No, I’m not referring to checking from behind or boarding or whatever you prefer it be called.
I’m talking about NCAA vs. CHL . . . Yes, Paul Kelly is at it again, hammering away at the CHL, this time in the pages of the Boston Globe.
Among his statements this time . . .
“If you go back and look at the numbers, five years ago there were about 58 US kids playing junior hockey in Canada. That number has risen by about 12 to 15 kids per year every year. I think the number this year is about 130. . . .
“We want to keep kids in the pool longer. I think it’s going to take a little time for our efforts to take root. . . .
“I think over a period of a year or two, you’re going to see two things happen — you’re going to see a reduction in the number of elite American kids leaving because we’ll get to the kids in the nontraditional markets, and I think you’re going to see an increased number of elite Canadian players come down because for a long time, there wasn’t a singular source they could turn to for information about eligibility and scholarships.’’
The whole story, written by Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, is right here.
So now the puck is back in the CHL’s end of the ice.
But perhaps CHL commissioner David Branch and WHL boss Ron Robison, the latter of whom has been major junior hockey’s lead dog in this debate, would prefer to maintain their silence and let something like Taylor Stefishen’s story do their talking. That piece is right here on the Yahoo! Sports blog written by Neate Sager.
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While the Tri-City Americans were on their East Division swing, general manager Bob Tory did a little scouting. He spent some time watching the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos and found two players to add to the Americans’ player list. John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has that story right here.———
The Vancouver Giants have dealt F R.J. Reed, 18, to the Prince Albert Raiders for a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. An undrafted list player, Reed played one game with the Giants this season before leaving and joining the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. . . . The Raiders are finishing up a six-game road swing. Reed is expected to play two games for the Bandits over the weekend and join the Raiders next week.———
The QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar fired head coach Stéphane Hains on Friday. He paid the price for a 1-10 start. Assistant coach Serge Poudrier took over as interim head coach. A release from the Drakkar read: “The Drakkar will meet with Stéphane Hains at a later date to determine his role with the organization going forward. In 82 games with the team, Hains compiled a 25-57 record.” . . . Hains is the first major junior coach to lose his job this season. . . . Interestingly, Poudrier is a former QMJHL player who has two sons now playing in league. . . . There’s more right here.———
Want a look at some teams' third jerseys? Check out this website right here.
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F Terrance DeLaronde is back in the game, and good for him. He spent some time in Kamloops with the Blazers and was a good post-game quote, so it’s good to seem healthy (after a bout with viral meningitis) and having fun on the ice again. Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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The Nanaimo Daily News reports that Larry McNabb, one of hockey’s most-feared enforcers during a 15-year career, has been admitted to hospital after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That story is right here.
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F Mason Wilgosh, who has yet to play this season, has been named an alternate captain with the Tri-City Americans. Wilgosh, 19, is in his fourth WHL season. He suffered a broken jaw in training camp and has missed the season’s first 11 games. He joins team captain Kruise Reddie and fellow alternate Tyler Schmidt with letters.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (nine games, two home teams win):
SWIFT CURRENT 4 at BRANDON 3: The Broncos (5-6-0-0) opened up a 4-1 lead in the second period and hung on for the victory. . . . Brandon (4-5-0-0), which opened the season with four victories, now has lost five in a row, including three straight at
home. . . . F Stepan Novotny got his eighth goal for Swift Current, which has won four of five, while F Cody Eakin got his fourth and fifth. . . . F Justin Dowling and F Taylor Vause each set up two goals for the winners. . . . The Wheat Kings got goals from F Shayne Wiebe, at 16:02 of the second, and D Rene Hunter, at 16:24 of the third on the PP, to make it close. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 24 shots, one fewer than Brandon’s Ty Rimmer. . . . Swift Current was 2-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 1-for-8. . . . The Broncos took the game’s last six minor penalties. . . . Attendance was 4,340. . . . Checking-from-behind count: A double minor to Eakin, at 15:25 of the third period. ———
MEDICINE HAT 7 at EDMONTON 1: The Tigers (3-3-0-0) brought the Oil Kings’ franchise-record five-game winning streak crashing to a halt. . . . The Oil Kings are 5-3-0-0. . . . Medicine Hat got three assists from each of F Tyler Pitlick and F Hunter Shinkaruk. . . . D Thomas Carr had a goal and two helpers and was plus-4. . . . F
Cole Grbavac and F Kale Kessy, two of the Tigers’ foot-soldiers, each scored twice. Grbavac also had an assist. . . . Kessy was playing in his first game since returning from injury. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 32 shots. He lost his shutout 11 minutes into the third period when F Cameron Abney scored his third of the season. . . . Pitlick and Bunz were draft picks of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, who own the Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-for-8 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 3,535. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Edmonton D Ryan Dech. ———
REGINA 3 at LETHBRIDGE 2 (SO): The Pats (2-6-1-0) won their first game of a three-game road swing to end a five-game losing streak. . . . Regina got shootout goals from F Jordan Weal and F Colin Reddin, while Lethbridge shooters Mitch Maxwell
and Cam Braes weren’t able to get off shots. . . . The Hurricanes are 3-3-0-2. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder forced OT with his first goal at 16:05 of the third period. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt, in his third straight start, stopped 23 shots to earn his first WHL victory. . . . Lethbridge’s Brandon Anderson turned aside 29. . . . Regina was 0-for-7 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-for-4. . . . The Hurricanes have lost four of five. . . . Attendance was 2,864. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . Lethbridge remains without F Austin Fyten (knee).———
SASKATOON 2 at RED DEER 1: G Steven Stanford stopped 40 shots for the Blades (6-1-0-0), who have won five in a row. . . . The Rebels (7-3-0-0) were playing their first home gave after winning four in a row on the road. . . . D Dalton Thrower
opened the scoring for the Blades at 12:08 of the first period. . . . F John Persson tied it for Red Deer at 1:45 of the second. . . . The winner came from F Marek Viedensky, his sixth, at 8:55 of the second. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots. . . . Red Deer was 0-for-3 on the PP, while the Blades weren’t present with a man-advantage situation. . . . Attendance was 4,482. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.———
KELOWNA 4 at CHILLIWACK 3: F Colton Sissons scored his second goal of the season at 19:30 of the second period to break a 3-3 tie. . . . The Rockets (3-5-0-0) were without D Colton Jobke, who served a one-game suspension for an elbowing major he incurred in a 5-4 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday. . . . The
Bruins (4-4-0-0) led this one 3-2 on goals from F Ryan Howse, his 11th of the season and the 100th of his career, and F Jamie Crooks, the latter scoring at 11:02 of the second. . . . D Antoine Corbin tied it for Kelowna on the PP at 15:08. . . . D Kevin Smith had two assists for the Rockets. . . . Kelowna D Mitchell Chapman was tossed at 7:53 of the first period with a kneeing major. Chilliwack F Dylen McKinlay left the game after the hit and didn’t return. . . . The Bruins weren’t able to capitalize on the ensuing PP. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 29 shots, seven more than Chilliwack’s Lucas Gore. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-8 on the PP; Chilliwack was 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 3,676. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Chilliwack F Roman Horak.———
CALGARY 2 at EVERETT 4: The Silvertips (5-1-1-1) won it with three third-period goals. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored the game-tying goal at 3:32 of the third period and got the winner at 9:16. Maxwell, who also had an assist, has 10 goals on the
season. Maxwell has three multi-goal games. . . . Everett, which had lost three in a row, concluded a season-opening, eight-game homestand and now heads out on the road for four games. . . . The Hitmen (3-4-0-0) had won three of four. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson made 25 saves, three more than Calgary’s Michael Snider. . . . Everett was 1-for-4 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 5,127. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.———
PORTLAND 8 at KAMLOOPS 6: F Ty Rattie scored three times and added an assist for Portland (7-2-0-1). It was the first hat trick of the season for Rattie, the second overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He now has 17 points, behind only F Craig
Cunningham (19) and F Brendan Gallagher (18), both of the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Blazers (4-5-0-1) had won three of four. . . . Portland LW Sven Bartschi had a goal and two assists. He has six goals in his last four games and leads all WHL freshmen with 14 points. . . . Kamloops C Chase Schaber had a goal and three assists, while LW Brendan Ranford had two goals. . . . Portland opened up a 4-1 lead only to have Kamloops tie it 4-4 before the second period ended. . . . Rattie and F Brendan Leipsic, with his second of the night, gave Portland a 6-4 lead by scoring 2:04 apart early in the third. . . . Portland G Ian Curtis stopped 36 shots, while Jeff Bosch of the Blazers turned aside 20. . . . The Winterhawks were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Blazers were 2-for-9. . . . Attendance was 4,072. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.———
PRINCE ALBERT 2 at PRINCE GEORGE 5: D Sena Acolatse had three assists and finished plus-4 to lead the Cougars (4-4-1-0). . . . F Troy Bourke had a goal and two assists and also was plus-4 for Prince George. . . . The Cougars fell behind on first-period
goals 42 seconds apart from F Andrew Herle and F Jonathan Parker, the latter with his eighth of the season. . . . The Cougars tied it on second-period goals from D Martin Marincin, his fourth, and Bourke. . . . Acolatse was in on the Cougars’ first three goals. . . . F Brett Connolly got the winner, his seventh, 45 seconds into the third. . . . The Raiders (5-5-1-0) went 2-2-1-0 on their B.C. Division swing. They finish up a six-game road trip tonight in Red Deer. . . . Prince George G James Priestner stopped 32 shots, while P.A.’s Jamie Tucker kicked out 28. . . . The Raiders were 1-for-5 on the PP; the home side was 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 1,972. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Raiders were without F Brandon Herrod (back), their leading scorer. He is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game in Red Deer. He was injured in Wednesday’s 5-3 victory in Vancouver.———
SEATTLE 4 at VANCOUVER 3 (SO): F Burke Gallimore scored two goals in regulation time and added another in the shootout as the Thunderbirds improved to 5-2-0-0. . . . The Thunderbirds didn’t win their fifth game last season until Game No. 21, on Nov. 8. . . . Seattle, which has won four in a row, is 3-0 in shootouts this season. . . . F
Luke Lockhart also scored for Seattle in the shootout. . . . Gallimore, who has six goals this season, scored twice on the PP as Seattle went 2-for-6. . . . F Craig Cunningham, who had two assists and leads the WHL with 19 points, scored for Vancouver (5-4-1-1) in the shootout, but F James Henry and F Brendan Gallagher weren’t able to duplicate that. . . . Gallagher did score twice in regulation and now has 10 goals. . . . Gallagher has at least one point in each of Vancouver’s 11 games. He has 18 points overall. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 34 shots, seven more than Seattle’s Calvin Pickard. . . . Gallagher gave Vancouver a 3-2 lead at 18:58 of the second period. . . . Seattle F Colin Jacobs forced OT at 5:22 of the third. . . . Seattle was 2-for-6 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-6. . . . .Attendance was 5,828. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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