Wednesday . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds have chosen not to renew the contract of assistant coach John Becanic. Becanic spent one season with the Thunderbirds, after spending two seasons as head coach of the Everett Silvertips. Prior to that, he had been an Everett assistant coach for four seasons.
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The OHL’s Peterborough Petes, first-round losers in the playoffs, have ended Jeff Twohey’s 17-year run as the club’s general manager. He had been part of the organization for 29 years. . . . The Petes also announced that head coach Ken McRae and assistant coaches Ryan Barnes and Joe Cirella won’t have their contracts renewed, although McRae and Barnes have been told they are free to re-apply when a new GM is in place. . . . The Petes were 29-35-1-3 in the regular season and then got swept by the Mississauga IceDogs in the first round.
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G Darcy Kuemper of the Red Deer Rebels has signed an ATO (amateur tryout deal) with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Kuemper was a sixth-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL draft. The Aeros are the Wild’s AHL affiliate.
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The ECHL’s Florida Everblades have signed D Mitch McColm to a standard playing contract. They released him from his ATO and then signed him to a deal, meaning he will finish this season with them. McColm, 20, played out his major junior eligibility with the Regina Pats this season. They acquired him from the Chilliwack Bruins in January.
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PLAYOFF NOTES: G Martin Jones of the Calgary Hitmen has never lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers He is 4-0 against the Tigers this season, with two of the victories in shootouts, and 10-0 in his career, putting up a 1.57 GAA, a .940 save percentage and two shutouts. The teams begin a second-round series Friday in Calgary. . . .
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FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Calgary wins series 4-3)
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Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
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Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
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Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat wins series 4-2)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City wins series 4-2)
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Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
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Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Kelowna wins series 4-3)
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Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Portland wins series 4-3)
Wednesday: Portland 5 at Spokane 4 (OT)
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SECOND ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
Friday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
x-April 9: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-April 11: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 5 p.m.
x-April 13: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 6 p.m.
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Brandon (2) vs. Saskatoon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.
Saturday: Brandon at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5 p.m.
April 9: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5:30 p.m.
x-April 10: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5:30 p.m.
x-April 12: Brandon at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.
x-April 14: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5 p.m.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Kelowna (6)
Friday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-April 9: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-April 11: Tri-City at Kelowna, 5 p.m.
x-April 13: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
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Portland (5) vs. Vancouver (2)
Saturday: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Vancouver at Portland, 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
April 9: Portland at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
x-April 10: Portland at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Remainder of schedule to be determined.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
In Spokane, F Ty Rattie scored his first WHL playoff goal in overtime to give the Portland Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Rattie, the second overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, scored 17 regular-season goals. . . . He won this one at 17:29 of OT. . . . The visiting team won every game in this series. . . . The Winterhawks will meet the Vancouver Giants in the second round. The Giants completed a four-game sweep of the Kamloops Blazers one week earlier. . . . “We’ve got playoff experience now,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston said on Freedom 970 AM’s post-game show. . . . Asked about playing the Giants, Johnston said: “We feel comfortable. We beat Vancouver the last two times we played them. We enjoy playing up there.” . . . The Chiefs got out to a 3-0 lead last night, getting a goal from F Tyler Johnson and two from F Mitch Wahl. Wahl’s second goal, and fourth of the series, came at 3:31 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks got goals from F Nino Niederreiter and F Ryan Johansen before the second period ended. . . . Spokane F Kyle Beach restored the two-goal lead with his seventh goal of the series at 6:50 of the third period. . . . But Portland got goals from F Riley Boychuk, at 9:45, and F Luke Walker, at 13:24, to tie it. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 44 shots, while Portland’s Mac Carruth turned aside 26. . . . Carruth, 17, joined the Winterhawks in midseason from the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild. He went the distance in all seven games. . . . Attendance was 6,048. . . . The Chiefs were 0-for-4 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-1. . . . Here’s Andy Kemper, the radio voice of the Winterhawks, after they were given their first power play of the game early in the third period: “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We’ve got a power play for Portland.” . . . If you haven’t seen Rattie’s winner, it’s right here.