up three goals to lead the Chiefs to a 4-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The victory, their third straight, kept the Chiefs (35-10-1-3) in first place overall. . . . The Raiders (16-30-3-2) have lost three straight. . . .

In Seattle, F David Richard’s second goal of the game, a shorthanded effort at 5:58 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie as the Thunderbirds edged the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . The Thunderbirds (23-17-5-2) stayed two points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers in the scrap for sixth place in the Western Conference. . . . The Silvertips (29-21-0-2) are fifth, seven points ahead of Seattle. . . . Seattle has beaten Everett six straight times this season. . . . Everett went into the game on a six-game winning streak. . . . Seattle had two shorthanded goals in the game, the other coming from C Jim O’Brien in the second period as the home side erased a 2-0 deficit. . . . Everett RW Dan Gendur had a goal and two assists, giving him 32 points in his last 14 games. . . The game drew 5,771 fans, Seattle’s largest crowd this season. . . . F Prab Rai, who is having a wonderful season, had a goal and three assists for Seattle. . . . The Thunderbirds were 1-for-3 on the PP, ending a streak in which Everett killed off 46 straight opposition power plays. . . . Everett F Kyle Beach (concussion) didn’t play, nor did C Vitali Karamnov (bruised clavicle), while D Taylor Ellington (broken foot) will be out for up to three weeks. . . . Seattle LW Jan Eberle (concussion) also was scratched. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., G Chet Pickard stopped 30 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Americans (35-11-1-5) are within a point of the U.S. Division- and Western Conference-leading Spokane Chiefs. Tri-City also is three points ahead of the Vancouver Giants (32-12-1-5), who are the conference’s second seed as the B.C. Division leaders. . . . The Americans won three of four from the Giants this season, including a 3-1 victory in Vancouver on Friday. . . . F Kruise Reddick scored his 20^th goal for the Ams, with F Radek Meidl adding his first of the season. . . .

In Prince George, RW Nick Hotson scored twice in the game’s first eight minutes and the Lethbridge Hurricanes went on to a 9-0 victory over the Cougars. . . . The Hurricanes (30-14-2-3), who are in Kamloops on Sunday, are 6-0-1-2 in their last nine games. They remain third in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Cougars (14-34-1-2) have lost seven in a row. They have been blanked in two of their last three home games. . . . G Juha Metsola stopped 22 shots for his first WHL shutout. . . . F Dwight King had a goal, his 21^st, and three helpers. . . . C Colton Sceviour scored twice, with F Carter Ashton having a goal and two helpers. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 7-4. . . . It was the second time in 24 hours the Blazers had torched the Bruins, having beaten them 7-2 in Chilliwack on Friday. . . . The Blazers (24-24-1-2) moved three points ahead of the eighth-place Bruins (22-22-3-1) in the Western Conference. . . . The third period featured seven goals, the first three from the Bruins and the last four from the Blazers. . . . Kamloops went into the third period with a 3-1 lead, only to have Chilliwack strike for three goals in 2:01. . . . The Blazers tied it on a PP goal by LW Kenton Dulle and put it away with three goals in 2:35. The first of those came from D Nick Ross, who went coast-to-coast and roofed the puck on G Mark Friesen. . . . The Blazers outshot the Bruins, 41-34. . . . LW Ivan Rohac had a goal and two assists for Kamloops. . . . Chilliwack lost RW Matt Meropoulis with a hand injury in Friday’s game. He is shown as being out indefinitely.

Friday's stuff . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Frank Banham (Saskatoon) has signed with Malmö in Sweden’s Allsvenskan for the rest of this season. Banham has played the past three seasons with Red Bull Salzburg. This year, he had nine goals and 13 assists and was +1 in 30 games for Salzburg. Recognizable names on Malmö include ex-NHLers G Jani Hurme, F Lasse Pirjetä (also ex-Tacoma Rockets), and F Ville Nieminen. . . .

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PORTLAND PAYS: Two weeks after leaving the U.S. National Team Development Program, F Colin Reddin, 17, made his WHL debut Friday with the Portland Winter Hawks. It took that long for the Winter Hawks to get Reddin’s release from USA Hockey. A deal was struck with the Winter Hawks paying what they are calling “a significant release fee.” The exact amount wasn’t specified, but Portland president Jack Donovan called it "unprecedented" in a release. "We pay substantial release fees for our European players and Colin's release is more than double," Donovan said. "It was a high price to pay.” . . . A third-round pick, 51^st overall, by Portland in the 2005 bantam draft, Reddin, from Corona Del Marca, Calif., was in the Winter Hawks’ 2005 training camp but later chose the USNTDP. The 51^st pick in the 2005 bantam draft, he decided over the Christmas break to join the Winter Hawks and played Friday night against the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . The Winter Hawks had two other new faces in their lineup Friday -- LW Brad Ross of Lethbridge and D Daniel Johnston of Calgary, a pair of 2007 bantam picks. Ross, the younger brother of Kamloops D Nick Ross, was the fifth overall pick and was playing his second WHL game. Johnston, a fifth-round selection, made his WHL debut.

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The CHL Mosaik MasterCard top 10, as selected by an panel of anonymous NHL scouts (ranking, team, record, last week, weeks in rankings):

1. Kitchener Rangers (37-6-1-2) 1 15
2. Spokane Chiefs (33-10-1-3) 2 12
3. Vancouver Giants (32-10-1-5) 3 14
4. Calgary Hitmen (33-13-1-3) 4 13
5. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (33-14-2-1) 5 12
6. Belleville Bulls (32-9-3-2) 8 4
7. Tri-City Americans (33-11-1-2) 6 17
8. Saint John Sea Dogs (31-12-1-3) 10 4
9. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (31-12-1-3) 7 17
10. Baie Comeau Drakkar (33-13-1-4) 9 10

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FRIDAY’S CHATTER: The WHL trade deadline is two weeks back in the rear-view mirror but the Kootenay Ice is going to get a real boost, perhaps as soon as next weekend. C Ben Maxwell, who has missed more than 30 games with a thigh injury, is skating and says he may be back for a home-and-home series with the Spokane Chiefs next weekend. Maxwell had 53 points in 39 games last season. . . . The Ice also is without G Kris Lazaruk (groin), but he may return Tuesday against the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . Earlier this season, Saskatoon Blades F Mike Reich, who was then with the Vancouver Giants, took a slapshot in the face from Kamloops Blazers D Mike Gauthier. Reich ended up losing a tooth and taking more than 50 stitches. “I had a four-hour surgery with the dentist and then went to a gum specialist,” Reich told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “I got a concussion out of it, too, so it was pretty rough. But it’s made my mouth a little stronger, so I guess I can take a few more punches there.” . . . Vancouver RW Garet Hunt and LW Cody Esposito of the Red Deer Rebels went into the weekend leading the WHL in fighting majors, each with 15. Reich, with his newly toughened mouth, had 14. . . . Lorne Molleken goes into the weekend with 289 victories as the Blades’ head coach. Two more and he equals the franchise record that is held by Jack McLeod (1970-78). . . .

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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:

In Medicine Hat, C Scott Doucet’s goal 19 seconds into OT gave the Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Pats (32-15-3-1) have won seven in a row and six of seven on the road. They also are 3-0 versus the Tigers this season. . . . Regina is atop the Eastern Division and is second in the Eastern Conference, four points behind the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Medicine Hat (27-17-5-1) had won its previous two games. The loser point lifted it into a tie with the idle Moose Jaw Warriors and the Brandon Wheat Kings for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Tigers C Brennan Bosch tied the game 2-2 at 1:18 of the third period. . . . The Tigers were 1-for-9 on the PP; the Pats were 1-for-6. . . .

In Calgary, G Martin Jones stopped 16 shots to help the Hitmen to a 6-0 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . The Hitmen (34-13-1-3) have 72 points, good for top spot in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Winter Hawks (9-39-1-1) have lost five straight. They are 3-20-1-0 on the road. . . . Jones, who turned 18 on Jan. 10, put up his first career shutout. . . . C Ryan White had a goal and two assists for Calgary, with LW T.J. Galiardi scoring twice. F Brock Nixon and C Brandon Kozun each had two assists. . . . Jordan White went the distance in goal for Portland, which was outshot, 65-16. Shots by period: 20-3, 20-7, 25-6. . . . Calgary has posted four shutouts this season; Portland has been blanked a WHL-leading seven times. . . . Calgary set a franchise record for shots in a game, breaking the old record (55) set Sept. 30, 1995, in a 7-5 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . .

In Chilliwack, RW Brady Calla, D Nick Ross and C Alex Rodgers each had a goal and an assist as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Bruins, 7-2. . . . The Blazers (23-24-1-2) halted a two-game losing slide and moved past the Bruins into seventh place in the Western Conference. . . . Kamloops is 5-3-0-0 against the Bruins with a rematch Saturday in Kamloops. . . . The Bruins (22-21-3-1) hadn’t played since a 3-2 circus victory over the Blazers on Jan. 19. . . . Kamloops, which got goals from seven players, was 3-for-6 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-2. . . . LW Michael Proudley pulled the Bruins even at 1-1 at 17:17 of the second period. . . . However, Rodgers scored 10 seconds later and the Blazers were off to the races. . . . Kamloops had lost six straight road games. . . . C C.J. Stretch (concussion) returned to the Blazers’ lineup after missing five games. . . . Kamloops G Justin Leclerc, starting his season-high sixth straight game, stopped 28 shots. . . . The Bruins, a flu bug going through the dressing room, dressed 17 skaters. . . .

In Cranbrook, forwards Andrew Bailey, Steve Da Silva and Kevin King scored twice each as the Kootenay Ice dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 8-3. . . . The Ice (29-15-4-1) had lost its previous two games. It pulled into a tie with the idle Lethbridge Hurricanes for third place in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Regina Pats. . . . The Raiders (16-29-3-2) have lost four of five and are 18 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Raiders held a 2-1 lead late in the first period but were outscored 7-1 the rest of the way. . . . Da Silva has 28 goals, Bailey 23 and King six. . . . Da Silva also had two assists, while C Steele Boomer and C Arnaud Jacquement each had a goal and two helpers. . . . Kootenay G Nathan Lieuwen, a 16-year-old who is likely to be returned to the BCHL’s Westside Warriors after the weekend as Kris Lazaruk returns from a groin injury, stopped 29 shots to earn his first WHL victory. . . . LW Drew Czerwonka, the 20^th player taken in the 2007 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Ice. He plays for the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. . . .

In Red Deer, the Brandon Wheat Kings outscored the Rebels 2-1 in the circus to beat the Rebels, 3-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (29-17-0-2) had lost two straight and now are 3-0 against Red Deer this season. . . . Brandon is tied with Moose Jaw and Medicine Hat for fifth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Rebels (13-32-4-2) have lost five in a row and are 23 points out of a playoff spot. . . . F Matt Lowry gave Brandon a 1-0 lead at 19:13 of the second period. He has 21 goals. . . . C Brandon Sutter, with his 16^th, tied it for the Rebels on an early third-period PP. . . . Brayden Schenn and Tyler Dittmer scored circus goals for Brandon, with Troy Ofukany counting for the Rebels. . . . G Morgan Clark stopped 33 shots for Red Deer, seven more than Brandon’s Joe Caligiuri. . . .

In Spokane, G Dustin Tokarski stopped 30 shots as the Chiefs bounced the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2. . . . The Chiefs (34-10-1-3) are tied for first place overall with the Calgary Hitmen. Spokane is 6-0 versus Seattle this season. . . . Seattle (22-17-5-2), which had won three in a row, is sixth in the Western Conference. . . . Seattle D Scott Jackson scored once in what was his 300^th regular-season game. . . . Spokane, which scored the game’s last three goals, got three assists from C Chris Bruton. . . . Spokane LW Drayson Bowman (left arm) didn’t play and could be out for up to two weeks. He leads the Chiefs with 30 goals. . . .

In Swift Current, G Mark Guggenberger, in his fourth WHL appearance, earned the shutout as the Broncos dumped the Kelowna Rockets, 4-0. . . . Guggenberger, acquired from the Portland Winter Hawks prior to the Jan. 10 trade deadline, stopped 30 shots in his first appearance with the Broncos. He got into three games with Portland early in the season. . . . The Broncos (25-20-0-5) have won two straight. They are eighth in the Eastern Conference, five points out of fifth. . . . The Rockets (30-15-2-4) had won three in a row and 11 of 12. They are fourth in the Western Conference. . . . C Cody Eakin scored the game’s first goal, his fifth, and added an assist. D Jesse Dudas drew two assists. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-11 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-4. . . . The Kelowna line of Colin Long, Jamie Benn and Brady Leavold, that had combined for 29 points over its previous two games, was a combined minus-5. . . . It was the third shutout of the season for Swift Current and the second time Kelowna has been blanked. . . .

In Vancouver, Tri-City G Chet Pickard stopped 35 shots to lead the Americans to a 3-1 victory over the Giants in front of 11,899 fans. . . . The Americans (34-11-1-2) have won six of seven and now have one more point than the Giants. . . . As the B.C. Division leader, Vancouver (32-11-1-5) is the Western Conference’s second seed, although it has one fewer point than Tri-City. The Americans are a point behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Giants visit Kennewick, Wash., on Saturday night. . . . LW Colton Yellow Horn scored the game’s first goal at 15:52 of the first period, his WHL-leading 35^th, for the Americans. . . . C Mason Wilgosh made it 2-0 at 11:34 of the second period with his first WHL goal. . . . Vancouver C Casey Pierro-Zabotel pulled his side to within one at 4:46 of the third period. . . . Tri-City F Kruise Reddick iced it with an empty-netter at 19:19 of the third period. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 16 shots. . . . Tri-City was 0-for-2 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-for-5. . . . Vancouver has drawn at least 9,000 fans to each of its last six home games.