Friday . . .

The last four weeks have been rather noteworthy for G Alexander Pechurskiy. A 19-year-old from Magnitogorsk, Pechurskiy joined the Tri-City Americans over the Christmas break. In six appearances, he is 4-1-0-1 with a 1.84 GAA and a .936 save percentage. . . . On Friday, he stopped 32 shots to help the Americans beat the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent, 3-2. . . . After the game, Pechurskiy was recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who selected him in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the NHL’s 2008 draft. . . . Pechurskiy will be in Vancouver in case the Penguins need an emergency backup. . . . On Friday, head coach Dan Bylsma was reluctant to say that Marc-Andre Fleury, who has a broken finger, wouldn’t be able to start against the Canucks. Fleury was injured in a 3-2 victory over the Oilers in Edmonton on Thursday. . . . The Penguins have two other goaltenders with them in Brent Johnson, who is eligible to come off injured reserve where he has been with an undisclosed injury, and John Curry, who was promoted from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. . . . Johnson hasn't practised a lot of late, so chances are that if Fleury can't go, Curry will start with Pechurskiy on the bench.
———
F Brad Ross of the Portland Winterhawks has been added to the Top Prospects Game as an injury replacement. He and F Devante Smith-Pelly of the OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors replace F Ivan Telegin of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit and F Curtis Hamilton of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. Hamilton suffered a broken collarbone in an exhibition game against a touring Russian team in November in Kelowna.
———
The Dawson Creek Rage of the NAHL has signed Scott Robinson as its first general manager/head coach. Robinson is a two-time BCHL coach of the year. Robinson spent six-plus seasons with the Cowichan Valley Capitals before being fired in October. . . . Robinson was a winger with the Seattle Breakers (1982-85). . . . When you’re bored and looking for some excitement, draw up a map of the NAHL and its franchises. WOW!!!!
———
D Kyle Aschim of the Calgary Hitmen is sidelined with a concussion after taking a hit late in the first period of an 8-1 loss to the Raiders in Prince Albert on Tuesday. Aschim, 19, now has had three concussions in as many seasons, the first of which cost him three months during his rookie season while he was with the Raiders.
———
FRIDAY:
In Chilliwack, the Everett Silvertips ran their winning streak to seven games by beating the Bruins, 3-2. . . . The Silvertips (26-16-2-1) haven’t lost in 2010. . . . The Bruins are 20-21-1-5. . . . Everett got off to a 2-0 first-period lead and never trailed. . . . Attendance was 3,920, the largest crowd this season at Prospera Centre. . . . Everett G Thomas Heemskerk, who is from Chilliwack, stopped 28 shots, three more than Chilliwack’s Lucas Gore. . . . F Kellan Tochkin had a goal, his 15th, and an assists for Everett, which got two helpers from F Shane Harper.
———
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 7-6 in a shootout despite giving up three goals in the last 14 minutes of the third period. . . . D Mark Schneider’s seventh goal, at 4:28 of the third on the PP, gave Brandon a 6-3 lead. . . . F Dylan Hood got his 15th to pull Moose Jaw to
within two. . . . F Jason Bast tied it with his 20th, at 7:43, and his 21st,
at 18:37 on the PP. . . . Brandon (29-15-0-3) got shootout goals from F Scott Glennie and F Brayden Schenn to win it. . . . Brandon F Matt Calvert scored twice in regulation, while F Brent Raedeke had a goal and two assists. . . . Moose Jaw G Jeff Bosch stopped 38 shots. . . . Brandon G Jacob De Serres turned aside 19. . . . Brandon was 4-for-8 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 2-for-6. . . . The Warriors (23-15-2-3) had won six of their last seven, including blanking the visiting Wheat Kings 2-0 on Tuesday. . . . Attendance was 4,702.
———
In Kamloops, the Blazers ran their winning streak to four games by beating the Red Deer Rebels, 6-3. . . . It’s Kamloops’ longest winning streak this season and has lifted the Blazers (21-20-2-3) into sixth in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . D Linden Saip had an assist, running his points streak to nine games. Saip had six points in his first 30 games; he has 13 points over his last nine outings. . . . The Rebels are 23-18-0-4. . . . Attendance was 4,544.
———
In Kelowna, the Portland Winterhawks scored twice in the shootout and beat the Rockets, 5-4. . . . F Ty Rattie and F Luke Walker scored in the circus for Portland, with F Shane McColgan scoring for Kelowna. . . . The Winterhawks (27-17-1-1) had lost three of four. . . . The Rockets (19-24-2-1) have lost five straight. . . . F Oliver Gabriel scored twice for Portland. He now has four goals. . . . Kelowna D Collin Bowman forced OT with his fourth goal at 5:02 of the third period. . . . Bowman played for the first time since suffering an ankle injury on Dec. 27. . . . Rockets D Tyson Brrie had three assists. . . . Attendance was 6,139.
———
In Lethbridge, F Mitch Wahl scored three times to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Wahl’s second goal, his 20th, came shorthanded at 10:47 of the second period. . . . The teams werre 1-1 going to the second. Spokane (26-15-3-1) scored three times in the middle period. . . . F Mitch Maxwell scored twice for Lethbridge (15-24-3-2). He has 19 on the season. . . . Each team was 0-for-2 on the PP. . . . G Linden Rowat stopped 37 shots for the Hurricanes, 17 more than Spokane’s James Reid. . . . Attendance was 3,761.
———
In Prince Albert, G Garrett Zemlak stopped 45 shots, including 20 in the
third period, as the Raiders edged the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . In
his last start, on Tuesday, Zemlak stopped 50 shots in an 8-1 victory over
the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Igor Revenko scored twice for the
Raiders, who led 2-0 in the first period and 3-1 after two. . . . Prince Albert (24-20-1-2) has won four in a row. . . . F Brandon Herrod got his 29th goal for the Raiders. . . . Revenko has 23 goals. . . . The Raiders are 19-6-0-1 at home. . . . F Linden Vey had a goal and an assist for the Tigers (26-15-3-5) who have lost six of nine. . . . Medicine Hat G Deven Dubyk stopped 38 shots. . . . The Raiders were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 2,368.
———
In Prince George, the Vancouver Giants scored the game’s first three goals and beat the Cougars, 3-1. . . . F Craig Cunningham got the game’s first goal, his 27th, at 16:05 of the second period. . . . F Tomas Vincour, with his 18th, and F Brendan Gallagher, with his 28th, also scored for the Giants. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 37 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Jaroslav Vlach got his fourth goal of the season at 16:44 of the third period. . . . The Giants are 28-16-1-2. . . . The Cougars (9-34-1-1) have lost six straight. . . . The Cougars were 0-for-7 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 2,151.
———
In Regina, F Jordan Eberle and F Garrett Mitchell each had two goals as the Pats dumped the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . Edmonton F Rhett Rachinski opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 7:31 of the first period, but Regina came back with five straight scores. . . . Eberle has 32 goals, while Mitchell has 14. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had two assists. He has nine points in his last three games. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo stopped 19 shots, while Edmonton’s Torrie Jung turned aside 41. . . . Regina was 3-for-7 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-5. . . . Regina (20-24-3-0) has won three in row. . . . The Oil Kings (10-25-4-7) have lost nine straight. . . . Attendance was 4,317.
———
In Swift Current, the Saskatoon Blades scored two third-period goals and
beat the Broncos, 4-3. . . . D Stefan Elliott, who had two goals in this one, got his 17th at 8:59 to forge a 3-3 tie. . . . F Charles Inglis got his 12th, shorthanded at 16:41, to win it. . . . The Blades (32-9-1-3) have won three in a row. . . . F Cody Eakin got his 32nd for the Broncos, while F Dillon Wagner scored twice, giving him 12. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 24 shots, while the Broncos’ Mark Friesen turned aside 34. . . . The Broncos (23-21-0-2) have lost three straight. . . . Attendance was 2,299.
———
In Kennewick, Wash., freshman F Patrick Holland scored all three of his club’s goals as the host Tri-City Americans beat the Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent, 3-2. . . . Holland went into the game with five goals in 32 career games, with 31 of those games this season. . . . The Americans (33-11-0-1) have won three in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds (14-24-3-4) have lost eight of nine and, in fact, have lost 11 in a row at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. . . . The Americans beat the visiting Thunderbirds 2-1 in OT on Wednesday. . . . Holland’s third goal, at 15:29 of the third period, snapped a 2-2 tie. That goal came on Tri-City only shot of the third period. . . . F Burke Gallimore pulled Seattle into a 1-1 tie 50 seconds into the second period and D Jeremy Schappert made it 2-2 at 12:58 of the second. . . . Tri-City G Alexander Pechurskiy stopped 32 shots and then was recalled by the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Seattle G Calvin Packard made 21 saves. He has started 27 of Seattle’s last 28 games. . . . Attendance was 4,009. . . . The Americans are at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday and will have G Josh Romeike backing up Drew Owsley. Romeike, a 19-year-old from Richland, Wash., served as a backup last weekend for Prince George.