———
The WHL has suspended Edmonton Oil Kings D Adrian Van de Mosselaer for two games for a hit on F Brad Hoban of the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday night. Van de Mosselaer was hit with a boarding major and game misconduct on the play. He didn’t play last night against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins and won’t play tonight in Saskatoon against the Blades. . . . D Brendon Wall, who lost out in the 20-year-old game in Kelowna when the Rockets acquired D Zac Stebner from the Tri-City Americans, has joined the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. Wall also has WHL experience with the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders. He is from Saskatoon. . . .———
If you missed it, the Phoenix Coyotes were in New York on Thursday and found themselves in need of a goaltender. They found one in Tom Fenton, who signed a one-game deal and spent the night on the bench. That story is right here.———
Bruce Arthur of the National Post weighs in on the bizarre situation in Ontario where a minor coach has been suspended for a year after taking his team off the ice in protest over a racial slur. Arthur’s column is right here.
———
Some highlights from Friday’s WHL games:
In Saskatoon, the Blades scored the game’s first three goals and went on to defeat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-1. . . . The injury ravaged players dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum, and had call-ups Brennan Hopkins of Airdrie, Alta., and Zac Mackay of Swift Current in the lineup. . . . It was Tuque Toss and F Josh Nicholls, with his 16th goal, got the fans throwing gear on the ice at 16:37 of the first period. . . . F Marek Fiedensky had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison stopped 27 shots, losing his shutout when F Jordan Peddle scored with 10.4 seconds left in the third period. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 37 shots. . . . Saskatoon D Stefan Elliott had his 13th goal to run his point streak to eight games. . . . Attendance was 3,661. . . .———
In Regina, F Shayne Neigum had two goals and an assist to lead the Pats to a 6-4 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Neigum was playing his first game with the Pats after being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday night. In 23 games with the Blazers, he had one goal and two assists. . . . In this one, Neigum, who is from Kindersley, Sask., opened the scoring 34 seconds into the game and closed it with an empty-netter at 19:37 of the third. . . . Regina also got a goal from each of F Tanner Olstad and F Nils Moser, both of whom were acquired from the Tri-City Americans in the deal that had F Carter Ashton go the other way. Olstad and Moser played on a line with Neigum. . . . “It feels great; obviously it’s good for the confidence,” Neigum told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “Other teams I’ve been on I’ve never been put in a situation to produce. Without a doubt I know I can. I’m just going to do whatever I can to help the team win. That’s why I’m here, whether it’s to block a shot or drop the gloves.” . . . F Jordan Weal and D Myles Bell each had a goal and an assist for Regina. . . . F Jonathan Parker had two goals and two assists for the Raiders. He has 22 goals. . . . F Justin Maylan added two assists for the Raiders. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 43 shots. . . . Attendance was 3,308. . . .———
In Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors got the only two goals of the shootout and beat the Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . F Cody Beach and F Dylan Hood each had shootout goals for Moose Jaw, which won its 20th game. . . . The Wheat Kings are 0-4 in shootouts. . . . F Jesse Paradis opened the scoring for the Warriors at 17:07 of the first period. . . . The teams then exchanged goals until F David Toews, with his eighth, scored on a PP at 13:45 of the third to force OT. . . . Toews finished with two goals and an assist. . . . F Michael Ferland had two assists for Brandon. . . . Brandon is 1-0-4 in its last four outings. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 44 shots, seven more than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . Brandon D Ryley Miller returned from serving a two-game suspension for a hit on Everett Silvertips F Kellan Tochkin on Dec. 8. . . . Attendance was 3,886. . . . The Wheat Kings and Warriors meet for the sixth time this season tonight in Moose Jaw. The Warriors have won the last four meetings between the teams. . . .———
In Calgary, F Brett Bulmer had a goal and three assists to help the Kelowna Rockets dump the Hitmen, 5-1. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last three goals. . . . F Shane McColgan added two goals and an assist for the Rockets, while F Geordie Wudrick got his 16th goal. . . . McColgan has 10 goals. . . . F Zach Franko, playing on a line with Bulmer and McColgan, had two helpers. . . . F Brandon Santini scored his first goal for the Hitmen. That goal, 57 seconds into the second period, cut Kelowna’s lead to 2-1, but D Zak Stebner, who was part of the Hitmen’s championship last season, got that one back at 13:31. . . . Attendance was 7,566. . . . The Rockets, who started the season 4-10 and were being written off for dead by more than a handful of observers, now are atop the B.C. Division, one point ahead of the Prince George Cougars and Vancouver Giants. . . . ———
In Edmonton, G Lucas Gore stopped 42 shots as the Chilliwack Bruins blanked the Oil Kings 1-0 on Teddy Bear Night. . . . F Ryan Howse scored his 23rd goal at 11:26 of the second period on a PP. . . . Chilliwack’s Marc Habscheid recorded his 300th victory as a WHL head coach. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 18 shots. . . . Attendance was 5,811. The fans tossed the stuff toys onto the ice at game’s end. . . . Edmonton was 0-for-7 on the PP, while the Bruins were 1-for-4. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix had his point streak end at 11. He put up 24 points over those 11 games.———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 4-1. . . . Ice F Elgin Pearce broke a 1-1 tie at 8:11 of the first period and F Matt Fraser later added two third-period PP goals, with F Max Reinhart and F Drew Czerwonka drawing two assists each. . . . Fraser has 13 goals. . . . F Byron Froese got his 14th for the Rebels on a first-period PP. . . . Both goaltenders — Kootenay’s Nathan Lieuwen and Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper — stopped 28 shots. . . . Kuemper stopped Ice F Christian Magnus on a third-period penalty shot. . . . The victory allowed the Ice to stay within two points of the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades and move three points clear of the Rebels and Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Attendance was 2,508. . . . The Ice lost F Brock Montgomery with a major for interference and a game misconduct just 2:53 into the game. . . . ———
In Lethbridge, D Scott McKay broke a 1-1 tie at 1:57 of the third period as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Hurricanes, 2-1. . . . That was McKay’s first goal of the season; it came in his 27th game. Last season, he had two goals in 47 games. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey got his 20th of the season on a PP in the second period. . . . Lethbridge F Jacob Berglund tied the score with his eight at 18:06 of the second. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 34 shots. . . . Lethbridge G Dylan Tait turned aside 24 shots. . . . Attendance was 3,072. . . .———
In Prince George, F Greg Fraser broke a 2-2 tie with 27.1 seconds left in the third period to give the Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Cougars G Ty Rimmer stopped 41 shots. . . . The Cougars have followed a five-game losing streak with two victories. . . . Kamloops has lost eight straight road games, after winning six in a row away from home. . . . F Thomas Frazee, acquired by Kamloops from Regina on Tuesday, played his first game with the Blazers. He played on a line with LW Brendan Ranford and C Chase Schaber, but the trio was held off the scoresheet. . . . Attendance was 1,786. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . .———
In Kennewick, Wash., it was Friday Night Fights as the Tri-City Americans whipped the visiting Vancouver Giants, 9-1, in a game that featured 272 penalty minutes. . . . Vancouver took 171 of those minutes. . . . The carnage included game misconducts to both head coaches — Don Hay of the Giants and Jim Hiller of the Americans. . . . Ch-ch-ching! . . . The Americans were 5-for-9 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 4,436 and, gee, I wonder what they’ll be talking about today. . . . Tri-City led 7-0 before F James Henry scored for the Giants at 9:53 of the third period. . . . F Adam Hughesman led Tri-City with two goals — he has 18 — and two assists, while F Kruise Reddick had a goal and three assists. F Jordan Messier had two goals, giving him 20, and an assist, with F Brendan Shinnimin getting a goal and two assists. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen went the distance, stopping 27 shots, perhaps because the Giants plan on starting Mark Segal tonight in Spokane. . . . ———
In Everett, G Luke Siemens turned aside 27 shots as the Silvertips dumped the Spokane Chiefs, 2-0. . . . That was Siemens’ second shutout of the season and of his career. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored both goals, giving him 23. He got the first one at 19:31 of the second period and added an empty-netter at 19:46 of the third. . . . Everett was 0-for-3 on the PP; Spokane was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 5,125.———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Seven minors:
Saskatoon F Jake Trask
Regina F Nils Moser
Chilliwack D Mitch Topping
Chilliwack D Zach Habscheid
Red Deer F Brett Ferguson (double minor)
Medicine Hat F Tyler Pitlick
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Posts
