Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: G Wade Flaherty (Kelowna Wings/Seattle/Spokane/Victoria) has won two awards this season in the Asia Hockey League. He won Best Goalkeeper and Best Saving Percentage awards. In 36 games with the China Sharks, he had a 3.29 GAA and a save percentage of .917. Flaherty also led the league's goalies in saves, shots faced, games played, and minutes played. . . . F Jason Miller (Medicine Hat) signed a one-year contract extension with Dresden (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 17 goals and 12 assists in 29 games with Dresden this season.
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JUST NOTES: LW Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs is getting a taste of the NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Bowman, who had 47 goals this season, for the duration of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was a third-round selection in the 2007 NHL draft. . . . Earlier, the Hurricanes recalled Lethbridge Hurricanes F Zach Boychuk for the playoff run. . . . Neither is expected to get into a game but will travel and practice with the team and hang out with the other Black Aces, who include former WHLers Brandon Sutter and Brett Carson. . . . The Tri-City Americans announced Friday that “athletic trainer Kevin Heise will not be returning to the club for the 2009-10 season.” Heise was in his second stint with the Americans, having left after the 2005-06 season for one season with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The B.C. School Superintendents Association has honoured the Vancouver Giants with its 2009 Award of Recognition. This award goes to “individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to support and enhance public school education in the Province of British Columbia,” according to a release. The Giants started a 'Read to Succeed' program six seasons that by last year had grown to involve 98 schools and 10,000 students. Also involved in the program are sponsors CIBC, Save On Foods and Campbell's Soup.

As expected, C Casey Pierro-Zabotel of the Vancouver Giants was named Friday as the Western Conference finalist as the WHL’s player of the year. Zabotel, who won the WHL scoring title with 115 points, is up against F Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitmen, who had 100 points. . . . Grant Riddle of the Spokane Chiefs is the Western Conference’s nominee for the league’s marketing/public relations award. The Eastern Conference finalist is Mike Bortolussi of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The WHL also revealed that Tri-City Americans captain Taylor Procyshen is the Western Conference nominee as its humanitarian of the year. The Eastern Conference nominee is Kootenay Ice D Ian Barteaux.

All signs point to this being a sillier silly season than usual, what with the number of coaching changes that are going to happen at all levels. Already, we have the Chilliwack Bruins, Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars looking for head coaches. And there most certainly will be two or three other coaching changes before another season arrives. . . . In Regina, Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Pats head coach Dale Derkatch remains in limbo. He has two years left on his contract but hasn’t yet been told he’ll be back for a second season. . . . Sources tell me that at least two AHL teams are poised to drop their 2008-09 head coaches go. Harder’s story is right here. . . . And the U of Calgary dumped head coach Scott Atkinson this week after the Dinos missed the playoffs for the first time in 24 seasons. Atkinson had been there since the summer of 2001.
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Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune reports that Winter Hawks owner Bill Gallacher isn’t sweating out the political discussions taking place concerning the possible blowing up of Memorial Coliseum, the WHL team’s home rink. That story is right here.
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FRIDAY NIGHT’S PLAYOFF GAME: Well, so much for Brandon’s eight-game playoff winning streak. The Wheat Kings opened the Eastern Conference final in Calgary and the Hitmen took them apart to the tune of 9-3. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Calgary. . . . The Hitmen now are 9-0 in these playoffs; Brandon is 8-1. . . . Calgary had a 7-0 lead before Brandon’s Andrew Clark scored on the PP at 15:38 of the second period. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 18 shots, although he was beaten three times for the first time in these playoffs. . . . F Kris Foucault, who has turned into one of the real stories in these playoffs, and D Paul Postma each had a goal and an assist for Calgary, while F Kyle Bortis scored twice. . . . Foucault, who was acquired from the Kootenay Ice at the trade deadline for F Ryan Fox, has 10 points, including a team-leading eight goals, in nine playoff games. . . . He had 16 points, nine of them goals, in 22 regular-season games with the Hitmen. . . . Foucault also is tied for the WHL playoff goal lead, along with Clark. Two players whose teams have been eliminated, Spokane’s Drayson Bowman and Medicine Hat’s Tyler Ennis, also have eight goals. . . . Calgary D Erik Bonsor didn’t earn a point but was plus-4. . . . Brandon G Andrew Hayes stopped 10 shots before being lifted at 7:45 of the second period with his side down 5-0. James Priestner came on to stop 16 of 20. . . . Attendance was 8,812.