Thursday . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors have unleashed their season-ticket campaign for 2010-11 and if you buy a ticket for that season you are able to lock in for 2011-12, which will be their first season in the new arena that is being built.
An adult season-ticket, paid in full by July 15, goes for $350 plus GST. After July 15, it’s $420 plus GST.
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There were numerous reports Thursday that Moscow Dynamo of the Continental Hockey League are no more. Apparently, Dynamo, one of the grand old names in international hockey, is experiencing severe financial difficulties and will merge with HC MVD. Dynamo has been around since 1946.
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Kollen Long of the Wichita Eagle reported Thursday that the Central league’s Wichita Thunder has signed Kevin McClelland as its new head coach. A news conference is expected to be held Monday. McClelland, a former Prince Albert Raiders’ head coach, was dropped by the CHL’s Colorado Eagles earlier this month. . . . McClelland will replace Jason Duda (Medicine Hat, Saskatoon, 1991-95), who was the Thunder’s interim head coach.
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There is a move afoot to add some seats to the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The WHL’s Chiefs list its capacity at 10,366, but it seats more than that for basketball. If a few hundred seats can be added, it will make it a more attractive venue for NCAA basketball events. There’s more right here.
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The Tri-City Americans marked an anniversary of sorts on Wednesday. It was five years ago that the WHL's board of governors approved the sale -- the deal actually closed on May 19, 2005 -- of the franchise, from the Darryl Porter group to former players Olaf Kolzig and Stu Barnes. The franchise virtually was on life-support then. The ownership group — Top Shelf Entertainment — also includes general manager Bob Tory, who also is the governor, and Dennis Loman, the alternate governor. With Tory directing things, the Americans have become one of the most competitive teams in the WHL and a success at the gate. . . . “It has been a lot of fun,” Barnes told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “It’s great to see how the team has turned the corner and solidified itself in the league. You never would have expected the progress and results we’ve gotten in just the last five years. Bob Tory deserves a lot of credit for that, as do the coaches and front-office staff who have worked hard to make it happen. We realize how much everyone has done. We are huge fans and love being a part of it.” . . . Barnes and Kolzig are scheduled to attend Game 5 of the Americans’ series with the Vancouver Giants at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday night.
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It seems that D Luca Sbisa of the Portland Winterhawks won’t play for his native Switzerland. Sbisa, whom Portland acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Jan. 10 trade deadline, started the season with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and also played for Switzerland at the world junior championship. Sbisa, who turned 20 on Jan. 30, suffered a groin injury at some point during the season and has been unable to shake it, so has chosen not to play in the world championship tournament that is to be played in the German cities of Cologne and Mannheim, from May 7-23.
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The host Dauphin Kings won the ANAVET Cup on Thursday night, beating the La Ronge Ice Wolves, 6-1, to take the best-of-seven series in five games. The Kings are the MJHL champions and the host team for the Royal Bank Cup, which runs May 1-9. Because the Kings are the host team, the Ice Wolves, the SJHL champions, go in as the West representative.
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In Vernon, B.C., the Spruce Grove Saints scored a 3-1 victory over the Vipers to force the Doyle Cup series to a sixth game. The Vipers, with a 3-2 lead, have a second chance to wrap it up at home when Game 6 is played Saturday night.
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Craig Sherbaty is the new head coach of the junior B Mission, B.C., Icebreakers. Sherbaty, who is well known in B.C. hockey circles, also scouts for the Edmonton Oil Kings.
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WHL PLAYOFFS
THIRD ROUND
CONFERENCE FINALS
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (2)
(Calgary leads series 3-1)
April 16: Brandon 4 at Calgary 2 (8,669)
April 17: Brandon 2 at Calgary 3 (OT) (8,697)
April 20: Calgary 6 at Brandon 3 (4,251)
April 21: Calgary 4 at Brandon 3 (4,363)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Vancouver (5)
(Series tied 2-2)
April 16: Vancouver 4 at Tri-City 2 (3,899)
April 17: Vancouver 0 at Tri-City 4 (3,875)
April 20: Tri-City 2 at Vancouver 3 (OT) (6,178)
Thursday: Tri-City 5 at Vancouver 2 (7,428)
Friday: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Tri-City at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
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THURSDAY:
In Vancouver, F Kruise Reddick scored one goal and added three assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Giants. . . . The Western Conference final is tied 2-2. . . . Game 5 is to be played Friday night at Kennewick, Wash. Both teams headed out on the seven-hour drive right after Game 4 had ended. . . . F Brendan Gallagher gave the Giants a 1-0 lead with his 11th goal of the playoffs, on the PP, at 9:32 of the first period. . . . The Americans moved into a tie on D Brett Plouffe’s first goal at 11:49. . . . F Jordan Messier, with his third goal in as many games, gave the Americans the lead at 5:01 of the second period. . . . Vancouver D David Musil tied it at 7:53 on the PP. . . . The Americans then scored the last three goals. . . . F Adam Hughesman got the eventual winner, his second playoff goal, when he scored on the PP at 10:49 of the second. Musil blocked a shot by F Brendan Shinnimin and Hughesman scored off the rebound. . . . The Americans added insurance with empty-net goals from Reddick and F Justin Feser. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 30 shots, while Vancouver’s Mark Segal turned aside 22. . . . Attendance was 7,428. . . . Referees Devin Klein and Graham Skilliter handed out just five minor penalties — the first three to the Americans, the last two to the Giants. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-3 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-2. . . . Vancouver F Brett Breitkreuz, who left Game 3 with an injury and didn’t practise on Wednesday, was back in the lineup.
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PLAYOFF NOTES: Vancouver F James Henry is wearing a full shield to protect a broken nose and a seven-stitch facial cut. He was injured in Game 3 when he took a check from behind from Tri-City F Sergei Drozd, who was hit with a major and game misconduct. Drozd escaped without a suspension and was in uniform for Game 4. . . . The Americans and Giants will play Game 6 on Sunday in Vancouver at 5 p.m. The starting time had been listed as TBA.