Saturday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Tim Konsorada (Brandon) signed a one-year contract extension with Lillehammer (Norway Elitserien). He had 27 goals and 29 assists in 44 games for Lillehammer this season to finish fourth in league scoring.
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THE MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: D Ron Shudra (Kamloops) has announced his retirement from playing. He had 14 goals and 25 assists in 52 games for the Sheffield Scimitars (England Premier League). Shudra, 41, went to England in 1990 and split 19 seasons between the with Solihull Barons, Sheffield Steelers, Hull Thunder, Coventry Blaze and Scimitars. The Sheffield Steelers website's current poll question asks whether Shudra is the greatest player ever for the Steelers. As of Saturday at 11:40 p.m. Pacific Time, 63 per cent of respondents had voted yes.
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WHL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL . . .
GAME TWO: F Mikael Backlund, who has signed with the NHL’s Calgary Flames, had two goals as the Kelowna Rockets dumped the Hitmen 5-2 in Calgary on Saturday night. . . . The Rockets won both games in Calgary and take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 in Kelowna on Monday night. . . . Calgary hadn’t lost consecutive games all season. . . . Calgary was 32-4 at home in the regular season and had won its first four home playoff games. . . . The Rockets broke this one open with four third-period goals. . . . The first period was scoreless. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 after two. . . . F Tomas Karpov opened the scoring, giving Calgary a 1-0 lead at 2:45 of the second. . . . Kelowna F Evan Bloodoff equalized at 12:56. . . . Bloodoff would finish with a goal and two assists. . . . Kelowna F Ian Duval, who played 125 regular-season games with Calgary before being dealt to the Moose Jaw Warriors, broke the 1-1 tie at 3:40 of the third period. . . . Backlund followed with back-to-back goals, at 5:22 and 10:21, before Calgary D Keith Seabrook added a goal at 12:52. . . . Kelowna F Colin Long got an empty-netter at 19:58. . . . Kelowna D Tyler Myers had two assists and finished plus-4. . . . Kelowna F Lucas Bloodoff, Evan’s brother, had two assists and was plus-3. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-2 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-5. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 27 shots despite wearing a plug in one nostril to prevent the reoccurrence of a nosebleed that first began leaking in Game 1 after a goal-mouth collision with teammate Curt Gogol. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 22 shots. . . . Attendance was 11,879. . . . Kelowna lost LW Jamie Benn after a hit from Seabrook in the middle of the first period. Benn left the ice with assistant from Kelowna trainer Jeff Thorburn and didn’t return. "We brought our (team) doctor with us, and it was his call not to let Jamie play," Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska told Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier. "Jamie wanted to play; he's going to be fine and we're looking forward to having him back in our lineup in Kelowna." . . . Kelowna scratched F Kyle St. Denis (flu). . . . Calgary F Tyler Fiddler left in the first period with an apparent shoulder injury after being checked into the boards. It is believed that he was taken to hospital for X-rays.
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WHL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL (all times local):
Friday: Kelowna 3 at Calgary 1
Saturday: Kelowna 5 at Calgary 2
Monday: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 9: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, May 11: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.

x -- if necessary.
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THE PICKS:
John Down (13-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in 6.
Jeff Bromley (12-2), Kootenay NewsAdvertiser: Calgary, in 6.
Alan Caldwell (12-2), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in 6.
Scott Fisher (12-2), Calgary Sun: Calgary, in 6.
Dan Russell (11-3), CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Calgary, in 5.
Gregg Drinnan (11-3), Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 6.
Rob Vanstone (11-3), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 4.
Cory Wolfe (11-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Kevin Mitchell (10-4), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary, in 7.