Friday . . .

The Vancouver Province is reporting that one player from the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins suffered a fractured collarbone when the team bus was involved in an accident near Williams Lake, B.C.
The Province is quoting RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk as saying: "One youth is suffering from facial injuries, non-life threatening, another with a fractured collar bone, and the remainder of the bus occupants are suffering from no injury to minor injuries.”
I also was told that head coach Pat Ansell, a former goaltender with the Regina Pats 1976-78), suffered a broken nose.
The Province story is right here.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Tyler Bouck (Prince George, 1995-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL), which takes him through next season. Bouck has nine goals and 12 assists in 26 games for Ingolstadt so far this season. . . . F Josh Olson (Portland, 2000-02) has been released by the Hannover Indians (Germany DEL). He had seven goals and 10 assists in 21 games with the Indians this season.
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Some notes involving WHL teams and trades . . .
The WHL puts its annual Christmas trade moratorium in place early next week. Trading won’t be allowed from Tuesday (Dec. 15) through Sunday, Dec. 27. A trade will be accepted by the WHL office until 11:59 pm MT on Dec. 14 and again starting at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 28.
As well, players attending a World junior team evaluation/selection camp cannot be traded. If a player makes a World junior championship team, he cannot be traded until Wednesday, Jan. 6, the day after the World junior tournament concludes.
Players attending the U-17 World Hockey Challenge cannot be traded until Monday, Jan. 4, the day after the event concludes.
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A poster on the Oregon Live forum has done some research on Portland Winterhawks F Tayler Jordan and discovered that he now has been suspended seven times:
09-05-07 - One game for knee major and Game Misconduct (GM)
09-18-07 - Three games for knee major and GM
11-20-08 - One game for cross checking major
11-25-08 - Two games for GM
02-15-09 - One game for fight on opening faceoff
10-15-09 - Two games under supplemental discipline
12-10-09 - Three games for GM
The poster emailed me and asked: Is this a record ... can you recall any other player in the history of the WHL getting suspended seven times?
Off the top of my head, I can’t recall anyone spending seven episodes in the doghouse. On the other hand, Jordan has totalled only 13 games worth of suspensions in the seven episodes.
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The SPHL’s Louisiana IceGators have hired Dave MacIsaac as their head coach. He was the head coach of the Eastern league’s Danbury Mad Hatters last season. MacIsaac replaces Brent Sapergia, who took over from Ron Handy just after this season started.
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I also received a note from a reader pointing out the Regina-Vancouver connection that no doubt has something to do with trades made between the Pats and Giants. . . . Todd Ripplinger is the Pats’ director of scouting and his brother, Jason, is the Giants’ director of player personnel. . . . So conspiracy theorists have the Bonner brothers, Craig and Scott, running the Giants and Kamloops Blazers, and now they can point to the Ripplinger brothers, as well.
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Steve Brandon of the Portland Tribune reports that Winterhawks LW Luke Walker plans on being in Grand Forks, N.D., for the start of the U.S. national junior team’s selection camp. Walker needed surgery to repair the damage after he took a puck in the face late in the Winterhawks’ 4-3 OT victory over the Silvertips in Everett on Tuesday. He had surgery Wednesday morning and briefly visited teammates at practice Thursday. According to Brandon, Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston “says Walker had a plate inserted in his upper-jaw area, where he suffered a broken bone. . . . Walker also received nearly 50 stitches just above his teeth.” . . . But, as Johnston put it, “His face is pretty swollen, and it's painful, but a facial injury doesn't necessarily prohibit you from playing.” . . . So Walker, being a hockey player’s hockey player, will be in Grand Forks. . . . The U.S. is to announce its roster on Dec. 23. . . . Johnston told Brandon that the Winterhawks will bring in F Joel Ridgeway, 19, from the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers and F Taylor Peters, from the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, 17, to help out over the next couple of weeks. Ridgeway has played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans and the Winterhawks, while Peters was assigned to the Vees in October.
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G Tyson Sexsmith (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2004-09) has been reassigned by the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, moving to the ECHL’s Kalamazoo K-Wings from the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. In eight games with the Sharks, the first year pro was 2-4-1 with a 4.00 GAA.
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Jeff Guay is the new head coach of the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs, who have lost 14 straight games. He replaces Don MacAdam, the president and head coach, who, along with assistant coach Jamie Dumont, was fired Thursday. Guay worked as an assistant coach in Lewiston for six seasons, before leaving after last season. The Maineiacs’ last home game drew 415 fans. Tim Schurman, a Maine scout, has moved in as an assistant coach.
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The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have announced that they “have formally submitted” a letter of intent to bid to serve as the host of the 2011 Memorial Cup tournament. The 2009 event was held in Rimouski, Que., with the 2010 party scheduled for Brandon.
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In the QMJHL, the Saint John Sea Dogs ran their winning streak to 21 games Friday when they beat the host P.E.I. Rocket, 4-1.
That is the third-longest winning streak in QMJHL history, behind only the Sorel Eperviers (25, 1973-74) and Hull Olympiques (24, 1995-96).
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FRIDAY:
In Vancouver, D Neil Manning and F Craig Cunningham had a goal and two assists each as the Giants erased a 3-0 first-period deficit and beat the Kamloops Blazers, . . . . Cunningham has 51 points in 35 games this season. . . . Manning broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 10:01 of the third period. . . . The Giants were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . D Kevin Connauton scored twice for the Giants. . . . Kamloops has given up at least one PP goal in 17 of its last 18 games. In those 18 games, it has allowed 36 PP goals. . . . Vancouver (21-11-1-2) moved into first place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Giants are 15-8-0-0 at home. . . . The Blazers (13-16-2-2) are eighth, two points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Vancouver tied the game with three second-period goals. . . . Vancouver head coach Don Hay hooked starter Mark Segal after he allowed three goals on eight shots before the game was 11 minutes old. Sophomore Jamie Tucker came on to stop all 21 shots he faced. . . . Kamloops G Jon Groenheyde stopped 42 shots. . . . Attendance was 8,926. . . . D Mathieu Bellerive, 15, made his WHL debut with the Giants. He was a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft and plays for the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants. Bellerive played last season at Pursuit of Excellent in Penticton.
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In Brandon, F Jay Fehr scored four times, including the game’s last three goals, as the Wheat Kings beat the Kelowna Rockets, 8-4. . . . Fehr, 20, who may have had the quietest 84-point season in WHL history in 2008-09, has 18 goals this season. . . . Fehr’s last goal was shorthanded. . . . The Wheat Kings (22-11-0-2) have won five in a row. . . . The Rockets (17-16-1-0) scored the game’s first two goals and trailed 5-4 after two periods. . . . With Kelowna leading 2-0, Brandon F Jesse Sinatynski, 17, scored his second WHL goal. It was the Teddy Bear goal and you can bet the delay didn’t do the Rockets any good. . . . Sinatynski hadn’t played since Nov. 21. . . . The Rockets had won two in a row on their East Division swing and had posted five straight road victories. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger made his first appearance since last spring’s Memorial Cup final. He started but was gone at 6:59 of the second period after giving up five goals on 11 shots. At that point, Brandon had a 5-3 lead. . . . Brandon G Jacob De Serres stopped 26 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-6 on the PP, while Brandon was 0-for-3. . . . Kelowna D Tyson Barrie had one assist to run his point streak to 21 games, the longest in the league this season. He has 33 points, including 28 assists, in that stretch. . . . Attendance was 4,730.
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In Chilliwack, F Levko Koper scored three straight goals as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the Bruins, 7-1. . . . Koper, who had set up the game’s first goal, upped his total to 14 with a goal late in the second period and two more in the third as the Chiefs took a 6-0 lead. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-4 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-3. . . . F Tyler Johnson and F Kyle Beach added two goals each for Spokane. Johnson, who will attend the U.S. national junior team’s selection camp in Grand Forks, N.D., starting Dec. 17, has 18 goals. Beach, who wasn’t invited by Hockey Canada to its selection camp, has 23 goals. . . . Attendance was 2,834. . . . Spokane is 20-8-2-0 and winner of six in a row. . . . The Bruins (13-17-1-4) had lost four of five. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 31 shots, losing his shutout on F Roman Horak’s 12th goal at 12:54 of the third. . . . Chilliwack G Braden Gamble and stopped 11 of 14. Cole Holowenko came on at 10:05 of the second and stopped 12 of 16.
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In Everett, the Prince George Cougars snapped a 15-game road losing streak by beating the Silvertips, 3-2, in a shootout. . . . Interestingly, the WHL website originally credited the shootout winner to G Alex Wright, who backed up Hudson Stremmel on this night. . . . The winner actually came from D Dallas Jackson, who was the only one of five shooters to score in the circus. . . . The Cougars (6-24-1-1) forced OT when Jackson scored at 19:46 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,987. . . . Everett looked about to win after F Kellan Tochkin broke a 1-1 tie at 14:47 of the third period. . . . The Cougars took a 1-0 lead into the second period on F Marek Viedensky’s PP goal. . . . Viedensky had been out with strep throat. . . . Everett got that one back when F Cameron Abney got his second goal at 7:24 of the second. . . . Everett (16-11-2-1) has lost five in a row. . . . F Brett Connolly (hip) returned home to Prince George during the Cougars’ road trip.
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In Cranbrook, B.C., F Brandon Kozun, the WHL scoring leader, got his 19th goal as the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . Kozun, who will to the Canadian national junior team selection camp in Regina on Saturday, leads the WHL with () points. . . . F Kris Foucault, whom the Hitmen acquired from the Ice last season, broke a 1-1 tie with his 11th goal of the season, on the PP, at 7:13 of the third period. . . . F Kyle Aschim scored his first WHL goal in 25 games for the Hitmen. He had played 41 games with the Prince Albert Raiders prior to this season. . . . G Martin Jones stopped 24 shots for Calgary, while the Ice’s Todd Mathews turned aside 27. . . . Attendance was 2,808. . . . The Hitmen (24-8-1-0) have won five in a row. . . . The Ice (16-15-1-1) had won six of seven. . . . Calgary F Joel Broda had one assist. He now has 13 points in his last seven games.
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In Medicine Hat, F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and four assists as the Tigers whipped the Regina Pats, 7-2. . . . The Tigers (19-10-2-4) were without GM/head coach Willie Desjardins. He is the head coach of Canada‘s national junior team so is in Regina preparing for the selection camp that opens Saturday. . . . Associate coach Shaun Clouston runs the Tigers in Desjardins’ absence. . . . The Tigers have won three in a row and are 10-2-0-2 in their last 14 outings. . . . The Pats (16-16-3-0) have lost four of five. They have given up 16 goals in their last two games, both losses. . . . Regina took 90 of 145 penalty minutes, including 17 minutes worth to D Cody Carlson at game’s end. The Pats acquired him from the Tigers earlier in the season. . . . The Tigers were 3-for-8 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-6. . . . D Jace Coyle had three assists for Medicine Hat. . . . F Jordan Eberle’s WHL-leading 29th goal actually gave Regina a 2-1 lead at 8:26 of the first period. . . . D Mark Isherwood erased that with his ninth and 10th goals for the home side. . . . Medicine Hat D Scott McKay scored his first WHL goal. . . . F Carter Ashton and F Craig Orfino, acquired Wednesday by Regina from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, were in the lineup. Both were pointless and minus-1. . . . Before the game, the Pats announced that they had assigned F Jason Gardiner, 18, to an undisclosed MJHL team. Gardiner, who was acquired from the Tri-City Americans, had five points and 33 penalty minutes in 25 games. The Americans selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft. . . . The Pats are carrying 26 players, including 15 forwards and nine defencemen. That includes D Shamus Graham, 17, who has been added from the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers.
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In Moose Jaw, F Antonin Honejsek scored four times to lead the Warriors to an 11-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . D Travis Hamonic had three goals and an assist, with D Kevin Smith and D Ryan Stanton each drawing four assists. . . . Honejsek, who has 10 goals in his last 11 games, has 11 goals on the season, while Hamonic, who will report to the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp in Regina on Saturday, has 10. . . . Honejsek also has three new front teeth. He lost three teeth when struck in the face a while back, and now has his new ones. . . . Moose Jaw F Joey Kornelsen, who had a goal in four games last season, scored his first two goals of this season, Kornelsen, 16, was Moose Jaw’s first pick, 33rd overall, in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . The Warriors (17-13-1-1) went 6-for-8 on the PP as they ended a three-game losing skid. . . . Edmonton (8-18-4-4) has lost 10 in a row. . . . Attendance was 2,042.
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In Prince Albert, Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 37 shots, including a penalty shot, to lead the Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . With Red Deer leading 3-1, Kuemper stopped F Ryan Harrison on a penalty shot at 12:49 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Andrej Kudrna got the winner at 16:16 of the second on the PP. . . . F Willie Coetzee had a goal and an assist for the Rebels. He has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, and former Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Jeff Finley, who scouts for the Wings, was in P.A. . . . Red Deer (16-14-0-1) was 1-for-4 on the PP, while the Raiders (18-15-1-2) were 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,426.
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In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard stopped 53 shots to lead the host Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Tri-City F Neal Prokop scored the game’s first goal, after which Pickard slammed shut the door. . . . Seattle D Scott Ramsay and F Mikhail Sentuyrin got their first goals of the season for Seattle, while F Prab Rai got his 20th. . . . Seattle D Jeremy Schappert had three assists, while F Jonathan Parker was pointless but plus-4. . . . Seattle (12-17-1-3) closed to within two points of the eighth-place Kamloops Blazers, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Americans (22-9-0-0) had a three-game winning streak snapped and now trail the conference-leading Vancouver Giants by a point. . . . Attendance was 3,642.