Thursday . . .

Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix regularly interviews well-known sports figures, and they are always a good read. This week, he chatted with Barry Melrose. Scoot on over to thestarphoenix.com to read the whole interview, but here’s a taste. . . .
The SP: You’re cousins with former NHLers Wendel Clark and Joey Kocur . . .
Melrose: Wendel is my cousin, and Joey and I are related through marriage.
The SP: OK, describe the shinny games with those guys while growing up in Kelvington.
Melrose: When I had my hockey school, we had some great games at night. There were a lot of injuries in our shinny games. Our shinny games were better than a lot of NHL games right now. A lot of our buddies came to play — guys we played with when we were kids. I remember one guy named Duane Wagner came through the slot with this head down and Wendel ran into him. Wendel had his head down, too, but he just crushed him. It was one of the best hits I ever saw. Once Duane got up and got moving, it was pretty funny.. It was just a case of a guy with his head down being hit by one of the hardest hitters in the NHL.
The SP: What’s the ratio of suits to sweats in your closet?
Melrose: About 60 to 1. I don’t have sweatsuits.
The SP: I’ve never asked a guy this, but what’s your hair product of choice?
Melrose: Actually, I don’t have one of choice. I spread my money around. I help the economy out. I don’t have a favourite. But I always buy American — no European crap.
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With Chilliwack in Prince George for a Wednesday-Friday doubleheader with the Cougars, it means F Ryan Howse and D Brandon Manning of the Bruins get to play in front of friends and family. Should be a good time. Right? It turns out that’s not the case. “It's tough playing up here -- it's not one of my favourite places to play, I don't like it up here too much,” Howse, 18, told the Prince George Citizen after he and Manning had been booed through most of a 4-1 loss on Wedneday. “I'm not going to whine or anything, but for some reason I've gotten more disrespect here than anywhere else in the league. I've heard it from them all throughout the season when we've been here. That's hockey, I guess, I'll deal with it and not let it bother me. That's their job, I guess.” . . . Attendance was announced at 2,070.
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They are shaking their heads in Regina and area as they try to figure out what is wrong with the Pats. A team that was projected to finish in the 40-victory area is scrambling to make the Eastern Conference playoffs. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has done a great job of covering a team in crisis. His latest piece, headlined Time Running Out for Pats, is right here.
www.leaderpost.com/sports/hockey/pats-hockey/Time+running+Pats/1254076/story.html
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JUST NOTES: Spokane LW Drayson Bowman is the Boston Pizza CHL player of the week. He had 10 points in three victories. . . . LW Darian Dziurzynski of the Saskatoon Blades will be out for a while after injuring a hand during a scrap with F Michael Burns of the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday. Right now, Dziurzynski, 17, is listed as week-to-week. . . . In Thursday’s lone game, the visiting Calgary Hitmen were 5-for-8 on the PP as they doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers, 8-4. LW Bostjan Golicic had three goals for Calgary. He has 20 goals on the season. F Brett Sonne and D Keith Seabrook added two goals each for the Hitmen, while F Brandon Kozun drew four assists.