Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: D Lance Ward (Red Deer) signed a contract for next season with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden Elitserien). Currently with Frankfurt (Germany DEL), Ward has one goal and two assists in 35 games. He played with HV71 for two seasons prior to this one. . . . F Scott Kelman (Seattle/Moose Jaw/Tri-City) has been released by Coventry (UK Elite Hockey League). He had 10 goals and 16 assists in 27 games this season for the Blaze.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are mourning the death of one of their biggest fans. Art Hauser, the owner of P.A. Bottlers, died Thursday. Hauser donated $1 million to the campaign to renovate the arena in Prince Albert which now bears his name ˆ the Art Hauser Centre. Hauser, who was born in Poland in 1935, is believed to have donated more than $4 million to various causes in Prince Albert over the last four years. He was named that community’s 2008 Citizen of the Year.
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The Saskatoon Blades’ family also has felt the sting of death with news that Les Clark has died. Clark, from Kelvington, Sask., died Wednesday while in the Bahamas with his wife, Alma. . . . The three Clark boys — Donn, Kerry and Wendel — all played for the Blades. . . . The Clark family all is in the Bahamas where the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports they will have a private service. A public memorial is scheduled for July 7 at the arena in Kelvington.
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F Brendan O’Donnell, a ninth-round selection of the Kootenay Ice in the 2007 bantam draft, has made a commitment to attend the U of North Dakota and play for the Fighting Sioux. O’Donnell, a junior at Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg, will head south in the fall of 2010 or 2011. He plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild and, with 69 points in 32 games, trails only teammate Michael St. Croix in the scoring race. St. Croix, the fourth overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, recently made his WHL debut with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
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Happy birthday to Bill Maluta, a long-time scout for the Regina Pats, who celebrated his 84th birthday on Friday. Gotta wonder how many hockey players he has seen over the years?
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In Calgary, the Hitmen scored the game’s last four goals, three of them in the third period, to beat the Vancouver giants, 6-3. . . . Attendance was 14,244. . . . It was a midseason battle of the titans as the two teams are atop their respective conferences. . . . The Hitmen got two goals from each of D Paul Postma and F Bartjan Golicic. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones earned his 30th victory of the season. . . . It was only the Giants’ fourth regulation-time loss this season. . . . Calgary now is 39-6-2-1; the Giants are 36-4-0-3. . . . The Hitmen are 24-1 at home where they have won 18 in a row. They are at home to the Chilliwack Bruins on Sunday.
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In Kamloops, F Mitch Fadden had a goal and three assists as the Tri-City Americans beat the Blazers, 6-3. . . . The Americans led this one 4-0 before the first period was 13 minutes old. The first two goals came on the PP after Kamloops F Scott Wasden was ejected with a major penalty for a knee on Tri-City D Brett Plouffe early in the first period. . . . Plouffe left the game with an apparent charleyhorse and didn’t return. That leaves the Americans with five defencemen as they prepare to face the visiting Spokane Chiefs tonight and then meet the host Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent on Sunday.
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In Everett, the Silvertips dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-5 in a game that included nine third-period goals. . . . Everett took a 2-1 lead into the final 20 minutes. . . . The game attracted a sellout crowd of 8,332. . . . After the game, the Silvertips gathered in front of their net and raised their sticks towards the sky in a salute to former teammate Jordan Mistelbacher, who was found dead on Tuesday in his hometown of Winnipeg. He had been reassigned to the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints on Jan. 10. . . . A pregame moment of silence was held in Mistelbacher’s memory and the Silvertips are wearing decals bearing his number (18) on their helmets. . . . Everett has a 3-2 edge in the 10-game season series. . . . The teams play Saturday in Kent, Wash., in what will be the Thunderbirds’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game.
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In Prince George, the Cougars dumped the Kelowna Rockets 5-2. . . . The teams play their again Saturday. . . . Prince George G Kevin Armstrong stopped 40 shots. . . . The Cougars are 4-2 versus the Rockets and have beaten them two straight after being outscored 23-7 in the first four. . . . F Greg Fraser, the last pick in the 2007 bantam draft, had two goals for Prince George. He has five this season. . . . C Brett Connolly, the Cougars’ superb 16-year-old, had two points. He has 39 points this season and that’s a franchise record for points by a 16-year-old in one season. . . . Cougars F Alex Poulter sat out the game’s second half with a suspected concussion.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings scored four goals in the last 11 minutes of the third period and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-2. . . . Brandon was without F Matt Calvert (flu). Mark Stone, who took his spot on the PP, had two goals and an assist as Brandon went 4-for-8 with the man advantage. . . . Brandon has earned at least a point in each of its last 12 games (10-0-2-0). . . . The teams play again Saturday in Prince Albert. . . . Brandon D Chad Erb also was out with the flu, while Prince Albert LW Ryan McDonald, its leading scorer, also was out with, yes, the flu.
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In Red Deer, F Landon Ferraro scored his 26th goal of the season as the Rebels dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 4-1. . . . The Rebels fired 31 shots at Chilliwack G Lucas Gore through two periods. . . . It was Red Deer’s first game since a dismal effort in a 5-3 loss to visiting Prince Albert on Saturday resulted in head coach Jesse Wallin calling a 6 a.m. Sunday skate. A tough week of practices followed. . . . D Mitch Topping, a 15-year-old Red Deer native, was in Chilliwack’s lineup. He was the eighth overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
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In Medicine Hat, G Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots as the Saskatoon Blades dumped the Tigers, 5-0. . . . It was Holtby’s fourth shutout of the season and the fifth of his career. . . . The victory was No. 399 for Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken. The Blades meet the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Saturday. . . . Saskatoon got a goal and two assists from each of F Milan Kytnar and F Derek Hulak. . . . Saskatoon scored four third-period goals. . . . The Blades are an amazing 17-3-1-0 on the road.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes went 3-for-9 on the PP and added a shorthanded score to bet the Swift Current Broncos, 4-2. . . . The Hurricanes have won three in a row. . . . The Broncos actually led this one 2-1 after the first period but weren’t able to put any more pucks past G Juha Metsola, who finished with 29 saves. . . . Lethbridge F Austin Fyten broke a 2-2 tie on the PP at 6:28 of the third period. . . . Lethbridge F Drew Hoff added a shorthanded score at 14:35.
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In Regina, Moose Jaw scored the first goal and then gave up four in a row as the Pats beat the Warriors, 4-1. . . . The teams meet again Saturday in Moose Jaw. . . . The victory lifted Regina into a tie with Prince Albert for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Moose Jaw has lost five in a row and is 12th in the 12-team conference. . . . Moose Jaw G Brandon Glover, 16, stopped 28 shots in his first WHL start. . . . Regina is 3-0 against Moose Jaw this season.
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In Portland, C Tyler Johnson scored two goals and set up another — Tyler Johnson also was one of the referees — as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Winter Hawks, 7-1. . . . Attendance was 5,588.