Wednesday . . .

The Prince George Citizen is reporting that F Brett Connolly was in Vancouver on Monday “where he saw a specialist who determined there is nothing physically wrong with his hip joints.” . . . Connolly, 17, originally was injured while in Europe playing for Canada in the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. He missed the start of the WHL season, tried to play, re-aggravated things, rested, tried to play again and left a game in Kamloops on Dec. 5. He hasn’t played since then. . . . There is more on Connolly near the end of a story right here.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed Jason Becker, 35, as an assistant coach under head coach Dean Clark. Becker, who is from Saskatoon, played five seasons in the WHL (Saskatoon, Red Deer, Kamloops, Swift Current, 1990-95). He then played five seasons with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies before going on to play in Europe. He played as recently as last season. Becker will join the Cougars on Dec. 26 in Kelowna as they return from the Christmas break.
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You may be aware that Boeing has a huge plant in Everett, and that Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner had its maiden flight on Tuesday. The Silvertips have found a tie-in with a promotion for Friday’s game against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . There are $7.87 tickets being sold for seats in the upper bowl.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have released Swedish F Fredrik Cedergren, 19, who had five points in 31 games and was a healthy scratch in five of the club’s last nine games. “Bringing in a 19-year-old, it was a calculated risk that he would have a shorter transition period and really help us out sooner rather than later,” Bruno Campese, the Raiders’ GM/head coach, told John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “It was a calculated risk and one that I don’t feel bad about. It’s worked out the way it’s worked out, and we move on.”
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WEDNESDAY:
In Spokane, F Nino Niederreiter broke a 2-2 tie at 13:50 of the third period to give the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Swiss freshman, who is 17, has 21 goals. . . . F Ryan Johansen also had a goal and an assist for Portland. . . . F Mitch Wahl had two goals for the Chiefs, giving him 13. His second goal tied the game at 4:41 of the third. . . . Portland G Ian Curtis stopped 31 shots, 12 more than Spokane’s James Reid. . . . F Stefan Schneider scored Portland’s second goal, his sixth of the season, and it came while shorthanded. . . . Portland was 1-for-2 on the PP; Spokane was 0-for-5. . . . G Ian Curtis stopped 32 shots for Portland. . . . Attendance was 3,766. . . . The Winterhawks (22-13-0-1) moved into third in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the Chiefs. . . . Spokane (21-10-2-0) had won seven of eight. . . . The Winterhawks have won three of the five games with the Chiefs this season, with the visiting team winning every game.
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In Everett, the Silvertips built up a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Shane Harper, who hadn’t scored in six games, got his 21st of the season to give Everett a 2-0 lead in the first period. F Chris Langkow upped that to 3-0 at 15:55 of the second. . . . F Cody Eakin, cut earlier in the day from Canada’s national junior team in Regina, got his 27th for the Broncos at 8:06 of the third period.. . . . Sophomore D Jordan Evans got his first WHL goal — it came in his 82nd game — for the Broncos at 15:38 of the third. . . . Harper skated one third-period shift and left the game, the result of being on the receiving end of a hard check in the second. Everett head coach Craig Hartsburg told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald that Harper has an upper body bruise but is expected to play Friday against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Everett (18-12-2-1) had lost six of seven. . . . The Broncos (17-17-0-2) have lost four of five and are 3-12-0-2 on the road. . . . The Silvertips were without F Zack Dailey (head injury) for a second straight game.
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings opened up a 3-0 third-period lead and beat the Regina Pats 3-1 to end their 11-game losing streak. . . . D Mark Pysyk and F Mark Raedeke, who is from Regina, scored in the first period, with F Michael St. Croix adding a third-period goal. . . . F Jordan Weal got his 18th for the Pats at 13:57 of the third. . . . F Clayton Cumiskey had two assists for Edmonton (9-19-4-4). . . . The Pats (16-19-3-0) have lost five straight. . . . Attendance was 3,286.
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In Saskatoon, three second-period goals carried the Blades to a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Walker Wintoneak had a goal and two assists for the Blades, while F Randy McNaught added his first goal of the season. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored for the Rockets (18-18-1-0) who went 3-3-0-0 on their East Division swing. . . . Attendance was 5,531. . . . The Blades (23-6-1-3) closed to within two points of the idle Calgary Hitmen (25-8-1-1), who lead the overall standings.