Sunday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Jozef Balej (Portland, 1999-2002) signed a one-year contract with HC Kometa Brno (Czech Republic Extraliga). He had four goals and five assists in 13 games for Trinec (Czech Republic Extraliga) this season.
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WHL PLAYOFFS
FOURTH ROUND
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
(Ed Chynoweth Cup)
Calgary (1E) vs. Tri-City (1W)
(Calgary leads best-of-7 series 2-0))
(all times local)
April 30: Tri-City 0 at Calgary 7 (10,980)
May 1: Tri-City 1 at Calgary 4 (10,049)
Tuesday: Calgary at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Friday: Tri-City at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-May 9: Calgary at Tri-City, 5:05 p.m.
x-May 10: Tri-City at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
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The buzz around Edmonton these days is that the Oil Kings’ No. 1 choice to replace Steve Pleau as head coach is veteran NHL assistant coach Perry Pearn. However, he is kind of busy these days as an assistant under Jacques Martin with the Montreal Canadiens. Jim Matheson, the Edmonton Journal’s veteran hockey writer, spoke with Pearn, who had this to say about the Oil Kings’ job: "I've talked to absolutely no one there about it." . . . Still, Pearn and Oil Kings’ GM Bob Green go way back, meaning this speculation won’t go away until Green hires Pearn . . . or someone else. . . .
Matty, who does a tremendous page of hockey-related notes in the Sunday Journal, also spoke with Bill Comrie, whose son, Eric, was the first goaltender selected in Thursday’s WHL bantam draft. He went 13th overall to the Tri-City Americans, who traded up in order to make that pick.
Eric is in the Los Angeles Selects’ program and also played in the Alberta Cup.
Bob Tory, the Americans’ GM, has long known the Comrie family and, in fact, F Mike Comrie played for the Kootenay Ice while Tory was in Cranbrook.
According to Matheson: “Eric hasn't decided if he wants to try college or play major junior, but he's leaning toward the junior route because there are more games. He can't play full time in the WHL until he's 16, but Tory isn't so sure Eric couldn't play in the league right now because of his size and composure.
“Tory figures goalies like Eric only come around every 10 years or so. He told Bill Comrie he hopes Eric can play 50 games at age 16.”
For Matty’s notes, pay a visit to right here. You also will find an update on veteran hockey man Ron Low, who was mugged a while back in Calgary and is finally up and around.
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Steve Hamilton has resigned as the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints, which will lead to speculation that he will be the next head coach of the Oil Kings. Hamilton, who stepped down a week after his club lost Game 7 of the Alberta-B.C. final to the host Vernon Vipers, has said he isn’t sure what’s in his future. . . . Jason McKee, a Saints’ assistant coach, already has been named the Saints’ GM/head coach. . . . Hamilton, by the way, is the son of former WHA/NHL D Al Hamilton, who played for the original Oil Kings.
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In the OHL, the Windsor Spitfires are one victory away from their second straight championship after a 5-2 victory over the visiting Barrie Colts on Sunday. The Spitfires got 42 saves from G Philipp Grubauer in the victory, which was his seventh straight. The Spitfires, the defending Memorial Cup champs, can wrap things up Tuesday at home. . . . Attendance on Sunday was 6,556. . . . There also is some controversy involving these two teams as the Colts went ahead and selected Windsor head coach Warren Rychel’s son, Kerby, with the last pick of the first round of the OHL draft on Saturday. Bob Duff of the Windsor Star has a column -- and it’s a great read -- on the issue right here.
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In the QMJHL final, the host Moncton Wildcats got two more goals from F Gabriel Bourque on Sunday as they beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 9-3 to take a 2-0 lead. . . . Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday in Saint John. . . . Bourque has 16 playoff goals, which broke the franchise record of 15 that had been shared by F Mathieu Benoit (2000) and F Martins Karsums (2006). . . . The Sea Dogs, who have been outscored 14-4 in the first two games of the final, had never before given up nine goals in a playoff game.
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To the person who inquired about Mike Modano’s interest in buying into the Dallas Stars: He belongs to a group that includes Jim Lites, a former Detroit Red Wings executive who once was the Stars’ president, and Billy Quinn, a Dallas businessman. . . . Bill Gallacher, who owns the Portland Winterhawks and is believed by some to be the frontrunner to purchase the Stars from Tom Hicks, isn’t involved with that group.
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F Lance Bouma made his AHL debut on Sunday in Hamilton as his Abbotsford Heat dropped a 3-1 decision to the Bulldogs. Bouma joined the Heat after his Vancouver Giants were eliminated from the WHL playoffs by the Tri-City Americans. . . . The AHL second-round series is tied 1-1.
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Here’s my favourite headline from Sunday: Christ Commits to Fredonia State. . . . It would seem that the Fredonia State Blue Devils may not have much to worry about for the immediate future, eh? . . . . Actually, that was the headline on a release from the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild concerning the decision by F Andrew Christ of Spokane to commit to the Blue Devils, a Division III team that plays in the State University of New York Athletic Conference.
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Greg MacVicar of the Cape Breton Post reports that the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles aren’t expected to re-sign assistant coach John Hanna, but that Mario Durocher “will most likely” be back as GM/head coach. Hanna spent two seasons as a full-time assistant after working part-time since 2005.