Saturday . . .

If you were wondering, and I know you were, WHL goaltenders went into Saturday’s games on pace to put up 94 shutouts this season. That would be the fifth-highest total in WHL history, behind 2004-05 (141), 2006-07 (120), 2003-04 (107) and 2005-06 (103). . . . Last season, the goaltenders put up 92 blank jobs.
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This is a day or two late, but Damien Cox of the Toronto Star talked with Mike Liambas, the Erie Otters forward who was suspended by the OHL for the remainder of this season for the hit that put Kitchener Rangers defenceman Ben Fanelli in hospital. That piece is right here.
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FRIDAY LEFTOVERS: When Tri-City dropped visiting Vancouver 8-2 on Friday, it was the Giants’ worst loss of the season and the first time they had given up eight goals since an 8-2 loss to the host Americans on Nov. 2, 2007. . . . It was Tri-City’s second victory over the Giants this season. The Ams won 5-3 in Vancouver on Oct. 17. . . . When C Brendan Shinnimin scored at 4:36 of the second period, it gave Tri-City a 5-0 lead that was worth a free burger from Burger Ranch to every fan in attendance. Meanwhile, in Kamloops, the Blazers beat the Edmonton Oil Kings 6-5 in overtime to win free A&W Teen Burgers for the fans. The Blazers needed to score at least four goals and win the game in order for that promotion to kick in. . . . Thirty minutes after the game, a couple of the Blazers were seen wandering the empty stands. Were they getting exercise, helping the cleanup crew or looking for ticket stubs?
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According to a story in the Lethbridge Herald, the WHL office has instructed its teams to have all queries regarding H1N1 vaccines forward to commissioner Ron Robison. . . . The story, by Dave Mabell, reads, in part: “Hurricanes spokesperson Ryan Ohashi said this city’s WHL team hasn’t had the benefit of an H1N1 flu clinic. But he declined further comment, referring news media questions to league officials. In Calgary, a WHL spokesperson said league commissioner Ron Robison — the only person who could speak about WHL teams’ transgressions — was unavailable until next week.”
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The San Francisco Examiner takes a look right here at a Prince George Cougars’ prospect named Mattia Bortolotto.
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SATURDAY:
In Portland, F Chris Francis scored three times in regulation time and then
added the shootout winner as the Winterhawks got past the Seattle
Thunderbirds of Kent, 4-3. . . . Francis forced OT when he scored with 0.9
seconds left in the third period. There was a faceoff in the Seattle zone
with 1.7 seconds left. Spencer Bennett got the puck back to Francis who got
a wrist shot past Seattle G Calvin Pickard. . . . Pickard was brilliant,
though, and finished with 45 saves. . . . Attendance at the Rose Garden was
8,753. . . . The Winterhawks are 14-8-0-0, while Seattle slipped to
4-12-1-3. . . . Portland had been shutout in its two previous games and
trailed 3-1 in the third period in this one. . . . Francis scored two PP
goals. . . . Portland G Kurtis Mucha stopped 29 shots through OT and two
more in the shootout. . . . F Luke Walker drew assists on the two Portland
PP goals.
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In Kamloops, RW Tyler Shattock broke a 2-2 with a pair of goals and the Blazers went on to a 5-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Shattock scored at 17:48 of the second period and again at 14:42 of the third. . . . He has 12 goals this season. . . . The Blazers (10-9-2-0) moved into fourth place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips (10-5-1-0), Spokane Chiefs (10-6-1-0) and Kelowna (10-8-1-0). . . . RW Jimmy Bubnick, who ended a nine-game goal drought on Friday, also scored twice for Kamloops which has followed up a seven-game losing streak with two straight victories. . . . Kamloops G Justin Leclerc stopped 39 shots. . . . Kelowna D Curt Gogol (hand) left at 3:09 of the first period after a bout with Kamloops D Josh Caron. . . . The Blazers lost LW Shayne Wiebe (hip) in the first period. . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska and Kamloops interim head coach Scott Ferguson are close friends and were teammates on two Memorial Cup championship teams in Kamloops.
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In Saskatoon, G Steven Stanford stopped two shots in the shootout as the Blades beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-3. . . . The Blades (16-3-0-3) won on shootout goals from F Burke Gallimore and F Jeremy Boyer. . . . Saskatoon completed a stretch of seven games in nine nights, during which it picked up 13 points. . . . Stanford was acquired from Prince Albert on Oct. 5 and, in fact, continues to use the gloves and pads he wore with the Raiders. . . . Stanford, 19, is 7-0-0-0 with Saskatoon. . . . Prince Albert G Dalyn Flette stopped 44 shots and that included a stop on F Josh Nicholls on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Raiders led 3-1 in the middle of the second period. . . . Saskatoon D Duncan Siemens scored his first WHL goal at 12:33 of the third period to force OT. . . . The Raiders scratched D Brendon Wall (groin), who went the other way in the Stanford deal. . . . Attendance was 4,227. . . . Saskatoon next plays Friday when it meets the Wheat Kings in Brandon in what should be a game-of-the-week clash.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings got a goal and two assists from F Brayden Schenn as they skated to a 5-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Brandon (11-8-0-2) was coming off a 4-0 shutout at the hands of visiting Prince Albert on Friday. The Wheat Kings hadn’t been blanked since Jan. 1, 2007, a span of 194 games. . . . The victory lifted Brandon into a tie with Medicine Hat (10-9-2-2) for fourth in the Eastern Conference. . . . Schenn’s line accounted for three goals, with Scott Glennie and Matt Calvert each scoring once. . . . Calvert’s goal was a shorthanded effort. He leads the WHL with five such goals. . . . Brandon G Andrew Hayes stopped 29 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,527. . . . In one of the great mysteries of this season, the Wheat Kings are 2-6 on Fridays and 7-0 on Saturdays. . . . Brandon was without D Mark Schneider (leg). He was injured Friday and is listed as day-to-day.
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In Cranbrook, Red Deer D Colin Archer’s second goal of the season, at 2:54 of overtime, gave the Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Red Deer F Willie Coetzee, who had been pointless for two games after an 11-game point streak was halted, had two goals and an assist on the winner. . . . The Ice (8-11-1-0) got two goals and an assist from F Dustin Sylvester. . . . F Kevin King’s shorthanded goal for the Ice forced OT at 16:41 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 2,713. . . . The Ice had won 4-1 in Red Deer on Friday. . . . It has been determined that Kootenay G Nathan Lieuwen didn’t suffer a concussion on Oct. 23 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks. He apparently has been suffering migraines, and is to resume skating Monday. . . . Kevin Jacyna, a 16-year-old from Calgary who plays for that city’s midget AA Royals, backed up Ice G Todd Mathews in the two games.
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In Spokane, the Chiefs ran their winning streak to four with a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . C Mitch Wahl had a goal and an assist for the Chiefs, who also have won five of six. . . . Spokane’s first goal came from F Levko Koper, on a 4-on-4 breakaway with 49 seconds left in the first period. . . . Wahl gave the Chiefs (10-6-1-0) a 2-0 lead at 10:31 of the second when his shot deflected off a Vancouver defenceman and past G Jamie Tucker. . . . F Brendan Gallagher got Vancouver (12-6-1-2) close with a PP score at 15:21 of the second. . . . Spokane has surrendered just four goals over its last three games. . . . G James Reid stopped 24 shots for Spokane, while Tucker turned also turned aside 24. . . . Attendance was 8,358. . . . The Giants, who lost 8-2 to the host Tri-City Americans on Friday, are at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes blew a 6-2 second-period lead before coming back to beat the Swift Current Broncos 7-6 in a shootout. . . . Lethbridge (7-11-2-0) got shootout goals from Mitch Maxwell and Cam Braes, while the Broncos were blanked. . . . The Broncos got goals from F Justin Dowling, at 16:36 of the second period, and F Taylor Vause 16 seconds later to get close. . . . And the visitors tied it on third-period goals by F Adam Lowry at 8:13, on the PP, and D Eric Doyle, shorthanded at 18:22. . . . Dowling finished with two goals and two helpers, while F Brad Hoban had three assists. . . . Broncos F Cody Eakin had his WHL-leading 21st goal. . . . The Hurricanes got two goals from each of F Carter Bancks and F Austin Fyten. . . . G Brandon Anderson stopped 31 shots through OT for Lethbridge. . . . G Ville Kolppanen, who suffered a concussion during a Lethbridge practice late in October, was back on the ice Friday. He was dressed in a backup role on Saturday. . . . The Broncos (10-9-0-2) are 0-7-0-2 on the road.
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In Moose Jaw, F Brendan Rowinski’s third goal of the game, just 12 seconds into overtime, gave the Warriors a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Rowinski, who has 14 goals, had two goals in the first period. . . . Brock Hirsche of the Cougars forced OT with his third goal of the season at 2:06 of the third period. . . . The Cougars (3-13-1-1) are 0-1-1-1 on a seven-game road trip that opened with a 5-4 shootout loss in Kelowna on Wednesday. . . . Prince George G Hudson Stremmel stopped 29 of 31 shots after relieving Alex Wright at 15:56 of the first period with the Warriors (13-8-0-0) ahead 3-1. . . . Moose Jaw G Brandon Glover stopped 22 shots. . . . Attendance was 2,123.
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In Chilliwack, F Ryan Howse’s PP goal at 3:03 of overtime gave the Bruins a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Howse scored three goals on the night and now has 15. . . . The Oil Kings (7-10-2-3) had been beaten 6-5 on Friday night in Kamloops. In that one, Edmonton forced OT with a goal in the last minute of the third period. In Chilliwack, Edmonton F Brett Breitkreuz scored at 18:12 of the third period to force extra time. . . . G Lucas Gore stopped 26 shots for the Bruins (8-9-1-3). . . . G Cam Lanigan, making his fourth straight start as Torrie Jung recovers from the flu, stopped 24 shots. . . . Attendance was 3,321. . . . Edmonton got two goals from F Brent Raedeke and three assists from F Clayton Cumiskey.