Taking Note

Jim Swanson, the long-time sports editor of the Prince George Citizen, has resigned. Swanson handed in his letter of resignation on Thursday morning and is scheduled to leave the paper early in January. He had been the sports editor since the fall of 1997 and was responsible for the newspaper’s strong Cougars coverage until he was removed from the beat prior to the start of the 2009-10 season. . . . Swanson also has been a big push behind bringing the Canadian senior baseball championships to Prince George, and the formation of the World Baseball Challenge, an international baseball tournament that was first held in 2009 and is scheduled again for July.
Early on Saturday, Swanson had a text exchange with F Brett Connolly, the Prince George minor hockey product who captains the Cougars and now is with the Canadian national junior team. Connolly has been out with what is believed to have been a concussion.
Connolly told Swanson that he has been cleared to play for Canada in the World Junior Championship opener on Sunday against Russia in Buffalo.
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From Jim Matheson’s Hockey World, in the Edmonton Journal:
“Most scouts feel Team Canada’s No. 1 junior team centre Brayden Schenn won’t be going back to the Brandon Wheat Kings. They’ll trade him to ­either Saskatoon or Portland, the two best Memorial Cup candidates in the WHL.”
Which, no doubt, will be news to the Tri-City Americans and Spokane Chiefs, not to mention the Kootenay Ice and Red Deer Rebels.
The part about the two best Memorial Cup candidates in the WHL, that is.
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If they aren’t already, the Portland Winterhawks should be looking over their shoulders, at least at the Americans. Tri-City has 23 home games remaining. The Americans trail the Western Conference-leading Winterhawks by 13 points but have five games in hand.
The Americans also have yet to play even one game with F Carter Ashton in their lineup. He was acquired from the Regina Pats a couple of weeks ago but left to join Canada’s national junior team before he could hook up with the Americans.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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