Thursday . . .

THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
d-Brandon (17) 36-16-0-3-75
d-Calgary (19) 35-16-1-1-72
Saskatoon (20) 34-12-3-3-74
Kootenay (18) 34-16-2-2-72
Medicine Hat (15) 32-17-3-5-72
Red Deer (19) 29-20-0-4-62
Prince Albert (17) 28-23-2-2-60
Moose Jaw (20) 26-19-4-3-59
Swift Current (18) 26-25-0-3-55
Regina (18) 23-25-3-3-52
Friday: Kootenay at Brandon; Lethbridge at Kelowna; Red Deer at Moose Jaw; Swift Current at Prince Albert; Saskatoon at Regina.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
d-Tri-City (20) 37-13-0-2-76
d-Vancouver (17) 32-20-1-2-67
Everett (19) 33-17-2-1-69
Portland (17) 32-20-2-1-67
Spokane (19) 30-19-3-1-64
Kelowna (17) 26-25-2-2-56
Kamloops (17) 25-24-2-4-56
Chilliwack (17) 24-25-1-4-54
Friday: Lethbridge at Kelowna; Seattle at Portland; Kamloops at Spokane; Everett at Vancouver.
---
THURSDAY:
In Medicine Hat, F Tyler Fiddler broke a 1-1 tie just 57 seconds into the third period and the Calgary Hitmen went on to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . Fiddler has 22 goals this season. . . . F Tyler Shattock, with his 25th, added insurance at 18:35 on the PP, and F Cody Sylvester, with his seventh, provided the empty-netter. . . . F Bretton Cameron had his 31st for Medicine Hat. . . . The Hitmen have won three in a row. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 33 shots, while Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz stopped 24. . . . These two teams meet again Sunday in Calgary.
---
F James Henry of the Vancouver Giants was credited with three goals in Wednesday’s 11-1 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. But he lost his hat trick Thursday when one of the goals was awarded to D David Musil. . . . The Hurricanes lost D Daniel Johnston in the second period of that game. He suffered a gash to one leg when cut by a skate. . . .
F Brett Connolly of the Prince George Cougars has been skating without equipment and hopes to return to game action later this week. Hip problems have limited Connolly, the CHL’s rookie of the year last season, to just 12 games this season. He last played in a game on Dec. 5 in Kamloops. Connolly, who should be practising in equipment next week, hopes to play Feb. 12 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars also are without D Art Bidlevskii (concussion), D Jesse Forsberg (shoulder), D Daniel Medland-Marchand (shoulder) and D Zach Sweet (groin). The Prince George Citizen reports that D Shane Pilling, a fourth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, has been brought in from the midget AAA Lethbridge Y’s Men Hurricanes. . . . Prince George is at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday and Saturday.
---
Some interesting chatter going on over at the Oregon Live forum that is frequented by Portland Winterhawks fans. It seems that some of them are ready to ex-communicate former Winterhawks goaltender Kurtis Mucha because of something that may, or may not, have happened after Mucha and his Kamloops Blazers beat the host Winterhawks 4-3 in OT on Wednesday night. . . . Ahh, there's nothing like a good, heated discussion that is started by anonymous posters using unattributed and unsubstantiated statements. . . . What I'm told is that, in the heat of the post-game moment, Mucha had a brief exchange with Travis Green, the Winterhawks' assistant GM/assistant coach. But so what? This sort of chirping -- do the players still call it 'beaking'? -- goes on all the time. . . . So chill out people and spend your time hoping for a first-round matchup between the Blazers and Winterhawks. Now would that be fun, or what? . . . What kind of t-shirts would you be dragging out for that, eh?