Wednesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Vaclav Varada (Tacoma-Kelowna, 1994-96) has been loaned by Vitkovice (Czech Extraliga) to Brno (Czech Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had two goals and eight assists in 19 games with Vitkovice this season.
---
In Regina, Pats general manager Brent Parker is trying to figure out where the fans have gone. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has that story right here.
---
The Calgary Hitmen again have an opening for a 20-year-old. The Hitmen acquired F Del Cowan from the Prince George Cougars on Tuesday and that got them up to the maximum of three, the other two being F Joel Broda and F Cody Gross. . . . On Wednesday, however, the Hitmen released Gross, who had three points in 16 games. Gross also has played for the Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats and Red Deer Rebels.
---
The Brandon Wheat Kings have designated C Jesse Hall, 18, for assignment. Hall, a sophomore from Winnipeg, had three assists in 17 games with Brandon. The Wheat Kings are looking to move him within the WHL. Failing that, he is likely to play in the SJHL or the MJHL. . . . The Wheat Kings are without D Alexander Urbom, 19, who has eight points in 15 games. The freshman is in Montreal taking part in a week-long session with Sweden’s national junior team. Urbom is expected to rejoin the Wheat Kings in time to play home games Friday against the Prince Albert Raiders and Saturday against the Medicine Hat Tigers.
---
D Alex Petrovic, 17, is ready to return to the Red Deer Rebels’ lineup. Petrovic, out for more than a month with a high ankle sprain incurred in a practice, has played in two games this season. He should be back in the lineup Friday when the Rebels entertain the Kootenay Ice. He was a member of the Canadian team that won the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in August. . . . The Rebels remain without D Nick Bell (ankle surgery), who isn’t expect back for another three months.
---
Paul Danzer of the Columbian has a look at Portland Winterhawks F Chris Francis right here.
---
Former WHLer Mark Derlago (Brandon, 2003-06), who has scored at every level at which he has played, has joined the AHL’s Providence Bruins on a tryout deal. He has been with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. He had 10 points in eight games with Idaho. You may recall that Derlago missed the 2004-05 WHL season with a broken neck suffered in an exhibition game.
---
So far, the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Marlies, Toronto Raptors and Abbotsford Heat have admitted to receiving H1N1 vaccinations ahead of many members of the general public. And yes, there has been considerable uproar. . . . But, folks, you really shouldn’t be surprised. These teams, from junior A through the pro ranks, all have their own medical staffs. And you can bet that those medical people were far better prepared for this than the politicians who have so badly bungled this whole situation. . . . So let’s just sit back and wait to see how many more teams were able to jump the queue because their medical teams did exactly what they are supposed to do -- provide their teams with the best possible medical care. . . . Hey, I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do, but . . .
The Globe and Mail has an all-encompassing story right here.
---
WEDNESDAY:
In Saskatoon, F Charles Inglis broke a 1-1 tie at 4:27 of the third period as the Blades, playing and winning their fifth game in six nights, edged the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The winner came with the teams playing 4-on-4. . . . F Cody Eakin scored his 18th goal for the Broncos late in the first period. Eakin and Medicine Hat Tigers F Bretton Cameron share the WHL lead in goals. . . . F Curtis Hamilton tied it with his seventh at 8:25 of the second. . . . Attendance was 3,418. . . . Broncos G Morgan Clark stopped 30 shots, while Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford turned aside 22. . . . The Blades (15-3-0-2) lead the Eastern Conference and have won seven in a row. . . . The Broncos (9-9-0-1) have lost four in a row and are winless on the road (0-7-0-1) this season. . . . The Blades won 3-1 in Swift Current on Sunday. . . .
---
In Lethbridge, F Mitch Maxwell’s two goals helped the Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Maxwell, with 11 goals in his freshman season, has scored five times in his last two games and has at least one goal in five straight games. . . . The Hurricanes (6-11-2-0) had lost their last two games. . . . Everett (10-5-0-0) had won four in a row on its Central Division swing. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 22 shots in improving his record to 1-2-0-0. The Hurricanes have two goaltenders -- Linden Rowat (leg) and Ville Kolpannen (concussion) -- out with injuries. . . . Maxwell’s second goal, at 2:39 of the third period, gave the home side a 3-1 lead. . . . F Carter Ashton had two assists for the winners. . . . Attendance was 2,937.
---
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored two third-period goals and beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . Calgary (14-5-0-0) is 4-0 against Edmonton this season; the Hitmen are 15-3 in the all-time series. . . . Goals by F Rhett Rachinski in the first period and F Michael St. Croix in the second gave the visitors a 2-1 lead. . . . F Joel Broda, with his eighth, at 18:26 of the third on the PP and D Michael Stone, his seventh, at 19:10, gave Calgary the victory. . . . Calgary F Brandon Kozun had a goal and two assists as he extended his point streak to 12 games. He leads the WHL with 34 points. . . . Attendance was 6,471. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan stopped 27 shots, while Calgary’s Martin Jones turned aside 20. . . . Because of the flu and injuries, Edmonton dressed only 17 skaters. G Torrie Jung was in the building but not on the bench due to the flu. . . . The Oil Kings The Oil Kings, who now head into B.C., are 7-10-0-3.
---
In Regina, the Pats struck for three goals in the third period and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-4. . . . On a day when Regina GM Brent Parker wondered where the fans were, attendance was announced at 3,626. . . . The Tigers (9-8-2-2) never held a lead but three times they forged ties, at 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4. . . . The Pats improved to 7-9-2-0. . . . Regina F Brett Leffler, with his eighth, broke the 4-4 tie at 4:01 of the third period. It was his second goal of the game. . . . F Jordan Eberle got his 13th at 11:48 on the PP and F Garth Mitchell, with his first, put it on ice at 14:13. . . . F Matt Strueby, who was back after sitting out three games with a concussion, had Regina’s first two goals, PP scores at 10:01 and 11:12 of the first period. He has 10 goals in 15 games. . . . Regina D Brandon Davidson, back after missing three games with a knee injury, had assists on the game’s last two goals. . . . F Linden Vey had two goals and a helper for the Tigers. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal drew four assists. . . . Regina D Cody Carlson, acquired earlier in the season from Medicine Hat, scored his first goal of the season. . . . Regina D Myles Bell and F Graham Hood both sat out with the flu, while Eberle played despite fighting the bug. . . . Medicine Hat had F Colin Mospanchuk, a fifth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, in the lineup in place of F Reid Petryk (bruised ribs). Mospanchuk plays for the MJHL’s Winnipeg South Blues. . . . Medicine Hat F Bretton Cameron, who shares the WHL goal-scoring lead and is three points off the points lead, left the game after Regina’s final goal and didn’t return.
---
In Prince Albert, F Brendan Rowinski and F Quinton Howden scored shootout goals to give the Moose Jaw Warriors a 6-5 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Raiders (9-8-0-1) held three leads in this one -- 2-0, 3-2, 5-4 -- but F Thomas Frazee scored for the Warriors (12-7-0-0) at 6:35 of the third period to force OT. The goal was his second of the game and seventh of the season. . . . F Jason Bast had two goals and three assists for the Warriors, while Howden had a goal and three helpers. D Travis Hamonic set up three goals. . . . The Raiders got two goals and an assist from F Igor Revenko and three assists from D Jordan Rowley. . . . The Warriors were 3-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 1,810. . . . Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak told John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald that the Warriors had a dozen players in the lineup despite their feeling ill and that they scratched four players with the flu.
---
In Spokane, F Kyle Beach scored the Chiefs’ first two goals, erasing a 1-0 deficit, and they went on to a 5-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Beach has eight goals in his last five games and 13 on the season. . . . F Kevin Sundher gave the Bruins (7-8-1-3) the lead at 12:48 of the first period. . . . The Chiefs (8-6-1-0) scored the game’s last five goals. . . . Spokane, which had lost three straight at home, got a a goal and two assists from each of F Tyler Johnson and F Levko Koper. . . . Attendance was 3,519. . . . Spokane had a 40-25 edge in shots.
---
In Portland, F Craig Cunningham scored twice and G Jamie Tucker stopped 24 shots to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 4-0 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . It was Portland’s first game this season in the Rose Garden. Attendance was 3,387. . . . The Winterhawks been blanked in two straight games. They lost 3-0 to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Sunday. . . . Portland G Kurtis Mucha stopped 36 shots. . . . It was Vancouver’s second shutout of the season and the second time Portland has been blanked. . . . It was Tucker’s first shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. . . . Vancouver was 1-for-7 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-5. . . . Cunningham has 12 goals this season. . . . Vancouver F J.T. Barnett had two assists. He has 19 points in 19 games, after putting up five points in 38 games as a freshman last season. . . . Vancouver’s second goal, by F Milan Kytnar, came while the Giants were shorthanded. . . . The Giants are 12-4-1-2 and one point behind the Western Conference-leading Tri-City Americans (14-3-0-0). . . . Portland is 13-7-0-0 and two points behind the Americans, who hold three games in hand.
---
In Kelowna, D Tyson Barrie scored the only goal of the shootout as the Rockets edged the Prince George Cougars, 5-4. . . . Barrie was the Rockets’ first shooter. . . . The Cougars (3-12-0-1) erased a 2-0 early first-period deficit with three goals, two of them from F James Dobrowolski, who is from Vernon, B.C., and a single from F Nick Buonassisi. . . . The Rockets (9-7-0-1) regained the lead on goals from F Kyle St. Denis and F Spencer Main. . . . Prince George F Robbie Ciolfi forced OT with a goal at 2:46 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 6,051. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown turned aside 27 shots and faced down three shooters in the circus. . . . Cougars G Alex Wright stopped 30 shots and two more in the shootout. . . . The Cougars now head into the East Division for six games. . . . Prince George was without D Dallas Jackson, who served a one-game WHL suspension.
---
We conclude with a timely rant from a WHL fan, who sent me this on Wednesday:
“When is the league going to do something about all of these delay-and-stall tactics after a team is called for icing the puck from the defensive zone?
“Almost every time a team is caught with some tired players on the ice -- one of about three or four things happen. The coach of the icing team decides to get into a debate with the refs over who was on the ice (funny how all the coaches suddenly get amnesia when trying to remember which five players were on the ice); the defensive ‘stooge’ creates chaos in the faceoff circle and after a few tries . . . gets thrown out of the circle (bonus points if he can engage the linesman in some chat); the defensive team encroaches on the faceoff so badly that they eventually toss the ‘stooge’ player who was ‘set to take the draw.’
“These delay tactics are embarrassing, slow down the game and are simply a disgrace IMHO!!
“The solution is so simple: If the offending team (the team that iced the puck) does ANYTHING to delay the ensuing faceoff, it should be given a minor for delay of game or unsportsmanlike conduct. Simple enough IMO!”