This weekend, hockey fans can watch for Bruce Luebke’s second annual Best of the East poll, which is to be published in Sunday’s Brandon Sun. Luebke is the long-time radio play-by-play voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings on CKLQ. . . . And, yes, the second annual WHL Power Poll is in the process of being prepared for publication. Give me another week or 10 days and it should be ready.
———
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Edmonton (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Edmonton has a one-point edge on Prince Albert for the final playoff spot. Each has six games remaining. . . . Saskatoon holds a six-point edge on Brandon. Those teams play Saturday in Brandon and Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . Swift Current remains one point behind Medicine Hat, each with seven games to play. . . . Lethbridge is one point behind Kootenay and each of those teams has eight games remaining. . . . Regina has even games left and is six points behind Edmonton.
Saturday: Saskatoon at Brandon; Kelowna at Calgary; Kootenay at Medicine Hat; Edmonton at Moose Jaw; Prince Albert at Red Deer; Lethbridge at Swift Current.
Sunday: Lethbridge at Regina.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Vancouver plays two more games this weekend and will clinch first place with two victories. . . . Spokane plays host to Tri-City on Saturday. The Americans lead the Cchiefs by eight points. . . . Kelowna, which lost in Red Deer on Friday, now is three points behind Spokane. . . . Seattle and Kamloops are tied for fifth, but the Thunderbirds have one more victory and two games in hand. . . . Everett is five points behind Kamloops and appears to be settling into seventh.
Saturday: Kelowna at Calgary; Vancouver at Everett; Kamloops at Prince George; Portland at Seattle; Tri-City at Spokane.
Sunday: Vancouver at Chilliwack; Everett at Seattle; Portland at Tri-City.
———
THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 64 17 44 1 2 37
Chilliwack 66 15 44 2 5 37
Portland 62 16 42 2 2 36
Moose Jaw, Chilliwack and Portland all lost Friday night.
Saturday: Edmonton at Moose Jaw; Portland at Seattle.
Sunday: Vancouver at Chilliwack; Portland at Tri-City.
———————
In Brandon, F Adam Chorneyko’s 20th goal broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Saskatoon Blades a 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Saskatoon now is 26-5-1-0 on the road. . . . Brandon took a 2-1 lead into the third period only to be outscored 3-1. . . . Saskatoon D Ryan Funk, with his fourth of the season, tied it at 4:26 on the PP and D Sam Klassen gave the visitors the lead with his second at 5:07. . . . F Colby Robak pulled Brandon back into a tie at 10:53 with his 13th goal. . . . Saskatoon G Braden Holtby stopped 35 shots in putting up his 38th victory. Brandon G Andrew Hayes turned aside 17 shots. . . . After two periods, Brandon had outshot the visitors 33-11 but its lead was only 2-1. . . . Saskatoon was 1-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 1-for-4. . . . Saskatoon, the second seed in the Eastern Conference, leads No. 3 Brandon by six points. The teams play again Saturday in Brandon and Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . Brandon will open the first round at home March 20 and 21. But the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, which runs March 30 to April 4, will again play into Brandon’s playoff schedule, forcing Brandon to play a potential Game 7 elsewhere. And, should Brandon advance to the second round, it would have to open on the road.
———
In Moose Jaw, F Dwight King scored twice to lead the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 5-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s first four goals as they led 3-0 and 4-0 at the period breaks. . . . Lethbridge had a 41-17 edge in shots. . . . Lethbridge went into Moose Jaw having lost three in a row.
———
In Swift Current, the Broncos had all seven shots of the overtime as they beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . D Derek Claffey got the winner, his third goal of the season, with 12 seconds left in OT. . . . Each team had 18 shots through three periods.
———
In Medicine Hat, F Tyler Ennis scored six goals as the Tigers dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-2. . . . The WHL single-game record of seven goals is shared by five players. . . . Ennis, who has 41 goals this season, struck for three goals in the second period and three more in the third. . . . The Raiders actually took a 1-0 lead into the second period. . . . Ennis is believed to be the first player in Tigers’ history to score six times in one game. “Every time I scored and came back to the bench it was just like, ‘Wow!’ ” Ennis told the Medicine Hat News. “I couldn’t believe it. They just kept going in. It felt good." . . . Prince Albert F Ryan McDonald scored the game’s first goal in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Medicine Hat scratched veteran LW Travis Dunstall, 19, to allow C Jayce Douskey, a product of Centennial, Colo., to make his WHL debut. He was the 109th pick in the 2007 bantam draft.
———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice took an early 2-0 lead and went on to score a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The result, combined with other outcomes, left Regina six points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Pats have lost three in a row and 13 of 16. . . . Regina was without F Brett Leffler (sprained knee). . . . Ice captain Andrew Bailey’s shorthanded goal gave his side a 2-0 lead. . . . Prior to the game, the City of Cranbrook honoured the late Ed Chynoweth. . . . A crowd of 4,015 was on hand to salute Chynoweth, who died in April after a fight with cancer. A plaque was dedicated for the Rec Plex Wall of Fame and a replica of Chynoweth’s Hockey Hall of Fame banner was hoisted into the arena rafters.
———
In Red Deer, G Darcy Kuemper turned aside 41 shots to lead the Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Red Deer, with the WHL’s 20th-ranked power play, was 3-for-7 with the man advantage. . . . F Willie Coetzee’s 16th goal, at 3:06 of the third period on the PP, broke a 2-2 tie and held up as the winner. . . . F Landon Ferraro scored his 31st for Red Deer. . . . F Stepan Novotny and F Ian Duval each had a goal and an assist for the Rockets. . . . Kelowna was playing in its 1,000th regular-season game since relocating from Tacoma, Wash., over the summer of 1995. . . . Kelowna LW Jamie Benn (undisclosed) sat this one out.
———
In Everett, F Brendan Shinnimin scored his 10th goal with 1:58 left in the third period to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Americans have won seven straight; the Silvertips have lost four in a row. . . . Six of the game’s nine goals came in the third period. . . . Everett led 2-0 after one period, trailed 3-2 at 3:51 of the third, then led 4-3 at 7:53 of the third. . . . D Jarrett Toll tied it for the Americans at 11:28 of the third. . . . F Taylor Procyshen scored his 35th of the season for the Ams, while F Jason Reese added his 30th and F Mitch Fadden got No. 33. . . . F Kellan Tochkin scored twice for Everett. He has 18. . . . Everett was 4-for-11 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-3. . . . Everett lost D Trevor Bauer (concussion) early in the first period.
———
In Vancouver, the Giants set another franchise record as they dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 3-1. . . . The victory left the Bruins with 108 points, two more than the franchise record of 106 set last season. . . . Vancouver tied a franchise record with its 27th home-ice victory of the season. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith won his 37th game with 22 saves. . . . The loss officially eliminated Chilliwack from playoff contention. . . . The Giants play in Everett on Saturday before going into Chilliwack on Sunday. . . . Two victories would give the Giants the Western Conference title for a second straight season.
———
In Spokane, G Dustin Tokarski stopped 32 shots to help the Chiefs to an 8-0 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . F Blake Gal scored twice. . . . The Chiefs were without three veteran defencemen — Jared Cowen (knee, out for season), Trevor Glass (shoulder) and Stefan Ulmer (concussion). . . . F Dustin Donaghy moved back to defence to help out. . . . Tokarski recorded his seventh shutout of the season; he holds the franchise’s career record with 15. . . . The Chiefs are at home to Tri-City on Saturday as one of the WHL’s best rivarlies resumes. The game already is sold out.
———
In Prince George, D Zac Stebner scored two PP goals to help the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . Stebner, who came over from the Prince Albert Raiders in an early-season deal, has 10 goals this season. . . . His first goal gave Kamloops a 2-1 lead with three seconds left in the first period. . . . Stebner later broke a 2-2 tie and RW Tyler Shattock upped the Kamloops lead to 4-2 in the third period. . . . Kamloops G Justin Leclerc was strong with 34 saves.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday's over . . .
So . . . what happened with Jesse Dudas?
The Regina Pats released the 20-year-old defenceman after losing 6-3 to the Hitmen in Calgary on Wednesday. GM Brent Parker told the Regina Leader-Post’s Rob Vanstone that it was a case of “addition by subtraction,” and that “it was our feeling that he wasn’t committed to being what we felt a Regina Pat should be in terms of his commitment to the team and his commitment to the organization.”
Parker told Vanstone it was “an accumulation of things.”
Parker also told Vanstone: “Pure talent-wise, he was our best defenceman. From his skill set, from his shot, from his size, he would be as good as anybody we’ve got. But it takes more than that. You have to have some drive and some determination and some pride to succeed at a high level. We just didn’t see enough of it. We didn’t want the negative aspects, which were outweighing the positive aspects, to rub off on our younger players.”
Regina also may be without D Colton Tuebert when it plays Friday in Cranbrook, B.C., against the Kootenay Ice. He has the dreaded lower body injury.
Regina F Brett Leffler also is questionable, again with the horrible lower body injury.
———
Saskatoon D Teighan Zahn (hand) won’t play Friday and Saturday as the Blades meet the Wheat Kings in Brandon. Brendan Wall, who turned 19 on Thursday, will take Zahn’s spot in the lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings will be without D Mark Schneider, who went down with an arm injury Wednesday. . . . As expected, the Portland Winter Hawks have added F Ty Rattie, 15, to their roster now that his midget AAA UFA Strathmore Bisons have had their season end. He was the second overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He will be in Portland’s lineup Friday when it meets the Chiefs in Spokane. He had 54 points in 34 games with the Bisons after putting up five points in three WHL preseason games with the Winter Hawks.
Congratulations to Evan Hammond, whose blog you are able to get to from over there on the left, has been named the Team 1040/BCHL broadcaster of the year. He has been the radio voice of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs since 2003-04 on CJAV-The Peak. He is the son of former Flin Flon Bombers G Cal Hammond. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders will have F Cole Penner, the fourth overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft, in the lineup Friday when they meet the Tigers in Medicine Hat and Saturday against the Rebels in Red Deer. He has 21 points and 235 penalty minutes in 44 games with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, who haven’t yet begun their playoffs.
The Vancouver Giants hope to have D Jon Blum (shoulder) back when they play the visiting Calgary Hitmen on March 6. He has missed six games since getting hurt Feb. 13. . . . Dave Archibald, an assistant coach with the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins, has added the titles of community liaison and hockey operations advisor to his portfolio. Eric J. Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has that story right here.
———
You may have noticed a couple of new lines over there on the left.
CrashtheCrease.com is a mostly NHL-related blog that has some terrific links on it, including torontosportsmedia.com, which pretty much says it all. Some hilarious and entertaining reading right there. Check them out.
We also have added a link to That Thing Hammy Does. This is the blog of Regina Leader-Post writer Ian Hamilton, who is a longtime friend. If you like Keeping Score, the column that I do and post hear most weekends, then Hamilton’s blog is for you. (Yes, he is related to the Kelowna Hamiltons. No, he can’t tell us why Leader-Post is hyphenated and StarPhoenix isn’t.)
Enjoy!
———
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Prince Albert and Edmonton are tied, but P.A. has one more victory. A tie for the last playoff spot would result in a sudden-death playoff game. . . . Regina lost in Calgary, while Prince Albert won in Cranbrook and Edmonton won at home, so the Pats now are five points off the pace with eight games left. . . . Brandon is four points behind Saskatoon. The teams meet Friday and Saturday in Brandon and Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . Swift Current is one piont behind Medicine Hat. . . . Lethbridge is a point behind Kootenay. . . . And to make things even more interesting, Prince Albert and Edmonton are only four points behind Lethbridge.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Saskatoon at Brandon; Regina at Kootenay; Prince Albert at Medicine Hat; Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Edmonton at Swift Current.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Spokane won 5-2 in Kamloops in what may have been a first-round preview. . . . Kelowna is one point behind Spokane, which is eight being Tri-City. . . .. Kamloops is two behind Seattle and three ahead of Everett.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Tri-City at Everett; Kamloops at Prince George; Kelowna at Red Deer; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
———
THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 63 17 43 1 2 37
Chilliwack 65 15 43 2 5 37
Portland 61 16 41 2 2 36
Moose Jaw and Chilliwack both lost Wednesday night.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
The Regina Pats released the 20-year-old defenceman after losing 6-3 to the Hitmen in Calgary on Wednesday. GM Brent Parker told the Regina Leader-Post’s Rob Vanstone that it was a case of “addition by subtraction,” and that “it was our feeling that he wasn’t committed to being what we felt a Regina Pat should be in terms of his commitment to the team and his commitment to the organization.”
Parker told Vanstone it was “an accumulation of things.”
Parker also told Vanstone: “Pure talent-wise, he was our best defenceman. From his skill set, from his shot, from his size, he would be as good as anybody we’ve got. But it takes more than that. You have to have some drive and some determination and some pride to succeed at a high level. We just didn’t see enough of it. We didn’t want the negative aspects, which were outweighing the positive aspects, to rub off on our younger players.”
Regina also may be without D Colton Tuebert when it plays Friday in Cranbrook, B.C., against the Kootenay Ice. He has the dreaded lower body injury.
Regina F Brett Leffler also is questionable, again with the horrible lower body injury.
———
Saskatoon D Teighan Zahn (hand) won’t play Friday and Saturday as the Blades meet the Wheat Kings in Brandon. Brendan Wall, who turned 19 on Thursday, will take Zahn’s spot in the lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings will be without D Mark Schneider, who went down with an arm injury Wednesday. . . . As expected, the Portland Winter Hawks have added F Ty Rattie, 15, to their roster now that his midget AAA UFA Strathmore Bisons have had their season end. He was the second overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He will be in Portland’s lineup Friday when it meets the Chiefs in Spokane. He had 54 points in 34 games with the Bisons after putting up five points in three WHL preseason games with the Winter Hawks.
Congratulations to Evan Hammond, whose blog you are able to get to from over there on the left, has been named the Team 1040/BCHL broadcaster of the year. He has been the radio voice of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs since 2003-04 on CJAV-The Peak. He is the son of former Flin Flon Bombers G Cal Hammond. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders will have F Cole Penner, the fourth overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft, in the lineup Friday when they meet the Tigers in Medicine Hat and Saturday against the Rebels in Red Deer. He has 21 points and 235 penalty minutes in 44 games with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, who haven’t yet begun their playoffs.
The Vancouver Giants hope to have D Jon Blum (shoulder) back when they play the visiting Calgary Hitmen on March 6. He has missed six games since getting hurt Feb. 13. . . . Dave Archibald, an assistant coach with the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins, has added the titles of community liaison and hockey operations advisor to his portfolio. Eric J. Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has that story right here.
———
You may have noticed a couple of new lines over there on the left.
CrashtheCrease.com is a mostly NHL-related blog that has some terrific links on it, including torontosportsmedia.com, which pretty much says it all. Some hilarious and entertaining reading right there. Check them out.
We also have added a link to That Thing Hammy Does. This is the blog of Regina Leader-Post writer Ian Hamilton, who is a longtime friend. If you like Keeping Score, the column that I do and post hear most weekends, then Hamilton’s blog is for you. (Yes, he is related to the Kelowna Hamiltons. No, he can’t tell us why Leader-Post is hyphenated and StarPhoenix isn’t.)
Enjoy!
———
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Prince Albert and Edmonton are tied, but P.A. has one more victory. A tie for the last playoff spot would result in a sudden-death playoff game. . . . Regina lost in Calgary, while Prince Albert won in Cranbrook and Edmonton won at home, so the Pats now are five points off the pace with eight games left. . . . Brandon is four points behind Saskatoon. The teams meet Friday and Saturday in Brandon and Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . Swift Current is one piont behind Medicine Hat. . . . Lethbridge is a point behind Kootenay. . . . And to make things even more interesting, Prince Albert and Edmonton are only four points behind Lethbridge.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Saskatoon at Brandon; Regina at Kootenay; Prince Albert at Medicine Hat; Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Edmonton at Swift Current.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Spokane won 5-2 in Kamloops in what may have been a first-round preview. . . . Kelowna is one point behind Spokane, which is eight being Tri-City. . . .. Kamloops is two behind Seattle and three ahead of Everett.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Tri-City at Everett; Kamloops at Prince George; Kelowna at Red Deer; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
———
THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 63 17 43 1 2 37
Chilliwack 65 15 43 2 5 37
Portland 61 16 41 2 2 36
Moose Jaw and Chilliwack both lost Wednesday night.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
Cooking with a WHL goaltender
Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar (left), Michal Siska, Chef Adam Apanos of Ric’s Mediterranean Grill and Giffen Nyren watch as Justin Leclerc puts the finishing touches on lunch.
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
When it’s game day in the WHL, Justin Leclerc likes nothing better than to sit down to a good meal.
It’s even better when the Kamloops Blazers’ veteran goaltender prepares it himself.
OK, so he cooks the same stuff before every game; he’s completing his fourth WHL season so at least he has had a lot of practice.
“Ever since I entered the WHL I have had the same meal before every home game — spaghetti and chicken,” Leclerc, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, said prior to facing the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday night.
Why spaghetti and chicken?
“It gives you the carbohydrates and the protein you need to fuel your on-ice performance,” Leclerc said, sounding not unlike a sports nutritionist.
He also uses the meal as part of his pregame preparation. It allows him to get his mind free of any distractions and begin to focus on that evening’s game.
Before facing the Chiefs, Leclerc took time to offer up some cooking tips:
1. Use a George Foreman grill. That will save you from going out into the cold to use the barbecue. And it also cooks the chicken quickly, leaving more time for your pregame nap.
2. Beware of auto-defrost settings. I always forget to take my chicken breast out of the freezer in time for it to thaw. When using the microwave to defrost your chicken, make sure it doesn’t cook it!
3. When in doubt, take it out. No one likes over-cooked pasta and eating soggy noodles could be just the thing to trigger a bad mood, leading to a bad goal!
4. Mix it up! Even though I eat the same meal before each game, I still find small ways to “change it up.” I don’t have time for marinades or extravagant spices, but dips can give your dry chicken a wakeup call. Try mixing honey, mustard and pepper or Bull’s-Eye Guinness BBQ sauce.
5. Different stripes for different types. Not everyone (other than me) will be able to stomach spaghetti and chicken before every game. Try rice and fish as a replacement.
Leclerc and teammates who no longer are in high school have spent the last few days taking part in a scavenger hunt, disposable camera in hand. Leclerc, defencemen Giffen Nyren and Michal Siska and forward Dalibor Bortnak comprised one team.
Among their challenges:
p Get a picture of a mural identical to the one in the Blazers dressing room. (They did that at an outdoor rink in Valleyview. Check!)
p Get a picture of the phrase Go Blazers Go from somewhere in the city. (On the old North Shore bridge pillars. Check!)
p Get a picture with the best looking girl at Aberdeen Mall. (A waitress from Earl’s helped out with this one. Check!)
p Get a picture with a team sponsor. (An Interior Savings manager on the Zamboni. Mayor Peter Milobar at Ric’s Mediterranean Grill. Check!)
p Speak publicly through the media on the topic of cooking. (You just read that part of the assignment. Check!).
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Early (very early) Thursday . . .
WEDNESDAY LEFTOVERS: LW Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs scored four goals in a 5-2 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. In four games against the Blazers this season, Bowman scored seven goals and set up five others. The Chiefs won three of four from the Blazers; in the three victories, Bowman had seven goals and four assists. He had one assist in the loss. . . . A tip of the hat to the two head coaches involved in that game. Hardy Sauter of the Chiefs put right-winger Brady Calla in the starting lineup; Kamloops’ Barry Smith countered by putting C Seth Compton out there. On Jan. 7, the Chiefs dealt Compton, 20, and a 2010 third-round bantam draft pick to Kamloops for Calla, 20. . . . Calla must think he has died and gone to major junior hockey heaven. Since arriving in Spokane, he has been playing on a line with Bowman and C Ondrej Roman. . . . The Chiefs are hanging in there despite a horrible run of injuries. Already without D Jared Cowen, whose season has been ended by a knee injury, and D Stefan Ulmer (concussion), they lost D Trevor Glass in the second period with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . Kamloops lost D Brandon Underwood at 13:08 of the third period after a knee-to-knee with Spokane F Levko Koper. Referees Steve Papp and Brett Iverson must have missed it because Koper should have been giving a kneeing minor. Kamloops F Brendan Ranford immediately instigated a scrap with Koper. The zebras missed that, too, as Ranford didn’t get an instigating penalty. Underwood is just back after sitting out since early January with a broken thumb.
Saskatoon G Adam Morrison suffered a shoulder injury in practice Monday and wasn’t dressed for the Blades’ 8-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Blades had Braden Redman, an 18-year-old from Edmonton, backing up Braden Holtby. Redman last played with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles. Redman isn’t a listed player and is being used as an emergency backup, meaning he only will play if Holtby is injured. Morrison is expected to miss at least two more games; the Blades meet the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday and Saturday. . . . Former Red Deer Rebels C Brandon Sutter scored his first AHL goal as the visiting Albany River Rats won 3-2 in a shootout over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Sutter was sent down by the parent Carolina Hurricanes on a conditioning assignment earlier in the week. Former Kamloops/Seattle D Benn Olson drew an assist for Albany in what was the River Rats’ first game since they were involved in a near-tragic bus accident in the wee hours of Feb. 19.
---
If you are a reader of the Transactions that appear daily on the agate page of most newspapers, you may have noticed that former WHL coach Lane Lambert has taken a leave of absence from his job as head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
Lambert, a former head coach of the Prince George Cougars, is taking time away from the Admirals, the top affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, to be with his wife, Andie, who had cancer surgery Tuesday in Cleveland.
Jim Swanson of the Prince George Citizen reports that Andie underwent “a four-and-a-half hour surgical procedure to remove cancerous tissues from here chest.”
Lane told Swanson: “It’s not breast cancer but it does form in the breast tissue – it’s kind of complicated. The plan was to have her in hospital for at least a week, but with what
happened (Tuesday) she doesn’t have to be in there quite as long now, maybe
three days. She was going to have to stay in Cleveland for up to three weeks
but it doesn’t look like that was going to happen, so that’s very good. The
operation was supposed to last eight hours, so it was over relatively fast.”
Andie has had a couple of earlier scraps with cancer, and this time she is to undergo radiation, something she has been able to avoid in the past.
“They’re pulling out all the stops this time, and they’ll try anything,” Lane told Swanson.
The Admirals were 36-14-3-3 and atop the AHL’s Western Conference when Lambert left. With former Kootenay Ice assistant Brad Lauer serving as head coach, they lost 4-2 to the visiting Manitoba Moose on Tuesday.
The Admirals are to play three-in-three this weekend and Lambert hopes to be back with his team sometime during that stretch.
In the meantime, you can bet the entire hockey world has Andie in its thoughts.
Saskatoon G Adam Morrison suffered a shoulder injury in practice Monday and wasn’t dressed for the Blades’ 8-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Blades had Braden Redman, an 18-year-old from Edmonton, backing up Braden Holtby. Redman last played with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles. Redman isn’t a listed player and is being used as an emergency backup, meaning he only will play if Holtby is injured. Morrison is expected to miss at least two more games; the Blades meet the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday and Saturday. . . . Former Red Deer Rebels C Brandon Sutter scored his first AHL goal as the visiting Albany River Rats won 3-2 in a shootout over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Sutter was sent down by the parent Carolina Hurricanes on a conditioning assignment earlier in the week. Former Kamloops/Seattle D Benn Olson drew an assist for Albany in what was the River Rats’ first game since they were involved in a near-tragic bus accident in the wee hours of Feb. 19.
---
If you are a reader of the Transactions that appear daily on the agate page of most newspapers, you may have noticed that former WHL coach Lane Lambert has taken a leave of absence from his job as head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
Lambert, a former head coach of the Prince George Cougars, is taking time away from the Admirals, the top affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, to be with his wife, Andie, who had cancer surgery Tuesday in Cleveland.
Jim Swanson of the Prince George Citizen reports that Andie underwent “a four-and-a-half hour surgical procedure to remove cancerous tissues from here chest.”
Lane told Swanson: “It’s not breast cancer but it does form in the breast tissue – it’s kind of complicated. The plan was to have her in hospital for at least a week, but with what
happened (Tuesday) she doesn’t have to be in there quite as long now, maybe
three days. She was going to have to stay in Cleveland for up to three weeks
but it doesn’t look like that was going to happen, so that’s very good. The
operation was supposed to last eight hours, so it was over relatively fast.”
Andie has had a couple of earlier scraps with cancer, and this time she is to undergo radiation, something she has been able to avoid in the past.
“They’re pulling out all the stops this time, and they’ll try anything,” Lane told Swanson.
The Admirals were 36-14-3-3 and atop the AHL’s Western Conference when Lambert left. With former Kootenay Ice assistant Brad Lauer serving as head coach, they lost 4-2 to the visiting Manitoba Moose on Tuesday.
The Admirals are to play three-in-three this weekend and Lambert hopes to be back with his team sometime during that stretch.
In the meantime, you can bet the entire hockey world has Andie in its thoughts.
Wednesday . . .
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Prince Albert and Edmonton are tied, but P.A. has one more victory. A tie for the last playoff spot would result in a sudden-death playoff game. . . . Regina lost in Calgary, while Prince Albert won in Cranbrook and Edmonton won at home, so the Pats now are five points off the pace with eight games left. . . . Brandon is four points behind Saskatoon. The teams meet Friday and Saturday in Brandon and Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . Swift Current is one piont behind Medicine Hat. . . . Lethbridge is a point behind Kootenay. . . . And to make things even more interesting, Prince Albert and Edmonton are only four points behind Lethbridge.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Saskatoon at Brandon; Regina at Kootenay; Prince Albert at Medicine Hat; Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Edmonton at Swift Current.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Spokane won 5-2 in Kamloops in what may have been a first-round preview. . . . Kelowna is one point behind Spokane, which is eight being Tri-City. . . .. Kamloops is two behind Seattle and three ahead of Everett.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Tri-City at Everett; Kamloops at Prince George; Kelowna at Red Deer; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
———
THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 63 17 43 1 2 37
Chilliwack 65 15 43 2 5 37
Portland 61 16 41 2 2 36
Moose Jaw and Chilliwack both lost Wednesday night.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
———————
In Cranbrook, F James Dobrowolski scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Dobrowolski's first goal was his first in 18 games. He now has 10 goals this season. . . . The Raiders led this one 5-1 before the Ice scored PP goals late in the third. . . . Prince Albert G Garrett Zemlak stopped 39 shots.
———
In Kamloops, LW Drayson Bowman scored his side’s first four goals as the Spokane Chiefs dropped the Blazers, 5-2. . . . Bowman, who has 39 goals this season, has three hat tricks this season. . . . The Chiefs won their 40th game. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 34 shots. . . . RW Brady Calla had three assists and C Ondrej Roman drew two as that line combined for nine points. . . . Spokane D Trevor Glass left in the second period with an apparent right shoulder injury. He initiated a check on Kamloops F Jimmy Bubnick early in the second period, left favouring his shoulder and didn’t return. The Chiefs already were without D Jared Cowen (knee) and D Stefan Ulmer (concussion).
———
In Kennewick, Wash., F Mason Wilgosh and F Mitch Fadden each scored twice to help the host Tri-City Americans to an 8-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Wilgosh, who has six goals this season and nine in his two seasons, enjoyed the first multi-goal game of his career. . . . F Jason Reese added a goal and two assists for the Americans, who went 4-0 against the Bruins and outscored them 21-2 this season. . . . Tri-City D Riley McIntosh, who turned 19 on Wednesday, had one assist and was plus-5. . . . With a 6-1 lead, Tri-City head coach Don Nachbaur lifted G Chet Pickard and gave backup Brett Martyniuk some playing time. Martyniuk stopped all nine shots he saw. . . . The Americans have won six straight. . . . Pickard started his 21st straight game. . . . Chilliwack is without F Ryan Howse (shoulder), F Randy McNaught (ribs), F Matt Meropoulis (shoulder), F Jadon Potter (neck) and F David Robinson (concussion).
———
In Everett, G Garry Nunn scored three times and G Tyson Sexsmith put up yet another shutout as the Vancouver Giants whipped the Silvertips, 8-0. . . . These teams last met on Jan. 24 when the host Giants won, 7-0. . . . The Giants have blanked Everett three times this season and outscored it 22-3 in four games. . . . Sexsmith made 29 saves in putting up his sixth shutout this season and the 26th of his career. He holds the CHL record for career shutouts. Including playoffs, Sexsmith now has 30 career shutouts. . . . “They're a good team,” Everett head coach John Becanic told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald. “They do everything well, they're deep at every position. Their 12th forward has 12 goals and 13 assists. Right now on our team that would put him in the top four forwards. Their depth up front is outrageous, their depth on the blue line is the best in the Western Hockey League, and Sexsmith is a goalie who won a Memorial Cup. If everybody knew how to figure them out they would have lost more games by now.” . . . Vancouver C Casey Pierro-Zabotel had one assist and now has a WHL-leading 106 points, three more than F Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen.
———
In Brandon, G James Priestner turned aside 34 shots to help the Wheat Kings double the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . Brandon has won five straight games and is four points behind the Saskatoon Blades, who are the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Blades are in Brandon for games Friday and Saturday nights. . . . They play in Saskatoon on Tuesday. . . . Lethbridge scored first, when F Zac Boychuk got his 20th, but Brandon scored the next four goals. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola stopped 30 shots. . . . Brandon D Mark Schneider left in the second period with an arm injury. . . . According to Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun: “Lethbridge head coach Michael Dyck kept his team behind closed doors for 35 minutes after the game.”
———
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings kept pace with Prince Albert by dumping the Red Deer Rebels, 4-1. . . . F Brenden Dowd and F Tomas Vincour each scored twice for Edmonton. . . . Dowd scored his 25th at 3:49 of the first on the PP and Vincour followed with his 16th at 5:25, just two seconds after another PP had ended. . . . Each scored again in the second period. . . . Dowd also had an assist; he has 16 points over his last 14 games. . . . G Torrie Jung stopped 34 shots for Edmonton, losing his shutout bid when Jordie Deagle scored at 1:05 of the third. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Pleau wasn’t happy. “It was obviously key to get up 2-0,” he told the Edmonton Journal’s Mario Annicchiarico. “We got the power-play goal early and that was good , but . . . when your team gets outworked in every aspect of the game . . . We won because of Junger. I expect a little more than that at this time of the (season). I can handle losing at times, but when you get outworked and outcompeted, that’s unacceptable.”
———
In Medicine Hat, the Kelowna Rockets struck for five first-period goals and went on to beat the Tigers, 6-1. . . . On Jan. 30, the Tigers visited Kelowna and the Rockets won, 10-1. . . . Kelowna scored on its first three shots on Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz, who was replaced by Ryan Holfeld. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored the last two of those goals 19 seconds apart. His 13th goal of the season at 6:40 gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. . . . Callahan also had two fights and was plus-3. . . . Kelowna F Spencer Main added his first career goal. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger made 17 saves.
———
In Calgary, F Brett Sonne and F Joel Broda each scored twice as the Hitmen doubled the Regina Pats, 6-3. . . . Broda, the WHL’s leading sniper, has 49 goals. . . . Sonne has six two-goal games in his last 11 games. . . . Regina had a 2-1 lead in the middle of the first period when Sonne and Broda scored 3:33 apart. . . . Calgary, which has won 12 in a row, was nursing a 4-3 lead late in the second period when Broda and Sonne scored 1:41 apart. . . . Sonne has 46 goals on the season. . . . Calgary F Brandon Kozun picked up his 100th career assist as he ran his points streak to 16 games. . . . Regina G Linden Rowat stopped 44 shots, while Calgary’s Martin Jones turned aside 12 in getting victory No. 42. . . . The Hitmen announced that they will open the playoffs at home on March 19, with Game 2 there on March 22. . . . Calgary closes out the home portion of its schedule on Saturday against the Kelowna Rockets. The Hitmen will finish up on the road as the Canadian men’s curling championship takes over the Pengrowth Saddledome.
———
In Saskatoon, the Blades doubled up on the Moose Jaw Warriors, 8-4. . . . Saskatoon got two goals from F Charles Inglis and three assists from F Milan Kytnar. . . . Saskatoon led 7-2 after the second period. . . . Inglis, in his first season, scored his goals 3:28 apart in the second period. It was his first two-goal game. He has eight goals. . . . While the Warriors were playing in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw citizens were voting in a referendum on a new facility. A majority (60 per cent) voted in favour of putting $34.5 million into a new $61-million multi-purpose facility.
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Prince Albert and Edmonton are tied, but P.A. has one more victory. A tie for the last playoff spot would result in a sudden-death playoff game. . . . Regina lost in Calgary, while Prince Albert won in Cranbrook and Edmonton won at home, so the Pats now are five points off the pace with eight games left. . . . Brandon is four points behind Saskatoon. The teams meet Friday and Saturday in Brandon and Tuesday in Saskatoon. . . . Swift Current is one piont behind Medicine Hat. . . . Lethbridge is a point behind Kootenay. . . . And to make things even more interesting, Prince Albert and Edmonton are only four points behind Lethbridge.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Saskatoon at Brandon; Regina at Kootenay; Prince Albert at Medicine Hat; Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Edmonton at Swift Current.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Spokane won 5-2 in Kamloops in what may have been a first-round preview. . . . Kelowna is one point behind Spokane, which is eight being Tri-City. . . .. Kamloops is two behind Seattle and three ahead of Everett.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Tri-City at Everett; Kamloops at Prince George; Kelowna at Red Deer; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
———
THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 63 17 43 1 2 37
Chilliwack 65 15 43 2 5 37
Portland 61 16 41 2 2 36
Moose Jaw and Chilliwack both lost Wednesday night.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Lethbridge at Moose Jaw; Portland at Spokane; Chilliwack at Vancouver.
———————
In Cranbrook, F James Dobrowolski scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Dobrowolski's first goal was his first in 18 games. He now has 10 goals this season. . . . The Raiders led this one 5-1 before the Ice scored PP goals late in the third. . . . Prince Albert G Garrett Zemlak stopped 39 shots.
———
In Kamloops, LW Drayson Bowman scored his side’s first four goals as the Spokane Chiefs dropped the Blazers, 5-2. . . . Bowman, who has 39 goals this season, has three hat tricks this season. . . . The Chiefs won their 40th game. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 34 shots. . . . RW Brady Calla had three assists and C Ondrej Roman drew two as that line combined for nine points. . . . Spokane D Trevor Glass left in the second period with an apparent right shoulder injury. He initiated a check on Kamloops F Jimmy Bubnick early in the second period, left favouring his shoulder and didn’t return. The Chiefs already were without D Jared Cowen (knee) and D Stefan Ulmer (concussion).
———
In Kennewick, Wash., F Mason Wilgosh and F Mitch Fadden each scored twice to help the host Tri-City Americans to an 8-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Wilgosh, who has six goals this season and nine in his two seasons, enjoyed the first multi-goal game of his career. . . . F Jason Reese added a goal and two assists for the Americans, who went 4-0 against the Bruins and outscored them 21-2 this season. . . . Tri-City D Riley McIntosh, who turned 19 on Wednesday, had one assist and was plus-5. . . . With a 6-1 lead, Tri-City head coach Don Nachbaur lifted G Chet Pickard and gave backup Brett Martyniuk some playing time. Martyniuk stopped all nine shots he saw. . . . The Americans have won six straight. . . . Pickard started his 21st straight game. . . . Chilliwack is without F Ryan Howse (shoulder), F Randy McNaught (ribs), F Matt Meropoulis (shoulder), F Jadon Potter (neck) and F David Robinson (concussion).
———
In Everett, G Garry Nunn scored three times and G Tyson Sexsmith put up yet another shutout as the Vancouver Giants whipped the Silvertips, 8-0. . . . These teams last met on Jan. 24 when the host Giants won, 7-0. . . . The Giants have blanked Everett three times this season and outscored it 22-3 in four games. . . . Sexsmith made 29 saves in putting up his sixth shutout this season and the 26th of his career. He holds the CHL record for career shutouts. Including playoffs, Sexsmith now has 30 career shutouts. . . . “They're a good team,” Everett head coach John Becanic told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald. “They do everything well, they're deep at every position. Their 12th forward has 12 goals and 13 assists. Right now on our team that would put him in the top four forwards. Their depth up front is outrageous, their depth on the blue line is the best in the Western Hockey League, and Sexsmith is a goalie who won a Memorial Cup. If everybody knew how to figure them out they would have lost more games by now.” . . . Vancouver C Casey Pierro-Zabotel had one assist and now has a WHL-leading 106 points, three more than F Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen.
———
In Brandon, G James Priestner turned aside 34 shots to help the Wheat Kings double the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . Brandon has won five straight games and is four points behind the Saskatoon Blades, who are the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Blades are in Brandon for games Friday and Saturday nights. . . . They play in Saskatoon on Tuesday. . . . Lethbridge scored first, when F Zac Boychuk got his 20th, but Brandon scored the next four goals. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola stopped 30 shots. . . . Brandon D Mark Schneider left in the second period with an arm injury. . . . According to Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun: “Lethbridge head coach Michael Dyck kept his team behind closed doors for 35 minutes after the game.”
———
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings kept pace with Prince Albert by dumping the Red Deer Rebels, 4-1. . . . F Brenden Dowd and F Tomas Vincour each scored twice for Edmonton. . . . Dowd scored his 25th at 3:49 of the first on the PP and Vincour followed with his 16th at 5:25, just two seconds after another PP had ended. . . . Each scored again in the second period. . . . Dowd also had an assist; he has 16 points over his last 14 games. . . . G Torrie Jung stopped 34 shots for Edmonton, losing his shutout bid when Jordie Deagle scored at 1:05 of the third. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Pleau wasn’t happy. “It was obviously key to get up 2-0,” he told the Edmonton Journal’s Mario Annicchiarico. “We got the power-play goal early and that was good , but . . . when your team gets outworked in every aspect of the game . . . We won because of Junger. I expect a little more than that at this time of the (season). I can handle losing at times, but when you get outworked and outcompeted, that’s unacceptable.”
———
In Medicine Hat, the Kelowna Rockets struck for five first-period goals and went on to beat the Tigers, 6-1. . . . On Jan. 30, the Tigers visited Kelowna and the Rockets won, 10-1. . . . Kelowna scored on its first three shots on Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz, who was replaced by Ryan Holfeld. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored the last two of those goals 19 seconds apart. His 13th goal of the season at 6:40 gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. . . . Callahan also had two fights and was plus-3. . . . Kelowna F Spencer Main added his first career goal. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger made 17 saves.
———
In Calgary, F Brett Sonne and F Joel Broda each scored twice as the Hitmen doubled the Regina Pats, 6-3. . . . Broda, the WHL’s leading sniper, has 49 goals. . . . Sonne has six two-goal games in his last 11 games. . . . Regina had a 2-1 lead in the middle of the first period when Sonne and Broda scored 3:33 apart. . . . Calgary, which has won 12 in a row, was nursing a 4-3 lead late in the second period when Broda and Sonne scored 1:41 apart. . . . Sonne has 46 goals on the season. . . . Calgary F Brandon Kozun picked up his 100th career assist as he ran his points streak to 16 games. . . . Regina G Linden Rowat stopped 44 shots, while Calgary’s Martin Jones turned aside 12 in getting victory No. 42. . . . The Hitmen announced that they will open the playoffs at home on March 19, with Game 2 there on March 22. . . . Calgary closes out the home portion of its schedule on Saturday against the Kelowna Rockets. The Hitmen will finish up on the road as the Canadian men’s curling championship takes over the Pengrowth Saddledome.
———
In Saskatoon, the Blades doubled up on the Moose Jaw Warriors, 8-4. . . . Saskatoon got two goals from F Charles Inglis and three assists from F Milan Kytnar. . . . Saskatoon led 7-2 after the second period. . . . Inglis, in his first season, scored his goals 3:28 apart in the second period. It was his first two-goal game. He has eight goals. . . . While the Warriors were playing in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw citizens were voting in a referendum on a new facility. A majority (60 per cent) voted in favour of putting $34.5 million into a new $61-million multi-purpose facility.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Bowman scores four to beat Blazers
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Memo to the Kamloops Blazers: When playing the Spokane Chiefs, you may want
to pay special attention to Drayson Bowman.
He wears No. 27. And he scores goals.
Bowman, one of the purest snipers in the WHL over the last two seasons,
struck four times Wednesday night, leading the Chiefs to a 5-2 victory at
Interior Savings Centre.
It was the first four-goal game of Bowman’s career and the sixth time he has
scored at least three goals in a game.
Bowman, a native of Littleton, Colo., who played for the KIJHL’s Kimberley
Dynamiters, has 39 goals in 52 games this season, after potting 42 in 66
games last season. He said he hadn’t had a four-goal game since his days as
a bantam player in Vancouver.
Since mid-January, Bowman has been patrolling the left side with centre
Ondrej Roman, who returned to the Chiefs from the Czech national junior team
after the World Junior Championship, and Brady Calla, who was acquired from
the Blazers.
“It’s been fantastic,” Bowman said of his line. “They’re great linemates.
Calla works real hard for us and Roman will find you with the puck.”
Bowman scored three goals before the game was half over and added his fourth
at 12:31 of the second period, giving his side a 4-1 lead.
He beat Kamloops goaltender Jon Groenheyde from the lip of the crease with a
backhand, from 12 feet in front with another backhand, from the right side
with a high shot, and from the slot off a give-and-go with Roman.
When it was over, Calla had three assists and Roman had two.
“It’s awesome,” said Calla of playing on the Chiefs’ top line. “It’s been a
lot of fun and rewarding.”
The Blazers, who trailed Bowman 2-1 and 4-1 at the breaks, really were in
this game. They outshot the visitors 36-35 but, as has often been the case,
were victimized by erratic shooting and some good work by goaltender James
Reid.
“Their goal scorer scored and we didn’t,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said. “We outchanced them. We made four simple mistakes . . . and the guy
who gets them buried his chances.
“We’ve got five 20-goal scorers and somebody’s got to find a way to get one
in. At the point when the game was still tight, you have to find a way.”
Kamloops centre Seth Compton, who came over in the Calla exchange, had as
many chances as anyone, including three in one flurry. But, like most of his
teammates, Compton came up empty.
“We played well offensively,” Compton said. “We had tons of chances. We just
couldn’t finish, including myself. I’ve got to bear down and start
finishing.”
Forward Justin McCrae also scored for the Chiefs, while centre Scott Wasden
and defenceman Curtis Kulchar counted for Kamloops.
In the end, though, it was the Drayson Bowman Show, and that’s a show with
which Compton is quite familiar.
“He’s a great player,” said Compton, who was teammates with Bowman for
three-plus seasons. “He’s a natural goal scorer and tonight he had the hot
stick.
“It was unfortunate we weren’t able to shut him down.”
JUST NOTES: The Chiefs were 1-for-7 on the power play; the Blazers were
0-for-6. . . . Groenheyde made 30 saves but fought the puck a bit. Smith
said Justin Leclerc will start Friday in Prince George. . . . The Chiefs,
already without veteran defencemen Jared Cowen (knee) and Stefan Ulmer
(concussion) lost Trevor Glass with an injury to his right shoulder in the
second period. . . . The Blazers scratched both imports. D Michal Siska was
a healthy scratch, while F Dalibor Bortnak is out with the flu. . . . Plans
called for Mark Recchi, one of the Blazers’ owners, to be in the building.
But his Tampa Bay Lightning, who played in Edmonton on Tuesday and meet the
Canucks in Vancouver on Friday, changed their practice schedule so he wasn’t
able to make it. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,699 but the inclement
weather made for a lot of no-shows.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
Memo to the Kamloops Blazers: When playing the Spokane Chiefs, you may want
to pay special attention to Drayson Bowman.
He wears No. 27. And he scores goals.
Bowman, one of the purest snipers in the WHL over the last two seasons,
struck four times Wednesday night, leading the Chiefs to a 5-2 victory at
Interior Savings Centre.
It was the first four-goal game of Bowman’s career and the sixth time he has
scored at least three goals in a game.
Bowman, a native of Littleton, Colo., who played for the KIJHL’s Kimberley
Dynamiters, has 39 goals in 52 games this season, after potting 42 in 66
games last season. He said he hadn’t had a four-goal game since his days as
a bantam player in Vancouver.
Since mid-January, Bowman has been patrolling the left side with centre
Ondrej Roman, who returned to the Chiefs from the Czech national junior team
after the World Junior Championship, and Brady Calla, who was acquired from
the Blazers.
“It’s been fantastic,” Bowman said of his line. “They’re great linemates.
Calla works real hard for us and Roman will find you with the puck.”
Bowman scored three goals before the game was half over and added his fourth
at 12:31 of the second period, giving his side a 4-1 lead.
He beat Kamloops goaltender Jon Groenheyde from the lip of the crease with a
backhand, from 12 feet in front with another backhand, from the right side
with a high shot, and from the slot off a give-and-go with Roman.
When it was over, Calla had three assists and Roman had two.
“It’s awesome,” said Calla of playing on the Chiefs’ top line. “It’s been a
lot of fun and rewarding.”
The Blazers, who trailed Bowman 2-1 and 4-1 at the breaks, really were in
this game. They outshot the visitors 36-35 but, as has often been the case,
were victimized by erratic shooting and some good work by goaltender James
Reid.
“Their goal scorer scored and we didn’t,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said. “We outchanced them. We made four simple mistakes . . . and the guy
who gets them buried his chances.
“We’ve got five 20-goal scorers and somebody’s got to find a way to get one
in. At the point when the game was still tight, you have to find a way.”
Kamloops centre Seth Compton, who came over in the Calla exchange, had as
many chances as anyone, including three in one flurry. But, like most of his
teammates, Compton came up empty.
“We played well offensively,” Compton said. “We had tons of chances. We just
couldn’t finish, including myself. I’ve got to bear down and start
finishing.”
Forward Justin McCrae also scored for the Chiefs, while centre Scott Wasden
and defenceman Curtis Kulchar counted for Kamloops.
In the end, though, it was the Drayson Bowman Show, and that’s a show with
which Compton is quite familiar.
“He’s a great player,” said Compton, who was teammates with Bowman for
three-plus seasons. “He’s a natural goal scorer and tonight he had the hot
stick.
“It was unfortunate we weren’t able to shut him down.”
JUST NOTES: The Chiefs were 1-for-7 on the power play; the Blazers were
0-for-6. . . . Groenheyde made 30 saves but fought the puck a bit. Smith
said Justin Leclerc will start Friday in Prince George. . . . The Chiefs,
already without veteran defencemen Jared Cowen (knee) and Stefan Ulmer
(concussion) lost Trevor Glass with an injury to his right shoulder in the
second period. . . . The Blazers scratched both imports. D Michal Siska was
a healthy scratch, while F Dalibor Bortnak is out with the flu. . . . Plans
called for Mark Recchi, one of the Blazers’ owners, to be in the building.
But his Tampa Bay Lightning, who played in Edmonton on Tuesday and meet the
Canucks in Vancouver on Friday, changed their practice schedule so he wasn’t
able to make it. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,699 but the inclement
weather made for a lot of no-shows.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Blazers box
THE SCORE
Spokane 5, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Chiefs’ top gun scored; the Blazers’ top guns didn’t. It was as simple
as that.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (28-30-2-4) remain sixth in the Western Conference, two points
behind the Seattle Thunderbirds (30-29-1-3) and three ahead of the Everett
Silvertips (25-29-7-2).
THE SEASON SERIES
The Chiefs beat the Blazers three times in four meetings this season,
outscoring them 18-10 in the process. They very well could meet up in the
first round of the playoffs.
THE GOALTENDER
The Blazers started Jon Groenheyde in goal. He had backed up in 16 of the
previous 19 games. His last four starts have been against the Tri-City
Americans, Vancouver Giants, Calgary Hitmen and Spokane. He is 0-4 with a
6.84 GAA and .862 save percentage over those four games.
THE BACKUP
Spokane G James Reid made his 17th career start. He went into the game with
four shutouts, a 1.70 GAA, a .937 save percentage and a 10-5-0-1 record.
THE SHOTS
In their last 20 games, the Blazers have held the opposition to fewer than
30 shots on just one occasion.
THE SNIPER
Spokane LW Drayson Bowman has 24 goals in his last 22 games. He is the older
brother of Kelowna Rockets D Collin Bowman.
THE SCHEDULE
The Blazers have eight games left on their regular-season schedule,
including four games at The ATM, where they are 16-13-2-1.
THE PLAYOFFS
While an opponent has yet to be decided, the Blazers will play host to Games
3 and 4 of their first-round playoff series on March 24 and 25. Both games,
for which tickets now are on sale, will begin at 7 p.m.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. LW Drayson Bowman, Spokane. Four goals.
2. RW Brady Calla, Spokane. Set up three.
3. C Seth Compton, Kamloops. Lots of chances.
NEXT UP
The Blazers will play the Cougars in Prince George on Friday and Saturday,
before returning home to face the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday. Game time is
7 p.m.
Spokane 5, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Chiefs’ top gun scored; the Blazers’ top guns didn’t. It was as simple
as that.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (28-30-2-4) remain sixth in the Western Conference, two points
behind the Seattle Thunderbirds (30-29-1-3) and three ahead of the Everett
Silvertips (25-29-7-2).
THE SEASON SERIES
The Chiefs beat the Blazers three times in four meetings this season,
outscoring them 18-10 in the process. They very well could meet up in the
first round of the playoffs.
THE GOALTENDER
The Blazers started Jon Groenheyde in goal. He had backed up in 16 of the
previous 19 games. His last four starts have been against the Tri-City
Americans, Vancouver Giants, Calgary Hitmen and Spokane. He is 0-4 with a
6.84 GAA and .862 save percentage over those four games.
THE BACKUP
Spokane G James Reid made his 17th career start. He went into the game with
four shutouts, a 1.70 GAA, a .937 save percentage and a 10-5-0-1 record.
THE SHOTS
In their last 20 games, the Blazers have held the opposition to fewer than
30 shots on just one occasion.
THE SNIPER
Spokane LW Drayson Bowman has 24 goals in his last 22 games. He is the older
brother of Kelowna Rockets D Collin Bowman.
THE SCHEDULE
The Blazers have eight games left on their regular-season schedule,
including four games at The ATM, where they are 16-13-2-1.
THE PLAYOFFS
While an opponent has yet to be decided, the Blazers will play host to Games
3 and 4 of their first-round playoff series on March 24 and 25. Both games,
for which tickets now are on sale, will begin at 7 p.m.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. LW Drayson Bowman, Spokane. Four goals.
2. RW Brady Calla, Spokane. Set up three.
3. C Seth Compton, Kamloops. Lots of chances.
NEXT UP
The Blazers will play the Cougars in Prince George on Friday and Saturday,
before returning home to face the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday. Game time is
7 p.m.
Some Wednesday stuff . . .
The CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10, as selected by a panel of NHL scouts (showing rank, team, record, last week, weeks in rankings):
1. Windsor Spitfires (52-6-0-1) 1 23
2. Calgary Hitmen (54-7-3-1) 2 18
3. Vancouver Giants (49-7-1-3) 3 21
4. Drummondville Voltigeurs (47-10-0-4) 5 19
5. Shawinigan Cataractes (47-12-2-0) 4 20
6. Belleville Bulls (41-15-2-2) 7 15
7. Saskatoon Blades (44-15-3-1) 6 7
8. Brandon Wheat Kings (42-16-3-1) 10 5
9. Moncton Wildcats (44-10-2-4) – 19
10. Brampton Battalion (39-18-1-1) 9 11
---
JUST NOTES: The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned C Brandon Sutter, who turned 20 on Feb. 14, to the AHL’s Albany River Rats on a conditioning stint. Sutter is eligible to stay there for two weeks. He has six points in 50 games with Carolina. . . . Congratulations to former WHLer Travis Moen and his wife, Amy, on the birth of their son. The little guy is a first child and makes a grandparent of Amy’s father, Lorne Frey, who is the Kelowna Rockets’ assistant GM, head scout and director of player personnel. Geez, who would have known Lorne was that old? . . . The Prince Albert Raiders, locked in a struggle for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, have lost F Dustin Cameron, their top sniper, with a high ankle sprain. The 33-goal man was injured in practice Monday and is likely to be out at least two weeks.
1. Windsor Spitfires (52-6-0-1) 1 23
2. Calgary Hitmen (54-7-3-1) 2 18
3. Vancouver Giants (49-7-1-3) 3 21
4. Drummondville Voltigeurs (47-10-0-4) 5 19
5. Shawinigan Cataractes (47-12-2-0) 4 20
6. Belleville Bulls (41-15-2-2) 7 15
7. Saskatoon Blades (44-15-3-1) 6 7
8. Brandon Wheat Kings (42-16-3-1) 10 5
9. Moncton Wildcats (44-10-2-4) – 19
10. Brampton Battalion (39-18-1-1) 9 11
---
JUST NOTES: The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned C Brandon Sutter, who turned 20 on Feb. 14, to the AHL’s Albany River Rats on a conditioning stint. Sutter is eligible to stay there for two weeks. He has six points in 50 games with Carolina. . . . Congratulations to former WHLer Travis Moen and his wife, Amy, on the birth of their son. The little guy is a first child and makes a grandparent of Amy’s father, Lorne Frey, who is the Kelowna Rockets’ assistant GM, head scout and director of player personnel. Geez, who would have known Lorne was that old? . . . The Prince Albert Raiders, locked in a struggle for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, have lost F Dustin Cameron, their top sniper, with a high ankle sprain. The 33-goal man was injured in practice Monday and is likely to be out at least two weeks.
Tuesday . . .
THE DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE: D James Martin of the Kootenay Ice drew a three-game suspension after making an alleged racial slur during a game against the Blades in Saskatoon on Saturday. “In talking with the parties, (Martin) made a comment that was inappropriate and I think all the players in our league are aware that those comments will be dealt with,” WHL vice-president Richard Doerksen told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “There are comments that are inappropriate and they have to be mindful of that in the heat of the game.” . . . Doerksen also dealt with a line brawl that occurred Saturday between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Tigers in Medicine Hat. Lethbridge F Kyle Beach got a three-game suspension from that one, while the Hurricanes were fined $500 for being involved in their third line brawl of the season. . . . This is the second time Beach has been suspended for three games since joining the Hurricanes in a trade with the Everett Silvertips in January. He was sat down by Doerksen after shooting a puck into the stands following a 5-3 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer on Jan. 24.
———
JUST NOTES: The Red Deer Rebels, already without F Cass Mappin (high ankle sprain), has lost F Carter Smith, 20, for perhaps two weeks with a dislocated kneecap. He was injured Saturday in a 2-1 shootout loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Rebels, having lost Mappin and Smith to injury and having had F Tomas Polak quit the team, have 19 players on their roster. . . . G Adam Brown of the Kelowna Rockets has been named the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0-0 with a 0.46 GAA and a .982 save percentage last week.
——————
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Wednesday: Lethbridge at Brandon; Regina at Calgary; Red Deer at Edmonton; Prince Albert at Kootenay; Moose Jaw at Saskatoon; Kelowna at Medicine Hat.
Regina is three points in arrears of Prince Albert and Edmonton with one game in hand. P.A. and Edmonton are tied for eighth, although P.A. has one more victory. However, if two teams end up tied for that last playoff spot a sudden-death game would be played.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Wednesday: Vancouver at Everett; Spokane at Kamloops; Kelowna at Medicine Hat; Chilliwack at Tri-City.
———
THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 62 17 42 1 2 37
Chilliwack 64 15 42 2 5 37
Portland 61 16 41 2 2 36
Portland beat Chilliwack 2-1 in a shootout to close to within one point of escaping sole possession of the WHL’s basement suite. . . . Moose Jaw visits Saskatoon on Wednesday, while Chilliwack is in Kennewick, Wash., to play Tri-City.
———
In Swift Current, the Broncos went 3-for-7 on the PP and beat the Regina Pats, 5-2. . . . RW Jordan Eberle of Regina scored the game’s first goal, but the Broncos replied with three in a row and led 3-1 early in the third period. . . . Eberle, who has 32 goals, missed a penalty shot at 10:13 of the third period with the Broncos leading 4-2. . . . F Geordie Wudrick, with goals in seven straight games, got his 30th goal of the season for the Broncos. . . . Regina was 0-for-1 on the PP. . . . Swift Current has taken five straight decisions from Regina. . . . The Broncos had a 41-28 edge in shots. . . . Regina D Justin Slobozian suffered a broken leg in practice Monday and his season is over. . . . The Broncos again were without F Matt Tassone (shoulder), who is their top sniper, and F Michael Stickland (concussion).
———
At Vancouver, the Giants won the battle of the last two Memorial Cup champions, beating the Spokane Chiefs, 5-2. . . . The Giants won the 2007 Memorial Cup; the Chiefs won it all last spring, taking out Vancouver in the second round along the way. . . . Spokane now has lost three in a row. . . . F Evander Kane scored his 41st goal of the season for Vancouver which set a franchise record with its 50th victory. That broke the record set last season. . . . F Adam Basford, who had gone 17 games without a goal, had a goal and an assist for the Giants. . . . D Brandon Kichton scored his first WHL goal for the Chiefs. . . . Four key performers missed this one. The Giants were without D Jon Blum (shoulder) and F Lance Bouma (hand), while the Chiefs were missing D Jared Cowen (knee) and D Stefan Ulmer (undisclosed injury).
———
In Portland, F Colin Reddin’s shootout goal gave the Winter Hawks a 2-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Chilliwack got the game’s first goal from F Kevin Sundher, his 15th, at 15:33 of the first on the PP. . . . Portland tied it on F Radim Valchar’s 18th at 9:48 of the second on, yes, the PP. . . . Portland C Chris Francis picked up an assist to run his scoring streak to 12 games. . . . D Brandon Manning scored for Chilliwack in the circus, while F Luke Walker did the same for Portland, setting the stage for Reddin.
———————
The WHL’s unofficial team fine standings, showing number of incidents and amount fined:
Lethbridge 3/$1,250
Chilliwack 2/$750
Prince George 2/$500
Regina 1/$500
Vancouver 1/$250
Prince Albert 1/$250
Saskatoon 1/$250
Edmonton 1/$250
Kamloops 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
Red Deer 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
Portland 1$250
TOTALS 16/$4,750
(NOTE: All fines for being involved in multi-fight situations.)
———
The WHL’s unofficial individual fine standings, showing number of fines and total amount fined:
Steve Pleau, Edmonton 2/$1,500
Michael Dyck, Lethbridge 1/$500
Brent Parker, Regina 1/$500
Roy Stasiuk, Lethbridge 1/$500
Rob Sumner, Seattle 1/$500
TOTALS 6/$3.500
———
JUST NOTES: The Red Deer Rebels, already without F Cass Mappin (high ankle sprain), has lost F Carter Smith, 20, for perhaps two weeks with a dislocated kneecap. He was injured Saturday in a 2-1 shootout loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Rebels, having lost Mappin and Smith to injury and having had F Tomas Polak quit the team, have 19 players on their roster. . . . G Adam Brown of the Kelowna Rockets has been named the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0-0 with a 0.46 GAA and a .982 save percentage last week.
——————
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Wednesday: Lethbridge at Brandon; Regina at Calgary; Red Deer at Edmonton; Prince Albert at Kootenay; Moose Jaw at Saskatoon; Kelowna at Medicine Hat.
Regina is three points in arrears of Prince Albert and Edmonton with one game in hand. P.A. and Edmonton are tied for eighth, although P.A. has one more victory. However, if two teams end up tied for that last playoff spot a sudden-death game would be played.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Wednesday: Vancouver at Everett; Spokane at Kamloops; Kelowna at Medicine Hat; Chilliwack at Tri-City.
———
THE GREAT RACE
Moose Jaw 62 17 42 1 2 37
Chilliwack 64 15 42 2 5 37
Portland 61 16 41 2 2 36
Portland beat Chilliwack 2-1 in a shootout to close to within one point of escaping sole possession of the WHL’s basement suite. . . . Moose Jaw visits Saskatoon on Wednesday, while Chilliwack is in Kennewick, Wash., to play Tri-City.
———
In Swift Current, the Broncos went 3-for-7 on the PP and beat the Regina Pats, 5-2. . . . RW Jordan Eberle of Regina scored the game’s first goal, but the Broncos replied with three in a row and led 3-1 early in the third period. . . . Eberle, who has 32 goals, missed a penalty shot at 10:13 of the third period with the Broncos leading 4-2. . . . F Geordie Wudrick, with goals in seven straight games, got his 30th goal of the season for the Broncos. . . . Regina was 0-for-1 on the PP. . . . Swift Current has taken five straight decisions from Regina. . . . The Broncos had a 41-28 edge in shots. . . . Regina D Justin Slobozian suffered a broken leg in practice Monday and his season is over. . . . The Broncos again were without F Matt Tassone (shoulder), who is their top sniper, and F Michael Stickland (concussion).
———
At Vancouver, the Giants won the battle of the last two Memorial Cup champions, beating the Spokane Chiefs, 5-2. . . . The Giants won the 2007 Memorial Cup; the Chiefs won it all last spring, taking out Vancouver in the second round along the way. . . . Spokane now has lost three in a row. . . . F Evander Kane scored his 41st goal of the season for Vancouver which set a franchise record with its 50th victory. That broke the record set last season. . . . F Adam Basford, who had gone 17 games without a goal, had a goal and an assist for the Giants. . . . D Brandon Kichton scored his first WHL goal for the Chiefs. . . . Four key performers missed this one. The Giants were without D Jon Blum (shoulder) and F Lance Bouma (hand), while the Chiefs were missing D Jared Cowen (knee) and D Stefan Ulmer (undisclosed injury).
———
In Portland, F Colin Reddin’s shootout goal gave the Winter Hawks a 2-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Chilliwack got the game’s first goal from F Kevin Sundher, his 15th, at 15:33 of the first on the PP. . . . Portland tied it on F Radim Valchar’s 18th at 9:48 of the second on, yes, the PP. . . . Portland C Chris Francis picked up an assist to run his scoring streak to 12 games. . . . D Brandon Manning scored for Chilliwack in the circus, while F Luke Walker did the same for Portland, setting the stage for Reddin.
———————
The WHL’s unofficial team fine standings, showing number of incidents and amount fined:
Lethbridge 3/$1,250
Chilliwack 2/$750
Prince George 2/$500
Regina 1/$500
Vancouver 1/$250
Prince Albert 1/$250
Saskatoon 1/$250
Edmonton 1/$250
Kamloops 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
Red Deer 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
Portland 1$250
TOTALS 16/$4,750
(NOTE: All fines for being involved in multi-fight situations.)
———
The WHL’s unofficial individual fine standings, showing number of fines and total amount fined:
Steve Pleau, Edmonton 2/$1,500
Michael Dyck, Lethbridge 1/$500
Brent Parker, Regina 1/$500
Roy Stasiuk, Lethbridge 1/$500
Rob Sumner, Seattle 1/$500
TOTALS 6/$3.500
Compton ready to renew acquaintances
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Seth Compton of the Kamloops Blazers is looking forward to seeing some old friends tonight.
But he will wait until later in the evening to socialize.
The Blazers and Spokane Chiefs, the defending WHL and Memorial Cup champions, will meet tonight, 7 o’clock, at Interior Savings Centre and Compton admitted that he is excited for two reasons.
“It’s a big game for our team,” said the 20-year-old centre from West Richland, Wash., who was acquired from the Chiefs for right-winger Brady Calla, 20, on Jan. 7. “It’ll be nice to get to see some buddies after the game.”
Compton, who was in his fourth season with the Chiefs, obviously has some close friends on the Spokane roster — you don’t get all the way to the Memorial Cup without forging some tight bonds — and he pointed to forwards Ryan Letts and Justin McCrae and defenceman Trevor Glass.
Asked which one of those three he expects to run at him tonight, Compton laughed and replied: “I don’t know. . . . I expect them all to.”
This, however, is a bigger game than that and Compton knows it.
“Most importantly,” he said, “is that Spokane might be a team we play in the playoffs so we need to set a good tempo there.”
The Chiefs appear headed for a third- or fourth-place finish in the Western Conference. The Blazers could finish fifth, sixth or seventh. That would set Kamloops and Spokane up for a first-round playoff meeting for the first time since the spring of 2001, when the Chiefs swept the Blazers.
Since then, the Chiefs have turned into a WHL power — winning all the marbles last season — while the Blazers have been meandering around the wilderness.
Still, Compton said, the Blazers can compete with the Chiefs. Asked what Kamloops has to do, Compton replied: “Just the same stuff that we did the last couple of games. Stick to our game plan and play 60 minutes every night. We definitely have the capability and the skill and the work ethic to beat teams like Spokane and Vancouver and Calgary. It’s just a matter of if we bring it for a full 60 minutes.”
One of the keys to the Chiefs’ success last season, according to Compton, was the team’s ability to bring it every night.
“Consistency was a huge part of it,” he said. “Our roster had so much depth. Let’s say a top scorer like Drayson Bowman or Mitch Wahl didn’t have their best night, there were guys on the third line and even on the fourth line once in a while who were able to step up and help the team win.”
That consistency has a lot to do with age and experience, and the Blazers, right now, are one of the WHL’s younget teams.
“The first-year players . . . it’s a long season so the first-year players are more likely to fall off the pace a bit,” Compton stated. “When you get a team like (Spokane) last season where everybody was focused and ready to sacrifice their bodies for each other every night . . . it’s a pretty cool experience.”
It isn’t something, however, that he talks about a great deal with his new team. On occasion, head coach Barry Smith will ask him to expound on last season and he will.
“But,” Compton added, “last season was last season and this season I’m a Kamloops Blazer and hopefully I’m trying to create memories like I had last season here with the Blazers.”
Besides, he said, his new teammates don’t need anyone to tell them what needs doing.
“The players here know what we need to do and know what good teams are,” Compton said. “It’s kind of exciting because this team is definitely moving in the right direction.”
It’s also exciting because, well, it’s that time of the season. The long grind is pretty much the teams with the playoffs right there on the horizon.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Compton said. “This is the funnest part of the year for a player and I’m sure for coaches and fans, too. We’re not the best team in the league but when the playoffs come, who knows? We can make it to the final, so. . . .”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
Seth Compton of the Kamloops Blazers is looking forward to seeing some old friends tonight.
But he will wait until later in the evening to socialize.
The Blazers and Spokane Chiefs, the defending WHL and Memorial Cup champions, will meet tonight, 7 o’clock, at Interior Savings Centre and Compton admitted that he is excited for two reasons.
“It’s a big game for our team,” said the 20-year-old centre from West Richland, Wash., who was acquired from the Chiefs for right-winger Brady Calla, 20, on Jan. 7. “It’ll be nice to get to see some buddies after the game.”
Compton, who was in his fourth season with the Chiefs, obviously has some close friends on the Spokane roster — you don’t get all the way to the Memorial Cup without forging some tight bonds — and he pointed to forwards Ryan Letts and Justin McCrae and defenceman Trevor Glass.
Asked which one of those three he expects to run at him tonight, Compton laughed and replied: “I don’t know. . . . I expect them all to.”
This, however, is a bigger game than that and Compton knows it.
“Most importantly,” he said, “is that Spokane might be a team we play in the playoffs so we need to set a good tempo there.”
The Chiefs appear headed for a third- or fourth-place finish in the Western Conference. The Blazers could finish fifth, sixth or seventh. That would set Kamloops and Spokane up for a first-round playoff meeting for the first time since the spring of 2001, when the Chiefs swept the Blazers.
Since then, the Chiefs have turned into a WHL power — winning all the marbles last season — while the Blazers have been meandering around the wilderness.
Still, Compton said, the Blazers can compete with the Chiefs. Asked what Kamloops has to do, Compton replied: “Just the same stuff that we did the last couple of games. Stick to our game plan and play 60 minutes every night. We definitely have the capability and the skill and the work ethic to beat teams like Spokane and Vancouver and Calgary. It’s just a matter of if we bring it for a full 60 minutes.”
One of the keys to the Chiefs’ success last season, according to Compton, was the team’s ability to bring it every night.
“Consistency was a huge part of it,” he said. “Our roster had so much depth. Let’s say a top scorer like Drayson Bowman or Mitch Wahl didn’t have their best night, there were guys on the third line and even on the fourth line once in a while who were able to step up and help the team win.”
That consistency has a lot to do with age and experience, and the Blazers, right now, are one of the WHL’s younget teams.
“The first-year players . . . it’s a long season so the first-year players are more likely to fall off the pace a bit,” Compton stated. “When you get a team like (Spokane) last season where everybody was focused and ready to sacrifice their bodies for each other every night . . . it’s a pretty cool experience.”
It isn’t something, however, that he talks about a great deal with his new team. On occasion, head coach Barry Smith will ask him to expound on last season and he will.
“But,” Compton added, “last season was last season and this season I’m a Kamloops Blazer and hopefully I’m trying to create memories like I had last season here with the Blazers.”
Besides, he said, his new teammates don’t need anyone to tell them what needs doing.
“The players here know what we need to do and know what good teams are,” Compton said. “It’s kind of exciting because this team is definitely moving in the right direction.”
It’s also exciting because, well, it’s that time of the season. The long grind is pretty much the teams with the playoffs right there on the horizon.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Compton said. “This is the funnest part of the year for a player and I’m sure for coaches and fans, too. We’re not the best team in the league but when the playoffs come, who knows? We can make it to the final, so. . . .”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Some notes . . .
Meant to post this last night before leaving my desk . . .
The WHL is expected to announce some disciplinary measures Tuesday pertaining to a couple of weekend incidents.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president hockey, handles the discipline and he told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that he is looking into an alleged racial slur and also the penalty-filled game between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Tigers in Medicine Hat.
D James Martin of the Kootenay Ice is alleged to have made a racial slur during a Saturday game against the Blades in Saskatoon. Martin received a game misconduct at the time and didn’t play Sunday when the Ice met the Raiders in Prince Albert.
“I asked them to sit him out while I investigated the comment,” Doerksen told Wolfe.
The game in Medicine Hat included 238 penalty minutes and a third-period line brawl. The teams also had a line brawl on Jan. 21 in Lethbridge.
Unfortunately for hockey fans, the teams aren’t scheduled to meet again in this regular season.
———
JUST NOTES: Medicine Hat F Tyler Ennis is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had eight points, including five goals, as the Tigers went 2-1-0-0. . . . Kelowna Rockets G Adam Brown is the WHL nominee as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0-0 with a .460 GAA and a .982 save percentage. . . . The Everett Silvertips have signed F D. Jay McGrath, the 66th selection in the WHL’s 2007 bantam draft. He is from Kindersley, Sask. . . . In Tuesday’s game of the night, the Spokane Chiefs, the defending WHL and Memorial Cup champs, visit the Giants in Vancouver. The Giants, of course, won the 2008 Memorial Cup. That game begins at 7 p.m., and is available on FSN Northwest (Comcast channel 32) if you’re in the right place. . . . The Giants again will be without F Lance Bouma (hand) and D Jon Blum (shoulder), while F Mike Piluso (upper body) is questionable. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings have six players with at least 20 goals, the third straight season in which they have done that. . . . The Regina Pats will add D Myles Bell, the 17th pick in the 2008 bantam draft, to their roster later this week. His midget AAA team, the Calgary Northwest Flames, has had its season come to an end.
How about Portland Winter Hawks F Chris Francis as the player of the month for February? Despite the Winter Hawks’ struggles, he is riding an 11-game point streak. . . . Portland is expected to add F Ty Rattie to its roster this week now that his midget AAA team, the UFA Bisons, has been eliminated from the Alberta playoffs. Rattie, the second overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had 54 points in 34 games in the regular season.
——————
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Tuesday: Regina at Swift Current.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Tuesday: Chilliwack at Portland; Spokane at Vancouver.
The WHL is expected to announce some disciplinary measures Tuesday pertaining to a couple of weekend incidents.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president hockey, handles the discipline and he told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that he is looking into an alleged racial slur and also the penalty-filled game between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Tigers in Medicine Hat.
D James Martin of the Kootenay Ice is alleged to have made a racial slur during a Saturday game against the Blades in Saskatoon. Martin received a game misconduct at the time and didn’t play Sunday when the Ice met the Raiders in Prince Albert.
“I asked them to sit him out while I investigated the comment,” Doerksen told Wolfe.
The game in Medicine Hat included 238 penalty minutes and a third-period line brawl. The teams also had a line brawl on Jan. 21 in Lethbridge.
Unfortunately for hockey fans, the teams aren’t scheduled to meet again in this regular season.
———
JUST NOTES: Medicine Hat F Tyler Ennis is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had eight points, including five goals, as the Tigers went 2-1-0-0. . . . Kelowna Rockets G Adam Brown is the WHL nominee as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0-0 with a .460 GAA and a .982 save percentage. . . . The Everett Silvertips have signed F D. Jay McGrath, the 66th selection in the WHL’s 2007 bantam draft. He is from Kindersley, Sask. . . . In Tuesday’s game of the night, the Spokane Chiefs, the defending WHL and Memorial Cup champs, visit the Giants in Vancouver. The Giants, of course, won the 2008 Memorial Cup. That game begins at 7 p.m., and is available on FSN Northwest (Comcast channel 32) if you’re in the right place. . . . The Giants again will be without F Lance Bouma (hand) and D Jon Blum (shoulder), while F Mike Piluso (upper body) is questionable. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings have six players with at least 20 goals, the third straight season in which they have done that. . . . The Regina Pats will add D Myles Bell, the 17th pick in the 2008 bantam draft, to their roster later this week. His midget AAA team, the Calgary Northwest Flames, has had its season come to an end.
How about Portland Winter Hawks F Chris Francis as the player of the month for February? Despite the Winter Hawks’ struggles, he is riding an 11-game point streak. . . . Portland is expected to add F Ty Rattie to its roster this week now that his midget AAA team, the UFA Bisons, has been eliminated from the Alberta playoffs. Rattie, the second overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had 54 points in 34 games in the regular season.
——————
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Tuesday: Regina at Swift Current.
———
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Tuesday: Chilliwack at Portland; Spokane at Vancouver.
Monday, February 23, 2009
'Take it easy with Mom'
BLOG EXCLUSIVE!
Joanne Olson was snuggled deep in her bed in the wee hours of Thursday when the sound of a telephone interrupted the silence in her home in Port McNeill on Vancouver Island.
It was Benn, her 21-year-old son. He and his Albany River Rats teammates had just been in a bus accident and he wanted his mother to know that he was OK.
“Benn really downplayed it,” Joanne said. “But he knows me . . . take it easy with Mom.”
And with good reason . . . because it was less than two years ago when Benn’s older brother, Glenn, was involved in a plane crash near Port McNeill in which the pilot was killed.
So you can’t blame Joanne for flinching when the phone rings, especially in the middle of the night.
But it wasn’t until long after chatting with Benn that Joanne went on the Internet and discovered what had happened.
“I read some stuff on the Internet and watched a couple of newsclips,” she said. “I read some of the boys’ accounts and I was like, ‘Oh, my gawd. . . . it could have been horrendous.’
“I think I talk to him every day right now . . . I’m likely driving him crazy.”
Hey, that’s a mother’s right, isn’t it?
Benn, who played in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds, had just been recalled from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades by the River Rats, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. The NHL team had recalled forward Michael Ryan just before that, and Olson was in Ryan’s seat near the back of the bus when it slid off the Massachusetts Turnpike. Four players and one of the team’s broadcasters ended up in hospital. Defenceman Casey Borer of Minneapolis came out of it with a broken neck but is expected to make a complete recovery. All five have since been released from hospital.
The River Rats, who were returning home from a Wednesday night 3-2 shootout loss to the Lowell Devils, postponed Saturday and Sunday games. They will resume their schedule Wednesday night on the road against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Glenn Olson, meanwhile, continues to work his way back from the plane crash that occurred July 14, 2007, just southwest of Port McNeill. The plane, a Cessna 172 carrying the pilot, Glenn and another man, was on its way to Merritt, B.C., and the Merritt Mountain Music Festival.
Although Olson didn’t suffer a broken leg, as originally was reported, Joanne said he continues to have problems with his right leg which ended up trapped under luggage and electronics gear when the plane went down.
“Glenn didn’t walk away but of the three he was truly the most fortunate,” Joanne said, adding that her son suffered “punctured lungs, broken ribs and a broken shoulder.”
Olson, now 24, had played 21 games in 2006-07 with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. He spent part of one season (2003-04) with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice and later signed a free-agent deal with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. He went on to play with the AHL’s Cleveland Barons and the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons and Johnstown Chiefs. But he hasn’t played since the crash.
“He now has been told he won’t play,” Joanne said, adding that everything has healed except his right leg. “It was compromised too long . . . there was a lack of blood flow in his right leg.”
Still, she said, if you didn’t know that he had been in an accident, you couldn’t tell by looking at him. But, she added, his right leg does bother him when he’s on it too long. He recently spent six weeks of hard physiotherapy “trying to see how far he can get it,” Joanne said. “It won’t come back 100 per cent . . . he knows that.”
And that’s really too bad because, as she said, he’s “quite outdoorsy.”
Which is like saying that President Obama is quite popular.
Glenn works as a fishing guide in the summer, and also works as a guide for bear hunters. In the fall he heads into the far north and guides moose and caribou hunters.
“He’s young and gets through it,” Joanne says, “but he still feels it. When he hikes, it gives him a lot of grief.”
There is joy in Joanne’s voice as she discusses her two boys. She is able to talk about them in the present tense and she knows it easily could have been worse.
Not every Mom has had one son survive a plane crash and another walk away from an ugly bus accident.
Joanne Olson was snuggled deep in her bed in the wee hours of Thursday when the sound of a telephone interrupted the silence in her home in Port McNeill on Vancouver Island.
It was Benn, her 21-year-old son. He and his Albany River Rats teammates had just been in a bus accident and he wanted his mother to know that he was OK.
“Benn really downplayed it,” Joanne said. “But he knows me . . . take it easy with Mom.”
And with good reason . . . because it was less than two years ago when Benn’s older brother, Glenn, was involved in a plane crash near Port McNeill in which the pilot was killed.
So you can’t blame Joanne for flinching when the phone rings, especially in the middle of the night.
But it wasn’t until long after chatting with Benn that Joanne went on the Internet and discovered what had happened.
“I read some stuff on the Internet and watched a couple of newsclips,” she said. “I read some of the boys’ accounts and I was like, ‘Oh, my gawd. . . . it could have been horrendous.’
“I think I talk to him every day right now . . . I’m likely driving him crazy.”
Hey, that’s a mother’s right, isn’t it?
Benn, who played in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds, had just been recalled from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades by the River Rats, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. The NHL team had recalled forward Michael Ryan just before that, and Olson was in Ryan’s seat near the back of the bus when it slid off the Massachusetts Turnpike. Four players and one of the team’s broadcasters ended up in hospital. Defenceman Casey Borer of Minneapolis came out of it with a broken neck but is expected to make a complete recovery. All five have since been released from hospital.
The River Rats, who were returning home from a Wednesday night 3-2 shootout loss to the Lowell Devils, postponed Saturday and Sunday games. They will resume their schedule Wednesday night on the road against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Glenn Olson, meanwhile, continues to work his way back from the plane crash that occurred July 14, 2007, just southwest of Port McNeill. The plane, a Cessna 172 carrying the pilot, Glenn and another man, was on its way to Merritt, B.C., and the Merritt Mountain Music Festival.
Although Olson didn’t suffer a broken leg, as originally was reported, Joanne said he continues to have problems with his right leg which ended up trapped under luggage and electronics gear when the plane went down.
“Glenn didn’t walk away but of the three he was truly the most fortunate,” Joanne said, adding that her son suffered “punctured lungs, broken ribs and a broken shoulder.”
Olson, now 24, had played 21 games in 2006-07 with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. He spent part of one season (2003-04) with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice and later signed a free-agent deal with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. He went on to play with the AHL’s Cleveland Barons and the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons and Johnstown Chiefs. But he hasn’t played since the crash.
“He now has been told he won’t play,” Joanne said, adding that everything has healed except his right leg. “It was compromised too long . . . there was a lack of blood flow in his right leg.”
Still, she said, if you didn’t know that he had been in an accident, you couldn’t tell by looking at him. But, she added, his right leg does bother him when he’s on it too long. He recently spent six weeks of hard physiotherapy “trying to see how far he can get it,” Joanne said. “It won’t come back 100 per cent . . . he knows that.”
And that’s really too bad because, as she said, he’s “quite outdoorsy.”
Which is like saying that President Obama is quite popular.
Glenn works as a fishing guide in the summer, and also works as a guide for bear hunters. In the fall he heads into the far north and guides moose and caribou hunters.
“He’s young and gets through it,” Joanne says, “but he still feels it. When he hikes, it gives him a lot of grief.”
There is joy in Joanne’s voice as she discusses her two boys. She is able to talk about them in the present tense and she knows it easily could have been worse.
Not every Mom has had one son survive a plane crash and another walk away from an ugly bus accident.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday . . .
JUST NOTES: F Andrew Bailey of the Kootenay Ice suffered a shoulder injury Friday and missed Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon. He had played in 276 consecutive regular-season games, 13 shy of Adam Taylor’s franchise record. . . . Here is Calgary Hitmen head coach Dave Lowry, in conversation with John Down of the Calgary Herald, on the injury suffered by D Paul Postma on Saturday night: “We’re coming up to the playoffs, so it’s an upper body injury. I think he is day to day . . . I think he has a bruise, that is my belief.” . . . In other words, it may be a bruise or they may be amputating in the morning. . . . Yes, we are into that time of the year when it’s tough to separate the lies from the fiction. . . . The BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs announced Sunday that GM/head coach Bryant Perrier’s contract won’t be renewed. The Bulldogs finished their season by winning three in a row but didn’t make the playoffs. . . . In the SJHL, the Nipawin Hawks have extended the contract of head coach Colin O’Hara through 2011-12. . . . In the MJHL, the Dauphin Kings have hired Mark Johnston as head scout and director of player development. Johnston, who also scouts for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, is a former WHL player. And if you can remember him as a 15-year-old defenceman under head coach Rudy Pilous with the Brandon Wheat Kings, well, you’ve been around for a long time. . . . In the OHL, F Cory Tanaka of the Belleville Bulls set a league record Sunday when he played in his 329th regular-season game. That broke the record that had been held by Cody Thornton, who also played for the Bulls. . . . The WHL record for career games played is 399. It is held by C Glen Goodall, who played for the Seattle Thunderbirds (1984-90). Goodall played as a 14-year-old, something that now is against WHL rules.
---
There was a nifty exchange the other day in a story by Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun.
Goaltender James Priestner of the Wheat Kings was telling Henderson about a conversation with team captain Keith Aulie that kind of welcomed him to Brandon. The Wheat Kings acquired Priestner from the Kamloops Blazers early this season.
“One of the first days I got here I was hanging out with (Wheat Kings captain) Keith Aulie,” a chuckling Priestner told Henderson, “and he was like ‘(GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon) has never made a bad trade before, ever. Let’s hope you’re not a bad trade.’
“I mean, that’s not much pressure to put on a 17-year-old goalie in his first week here.”
Geez, never mind about the pressure on a young goaltender. Never made a bad trade? What kind of pressure does that put on the general manager?
---
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Prince Albert picked up a loser point with an OT loss to Kootenay and moved into a tie for eighth with idle Edmonton. The Raiders are eighth because they have one more victory than the Oil Kings. But if they were to finish the season tied for the last playoff spot a sudden-death game would be held. . . . Kootenay’s victory lifted it into sixth, one point ahead of idle Lethbridge. . . . Medicine Hat is three points ahead of Swift Current, with both having played 63 games. . . . Regina is ninth, three points behind Prince Albert and Edmonton. The Pats won in Moose Jaw but only gained one point on Prince Albert because the Raiders picked up that loser point.
---
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Seattle’s victory over Vancouver lifted it into sole possession of fifth place, two points ahead of idle Kamloops. . . . Tri-City beat Portland and now holds an eight-point lead on Spokane, which has two games in hand. . . . Kelowna, having won in Chilliwack, is one point behind Spokane, with the Chiefs holding two games in hand. . . . Everett is three points behind Kamloops. . . . Prince George has a 14-point lead on Chilliwack, with the Bruins having nine games left.
---
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Chilliwack, the Rockets won for the third time in as many nights, this time beating the Bruins, 4-1. . . . F Mikael Backlund had two assists for the Rockets, who scored the game’s first four goals. . . . G Adam Brown stopped 29 shots, losing his shutout with 1:01 left in the third period when F Scott MacDonald scored on the PP. . . . Kelowna D Tyler Myers scored the eventual game-winner, his eighth, with the Rockets shorthanded early in the third. . . . Chilliwack is without F David Robinson (concussion) and F Ryan Howse (shoulder).
---
In Prince Albert, F Dominik Pacovsky scored at 3:51 of OT to give the Kootenay Ice a 3-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Pacovsky, who has seven goals, scored twice, his first one breaking a 1-1 tie at 17:30 of the second period. . . . F Ryan McDonald’s 32nd goal, on the PP at 16:06 of the third, forced OT. . . . D Brayden McNabb drew three assists on the night for the Ice. . . . Kootenay G Todd Mathews made 41 saves.
---
In Moose Jaw, RW Jordan Eberle scored one goal and set up three others as the Regina Pats dumped the Warriors, 4-1. . . . C Jordan Weal had three assists. . . . F Mitch Czibere scored his ninth and 10th goals for Regina, which beat the visiting Warriors 5-2 on Friday. . . . Moose Jaw F Martin Filo (knee) is listed as day-to-day.
---
In Portland, F Johnny Lazo broke a 1-1 tie at 14:18 of the second period and the Tri-City Americans went on to beat the Winter Hawks, 4-1. . . . Tri-City G Chet Pickard stopped 26 shots. . . . F Mitch Fadden and F Kruise Reddick each had a goal and an assist for the Americans. Fadden has 30 goals this season; Reddick has 16.
---
In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds erased a 2-1 deficit and beat the Vancouver Giants, 3-2. . . . F Evander Kane gave the Giants a 2-1 lead with a PP goal at 18:15 of the second period. . . . Seattle F Jeremy Boyer tied it on a penalty shot at 4:02 of the third period and C Jim O’Brien, who scored in the first period, won it with his 23rd at 11:58 on the PP. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 40 shots in winning for the 19th time. . . . The Giants had a 19-6 edge in shots in the third period. . . . Vancouver’s Jamie Tucker lost for the first time in regulation time. He stopped 26 shots in falling to 15-1-0-1. . . . The Giants were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 1-for-7. . . . Seattle has won its last two meetings with the Giants. . . . Seattle is 13-3-0-0 in the ShoWare Center, which it moved into early in January. The Thunderbirds have won three in a row and nine of 12.
---
In anticipation of some invoices being sent out by the WHL office after weekend action, here are the Money Standings . . .
The WHL’s unofficial team standings, showing number of incidents and amount fined:
Chilliwack 2/$750
Lethbridge 2/$750
Prince George 2/$500
Regina 1/$500
Vancouver 1/$250
Prince Albert 1/$250
Saskatoon 1/$250
Edmonton 1/$250
Kamloops 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
Red Deer 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
Portland 1$250
TOTALS 16/$4,750
(NOTE: All fines for being involved in multi-fight situations.)
---
The WHL’s unofficial individual standings, showing number of fines and total amount fined:
Steve Pleau, Edmonton 2/$1,500
Michael Dyck, Lethbridge 1/$500
Brent Parker, Regina 1/$500
Roy Stasiuk, Lethbridge 1/$500
Rob Sumner, Seattle 1/$500
TOTALS 6/$3,500
---
There was a nifty exchange the other day in a story by Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun.
Goaltender James Priestner of the Wheat Kings was telling Henderson about a conversation with team captain Keith Aulie that kind of welcomed him to Brandon. The Wheat Kings acquired Priestner from the Kamloops Blazers early this season.
“One of the first days I got here I was hanging out with (Wheat Kings captain) Keith Aulie,” a chuckling Priestner told Henderson, “and he was like ‘(GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon) has never made a bad trade before, ever. Let’s hope you’re not a bad trade.’
“I mean, that’s not much pressure to put on a 17-year-old goalie in his first week here.”
Geez, never mind about the pressure on a young goaltender. Never made a bad trade? What kind of pressure does that put on the general manager?
---
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Lethbridge (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Prince Albert picked up a loser point with an OT loss to Kootenay and moved into a tie for eighth with idle Edmonton. The Raiders are eighth because they have one more victory than the Oil Kings. But if they were to finish the season tied for the last playoff spot a sudden-death game would be held. . . . Kootenay’s victory lifted it into sixth, one point ahead of idle Lethbridge. . . . Medicine Hat is three points ahead of Swift Current, with both having played 63 games. . . . Regina is ninth, three points behind Prince Albert and Edmonton. The Pats won in Moose Jaw but only gained one point on Prince Albert because the Raiders picked up that loser point.
---
Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Seattle’s victory over Vancouver lifted it into sole possession of fifth place, two points ahead of idle Kamloops. . . . Tri-City beat Portland and now holds an eight-point lead on Spokane, which has two games in hand. . . . Kelowna, having won in Chilliwack, is one point behind Spokane, with the Chiefs holding two games in hand. . . . Everett is three points behind Kamloops. . . . Prince George has a 14-point lead on Chilliwack, with the Bruins having nine games left.
---
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Chilliwack, the Rockets won for the third time in as many nights, this time beating the Bruins, 4-1. . . . F Mikael Backlund had two assists for the Rockets, who scored the game’s first four goals. . . . G Adam Brown stopped 29 shots, losing his shutout with 1:01 left in the third period when F Scott MacDonald scored on the PP. . . . Kelowna D Tyler Myers scored the eventual game-winner, his eighth, with the Rockets shorthanded early in the third. . . . Chilliwack is without F David Robinson (concussion) and F Ryan Howse (shoulder).
---
In Prince Albert, F Dominik Pacovsky scored at 3:51 of OT to give the Kootenay Ice a 3-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Pacovsky, who has seven goals, scored twice, his first one breaking a 1-1 tie at 17:30 of the second period. . . . F Ryan McDonald’s 32nd goal, on the PP at 16:06 of the third, forced OT. . . . D Brayden McNabb drew three assists on the night for the Ice. . . . Kootenay G Todd Mathews made 41 saves.
---
In Moose Jaw, RW Jordan Eberle scored one goal and set up three others as the Regina Pats dumped the Warriors, 4-1. . . . C Jordan Weal had three assists. . . . F Mitch Czibere scored his ninth and 10th goals for Regina, which beat the visiting Warriors 5-2 on Friday. . . . Moose Jaw F Martin Filo (knee) is listed as day-to-day.
---
In Portland, F Johnny Lazo broke a 1-1 tie at 14:18 of the second period and the Tri-City Americans went on to beat the Winter Hawks, 4-1. . . . Tri-City G Chet Pickard stopped 26 shots. . . . F Mitch Fadden and F Kruise Reddick each had a goal and an assist for the Americans. Fadden has 30 goals this season; Reddick has 16.
---
In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds erased a 2-1 deficit and beat the Vancouver Giants, 3-2. . . . F Evander Kane gave the Giants a 2-1 lead with a PP goal at 18:15 of the second period. . . . Seattle F Jeremy Boyer tied it on a penalty shot at 4:02 of the third period and C Jim O’Brien, who scored in the first period, won it with his 23rd at 11:58 on the PP. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 40 shots in winning for the 19th time. . . . The Giants had a 19-6 edge in shots in the third period. . . . Vancouver’s Jamie Tucker lost for the first time in regulation time. He stopped 26 shots in falling to 15-1-0-1. . . . The Giants were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 1-for-7. . . . Seattle has won its last two meetings with the Giants. . . . Seattle is 13-3-0-0 in the ShoWare Center, which it moved into early in January. The Thunderbirds have won three in a row and nine of 12.
---
In anticipation of some invoices being sent out by the WHL office after weekend action, here are the Money Standings . . .
The WHL’s unofficial team standings, showing number of incidents and amount fined:
Chilliwack 2/$750
Lethbridge 2/$750
Prince George 2/$500
Regina 1/$500
Vancouver 1/$250
Prince Albert 1/$250
Saskatoon 1/$250
Edmonton 1/$250
Kamloops 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
Red Deer 1/$250
Seattle 1/$250
Portland 1$250
TOTALS 16/$4,750
(NOTE: All fines for being involved in multi-fight situations.)
---
The WHL’s unofficial individual standings, showing number of fines and total amount fined:
Steve Pleau, Edmonton 2/$1,500
Michael Dyck, Lethbridge 1/$500
Brent Parker, Regina 1/$500
Roy Stasiuk, Lethbridge 1/$500
Rob Sumner, Seattle 1/$500
TOTALS 6/$3,500
Recchi waiting for Lightning to strike
It was early Saturday afternoon and Mark Recchi had just gotten off the ice in Tampa Bay.
It was an off-day on the NHL schedule; the Lightning was preparing to play the visiting Boston Bruins on Sunday.
Recchi, who played in his club¹s first 58 games, had been a healthy scratch
for a 4-1 loss to the host Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and he wasn’t
sounding anything at all like a 20-year veteran of the NHL wars who is
preparing to ride off into the sunset and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It wasn’t that he was grumpy or anything, it’s just that, geez, at this stage of his career he wants to play and he wants to play every game. He doesn’t know how many games he has left, understand, and there’s too much time to think about that when you’re standing around and watching.
Head coach Rick Tocchet said it was a case of wanting to give Recchi a rest because the Lightning had played Thursday night. Recchi said he plays better in the back half of doublebills.
It’s more likely that the Lightning -- a Frankenstein-like experiment in new
ownership, coaching, free-agent signings and trades, almost all of which has gone horribly awry -- is into showcase mode with the trade deadline arriving March 4. The Lightning is 20-28-12 and won’t qualify for the playoffs.
Recchi, who is one of the Kamloops Blazers’ five owners, signed a one-year contract worth US$1.25 million with the Lightning as a free agent on July 8.
The Lightning, under new owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, was looking for a veteran player who could provide some depth to the roster and some tutoring and mentoring to younger players.
Tampa Bay ended up getting a lot more than that.
Recchi is tied for third in team scoring, with 38 points, including 12 goals, in 59 games. Yes, he is minus-18, but that might say more about the amount of playing time he gets on a team that has allowed 39 more goals than it has scored.
Recchi is averaging almost 17 minutes of ice time (he played 17:49 and scored once in Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the visiting Boston Bruins. His playing time has increased since Tocchet replaced the fired Barry Melrose as head coach.
If things had gone better for the team, if it was in possession of a playoff spot, Recchi would be pleased to stay. At the same time, he hasn’t asked to be traded, nor does it sound as though he will. But he would like to finish this season somewhere else.
”It’s probably going to happen,” Recchi said. “I think they’re trying to retool here. If something comes up, I’m definitely interested.
”I’d like to make another run. Absolutely . . .”
Later Saturday, the Lightning lost veteran forward Chris Gratton on
waivers to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The retooling, it seems, has started.
Recchi, who turned 41 on Feb. 1, feels he has proven that he still can play at a high level. He feels great. His legs are still strong. He now is two points shy of 15th spot on the NHL’s list of all-time scorers. Everyone above that spot either is in the Hall of Fame or a sure thing to be there -- and think about that for a minute or two.
”In that sense it’s gone OK,” he said of his season, and when pressed he refused to bite the hand that is feeding him and his family.
”It’s been quite interesting here though,” he added with something of a
rueful chuckle. “I thought I’d seen most of it . . . I’ve seen a lot of
firsts here this season.”
If he is dealt between now and the deadline, it wouldn’t be a first – four times he has been a late-season acquisition, the last time in 2006 when he moved from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Carolina and helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup.
While there hasn’t been much team success in Tampa Bay, Recchi has played well enough and
feels well enough that, while he won’t make a decision until long after the
season ends, it sounds as though he may hold off the spectre of retirement
for at least another year.
”It’s all going to play into . . . if I do get on a team that makes a big,
long run . . . what happens at the end of that,” he said. “If I don’t get
moved and I finish here, I’ll get a lot of time to recover.”
Still, he hardly sounds like a guy ready to leave his game.
“I’d like to play,” he admitted. “I’ve got friends who keep telling me to
play as long as you can . . . play as long as you can.”
He also is well aware that at his age, there won’t be any going back once he leaves.
”That’s exactly right,” he said. Then he paused, laughed and added: “I’m not
going to pull a Claude Lemieux.”
The 43-year-old Lemieux is back in the NHL after a five-season absence.
Recchi has played hockey longer than he can remember and he admits the thoughts of retirement isn’t something he enjoys.
”It is (scary). It definitely is,” he said. “The fortunate thing is I’ve got
the Blazers and I can concentrate on that. That’s something I can really
focus on and enjoy it moreso than anything. Maybe there’ll be something in
the NHL, too . . . I’d like to stay involved in the game somehow.”
Before then, however, Recchi would love nothing more than to make one more
run deep into the NHL playoffs. He is the proud owner of two Stanley Cup
rings -- courtesy of the 1990-91 Penguins and 1999-2000 Hurricanes -- and really would like one more.
He will find out if another run for the beloved mug is possible over the next few days.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan@blogspot.com
It was an off-day on the NHL schedule; the Lightning was preparing to play the visiting Boston Bruins on Sunday.
Recchi, who played in his club¹s first 58 games, had been a healthy scratch
for a 4-1 loss to the host Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and he wasn’t
sounding anything at all like a 20-year veteran of the NHL wars who is
preparing to ride off into the sunset and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It wasn’t that he was grumpy or anything, it’s just that, geez, at this stage of his career he wants to play and he wants to play every game. He doesn’t know how many games he has left, understand, and there’s too much time to think about that when you’re standing around and watching.
Head coach Rick Tocchet said it was a case of wanting to give Recchi a rest because the Lightning had played Thursday night. Recchi said he plays better in the back half of doublebills.
It’s more likely that the Lightning -- a Frankenstein-like experiment in new
ownership, coaching, free-agent signings and trades, almost all of which has gone horribly awry -- is into showcase mode with the trade deadline arriving March 4. The Lightning is 20-28-12 and won’t qualify for the playoffs.
Recchi, who is one of the Kamloops Blazers’ five owners, signed a one-year contract worth US$1.25 million with the Lightning as a free agent on July 8.
The Lightning, under new owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, was looking for a veteran player who could provide some depth to the roster and some tutoring and mentoring to younger players.
Tampa Bay ended up getting a lot more than that.
Recchi is tied for third in team scoring, with 38 points, including 12 goals, in 59 games. Yes, he is minus-18, but that might say more about the amount of playing time he gets on a team that has allowed 39 more goals than it has scored.
Recchi is averaging almost 17 minutes of ice time (he played 17:49 and scored once in Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the visiting Boston Bruins. His playing time has increased since Tocchet replaced the fired Barry Melrose as head coach.
If things had gone better for the team, if it was in possession of a playoff spot, Recchi would be pleased to stay. At the same time, he hasn’t asked to be traded, nor does it sound as though he will. But he would like to finish this season somewhere else.
”It’s probably going to happen,” Recchi said. “I think they’re trying to retool here. If something comes up, I’m definitely interested.
”I’d like to make another run. Absolutely . . .”
Later Saturday, the Lightning lost veteran forward Chris Gratton on
waivers to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The retooling, it seems, has started.
Recchi, who turned 41 on Feb. 1, feels he has proven that he still can play at a high level. He feels great. His legs are still strong. He now is two points shy of 15th spot on the NHL’s list of all-time scorers. Everyone above that spot either is in the Hall of Fame or a sure thing to be there -- and think about that for a minute or two.
”In that sense it’s gone OK,” he said of his season, and when pressed he refused to bite the hand that is feeding him and his family.
”It’s been quite interesting here though,” he added with something of a
rueful chuckle. “I thought I’d seen most of it . . . I’ve seen a lot of
firsts here this season.”
If he is dealt between now and the deadline, it wouldn’t be a first – four times he has been a late-season acquisition, the last time in 2006 when he moved from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Carolina and helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup.
While there hasn’t been much team success in Tampa Bay, Recchi has played well enough and
feels well enough that, while he won’t make a decision until long after the
season ends, it sounds as though he may hold off the spectre of retirement
for at least another year.
”It’s all going to play into . . . if I do get on a team that makes a big,
long run . . . what happens at the end of that,” he said. “If I don’t get
moved and I finish here, I’ll get a lot of time to recover.”
Still, he hardly sounds like a guy ready to leave his game.
“I’d like to play,” he admitted. “I’ve got friends who keep telling me to
play as long as you can . . . play as long as you can.”
He also is well aware that at his age, there won’t be any going back once he leaves.
”That’s exactly right,” he said. Then he paused, laughed and added: “I’m not
going to pull a Claude Lemieux.”
The 43-year-old Lemieux is back in the NHL after a five-season absence.
Recchi has played hockey longer than he can remember and he admits the thoughts of retirement isn’t something he enjoys.
”It is (scary). It definitely is,” he said. “The fortunate thing is I’ve got
the Blazers and I can concentrate on that. That’s something I can really
focus on and enjoy it moreso than anything. Maybe there’ll be something in
the NHL, too . . . I’d like to stay involved in the game somehow.”
Before then, however, Recchi would love nothing more than to make one more
run deep into the NHL playoffs. He is the proud owner of two Stanley Cup
rings -- courtesy of the 1990-91 Penguins and 1999-2000 Hurricanes -- and really would like one more.
He will find out if another run for the beloved mug is possible over the next few days.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan@blogspot.com
Kane sinks Blazers
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Evander Kane loves to score goals the way Paris Hilton loves to shop.
The Kamloops Blazers found that out the hard way Saturday night as Kane scored three times in the final 13 minutes 59 seconds to buy the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 overtime victory in a WHL game played in front of 5,008 well-entertained fans at Interior Savings Centre.
“He loves to score goals,” said Vancouver head coach Don Hay, who has been around long enough to know a big-time sniper when he sees one. “He really competes hard to get into those areas to score goals. He’s not afraid to go into those areas.”
Kane, who won’t turn 18 until Aug. 2, proved that in this one.
The Blazers took a well-deserved 3-2 lead into the third period, only to have Kane finish off a 3-on-2 rush during a Vancouver power play at 6:31.
Just 1:12 later, Vancouver defenceman Mike Berube intentionally shot wide left from the point and Kane took the rebound off the end boards and stuffed it past goaltender Justin Leclerc.
The Giants nursed that lead into the third-period’s final minute when the Blazers tied it with Leclerc on the bench for the extra attacker, right-winger Tyler Shattock sliding a puck through a mess of players and into the net.
But just 30 seconds into overtime there was Kane and, again, he looked cooler than Will Kane, the marshal in High Noon, at least until the puck was in the net. This time, the Vancouver native took a pass from Kamloops minor hockey product Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who thrilled two sections of his fans by setting up three goals and moving back atop the WHL scoring race, and found just enough room between Leclerc and his left post to get the puck through.
The Giants streamed off the bench to celebrate their 49th victory, one that tied the franchise record for victories in one season that was set a year ago.
“If he gets a chance, he’s going to put the puck in the net,” Shattock said of Kane, who will be an early first-round selection in the 2009 NHL draft. ”(Taking away) time and space on that kind of player is what we have to do.”
Kane, who had 24 goals in 65 games last season, upped this season’s count to 40 in 49 games with a score in a 3-2 loss to the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday. He has missed time with an ankle injury and while helping Canada win gold at the 2009 World Junior Championship.
Kane, who is putting up points at a pace of 1.65 per game, easily the best in the WHL, also has 41 assists. He and Pierro-Zabotel have turned into as deadly a pair of linemates as there is in the league.
“These last few games, we kind of had a dry spell,” Kane said. “I think I had one goal in the last five games. I wanted to come out tonight and have a big game. Me and him wanted to get back to where we were.”
Mission accomplished!
Still, the Blazers were full marks for the lead they took into the third period. They just weren’t able to close it out.
“I thought we played an excellent game,” said Shattock, whose goal was his 25th, tying him with left-winger Shayne Wiebe for the team lead. “We stuck to our system structure for 60 minutes. Even though we got down we came back and showed big character on our part.”
Defenceman Nick Ross, who was dealt by the Blazers to Vancouver on Jan. 8, and forward Garry Nunn, also scored for the Giants, while centre Scott Wasden, with two, and forward Dalibor Bortnak, who hadn’t scored in 20 games, also counted for Kamloops.
JUST NOTES: Referees Sean Raphael and Colby Smith gave Vancouver six of 11 minor penalties. . . . The Giants were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Blazers were 1-for-5. . . . Leclerc, making his 16th start in 19 games since Jan. 9, finished with 34 saves and likely would want two of the goals back – the winner and Nunn’s, which came from well out on the right wing. . . . Kamloops D Brandon Underwood returned to the lineup after a 19-game absence due to a broken thumb. . . . Vancouver’s Tyson Sexsmith stopped 25 shots in winning his 34th game. . . . Vancouver’s Jon Blum, perhaps the WHL’s top defenceman, remains out with a shoulder injury suffered Feb. 13 in Kelowna. Where he once was listed as day-to-day, he now is week-to-week. . . . Pierro-Zabotel came out of the weekend atop the scoring race with 104 points, two ahead of Calgary Hitmen F Brandon Kozun.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Daily News Sports Editor
Evander Kane loves to score goals the way Paris Hilton loves to shop.
The Kamloops Blazers found that out the hard way Saturday night as Kane scored three times in the final 13 minutes 59 seconds to buy the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 overtime victory in a WHL game played in front of 5,008 well-entertained fans at Interior Savings Centre.
“He loves to score goals,” said Vancouver head coach Don Hay, who has been around long enough to know a big-time sniper when he sees one. “He really competes hard to get into those areas to score goals. He’s not afraid to go into those areas.”
Kane, who won’t turn 18 until Aug. 2, proved that in this one.
The Blazers took a well-deserved 3-2 lead into the third period, only to have Kane finish off a 3-on-2 rush during a Vancouver power play at 6:31.
Just 1:12 later, Vancouver defenceman Mike Berube intentionally shot wide left from the point and Kane took the rebound off the end boards and stuffed it past goaltender Justin Leclerc.
The Giants nursed that lead into the third-period’s final minute when the Blazers tied it with Leclerc on the bench for the extra attacker, right-winger Tyler Shattock sliding a puck through a mess of players and into the net.
But just 30 seconds into overtime there was Kane and, again, he looked cooler than Will Kane, the marshal in High Noon, at least until the puck was in the net. This time, the Vancouver native took a pass from Kamloops minor hockey product Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who thrilled two sections of his fans by setting up three goals and moving back atop the WHL scoring race, and found just enough room between Leclerc and his left post to get the puck through.
The Giants streamed off the bench to celebrate their 49th victory, one that tied the franchise record for victories in one season that was set a year ago.
“If he gets a chance, he’s going to put the puck in the net,” Shattock said of Kane, who will be an early first-round selection in the 2009 NHL draft. ”(Taking away) time and space on that kind of player is what we have to do.”
Kane, who had 24 goals in 65 games last season, upped this season’s count to 40 in 49 games with a score in a 3-2 loss to the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday. He has missed time with an ankle injury and while helping Canada win gold at the 2009 World Junior Championship.
Kane, who is putting up points at a pace of 1.65 per game, easily the best in the WHL, also has 41 assists. He and Pierro-Zabotel have turned into as deadly a pair of linemates as there is in the league.
“These last few games, we kind of had a dry spell,” Kane said. “I think I had one goal in the last five games. I wanted to come out tonight and have a big game. Me and him wanted to get back to where we were.”
Mission accomplished!
Still, the Blazers were full marks for the lead they took into the third period. They just weren’t able to close it out.
“I thought we played an excellent game,” said Shattock, whose goal was his 25th, tying him with left-winger Shayne Wiebe for the team lead. “We stuck to our system structure for 60 minutes. Even though we got down we came back and showed big character on our part.”
Defenceman Nick Ross, who was dealt by the Blazers to Vancouver on Jan. 8, and forward Garry Nunn, also scored for the Giants, while centre Scott Wasden, with two, and forward Dalibor Bortnak, who hadn’t scored in 20 games, also counted for Kamloops.
JUST NOTES: Referees Sean Raphael and Colby Smith gave Vancouver six of 11 minor penalties. . . . The Giants were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Blazers were 1-for-5. . . . Leclerc, making his 16th start in 19 games since Jan. 9, finished with 34 saves and likely would want two of the goals back – the winner and Nunn’s, which came from well out on the right wing. . . . Kamloops D Brandon Underwood returned to the lineup after a 19-game absence due to a broken thumb. . . . Vancouver’s Tyson Sexsmith stopped 25 shots in winning his 34th game. . . . Vancouver’s Jon Blum, perhaps the WHL’s top defenceman, remains out with a shoulder injury suffered Feb. 13 in Kelowna. Where he once was listed as day-to-day, he now is week-to-week. . . . Pierro-Zabotel came out of the weekend atop the scoring race with 104 points, two ahead of Calgary Hitmen F Brandon Kozun.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Blazers box
THE SCORE
Vancouver 5, Kamloops 4 (OT)
WHAT HAPPENED
Vancouver LW Evander Kane is a world-class sniper and the Blazers, who did a good job keeping him under wraps through two periods, gave him time and space on three occasions. He scored three times and beat them.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (28-29-2-4) are sixth in the Western Conference, two points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds (30-29-1-3) and three ahead of the Everett Silvertips (25-28-7-2).
THE SEASON SERIES
With two games remaining, the Blazers are 2-3-1-0 against the Giants. Of course, if you’re a Giants’ fan, your club is 4-1-0-1 against Kamloops. These teams will play in Vancouver on March 8 and back here on March 11.
THE ATTENDANCE
There were 5,008 fans at Interior Savings Centre, the second-largest crowd of the season, behind only the 5,087 from opening night. The Blazers are averaging 4,289 fans per game, down 251 from the same point last season.
THE SHOTS AGAINST
The Giants outshot the Blazers, 39-29. In their last 19 games, the Blazers have surrendered fewer than 30 shots on only one occasion.
THE MILESTONE
Kamloops C C.J. Stretch picked up two assists Friday to give him 100 in his career. It was the 263rd regular-season game of his career. He is the 41st player in franchise history to get there. Blazers GM Craig Bonner finished with 101 assists in 250 games.
THE ROAD TRIP
The Giants, who are early in a stretch of playing eight games in 10 days,
headed for Kent, Wash., right after Saturday’s game. They got some sleep there and then lost 3-2 to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who play out of Kent, on Sunday.
THE SCHEDULE
The Blazers have nine games left on their regular-season schedule, including
five games at The ATM, where they are 16-12-2-1.
THE PENNANT
The victory Saturday improved the Giants’ record to 49-6-1-3, and allowed them to tie a franchise record for victories. They have clinched their fourth straight
B.C. Division pennant. They also have surpassed 100 points for a fourth straight season, tying a WHL record that had belonged solely to the Junior Oilers/Blazers
(1983-87).
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. LW Evander Kane, Vancouver. Owned the last 14 minutes.
2. RW Tyler Shattock, Kamloops. Played hard.
3. RW Craig Cunningham, Vancouver. Gives the Giants energy.
NEXT UP
The Spokane Chiefs, the defending Memorial Cup champions, are here Wednesday for the last time this season. Game time is 7 p.m.
Vancouver 5, Kamloops 4 (OT)
WHAT HAPPENED
Vancouver LW Evander Kane is a world-class sniper and the Blazers, who did a good job keeping him under wraps through two periods, gave him time and space on three occasions. He scored three times and beat them.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (28-29-2-4) are sixth in the Western Conference, two points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds (30-29-1-3) and three ahead of the Everett Silvertips (25-28-7-2).
THE SEASON SERIES
With two games remaining, the Blazers are 2-3-1-0 against the Giants. Of course, if you’re a Giants’ fan, your club is 4-1-0-1 against Kamloops. These teams will play in Vancouver on March 8 and back here on March 11.
THE ATTENDANCE
There were 5,008 fans at Interior Savings Centre, the second-largest crowd of the season, behind only the 5,087 from opening night. The Blazers are averaging 4,289 fans per game, down 251 from the same point last season.
THE SHOTS AGAINST
The Giants outshot the Blazers, 39-29. In their last 19 games, the Blazers have surrendered fewer than 30 shots on only one occasion.
THE MILESTONE
Kamloops C C.J. Stretch picked up two assists Friday to give him 100 in his career. It was the 263rd regular-season game of his career. He is the 41st player in franchise history to get there. Blazers GM Craig Bonner finished with 101 assists in 250 games.
THE ROAD TRIP
The Giants, who are early in a stretch of playing eight games in 10 days,
headed for Kent, Wash., right after Saturday’s game. They got some sleep there and then lost 3-2 to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who play out of Kent, on Sunday.
THE SCHEDULE
The Blazers have nine games left on their regular-season schedule, including
five games at The ATM, where they are 16-12-2-1.
THE PENNANT
The victory Saturday improved the Giants’ record to 49-6-1-3, and allowed them to tie a franchise record for victories. They have clinched their fourth straight
B.C. Division pennant. They also have surpassed 100 points for a fourth straight season, tying a WHL record that had belonged solely to the Junior Oilers/Blazers
(1983-87).
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. LW Evander Kane, Vancouver. Owned the last 14 minutes.
2. RW Tyler Shattock, Kamloops. Played hard.
3. RW Craig Cunningham, Vancouver. Gives the Giants energy.
NEXT UP
The Spokane Chiefs, the defending Memorial Cup champions, are here Wednesday for the last time this season. Game time is 7 p.m.
Keeping Score
Patrick Reusse, in the Minneapolis Star Tribune: “The steroid web now includes Clemens, Bonds and Rodriguez — the equivalent of Jordan, Bird and Magic being caught fixing NBA games, and Baseball Bud simply goes on, apologizing and worrying about Netherlands vs. Venezuela.” . . . Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: “Bud Selig says he is thinking about attaching an asterisk to Barry Bonds’ home-run record and reinstating Hank Aaron as the home-run king. I’ve got a better idea. Why not just put an asterisk on Selig’s entire reign as the overseer of the sport. *Baseball presided over by clown commissioner whose head was in the sand the whole time.” . . . The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon asks: “Since Selig is getting paid $18 million to lead, shouldn’t he actually lead?”
The New York Post reports that Baseball Bud now can prepare to read Darryl Strawberry’s bio, titled Straw: Finding My Way. Strawberry apparently is telling all about his days with the Mets in the 1980s. “(Beer) was the foundation of our alcoholic lifestyle,” he writes. “We hauled around more Bud than the Clydesdales. The beer was just to get the party started and maybe take the edge off the speed and coke.” . . . The goofy part of all that is happening in baseball is that one man is more credible than all the rest. “I think I have the ear of the nation now,” Jose Canseco says. “I think everyone realizes I have not in any way, shape or form tried to create smoke and mirrors like Major League Baseball has and the players have. I have been excruciatingly honest about what’s going on in baseball.”
According to Janice Hough, the Left Coast Sports Babe, the science of steroids has gained from Alex Rodriguez having tested positive. As she puts it: “Now we know steroids don’t work in October.” . . . Ted Wyman, in the Winnipeg Sun: “Great act scheduled for the Playhouse tonight — world famous, pot-smoking trio Cheech, Chong and Phelps.” . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “If you get wiser as you get older, how do we explain Bud Selig and Bobby Knight? Knight says Gatorade is a performance-enhancing drug. Selig seems lost in space, overwhelmed by events.” . . . Now that everyone has had their say, do you think we can just get on with the hockey tournament known as KIBIHT? After all, it is for the kids, isn’t it?
Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue has been on the shelves for a few days now. Where is the outrage? . . . Gary Loewen, in the Toronto Sun: “Just wondering. Shouldn’t Beach Volleyball Magazine put out an annual streetclothes edition?” . . . Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “We might be in a national recession, but the Marlins' Dan Uggla was awarded a $5.35-million salary in arbitration. Cannot confirm that the ballclub immediately asked the federal government for a bailout.” . . . One more from Cote: “Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue is out. Featured is Andy Roddick's girlfriend Brooklyn Decker. I promise to never again accuse Andy of having a bad year.”
You may recall hearing A-Rod say that one of the reasons he used performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers was the pressure of living up to his huge contract. To which NBC-TV’s Conan O’Brien responded: “Which makes you wonder what kind of steroids Oprah is on.” . . . Is it too early to suggest Cory Clouston as the NHL’s coach of the year? . . . The Modesto Bee reports that the folks in power have decided to subject high school cheerleaders in Visalia, Calif, to random drug testing. As Drew Curtis over at Fark.com put it: “2-4-6-8 — everybody urinate.”
In case you missed it, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, of which the Kamloops Storm is a member, monkeyed with its playoff format on Tuesday, just one week before those playoffs are to start. I dare you to try and keep track of the KIJHL’s playoffs, which open with a mess of round-robin and best-of-seven series. . . . And then there is the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, a junior B circuit on Vancouver Island, where the Westshore Stingers went 0-48-0. But guess what? Yes, they are in the playoffs. They get to face the first-place Peninsula Panthers, who went 35-8-5.
Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey, playing golf with four teammates in Florida last week, flipped the cart he was driving when a tire caught a sand trip. If you’re scoring at home, that’s one run, one hit, one error and nobody left on.” . . . Tim Keown, at ESPN.com: “If you truly believe (Alex Rodriguez) didn’t know exactly what he was taking or what it might do, and if you truly believe he and his nameless cousin just cooked up this plan like a couple of desperate, broke guys plotting a robbery, then good luck to you as you await your fortune from a Nigerian bank account.” . . . . Richard Sandomir, in the New York Times: “Every time Alex Rodriguez defaulted Tuesday to saying he was stupid, naïve or ignorant for taking steroids, I thought of Dean Wormer’s words to the flunking frat boy Flounder in ‘Animal House:’ ‘Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.’”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
The New York Post reports that Baseball Bud now can prepare to read Darryl Strawberry’s bio, titled Straw: Finding My Way. Strawberry apparently is telling all about his days with the Mets in the 1980s. “(Beer) was the foundation of our alcoholic lifestyle,” he writes. “We hauled around more Bud than the Clydesdales. The beer was just to get the party started and maybe take the edge off the speed and coke.” . . . The goofy part of all that is happening in baseball is that one man is more credible than all the rest. “I think I have the ear of the nation now,” Jose Canseco says. “I think everyone realizes I have not in any way, shape or form tried to create smoke and mirrors like Major League Baseball has and the players have. I have been excruciatingly honest about what’s going on in baseball.”
According to Janice Hough, the Left Coast Sports Babe, the science of steroids has gained from Alex Rodriguez having tested positive. As she puts it: “Now we know steroids don’t work in October.” . . . Ted Wyman, in the Winnipeg Sun: “Great act scheduled for the Playhouse tonight — world famous, pot-smoking trio Cheech, Chong and Phelps.” . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “If you get wiser as you get older, how do we explain Bud Selig and Bobby Knight? Knight says Gatorade is a performance-enhancing drug. Selig seems lost in space, overwhelmed by events.” . . . Now that everyone has had their say, do you think we can just get on with the hockey tournament known as KIBIHT? After all, it is for the kids, isn’t it?
Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue has been on the shelves for a few days now. Where is the outrage? . . . Gary Loewen, in the Toronto Sun: “Just wondering. Shouldn’t Beach Volleyball Magazine put out an annual streetclothes edition?” . . . Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “We might be in a national recession, but the Marlins' Dan Uggla was awarded a $5.35-million salary in arbitration. Cannot confirm that the ballclub immediately asked the federal government for a bailout.” . . . One more from Cote: “Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue is out. Featured is Andy Roddick's girlfriend Brooklyn Decker. I promise to never again accuse Andy of having a bad year.”
You may recall hearing A-Rod say that one of the reasons he used performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers was the pressure of living up to his huge contract. To which NBC-TV’s Conan O’Brien responded: “Which makes you wonder what kind of steroids Oprah is on.” . . . Is it too early to suggest Cory Clouston as the NHL’s coach of the year? . . . The Modesto Bee reports that the folks in power have decided to subject high school cheerleaders in Visalia, Calif, to random drug testing. As Drew Curtis over at Fark.com put it: “2-4-6-8 — everybody urinate.”
In case you missed it, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, of which the Kamloops Storm is a member, monkeyed with its playoff format on Tuesday, just one week before those playoffs are to start. I dare you to try and keep track of the KIJHL’s playoffs, which open with a mess of round-robin and best-of-seven series. . . . And then there is the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, a junior B circuit on Vancouver Island, where the Westshore Stingers went 0-48-0. But guess what? Yes, they are in the playoffs. They get to face the first-place Peninsula Panthers, who went 35-8-5.
Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey, playing golf with four teammates in Florida last week, flipped the cart he was driving when a tire caught a sand trip. If you’re scoring at home, that’s one run, one hit, one error and nobody left on.” . . . Tim Keown, at ESPN.com: “If you truly believe (Alex Rodriguez) didn’t know exactly what he was taking or what it might do, and if you truly believe he and his nameless cousin just cooked up this plan like a couple of desperate, broke guys plotting a robbery, then good luck to you as you await your fortune from a Nigerian bank account.” . . . . Richard Sandomir, in the New York Times: “Every time Alex Rodriguez defaulted Tuesday to saying he was stupid, naïve or ignorant for taking steroids, I thought of Dean Wormer’s words to the flunking frat boy Flounder in ‘Animal House:’ ‘Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.’”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Saturday . . .
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Edmonton (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Kootenay (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Lethbridge (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Edmonton picked up a loser point in Prince George to move into eighth, one point ahead of Prince Albert, which lost at home to Moose Jaw. . . . Medicine Hat is three points ahead of Swift Current, with both having played 63 games. . . . Lethbridge remains one-point ahead of Kootenay; the Ice has one game in hand. . . . Regina is ninth, five points behind Edmonton. Regina has 11 games remaining and has three games in hand on Edmonton. . . . Keep in mind that should there be a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot, a sudden-death game will be played to decide the issue.
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Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Seattle and Kamloops are tied for fifth, however Seattle has one more victory and one game in hand. . . . Tri-City holds a six-point lead on Spokane, which has one game in hand. . . . Kelowna is three points behind Spokane, with the Chiefs holding a game in hand. . . . Everett is three points behind Seattle and Kamloops. . . . Prince George has a 14-point lead on Chilliwack, with the Bruins having 10 games left.
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SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Kamloops, LW Evander Kane scored Vancouver’s last three goals as the Giants beat the Blazers 5-4 in OT. . . . Kane has 39 goals on the season. He also had an assist, and now has 81 points in 48 games, his 1.69 points-per-game mark the best in the WHL. . . . Kamloops took a 3-2 lead into the third period. Kane scored twice, once on the PP, to give his side a 4-3 lead. . . . Kamloops RW Tyler Shattock scored with G Justin Leclerc on the bench to tie it at 19:45. . . . Kane won it 30 seconds into OT. . . . The victory was the Giants’ 49th of the season, tying the franchise record set last season. . . . Vancouver remains without D Jon Blum (shoulder), who was injured Feb. 13 in Kelowna. . . . Kamloops D Brandon Underwood returned after sitting out 19 games with a broken thumb. . . . Kamloops got two goals from C Scott Wasden, his first two-goal game since he counted three times in a 7-2 victory in Prince George on Dec. 14, 2007. . . . The Blazers’ other goal came from F Dalibor Bortnak, who hadn’t scored in 20 games.
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In Saskatoon, the Blades scored four times in the second period and went on to dump the Kootenay Ice, 5-3, in front of 6,028 fans. . . . It was Cancer Awareness Night. The Blades wore pink-trimmed jerseys and auctioned them, raising more than $9,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 when Saskatoon F Walker Wintoneak scored his 27th at 3:56 of the second. The Blades would put it all but out of reach with three more before the period ended. . . . Saskatoon G Braden Holtby won his 36th with 19 saves. . . . Saskatoon D Colin Joe, an offseason acquisition from the Kelowna Rockets, continued his wonderful season. He was plus-4 and is plus-42 on the season. . . . Saskatoon D Ryan Funk also was plus-4. . . . The WHL office is certain to investigate a second-period incident in which Kootenay D James Martin received a game misconduct for allegedly making a racial slur. According to Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “Martin was ejected following a second-period tussle with Blades LW Darian Dziurzynski. During the dust-up, officials heard Martin direct a racial slur towards Blades RW Josh Nicholls. The offence drew a game misconduct and Kootenay head coach Mark Holick didn’t argue the call.”
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In Brandon, F Matt Calvert and F Mark Stone had two goals each as the Wheat Kings dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 8-3. . . . Brandon has scored seven goals on seven occasions this season; this was its first time to hit eight. . . . It was the first time this season Brandon has scored eight goals. . . . Broncos F Geordie Wudrick opened the scoring with his 29th at 7:50 of the first period. . . . Brandon scored the game’s next four goals and six of the next seven. . . . Calvert has 23 goals; Stone has 15. Each also had an assist. . . . Brandon F Brayden Schenn had a goal and two helpers. . . . Brandon was 4-for-8 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-2. . . . Brandon is 7-0-0-0 against the Broncos this season. . . . Brandon is four points behind Saskatoon with a game in hand on the Blades. . . . The Broncos are without C Matt Tassone (shoulder), who is their top sniper, and RW Michael Stickland (possible concussion).
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In Prince George, the Cougars got shootout goals from F Brett Connolly and F Marek Viedensky to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-3. . . . F Tyler Halliday scored twice for the Cougars, his second one, at 19:27 of the third, forcing OT. . . . Prince George F Nick Buonassisi missed on a second period penalty shot. . . . Viedensky set up both of Halliday’s goals. . . . Prince George G Joe Caligiuri stopped 37 shots, including two in the shootout. . . . C Justin Maylan also scored for the Cougars. He had been scratched from Friday’s game – a 3-2 Edmonton victory – after skipping school during the week.
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In Everett, D Tyler Myers scored his team’s last two goals as the Kelowna Rockets edged the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Myers forged a 2-2 tie with his sixth goal of the season on a PP at 5:36 of the second period. He broke the tie 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Everett scored the only two goals of the first period, the second coming from D Trevor Bauer, his first career goal. . . . LW Jamie Benn drew assists on both of Myers’ goals. . . . Kelowna held a 46-29 edge in shots. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown, who relieved starter Mark Guggenberger with his side down 2-0 at 4:24 of the first, stopped 24 shots to improve to 16-4-0-1. . . . Attendance was 7,208. . . . Everett G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 43 shots. . . . Everett is without forwards Daniel Bartek (hand), Paul Van de Velde (shoulder), Tyler Maxwell (knee) and Dale Hunt (concussion). . . . The Silvertips are 0-8-2-0 against Kelowna, Spokane, Tri-City and Vancouver since early January.
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In Medicine Hat, there was fireworks as the Tigers whipped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 8-3. . . . F Tyler Ennis had four goals and an assist for the Tigers. He has 35 goals this season. . . . Lethbridge led this one 2-0 at 5:08 of the first period and 3-1 at 3:26 of the second. But the Tigers scored three times in the second and then added four more in the third. . . . F Linden Vey set up three goals for Medicine Hat, while F Brennan Bosch had his 19th goal and four helpers. . . . Medicine Hat was 5-for-9 on the PP; Lethbridge was 2-for-11. . . . The two teams combined for 238 penalty minutes, 123 of those to the Tigers. . . . There were 20 fighting majors, a line brawl late in the third period and a game misconduct to Lethbridge head coach Michael Dyck. . . . That noise you hear? That’s the WHL cash register – ch-ching!!! . . . The Hurricanes remain without G Juha Metsola, whose little tweak must have really been a big tweak. He left after the first period of a Feb. 14 game.
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In Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen tied the game late in the third period and went on to beat the Rebels 2-1 in a shootout. . . . It was the ninth time this season the Rebels have lost in the circus. . . . Calgary had beaten the visiting Rebels 7-2 on Friday night. . . . Calgary D Michael Stone forced OT at 16:10 of the third period, allowing the Hitmen to win their 54th game of the season. . . . D Luke Egener scored for Red Deer at 6:20 of the second period. . . . F Joel Broda and F Kris Foucault had shootout goals for Calgary, with F Willie Coetzee scoring for Red Deer in the circus. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 40 shots in winning for the 41st time this season. . . . Each side was 0-for-6 on the PP. . . . A note from John Down of the Calgary Herald, regarding Hitmen D Paul Postma: "The 19-year-old lost an edge and slid into the end boards while chasing down a loose puck early in the first period. He limped off and that was the last anyone saw of him."
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In Kennewick, Wash., G Chet Pickard’s 41 saves led the Tri-City Americans to a 2-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Pickard won for the 31st time this season. . . . The Americans are 27-4-0-1 at home. . . . The Toyota Center was sold out – 5,919. . . . Pickard’s younger brother, Calvin, plays goal for the Seattle Thunderbirds and had beaten the Chiefs, 3-0, in Kent, Wash., on Friday. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . This has become one of major junior hockey’s grandest rivalries. . . . This season, the Chiefs have won five of nine from the Americans. . . . They will meet three more times down the stretch, including Saturday (Feb. 28) in Spokane. . . . F Mitch Fadden, with his 29th just 14 seconds in, and F Adam Hughesman, with his 13th, scored in the first period for Tri-City. . . . C Mitch Wahl, shorthanded, counted for Spokane in the second. He has 26. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 34 shots. . . . Tokarski and Chet Pickard were the goaltenders on Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowen, whose season was ended by a right knee injury on Jan. 30, had reconstructive surgery in Minneapolis on Thursday. . . . Tri-City is without F Jason Reese (ankle), F Petr Stoklasa (shoulder) and D Mitch McColm (concussion). . . . Spokane D Stefan Ulmer left in the third period after taking a hit from Tri-City F Johnny Lazo.
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In Prince Albert, D Travis Hamonic got the winner as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Raiders, 3-2. . . . The Warriors won’t make the playoffs but have recent victories over the Regina Pats and the Raiders, two teams that are scrambling for a playoff spot. . . . Moose Jaw F Jason Bast gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead with his 21st goal at 11:29 of the second period. . . . Hamonic got the winner at 13:05 of the third on the PP. . . . F Ryan McDonald pulled the Raiders to within one at 18:56 of the third.
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In Portland, F Jonathan Parker scored twice to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-3 victory over the Winter Hawks. . . . Parker opened the scoring, at 8:51 of the first, and closed it, at 18:42 of the third on the PP. He also had two assists as he enjoyed the best night of his young career. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 29 shots for Seattle, including a first-period penalty shot attempt by Luke Walker.
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Edmonton (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Kootenay (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Lethbridge (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Edmonton picked up a loser point in Prince George to move into eighth, one point ahead of Prince Albert, which lost at home to Moose Jaw. . . . Medicine Hat is three points ahead of Swift Current, with both having played 63 games. . . . Lethbridge remains one-point ahead of Kootenay; the Ice has one game in hand. . . . Regina is ninth, five points behind Edmonton. Regina has 11 games remaining and has three games in hand on Edmonton. . . . Keep in mind that should there be a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot, a sudden-death game will be played to decide the issue.
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Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Kamloops (6)
Kelowna (4) vs.Seattle (5)
Seattle and Kamloops are tied for fifth, however Seattle has one more victory and one game in hand. . . . Tri-City holds a six-point lead on Spokane, which has one game in hand. . . . Kelowna is three points behind Spokane, with the Chiefs holding a game in hand. . . . Everett is three points behind Seattle and Kamloops. . . . Prince George has a 14-point lead on Chilliwack, with the Bruins having 10 games left.
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SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Kamloops, LW Evander Kane scored Vancouver’s last three goals as the Giants beat the Blazers 5-4 in OT. . . . Kane has 39 goals on the season. He also had an assist, and now has 81 points in 48 games, his 1.69 points-per-game mark the best in the WHL. . . . Kamloops took a 3-2 lead into the third period. Kane scored twice, once on the PP, to give his side a 4-3 lead. . . . Kamloops RW Tyler Shattock scored with G Justin Leclerc on the bench to tie it at 19:45. . . . Kane won it 30 seconds into OT. . . . The victory was the Giants’ 49th of the season, tying the franchise record set last season. . . . Vancouver remains without D Jon Blum (shoulder), who was injured Feb. 13 in Kelowna. . . . Kamloops D Brandon Underwood returned after sitting out 19 games with a broken thumb. . . . Kamloops got two goals from C Scott Wasden, his first two-goal game since he counted three times in a 7-2 victory in Prince George on Dec. 14, 2007. . . . The Blazers’ other goal came from F Dalibor Bortnak, who hadn’t scored in 20 games.
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In Saskatoon, the Blades scored four times in the second period and went on to dump the Kootenay Ice, 5-3, in front of 6,028 fans. . . . It was Cancer Awareness Night. The Blades wore pink-trimmed jerseys and auctioned them, raising more than $9,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 when Saskatoon F Walker Wintoneak scored his 27th at 3:56 of the second. The Blades would put it all but out of reach with three more before the period ended. . . . Saskatoon G Braden Holtby won his 36th with 19 saves. . . . Saskatoon D Colin Joe, an offseason acquisition from the Kelowna Rockets, continued his wonderful season. He was plus-4 and is plus-42 on the season. . . . Saskatoon D Ryan Funk also was plus-4. . . . The WHL office is certain to investigate a second-period incident in which Kootenay D James Martin received a game misconduct for allegedly making a racial slur. According to Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “Martin was ejected following a second-period tussle with Blades LW Darian Dziurzynski. During the dust-up, officials heard Martin direct a racial slur towards Blades RW Josh Nicholls. The offence drew a game misconduct and Kootenay head coach Mark Holick didn’t argue the call.”
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In Brandon, F Matt Calvert and F Mark Stone had two goals each as the Wheat Kings dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 8-3. . . . Brandon has scored seven goals on seven occasions this season; this was its first time to hit eight. . . . It was the first time this season Brandon has scored eight goals. . . . Broncos F Geordie Wudrick opened the scoring with his 29th at 7:50 of the first period. . . . Brandon scored the game’s next four goals and six of the next seven. . . . Calvert has 23 goals; Stone has 15. Each also had an assist. . . . Brandon F Brayden Schenn had a goal and two helpers. . . . Brandon was 4-for-8 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-2. . . . Brandon is 7-0-0-0 against the Broncos this season. . . . Brandon is four points behind Saskatoon with a game in hand on the Blades. . . . The Broncos are without C Matt Tassone (shoulder), who is their top sniper, and RW Michael Stickland (possible concussion).
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In Prince George, the Cougars got shootout goals from F Brett Connolly and F Marek Viedensky to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-3. . . . F Tyler Halliday scored twice for the Cougars, his second one, at 19:27 of the third, forcing OT. . . . Prince George F Nick Buonassisi missed on a second period penalty shot. . . . Viedensky set up both of Halliday’s goals. . . . Prince George G Joe Caligiuri stopped 37 shots, including two in the shootout. . . . C Justin Maylan also scored for the Cougars. He had been scratched from Friday’s game – a 3-2 Edmonton victory – after skipping school during the week.
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In Everett, D Tyler Myers scored his team’s last two goals as the Kelowna Rockets edged the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Myers forged a 2-2 tie with his sixth goal of the season on a PP at 5:36 of the second period. He broke the tie 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Everett scored the only two goals of the first period, the second coming from D Trevor Bauer, his first career goal. . . . LW Jamie Benn drew assists on both of Myers’ goals. . . . Kelowna held a 46-29 edge in shots. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown, who relieved starter Mark Guggenberger with his side down 2-0 at 4:24 of the first, stopped 24 shots to improve to 16-4-0-1. . . . Attendance was 7,208. . . . Everett G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 43 shots. . . . Everett is without forwards Daniel Bartek (hand), Paul Van de Velde (shoulder), Tyler Maxwell (knee) and Dale Hunt (concussion). . . . The Silvertips are 0-8-2-0 against Kelowna, Spokane, Tri-City and Vancouver since early January.
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In Medicine Hat, there was fireworks as the Tigers whipped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 8-3. . . . F Tyler Ennis had four goals and an assist for the Tigers. He has 35 goals this season. . . . Lethbridge led this one 2-0 at 5:08 of the first period and 3-1 at 3:26 of the second. But the Tigers scored three times in the second and then added four more in the third. . . . F Linden Vey set up three goals for Medicine Hat, while F Brennan Bosch had his 19th goal and four helpers. . . . Medicine Hat was 5-for-9 on the PP; Lethbridge was 2-for-11. . . . The two teams combined for 238 penalty minutes, 123 of those to the Tigers. . . . There were 20 fighting majors, a line brawl late in the third period and a game misconduct to Lethbridge head coach Michael Dyck. . . . That noise you hear? That’s the WHL cash register – ch-ching!!! . . . The Hurricanes remain without G Juha Metsola, whose little tweak must have really been a big tweak. He left after the first period of a Feb. 14 game.
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In Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen tied the game late in the third period and went on to beat the Rebels 2-1 in a shootout. . . . It was the ninth time this season the Rebels have lost in the circus. . . . Calgary had beaten the visiting Rebels 7-2 on Friday night. . . . Calgary D Michael Stone forced OT at 16:10 of the third period, allowing the Hitmen to win their 54th game of the season. . . . D Luke Egener scored for Red Deer at 6:20 of the second period. . . . F Joel Broda and F Kris Foucault had shootout goals for Calgary, with F Willie Coetzee scoring for Red Deer in the circus. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 40 shots in winning for the 41st time this season. . . . Each side was 0-for-6 on the PP. . . . A note from John Down of the Calgary Herald, regarding Hitmen D Paul Postma: "The 19-year-old lost an edge and slid into the end boards while chasing down a loose puck early in the first period. He limped off and that was the last anyone saw of him."
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In Kennewick, Wash., G Chet Pickard’s 41 saves led the Tri-City Americans to a 2-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Pickard won for the 31st time this season. . . . The Americans are 27-4-0-1 at home. . . . The Toyota Center was sold out – 5,919. . . . Pickard’s younger brother, Calvin, plays goal for the Seattle Thunderbirds and had beaten the Chiefs, 3-0, in Kent, Wash., on Friday. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . This has become one of major junior hockey’s grandest rivalries. . . . This season, the Chiefs have won five of nine from the Americans. . . . They will meet three more times down the stretch, including Saturday (Feb. 28) in Spokane. . . . F Mitch Fadden, with his 29th just 14 seconds in, and F Adam Hughesman, with his 13th, scored in the first period for Tri-City. . . . C Mitch Wahl, shorthanded, counted for Spokane in the second. He has 26. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 34 shots. . . . Tokarski and Chet Pickard were the goaltenders on Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowen, whose season was ended by a right knee injury on Jan. 30, had reconstructive surgery in Minneapolis on Thursday. . . . Tri-City is without F Jason Reese (ankle), F Petr Stoklasa (shoulder) and D Mitch McColm (concussion). . . . Spokane D Stefan Ulmer left in the third period after taking a hit from Tri-City F Johnny Lazo.
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In Prince Albert, D Travis Hamonic got the winner as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Raiders, 3-2. . . . The Warriors won’t make the playoffs but have recent victories over the Regina Pats and the Raiders, two teams that are scrambling for a playoff spot. . . . Moose Jaw F Jason Bast gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead with his 21st goal at 11:29 of the second period. . . . Hamonic got the winner at 13:05 of the third on the PP. . . . F Ryan McDonald pulled the Raiders to within one at 18:56 of the third.
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In Portland, F Jonathan Parker scored twice to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-3 victory over the Winter Hawks. . . . Parker opened the scoring, at 8:51 of the first, and closed it, at 18:42 of the third on the PP. He also had two assists as he enjoyed the best night of his young career. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 29 shots for Seattle, including a first-period penalty shot attempt by Luke Walker.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Cougars lose a player
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Sean Selmser (Moose Jaw/Red Deer) has signed a one-year contract extension with the Vienna Capitals (Austria Erste Bank Liga). In 55 games this season (his fourth with the Capitals), Selmser has 16 goals and 20 assists. He holds dual Canadian and Austrian citizenship and played for Austria at the 2006 Division 1 World Championship.
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The Prince George Citizen is reporting that sophomore F Corey Tyrell has left the Prince George Cougars and returned to his family’s home in Airdrie, Alta. The Cougars, who are at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight, have 10 games remaining in the regular season. Tyrell, 18, had nine points in 70 games last season; this season, he has five points in 39 games. He is the younger brother of Cougars captain Dana Tyrell, whose season was ended by a knee injury suffered while playing for Canada’s national junior team in an exhibition game against Sweden just before Christmas. According to the Citizen, Corey Tyrell informed the Cougars of his decision in the aftermath of Friday's 3-2 loss to the visiting Oil Kings.
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The Prince George Citizen is reporting that sophomore F Corey Tyrell has left the Prince George Cougars and returned to his family’s home in Airdrie, Alta. The Cougars, who are at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight, have 10 games remaining in the regular season. Tyrell, 18, had nine points in 70 games last season; this season, he has five points in 39 games. He is the younger brother of Cougars captain Dana Tyrell, whose season was ended by a knee injury suffered while playing for Canada’s national junior team in an exhibition game against Sweden just before Christmas. According to the Citizen, Corey Tyrell informed the Cougars of his decision in the aftermath of Friday's 3-2 loss to the visiting Oil Kings.
Friday . . .
If the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Kootenay (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Lethbridge (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Medicine Hat is one point ahead of Swift Current, with both having played 62 games. . . . Lethbridge holds a one-point lead over the seventh-place Kootenay Ice. The Ice has one game in hand. . . . Prince Albert and Edmonton are tied for eighth, with the Raiders having a game in hand and one more victory. The Regina Pas are ninth, four points back. . . . Keep in mind that should there be a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot, a sudden-death game will be played to decide the issue.
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Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Seattle (6)
Kelowna (4) vs. Kamloops (5)
Tri-City holds a four-point lead on Spokane, which has one game in hand. . . . Kelowna is five points behind Spokane. . . . Kamloops is fifth, one point ahead of Seattle and two ahead of Everett. . . . Prince George has a 12-point lead on Chilliwack, with each team having 10 games left.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Regina, the Pats got back on track – well, they at least won – as they beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-2. . . . The Pats had lost seven in a row. The victory lifted them to within four points of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. . . . The Warriors, who have lost three straight, scored the game’s first two goals – getting a PP score from F Martin Filo and a shorthanded tally from F Jason Bast, his 20th – in the first period. . . . Regina D Victor Bartley got a PP goal just 23 seconds after Bast scored and Regina added three second-period goals. . . . F Thomas Hricina had two of Regina’s second-period goals. . . . Regina G Linden Rowat stopped 34 shots, while Warriors G Jeff Bosch turned aside 23. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-for-8 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . The teams meet again Sunday in Moose Jaw. . . . Regina has a 5-1 edge in the season series with Moose Jaw.
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In Swift Current, G Morgan Clark stopped 26 shots to help the Broncos to a 4-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . D Eric Doyle had two assists for the Broncos, who got a goal and an assist from F Keegan Dansereau. . . . F Mike Brown, in his 55th game, scored his first goal this season for Swift Current.
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In Calgary, F Brett Sonne had two goals and F Brandon Kozun had a goal and three assists as the Hitmen dumped the Red Deer Rebels, 7-2. . . . Attendance was 15,072. . . . F Joel Broda and D Michael Stone each added a goal and two helpers for Calgary. . . . Sonne, with 28 goals in his last 25 games, is on a 16-game point streak. . . . Broda leads the WHL with 47 goals. . . . Sonne has 44 goals, while Kozun has 38. . . . Kozun, who has points in 14 straight games, reached the 100-point barrier, the first Calgary player to get there since F Jordan Krestanovich in 2000-01. . . . Kozun now has 101 points and leads the WHL scoring race by a point over Vancouver Giants F Casey Pierro-Zabotel. . . . Calgary led this one 5-0 after one period, setting a franchise record by scoring three times in 55 seconds in the process. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones, who is 24-0-2-0 in his last 26 starts, stopped 26 shots, including a Landon Ferraro penalty shot attempt, as he put up his 40th victory of the season. He broke the franchise record of 39 that was set by Alexandre Fomitchev in 1998-99. . . . The Hitmen were 3-for-7 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-7. . . . Calgary D Paul Postma leads the WHL in plus-minus, at plus-62. . . . Calgary, which is 5-0-0-0 against Red Deer, has won 10 straight, the third time this season it was won at least than many in a row. . . . The Hitmen have won a franchise-record 31 home games, two short of the WHL record. Calgary has two home games left, against the Regina Pats and Kelowna Rockets. . . . Calgary visits Red Deer on Saturday night.
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In Prince George, F Tomas Vincour returned from a shoulder injury to score one goal and set up another as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Cougars, 3-2. . . . The teams meet in Prince George again Saturday night. . . . The Oil Kings built a 3-0 lead before the Cougars scored two third-period goals. . . . The Cougars have lost four in a row. . . . The Oil Kings moved into a tie with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot.
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In Chilliwack, F Seth Compton and F Tyler Shattock had two goals each to help the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . Compton broke a 3-3 tie at 5:15 of the third period as the Blazers erased a 3-1 deficit. . . . Shattock scored twice on the PP as Kamloops was 2-for-4 with the man advantage. . . . F Ryan Howse scored twice for Chilliwack, which held a 42-22 edge in shots. . . . Kamloops G Justin Leclerc stopped 39 shots. . . . The Bruins were 0-for-4 on the PP.
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In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard stopped 36 shots as the Seattle Thunderbirds blanked the Spokane Chiefs, 3-0. . . . Seattle D Sena Acolatse scored his sixth goal, at 13:58 of the second period, and it stood up as the winner. . . . The Chiefs held a 36-29 edge in shots, including 13-6 in the third period. . . . Pickard, the younger brother of Tri-City Americans G Chet Pickard, has two shutouts in his freshman season. . . . It was the fourth time this season Spokane has been blanked. It was the third time Seattle has put up a shutout. . . . On Wednesday in Spokane, the Chiefs beat the Thunderbirds, 7-3.
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In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans erased a 2-1 deficit with four third-period goals as they beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-2. . . . Tri-City G Chet Pickard stopped 23 saves in winning his 30th game of the season. He has started 18 straight games since returning from the World Junior Championship. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 36 shots. . . . The loss knocked Everett into seventh place in the Western Conference, behind the Kamloops Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Mitch Fadden scored his 28th at 1:23 of the third period to tie the score 2-2 and D Brett Plouffe got his 14th at 7:01. . . . F Adam Hughesman had two assists for the winners. . . . Everett lost F Dale Hunt (concussion) midway through the first period after he was upended by Plouffe.
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In Lethridge, D Thomas Kundratek had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . He has three goals on the season. . . . Medicine Hat got a goal and two assists from F Linden Vey. . . . The last time these teams met in Lethbrdige, things got a bit ugly late in the third period. This game, however, was quiet. It featured 13 minors and two majors. . . . Attendance was 5,270. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola wasn’t dressed and you have to wonder if that little tweak that took him out of a game after the first period a week ago isn’t worse than folks let on. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-for-6 on the PP; Lethbridge was 3-for-7. . . . The teams meet again Saturday in Medicine Hat.
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In Vancouver, the Kelowna Rockets scored four times in the second period and beat the Giants, 6-2, in front of 11,517 fans. . . . C Cody Almond had three goals and an assist for the Rockets. Almond was one of the Rockets to hear criticism earlier in the week from Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton after a 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. Gee, do you think Almond read his press clippings and got motivation from them? . . . Kelowna F Mikael Backlund, who also heard it from Hamilton, had a goal and an assist. . . . Almond has 30 goals on the season, as does C Colin Long, who got to No. 30 in this one. . . . It was the second time this season the Giants have surrendered more than four goals. . . . Kelowna F Ian Duval set up four goals. . . . Vancouver, which started a stretch of eight games in 10 days, pulled starting G Tyson Sexsmith after two periods. He will start Saturday when the Giants meet the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenburger turned aside 36 shots. . . . Rockets F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan had two assists. . . . Vancouver F Casey Pierro-Zabotel had one assist to reach the 100-point plateau. But he now trails Calgary F Brandon Kozun by one point in the scoring race. . . . Vancouver won the first five games in the season series with Kelowna but the Rockets have won the last two. . . . Geez, Regan, was that you pulling my chain?
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Kootenay (7)
Brandon (3) vs. Lethbridge (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
Medicine Hat is one point ahead of Swift Current, with both having played 62 games. . . . Lethbridge holds a one-point lead over the seventh-place Kootenay Ice. The Ice has one game in hand. . . . Prince Albert and Edmonton are tied for eighth, with the Raiders having a game in hand and one more victory. The Regina Pas are ninth, four points back. . . . Keep in mind that should there be a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot, a sudden-death game will be played to decide the issue.
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Western Conference
Vancouver (1) vs. Prince George (8)
Tri-City (2) vs. Everett (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Seattle (6)
Kelowna (4) vs. Kamloops (5)
Tri-City holds a four-point lead on Spokane, which has one game in hand. . . . Kelowna is five points behind Spokane. . . . Kamloops is fifth, one point ahead of Seattle and two ahead of Everett. . . . Prince George has a 12-point lead on Chilliwack, with each team having 10 games left.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Regina, the Pats got back on track – well, they at least won – as they beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-2. . . . The Pats had lost seven in a row. The victory lifted them to within four points of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. . . . The Warriors, who have lost three straight, scored the game’s first two goals – getting a PP score from F Martin Filo and a shorthanded tally from F Jason Bast, his 20th – in the first period. . . . Regina D Victor Bartley got a PP goal just 23 seconds after Bast scored and Regina added three second-period goals. . . . F Thomas Hricina had two of Regina’s second-period goals. . . . Regina G Linden Rowat stopped 34 shots, while Warriors G Jeff Bosch turned aside 23. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-for-8 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . The teams meet again Sunday in Moose Jaw. . . . Regina has a 5-1 edge in the season series with Moose Jaw.
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In Swift Current, G Morgan Clark stopped 26 shots to help the Broncos to a 4-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . D Eric Doyle had two assists for the Broncos, who got a goal and an assist from F Keegan Dansereau. . . . F Mike Brown, in his 55th game, scored his first goal this season for Swift Current.
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In Calgary, F Brett Sonne had two goals and F Brandon Kozun had a goal and three assists as the Hitmen dumped the Red Deer Rebels, 7-2. . . . Attendance was 15,072. . . . F Joel Broda and D Michael Stone each added a goal and two helpers for Calgary. . . . Sonne, with 28 goals in his last 25 games, is on a 16-game point streak. . . . Broda leads the WHL with 47 goals. . . . Sonne has 44 goals, while Kozun has 38. . . . Kozun, who has points in 14 straight games, reached the 100-point barrier, the first Calgary player to get there since F Jordan Krestanovich in 2000-01. . . . Kozun now has 101 points and leads the WHL scoring race by a point over Vancouver Giants F Casey Pierro-Zabotel. . . . Calgary led this one 5-0 after one period, setting a franchise record by scoring three times in 55 seconds in the process. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones, who is 24-0-2-0 in his last 26 starts, stopped 26 shots, including a Landon Ferraro penalty shot attempt, as he put up his 40th victory of the season. He broke the franchise record of 39 that was set by Alexandre Fomitchev in 1998-99. . . . The Hitmen were 3-for-7 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-7. . . . Calgary D Paul Postma leads the WHL in plus-minus, at plus-62. . . . Calgary, which is 5-0-0-0 against Red Deer, has won 10 straight, the third time this season it was won at least than many in a row. . . . The Hitmen have won a franchise-record 31 home games, two short of the WHL record. Calgary has two home games left, against the Regina Pats and Kelowna Rockets. . . . Calgary visits Red Deer on Saturday night.
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In Prince George, F Tomas Vincour returned from a shoulder injury to score one goal and set up another as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Cougars, 3-2. . . . The teams meet in Prince George again Saturday night. . . . The Oil Kings built a 3-0 lead before the Cougars scored two third-period goals. . . . The Cougars have lost four in a row. . . . The Oil Kings moved into a tie with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot.
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In Chilliwack, F Seth Compton and F Tyler Shattock had two goals each to help the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . Compton broke a 3-3 tie at 5:15 of the third period as the Blazers erased a 3-1 deficit. . . . Shattock scored twice on the PP as Kamloops was 2-for-4 with the man advantage. . . . F Ryan Howse scored twice for Chilliwack, which held a 42-22 edge in shots. . . . Kamloops G Justin Leclerc stopped 39 shots. . . . The Bruins were 0-for-4 on the PP.
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In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard stopped 36 shots as the Seattle Thunderbirds blanked the Spokane Chiefs, 3-0. . . . Seattle D Sena Acolatse scored his sixth goal, at 13:58 of the second period, and it stood up as the winner. . . . The Chiefs held a 36-29 edge in shots, including 13-6 in the third period. . . . Pickard, the younger brother of Tri-City Americans G Chet Pickard, has two shutouts in his freshman season. . . . It was the fourth time this season Spokane has been blanked. It was the third time Seattle has put up a shutout. . . . On Wednesday in Spokane, the Chiefs beat the Thunderbirds, 7-3.
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In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans erased a 2-1 deficit with four third-period goals as they beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-2. . . . Tri-City G Chet Pickard stopped 23 saves in winning his 30th game of the season. He has started 18 straight games since returning from the World Junior Championship. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 36 shots. . . . The loss knocked Everett into seventh place in the Western Conference, behind the Kamloops Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Mitch Fadden scored his 28th at 1:23 of the third period to tie the score 2-2 and D Brett Plouffe got his 14th at 7:01. . . . F Adam Hughesman had two assists for the winners. . . . Everett lost F Dale Hunt (concussion) midway through the first period after he was upended by Plouffe.
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In Lethridge, D Thomas Kundratek had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . He has three goals on the season. . . . Medicine Hat got a goal and two assists from F Linden Vey. . . . The last time these teams met in Lethbrdige, things got a bit ugly late in the third period. This game, however, was quiet. It featured 13 minors and two majors. . . . Attendance was 5,270. . . . Lethbridge G Juha Metsola wasn’t dressed and you have to wonder if that little tweak that took him out of a game after the first period a week ago isn’t worse than folks let on. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-for-6 on the PP; Lethbridge was 3-for-7. . . . The teams meet again Saturday in Medicine Hat.
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In Vancouver, the Kelowna Rockets scored four times in the second period and beat the Giants, 6-2, in front of 11,517 fans. . . . C Cody Almond had three goals and an assist for the Rockets. Almond was one of the Rockets to hear criticism earlier in the week from Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton after a 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. Gee, do you think Almond read his press clippings and got motivation from them? . . . Kelowna F Mikael Backlund, who also heard it from Hamilton, had a goal and an assist. . . . Almond has 30 goals on the season, as does C Colin Long, who got to No. 30 in this one. . . . It was the second time this season the Giants have surrendered more than four goals. . . . Kelowna F Ian Duval set up four goals. . . . Vancouver, which started a stretch of eight games in 10 days, pulled starting G Tyson Sexsmith after two periods. He will start Saturday when the Giants meet the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenburger turned aside 36 shots. . . . Rockets F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan had two assists. . . . Vancouver F Casey Pierro-Zabotel had one assist to reach the 100-point plateau. But he now trails Calgary F Brandon Kozun by one point in the scoring race. . . . Vancouver won the first five games in the season series with Kelowna but the Rockets have won the last two. . . . Geez, Regan, was that you pulling my chain?
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