Portland at Kamloops post-game . . .

Leftovers from Sunday’s WHL game between the Portland Winterhawks and the host Kamloops Blazers:
Portland scratched G Keith Hamilton, F Ty Rattie (hand, day-to-day), F Oliver Gabriel (spleen), F Riley Boychuk (concussion), F Gasper Kopitar (immigration), D Tyler Wotherspoon and D David Watt (AJHL-Brooks Bandits). . . . According to the Winterhawks, Gabriel and Boychuk were injured on the same shift during a 5-3 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane on Friday. Both were hit by Spokane D Jared Cowen, who spent a shift playing up front in an attempt to inject some energy into the Spokane game. Gabriel may be out for a while; Boychuk isn’t expected to miss much more than a week. . . .
Kopitar, 17, is an interesting study. He is from Jesenice, Slovenia, but played minor hockey in Los Angeles so isn’t classified as an import. However, he has been in the United States on his parents’ passport, so isn’t allowed to leave the country without them. The Winterhawks are working towards clearing up that situation. . . .
Kamloops scratched D Linden Saip (flu), F Dalibor Bortnak (spleen, indefinite), F Colin Smith (broken arm, indefinite), F Ryan Hanes and D Giffen Nyren (flu). . . . Bortnak and Smith both were injured during training camp. Neither will play until much later this month. . . .
The Winterhawks didn’t play Saturday. They spent Friday night in Spokane and had a leisurely trip to Kamloops on Saturday, arriving about 4 p.m. . . .
The Blazers went into Vancouver to play the Giants on Saturday without even one goal from any of their defencemen. They lost the game, 5-4 in overtime, but got goals from two defencemen — Brandon Underwood, who scored one goal in 35 games as a freshman last season, and Zak Stebner. . . . Kamloops F Brett Lyon picked up an assist in Vancouver. That was his first point this season. He had three assists in 35 games after being acquired from Vancouver last season. . . .
Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston and Kamloops head coach Barry Smith spent four years together, including the lockout season, on the coaching staff of the Vancouver Canucks. . . .
Portland F Brad Ross, 17, is the younger brother of D Nick Ross, who played in the WHL with the Regina Pats, Kamloops and Vancouver. A first-round pick by Phoenix in the 2007 NHL draft, Nick Ross was assigned by the Coyotes last week to the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow, 17, is the younger brother of former Blazers D Josh Morrow. . . .
Kamloops head coach Barry Smith showed some confidence in Kamloops F JC Lipon with time winding down Sunday. The Blazers were down 3-2 when Lipon, who had scored his first WHL goal in the first period, found himself on the ice with veterans C.J. Stretch and Tyler Shattock. With the puck in the Portland zone, Lipon went to the net and Stretch’s shot glanced off him and past G Kurtis Mucha. For the Blazers, it was JC from C.J. . . . The goal originally was credited to Stretch but was changed to Lipon after the game. . . . Lipon, 16, has been a diligent and intelligent worker who is going to cause the Blazers’ staff some pensive moments when Bortnak and Smith come back from their injuries. If Lipon doesn't play in Kamloops, chances are he would return to the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. . . .
After scoring Sunday’s OT winner, Portland F Chris Francis said taking penalties “isn’t our game at all.” The Winterhawks took 10 minors through two periods. “We want to be a fast team, use our speed,” Francis said. “We’ve got a lot of skill this season so we want to use our speed to get pucks in and get behind their defence. We got caught up in penalty trouble . . . some guys not using their heads. But it’s early in the season and we’re just going to grow. That was a great win for us.”
Asked what was said in the Portland room in the second intermission, with the Winterhawks down 2-0, Francis replied: “We just said we’re going good. Stay out of the box and get one and we’ll be right there. We weren’t getting outplayed. We were right there the whole game.” . . .
Mucha, by the way, had lost his last six appearances in Kamloops and actually hadn’t won in that building since Feb. 24, 2006. That night he stopped 21 shots and beat the Blazers and G Devan Dubnyk, 3-2. . . .
The Daily News Three Stars: 1. G Jon Groenheyde, Kamloops. He made 55 saves. Without him, this one was over a whole lot earlier. . . . 2. Francis. A goal and two assists. He always plays well in Kamloops. . . . 3. F Ryan Johansen, Portland. Had one goal on a big-time shot and was a force all game.