D Jared Cowen of the Spokane Chiefs is expected to be out long-term after suffering an injury to his right knee during a 6-0 victory over the visiting Chilliwack Bruins on Friday night.
There is a lot of swelling in the knee and that swelling will have to go down before the extent of the damage is known. But Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said Saturday morning that "we're expecting long term."
Cowen, the first overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft, turned 18 on Jan. 25.
He was injured in the second period when he took a Chilliwack player into the boards. It looked a routine play until it became apparent that Cowen was injured. He needed help to get off the ice.
The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Cowen was ranked seventh among North American skaters eligible for the 2009 NHL draft in NHL Central Scouting's midseason rankings.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday . . .
FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Moose Jaw, the Saskatoon Blades ran their winning streak to 10 games with a 6-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Blades, with at least a point in 14 straight, set a franchise record with their 21st road victory of the seson. . . . Moose Jaw has lost 11 in a row. . . . Saskatoon G Braden Holtby stopped 27 shots for his 29th victory of the season. . . . The Warriors remain without D Travis Hamonic (knee).
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In Prince Albert, F Dustin Cameron scored 25 seconds into overtime to give the Raiders a 4-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The goal was Cameron’s 28th of the season. . . . RW Keegan Dansereau scored his 30th of the season for the Broncos. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders into a tie with the idle Regina Pats for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
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In Cranbrook, F Kevin King drew three assists as the Kootenay Ice got past the Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2. . . . The Ice broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period PP goals, one on a 5-on-3, from F Andrew Bailey and F Brayden McNabb. . . . The 5-on-3 occurred as Brandon got hit with too-many-men penalties just 47 seconds apart. . . . G Todd Mathews stopped 29 shots for the victory. . . . F Andrew Clark scored his 30th goal of the season for Brandon late in the third period. . . . Brandon had won its last four games. . . . The Ice was without G Nathan Lieuwen (concussion) and had G Dylan Tait of the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters on the bench. . . . Linesman Scott Pryor left the game after a second-period collision with Brandon C Jay Fehr. Fehr, who was shaken up on the play, was back for the third period. . . . As was suggested here last week, the Ice announced cuts in some ticket prices after signing a new 15-year lease with the city of Cranbrook. That lease was officially signed at centre ice Friday, coinciding with the announcement that season-ticket prices had been reduced for next season. Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay NewsAdvertiser reports that an adult season-ticket purchased before May 29 will go for $399, down $50. A senior ticket is down $60 to $299, with students paying $249, a reduction of $90. A child’s ticket has fallen $31 to $199.
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In Kelowna, C Cody Almond had three straight goals to lead the Rockets to a 10-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Kelowna now has won three in a row. . . . The Rockets last scored 10 goals on Jan. 5, 2002, when they beat the Vancouver Giants, 11-1. . . . The Tigers hadn’t lost this badly on the road since Oct. 5, 2001, when they were beaten 11-5 by the Cougars in Prince George. . . . LW Jamie Benn and F Mitchell Callahan each scored twice. Benn now has 30 goals on the season. . . . Almond, who has 25 goals, scored all three in an eight-minute span of the second period. . . . Kelowna D Tyler Myers was plus-5. . . . The Tigers had beaten the Rockets 4-1 in Medicine Hat on Oct. 3. . . . Swedish C Mikael Backlund, whose mother was in the crowd, set up three goals. . . . Kelowna F Ian Duval left the game with an injury and won’t play Saturday in Kent, Wash., against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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In Everett, F Greg Scott scored twice as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Scott has 19 goals this season. . . . The Thunderbirds were coming off consecutive one-goal losses to Medicine Hat and Kamloops. . . . Seattle closed to within one point of sixth-place Everett in the Western Conference. . . . Everett has lost eight straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
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In Portland, G Chet Pickard stopped 22 shots to help the Tri-City Americans to a 2-0 victory over the Winter Hawks. . . . C Kruise Reddick, just back after an 18-game concussion-related absence, scored his 13th goal of the season at 6:29 of the second period. . . . It was Pickard’s third shutout of the season and the 10th of his career. Carey Price holds the franchise record (15). . . . It was the eighth time this season that Portland has been blanked. . . . The Winter Hawks now have lost 10 in a row.
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In Spokane, LW Drayson Bowman scored three times and set up two others to lead the Chiefs to a 6-0 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Chiefs lost D Jared Cowen to a leg injury in the second period. . . . The Bruins have been blanked 10 times this season with all of those shutouts coming in their last 42 games. . . . Spokane has won 10 straight games and is six points behind the Tri-City Americans, who are the second seed in the Western Conference. The Chiefs have three games in hand. . . . G Dustin Tokarski stopped 33 shots for the shutout. He has five this season and 13 for his career. He also has won 10 straight games. . . . Bowman’s first goal came with the Chiefs shorthanded. They have a shorthanded goal in each of their last four games.
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In Lethbridge, D Keith Seabrook’s 11th goal at 1:26 of OT gave the Calgary Hitmen a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Calgary F Brett Sonne forced OT with his 31st goal, a PP effort, at 10:17 of the third period. . . . D Eric Bonsor scored his second goal of the season for Calgary in the first period. . . . F Zach Boychuk had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes.
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In Prince George, D Nick Ross’s eighth goal of the season stood up as the winner as the Vancouver Giants edged the Cougars, 3-2. . . . Ross scored at 19:06 of the second period to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.
In Moose Jaw, the Saskatoon Blades ran their winning streak to 10 games with a 6-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Blades, with at least a point in 14 straight, set a franchise record with their 21st road victory of the seson. . . . Moose Jaw has lost 11 in a row. . . . Saskatoon G Braden Holtby stopped 27 shots for his 29th victory of the season. . . . The Warriors remain without D Travis Hamonic (knee).
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In Prince Albert, F Dustin Cameron scored 25 seconds into overtime to give the Raiders a 4-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The goal was Cameron’s 28th of the season. . . . RW Keegan Dansereau scored his 30th of the season for the Broncos. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders into a tie with the idle Regina Pats for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
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In Cranbrook, F Kevin King drew three assists as the Kootenay Ice got past the Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2. . . . The Ice broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period PP goals, one on a 5-on-3, from F Andrew Bailey and F Brayden McNabb. . . . The 5-on-3 occurred as Brandon got hit with too-many-men penalties just 47 seconds apart. . . . G Todd Mathews stopped 29 shots for the victory. . . . F Andrew Clark scored his 30th goal of the season for Brandon late in the third period. . . . Brandon had won its last four games. . . . The Ice was without G Nathan Lieuwen (concussion) and had G Dylan Tait of the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters on the bench. . . . Linesman Scott Pryor left the game after a second-period collision with Brandon C Jay Fehr. Fehr, who was shaken up on the play, was back for the third period. . . . As was suggested here last week, the Ice announced cuts in some ticket prices after signing a new 15-year lease with the city of Cranbrook. That lease was officially signed at centre ice Friday, coinciding with the announcement that season-ticket prices had been reduced for next season. Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay NewsAdvertiser reports that an adult season-ticket purchased before May 29 will go for $399, down $50. A senior ticket is down $60 to $299, with students paying $249, a reduction of $90. A child’s ticket has fallen $31 to $199.
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In Kelowna, C Cody Almond had three straight goals to lead the Rockets to a 10-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Kelowna now has won three in a row. . . . The Rockets last scored 10 goals on Jan. 5, 2002, when they beat the Vancouver Giants, 11-1. . . . The Tigers hadn’t lost this badly on the road since Oct. 5, 2001, when they were beaten 11-5 by the Cougars in Prince George. . . . LW Jamie Benn and F Mitchell Callahan each scored twice. Benn now has 30 goals on the season. . . . Almond, who has 25 goals, scored all three in an eight-minute span of the second period. . . . Kelowna D Tyler Myers was plus-5. . . . The Tigers had beaten the Rockets 4-1 in Medicine Hat on Oct. 3. . . . Swedish C Mikael Backlund, whose mother was in the crowd, set up three goals. . . . Kelowna F Ian Duval left the game with an injury and won’t play Saturday in Kent, Wash., against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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In Everett, F Greg Scott scored twice as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Scott has 19 goals this season. . . . The Thunderbirds were coming off consecutive one-goal losses to Medicine Hat and Kamloops. . . . Seattle closed to within one point of sixth-place Everett in the Western Conference. . . . Everett has lost eight straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
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In Portland, G Chet Pickard stopped 22 shots to help the Tri-City Americans to a 2-0 victory over the Winter Hawks. . . . C Kruise Reddick, just back after an 18-game concussion-related absence, scored his 13th goal of the season at 6:29 of the second period. . . . It was Pickard’s third shutout of the season and the 10th of his career. Carey Price holds the franchise record (15). . . . It was the eighth time this season that Portland has been blanked. . . . The Winter Hawks now have lost 10 in a row.
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In Spokane, LW Drayson Bowman scored three times and set up two others to lead the Chiefs to a 6-0 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Chiefs lost D Jared Cowen to a leg injury in the second period. . . . The Bruins have been blanked 10 times this season with all of those shutouts coming in their last 42 games. . . . Spokane has won 10 straight games and is six points behind the Tri-City Americans, who are the second seed in the Western Conference. The Chiefs have three games in hand. . . . G Dustin Tokarski stopped 33 shots for the shutout. He has five this season and 13 for his career. He also has won 10 straight games. . . . Bowman’s first goal came with the Chiefs shorthanded. They have a shorthanded goal in each of their last four games.
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In Lethbridge, D Keith Seabrook’s 11th goal at 1:26 of OT gave the Calgary Hitmen a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Calgary F Brett Sonne forced OT with his 31st goal, a PP effort, at 10:17 of the third period. . . . D Eric Bonsor scored his second goal of the season for Calgary in the first period. . . . F Zach Boychuk had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes.
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In Prince George, D Nick Ross’s eighth goal of the season stood up as the winner as the Vancouver Giants edged the Cougars, 3-2. . . . Ross scored at 19:06 of the second period to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.
Friday, January 30, 2009
The economy batters another team
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Mike Maneluk (Brandon) has transferred from Langenthal (Swiss NL B) to Lugano (Swiss NL A). Maneluk started the year with Dinamo Minsk (KHL) and has 12 goals and 19 assists in 28 games with Langenthal so far this season. Maneluk will remain with Langenthal until the end of their season (their regular season ends Tuesday; playoffs start Feb. 10), then transfer to Lugano full-time. However, due to injuries to Petteri Nummelin and Hnat Domenichelli, Maneluk will play for Lugano on Saturday night against Davos. Maneluk played for Lugano from 2001 to 2005 and scored 107 goals and 130 assists in 202 games during that time.
F Petr Vala (Seattle) signed with Zilina (Slovakia Extraliga) through the 2010-11 season after his release by Havirov (Czech 1.Liga). He had nine goals and 11 assists in 27 games for Havirov this season. . . . D Mike Egener (Calgary) has signed with Björklöven Umeå (Sweden Allsvenskan) for the rest of this season after he was released by Vita Hästen Norrköping (Sweden Division 1) earlier Friday. He had one goal and three assists in eight games for the White Horses, with whom he signed at the end of December. The GM for Vita Hästen, Håkan Sigfridsson, had good things to say about Egener. He says that they were not disappointed in Egener, just that they "had a little higher expectations. It is a shame because he is an amazing guy."
G Milan Hnilicka (Swift Current) has been loaned out from Liberec (Czech Extraliga) to Benátky nad Jizerou (Czech 1.Liga). Hnilicka has been out since mid-December for health reasons. He has appeared in 22 games with Liberec this season and has a 3.19 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. . . . D Harlan Pratt (Seattle/Red Deer/Prince Albert/Regina/Portland) signed with European Champions League champs Zurich Lions (Swiss NL A) for the rest of this season after his release by Cologne Sharks (Germany DEL) yesterday. In 42 games with Cologne, Pratt had one goal and seven assists.
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THE MAcBETH REPORT, Part 2: And now to the global economic crisis . . .
The Swedish Allsvenskan club Malmö Redhawks has told all of its players that they are free to break their contracts with the club and move to other teams, effective Thursday evening. Nine players have left the club already along with seven people from the front office who were let go. Eight junior players were called up and were to dress for Friday night’s game against Huddinge. The Swedish government lottery Svenska Spel removed the game from all of their betting games because there was no guaranteeing what kind of team Malmö would field.
This has been brewing since mid-September, when the current financial crisis made it "virtually impossible to sell any advertising to sponsors, etc." They made their December payroll of around three million Swedish crowns (about $440,000 Canadian) only because the former major sponsor of the club stepped in and paid it himself. Malmö's total player payroll is around 30 million Swedish crowns ($4.4 million Canadian) for the season, about the same as most Elitserien clubs and revenues are not enough to cover this.
According to the club's press release, "The Board's overall objective is to avoid bankruptcy for Malmö Redhawks to enable the non-profit youth and junior activities to continue."
The club also announced that it won’t make any payments on any existing debt, only on new and "entirely necessary costs to keep the business," and asks its creditors to "have patience with the situation."
Should the club not be able to reorganize itself successfully, it would have to go into bankruptcy. Bankrupt clubs are required under Swedish hockey regulations to drop down at least two levels. Malmö had hoped to regain a spot in Elitserien for next season and is currently nine points (three victories) out of a playoff spot in Allsvenskan.
It is unknown how many more players will leave the club. The
signing deadline in Sweden is Saturday at midnight.
F Petr Vala (Seattle) signed with Zilina (Slovakia Extraliga) through the 2010-11 season after his release by Havirov (Czech 1.Liga). He had nine goals and 11 assists in 27 games for Havirov this season. . . . D Mike Egener (Calgary) has signed with Björklöven Umeå (Sweden Allsvenskan) for the rest of this season after he was released by Vita Hästen Norrköping (Sweden Division 1) earlier Friday. He had one goal and three assists in eight games for the White Horses, with whom he signed at the end of December. The GM for Vita Hästen, Håkan Sigfridsson, had good things to say about Egener. He says that they were not disappointed in Egener, just that they "had a little higher expectations. It is a shame because he is an amazing guy."
G Milan Hnilicka (Swift Current) has been loaned out from Liberec (Czech Extraliga) to Benátky nad Jizerou (Czech 1.Liga). Hnilicka has been out since mid-December for health reasons. He has appeared in 22 games with Liberec this season and has a 3.19 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. . . . D Harlan Pratt (Seattle/Red Deer/Prince Albert/Regina/Portland) signed with European Champions League champs Zurich Lions (Swiss NL A) for the rest of this season after his release by Cologne Sharks (Germany DEL) yesterday. In 42 games with Cologne, Pratt had one goal and seven assists.
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THE MAcBETH REPORT, Part 2: And now to the global economic crisis . . .
The Swedish Allsvenskan club Malmö Redhawks has told all of its players that they are free to break their contracts with the club and move to other teams, effective Thursday evening. Nine players have left the club already along with seven people from the front office who were let go. Eight junior players were called up and were to dress for Friday night’s game against Huddinge. The Swedish government lottery Svenska Spel removed the game from all of their betting games because there was no guaranteeing what kind of team Malmö would field.
This has been brewing since mid-September, when the current financial crisis made it "virtually impossible to sell any advertising to sponsors, etc." They made their December payroll of around three million Swedish crowns (about $440,000 Canadian) only because the former major sponsor of the club stepped in and paid it himself. Malmö's total player payroll is around 30 million Swedish crowns ($4.4 million Canadian) for the season, about the same as most Elitserien clubs and revenues are not enough to cover this.
According to the club's press release, "The Board's overall objective is to avoid bankruptcy for Malmö Redhawks to enable the non-profit youth and junior activities to continue."
The club also announced that it won’t make any payments on any existing debt, only on new and "entirely necessary costs to keep the business," and asks its creditors to "have patience with the situation."
Should the club not be able to reorganize itself successfully, it would have to go into bankruptcy. Bankrupt clubs are required under Swedish hockey regulations to drop down at least two levels. Malmö had hoped to regain a spot in Elitserien for next season and is currently nine points (three victories) out of a playoff spot in Allsvenskan.
It is unknown how many more players will leave the club. The
signing deadline in Sweden is Saturday at midnight.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: G Wade Flaherty (Seattle/Spokane/Victoria) has retired from the China Sharks (Asia Hockey League) to become the developmental goaltending coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. He played for Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford last season. The Asia Hockey League completed its regular season on Friday and the Shanghai-based Sharks missed the playoffs, finishing in sixth place with a record of 7-25-1-3. Flaherty, who doubled as goaltending coach for the Sharks, finished the season with a 3.29 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage (third in the league) in 36 games. He played all but 20 minutes for the Sharks this season. . . . F Adam Taylor (Kootenay), who also was playing for the Sharks, has signed with the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings.
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THE MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: While we are in Asia, the Seibu Prince Rabbits (based in Tokyo) announced that they will fold at the end of this season. Prince Hotel and Resorts, the main sponsor of the Rabbits, announced that due to the “severe business environment” facing the company, it would stop funding the team. The estimated annual cost of funding the team is about 500 million Japanese yen (about $6.8 million Canadian) and Prince Hotels is undergoing drastic restructuring efforts, selling or closing about 40 business units which include hotels and golf courses. Prince is actively seeking a buyer of the team and hopes to find one before April. The Japan Ice Hockey Federation is concerned that the folding of the country’s “glamour team” could affect the fate of other teams. The Rabbits started in 1972 as the Kokudo Bunnies and have won the Japan League 13 times, the All Japan Championship 10 times and have been champions of the Asia Hockey League for both seasons of its existence. This season, they finished in second place with a record of 26-9-0-1. The playoffs begin in the Asia Hockey League on Feb. 17, after the national team break. . . . Former Tri-City/Saskatoon F Ryan Fujita (known in Japan by his Japanese name Kiyoshi) currently plays for the Rabbits and had already decided to retire at the end of this season after 15 years in Japan.
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JUST NOTES: Rogers Sportsnet Pacific is going to provide coverage of the 57th annual Beanpot tournament from Boston. Two games are set for Monday (Feb. 2), with Boston University playing Harvard at 2 p.m. (all times Pacific) and Boston College meeting Northeastern at 5 p.m. The tournament final is scheduled for Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. . . . If you don’t have access to Sportsnet Pacific, check the listings because I believe the Boston College-Northeastern game also will be on Sportsnet East, with the tournament final on East, Ontario and Pacific. . . . According to a Sportsnet release, “The rosters for all four of the New England-based college hockey teams include 24 Canadian-born players.”
The Everett Silvertips, 9-1 losers to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday, are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday. Everett goes into the game having lost seven in a row. Everett hopes to have C Paul Van de Velde (concussion) and D Chris de la Lande (groin) back in the lineup. . . . The Vancouver Giants will be without F Lance Bouma for a couple of weeks. He suffered a broken bone in one hand during a 4-3 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. . . . The Giants, who have only four regulation-time losses, are in Prince George for a weekend doubleheader with the Cougars. . . . The Giants headed north without F Brendan Gallagher, F J.T. Barnett and D Bronson Maschmeyer. All three stayed home to do school work. . . . The Saskatoon Blades visit the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Friday night. And the Blades will be hunting for a record. They have 21 road victories and need one more for sole possession of a record they share with the 1982-83 and 2002-03 clubs. This edition of the Blades is 21-3-1-0 on the road. And who saw that coming after they were 8-23-2-3 on the road last season? The WHL record for road victories in a season was set at 28 by the 1999-2000 Calgary Hitmen. . . . If you keep track of such things, note that the Feb. 22 game in Chilliwack between the Bruins and Kelowna Rockets now has a 4 p.m. start time. This is to facilitate — oh, you already guessed — television. The game will be televised by Rogers Sportsnet.
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THE MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: While we are in Asia, the Seibu Prince Rabbits (based in Tokyo) announced that they will fold at the end of this season. Prince Hotel and Resorts, the main sponsor of the Rabbits, announced that due to the “severe business environment” facing the company, it would stop funding the team. The estimated annual cost of funding the team is about 500 million Japanese yen (about $6.8 million Canadian) and Prince Hotels is undergoing drastic restructuring efforts, selling or closing about 40 business units which include hotels and golf courses. Prince is actively seeking a buyer of the team and hopes to find one before April. The Japan Ice Hockey Federation is concerned that the folding of the country’s “glamour team” could affect the fate of other teams. The Rabbits started in 1972 as the Kokudo Bunnies and have won the Japan League 13 times, the All Japan Championship 10 times and have been champions of the Asia Hockey League for both seasons of its existence. This season, they finished in second place with a record of 26-9-0-1. The playoffs begin in the Asia Hockey League on Feb. 17, after the national team break. . . . Former Tri-City/Saskatoon F Ryan Fujita (known in Japan by his Japanese name Kiyoshi) currently plays for the Rabbits and had already decided to retire at the end of this season after 15 years in Japan.
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JUST NOTES: Rogers Sportsnet Pacific is going to provide coverage of the 57th annual Beanpot tournament from Boston. Two games are set for Monday (Feb. 2), with Boston University playing Harvard at 2 p.m. (all times Pacific) and Boston College meeting Northeastern at 5 p.m. The tournament final is scheduled for Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. . . . If you don’t have access to Sportsnet Pacific, check the listings because I believe the Boston College-Northeastern game also will be on Sportsnet East, with the tournament final on East, Ontario and Pacific. . . . According to a Sportsnet release, “The rosters for all four of the New England-based college hockey teams include 24 Canadian-born players.”
The Everett Silvertips, 9-1 losers to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday, are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday. Everett goes into the game having lost seven in a row. Everett hopes to have C Paul Van de Velde (concussion) and D Chris de la Lande (groin) back in the lineup. . . . The Vancouver Giants will be without F Lance Bouma for a couple of weeks. He suffered a broken bone in one hand during a 4-3 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. . . . The Giants, who have only four regulation-time losses, are in Prince George for a weekend doubleheader with the Cougars. . . . The Giants headed north without F Brendan Gallagher, F J.T. Barnett and D Bronson Maschmeyer. All three stayed home to do school work. . . . The Saskatoon Blades visit the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Friday night. And the Blades will be hunting for a record. They have 21 road victories and need one more for sole possession of a record they share with the 1982-83 and 2002-03 clubs. This edition of the Blades is 21-3-1-0 on the road. And who saw that coming after they were 8-23-2-3 on the road last season? The WHL record for road victories in a season was set at 28 by the 1999-2000 Calgary Hitmen. . . . If you keep track of such things, note that the Feb. 22 game in Chilliwack between the Bruins and Kelowna Rockets now has a 4 p.m. start time. This is to facilitate — oh, you already guessed — television. The game will be televised by Rogers Sportsnet.
More bad news
The worldwide economic slump has taken a bite out of another hockey league. . . . Watch for more on this in The MacBeth Report right here later today.
The Winter Hawks make new fans
The Portland Winter Hawks, on their way to Kennewick, Wash., to play the Tri-City Americans, recently stopped off in Enterprise, Ore., for some fun on an outdoor rink. . . . Ryan White of The Oregonian made the trek, too, and his story is right here. . . . I have to admit that this story brought back a host of memories and, if you have ever skated on near-frostbitten feet, you might find yourself tearing up, too. . . . The pictures I have posted were supplied to me by Graham Kendrick of the Winter Hawks. The photos were taken by Leon Werdinger.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: D Kyle Deck (Kamloops/Regina) has signed with Jesenice (Slovenia, plays in Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 13 goals and 25 assists in 45 games with Flint (IHL) this season. Deck was traded from Flint to Port Huron on Monday but refused to report.
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The MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: And now to news on how the global economic crisis is affecting hockey . . .
Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana, which plays in the Austrian Erste
Bank Liga, announced in a press release Wednesday that “the
Management Board today unanimously decided to give foreign players
the freedom to choose a new club for the completion of the season
2008-09. In the context of the current economic situation, the Board
has decided to reduce costs in the business.”
Olimpija has nine “foreign” players on its roster, including D Greg Kuznik (Seattle, holds dual Canadian and Slovenian citizenship) and F Frank Banham (Saskatoon).
Danish Club Totempo Hvik Hvidovre, the club of G Rob McVicar
(Brandon), withdrew from the Danish Elitserien and filed for
bankruptcy on Monday after their two main sponsors pulled out on
them. One, car service company Totempo, filed for bankruptcy and the
second, office machine company NRG Scandinavia, is disputing their
sponsorship agreement, saying it was entered into by a sales and
marketing manager at NRG who didn't have the authority and has since
been fired. As a result, the club is short 2 million Danish crowns
(about $428,000 Canadian) in revenue. The players and staff have not
been paid this month.
Another Danish club, Nordsjælland Cobras, are also on the brink of
bankruptcy. The club missed its scheduled January player payroll this
week and the foreign players and coaches have made it clear that they
will not play their next scheduled game on Feb. 10 if they
haven't been paid by then. The club is looking to raise 1 million
Danish crowns (around $224,000 Canadian) before Feb. 9 or else
they will file for bankruptcy. According to the club, the shortfall
is due to sponsorship money that has not been paid due and the
current economic crisis has left club owners unable to cover the
shortfall. In an effort to help, Cobras' arch-rival Rødovre has
announced it will play an exhibition game during the national team
break (now through Feb. 10) against the Cobras, with all
proceeds going to the Cobras. The Cobras have D Justin Kurtz
(Brandon) in their lineup.
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JUST NOTES: F Kyle Beach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes drew a three-game suspension for firing a puck into the stands following a 5-3 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer on Jan. 24. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Taylor Procyshen had two goals and two assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . It was his second four-point night of his career. . . . The Americans are 21-3-0-1 at home. . . . The Winter Hawks lost nine in a row. . . . The Americans have signed F Max Moline, who plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
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In Vancouver, F Casey Pierro-Zabotel broke the franchise’s single-season points record as the Giants scored a 4-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, who leads the WHL points derby, drew an assist on a goal by F Craig Cunningham that pulled the Giants into a 3-3 tie. . . . Pierro-Zabotel has 88 points, one more than Gilbert Brule scored inn the 2004-05 season. . . . Vancouver F James Henry broke the 3-3 tie at 16:34 of the third period.
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In Edmonton, G James Priestner started in his hometown and stopped 33 shots to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Priestner, who was the game’s first star, is 12-5-1-1 on the season. . . . Brandon is 2-0 on a trip on which they play four games in five nights. . . . The Wheat Kings are 16-1-2-0 in their last 19 outings. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie scored on a shorthanded breakaway in the second period to give Brandon a 2-0 lead. . . . RW Klarc Wilson, 15, made his WHL debut for the Wheat Kings. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Edmonton G Torrie Jung, who stopped 27 shots, beat Brandon F Andrew Clark on a second-period penalty shot.
———
In Lethbridge, the Regina Pats snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Hurricanes dressed just 13 skaters as they went without F Kyle Beach, F Dwight King and F Craig Orfino, all of whom are serving suspensions, and D Eric Mestery (head injury) and D Mitch Versteeg (upper body). . . . Regina now is in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot and is two points behind seventh-place Lethbridge. . . . Brandon scored two first-period goals 31 seconds apart to jump out front 2-0 and made it 3-0 early in the third when D Jesse Dudas scored from outside the Lethbridge blue line. . . . Lethbridge F Zach Boychuk, in his first game since recovering from an ankle injury suffered at the World Junior Championship, scored his side’s first goal.
———
In Everett, the Spokane Chiefs went 4-for-7 on the PP as they whipped the Silvertips 9-1. . . . It was the worst loss in the Silvertips’ history. . . . As incredible as it sounds, the Chiefs got goals from nine players. . . . C Mitch Wahl had a goal and three assists. . . . The Chiefs scored seven times in the game’s last 25 minutes. . . . Everett G Thomas Heemskerk went the distance and made 43 saves. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 19 shots. . . . Spokane has won nine straight; Everett has lost seven in a game.
———
In Kamloops, F Brendan Ranford broke an eight-game scoring drought as the Blazers edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Ranford scored in his first game back from playing for Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge but then went dry. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie with a PP goal early in the third period. . . . C Jim O’Brien scored both Seattle goals and got stoned on a shorthanded breakaway by G Justin Leclerc just moments before Ranford scored what stood up as the winner.
———
In Kelowna, D Tyler Myers and F Ian Duval each set up two goals as the Rockets dumped the Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . The Rockets held a 33-15 edge in shots on goal.
———————
The MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: And now to news on how the global economic crisis is affecting hockey . . .
Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana, which plays in the Austrian Erste
Bank Liga, announced in a press release Wednesday that “the
Management Board today unanimously decided to give foreign players
the freedom to choose a new club for the completion of the season
2008-09. In the context of the current economic situation, the Board
has decided to reduce costs in the business.”
Olimpija has nine “foreign” players on its roster, including D Greg Kuznik (Seattle, holds dual Canadian and Slovenian citizenship) and F Frank Banham (Saskatoon).
Danish Club Totempo Hvik Hvidovre, the club of G Rob McVicar
(Brandon), withdrew from the Danish Elitserien and filed for
bankruptcy on Monday after their two main sponsors pulled out on
them. One, car service company Totempo, filed for bankruptcy and the
second, office machine company NRG Scandinavia, is disputing their
sponsorship agreement, saying it was entered into by a sales and
marketing manager at NRG who didn't have the authority and has since
been fired. As a result, the club is short 2 million Danish crowns
(about $428,000 Canadian) in revenue. The players and staff have not
been paid this month.
Another Danish club, Nordsjælland Cobras, are also on the brink of
bankruptcy. The club missed its scheduled January player payroll this
week and the foreign players and coaches have made it clear that they
will not play their next scheduled game on Feb. 10 if they
haven't been paid by then. The club is looking to raise 1 million
Danish crowns (around $224,000 Canadian) before Feb. 9 or else
they will file for bankruptcy. According to the club, the shortfall
is due to sponsorship money that has not been paid due and the
current economic crisis has left club owners unable to cover the
shortfall. In an effort to help, Cobras' arch-rival Rødovre has
announced it will play an exhibition game during the national team
break (now through Feb. 10) against the Cobras, with all
proceeds going to the Cobras. The Cobras have D Justin Kurtz
(Brandon) in their lineup.
———
JUST NOTES: F Kyle Beach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes drew a three-game suspension for firing a puck into the stands following a 5-3 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer on Jan. 24. . . .
———
In Kennewick, Wash., F Taylor Procyshen had two goals and two assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . It was his second four-point night of his career. . . . The Americans are 21-3-0-1 at home. . . . The Winter Hawks lost nine in a row. . . . The Americans have signed F Max Moline, who plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
———
In Vancouver, F Casey Pierro-Zabotel broke the franchise’s single-season points record as the Giants scored a 4-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, who leads the WHL points derby, drew an assist on a goal by F Craig Cunningham that pulled the Giants into a 3-3 tie. . . . Pierro-Zabotel has 88 points, one more than Gilbert Brule scored inn the 2004-05 season. . . . Vancouver F James Henry broke the 3-3 tie at 16:34 of the third period.
———
In Edmonton, G James Priestner started in his hometown and stopped 33 shots to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Priestner, who was the game’s first star, is 12-5-1-1 on the season. . . . Brandon is 2-0 on a trip on which they play four games in five nights. . . . The Wheat Kings are 16-1-2-0 in their last 19 outings. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie scored on a shorthanded breakaway in the second period to give Brandon a 2-0 lead. . . . RW Klarc Wilson, 15, made his WHL debut for the Wheat Kings. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Edmonton G Torrie Jung, who stopped 27 shots, beat Brandon F Andrew Clark on a second-period penalty shot.
———
In Lethbridge, the Regina Pats snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Hurricanes dressed just 13 skaters as they went without F Kyle Beach, F Dwight King and F Craig Orfino, all of whom are serving suspensions, and D Eric Mestery (head injury) and D Mitch Versteeg (upper body). . . . Regina now is in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot and is two points behind seventh-place Lethbridge. . . . Brandon scored two first-period goals 31 seconds apart to jump out front 2-0 and made it 3-0 early in the third when D Jesse Dudas scored from outside the Lethbridge blue line. . . . Lethbridge F Zach Boychuk, in his first game since recovering from an ankle injury suffered at the World Junior Championship, scored his side’s first goal.
———
In Everett, the Spokane Chiefs went 4-for-7 on the PP as they whipped the Silvertips 9-1. . . . It was the worst loss in the Silvertips’ history. . . . As incredible as it sounds, the Chiefs got goals from nine players. . . . C Mitch Wahl had a goal and three assists. . . . The Chiefs scored seven times in the game’s last 25 minutes. . . . Everett G Thomas Heemskerk went the distance and made 43 saves. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 19 shots. . . . Spokane has won nine straight; Everett has lost seven in a game.
———
In Kamloops, F Brendan Ranford broke an eight-game scoring drought as the Blazers edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Ranford scored in his first game back from playing for Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge but then went dry. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie with a PP goal early in the third period. . . . C Jim O’Brien scored both Seattle goals and got stoned on a shorthanded breakaway by G Justin Leclerc just moments before Ranford scored what stood up as the winner.
———
In Kelowna, D Tyler Myers and F Ian Duval each set up two goals as the Rockets dumped the Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . The Rockets held a 33-15 edge in shots on goal.
Ranford ends drought as Blazers win
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It was a tale of three Kamloops Blazers’ draft picks at Interior Savings
Centre on Wednesday night.
Forward Brendan Ranford, the 15th overall pick in the WHL’s 2007 bantam
draft, broke a 2-2 at 2:13 of the third period to give the Blazers a 3-2
victory in front of an announced crowd of 4,317 fans.
It was Ranford’s 11th goal this season and ended an eight-game drought.
“He’s been in the doghouse a little bit,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said of Ranford. “He worked hard tonight. I saw a lot more life from him. He
was mentally prepared and ready to go.
“Scoring that goal really gets him boosted up. He feels that ‘now I’m good
again’ and I’m sure that’s a real load off his shoulders.”
Ranford, a first-year player from Edmonton, was all smiles.
“It was a good thing to get that goal,” he said. “But I have to keep going.
I was in a little slump there but what can you do? You’ve just got to come
out and play strong.”
Despite his having scored but once since the Christmas break, Ranford was on
the ice during what was an early third-period power play, something of which
he was most appreciative.
“It’s good to see (Smith) has confidence in me and put me on the power play
there,” said Ranford, who beat goaltender Calvin Pickard off a
harmless-looking shot from the left wing for the third PP goal of his
season.
“I somehow got a shot through off the wing and it snuck in,” Ranford said.
“Maybe the goalie wasn’t expecting it . . . I was surprised that it went
in.”
No more surprised than Seattle head coach Rob Sumner, who had watched
seconds earlier as Kamloops goaltender Justin Leclerc thwarted centre Jim
O’Brien on a shorthanded breakaway.
“We come down shorthanded. O’Brien has two already,” Sumner said. “It looks
like he is trying to lift the puck and their goalie manages to get (a piece)
of it . . . they come down and with a relatively harmless-looking shot from
the outside . . .”
O’Brien, an eighth-round selection by the Blazers in the 2004 bantam draft,
scored both Seattle goals, giving him 17 this season. The Maplewood, Minn.,
native has signed with the Ottawa Senators, who selected him in the first
round of the NHL’s 2007 draft.
Which brings us to draft pick No. 3. That would be centre Colin Smith, whom
the Blazers grabbed with the seventh pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
This was his home-ice debut and he saw a fair amount of ice time, which
means the head coach liked what he saw.
“Colin Smith is going to be a really good player in this league,” Smith, the
head coach, said. “He’s smart. He’s competitive.”
In fact, Smith, a 15-year-old from Edmonton, was largely responsible for his
club’s second goal, one that gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead at 15:01 of the
second period. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, he bumped Seattle
defenceman Brenden Dillon, all 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds of him, off the puck
behind the Thunderbirds’ net, a move that allowed Seth Compton to circle the
goal and stuff a playgrounder past Pickard.
“It’s the little things he does,” the head coach continued. “He was in on
the forecheck. He’s not a big kid but he got in and got the body going.”
Defenceman Linden Saip had the Blazers’ other goal, floating a wrist shot
from the point through traffic and past Pickard just 1:46 into the game.
“We did what we wanted to in the third period,” said Smith, the coach. “We
said we want to control the game, we want to push, grind them down, and we
did. We got the goal and, really, we didn’t give up any chances. I thought
we managed it really well.”
Well, they did give up the one chance to O’Brien but Leclerc, as he was all
night, other than on Seattle’s second goal, which came on a shot off the
left wing, was there. He finished with 28 saves as he won for the 20th time
this season.
JUST NOTES: Referees Trevor Hanson and Colby Smith gave Seattle 10 of 18
minors and one of two majors. . . . Kamloops C Dalibor Bortnak, who is from
Presov, Slovakia, was playing in front of his parents, who are visiting
Kamloops. He didn’t score to end what now is an 11-game drought, but he did
ring a shot off the post in the second period. . . . Watch for KIBIHT to
announce that it has landed the WHL as one of its major corporate sponsors.
Among other things, the WHL will sponsor a breakfast, including supplying a
guest speaker.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.caBy GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It was a tale of three Kamloops Blazers’ draft picks at Interior Savings
Centre on Wednesday night.
Forward Brendan Ranford, the 15th overall pick in the WHL’s 2007 bantam
draft, broke a 2-2 at 2:13 of the third period to give the Blazers a 3-2
victory in front of an announced crowd of 4,317 fans.
It was Ranford’s 11th goal this season and ended an eight-game drought.
“He’s been in the doghouse a little bit,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said of Ranford. “He worked hard tonight. I saw a lot more life from him. He
was mentally prepared and ready to go.
“Scoring that goal really gets him boosted up. He feels that ‘now I’m good
again’ and I’m sure that’s a real load off his shoulders.”
Ranford, a first-year player from Edmonton, was all smiles.
“It was a good thing to get that goal,” he said. “But I have to keep going.
I was in a little slump there but what can you do? You’ve just got to come
out and play strong.”
Despite his having scored but once since the Christmas break, Ranford was on
the ice during what was an early third-period power play, something of which
he was most appreciative.
“It’s good to see (Smith) has confidence in me and put me on the power play
there,” said Ranford, who beat goaltender Calvin Pickard off a
harmless-looking shot from the left wing for the third PP goal of his
season.
“I somehow got a shot through off the wing and it snuck in,” Ranford said.
“Maybe the goalie wasn’t expecting it . . . I was surprised that it went
in.”
No more surprised than Seattle head coach Rob Sumner, who had watched
seconds earlier as Kamloops goaltender Justin Leclerc thwarted centre Jim
O’Brien on a shorthanded breakaway.
“We come down shorthanded. O’Brien has two already,” Sumner said. “It looks
like he is trying to lift the puck and their goalie manages to get (a piece)
of it . . . they come down and with a relatively harmless-looking shot from
the outside . . .”
O’Brien, an eighth-round selection by the Blazers in the 2004 bantam draft,
scored both Seattle goals, giving him 17 this season. The Maplewood, Minn.,
native has signed with the Ottawa Senators, who selected him in the first
round of the NHL’s 2007 draft.
Which brings us to draft pick No. 3. That would be centre Colin Smith, whom
the Blazers grabbed with the seventh pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
This was his home-ice debut and he saw a fair amount of ice time, which
means the head coach liked what he saw.
“Colin Smith is going to be a really good player in this league,” Smith, the
head coach, said. “He’s smart. He’s competitive.”
In fact, Smith, a 15-year-old from Edmonton, was largely responsible for his
club’s second goal, one that gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead at 15:01 of the
second period. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, he bumped Seattle
defenceman Brenden Dillon, all 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds of him, off the puck
behind the Thunderbirds’ net, a move that allowed Seth Compton to circle the
goal and stuff a playgrounder past Pickard.
“It’s the little things he does,” the head coach continued. “He was in on
the forecheck. He’s not a big kid but he got in and got the body going.”
Defenceman Linden Saip had the Blazers’ other goal, floating a wrist shot
from the point through traffic and past Pickard just 1:46 into the game.
“We did what we wanted to in the third period,” said Smith, the coach. “We
said we want to control the game, we want to push, grind them down, and we
did. We got the goal and, really, we didn’t give up any chances. I thought
we managed it really well.”
Well, they did give up the one chance to O’Brien but Leclerc, as he was all
night, other than on Seattle’s second goal, which came on a shot off the
left wing, was there. He finished with 28 saves as he won for the 20th time
this season.
JUST NOTES: Referees Trevor Hanson and Colby Smith gave Seattle 10 of 18
minors and one of two majors. . . . Kamloops C Dalibor Bortnak, who is from
Presov, Slovakia, was playing in front of his parents, who are visiting
Kamloops. He didn’t score to end what now is an 11-game drought, but he did
ring a shot off the post in the second period. . . . Watch for KIBIHT to
announce that it has landed the WHL as one of its major corporate sponsors.
Among other things, the WHL will sponsor a breakfast, including supplying a
guest speaker.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
It was a tale of three Kamloops Blazers’ draft picks at Interior Savings
Centre on Wednesday night.
Forward Brendan Ranford, the 15th overall pick in the WHL’s 2007 bantam
draft, broke a 2-2 at 2:13 of the third period to give the Blazers a 3-2
victory in front of an announced crowd of 4,317 fans.
It was Ranford’s 11th goal this season and ended an eight-game drought.
“He’s been in the doghouse a little bit,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said of Ranford. “He worked hard tonight. I saw a lot more life from him. He
was mentally prepared and ready to go.
“Scoring that goal really gets him boosted up. He feels that ‘now I’m good
again’ and I’m sure that’s a real load off his shoulders.”
Ranford, a first-year player from Edmonton, was all smiles.
“It was a good thing to get that goal,” he said. “But I have to keep going.
I was in a little slump there but what can you do? You’ve just got to come
out and play strong.”
Despite his having scored but once since the Christmas break, Ranford was on
the ice during what was an early third-period power play, something of which
he was most appreciative.
“It’s good to see (Smith) has confidence in me and put me on the power play
there,” said Ranford, who beat goaltender Calvin Pickard off a
harmless-looking shot from the left wing for the third PP goal of his
season.
“I somehow got a shot through off the wing and it snuck in,” Ranford said.
“Maybe the goalie wasn’t expecting it . . . I was surprised that it went
in.”
No more surprised than Seattle head coach Rob Sumner, who had watched
seconds earlier as Kamloops goaltender Justin Leclerc thwarted centre Jim
O’Brien on a shorthanded breakaway.
“We come down shorthanded. O’Brien has two already,” Sumner said. “It looks
like he is trying to lift the puck and their goalie manages to get (a piece)
of it . . . they come down and with a relatively harmless-looking shot from
the outside . . .”
O’Brien, an eighth-round selection by the Blazers in the 2004 bantam draft,
scored both Seattle goals, giving him 17 this season. The Maplewood, Minn.,
native has signed with the Ottawa Senators, who selected him in the first
round of the NHL’s 2007 draft.
Which brings us to draft pick No. 3. That would be centre Colin Smith, whom
the Blazers grabbed with the seventh pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
This was his home-ice debut and he saw a fair amount of ice time, which
means the head coach liked what he saw.
“Colin Smith is going to be a really good player in this league,” Smith, the
head coach, said. “He’s smart. He’s competitive.”
In fact, Smith, a 15-year-old from Edmonton, was largely responsible for his
club’s second goal, one that gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead at 15:01 of the
second period. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, he bumped Seattle
defenceman Brenden Dillon, all 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds of him, off the puck
behind the Thunderbirds’ net, a move that allowed Seth Compton to circle the
goal and stuff a playgrounder past Pickard.
“It’s the little things he does,” the head coach continued. “He was in on
the forecheck. He’s not a big kid but he got in and got the body going.”
Defenceman Linden Saip had the Blazers’ other goal, floating a wrist shot
from the point through traffic and past Pickard just 1:46 into the game.
“We did what we wanted to in the third period,” said Smith, the coach. “We
said we want to control the game, we want to push, grind them down, and we
did. We got the goal and, really, we didn’t give up any chances. I thought
we managed it really well.”
Well, they did give up the one chance to O’Brien but Leclerc, as he was all
night, other than on Seattle’s second goal, which came on a shot off the
left wing, was there. He finished with 28 saves as he won for the 20th time
this season.
JUST NOTES: Referees Trevor Hanson and Colby Smith gave Seattle 10 of 18
minors and one of two majors. . . . Kamloops C Dalibor Bortnak, who is from
Presov, Slovakia, was playing in front of his parents, who are visiting
Kamloops. He didn’t score to end what now is an 11-game drought, but he did
ring a shot off the post in the second period. . . . Watch for KIBIHT to
announce that it has landed the WHL as one of its major corporate sponsors.
Among other things, the WHL will sponsor a breakfast, including supplying a
guest speaker.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.caBy GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It was a tale of three Kamloops Blazers’ draft picks at Interior Savings
Centre on Wednesday night.
Forward Brendan Ranford, the 15th overall pick in the WHL’s 2007 bantam
draft, broke a 2-2 at 2:13 of the third period to give the Blazers a 3-2
victory in front of an announced crowd of 4,317 fans.
It was Ranford’s 11th goal this season and ended an eight-game drought.
“He’s been in the doghouse a little bit,” Kamloops head coach Barry Smith
said of Ranford. “He worked hard tonight. I saw a lot more life from him. He
was mentally prepared and ready to go.
“Scoring that goal really gets him boosted up. He feels that ‘now I’m good
again’ and I’m sure that’s a real load off his shoulders.”
Ranford, a first-year player from Edmonton, was all smiles.
“It was a good thing to get that goal,” he said. “But I have to keep going.
I was in a little slump there but what can you do? You’ve just got to come
out and play strong.”
Despite his having scored but once since the Christmas break, Ranford was on
the ice during what was an early third-period power play, something of which
he was most appreciative.
“It’s good to see (Smith) has confidence in me and put me on the power play
there,” said Ranford, who beat goaltender Calvin Pickard off a
harmless-looking shot from the left wing for the third PP goal of his
season.
“I somehow got a shot through off the wing and it snuck in,” Ranford said.
“Maybe the goalie wasn’t expecting it . . . I was surprised that it went
in.”
No more surprised than Seattle head coach Rob Sumner, who had watched
seconds earlier as Kamloops goaltender Justin Leclerc thwarted centre Jim
O’Brien on a shorthanded breakaway.
“We come down shorthanded. O’Brien has two already,” Sumner said. “It looks
like he is trying to lift the puck and their goalie manages to get (a piece)
of it . . . they come down and with a relatively harmless-looking shot from
the outside . . .”
O’Brien, an eighth-round selection by the Blazers in the 2004 bantam draft,
scored both Seattle goals, giving him 17 this season. The Maplewood, Minn.,
native has signed with the Ottawa Senators, who selected him in the first
round of the NHL’s 2007 draft.
Which brings us to draft pick No. 3. That would be centre Colin Smith, whom
the Blazers grabbed with the seventh pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
This was his home-ice debut and he saw a fair amount of ice time, which
means the head coach liked what he saw.
“Colin Smith is going to be a really good player in this league,” Smith, the
head coach, said. “He’s smart. He’s competitive.”
In fact, Smith, a 15-year-old from Edmonton, was largely responsible for his
club’s second goal, one that gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead at 15:01 of the
second period. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, he bumped Seattle
defenceman Brenden Dillon, all 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds of him, off the puck
behind the Thunderbirds’ net, a move that allowed Seth Compton to circle the
goal and stuff a playgrounder past Pickard.
“It’s the little things he does,” the head coach continued. “He was in on
the forecheck. He’s not a big kid but he got in and got the body going.”
Defenceman Linden Saip had the Blazers’ other goal, floating a wrist shot
from the point through traffic and past Pickard just 1:46 into the game.
“We did what we wanted to in the third period,” said Smith, the coach. “We
said we want to control the game, we want to push, grind them down, and we
did. We got the goal and, really, we didn’t give up any chances. I thought
we managed it really well.”
Well, they did give up the one chance to O’Brien but Leclerc, as he was all
night, other than on Seattle’s second goal, which came on a shot off the
left wing, was there. He finished with 28 saves as he won for the 20th time
this season.
JUST NOTES: Referees Trevor Hanson and Colby Smith gave Seattle 10 of 18
minors and one of two majors. . . . Kamloops C Dalibor Bortnak, who is from
Presov, Slovakia, was playing in front of his parents, who are visiting
Kamloops. He didn’t score to end what now is an 11-game drought, but he did
ring a shot off the post in the second period. . . . Watch for KIBIHT to
announce that it has landed the WHL as one of its major corporate sponsors.
Among other things, the WHL will sponsor a breakfast, including supplying a
guest speaker.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Blazers box
THE SCORE
Kamloops 3, Seattle 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers played this one tight to the vest, limited the scoring chances
against, got good penalty killing and did a good job protecting a
third-period lead.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (24-24-1-4) are fifth in the Western Conference, five points
behind the Kelowna Rockets (28-19-0-2) and four ahead of the Everett
Silvertips (21-22-6-1), who got ripped 9-1 by the visiting Spokane Chiefs.
THE STRETCH STREAK
Kamloops C C.J. Stretch had his point streak snapped at 13 games. He had 20
points, including 12 goals, during that time.
THE HOMESTAND
The Blazers are two games into their longest homestand of the season. The
five-game stay concludes with visits by the Medicine Hat Tigers (Saturday),
Kelowna (Tuesday) and Everett (Wednesday).
THE SCHEDULE
The Thunderbirds moved into a new arena, the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash,
on Jan. 3, and, as a result, the first part of their schedule was heavy with
road games. They will finish by playing 15 of their final 21 games at home.
THE SEASON SERIES
This was the last meeting of the regular season between these teams. The
Blazers finished 3-1-0-0 and outscored the Thunderbirds 12-8.
THE DISCIPLINE
The Blazers have faced more opposing power plays and allowed more PP goals
than any other team. According to Alan Caldwell (smallatlarge.blogspot.com),
D Giffen Nyren is responsible for 26 opposing power plays during which 10
goals have been scored. C C.J. Stretch's numbers are 21 and eight, while D
Kurt Torbohm is 27 and eight. The league leader is F Matt Meropoulis of the
Chilliwack Bruins with 31 and 11.
THE REBROADCAST
Radio NL will replay the 1992 Memorial Cup championship game on Monday at 7
p.m., with Kelly Moore calling the play. The Blazers, under head coach Tom
Renney, met Ted Nolan’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in that game in Seattle.
We’ll let you guess who won.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. G Justin Leclerc, Kamloops. Gets his 20th victory.
2. C James O’Brien, Seattle. Two goals.
3. C Scott Wasden, Kamloops. Strong defensively.
NEXT UP
The Medicine Hat Tigers, including former Blazers LW Travis Dunstall, are at
The ATM on Saturday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Kamloops 3, Seattle 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Blazers played this one tight to the vest, limited the scoring chances
against, got good penalty killing and did a good job protecting a
third-period lead.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (24-24-1-4) are fifth in the Western Conference, five points
behind the Kelowna Rockets (28-19-0-2) and four ahead of the Everett
Silvertips (21-22-6-1), who got ripped 9-1 by the visiting Spokane Chiefs.
THE STRETCH STREAK
Kamloops C C.J. Stretch had his point streak snapped at 13 games. He had 20
points, including 12 goals, during that time.
THE HOMESTAND
The Blazers are two games into their longest homestand of the season. The
five-game stay concludes with visits by the Medicine Hat Tigers (Saturday),
Kelowna (Tuesday) and Everett (Wednesday).
THE SCHEDULE
The Thunderbirds moved into a new arena, the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash,
on Jan. 3, and, as a result, the first part of their schedule was heavy with
road games. They will finish by playing 15 of their final 21 games at home.
THE SEASON SERIES
This was the last meeting of the regular season between these teams. The
Blazers finished 3-1-0-0 and outscored the Thunderbirds 12-8.
THE DISCIPLINE
The Blazers have faced more opposing power plays and allowed more PP goals
than any other team. According to Alan Caldwell (smallatlarge.blogspot.com),
D Giffen Nyren is responsible for 26 opposing power plays during which 10
goals have been scored. C C.J. Stretch's numbers are 21 and eight, while D
Kurt Torbohm is 27 and eight. The league leader is F Matt Meropoulis of the
Chilliwack Bruins with 31 and 11.
THE REBROADCAST
Radio NL will replay the 1992 Memorial Cup championship game on Monday at 7
p.m., with Kelly Moore calling the play. The Blazers, under head coach Tom
Renney, met Ted Nolan’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in that game in Seattle.
We’ll let you guess who won.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. G Justin Leclerc, Kamloops. Gets his 20th victory.
2. C James O’Brien, Seattle. Two goals.
3. C Scott Wasden, Kamloops. Strong defensively.
NEXT UP
The Medicine Hat Tigers, including former Blazers LW Travis Dunstall, are at
The ATM on Saturday. Game time is 7 p.m.
More from the WHL commissioner . . .
WHL commissioner Ron Robison was in Kamloops on Wednesday and appeared at an informal news conference — informal because it wasn’t held to announce anything, rather it was a simple question-and-answer session.
I have posted a story in which Robison discusses the WHL and the economy, along with a few other tidbits.
Among other things he discussed . . .
Where did things go wrong in the approval process when Ken Hodge and Co. sold the Portland Winter Hawks to the group that has since sold to Calgary businessman Bill Gallacher:
“Any time you make decisions on an emotional basis . . . you’re not making sound business decisions. There was a little bit too much compassion attached to the Hodge group who had been partners in this league for 30 years. They were strongly in favour of this particular group. We’ve learned from that experience.
“Those who came in after (Robison mentioned the Tom Gaglardi group in Kamloops and Gallacher) . . . I think they were surprised. Even Daryl Katz was surprised in Edmonton with the due diligence we did around the transfer of ownership from the Edmonton investor group. (Katz, who purchased the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and the WHL’s Oil Kings from that group) commented several times that he couldn’t understand why there was such a difference between the NHL level of due diligence and our level of due diligence.
“What it comes down to . . . . you can do the financial tests, you can do a
lot of the business-plan evaluation but it really comes down to the quality
of people you’re dealing with. (With the lastest Portland sale) we went more on character references and business references that were presented to us and less with the documents that were necessary to be filed with the league at that time.
“Our due diligence has changed dramatically since (the earlier Portland sale).”
———————
An update on the situation involving a new arena in Moose Jaw:
Robison said it was about seven years ago when he spoke to the then-mayor of Moose Jaw.
“He said (the Civic Centre, aka the Crushed Can) was an engineering marvel. The best part about it, he said, is that when you’re from Moose Jaw you don’t have to look across the ice and see the Regina fans. They all saw some humour in the whole thing, but I didn’t.
“Quite frankly, the most important thing for us is the player experience. We have worked so hard in the league to create a competitive balance situation . . . when you look at it from a player perspective.
“Art Hauser, who just passed away in Prince Albert, put up $1 million within months of the league adopting new arena standards. They raised all that money in the community and have now renovated that facility to our standard.
“From a player perspective, when you’re an organization . . . you want to make sure that when you look at the other teams in the league and the standards they have created for facilities . . . we lost Jonathan Toews and I believe we lost him for one reason — the (University of) North Dakota trianing room. He went down and saw that facility and it was enough to convince him.
“Facilities are critical to our success and Moose Jaw understands that. (A new facility there) is part of a $150-million downtwon development. They are on track and are moving forward with everything but they have the community challenges that are there that they are going to have to deal with.
“My understanding is that they are close to getting the necessary levels of government together to support that facility. Subject to the plebiscite going well, they’ll be in the ground by the spring.”
———————
What about the WHL’s future on Vancouver Island?
“We think very highly of the Victoria market. It has changed with the new building and if we had the ability to go further and supply a team for that market we would. Clearly. Without question.
“But it has to be a right fit from an ownership perspective and it has to make sense as far as Nanaimo is concerned, too, because we believe strongly that we need two teams on the Island. Eventually we need a commitment from both Nanaimo and Victoria in order to have a schedule that makes sense given the travel challenges that exist getting on and off the island.
“But the market . . . is very important to the WHL and perhaps one day we will be there.”
———————
Any concerns about the possibility of a new building in Abbotsford ending up as the home of an American Hockey League team?
“Obviously, if it’s an American Hockey League team . . . we aren’t too concerned about any other level of hockey. But the American Hockey League is a real concern.
“One of the most attractive markets for us has been Winnipeg for many years and we have agreed with the American Hockey League not to enter that market because we don’t believe two teams of similarly equal leagues could co-exist in that market.
“Bring a team into Abbotsford and combine that with the (WHL’s) Chilliwack franchise, we believe both would be impacted.
“We are monitoring that very closely and are in discussion with the AHL and they certainly know our views on that.
“(We’re really not concerned with) leagues that really don’t have a plan, don’t have a strategy, are all over the map . . . the ECHL being the best example . . . it has now lost two franchises this season alone. We talk about the economic downturn effects . . . there you go.
“Those are the things we are trying to guard against. That is why we want to keep our business model in place and stay within our currrent budget.”
I have posted a story in which Robison discusses the WHL and the economy, along with a few other tidbits.
Among other things he discussed . . .
Where did things go wrong in the approval process when Ken Hodge and Co. sold the Portland Winter Hawks to the group that has since sold to Calgary businessman Bill Gallacher:
“Any time you make decisions on an emotional basis . . . you’re not making sound business decisions. There was a little bit too much compassion attached to the Hodge group who had been partners in this league for 30 years. They were strongly in favour of this particular group. We’ve learned from that experience.
“Those who came in after (Robison mentioned the Tom Gaglardi group in Kamloops and Gallacher) . . . I think they were surprised. Even Daryl Katz was surprised in Edmonton with the due diligence we did around the transfer of ownership from the Edmonton investor group. (Katz, who purchased the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and the WHL’s Oil Kings from that group) commented several times that he couldn’t understand why there was such a difference between the NHL level of due diligence and our level of due diligence.
“What it comes down to . . . . you can do the financial tests, you can do a
lot of the business-plan evaluation but it really comes down to the quality
of people you’re dealing with. (With the lastest Portland sale) we went more on character references and business references that were presented to us and less with the documents that were necessary to be filed with the league at that time.
“Our due diligence has changed dramatically since (the earlier Portland sale).”
———————
An update on the situation involving a new arena in Moose Jaw:
Robison said it was about seven years ago when he spoke to the then-mayor of Moose Jaw.
“He said (the Civic Centre, aka the Crushed Can) was an engineering marvel. The best part about it, he said, is that when you’re from Moose Jaw you don’t have to look across the ice and see the Regina fans. They all saw some humour in the whole thing, but I didn’t.
“Quite frankly, the most important thing for us is the player experience. We have worked so hard in the league to create a competitive balance situation . . . when you look at it from a player perspective.
“Art Hauser, who just passed away in Prince Albert, put up $1 million within months of the league adopting new arena standards. They raised all that money in the community and have now renovated that facility to our standard.
“From a player perspective, when you’re an organization . . . you want to make sure that when you look at the other teams in the league and the standards they have created for facilities . . . we lost Jonathan Toews and I believe we lost him for one reason — the (University of) North Dakota trianing room. He went down and saw that facility and it was enough to convince him.
“Facilities are critical to our success and Moose Jaw understands that. (A new facility there) is part of a $150-million downtwon development. They are on track and are moving forward with everything but they have the community challenges that are there that they are going to have to deal with.
“My understanding is that they are close to getting the necessary levels of government together to support that facility. Subject to the plebiscite going well, they’ll be in the ground by the spring.”
———————
What about the WHL’s future on Vancouver Island?
“We think very highly of the Victoria market. It has changed with the new building and if we had the ability to go further and supply a team for that market we would. Clearly. Without question.
“But it has to be a right fit from an ownership perspective and it has to make sense as far as Nanaimo is concerned, too, because we believe strongly that we need two teams on the Island. Eventually we need a commitment from both Nanaimo and Victoria in order to have a schedule that makes sense given the travel challenges that exist getting on and off the island.
“But the market . . . is very important to the WHL and perhaps one day we will be there.”
———————
Any concerns about the possibility of a new building in Abbotsford ending up as the home of an American Hockey League team?
“Obviously, if it’s an American Hockey League team . . . we aren’t too concerned about any other level of hockey. But the American Hockey League is a real concern.
“One of the most attractive markets for us has been Winnipeg for many years and we have agreed with the American Hockey League not to enter that market because we don’t believe two teams of similarly equal leagues could co-exist in that market.
“Bring a team into Abbotsford and combine that with the (WHL’s) Chilliwack franchise, we believe both would be impacted.
“We are monitoring that very closely and are in discussion with the AHL and they certainly know our views on that.
“(We’re really not concerned with) leagues that really don’t have a plan, don’t have a strategy, are all over the map . . . the ECHL being the best example . . . it has now lost two franchises this season alone. We talk about the economic downturn effects . . . there you go.
“Those are the things we are trying to guard against. That is why we want to keep our business model in place and stay within our currrent budget.”
Commissioner talks about economy . . .
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Like most people and businesses, the WHL is bracing for the impending arrival of the gathering economic storm.
“The growth pattern we have been on . . . right now we are forecasting that to be flat or be off 10 per cent,” commissioner Ron Robison told a news conference Wednesday in the Kamloops Blazers’ boardroom at Interior Savings Centre. “We aren’t in the doom-and-gloom scenario
but . . . there certainly is going to be some impact.”
Robison said the 22-team WHL recently brought all of its marketing directors into Calgary for a conference.
“We addressed that right off the top, as to how we want to
position ourselves going forward, anticipating that we are going to be
affected like everyone else,” Robison said.
One prong of the attack involves more aggressive attempts to sell season tickets.
“We have to increase the season-ticket base,” Robison said. “We have to sell the inventory.
“We are too reliant on those casual sales and, when you get a downturn in the economy, you have to make sure your inventory is sold well in advance. That’s our focus right now.”
The commissioner added that the WHL feels it is well-positioned to deal with whatever situations may arise in the future.
“When you look at our price points, whether it’s tickets or sponsorships and so forth . . . we deliver great value,” he said. “But having said that, no one is not going to be affected and we are going to have to position oursleves in a very attractive and more competitive position.”
The WHL and its teams did most of their selling for this season over the summer of 2008, before the depths to which the economy appears to be sinking really became known. The approaching summer, then, might be a bit of a battle, something Robison said the WHL already is noticing.
“We don’t see it from a ticket-revenue perspective,” he said, “but we do see that in sponsorship and the larger long-term types of deals we are trying to negotiate.
“From a league perspective, we have a number of renewals coming up at the end of this season and we are already seeing corporations saying budgets are frozen or we’re going to be cut back in a 10 or 20 per
cent position, so we’ve got to look at things a little differently.”
Robison said a large part of the WHL’s game plan is to “develop new streams of revenue.” That will involve its teams becoming more involved in the communities in which they operate.
“When we look at sponsorship programs going forward we are looking at tying ourselves more closely to the community through cause-related programs,” he explained, “and attempting to connect ourselves into areas that have a real attachment to the community.
“Corporate research being done right now . . . a lot of it is based on the fact that corporations will continue to participate if there is a broad benefit to the community. We are looking to try and partner with that and become more of a medium or vehicle for delivery of thoses benefits as opposed to the property itself.”
At the same time, the WHL is keeping a close eye on expenses.
“Our costs are low going in,” he said. “We aren’t going to be adding new
initiatives . . . things that are on the baord will be put on hold until we
are able to secure the funding.”
One thing that is going forward is the implementation of video replay for all playoff games, something that was available only in the championship final the last two seasons.
The cost of equipment, Robison said, is $150,000. That doesn’t include the cost of installation to get overhead cameras above every net in the league.
“We are set up and ready to go,” Robison said. “We will make a decision on whether we will go 100 per cent in the regular season and that will be decided later. We will talk to the general managers in March.”
Among other things revealed by Robison:
l In terms of attendance, last weekend was the best in WHL history. There were four games that each drew more than 10,000 fans.
l Robison said “about 20” players have been selected for post-game random drug tests since the policy came into place in November. He said there haven’t been any positive tests.
Robison said he expects about 15 per cent of all players to be tested this season, with that number rising to 25 per cent next season.
“The focus,” he said, “is not on testing; it’s on education.”
l Robison said the WHL is “very happy where we are with” the Kamloops franchise under owners Tom Gaglardi, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor, who took over the team in October 2007.
“It’s very rare that I get the opportunity to come into a centre where there really aren’t any issues . . . there really aren’t any concerns,” Robison said.
l Robison admitted that the WHL has cut a deal with the American Hockey League that will keep it out of Winnipeg. The Manitoba capital is home to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
“One of the most attractive markets for us has been Winnipeg . . . and we have agreed with the American Hockey League not to enter that market because we don’t believe two teams of similarly equal leagues could co-exist in that market,” he said.
At the same time, he said, the WHL is monitoring the situation in Abbotsford, which has been rumoured as the future home of the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate.
“Bring a team into Abbotsford and combine that with the (WHL’s) Chilliwack franchise,” he said, “and we believe both would be impacted.
“We are monitoring that very closely and in discussion with the AHL and they certainly know our views on that.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
Like most people and businesses, the WHL is bracing for the impending arrival of the gathering economic storm.
“The growth pattern we have been on . . . right now we are forecasting that to be flat or be off 10 per cent,” commissioner Ron Robison told a news conference Wednesday in the Kamloops Blazers’ boardroom at Interior Savings Centre. “We aren’t in the doom-and-gloom scenario
but . . . there certainly is going to be some impact.”
Robison said the 22-team WHL recently brought all of its marketing directors into Calgary for a conference.
“We addressed that right off the top, as to how we want to
position ourselves going forward, anticipating that we are going to be
affected like everyone else,” Robison said.
One prong of the attack involves more aggressive attempts to sell season tickets.
“We have to increase the season-ticket base,” Robison said. “We have to sell the inventory.
“We are too reliant on those casual sales and, when you get a downturn in the economy, you have to make sure your inventory is sold well in advance. That’s our focus right now.”
The commissioner added that the WHL feels it is well-positioned to deal with whatever situations may arise in the future.
“When you look at our price points, whether it’s tickets or sponsorships and so forth . . . we deliver great value,” he said. “But having said that, no one is not going to be affected and we are going to have to position oursleves in a very attractive and more competitive position.”
The WHL and its teams did most of their selling for this season over the summer of 2008, before the depths to which the economy appears to be sinking really became known. The approaching summer, then, might be a bit of a battle, something Robison said the WHL already is noticing.
“We don’t see it from a ticket-revenue perspective,” he said, “but we do see that in sponsorship and the larger long-term types of deals we are trying to negotiate.
“From a league perspective, we have a number of renewals coming up at the end of this season and we are already seeing corporations saying budgets are frozen or we’re going to be cut back in a 10 or 20 per
cent position, so we’ve got to look at things a little differently.”
Robison said a large part of the WHL’s game plan is to “develop new streams of revenue.” That will involve its teams becoming more involved in the communities in which they operate.
“When we look at sponsorship programs going forward we are looking at tying ourselves more closely to the community through cause-related programs,” he explained, “and attempting to connect ourselves into areas that have a real attachment to the community.
“Corporate research being done right now . . . a lot of it is based on the fact that corporations will continue to participate if there is a broad benefit to the community. We are looking to try and partner with that and become more of a medium or vehicle for delivery of thoses benefits as opposed to the property itself.”
At the same time, the WHL is keeping a close eye on expenses.
“Our costs are low going in,” he said. “We aren’t going to be adding new
initiatives . . . things that are on the baord will be put on hold until we
are able to secure the funding.”
One thing that is going forward is the implementation of video replay for all playoff games, something that was available only in the championship final the last two seasons.
The cost of equipment, Robison said, is $150,000. That doesn’t include the cost of installation to get overhead cameras above every net in the league.
“We are set up and ready to go,” Robison said. “We will make a decision on whether we will go 100 per cent in the regular season and that will be decided later. We will talk to the general managers in March.”
Among other things revealed by Robison:
l In terms of attendance, last weekend was the best in WHL history. There were four games that each drew more than 10,000 fans.
l Robison said “about 20” players have been selected for post-game random drug tests since the policy came into place in November. He said there haven’t been any positive tests.
Robison said he expects about 15 per cent of all players to be tested this season, with that number rising to 25 per cent next season.
“The focus,” he said, “is not on testing; it’s on education.”
l Robison said the WHL is “very happy where we are with” the Kamloops franchise under owners Tom Gaglardi, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor, who took over the team in October 2007.
“It’s very rare that I get the opportunity to come into a centre where there really aren’t any issues . . . there really aren’t any concerns,” Robison said.
l Robison admitted that the WHL has cut a deal with the American Hockey League that will keep it out of Winnipeg. The Manitoba capital is home to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
“One of the most attractive markets for us has been Winnipeg . . . and we have agreed with the American Hockey League not to enter that market because we don’t believe two teams of similarly equal leagues could co-exist in that market,” he said.
At the same time, he said, the WHL is monitoring the situation in Abbotsford, which has been rumoured as the future home of the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate.
“Bring a team into Abbotsford and combine that with the (WHL’s) Chilliwack franchise,” he said, “and we believe both would be impacted.
“We are monitoring that very closely and in discussion with the AHL and they certainly know our views on that.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Shaun Sutter (Lethbridge/Medicine Hat/Calgary) signed with Alleghe (Italy Serie A) for the rest of this season after his release from Weisswasser (Germany 2.Bundelsiga). Sutter had 11 goals and seven assists in 32 games with Weisswasser. . . . G Nolan McDonald, who played two games with Spokane in 1996-97, signed with Kassel (Germany DEL) for the rest of this season. he had spent the last three seasons with Weisswasser but was unsigned this season.
———————
THE FIRING: On a day when Bruce Springsteen released a new album, the Chilliwack Bruins headed off in a new direction. As you may be aware of by now, the Bruins fired general manager Darrell May on Tuesday, with Darryl Porter, one of the franchise’s owners and its governor, taking over for the remainder of this season.
The Bruins (14-31-2-3) don’t play until Friday when they meet the Chiefs in Spokane. Chilliwack went into the week in ninth place in the 10-team Western Conference, six points behind the Prince George Cougars, who hold down the eighth and last playoff spot.
The Bruins are in their third season of existence; they made the playoffs each of the other two seasons.
May might well have paid the price for not having pulled the trigger on more trades during the 2007-08 season. Perhaps he should have forsaken a playoff spot last season and traded away the likes of Mark Santorelli, Oscar Moller and Nick Holden.
“We’ve had a number of bad breaks,” Porter told Eric J. Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress. “And that made this situation very difficult to analyze. You put Evan Pighin and Jadon Potter and Oscar Moller on the team and it looks quite a bit different. But what I saw was a lack of depth and I think that’s led to a lot of the challenges we’ve faced this year.”
Santorelli and Holden were 20-year-olds last season. Moller, now 19, cracked the lineup of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Pighin, 20, refused to report to the Bruins, choosing instead to play for the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Potter, 19, had his season come to an end before Christmas when he suffered a broken bone in his neck.
Had May traded away any of his big three last season, perhaps he could have acquired some of the depth Porter feels is lacking.
Porter said that a new general manager won’t be hired until the offseason. But, in what is perhaps the most interesting development in all of this, he added that head coach Jim Hiller, who in his third season, isn’t going anywhere.
“I believe we have an exceptional head coach who’s had to overcome a lot of obstacles,” Porter told Welsh. “What I’m most proud of is this team is still working its tail off, and I believe this is still a playoff team and I have full confidence in Jim and his staff and he will be our head coach next year.”
———————
THE MISSING: There was news Monday that the Swift Current Broncos are going to honour 13 men who were instrumental in the return of WHL hockey to that city in time for the 1986-87 season.
On second glance, one name was conspicuous by its absence from the list.
Yes, Paddy Ginnell’s name should have been, and should be, on the list.
While there may have been a falling out before the group was able to purchase the Lethbridge Broncos and move the franchise to Swift Current, a case certainly can be made for Ginnell’s having been a big part of helping the community gets its foot back in the door.
Ginnell, a veteran of the WHL wars, was able to use his familiarity with the league to keep Swift Current interests informed on happenings. Which is how at one time the Seattle franchise came awfully close to ending up in Swift Current.
Ginnell, who died on Nov. 17, 2003, also was a big part of helping raise the $300,000 that was then needed to buy a franchise.
———————
Jim Swanson, the sports editor of the Prince George Citizen, spoke with Cougars owner Rick Brodsky and has a state of the franchise story in Wednedsay’s sports pages. That story, which lets the world know that the Cougars aren’t going anywhere, is right here.
The package also includes a story in which Brodsky tells Swanson that interim head coach Wade Klippenstein will be back next season, but his role has yet to be defined. That story is right here.
———————
JUST NOTES: The Vancouver Giants have five days off next week so D Jon Blum is outta here. He will head home to Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., for some R and R. Blum captained the U.S. entry in the World Junior Championship so didn’t get any time off over Christmas. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province points out that the Giants are on pace to break a whack of records, a couple of which are rather longstanding. The Giants take a 41-4-0-3 record into Wednesday’s game against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. The Giants, as Ewen writes, are on pace for 127 points, which would break the record (125) held by the 1978-79 Brandon Wheat Kings. Vancouver also is on pace for 62 victories; the 1980-81 Victoria Cougars won 60 games. . . . The Tri-City Herald reports that LW Colton Yellow Horn, who played out his major junior eligibility with the Americans last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Elmira, N.Y., Jackals. He had been playing with Salzburg EC in Austria.
The Brandon Wheat Kings will hold their annual CKLQ Sportsman’s Dinner on Feb. 12 in the Keystone Centre’s UCT Pavillion. Former NHLer Wendel Clark, who starred with the Saskatoon Blades, will be the keynote speaker. Former Wheat Kings forward Jeff Odgers also will be at the head table, as will comedian Bruce Clark and emcee Dick Jonckowski, who is the public address announcer for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s baseball and basketball teams. . . . Lethbridge Hurricanes F Kyle Beach has been suspended while the WHL office investigates an incident in which he is alleged to have shot a puck into the crowd following a game in Red Deer on Jan. 24.
————————
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the game’s last five goals, four of them in third period, and beat the Regina Pats, 7-3. . . . F Ryan Fox, a trade-deadline acquisition from the Calgary Hitmen, had a goal and two assists for the Ice. . . . F Tylan Stephens had two goals for Kootenay. . . . F Matt Robertson got his 20th goal of the season for Regina. . . . D Colton Teubert was back in Regina’s lineup after behind a healthy scratch on Sunday in Calgary. He had one assist but was minus-3. . . . Regina F Brett Leffler left late in the second period after absorbing a hit by D Eric Frere. Leffler didn’t return. Leffler scored his 27th goal early in the second period.
————————
In Red Deer, F Nathan Green scored Brandon’s third shootout goal and it stood up as the Wheat Kings beat the Rebels, 2-1. . . . Red Deer F Landon Ferraro, who had missed three games with a groin injury, scored his 28th goal. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first pick in the 2008 bantam draft, drew an assist on the goal. He now has played five WHL games and, as a 15-year-old, can’t play again until his club team, the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants, has its season come to an end. He had six points in his five games. . . . Brandon G Andrew Hayes stopped 35 shots to win his 20th game of the season. . . .
————————
In Kent, Wash., the Medicine Hat Tigers scored two goals eight seconds apart late in the first period and went on to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . It was Medicine Hat’s first game in a western swing. The Tigers meet the Giants in Vancouver on Wednesday. . . . D Bo Montgomery played his first game of the season for the Tigers and picked up one assist. Montgomery, 18, chose not to report to the Portland Winter Hawks for a third season and was dealt to the Tigers on Jan. 10. . . . Medicine Hat G Ryan Holfeld stopped 32 shots as his side was outshot 36-21. . . . Tigers F Tyler Ennis went into the game with 199 career points. He scored twice and set up another goal.
———————
THE FIRING: On a day when Bruce Springsteen released a new album, the Chilliwack Bruins headed off in a new direction. As you may be aware of by now, the Bruins fired general manager Darrell May on Tuesday, with Darryl Porter, one of the franchise’s owners and its governor, taking over for the remainder of this season.
The Bruins (14-31-2-3) don’t play until Friday when they meet the Chiefs in Spokane. Chilliwack went into the week in ninth place in the 10-team Western Conference, six points behind the Prince George Cougars, who hold down the eighth and last playoff spot.
The Bruins are in their third season of existence; they made the playoffs each of the other two seasons.
May might well have paid the price for not having pulled the trigger on more trades during the 2007-08 season. Perhaps he should have forsaken a playoff spot last season and traded away the likes of Mark Santorelli, Oscar Moller and Nick Holden.
“We’ve had a number of bad breaks,” Porter told Eric J. Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress. “And that made this situation very difficult to analyze. You put Evan Pighin and Jadon Potter and Oscar Moller on the team and it looks quite a bit different. But what I saw was a lack of depth and I think that’s led to a lot of the challenges we’ve faced this year.”
Santorelli and Holden were 20-year-olds last season. Moller, now 19, cracked the lineup of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Pighin, 20, refused to report to the Bruins, choosing instead to play for the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Potter, 19, had his season come to an end before Christmas when he suffered a broken bone in his neck.
Had May traded away any of his big three last season, perhaps he could have acquired some of the depth Porter feels is lacking.
Porter said that a new general manager won’t be hired until the offseason. But, in what is perhaps the most interesting development in all of this, he added that head coach Jim Hiller, who in his third season, isn’t going anywhere.
“I believe we have an exceptional head coach who’s had to overcome a lot of obstacles,” Porter told Welsh. “What I’m most proud of is this team is still working its tail off, and I believe this is still a playoff team and I have full confidence in Jim and his staff and he will be our head coach next year.”
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THE MISSING: There was news Monday that the Swift Current Broncos are going to honour 13 men who were instrumental in the return of WHL hockey to that city in time for the 1986-87 season.
On second glance, one name was conspicuous by its absence from the list.
Yes, Paddy Ginnell’s name should have been, and should be, on the list.
While there may have been a falling out before the group was able to purchase the Lethbridge Broncos and move the franchise to Swift Current, a case certainly can be made for Ginnell’s having been a big part of helping the community gets its foot back in the door.
Ginnell, a veteran of the WHL wars, was able to use his familiarity with the league to keep Swift Current interests informed on happenings. Which is how at one time the Seattle franchise came awfully close to ending up in Swift Current.
Ginnell, who died on Nov. 17, 2003, also was a big part of helping raise the $300,000 that was then needed to buy a franchise.
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Jim Swanson, the sports editor of the Prince George Citizen, spoke with Cougars owner Rick Brodsky and has a state of the franchise story in Wednedsay’s sports pages. That story, which lets the world know that the Cougars aren’t going anywhere, is right here.
The package also includes a story in which Brodsky tells Swanson that interim head coach Wade Klippenstein will be back next season, but his role has yet to be defined. That story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Vancouver Giants have five days off next week so D Jon Blum is outta here. He will head home to Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., for some R and R. Blum captained the U.S. entry in the World Junior Championship so didn’t get any time off over Christmas. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province points out that the Giants are on pace to break a whack of records, a couple of which are rather longstanding. The Giants take a 41-4-0-3 record into Wednesday’s game against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. The Giants, as Ewen writes, are on pace for 127 points, which would break the record (125) held by the 1978-79 Brandon Wheat Kings. Vancouver also is on pace for 62 victories; the 1980-81 Victoria Cougars won 60 games. . . . The Tri-City Herald reports that LW Colton Yellow Horn, who played out his major junior eligibility with the Americans last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Elmira, N.Y., Jackals. He had been playing with Salzburg EC in Austria.
The Brandon Wheat Kings will hold their annual CKLQ Sportsman’s Dinner on Feb. 12 in the Keystone Centre’s UCT Pavillion. Former NHLer Wendel Clark, who starred with the Saskatoon Blades, will be the keynote speaker. Former Wheat Kings forward Jeff Odgers also will be at the head table, as will comedian Bruce Clark and emcee Dick Jonckowski, who is the public address announcer for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s baseball and basketball teams. . . . Lethbridge Hurricanes F Kyle Beach has been suspended while the WHL office investigates an incident in which he is alleged to have shot a puck into the crowd following a game in Red Deer on Jan. 24.
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In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the game’s last five goals, four of them in third period, and beat the Regina Pats, 7-3. . . . F Ryan Fox, a trade-deadline acquisition from the Calgary Hitmen, had a goal and two assists for the Ice. . . . F Tylan Stephens had two goals for Kootenay. . . . F Matt Robertson got his 20th goal of the season for Regina. . . . D Colton Teubert was back in Regina’s lineup after behind a healthy scratch on Sunday in Calgary. He had one assist but was minus-3. . . . Regina F Brett Leffler left late in the second period after absorbing a hit by D Eric Frere. Leffler didn’t return. Leffler scored his 27th goal early in the second period.
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In Red Deer, F Nathan Green scored Brandon’s third shootout goal and it stood up as the Wheat Kings beat the Rebels, 2-1. . . . Red Deer F Landon Ferraro, who had missed three games with a groin injury, scored his 28th goal. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first pick in the 2008 bantam draft, drew an assist on the goal. He now has played five WHL games and, as a 15-year-old, can’t play again until his club team, the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants, has its season come to an end. He had six points in his five games. . . . Brandon G Andrew Hayes stopped 35 shots to win his 20th game of the season. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., the Medicine Hat Tigers scored two goals eight seconds apart late in the first period and went on to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . It was Medicine Hat’s first game in a western swing. The Tigers meet the Giants in Vancouver on Wednesday. . . . D Bo Montgomery played his first game of the season for the Tigers and picked up one assist. Montgomery, 18, chose not to report to the Portland Winter Hawks for a third season and was dealt to the Tigers on Jan. 10. . . . Medicine Hat G Ryan Holfeld stopped 32 shots as his side was outshot 36-21. . . . Tigers F Tyler Ennis went into the game with 199 career points. He scored twice and set up another goal.
Blazers scouting report
SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS at KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
Today, 7 p.m., Interior Savings Centre (Radio NL 610)
(Statistics don’t include Tuesday night’s games)
SEATTLE (21-24-1-3): The Thunderbirds were at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers last night. . . . Seattle, which now plays out of Kent, Wash., beat the visiting Portland Winter Hawks 3-1 on Saturday. . . . The Thunderbirds are seventh in the Western Conference, three points behind the sixth-place Everett Silvertips. . . . This is the Thunderbirds’ last road game in Canada this season. After tonight, Seattle will play 15 of its last 21 games at home. . . . D Thomas Hickey, taken fourth overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL’s 2008 draft, has 27 points, including 18 assists, in 34 games. Hickey, who played for Canada’s national junior team, is plus-16 on a team that has allowed 26 more goals than it has scored. . . . C Jim O’Brien, who was picked by the Blazers in the 2004 bantam draft, has 38 points, 15 of them goals, in 40 games. The Ottawa Senators selected him 29th overall in the NHL’s 2007 draft. He played for the U.S. at the World Junior Championship. . . . F Charles Wells (suspension) won’t play. He drew a three-game suspension for checking from behind. . . . Injuries: F David Richard (hand, out), F Lindsay Nielsen (ankle, out).
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KAMLOOPS (23-24-1-4): The Blazers lost 5-2 to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Saturday night. . . . That was the Blazers’ second straight home loss. They are 3-4-1-0 in their last eight at home and 6-2-0-0 in their last eight on the road. . . . Kamloops is 2-1-0-0 versus Seattle this season, including a 5-2 victory here on Oct. 22. . . . F Colin Smith, taken by the Blazers with the seventh pick in the 2008 bantam draft, will be in the lineup. . . . D Linden Saip has had a fight in each of his last three games; he also has 10 points, nine of them assists, in his last 14 games. . . . C C.J. Stretch is riding a 13-game point streak. He has 22 points, including 12 goals, over that time. Stretch also has picked up eight minor penalties over his last three outings. . . . RW Kenton Dulle has one point, an assist, over his last six games. . . . F Brendan Ranford is pointless in his last eight games. . . . Attendance on Saturday was 4,673, the third-largest crowd this season. . . . Injuries: C Mark Hall (knee, out), D Brandon Underwood (hand, out), D Michal Siska (ankle, out).
— GREGG DRINNAN
Today, 7 p.m., Interior Savings Centre (Radio NL 610)
(Statistics don’t include Tuesday night’s games)
SEATTLE (21-24-1-3): The Thunderbirds were at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers last night. . . . Seattle, which now plays out of Kent, Wash., beat the visiting Portland Winter Hawks 3-1 on Saturday. . . . The Thunderbirds are seventh in the Western Conference, three points behind the sixth-place Everett Silvertips. . . . This is the Thunderbirds’ last road game in Canada this season. After tonight, Seattle will play 15 of its last 21 games at home. . . . D Thomas Hickey, taken fourth overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL’s 2008 draft, has 27 points, including 18 assists, in 34 games. Hickey, who played for Canada’s national junior team, is plus-16 on a team that has allowed 26 more goals than it has scored. . . . C Jim O’Brien, who was picked by the Blazers in the 2004 bantam draft, has 38 points, 15 of them goals, in 40 games. The Ottawa Senators selected him 29th overall in the NHL’s 2007 draft. He played for the U.S. at the World Junior Championship. . . . F Charles Wells (suspension) won’t play. He drew a three-game suspension for checking from behind. . . . Injuries: F David Richard (hand, out), F Lindsay Nielsen (ankle, out).
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KAMLOOPS (23-24-1-4): The Blazers lost 5-2 to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Saturday night. . . . That was the Blazers’ second straight home loss. They are 3-4-1-0 in their last eight at home and 6-2-0-0 in their last eight on the road. . . . Kamloops is 2-1-0-0 versus Seattle this season, including a 5-2 victory here on Oct. 22. . . . F Colin Smith, taken by the Blazers with the seventh pick in the 2008 bantam draft, will be in the lineup. . . . D Linden Saip has had a fight in each of his last three games; he also has 10 points, nine of them assists, in his last 14 games. . . . C C.J. Stretch is riding a 13-game point streak. He has 22 points, including 12 goals, over that time. Stretch also has picked up eight minor penalties over his last three outings. . . . RW Kenton Dulle has one point, an assist, over his last six games. . . . F Brendan Ranford is pointless in his last eight games. . . . Attendance on Saturday was 4,673, the third-largest crowd this season. . . . Injuries: C Mark Hall (knee, out), D Brandon Underwood (hand, out), D Michal Siska (ankle, out).
— GREGG DRINNAN
Blazers search for scoring
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
For much of this WHL season, finding offence hasn’t posed a problem for the Kamloops Blazers.
Going into this week’s games, the Vancouver Giants were the only one of the Western Conference teams to have outscored the Blazers.
Of late, however, the Blazers have been riding one line — C.J. Stretch between Shayne Wiebe and Jimmy Bubnick.
Stretch is on a 13-game point streak, with 22 points, including 12 goals, over that span. In those 13 games, the Blazers scored 48 goals, so Stretch has been in on almost half of them. During those same 13 games, Bubnick put up 18 points, including five goals, and Wiebe earned 16 points, six of them goals.
Those three players, then, accounted for 23 of the 48 goals scored during that stretch.
At the same time, most of the other forwards have come up dry — Tyler Shattock has three goals, Kenton Dulle and Scott Wasden two each, Dalibor Bortnak and Brendan Ranford one each.
The Blazers won eight of 11 but now have lost two straight, thus the concern. Which is why the deck has been shuffled in time for tonight’s game against the Seattle Thunderbirds at Interior Savings Centre. Game time is 7 o’clock.
Head coach Barry Smith knows that one line can’t carry a team far in this league, so he has moved Ranford and Shattock alongside Stretch, while putting Wiebe on the wing with Bortnak and Bubnick.
A third unit has the team’s three 20-year-olds — Dulle, Seth Compton and Wasden — skating together. That leaves newcomer Colin Smith, the seventh overall pick in the 2008 draft, to play between Ryan Hanes and Brett Lyon.
Smith really would like to see Ranford, a 16-year-old freshman, come to life. Ranford, the 15th overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, won the Alberta Midget Hockey League scoring title as a 15-year-old last season, but has only one point, a goal, in his last 11 games. He missed six games, too, while at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni.
“He’s a 16-year-old who had a pretty good (season),” Smith said, “and never really hit any down spells. I think he got a little worn out mentally and physically at the Under-17.”
Even though Ranford, like his teammates, enjoyed a nine-day Christmas break, Smith is of the opinion that Ranford paid an emotional price for raising his level of play in Port Alberni.
“He hit a bit of a wall,” Smith said. “The emotion is pretty high there. And he played a lot so I think all that combined . . . and it was probably time for him as a 16-year-old to hit the wall.”
p p p
Colin Smith, who is no relation to the head coach, will play his first game in The ATM tonight.
Smith, 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds when he was drafted, is third in the Alberta midget league scoring derby, 11 points off the lead. He has 50 points, including 21 goals, in 30 games with Edmonton CAC Gregg Distributing, the same team for which Ranford, then 15, won the scoring title last season.
Last season, Smith had 106 points, including 70 assists, in 33 games with the Edmonton CAC bantam team.
“I’m going to move him around a bit,” Smith, the head coach, said. “He may see a little bit of time on the power play. He’s not a fourth-line, grind-it-out guy, so I’m looking to move him around.”
Smith, the player, made his WHL debut in his hometown on Dec. 5 as the Oil Kings beat the Blazers, 3-2. He will return home in time to play in the AMHL all-star game Sunday in Edmonton.
JUST NOTES: G Justin Leclerc will make his second straight start, and fifth in six games, for the Blazers. . . . D Michal Siska (ankle) won’t play. He may skate today and, if that goes well, could play Saturday against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . D Brandon Underwood (thumb) is likely out at least two more weeks. . . . C Mark Hall (knee), who has yet to play this season, is to see a doctor this week. Hall said he hopes to resume skating Thursday. . . . The Blazers also will scratch D Daniel Medland-Marchen, C Jake Trask and F Cole Grbavac, with D Josh Caron and Hanes getting back in.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
For much of this WHL season, finding offence hasn’t posed a problem for the Kamloops Blazers.
Going into this week’s games, the Vancouver Giants were the only one of the Western Conference teams to have outscored the Blazers.
Of late, however, the Blazers have been riding one line — C.J. Stretch between Shayne Wiebe and Jimmy Bubnick.
Stretch is on a 13-game point streak, with 22 points, including 12 goals, over that span. In those 13 games, the Blazers scored 48 goals, so Stretch has been in on almost half of them. During those same 13 games, Bubnick put up 18 points, including five goals, and Wiebe earned 16 points, six of them goals.
Those three players, then, accounted for 23 of the 48 goals scored during that stretch.
At the same time, most of the other forwards have come up dry — Tyler Shattock has three goals, Kenton Dulle and Scott Wasden two each, Dalibor Bortnak and Brendan Ranford one each.
The Blazers won eight of 11 but now have lost two straight, thus the concern. Which is why the deck has been shuffled in time for tonight’s game against the Seattle Thunderbirds at Interior Savings Centre. Game time is 7 o’clock.
Head coach Barry Smith knows that one line can’t carry a team far in this league, so he has moved Ranford and Shattock alongside Stretch, while putting Wiebe on the wing with Bortnak and Bubnick.
A third unit has the team’s three 20-year-olds — Dulle, Seth Compton and Wasden — skating together. That leaves newcomer Colin Smith, the seventh overall pick in the 2008 draft, to play between Ryan Hanes and Brett Lyon.
Smith really would like to see Ranford, a 16-year-old freshman, come to life. Ranford, the 15th overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, won the Alberta Midget Hockey League scoring title as a 15-year-old last season, but has only one point, a goal, in his last 11 games. He missed six games, too, while at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni.
“He’s a 16-year-old who had a pretty good (season),” Smith said, “and never really hit any down spells. I think he got a little worn out mentally and physically at the Under-17.”
Even though Ranford, like his teammates, enjoyed a nine-day Christmas break, Smith is of the opinion that Ranford paid an emotional price for raising his level of play in Port Alberni.
“He hit a bit of a wall,” Smith said. “The emotion is pretty high there. And he played a lot so I think all that combined . . . and it was probably time for him as a 16-year-old to hit the wall.”
p p p
Colin Smith, who is no relation to the head coach, will play his first game in The ATM tonight.
Smith, 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds when he was drafted, is third in the Alberta midget league scoring derby, 11 points off the lead. He has 50 points, including 21 goals, in 30 games with Edmonton CAC Gregg Distributing, the same team for which Ranford, then 15, won the scoring title last season.
Last season, Smith had 106 points, including 70 assists, in 33 games with the Edmonton CAC bantam team.
“I’m going to move him around a bit,” Smith, the head coach, said. “He may see a little bit of time on the power play. He’s not a fourth-line, grind-it-out guy, so I’m looking to move him around.”
Smith, the player, made his WHL debut in his hometown on Dec. 5 as the Oil Kings beat the Blazers, 3-2. He will return home in time to play in the AMHL all-star game Sunday in Edmonton.
JUST NOTES: G Justin Leclerc will make his second straight start, and fifth in six games, for the Blazers. . . . D Michal Siska (ankle) won’t play. He may skate today and, if that goes well, could play Saturday against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . D Brandon Underwood (thumb) is likely out at least two more weeks. . . . C Mark Hall (knee), who has yet to play this season, is to see a doctor this week. Hall said he hopes to resume skating Thursday. . . . The Blazers also will scratch D Daniel Medland-Marchen, C Jake Trask and F Cole Grbavac, with D Josh Caron and Hanes getting back in.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Bruins fire general manager
The Chilliwack Bruins' ownership group fired general manager Darrell May on Tuesday. That ownership group includes Brian Burke, the president and GM of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, and Glen Sather, the president and GM of the NHL's New York Rangers.
Here is the press release issued by the Bruins:
The Chilliwack Bruins announced today that General Manager Darrell May has been relieved of his duties effective immediately. The moves comes with the Bruins in ninth place in the Western Conference with a record of 14-31-2-4, six points out of a playoff spot.
“Chilliwack fans have been incredibly supportive of us through these first few years”, stated Bruins President Darryl Porter. “This has been a trying year for our fans who despite our won loss record have remained incredibly dedicated. This season has not unfolded the way ownership feels it should have and we felt it was best to make a change at this time. We would like to thank Darrell for his hard work and dedication to the Bruins for the last four years.”
Darryl Porter will serve as interim General Manager until a replacement is named.
Here is the press release issued by the Bruins:
The Chilliwack Bruins announced today that General Manager Darrell May has been relieved of his duties effective immediately. The moves comes with the Bruins in ninth place in the Western Conference with a record of 14-31-2-4, six points out of a playoff spot.
“Chilliwack fans have been incredibly supportive of us through these first few years”, stated Bruins President Darryl Porter. “This has been a trying year for our fans who despite our won loss record have remained incredibly dedicated. This season has not unfolded the way ownership feels it should have and we felt it was best to make a change at this time. We would like to thank Darrell for his hard work and dedication to the Bruins for the last four years.”
Darryl Porter will serve as interim General Manager until a replacement is named.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday . . .
There have been two recent additions to the blog list over there on the left.
On Monday night, I added Hornung on Hockey, one of the hockey world’s newest blogs. This one comes from old friend Brad Hornung, a former member of the Regina Pats.
WHL fans may recognize Hornung’s name. Yes, this is the same Brad Hornung who was so badly injured in a game against the Moose Jaw Warriors on March 1, 1987. He was left a quadriplegic but that hasn’t prevented him from staying involved in hockey.
When Mike Smith was the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, he hired Hornung to do some scouting and miscellaneous hockey that was doable via computer. But when Smith lost his job, a housecleaning took place and Hornung lost his job.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been another organization at any level of hockey that has seen fit to bring Hornung on board. And that’s a shame because, as you will see if you check out his blog, he knows his stuff.
Hornung remains a regular at Pats’ games and his blog is certain to reflect his views and ideas.
Views From The Booth, meanwhile, was added a week or 10 days ago. If you are interesting in the SJHL and want to know what’s going on there, this is the place to go. Check it out and you’ll find nightly recaps and assorted other SJHL info.
This is the blogdom of Kevin Smith, the play-by-play voice of the Weyburn Red Wings, and his analyst, Brad McNeil. They call the play on AM1190.
Having moved to Kamloops from Regina in the early spring of 2000, I can honestly say that I have missed AM1190 more than anything else. There is nothing better than baseball on the radio and AM1190 was the home of the Blue Jays and all the playoff baseball when I was living on the flatlands. Unfortunately, the big rocks out here prevent a lot of radio reception in these parts, which is one of the reasons I’ve gone to XM Radio. But I always will have a soft spot for AM1190.
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JUST NOTES: D Keith Seabrook of the Calgary Hitmen is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had eight points, including five assists, as the Hitmen went 3-0-0-0. . . . Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs is the WHL’s nominee as ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He went 2-0-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a .943 save percentage. . . . Sheldon Ferguson, a veteran of the hockey wars, has been hired by the Swift Current Broncos as their assistant general manager. He replaces Elden Moberg, who is leaving to join a local accounting firm. Ferguson was the Carolina Hurricanes‚ director of player personnel/director of amateur scouting from 1995-2007. Before that, he worked as Hockey Canada’s head scout and also has all kinds of experience scouting, coaching and managing in Western Canada. . . . When the Broncos play host to the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, they will honour the men who were the leaders in bringing the WHL back to Swift Current in 1986. Lloyd Ailsby, Garry Bollinger, Bryon Campbell, John Froese, Stan Horner, Gord Janke, Frank MacBean, Bill Mann, John Rittinger, Gerry Salter, Wally Walker, Jim Warren and Ben Wiebe will be saluted on Swift Current Broncos/Tim Hortons Founders Night. These are the businessmen who worked to purchase and relocate the Lethbridge Broncos in time for the 1986-87 season. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings are in Red Deer where they will play the Rebels on Tuesday and they have been joined by RW Klarc Wilson, 15, of Edmonton. He was the 10th overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft. Wilson has 32 points and 67 penalty minutes in 27 games with the midget AAA Knights of Columbus Pats of the Alberta midget league. . . . D Chad Erb (ribs, abdominal) and RW Aaron Lewadniuk (concussion) traveled with the Wheat Kings and should play at some point on the four-game swing. . . . Meanwhile, Brandon RW Sanfred King was returning Monday to Brandon after a stint in a Prince Albert hospital. He had been in hospital there since suffering a broken leg in a game against the Raiders on Jan. 17. He underwent surgery on Jan. 18 and is done for the season. . . . Red Deer will use F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, in his fifth game on Tuesday against Brandon. He had two goals and an assist in a couple of weekend games. WHL regulations allow a team to use a 15-year-old player for a maximum of five games while his regular team’s season is ongoing. . . . Red Deer F Landon Ferraro (groin) is expected back Tuesday after missing three games.
On Monday night, I added Hornung on Hockey, one of the hockey world’s newest blogs. This one comes from old friend Brad Hornung, a former member of the Regina Pats.
WHL fans may recognize Hornung’s name. Yes, this is the same Brad Hornung who was so badly injured in a game against the Moose Jaw Warriors on March 1, 1987. He was left a quadriplegic but that hasn’t prevented him from staying involved in hockey.
When Mike Smith was the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, he hired Hornung to do some scouting and miscellaneous hockey that was doable via computer. But when Smith lost his job, a housecleaning took place and Hornung lost his job.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been another organization at any level of hockey that has seen fit to bring Hornung on board. And that’s a shame because, as you will see if you check out his blog, he knows his stuff.
Hornung remains a regular at Pats’ games and his blog is certain to reflect his views and ideas.
Views From The Booth, meanwhile, was added a week or 10 days ago. If you are interesting in the SJHL and want to know what’s going on there, this is the place to go. Check it out and you’ll find nightly recaps and assorted other SJHL info.
This is the blogdom of Kevin Smith, the play-by-play voice of the Weyburn Red Wings, and his analyst, Brad McNeil. They call the play on AM1190.
Having moved to Kamloops from Regina in the early spring of 2000, I can honestly say that I have missed AM1190 more than anything else. There is nothing better than baseball on the radio and AM1190 was the home of the Blue Jays and all the playoff baseball when I was living on the flatlands. Unfortunately, the big rocks out here prevent a lot of radio reception in these parts, which is one of the reasons I’ve gone to XM Radio. But I always will have a soft spot for AM1190.
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JUST NOTES: D Keith Seabrook of the Calgary Hitmen is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had eight points, including five assists, as the Hitmen went 3-0-0-0. . . . Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs is the WHL’s nominee as ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He went 2-0-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a .943 save percentage. . . . Sheldon Ferguson, a veteran of the hockey wars, has been hired by the Swift Current Broncos as their assistant general manager. He replaces Elden Moberg, who is leaving to join a local accounting firm. Ferguson was the Carolina Hurricanes‚ director of player personnel/director of amateur scouting from 1995-2007. Before that, he worked as Hockey Canada’s head scout and also has all kinds of experience scouting, coaching and managing in Western Canada. . . . When the Broncos play host to the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, they will honour the men who were the leaders in bringing the WHL back to Swift Current in 1986. Lloyd Ailsby, Garry Bollinger, Bryon Campbell, John Froese, Stan Horner, Gord Janke, Frank MacBean, Bill Mann, John Rittinger, Gerry Salter, Wally Walker, Jim Warren and Ben Wiebe will be saluted on Swift Current Broncos/Tim Hortons Founders Night. These are the businessmen who worked to purchase and relocate the Lethbridge Broncos in time for the 1986-87 season. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings are in Red Deer where they will play the Rebels on Tuesday and they have been joined by RW Klarc Wilson, 15, of Edmonton. He was the 10th overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft. Wilson has 32 points and 67 penalty minutes in 27 games with the midget AAA Knights of Columbus Pats of the Alberta midget league. . . . D Chad Erb (ribs, abdominal) and RW Aaron Lewadniuk (concussion) traveled with the Wheat Kings and should play at some point on the four-game swing. . . . Meanwhile, Brandon RW Sanfred King was returning Monday to Brandon after a stint in a Prince Albert hospital. He had been in hospital there since suffering a broken leg in a game against the Raiders on Jan. 17. He underwent surgery on Jan. 18 and is done for the season. . . . Red Deer will use F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, in his fifth game on Tuesday against Brandon. He had two goals and an assist in a couple of weekend games. WHL regulations allow a team to use a 15-year-old player for a maximum of five games while his regular team’s season is ongoing. . . . Red Deer F Landon Ferraro (groin) is expected back Tuesday after missing three games.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday . . .
For anyone who is new to this site, The MacBeth Report is the work of Garth MacBeth, a veteran WHL scout who lives in Seattle – he presently works for the Vancouver Giants – and is familiar with the European scene. . . . There are some interesting names in the latest MacBeth Report, none moreso than that of G Marek Schwarz. . . .
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THE MacBETH REPORT: G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver) has signed a three-year contract with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Extraliga) after leaving Alaska (ECHL). Schwarz played two games with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, who selected him 17th overall in the 2004 NHL draft, 10 with Peoria (AHL) and five with Alaska this season. Mlada Boleslav is his hometown. . . . Schwarz was drafted out of Sparta Praha and then played 2004-05 with the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Kyle Wanvig (Edmonton/Kootenay/Red Deer) has been released by Brynäs Gävle (Sweden Elitserien). He was not receiving much ice time and asked for his release. In 18 games with Brynäs, Wanvig had two goals and one assist. . . . F Shawn McNeil (Kamloops/Red Deer) signed with Herner ESV (Germany Oberliga) after his release by Kassel (Germany DEL). McNeil had five goals and 19 assists in 36 games for Kassel this season. His contract with Herner is for the rest of this season with an option for next season. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge/Prince Albert/Red Deer) signed with Mora (Sweden Allsvenskan) for the rest of this season. Lupaschuk, who was released by Novosibirsk (Russia KHL) earlier this month, played for Mora in 2005-06. . . . G Scott Langkow (Portland) signed a two-year contract extension with Krefeld (Germany DEL). He has a 2.45 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 27 games with Krefeld this season.
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The Calgary Hitmen scored a franchise-record six power-play goals in 12 opportunities Sunday as they beat the visiting Regina Pats 7-4. . . . Attendance was 12,034. . . . The big news was that Regina D Colten Teubert, who was taken 13th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL’s 2008 draft, was a healthy scratch by the Pats. . . . “I just haven’t been playing my best,” Teubert told the Regina Leader-Post. “When players don’t play their best, they don’t get an opportunity to play.” . . . Teubert played for Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . “(Teubert) hasn’t played as well as we know he’s capable of,” Regina GM Brent Parker told The Leader-Post. “He hasn’t performed even close to it. I think he recognizes that. He needs to understand that for us to have success, we need him fully committed and fully bought-in to what we’re trying to do, both on ice and through his leadership. This isn’t a case where he broke any team rules or where he did anything off-ice or anything else. It’s just strictly us making him accountable.” . . . The Leader-Post also reported: “The Pats also sat out centre Mitch Czibere, who had a verbal disagreement with (head coach Dale) Derkatch during Friday’s game. . . . Regina closed to within 5-4 in the third period only to have Calgary score two PP goals. . . . The Pats, who were outshot 51-18, were 3-for-8 on the PP. . . . D Paul Postma had a goal and three assists for Calgary. . . . D Jesse Dudas drew an assist on each of Regina’s goals.
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In Moose Jaw, the Saskatoon Blades whipped the Warriors 11-1 for their season-high ninth straight victory. . . . The Blades have points in 13 straight games. . . . F Curtis Hamilton and F Chris Langkow each scored twice for Saskatoon. . . . Langkow hadn’t scored in 15 games. . . . Saskatoon tied a franchise record with its 21st road victory of the season. . . . Moose Jaw has lost nine straight. . . . The Warriors and Blades will play home-and-home this weekend. They open Friday in Moose Jaw and close it out Saturday in Saskatoon. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison stopped 23 shots to run his record to 7-0-1-0.
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In Chilliwack, G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 20 shots as the Vancouver Giants beat the Bruins 5-0. . . . Sexsmith, the WHL’s career leader with 24 shutouts, has blanked the Bruins six times. . . . The Bruins have been shut out a WHL-high nine times this season. . . . The Giants had 56 shots on goal, the most the Bruins have allowed in franchise history. . . . Bruins G Lucas Gore went the distance. . . . The Giants have put up consecutive shutouts. Jamie Tucker blanked the Everett Silvertips 7-0 in Vancouver on Saturday. . . . Vancouver got two goals from Garry Nunn and a goal and two helpers from WHL scoring leader Casey Pierro-Zabotel. Evander Kane added three assists. . . . D Nick Ross had a goal and an assist for the Giants. He has nine points in 10 games since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers on Jan. 8. . . . Pierro-Zabotel now has 87 points in 48 games, tying the franchise’s single-season record. F Gilbert Brule put up 87 points in 70 games in 2004-05. . . . Pierro-Zabotel earlier broke F Darren Lynch’s club record for assists in a season. . . . The Giants are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. Vancouver won three games on the weekend, outscoring Kamloops, Everett and Chilliwack by a total of 17-1.
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Mitch Fadden scored at 1:10 of OT to give the host Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Americans, the second seed in the Western Conference, now are six points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Tri-City captain Taylor Procyshen had two goals, the second one, at 16:22 of the third period, forcing extra time. He has 28 goals on the season. . . . Everett twice led by two goals – 2-0 and 3-1. . . . One of Everett’s goals came from D Alex Theriau, his first in the WHL. . . . Fadden also scored in regulation. He has 19 goals this season.
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A look at the WHL’s unofficial fine standings, showing number of incidents and amount fined:
Chilliwack 2/$750
Lethbridge 2/$750
Prince George 2/$500
Regina 1/$500
Vancouver 1/$250
Prince Albert 1/$250
Saskatoon 1/$250
Edmonton 1/$250
Kamloops 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
TOTALS 13/$4,000
(NOTE: All fines for being involved in multi-fight situations.)
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A look at WHL general managers and coaches who have been fined this season, showing number of fines and total amount fined:
Steve Pleau, Edmonton 2/$1,500
Michael Dyck, Lethbridge 1/$500
Roy Stasiuk, Lethbridge 1/$500
Rob Sumner, Seattle 1/$500
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THE MacBETH REPORT: G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver) has signed a three-year contract with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Extraliga) after leaving Alaska (ECHL). Schwarz played two games with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, who selected him 17th overall in the 2004 NHL draft, 10 with Peoria (AHL) and five with Alaska this season. Mlada Boleslav is his hometown. . . . Schwarz was drafted out of Sparta Praha and then played 2004-05 with the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Kyle Wanvig (Edmonton/Kootenay/Red Deer) has been released by Brynäs Gävle (Sweden Elitserien). He was not receiving much ice time and asked for his release. In 18 games with Brynäs, Wanvig had two goals and one assist. . . . F Shawn McNeil (Kamloops/Red Deer) signed with Herner ESV (Germany Oberliga) after his release by Kassel (Germany DEL). McNeil had five goals and 19 assists in 36 games for Kassel this season. His contract with Herner is for the rest of this season with an option for next season. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge/Prince Albert/Red Deer) signed with Mora (Sweden Allsvenskan) for the rest of this season. Lupaschuk, who was released by Novosibirsk (Russia KHL) earlier this month, played for Mora in 2005-06. . . . G Scott Langkow (Portland) signed a two-year contract extension with Krefeld (Germany DEL). He has a 2.45 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 27 games with Krefeld this season.
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The Calgary Hitmen scored a franchise-record six power-play goals in 12 opportunities Sunday as they beat the visiting Regina Pats 7-4. . . . Attendance was 12,034. . . . The big news was that Regina D Colten Teubert, who was taken 13th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL’s 2008 draft, was a healthy scratch by the Pats. . . . “I just haven’t been playing my best,” Teubert told the Regina Leader-Post. “When players don’t play their best, they don’t get an opportunity to play.” . . . Teubert played for Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . “(Teubert) hasn’t played as well as we know he’s capable of,” Regina GM Brent Parker told The Leader-Post. “He hasn’t performed even close to it. I think he recognizes that. He needs to understand that for us to have success, we need him fully committed and fully bought-in to what we’re trying to do, both on ice and through his leadership. This isn’t a case where he broke any team rules or where he did anything off-ice or anything else. It’s just strictly us making him accountable.” . . . The Leader-Post also reported: “The Pats also sat out centre Mitch Czibere, who had a verbal disagreement with (head coach Dale) Derkatch during Friday’s game. . . . Regina closed to within 5-4 in the third period only to have Calgary score two PP goals. . . . The Pats, who were outshot 51-18, were 3-for-8 on the PP. . . . D Paul Postma had a goal and three assists for Calgary. . . . D Jesse Dudas drew an assist on each of Regina’s goals.
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In Moose Jaw, the Saskatoon Blades whipped the Warriors 11-1 for their season-high ninth straight victory. . . . The Blades have points in 13 straight games. . . . F Curtis Hamilton and F Chris Langkow each scored twice for Saskatoon. . . . Langkow hadn’t scored in 15 games. . . . Saskatoon tied a franchise record with its 21st road victory of the season. . . . Moose Jaw has lost nine straight. . . . The Warriors and Blades will play home-and-home this weekend. They open Friday in Moose Jaw and close it out Saturday in Saskatoon. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison stopped 23 shots to run his record to 7-0-1-0.
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In Chilliwack, G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 20 shots as the Vancouver Giants beat the Bruins 5-0. . . . Sexsmith, the WHL’s career leader with 24 shutouts, has blanked the Bruins six times. . . . The Bruins have been shut out a WHL-high nine times this season. . . . The Giants had 56 shots on goal, the most the Bruins have allowed in franchise history. . . . Bruins G Lucas Gore went the distance. . . . The Giants have put up consecutive shutouts. Jamie Tucker blanked the Everett Silvertips 7-0 in Vancouver on Saturday. . . . Vancouver got two goals from Garry Nunn and a goal and two helpers from WHL scoring leader Casey Pierro-Zabotel. Evander Kane added three assists. . . . D Nick Ross had a goal and an assist for the Giants. He has nine points in 10 games since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers on Jan. 8. . . . Pierro-Zabotel now has 87 points in 48 games, tying the franchise’s single-season record. F Gilbert Brule put up 87 points in 70 games in 2004-05. . . . Pierro-Zabotel earlier broke F Darren Lynch’s club record for assists in a season. . . . The Giants are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. Vancouver won three games on the weekend, outscoring Kamloops, Everett and Chilliwack by a total of 17-1.
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Mitch Fadden scored at 1:10 of OT to give the host Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Americans, the second seed in the Western Conference, now are six points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Tri-City captain Taylor Procyshen had two goals, the second one, at 16:22 of the third period, forcing extra time. He has 28 goals on the season. . . . Everett twice led by two goals – 2-0 and 3-1. . . . One of Everett’s goals came from D Alex Theriau, his first in the WHL. . . . Fadden also scored in regulation. He has 19 goals this season.
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A look at the WHL’s unofficial fine standings, showing number of incidents and amount fined:
Chilliwack 2/$750
Lethbridge 2/$750
Prince George 2/$500
Regina 1/$500
Vancouver 1/$250
Prince Albert 1/$250
Saskatoon 1/$250
Edmonton 1/$250
Kamloops 1/$250
Spokane 1/$250
TOTALS 13/$4,000
(NOTE: All fines for being involved in multi-fight situations.)
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A look at WHL general managers and coaches who have been fined this season, showing number of fines and total amount fined:
Steve Pleau, Edmonton 2/$1,500
Michael Dyck, Lethbridge 1/$500
Roy Stasiuk, Lethbridge 1/$500
Rob Sumner, Seattle 1/$500
Rockets power past Blazers
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers have met five times this WHL season.
The good news for Blazers fans is that their boys have scored one power-play goal in four of the games.
The bad news is that the Rockets have 12 such goals – and five victories.
“That’s the only way that team ever beats us . . . they beat us on the power play,” Barry Smith, the Blazers’ head coach, stated Saturday night after the Rockets had posted a 5-2 victory in front of 4,673 fans at Interior Savings Centre. “We know that. We have to keep it 5-on-5 and we have to do a better job of killing penalties against them.
“You put them on the power play . . . that’s what they want. That’s how they beat us every time.”
The Rockets were 3-for-3 on the power play and now are 12-for-35 with the man advantage in the five victories over the Blazers. In those games, Kelowna has counted, in order, four, three, zero, two and three power-play goals.
“It seems like every time we play those guys they beat us on the power play,” said Kamloops right-winger Tyler Shattock, whose side was 1-for-8 on the PP. “It seems that we never learn to stay disciplined. We play them 5-on-5 and you could see that we were right there with them. But three goals on the power play . . . if not it’s a 2-2 game.”
The Blazers, who have been shorthanded more times and have surrendered more power-play goals than any of the 21 other WHL teams, have only the 19th-best penalty killing.
“We are going to have to figure it out before the playoffs,” Shattock said.
Combine Saturday’s game with Friday’s 5-1 loss to the Giants in Vancouver and the Blazers, who had won six of seven games, have lost two straight.
“We didn’t play very well . . .that’s the common thread in both (losses),” Smith said. “Our compete level has got to get back up and we have to work harder and win the battles. We had a great run up to this (point).
“We ran out of gas a little but that’s going to happen, the schedule does that. . . . (but) I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We might be a little bit (tired) but you have to work smart.”
Smith said one of the reasons his club might be fatigued is that not everyone is contributing.
“Right now, you get tired because our top-end guys are doing everything,” he explained. “We’re not getting anything from the bottom end.”
While the Blazers may not have wanted to use it as an excuse, the fact is that they came in having played seven of 10 games on the road, including the last four. And as this one wore on it seemed the legs just weren’t there.
Kelowna jumped out front early, on Swedish centre Mikael Backlund’s second WHL goal just 88 seconds into the game.
The Blazers got that one right back with defenceman Curtis Kulchar jumping into the play and getting his second WHL goal from the lip of the Kelowna crease just 39 seconds later.
However, the Blazers didn’t get much of a lift from that goal and, in hindsight, that was only a sign of what was to come.
The Rockets got goals from Brandon McMillan, who made a terrific play with his feet along the left boards to gain possession before scoring from the point on a power play, and Ian Duval before the period ended.
And the home boys weren’t ever able to get back into this one.
Duval, a trade-deadline acquisition from the Moose Jaw Warriors, finished with two goals and an assist, while McMillan added two helpers to his goal. Colin Long had Kelowna’s other goal, while Scott Wasden also scored for the Blazers.
“We shouldn’t be (tired),” Shattock said. “We didn’t play very well (Friday) night, so we should have had legs tonight. But we didn’t. It’s a disappointing loss because we could have been one point behind those guys.”
While the Blazers had been having some success on the road – they went 5-2-0-0 in those aforementioned games – the Rockets have been so-so everywhere. They hadn’t won on the road since Dec. 17. They came in having lost their last four games (0-2-0-2) and were 1-3-0-2 since the Jan. 10 trade deadline. They had watched their lead over the fifth-place Blazers in the Western Conference shrink to just three points.
But it’s been a tumultuous last few weeks for the Rockets, what with their having had three players – defenceman Tyler Myers and forwards Jamie Benn and Stepan Novotny – at the World Junior Championship and having added Duval, Backlund, left-winger Ryley Grantham, who was scratched with a hand injury, and goaltender Mark Guggenberger since Jan. 10.
“We haven’t had a ton of practice time with a full lineup yet,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said. “Once we get the guys together a little bit more, and get them understanding how we expect them to play each and every night, I think it will come regularly for us.”
Guggenberger stopped 24 shots, including 13 in the first period when he, as much as anyone, was responsible for his side’s 3-1 lead.
“Yeah,” Huska said, “if we can keep getting goaltending like that . . .”
The Rockets will be back at The ATM on Feb. 3 and Shattock feels he and his mates will have to deliver a message that night.
“We have to let them know that we’re here to play . . . let them know that we’re no walkover, for sure,” he said.
JUST NOTES: Kamloops G Justin Leclerc, who lost for the first time in six starts, stopped 25 shots. . . . Referees Ryan Thompson and Nathan Wieler gave the Rockets 11 of 18 minors, three of six majors and a misconduct. . . . Huska wasn’t pleased with his club’s discipline and was especially upset with Myers for taking a misconduct for yapping just 34 seconds into the second period. “We need him playing,” Huska said. “We can’t afford to have him sitting in the box.” The Buffalo Sabres selected Myers with the 12th pick of the 2008 NHL draft. . . . The Blazers took Sunday off and will be back on the practice ice this afternoon. . . . They close out January with home games against the Seattle Thunderbirds (Wednesday) and Medicine Hat Tigers (Saturday).
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers have met five times this WHL season.
The good news for Blazers fans is that their boys have scored one power-play goal in four of the games.
The bad news is that the Rockets have 12 such goals – and five victories.
“That’s the only way that team ever beats us . . . they beat us on the power play,” Barry Smith, the Blazers’ head coach, stated Saturday night after the Rockets had posted a 5-2 victory in front of 4,673 fans at Interior Savings Centre. “We know that. We have to keep it 5-on-5 and we have to do a better job of killing penalties against them.
“You put them on the power play . . . that’s what they want. That’s how they beat us every time.”
The Rockets were 3-for-3 on the power play and now are 12-for-35 with the man advantage in the five victories over the Blazers. In those games, Kelowna has counted, in order, four, three, zero, two and three power-play goals.
“It seems like every time we play those guys they beat us on the power play,” said Kamloops right-winger Tyler Shattock, whose side was 1-for-8 on the PP. “It seems that we never learn to stay disciplined. We play them 5-on-5 and you could see that we were right there with them. But three goals on the power play . . . if not it’s a 2-2 game.”
The Blazers, who have been shorthanded more times and have surrendered more power-play goals than any of the 21 other WHL teams, have only the 19th-best penalty killing.
“We are going to have to figure it out before the playoffs,” Shattock said.
Combine Saturday’s game with Friday’s 5-1 loss to the Giants in Vancouver and the Blazers, who had won six of seven games, have lost two straight.
“We didn’t play very well . . .that’s the common thread in both (losses),” Smith said. “Our compete level has got to get back up and we have to work harder and win the battles. We had a great run up to this (point).
“We ran out of gas a little but that’s going to happen, the schedule does that. . . . (but) I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We might be a little bit (tired) but you have to work smart.”
Smith said one of the reasons his club might be fatigued is that not everyone is contributing.
“Right now, you get tired because our top-end guys are doing everything,” he explained. “We’re not getting anything from the bottom end.”
While the Blazers may not have wanted to use it as an excuse, the fact is that they came in having played seven of 10 games on the road, including the last four. And as this one wore on it seemed the legs just weren’t there.
Kelowna jumped out front early, on Swedish centre Mikael Backlund’s second WHL goal just 88 seconds into the game.
The Blazers got that one right back with defenceman Curtis Kulchar jumping into the play and getting his second WHL goal from the lip of the Kelowna crease just 39 seconds later.
However, the Blazers didn’t get much of a lift from that goal and, in hindsight, that was only a sign of what was to come.
The Rockets got goals from Brandon McMillan, who made a terrific play with his feet along the left boards to gain possession before scoring from the point on a power play, and Ian Duval before the period ended.
And the home boys weren’t ever able to get back into this one.
Duval, a trade-deadline acquisition from the Moose Jaw Warriors, finished with two goals and an assist, while McMillan added two helpers to his goal. Colin Long had Kelowna’s other goal, while Scott Wasden also scored for the Blazers.
“We shouldn’t be (tired),” Shattock said. “We didn’t play very well (Friday) night, so we should have had legs tonight. But we didn’t. It’s a disappointing loss because we could have been one point behind those guys.”
While the Blazers had been having some success on the road – they went 5-2-0-0 in those aforementioned games – the Rockets have been so-so everywhere. They hadn’t won on the road since Dec. 17. They came in having lost their last four games (0-2-0-2) and were 1-3-0-2 since the Jan. 10 trade deadline. They had watched their lead over the fifth-place Blazers in the Western Conference shrink to just three points.
But it’s been a tumultuous last few weeks for the Rockets, what with their having had three players – defenceman Tyler Myers and forwards Jamie Benn and Stepan Novotny – at the World Junior Championship and having added Duval, Backlund, left-winger Ryley Grantham, who was scratched with a hand injury, and goaltender Mark Guggenberger since Jan. 10.
“We haven’t had a ton of practice time with a full lineup yet,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said. “Once we get the guys together a little bit more, and get them understanding how we expect them to play each and every night, I think it will come regularly for us.”
Guggenberger stopped 24 shots, including 13 in the first period when he, as much as anyone, was responsible for his side’s 3-1 lead.
“Yeah,” Huska said, “if we can keep getting goaltending like that . . .”
The Rockets will be back at The ATM on Feb. 3 and Shattock feels he and his mates will have to deliver a message that night.
“We have to let them know that we’re here to play . . . let them know that we’re no walkover, for sure,” he said.
JUST NOTES: Kamloops G Justin Leclerc, who lost for the first time in six starts, stopped 25 shots. . . . Referees Ryan Thompson and Nathan Wieler gave the Rockets 11 of 18 minors, three of six majors and a misconduct. . . . Huska wasn’t pleased with his club’s discipline and was especially upset with Myers for taking a misconduct for yapping just 34 seconds into the second period. “We need him playing,” Huska said. “We can’t afford to have him sitting in the box.” The Buffalo Sabres selected Myers with the 12th pick of the 2008 NHL draft. . . . The Blazers took Sunday off and will be back on the practice ice this afternoon. . . . They close out January with home games against the Seattle Thunderbirds (Wednesday) and Medicine Hat Tigers (Saturday).
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Blazers box
From Saturday's game . . .
THE SCORE
Kelowna 5, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Rockets got out to a 3-1 first-period lead, thanks in part to three marvelous saves by G Mark Guggenberger, and the Blazers didn’t appear
to have the energy necessary to try to work their way back into it.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (23-24-1-4) are fifth in the Western Conference, but now are
five points behind the Rockets (27-19-0-2), who hold four games in hand.
THE ENERGY FACTOR?
In their last three games, the Blazers are 1-2-0-0 and have been outshot 125-69.
THE ODD COUPLE
One of the Kelowna defensive pairings comprises D Tyler Myers, who is listed at 6-foot-7, and D Tyson Barrie, who is listed at 5-foot-10 but looks closer to 5-foot-8. The Kelowna coaching staff used the pairing as much as possible against the Blazers’ top line of C.J. Stretch between Shayne Wiebe and Jimmy Bubnick.
THE STREAK
Stretch drew an assist on his club’s first goal to run his point streak to 13 games. Brandon teammates Jay Fehr (17 games) and Andrew Clark (16) also are hot these days.
THE SEASON SERIES
The Rockets have won the first five games between these teams this season, including one in a shootout. Kelowna has a 25-11 edge in goals scored. The teams meet here again on Feb. 3.
THE 20-GOAL MEN
The Blazers have four 20-goal scorers -- Bubnick, Tyler Shattock
Stretch and Wiebe -- for the first time since 2006-07 when Reid
Jorgensen, Ray Macias, Brock Nixon and Juuso Puustinen each scored at least 30.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. D Collin Bowman, Kelowna. Best player on the ice.
2. F Ian Duval, Kelowna. Three points, just one on the PP.
3. F Brandon McMillan, Kelowna. Always plays well against Kamloops.
NEXT UP
The Seattle Thunderbirds are in town Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
THE SCORE
Kelowna 5, Kamloops 2
WHAT HAPPENED
The Rockets got out to a 3-1 first-period lead, thanks in part to three marvelous saves by G Mark Guggenberger, and the Blazers didn’t appear
to have the energy necessary to try to work their way back into it.
THE STANDINGS
The Blazers (23-24-1-4) are fifth in the Western Conference, but now are
five points behind the Rockets (27-19-0-2), who hold four games in hand.
THE ENERGY FACTOR?
In their last three games, the Blazers are 1-2-0-0 and have been outshot 125-69.
THE ODD COUPLE
One of the Kelowna defensive pairings comprises D Tyler Myers, who is listed at 6-foot-7, and D Tyson Barrie, who is listed at 5-foot-10 but looks closer to 5-foot-8. The Kelowna coaching staff used the pairing as much as possible against the Blazers’ top line of C.J. Stretch between Shayne Wiebe and Jimmy Bubnick.
THE STREAK
Stretch drew an assist on his club’s first goal to run his point streak to 13 games. Brandon teammates Jay Fehr (17 games) and Andrew Clark (16) also are hot these days.
THE SEASON SERIES
The Rockets have won the first five games between these teams this season, including one in a shootout. Kelowna has a 25-11 edge in goals scored. The teams meet here again on Feb. 3.
THE 20-GOAL MEN
The Blazers have four 20-goal scorers -- Bubnick, Tyler Shattock
Stretch and Wiebe -- for the first time since 2006-07 when Reid
Jorgensen, Ray Macias, Brock Nixon and Juuso Puustinen each scored at least 30.
THE DAILY NEWS THREE STARS
1. D Collin Bowman, Kelowna. Best player on the ice.
2. F Ian Duval, Kelowna. Three points, just one on the PP.
3. F Brandon McMillan, Kelowna. Always plays well against Kamloops.
NEXT UP
The Seattle Thunderbirds are in town Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Catching up . . .
There was an interesting bit in Saturday’s Vancouver Sun concerning the Giants at the ownership level.
Greg Douglas, who does a column as Dr. Sport that appears in The Sun most Saturdays, frequently mentions Giants majority owner Ron Toigo in these columns. Such was the case Saturday when he touched on Toigo and the decision a couple of years ago to let Gordie Howe, who at the time was thought to be having financial problems, sell his five per cent ownership share back to the other Giants’ owners. That five per cent, by the way, brought Howe US$200,000 and that was two or three years ago.
Anyway . . . all of this became public knowledge thanks to a story by Charlie Gillis in Maclean’s magazine.
So I scooted over there and gave it a read. This is a shocker, if ever there was one, and is definitely worth reading. It’s right here.
And a tip of the hat to Toigo for the role he has played through all of this.
As he told Douglas: “I phone (Howe) every second Sunday morning just to check in. He loves his association with the Giants and, as far as I’m concerned, he’s with us for the rest of his life.”
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SATURDAY LEFTOVERS:
Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reported that tickets for the two NHL exhibition games scheduled for Credit Union Centre in September sold out in 30 minutes. The New York Islanders, who will open their training camp in Saskatoon, are to play the Calgary Flames on Sept. 19 and the Edmonton Oilers on Sept. 20. The building seats 11,000. About 7,000 tickets were claimed in pre-sale which involved Saskatoon Blades’ season-ticket holders and fans with packages to the 2010 World Junior Championship. The other 15,000 tickets disappeared in a hurry Saturday morning. . . . The end result of all this could be that the Islanders set up training camp in Saskatoon prior to the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, as well. . . .
Vancouver G Jamie Tucker stopped 23 shots as the Giants dumped the visiting Everett Silvertips, 7-0. . . . Tucker is 13-0-0-1 in his freshman season. He has four shutouts, a 1.55 GAA and a .932 save percentage. . . . Attendance at Pacific Coliseum was 11,056, meaning the Giants put 24,183 fans in their building in a 24-hour span. They beat the visiting Kamloops Blazers 5-1 on Friday. It was the first time in franchise history the Giants have topped 10 grand on consecutive nights. . . . The Giants clinched a playoff spot with Friday’s victory . . .
Brandon’s line of Andrew Clark, Jay Fehr and Matt Lowry totaled 11 points and was plus-11 but the Wheat Kings needed a shootout to beat the visiting Kootenay Ice, 6-5. . . . Fehr is riding a 17-game point streak and has goals in seven straight games. Clark, scored three times in regulation time and added another in the shootout, is on a 16-game point streak. He has 29 goals this season. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs, playing before a sold-out crowd of 10,538, beat the Tri-City Americans 5-2 to close to within four points of the Western Conference’s second seed. The Chiefs, who have won eight in a row, have two games in hand on the Americans, too. . . . The game included six fights, four of them coming in the second period’s opening minute. . . . “I think the second period was really the turning point . . . four fights in a row and we won every single one of them in my opinion,” Spokane C Jared Cowen, who scrapped with Spencer Asuchak, told freelancer Jessica Brown, who covered the game for the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “I know (Tri-City’s Taylor) Procyshen asked (Levko) Koper to go first and it was just a domino effect after that, but I think it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to do it. Usually there aren’t that many fights – especially not in the span of 30 seconds. And there haven’t been that many fights with them in a long time, so it was a nice change of pace.” . . . Among Spokane’s scratches was F Ryan Letts (separated shoulder). He was injured Friday when he was hit from behind by Seattle Thunderbirds F Charles Wells. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets went 3-for-3 on the PP and beat the host Kamloops Blazers 5-2. Kelowna is 5-0 versus Kamloops this season, with one of those victories coming in a shootout. . . . The Rockets are 12-for-35 on the PP in the five games. . . . The Blazers were 1-for-8 with the man advantage. . . . Kelowna had lost four straight (0-2-0-2). . . . Kelowna F Ian Duval had two goals and an assist, with F Brandon McMillan adding a goal and two helpers. But it was Kelowna D Collin Bowman, who often gets lost behind the likes of Tyler Myers and Tyson Barrie, who was the best player on the ice. The 17-year-old Bowman, the younger brother of Spokane LW Drayson Bowman, didn’t pick up any points but really played well. . . . Kamloops C C.J. Stretch picked up an assist on his club’s first goal to run his point streak to 13 games.
Greg Douglas, who does a column as Dr. Sport that appears in The Sun most Saturdays, frequently mentions Giants majority owner Ron Toigo in these columns. Such was the case Saturday when he touched on Toigo and the decision a couple of years ago to let Gordie Howe, who at the time was thought to be having financial problems, sell his five per cent ownership share back to the other Giants’ owners. That five per cent, by the way, brought Howe US$200,000 and that was two or three years ago.
Anyway . . . all of this became public knowledge thanks to a story by Charlie Gillis in Maclean’s magazine.
So I scooted over there and gave it a read. This is a shocker, if ever there was one, and is definitely worth reading. It’s right here.
And a tip of the hat to Toigo for the role he has played through all of this.
As he told Douglas: “I phone (Howe) every second Sunday morning just to check in. He loves his association with the Giants and, as far as I’m concerned, he’s with us for the rest of his life.”
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SATURDAY LEFTOVERS:
Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reported that tickets for the two NHL exhibition games scheduled for Credit Union Centre in September sold out in 30 minutes. The New York Islanders, who will open their training camp in Saskatoon, are to play the Calgary Flames on Sept. 19 and the Edmonton Oilers on Sept. 20. The building seats 11,000. About 7,000 tickets were claimed in pre-sale which involved Saskatoon Blades’ season-ticket holders and fans with packages to the 2010 World Junior Championship. The other 15,000 tickets disappeared in a hurry Saturday morning. . . . The end result of all this could be that the Islanders set up training camp in Saskatoon prior to the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, as well. . . .
Vancouver G Jamie Tucker stopped 23 shots as the Giants dumped the visiting Everett Silvertips, 7-0. . . . Tucker is 13-0-0-1 in his freshman season. He has four shutouts, a 1.55 GAA and a .932 save percentage. . . . Attendance at Pacific Coliseum was 11,056, meaning the Giants put 24,183 fans in their building in a 24-hour span. They beat the visiting Kamloops Blazers 5-1 on Friday. It was the first time in franchise history the Giants have topped 10 grand on consecutive nights. . . . The Giants clinched a playoff spot with Friday’s victory . . .
Brandon’s line of Andrew Clark, Jay Fehr and Matt Lowry totaled 11 points and was plus-11 but the Wheat Kings needed a shootout to beat the visiting Kootenay Ice, 6-5. . . . Fehr is riding a 17-game point streak and has goals in seven straight games. Clark, scored three times in regulation time and added another in the shootout, is on a 16-game point streak. He has 29 goals this season. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs, playing before a sold-out crowd of 10,538, beat the Tri-City Americans 5-2 to close to within four points of the Western Conference’s second seed. The Chiefs, who have won eight in a row, have two games in hand on the Americans, too. . . . The game included six fights, four of them coming in the second period’s opening minute. . . . “I think the second period was really the turning point . . . four fights in a row and we won every single one of them in my opinion,” Spokane C Jared Cowen, who scrapped with Spencer Asuchak, told freelancer Jessica Brown, who covered the game for the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “I know (Tri-City’s Taylor) Procyshen asked (Levko) Koper to go first and it was just a domino effect after that, but I think it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to do it. Usually there aren’t that many fights – especially not in the span of 30 seconds. And there haven’t been that many fights with them in a long time, so it was a nice change of pace.” . . . Among Spokane’s scratches was F Ryan Letts (separated shoulder). He was injured Friday when he was hit from behind by Seattle Thunderbirds F Charles Wells. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets went 3-for-3 on the PP and beat the host Kamloops Blazers 5-2. Kelowna is 5-0 versus Kamloops this season, with one of those victories coming in a shootout. . . . The Rockets are 12-for-35 on the PP in the five games. . . . The Blazers were 1-for-8 with the man advantage. . . . Kelowna had lost four straight (0-2-0-2). . . . Kelowna F Ian Duval had two goals and an assist, with F Brandon McMillan adding a goal and two helpers. But it was Kelowna D Collin Bowman, who often gets lost behind the likes of Tyler Myers and Tyson Barrie, who was the best player on the ice. The 17-year-old Bowman, the younger brother of Spokane LW Drayson Bowman, didn’t pick up any points but really played well. . . . Kamloops C C.J. Stretch picked up an assist on his club’s first goal to run his point streak to 13 games.
Keeping Score
A couple of notes from Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun, as he watches an NHL game in Atlanta: “The 14 rows of section 303 here at the Philips Arena are holding 25 people. . . . The ice workers (The Blue Crew) here are made up of several very athletic young women who take care of picking up the pucks and moving the nets around. Their costumes are interesting with skirts shorter than a Senators’ winning streak.” . . . Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun: “By the time the Olympics in Vancouver begin, I will be very tired of the commercials that drone on about the fact that no Canadian has ever won a gold medal on Canadian soil.” . . . Ain’t that the truth. . . . According to the Chongqing Evening Post, a Chinese couple is searching feverishly for help for a daughter who has been laughing nonstop for 12 years. As Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times noted: “No truth to the rumour she’s a Detroit Lions fan.”
There isn’t a better story in the WHL this season than that of centre Casey Pierro-Zabotel, the Kamloops product who is burning it up on behalf of the Vancouver Giants. When Pierro-Zabotel, whose NHL rights belong to the Pittsburgh Penguins, joined the Giants from the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials in the middle of last season, he brought with him a reputation as a player with poor work habits and a poor understanding of the defensive side of the game. Now it’s said he is one of the hardest-working Giants and his defensive game has improved by leaps and bounds. Oh, and he is leading the WHL in scoring. He also got married over Christmas, taking as his bride Levi Gottfriedson, the daughter of Shane Gottfriedson, the KIB chief.
You may have noticed that Mark McGwire got barely a notice from Baseball Hall of Fame voters earlier this month. It was the third straight year in which that has happened. Here’s veteran writer George Vecsey of The New York Times: “McGwire has become the canary in the coal mine for Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens, all of whom are set to become eligible in 2013.” . . . In case you missed it, Jay McGwire, Mark’s estranged younger brother, is trying to find a publisher for a tell-all book titled The McGwire Family Secret: The Truth about Steroids, a Slugger, and Ultimate Redemption. . . . “Forget about friends and enemies,” writes John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News. “With a brother like this, who needs Jose Canseco?” . . . The magic number for Mark Recchi would appear to be 1,425. Recchi, the pride of Kamloops who is into the twilight of his NHL career, goes into the all-star break with 1,412 points, good for 17th place on the all-time list. Before this season is over, he should pass Doug Gilmour (1,414), Adam Oates (1,420) and Bryan Trottier (1,425). . . . Trottier holds down 14th place on the career list. Trottier and every player ahead of him are in the Hockey Hall of Fame or, like Jaromir Jagr and Joe Sakic, are sure bets to be there.
Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “Mark Cuban was a lot more interesting when he had a contending team. Now you just want to do what Commissioner Stern often does, which means tell him to sit down and shut up.” . . . One more from Lupica: “It is kind of fun listening to the outgoing President talk about how mean some people were to him, in light of the fact that he turned someone like Karl Rove loose on the country.” . . . The Super Bowl goes Feb. 1 in Tampa and Greg Cote of the Miami Herald reports that preparations are well underway. “I don’t mean preparations by the city or NFL,” he scribbles. “I mean preparations by (coincidentally) the 43 strip clubs that make Tampa the undisputed pole-dancing mecca of America. Clubs are holding daily auditions for extra dancers, some are touting being open 24 hours during Super Bowl Week, and one is adding a 2,400-square-foot tent for expanded operations. It’s no wonder Tampa sometimes dubiously is called the Lap Dance Capital of the World.” . . . Cote added: “The city has a second, lesser-known nickname: Pacman Jones’ Idea of Heaven.”
OK, who plays Chesley B. (Sully) Sullenberger III in the movie? . . . Speaking of movies. . . . The Dark Knight not nominated as best picture? No Springsteen? . . . Obviously, like Mark McGwire, the Academy’s best days are behind it. . . . Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “I have wondered why ESPN is based in Bristol, Conn., where there are no major sports teams. Then I remembered TSN is headquartered in Toronto.” . . . Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: “Let’s face it, the three biggest one-hit wonders in history are in reverse order: (3) Play that Funky Music, Wild Cherry, 1976. (2) Who Let the Dogs Out, Baha Men, 2000. (1) Vince Lombardi Trophy, Jon Gruden, 2003.” . . . Larry Wilson, who was an all-pro safety with the then-St. Louis Cardinals, to the Arizona Republic after the Cardinals won a Super Bowl berth on Sunday: “It’s a cold, cold day in hell.” . . . Watch for the gang that is working to get KIBIHT back on track to make some announcements involving sponsorship and registration, among other things, perhaps next week. So far, 21 teams have signed up for the new-look bantam hockey tournament.
Former Kamloops Blazers centre Jarret Lukin had a goal and an assist Wednesday as his American Conference beat the National Conference 11-5 in the ECHL all-star game in Reading, Pa. Lukin, with the Dayton Bombers, has 35 points, including 16 goals, in 40 games. . . . John Gagliardi, the long-time football coach at St. John’s University in Minnesota, as he accepted the Stagg Award at the American Football Coaches Association convention: “There are three stages of life: youth, middle age and ‘Boy, you’re looking great.’ I think ‘Boy, you’re looking great’ means people probably thought you were dead, but you’re still here. When I was young, I never heard that phrase. Now that I’m old, all I hear is, ‘Boy, you’re looking great.’ ” . . . Gagliardi, 82, is college football’s leader in career coaching victories, with 461. . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “The Raiders fired James Lofton, letting go not only their wide receivers coach, but their best wide receiver.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
There isn’t a better story in the WHL this season than that of centre Casey Pierro-Zabotel, the Kamloops product who is burning it up on behalf of the Vancouver Giants. When Pierro-Zabotel, whose NHL rights belong to the Pittsburgh Penguins, joined the Giants from the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials in the middle of last season, he brought with him a reputation as a player with poor work habits and a poor understanding of the defensive side of the game. Now it’s said he is one of the hardest-working Giants and his defensive game has improved by leaps and bounds. Oh, and he is leading the WHL in scoring. He also got married over Christmas, taking as his bride Levi Gottfriedson, the daughter of Shane Gottfriedson, the KIB chief.
You may have noticed that Mark McGwire got barely a notice from Baseball Hall of Fame voters earlier this month. It was the third straight year in which that has happened. Here’s veteran writer George Vecsey of The New York Times: “McGwire has become the canary in the coal mine for Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens, all of whom are set to become eligible in 2013.” . . . In case you missed it, Jay McGwire, Mark’s estranged younger brother, is trying to find a publisher for a tell-all book titled The McGwire Family Secret: The Truth about Steroids, a Slugger, and Ultimate Redemption. . . . “Forget about friends and enemies,” writes John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News. “With a brother like this, who needs Jose Canseco?” . . . The magic number for Mark Recchi would appear to be 1,425. Recchi, the pride of Kamloops who is into the twilight of his NHL career, goes into the all-star break with 1,412 points, good for 17th place on the all-time list. Before this season is over, he should pass Doug Gilmour (1,414), Adam Oates (1,420) and Bryan Trottier (1,425). . . . Trottier holds down 14th place on the career list. Trottier and every player ahead of him are in the Hockey Hall of Fame or, like Jaromir Jagr and Joe Sakic, are sure bets to be there.
Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “Mark Cuban was a lot more interesting when he had a contending team. Now you just want to do what Commissioner Stern often does, which means tell him to sit down and shut up.” . . . One more from Lupica: “It is kind of fun listening to the outgoing President talk about how mean some people were to him, in light of the fact that he turned someone like Karl Rove loose on the country.” . . . The Super Bowl goes Feb. 1 in Tampa and Greg Cote of the Miami Herald reports that preparations are well underway. “I don’t mean preparations by the city or NFL,” he scribbles. “I mean preparations by (coincidentally) the 43 strip clubs that make Tampa the undisputed pole-dancing mecca of America. Clubs are holding daily auditions for extra dancers, some are touting being open 24 hours during Super Bowl Week, and one is adding a 2,400-square-foot tent for expanded operations. It’s no wonder Tampa sometimes dubiously is called the Lap Dance Capital of the World.” . . . Cote added: “The city has a second, lesser-known nickname: Pacman Jones’ Idea of Heaven.”
OK, who plays Chesley B. (Sully) Sullenberger III in the movie? . . . Speaking of movies. . . . The Dark Knight not nominated as best picture? No Springsteen? . . . Obviously, like Mark McGwire, the Academy’s best days are behind it. . . . Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “I have wondered why ESPN is based in Bristol, Conn., where there are no major sports teams. Then I remembered TSN is headquartered in Toronto.” . . . Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: “Let’s face it, the three biggest one-hit wonders in history are in reverse order: (3) Play that Funky Music, Wild Cherry, 1976. (2) Who Let the Dogs Out, Baha Men, 2000. (1) Vince Lombardi Trophy, Jon Gruden, 2003.” . . . Larry Wilson, who was an all-pro safety with the then-St. Louis Cardinals, to the Arizona Republic after the Cardinals won a Super Bowl berth on Sunday: “It’s a cold, cold day in hell.” . . . Watch for the gang that is working to get KIBIHT back on track to make some announcements involving sponsorship and registration, among other things, perhaps next week. So far, 21 teams have signed up for the new-look bantam hockey tournament.
Former Kamloops Blazers centre Jarret Lukin had a goal and an assist Wednesday as his American Conference beat the National Conference 11-5 in the ECHL all-star game in Reading, Pa. Lukin, with the Dayton Bombers, has 35 points, including 16 goals, in 40 games. . . . John Gagliardi, the long-time football coach at St. John’s University in Minnesota, as he accepted the Stagg Award at the American Football Coaches Association convention: “There are three stages of life: youth, middle age and ‘Boy, you’re looking great.’ I think ‘Boy, you’re looking great’ means people probably thought you were dead, but you’re still here. When I was young, I never heard that phrase. Now that I’m old, all I hear is, ‘Boy, you’re looking great.’ ” . . . Gagliardi, 82, is college football’s leader in career coaching victories, with 461. . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “The Raiders fired James Lofton, letting go not only their wide receivers coach, but their best wide receiver.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday . . .
You are aware by now that the WHL handed out some punishment following that late-game altercation between the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday night.
In the end, the affair also resulted in Dick Gibson, the analyst on Hurricanes broadcasts on radio station CJOC-FM, being taken off the air, presumably because he got a bit excited in the heat of the moment.
There has been some interesting reaction to all of this — geez, I often wonder what would happen were we to witness a bench-clearing brawl? — and, in at least one instance, a WHL play-by-play man has chosen to gnaw on one of his own.
Here’s what Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, wrote on his blog. . . .
“I will admit I was embarrassed when watching the YouTube video of a line brawl that erupted following Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Kyle Beach scoring an empty-netter against the Medicine Hat Tigers Wednesday night.
“I wasn't so much embarrassed by the on-ice conduct, but more so by what was being said on the audio portion of that video.
“To hear what was coming out of the colour analyst's mouth during that altercation made me feel ill. Where was the professionalism? Where was the control? Where was the analytical side of what was happening out on the ice other than becoming 'a fan' and firing verbal barbs at the opposition?
“I can only imagine if my colour analyst Gord McGarva went off in such a manner. I would have no other choice than to look for a replacement. I would be embarrassed for him, me, and the Rockets organization if those words came out of his mouth.
“I am all about having an energy-filled, emotionally charged broadcast, but calling out the opposition team in that manner on the airwaves is waaaaaaaaaaay over the line.
“The Western Hockey League sets a high standard of conduct for its players and coaches, so shouldn't its broadcasters fall under that same umbrella of professional conduct?
“Let this be a reference tool for broadcasters/colour analysts across the league, that it's best to take a step back in situations like these.”
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And then there is this view from Dylan Bumbarger, over at blog.oregonlive.com/winterhawks/ . . .
“I don't get the hate for Dick Gibson. If you listen to WHL games, you hear almost that level of homerism all the time. There's just never an incident that brings it out that much. This is a standard that would get about 80 per cent of the league's broadcasters fired in the same situation.”
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Having watched the same video that everyone else has seen, I am still waiting to see all this showboating that Lethbridge F Kyle Beach is accused of doing. He skates the puck towards the empty net, slows down, looks over his shoulder, stops, and then scores.
And in this day and age of over-the-top histrionics Beach takes all kinds of abuse for showboating!
Please. That wasn’t showboating. To quote a former WHL radio analyst: “That’s absolute crap! . . . That is garbage, garbage, garbage!”
I would suggest that had a player other than Beach scored in such a fashion, nothing much might have happened.
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By the way . . . do you think the folks in Lethbridge are abuzz over all of this. It brings back memories of back in the day when bench-clearing brawls seemed to be a once-a-week (or more often) occasion.
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And, by the way, was that the Hurricanes involved in another multi-fight situation (that’s what the WHL office likes to call them) on Friday night?
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JUST NOTES: The injury bug has taken yet another serious bite out of the Prince George Cougars. F Brian Matte, 20, is gone for at least five weeks with a broken collarbone. Matte, who is from Prince George and made the Cougars as a walk-in during training camp, was injured during Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. Matte had 26 points, including 16 goals, in 42 games. . . . With the City of Cranbrook and the Kootenay Ice having signed a 15-year lease earlier this week, word is that there soon could be an announcement involving a few treats for fans, like reduced season-ticket prices and lower ticket prices for seniors and students. . . . The Tri-City Americans have signed F Patrick Holland, 16, to a WHL contract. A Lethbridge native, Holland was a sixth-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft. He has 41 points in 30 games with the midget AAA Lethbridge Y’s Men Titans.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings scored three first-period goals and went on to dump the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-1. . . . Brandon G James Priestner faced only 14 shots, two in the third period, in improving to 10-5-2-0. . . . F Andrew Clark got his 26th goal for Brandon, F Jay Fehr got his 23rd, F Scott Glennie added his 25th and F Brayden Schenn got his 20th. . . . Brandon had a 59-14 edge in shots. . . . Brandon was 2-for-10 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-for-2. . . . Fehr is on a 16-game point streak, with 28 points in that time, and Clark is on a 15-game tear, having earned 24 points over that stretch. . . . Moose Jaw D Travis Hamonic (knee) sat this one out. . . . The Warriors, who had been 3-0 against Brandon, have lost seven in a row.
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In Regina, F Andrew Bailey and F Dominik Pacovsky scored in a shootout as the Kootenay Ice beat the Pats, 5-4. . . . The Ice led this one 4-0 after the second period, only to have Regina explode for four goals in a span of 12:32 in the third period. . . . Regina C Jordan Weal forced OT with a PP goal at 17:26. . . . Regina D Victor Bartley had a goal and two assists. . . . Bailey had a goal, his 19th, and an assist for the Ice in regulation time, as did F Tylan Stephens. . . . The two teams combined to dress 16 players who still have midget eligibility remaining. . . . Ice D Tyler Vanscourt (right arm) left early in the first period after being checked into the boards by Regina F Graham Hood. Vanscourt didn’t return.
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In Swift Current, F Adam Chorneyko scored a breakaway goal at 14:32 of the third period that stood up as the winner as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Broncos, 4-3. . . . The Blades have won seven straight and are 9-0-1-1 in their last 11. . . . Saskatoon hasn’t lost in regulation time since Dec. 27. . . . The Broncos have lost seven of 10.
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In Prince Albert, F Brenden Dowd scored two first-period goals and later added an assist to lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . The victory was Edmonton’s 22nd of the season, equalling its total for all of last season which was its first in the WHL. . . . F Craig McCallum had a goal and two assists for Edmonton. . . . The Raiders are winless in five games.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes, minus suspended head coach Michael Dyck and two suspended players, got a goal from F Kyle Beach just 13 seconds into the game and went on to dump the Prince George Cougars, 7-2. . . . Dyck, F Dwight King and F Craig Orfino were suspended earlier in the day for their roles in an altercation against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. . . . Still, the Hurricanes were involved in another multi-fight situation, this one at 16:31 of the third period. . . . F Mark Reners, 16, added his first two WHL goals for Lethbridge, scoring twice 6:27 apart in the first period of his fourth game. Reners, the 18th pick in the 2007 bantam draft, plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Y’s Men Titans. . . . Assistant coach Matt Kabayama ran the Lethbridge bench in Dyck’s absence.
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In Red Deer, F Kris Foucault scored his second and third goals of the season to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 7-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . Foucault had been with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles before the Hitmen acquired him from the Kootenay Ice earlier this month. He didn’t score even one goal in 40 games with the Ice; he has three in four games with Calgary. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, scored his first WHL goal for Red Deer. . . . F Brett Sonne got his 30th goal of the season for Calgary. . . . Hitmen G Martin Jones picked up his 30th victory of this season with a 22-save effort. . . . Red Deer F Landon Ferraro (groin) missed his second straight game.
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In Kennewick, Wash., G Chet Pickard made 32 saves to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Americans are 19-3-0-1 at home. . . . F Taylor Prochyshen scored his 26th goal of the season for the Americans. . . . Everett has lost four in a row. . . . Everett is without C Paul Van de Velde (concussion) and LW Daniel Bartek (foot).
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In Vancouver, the Giants jumped out to a 5-0 second-period lead en route to a 5-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Attendance was 13,127, the Giants’ fourth-largest crowd ever. . . . F Casey Pierro-Zabotel, the WHL scoring leader, had one goal for the Giants. . . . Kamloops C C.J. Stretch scored to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Vancouver had a 50-17 edge in shots. . . . Kamloops was without D Michal Siska (leg), F Scott Wasden (arm) and D Brandon Underwood (thumb).
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In Chilliwack, shootout goals by F Kevin Sundher and Alexander Wiklund gave the Bruins a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . LW Jamie Benn scored twice for the Rockets, who have lost four in a row. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 38 shots. . . . It was the first time the Bruins have beaten the Rockets in five meetings this season. In fact, the Rockets had outscored the Bruins 19-2 in four games going into this one.
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In Kent, Wash., LW Drayson Bowman scored twice, the second into an empty net, as the visiting Spokane Chiefs beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-1. . . . Bowman has 20 goals on the season. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 28 shots to earn his 20th victory of the season.
In the end, the affair also resulted in Dick Gibson, the analyst on Hurricanes broadcasts on radio station CJOC-FM, being taken off the air, presumably because he got a bit excited in the heat of the moment.
There has been some interesting reaction to all of this — geez, I often wonder what would happen were we to witness a bench-clearing brawl? — and, in at least one instance, a WHL play-by-play man has chosen to gnaw on one of his own.
Here’s what Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, wrote on his blog. . . .
“I will admit I was embarrassed when watching the YouTube video of a line brawl that erupted following Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Kyle Beach scoring an empty-netter against the Medicine Hat Tigers Wednesday night.
“I wasn't so much embarrassed by the on-ice conduct, but more so by what was being said on the audio portion of that video.
“To hear what was coming out of the colour analyst's mouth during that altercation made me feel ill. Where was the professionalism? Where was the control? Where was the analytical side of what was happening out on the ice other than becoming 'a fan' and firing verbal barbs at the opposition?
“I can only imagine if my colour analyst Gord McGarva went off in such a manner. I would have no other choice than to look for a replacement. I would be embarrassed for him, me, and the Rockets organization if those words came out of his mouth.
“I am all about having an energy-filled, emotionally charged broadcast, but calling out the opposition team in that manner on the airwaves is waaaaaaaaaaay over the line.
“The Western Hockey League sets a high standard of conduct for its players and coaches, so shouldn't its broadcasters fall under that same umbrella of professional conduct?
“Let this be a reference tool for broadcasters/colour analysts across the league, that it's best to take a step back in situations like these.”
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And then there is this view from Dylan Bumbarger, over at blog.oregonlive.com/winterhawks/ . . .
“I don't get the hate for Dick Gibson. If you listen to WHL games, you hear almost that level of homerism all the time. There's just never an incident that brings it out that much. This is a standard that would get about 80 per cent of the league's broadcasters fired in the same situation.”
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Having watched the same video that everyone else has seen, I am still waiting to see all this showboating that Lethbridge F Kyle Beach is accused of doing. He skates the puck towards the empty net, slows down, looks over his shoulder, stops, and then scores.
And in this day and age of over-the-top histrionics Beach takes all kinds of abuse for showboating!
Please. That wasn’t showboating. To quote a former WHL radio analyst: “That’s absolute crap! . . . That is garbage, garbage, garbage!”
I would suggest that had a player other than Beach scored in such a fashion, nothing much might have happened.
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By the way . . . do you think the folks in Lethbridge are abuzz over all of this. It brings back memories of back in the day when bench-clearing brawls seemed to be a once-a-week (or more often) occasion.
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And, by the way, was that the Hurricanes involved in another multi-fight situation (that’s what the WHL office likes to call them) on Friday night?
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JUST NOTES: The injury bug has taken yet another serious bite out of the Prince George Cougars. F Brian Matte, 20, is gone for at least five weeks with a broken collarbone. Matte, who is from Prince George and made the Cougars as a walk-in during training camp, was injured during Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. Matte had 26 points, including 16 goals, in 42 games. . . . With the City of Cranbrook and the Kootenay Ice having signed a 15-year lease earlier this week, word is that there soon could be an announcement involving a few treats for fans, like reduced season-ticket prices and lower ticket prices for seniors and students. . . . The Tri-City Americans have signed F Patrick Holland, 16, to a WHL contract. A Lethbridge native, Holland was a sixth-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft. He has 41 points in 30 games with the midget AAA Lethbridge Y’s Men Titans.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings scored three first-period goals and went on to dump the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-1. . . . Brandon G James Priestner faced only 14 shots, two in the third period, in improving to 10-5-2-0. . . . F Andrew Clark got his 26th goal for Brandon, F Jay Fehr got his 23rd, F Scott Glennie added his 25th and F Brayden Schenn got his 20th. . . . Brandon had a 59-14 edge in shots. . . . Brandon was 2-for-10 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-for-2. . . . Fehr is on a 16-game point streak, with 28 points in that time, and Clark is on a 15-game tear, having earned 24 points over that stretch. . . . Moose Jaw D Travis Hamonic (knee) sat this one out. . . . The Warriors, who had been 3-0 against Brandon, have lost seven in a row.
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In Regina, F Andrew Bailey and F Dominik Pacovsky scored in a shootout as the Kootenay Ice beat the Pats, 5-4. . . . The Ice led this one 4-0 after the second period, only to have Regina explode for four goals in a span of 12:32 in the third period. . . . Regina C Jordan Weal forced OT with a PP goal at 17:26. . . . Regina D Victor Bartley had a goal and two assists. . . . Bailey had a goal, his 19th, and an assist for the Ice in regulation time, as did F Tylan Stephens. . . . The two teams combined to dress 16 players who still have midget eligibility remaining. . . . Ice D Tyler Vanscourt (right arm) left early in the first period after being checked into the boards by Regina F Graham Hood. Vanscourt didn’t return.
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In Swift Current, F Adam Chorneyko scored a breakaway goal at 14:32 of the third period that stood up as the winner as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Broncos, 4-3. . . . The Blades have won seven straight and are 9-0-1-1 in their last 11. . . . Saskatoon hasn’t lost in regulation time since Dec. 27. . . . The Broncos have lost seven of 10.
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In Prince Albert, F Brenden Dowd scored two first-period goals and later added an assist to lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . The victory was Edmonton’s 22nd of the season, equalling its total for all of last season which was its first in the WHL. . . . F Craig McCallum had a goal and two assists for Edmonton. . . . The Raiders are winless in five games.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes, minus suspended head coach Michael Dyck and two suspended players, got a goal from F Kyle Beach just 13 seconds into the game and went on to dump the Prince George Cougars, 7-2. . . . Dyck, F Dwight King and F Craig Orfino were suspended earlier in the day for their roles in an altercation against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. . . . Still, the Hurricanes were involved in another multi-fight situation, this one at 16:31 of the third period. . . . F Mark Reners, 16, added his first two WHL goals for Lethbridge, scoring twice 6:27 apart in the first period of his fourth game. Reners, the 18th pick in the 2007 bantam draft, plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Y’s Men Titans. . . . Assistant coach Matt Kabayama ran the Lethbridge bench in Dyck’s absence.
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In Red Deer, F Kris Foucault scored his second and third goals of the season to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 7-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . Foucault had been with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles before the Hitmen acquired him from the Kootenay Ice earlier this month. He didn’t score even one goal in 40 games with the Ice; he has three in four games with Calgary. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, scored his first WHL goal for Red Deer. . . . F Brett Sonne got his 30th goal of the season for Calgary. . . . Hitmen G Martin Jones picked up his 30th victory of this season with a 22-save effort. . . . Red Deer F Landon Ferraro (groin) missed his second straight game.
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In Kennewick, Wash., G Chet Pickard made 32 saves to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Americans are 19-3-0-1 at home. . . . F Taylor Prochyshen scored his 26th goal of the season for the Americans. . . . Everett has lost four in a row. . . . Everett is without C Paul Van de Velde (concussion) and LW Daniel Bartek (foot).
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In Vancouver, the Giants jumped out to a 5-0 second-period lead en route to a 5-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Attendance was 13,127, the Giants’ fourth-largest crowd ever. . . . F Casey Pierro-Zabotel, the WHL scoring leader, had one goal for the Giants. . . . Kamloops C C.J. Stretch scored to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Vancouver had a 50-17 edge in shots. . . . Kamloops was without D Michal Siska (leg), F Scott Wasden (arm) and D Brandon Underwood (thumb).
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In Chilliwack, shootout goals by F Kevin Sundher and Alexander Wiklund gave the Bruins a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . LW Jamie Benn scored twice for the Rockets, who have lost four in a row. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 38 shots. . . . It was the first time the Bruins have beaten the Rockets in five meetings this season. In fact, the Rockets had outscored the Bruins 19-2 in four games going into this one.
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In Kent, Wash., LW Drayson Bowman scored twice, the second into an empty net, as the visiting Spokane Chiefs beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-1. . . . Bowman has 20 goals on the season. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 28 shots to earn his 20th victory of the season.
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