Sunday . . .

The Swift Current Broncos think they have a problem — one of their loyal fans makes too much noise. Allison Werbowetsky of the Prairie Post has that story right here. . . . By the way, any guesses as to where the Broncos will play their first-round playoff games, should they make the grade? It seems that the favourite right now is Lethbridge, which is only fitting seeing as the Broncos once called that Alberta city home. . . . The Broncos won’t be able to use their home arena as it will be playing host to the world women’s curling championship.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Calgary (7) 45-17-1-2-93
dx-Saskatoon (7) 43-15-3-4-93
x-Brandon (6) 44-18-1-3-92
x-Kootenay (6) 39-22-3-2-83
x-Red Deer (7) 38-23-0-4-80
Medicine Hat (6) 35-23-3-5-78
Moose Jaw (8) 31-24-4-5-71
Swift Current (6) 33-29-0-4-70
———
Prince Albert (7) 30-30-3-2-65
Regina (6) 27-32-3-4-61
x — clinched playoff spot.
Sunday: No games scheduled.
Monday: No games scheduled.
Tuesday: Prince Albert at Calgary; Moose Jaw at Lethbridge; Regina at Swift Current.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (7) 44-18-1-2-91
dx-Vancouver (6) 39-22-2-3-83
x-Everett (7) 41-19-3-2-87
x-Spokane (7) 40-21-3-1-84
x-Portland (6) 40-23-2-1-83
x-Kelowna (6) 30-30-2-4-66
x-Kamloops (5) 30-31-2-4-66
x-Chilliwack (6) 29-31-1-5-64
x — clinched playoff spot.
Sunday: Tri-City 6 at Seattle 3; Prince George 2 at Portland 3.
Monday: No games scheduled.
Tuesday: Everett at Kamloops; Tri-City at Portland.
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SUNDAY:
In Kent, Wash., D Zach Yuen scored his first WHL goal to help the Tri-City Americans to a 6-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Yuen was the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. The goal came in his 39th WHL game, 35 of which have been played this season. . . . F Sergei Drozd set up three goals for the winners, who got a goal and two assists from Brooks Macek. . . . Tri-City was 3-for-5 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 1-for-4. . . . The Americans have won six of eight games with the Thunderbirds this season. . . . Attendance was 3,577. . . . The Thunderbirds dressed only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. They were without D Brendan Dillon, who was knocked wobbly by a hit from Portland F Stefan Schneider during the Winterhawks’ 3-2 shootout victory on Saturday. Dillon was helped to the dressing room after the hit and didn’t return. Schneider wasn’t penalized on the play. . . . The Thunderbirds also were without D Erik Fleming (shoulder), F Prab Rai (flu) and D Jeremy Schappert (ankle). And they lost F Brandon Troock (hip) early in the game.
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In Portland, the Winterhawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Winterhawks got goals from F Ryan Johansen, his 22nd, F Brad Ross (24) and F Nino Niederreiter (34). . . . Ross also drew two assists. . . . F James Dobrowolski scored two PP goals for the Cougars, one at 1:38 of the second period and the other at 8:35 of the third. He has 17. . . . The Cougars were 2-for-10 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-5. . . . F Alex Rodgers had two assists for the Cougars, who have lost 10 in a row. . . . Portland G Ian Curtis stopped 50 shots, 17 more than Prince George’s Hudson Stremmel. . . . Attendance at Memorial Coliseum was 2,504. . . . The Winterhawks won their 40th game of the season — they won 47 games combined over the last three seasons. The last time the Winterhawks won 40 games was in 1997-98, when they put up 53 victories and went on to win the Memorial Cup. . . . The Wintehawks honoured former star Cam Neely, who took part in a ceremonial faceoff. Neely now is a vice-president with the Boston Bruins. Peter Chiarelli, the Bruins’ general manager, also was on hand. . . . Scott Sepich of The Oregonian reports: “After the final whistle, Portland’s Luke Walker and Prince George’s Nick Buonassisi squared off in a corner as the two benches emptied to engage in a showdown at center ice. But after some pushing and shoving, order was restored and the teams skated off to their respective dressing rooms.” . . . No cha-ching from this one!

Blazers trying to find consistency

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Reporter
Like Indiana Jones hunting for the Ark of the Covenant, the Kamloops Blazers’ search for consistency continues.
Head coach Guy Charron is hoping that his team found its trail in Alberta on the weekend where it posted two straight victories, including a 6-3 triumph over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday.
The Blazers hadn’t won in Medicine Hat since Dec. 12, 2003, a stretch of five games during which time they were beaten 5-3, 7-3, 7-0, 6-1 and 4-0 in the Gas City.
“With the last games you have (before playoffs),” Charron said Sunday, “you are hopeful that you get some consistency in your play because that will lead to the playoffs. We were inconsistent; now we played a real strong game.”
The Blazers took a 3-2 lead into the third period, only to have freshman forward Emerson Etem tie it with his 34th goal of the season at 5:04.
The score stayed that way until late, when the Tigers had two players — forwards Linden Vey and Taylor Gal — penalized for checking from behind less than a minute apart.
Kamloops centre C.J. Stretch scored on the 5-on-3 at 18:08 — it held up as his ninth game-winner of the season — and forwards Chase Schaber and Jordan DePape added empty-netters.
The goal was Schaber’s third of the game, as he enjoyed his first WHL hat trick in his 165th game. It was his 23rd game with the Blazers, who acquired him from the Calgary Hitmen on Jan. 10.
Schaber has three multi-goal games in his 165-game WHL career, two in his last four games.
“We are very fortunate to pull out a win like this," Schaber told the Medicine Hat News. "The Tigers are just a great hockey team. They are a run-and-gun team. They can score goals. We knew we had to be ready coming into tonight’s game.
"All we did was put pucks on net and good things happened."
DePape, meanwhile, had a goal and two assists, and now has 10 points in five games since he missed three games with a rib injury.
Mark Hall also scored for the Blazers, getting his second goal of the season and ending a 34-game drought in the process.
Zdenek Okal and Gal also scored for the Tigers.
“Our last two games on the road were two wins,” said Charron, whose club had scored a 4-3 overtime victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Friday. “Now we’re at home; if we can establish something good, something positive to lead into the playoffs . . . That’s our goal.”
The Blazers began the Alberta trip by losing 5-1 to the Oil Kings in Edmonton, after which Charron said he was “annoyed” with his players, who paid a price the next day at practice.
“Our thing was,” Charron explained, “if you’re not going to work in the games, you’re going to have harder practices. And they responded. This team . . . has always practised hard. It was a harder practice, more skating than usual, but they responded and they pushed themselves.”
Charron also said the Blazers got a strong effort from goaltender Jon Groenheyde, who stopped 26 shots. Groenheyde, who was outstanding in Friday’s victory in Lethbridge, has won two straight starts for the first time since Sept. 19 and 25.
The Blazers returned home immediately after Saturday’s game and will meet the Everett Silvertips here on Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m.
JUST NOTES: The Blazers scratched D Ryan Funk (ankle), who missed his eighth straight game, and F Jake Trask. Funk skated by himself late last week but has yet to practice with his teammates. . . . The Blazers are 12-21-1-1 on the road with one game left away from home, that on March 13 in Vancouver. . . . Sometime after Friday’s game in Lethbridge, at least three scoring changes were made to Blazers goals. Schaber was given an assist on his club’s first goal. D Travis Hansen lost his assist on the team’s second goal, as it went to D Austin Madaisky. As well, F Colin Smith was given an assist on DePape’s game-winning goal. . . . Madaisky finished with three assists in what was the second three-point game of his WHL career. . . . For Smith, it was his first two-point game since the first game he played this season on Nov. 6 after returning from a broken arm suffered in training camp.

Saturday . . .

Jerome Dupont, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, unexpectedly resigned Saturday. Assistant coach Guy Lalonde has taken over as head coach until a replacement is found. Dupont, a former NHL defenceman, was in his second season with the Olympiques. He joined them in November 2008. The Olympiques were 26-29-1-4 with the 18-team league’s 12th-best winning percentage (.433) when Dupont resigned. He is expected to remain with the organization as a consultant, at least for now. Dupont signed a three-year contract on April 16, 2009.
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The 2010 Memorial Cup will be part of Manitoba Homecoming 2010, which is part of the province’s 140th birthday celebrations. As part of that, the Memorial Cup host committee has scheduled two Saturday Night Socials, one on May 15 and the other on May 22. . . . Randy Bachman, the legendary guitarist, song writer, performer and producter, kicks off the May 15 social, with seven-time Juno Award-winner Tom Cochrane performing May 22. . . . If you haven’t taken a couple of hours out of your Saturday evening schedule to listen to Randy’s Vinyl Tap on CBC Radio, well, you’re cheating yourself. . . . By the way, Cochrane is from, yes, Lynn Lake, Man. . . . Tickets for both shows go on sale Monday morning (March 1) at the Keystone Centre box office. They also may be purchased by calling 204-726-3555 or by visiting ticketmaster.ca. . . . Yet to be announced are details of the Opening banquet (May 13), a golf tournament at Clear Lake (May 20) and the CHL awards ceremony (May 22).
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Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings, has published his annual Best of the East poll. You’ll find it right here. . . . Two things of interest: The Saskatoon Blades had three of their players show up as the three most irritating players to play against. And the Portland Winterhawks and their fans will be thrilled to know that Andy Thiessen was selected as best referee.
http://luberslounge.blogspot.com/2010/02/third-annual-best-of-east-poll.html
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Two former WHLers are on the coaching staff for Team Canada West that will play in the 2010 World Junior A Challenge at a site yet to be determined. Larry Wintoneak of the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers will be the head coach, with Jomar Cruz of the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard and Andrew Milne of the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles on his staff. Cruz was a goaltender during his WHL career, while Milne was a hard-nosed forward. Milne also spent some time as an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Wintoneak’s other assistant coach will be Kevin Hasselberg of the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlies.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Calgary (7) 45-17-1-2-93
dx-Saskatoon (7) 43-15-3-4-93
x-Brandon (6) 44-18-1-3-92
x-Kootenay (6) 39-22-3-2-83
Red Deer (7) 38-23-0-4-80
Medicine Hat (6) 35-23-3-5-78
Moose Jaw (8) 31-24-4-5-71
Swift Current (6) 33-29-0-4-70
———
Prince Albert (7) 30-30-3-2-65
Regina (6) 27-32-3-4-61
x — clinched playoff spot.
Saturday: Prince Albert 3 at Brandon 5; Kelowna 1 at Calgary 2; Red Deer 4 at Edmonton 3 (SO); Lethbridge 4 at Kootenay 1; Kamloops 6 at Medicine Hat 3; Chilliwack 2 at Moose Jaw 3; Regina 3 at Saskatoon 0; Vancouver 3 at Swift Current 5.
Sunday: No games scheduled.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (8) 43-18-1-2-89
dx-Vancouver (6) 39-22-2-3-83
x-Everett (7) 41-19-3-2-87
x-Spokane (7) 40-21-3-1-84
x-Portland (7) 39-23-2-1-81
x-Kelowna (6) 30-30-2-4-66
x-Kamloops (5) 30-31-2-4-66
x-Chilliwack (6) 29-31-1-5-64
x — clinched playoff spot.
Saturday: Kelowna 1 at Calgary 2; Prince George 0 at Everett 5; Kamloops 6 at Medicine Hat 3; Chilliwack 2 at Moose Jaw 3; Portland 3 at Seattle 2 (SO); Tri-City 2 at Spokane 5; Vancouver 3 at Swift Current 5.
Sunday: Tri-City at Seattle; Prince George at Portland.
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SATURDAY:
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead en route to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Jay Fehr, with his 25th, and F Matt Calvert, with his 40th, at 1:04 and 3:32 of the first period got the home side off to a hot start. . . . The Raiders played from behind the rest of the night, three times closing the gap to one but never catching up. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie scored twice, giving him 28. His second goal, the game’s last score, came on a penalty shot at 6:41 of the third. . . . F Justin Maylan scored twice for the Raiders, giving him 16. . . . Brandon holds a 4-3 edge in the season series. . . . Attendance was 4,953. . . . Brandon F Toni Rajala, who went into the game with 17 points in 11 February games, was blanked. . . . Brandon G Jacob De Serres stopped 30 shots, while P.A.’s Garrett Zemlak stopped 28. . . . If you believe in the plus/minus stat, it’s worth noting that Brandon D Travis Hamonic was pointless but finished plus-3.
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In Calgary, the Hitmen scored two third-period goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . F Joel Broda got his 33rd at 53 seconds on the PP and F Riley Bugart added his third at 5:18. . . . F Brandon McMillan, with his 17th, scored for Kelowna at 14:22 of the third. . . . Attendance was 9,408.
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In Edmonton, F Landon Ferraro’s shootout goal gave the Red Deer Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Ferraro also had a goal, his 15th, in regulation time. . . . Red Deer took a 3-1 lead into the third period. . . . The Oil Kings forced OT on goals by F Michael Burns, at 9:19, and Sebastian Svendsen, at 19:07. Burns has seven goals; Svendsen has 11. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 5,128. . . . Red Deer G Kraymer Barnstable stopped 27 shots through OT and three more in the shootout. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan turned aside 39 shots.
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In Everett, F Kellan Tochkin had two goals and G Kent Simpson earned the shutout as the Silvertips dropped the Prince George Cougars, 5-0. . . . The shutout was the first of the season for Simpson and the second of his career. He stopped 24 shots. . . . Tochkin has 25 goals. His first goal, 37 seconds into the first, stood up as the winner. . . . He also had an assist. . . . F Shane Harper added his 38th goal of the season to tie the franchise’s single-season record that was held by F John Lammers (2005-06). . . . Attendance was 7,581. . . . The Cougars, who lost D Jesse Forsberg (shoulder) in a 5-1 loss in Spokane on Friday, have lost nine in a row. . . . The Silvertips are adding F Tyler Giebel, 16, to their roster for the remainder of the season. He had been with the midget AAA Regina Pats Canadians, earning 55 points in 41 games -- and is eligible to join Everett as their season has ended. Giebel was the 27th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
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In Cranbrook, the Lethbridge Hurricanes got two assists from each of F Austin Fyten and F Graham Hood as they beat the host Kootenay Ice, 4-1. . . . The Ice now has lost three in a row; the Hurricanes had lost seven of eight. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 20 shots through two periods; the third period shots weren’t up on the WHL website. . . . Anderson stopped Ice F Matt Fraser on a first-period penalty shot to preserve a 1-0 lead. . . . Lethbridge F Ryon Moser broke a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal at 3:27 of the third period. . . . Lethbridge F Mitch Maxwell scored his 27th goal at 4:25 of the third. . . . Attendance was 4,241. . . . In what may be one of the most amazing statistics of this WHL season, Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Hurricanes, points out that Lethbridge has played in 30 one-goal games this season. The Hurricanes are 10-20 in those games.
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In Medicine Hat, F Chase Schaber scored three times to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 6-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . Schaber, who has 16 goals, scored once in each period, the last one on the PP and into an empty net. . . . Kamloops F C.J. Stretch broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 18:08 of the third period. . . . F Jordan DePape, who scored the OT winner Saturday in a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge, had a goal, also an empty-netter, and two assists for Kamloops. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Kamloops G Jon Groenheyde made his second straight start and has won back-to-back games for the first time since late September. . . . Groenheyde stopped 26 shots. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 22 shots. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-4.
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In Moose Jaw, the Warriors rode three first-period goals to a 3-2 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . D Ryan Stanton scored the game’s first two goals, the first at 1:24 and the second at 6:56 on the PP. He has 10 goals. . . . F Dylan Hood, with his 20th, scored at 16:18. . . . The Bruins got close on second-period goals from F Jamie Crooks and F Roman Horak. Both have 19. . . . Attendance was 2,307. . . . Moose Jaw G Jeff Bosch stopped 33 shots, six more than Chilliwack G Lucas Gore. . . . The Bruins went 3-3-0-0 on their swing through the East Division.
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In Saskatoon, G Dawson Guhle stopped 19 shots for his first WHL shutout as the Regina Pats dumped the Blades, 3-0. . . . Not only was it Guhle’s first shutout, it was the first time this season that the Pats have blanked the opposition. . . . Regina F Jordan Eberle scored twice, giving him 45. His first goal, at 2:08 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . F Matt Strueby had a goal, his 34th, and an assist, while F Brett Leffler drew two helpers. . . . Eberle’s second goal was into an empty net. . . . Attendance was 5,236. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison stopped 26 shots. . . . The Blades have been blanked twice this season. . . . The Pats, fighting to get back into position to grab the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, had lost three in a row. . . . The Blades had won their last two games. . . . Following a scoring change made earlier Saturday, Eberle went into the game with the WHL points lead. He had 93, one ahead of teammate Jordan Weal and F Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants. . . . Eberle and Weal are attempting to become the first members of the Pats to reach 100 points since F Ronald Petrovicky did it in 1997-98 when he finished at 113. (F Blake Evans had 102 points in 2000-01, but got 59 of those with the Tri-City Americans). . . . As well, Eberle and Weal are trying to become the first Regina player to win the WHL scoring title since F Dale Derkatch had 179 points in 1982-83.
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In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks made it 11 straight victories over the Seattle Thunderbirds, with a 3-2 shootout triumph. . . . Portland F Luke Walker, the sixth shooter, gave his side a 2-1 edge in the shootout. . . . The Winterhawks tied a franchise record for longest winning streak against the Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks led 2-0 on goals by D Troy Rutkowski and F Taylor Peters. . . . The Thunderbirds got goals from F Brandon Troock and F Tyler Aloos, the latter tying the score at 5:35 of thet hird period. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 43 shots, including nine in OT. . . . Portland G Ian Curtis stopped 39 shots as he won his 20th game of the season. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-for-5 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-0. . . . Andy Thiessen was working the game in Medicine Hat.
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In Spokane, the Chiefs scored three PP goals and beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who had three goals in Friday’s 5-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars, had three assists for the Chiefs, as did D Jared Spurgeon. . . . The Chiefs have won the last five games with the Americans. . . . F Kyle Beach scored his WHL-leading 48th goal for Spokane. . . . The Chiefs, who have won nine of 10, were 3-for-7 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-2. . . . Attendance was 10,529. . . . The Chiefs were without F Dominik Uher, who served a one-game suspension for a boarding major he incurred in Friday’s 5-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . Tri-City F Todd Kennedy sat out his second game. He remains under indefinite suspension for a hit on Portland D Eric Doyle on Tuesday night.
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In Swift Current, the Broncos struck four times in the third period and beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 going to the third, with F James Henry having scored his 20th, shorthanded, for the Giants and D Joel Rogers having gotten his first, on the PP, for the Broncos. . . . F Tomas Vincour gave the Giants the lead at 1:09 of the third. . . . The Broncos then got goals from D Kyle Verdino, his first, and F Brad Hoban at 4:34 and 7:29. . . . The Giants took the lead 30 seconds later on F JT Barnett’s 19th. . . . F Jordan Peddle broke the tie with his second of the season at 14:59 and F Cody Eakin added the empty-netter, his 43rd, at 19:24. . . . Talk about getting goals from unexpected sources! Rogers’ goal was his first in 56 games this season and his third in 159 career games. Verdino, in his third WHL season, scored his first goal in his 144th game. He was goalless in 122 games with Kelowna and has played 22 games with the Broncos. Peddle got his second goal in 63 games this season after scoring 11 in 55 games last season. . . . Broncos G Morgan Clark stopped 37 shots, 15 more than Vancouver’s Mark Segal. . . . Attendance was 2,172.

Friday . . .

Have to agree with this from Brandon Sun sports editor James Shewaga: “As for the Canadian women’s team’s celebrations, while we absolutely don’t condone underage drinking — one 18-year-old team member was photographed with a beer on the ice — the criticism seems a little overblown. Afterall, when the pride of Russell, Jon Montgomery, chugged from a pitcher of beer after his dramatic gold-medal victory in men’s skeleton, nobody said a thing — and rightly so. Seems like a bit of a double standard to throw Canada’s women’s team under the bus for its well-earned celebration.”
Allow me to add that the photo of Canada’s Gillian Apps, a Molson product in one hand and a victory cigar in her mouth, just may be the sports photo of the year.
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James Lawton of The Independent may be the best wordsmith among sports journalists in the world today. Do yourself a favour and give this a read.
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The Spokane Chiefs have named the Top 25 Chiefs in 25 Years, with 16 of those players in attendance for Friday night’s game against the Prince George Cougars.
Four players from the 2009-10 team — Jared Cowen, Tyler Johnson, Jared Spurgeon and Mitch Wahl — made the grade.
Here’s the list, which comprises two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 16 forwards (fans had the opportunity to to vote, while other factors included career achievements, honours and team success):
27-Drayson Bowman (05-09)
12- Chris Bruton (04-08)
20-Valeri Bure (91-94)
10-Brandin Cote (96-02)
2-Jared Cowen (06-10)
15-Justin Falk (05-08)
19-Pat Falloon (88-91)
15-Brent Gilchrist (85-87)
18-Travis Green (86-90)
9-Tyler Johnson (07-10)
37-Trevor Kidd (90-91)
4-Jon Klemm (88-91)
20-Greg Leeb (94-98)
4-Bryan McCabe (92-95)
17-Jason Podollan (91-96)
11-Derek Ryan (03-07)
34-Kurt Sauer (99-02)
25-Kevin Sawyer (92-95)
25- Derek Schutz (94-00)
18-Jared Spurgeon (05-10)
34-Dustin Tokarski (06-09)
17-Kerry Toporowski (89-91)
14-Mitch Wahl (05-10)
4-Trent Whitfield (93-98)
14-Ray Whitney (88-91)
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The Brandon Wheat Kings learned Friday that they will be without D Ryley Miller, 17, for an indefinite period. Miller will undergo surgery after suffering a broken jaw when he was struck by a puck during practice on Thursday afternoon in Brandon. . . . With Miller out, the Wheat Kings were able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the maximum, for Friday’s game against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. Brandon F Aaron Lewadniuk (shoulder) was in uniform, although that hadn’t been anticipated as late as Thursday. . . . In 60 games, Miller had five assists and a team-high 124 penalty minutes. . . . The Wheat Kings also are without injured players Michael Ferland (hand), Paul Ciarelli (thumb) and Mark Stone (concussion).
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Cam Neely will take part in a ceremonial faceoff prior to Sunday’s game between the Portland Winterhawks and the visiting Prince George Cougars at Memorial Coliseum. Neely, a Hockey Hall of Famer, played with the Memorial Cup-champion Winterhawks in 1982-83. He scored three goals in the Memorial Cup final, an 8-3 victory over the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. He started the 1983-84 season with the Winterhawks, but after 19 games (and 26 points) he joined the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. (Don’t ask Canucks fans about is NHL career.) A Hall of Famer since 2005, Neely works with the Boston Bruins as a vice-president in their hockey operations department.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Saskatoon (8) 43-14-3-4-93
dx-Calgary (8) 44-17-1-2-91
x-Brandon (8) 43-18-1-3-90
x-Kootenay (7) 39-21-3-2-83
Red Deer (8) 37-23-0-4-78
Medicine Hat (7) 35-22-3-5-78
Moose Jaw (9) 30-24-4-5-69
Swift Current (7) 32-29-0-4-68
———
Prince Albert (8) 30-29-3-2-65
Regina (7) 26-32-3-4-59
x — clinched playoff spot.
Friday: Chilliwack 0 at Brandon 3; Vancouver 0 at Moose Jaw 2; Prince Albert 0 at Saskatoon 5; Regina 4 at Swift Current 6; Kootenay 3 at Medicine Hat 5; Calgary 4 at Red Deer 2.
Saturday: Prince Albert at Brandon; Kelowna at Calgary; Red Deer at Edmonton; Lethbridge at Kootenay; Kamloops at Medicine Hat; Chilliwack at Moose Jaw; Regina at Saskatoon; Vancouver at Swift Current.
Sunday: No games scheduled.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (9) 43-17-1-2-89
dx-Vancouver (7) 39-21-2-3-83
x-Everett (8) 40-19-3-2-85
x-Spokane (8) 39-21-3-1-82
x-Portland (8) 38-23-2-1-79
x-Kelowna (7) 30-29-2-4-66
x-Chilliwack (7) 29-30-1-5-64
x-Kamloops (6) 29-31-2-4-64
x — clinched playoff spot.
Friday: Chilliwack 0 at Brandon 3; Vancouver 0 at Moose Jaw 2; Kelowna 4 at Edmonton 0; Tri-City 4 at Everett 3 (SO); Kamloops 4 at Lethbridge 3 (OT); Prince George 1 at Spokane 5.
Saturday: Kelowna at Calgary; Prince George at Everett; Kamloops at Medicine Hat; Chilliwack at Moose Jaw; Portland at Seattle; Tri-City at Spokane; Vancouver at Swift Current.
Sunday: Tri-City at Seattle; Prince George at Portland.
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FRIDAY:
In Everett, F Brendan Shinnimin and F Kruise Reddick scored shootout goals to give the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Attendance was 7,015. . . . The Silvertips had won four in a row. . . . The Americans have won five of eight games in the season series. . . . The Americans led 2-0 early in the second period. . . . The Silvertips scored three third-period goals, taking a 3-2 lead on F Scott MacDonald’s sixth goal at 18:21. . . . Shinnimin forged a 3-3 tie at 19:29 of the third with his second goal and 27th of the season. . . . Tri-City G Alex Pechurskiy stopped 40 shots, 17 more than Everett’s Thomas Heemskerk. . . . Everett, which is 6-2 in shootouts, got two goals and an assist from F Clayton Cumiskey. . . . Two referees — Matt Kirk and Devin Klein — handed out two minor penalties to each team. . . . The Americans were without F Todd Kennedy, who remains under indefinite suspension while the WHL looks into a hit on Portland D Eric Doyle on Tuesday night.
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In Brandon, G Jacob De Serres stopped 25 shots as the Wheat Kings snapped a two-game skid with a 3-0 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . De Serres has two shutouts this season and nine in his career. . . . F Brayden Schenn scored his 27th goal at 15:45 of the first period. . . . F Tony Rajala added two more, giving him 25, in the third period. . . . F Aaron Lewadniuk, who has been nursing a shoulder injury, had two assists to run his point streak to 15 games. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 41 shots. . . . The Bruins are 3-2-0-0 in their East Division tour. . . . Attendance was 4,480.
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In Edmonton, G Adam Brown stopped 24 shots as his Kelowna Rockets beat the Oil Kings, 4-0. . . . Brown put up the fifth shutout of his season and the seventh of his career. . . . The Bloodoff brothers each scored in this one, Lucas getting his 13th on the PP at 12:34 of the first period and Evan getting his first at 16:32 of the third. Evan was playing in his second game since returning from September knee surgery. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan stopped 49 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,204. . . . The Oil Kings went into this game having won four in a row, while the Rockets had lost five straight.
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In Lethbridge, F Jordan DePape scored on the PP at 2:44 of OT to give the Kamloops Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . With the victory, the Blazers clinched a playoff spot, meaning the eight Western Conference playoff teams have been decided. . . . Lethbridge F Cam Braes scored twice, including the tying goal at 19:10 of the third period with G Linden Rowat on the bench for the sixth attacker. . . . Braes has 22 goals. . . . Kamloops G Jon Groenheyde stopped 39 shots, while Rowat turned aside 31. . . . Attendance was 3,794.
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In Medicine Hat, F Tristan King scored twice as the Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-3. . . . King’s third goal, at 11:07 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie. . . . F Bretton Cameron, with his 34th, added an empty-netter. . . . F Linden Vey had a goal, his 23rd, and two assists for the Tigers. . . . F Matt Fraser had two goals for the Ice. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers had lost seven of their last nine.
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In Moose Jaw, G Jeff Bosch stopped 36 shots to lead the Warriors to a 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Bosch has five shutouts this season and seven in his career. . . . F Spencer Edwards’ 17th goal, shorthanded at 10:53 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . The Warriors had lost three of four going into this one, while the Giants had been 8-0-1-1 in their last 10. . . . Attendance was 2,219. . . . By the way, Vancouver has clinched its fifth straight B.C. Division. Only one other team in WHL history has won five consecutive division titles (Kamloops Blazers, 1983-88).
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In Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals as they beat the Rebels, 4-2. . . . D Matt MacKenzie and F Brandon Kozun each had three assists for Calgary. . . . Kozun has 91 points, one off the WHL lead that is shared by F Jordan Eberle and F Jordan Weal, both of the Regina Pats, and F Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants. . . . Attendance was 5,346. . . . The Rebels, who have lost four of five meetings with Calgary, had won their last three games.
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In Saskatoon, G Adam Morrison turned aside 32 shots in helping the Blades to a 5-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Blades got two goals and an assist from F Josh Nicholls, who has 16 goals, and a goal and two helpers from F Marek Viedensky. . . . Attendance was 5,672.
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In Spokane, F Tyler Johnson scored three times for the second time in his WHL career to lead the Chiefs to a 5-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Johnson has 31 goals, four more than he scored last season. . . . Attendance was 8,517. . . . The Cougars have lost eight in a row. . . . The Chiefs lost F Dominik Uher with a boarding major and game misconduct in the second period.
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In Swift Current, F Michael Stickland had two goals and two assists to lead the Broncos to a 6-4 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Stickland has 20 goals. . . . F Cody Eakin got his 42nd goal for the Broncos, who had lost two in a row. . . . F Jordan Eberle got his 43rd for the Pats, who have lost three in a row and now are nine points out of a playoff spot with seven games remaining. . . . The Broncos were 3-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,287.

Thursday . . .

If you were watching Switzerland play the United States at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver on Wednesday, you will recall seeing Swiss D Luca Sbisa, who plays for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, block a shot with a hand.
It turns out that Sbisa suffered a broken left ring finger, but that didn’t keep him from finishing the game. And he played awfully well, considering his age — he turned 20 on Jan. 30 — and the calibre of the competition.
Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ GM and head coach, told me in an email Thursday night that “Luca has a broken finger but can play — we will see him (Friday).”
The Winterhawks play Saturday in Kent, Wash., against the host Seattle Thunderbirds and Sunday at home to the Portland Winterhawks. Sbisa isn’t expected to play in either game.
“I expect he will be in the lineup next week,” Johnston wrote.
The Winterhawks are at home to the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday.
At the same time, the Winterhawks don’t know when D Eric Doyle will be back. He has a concussion after taking a tough hit from Tri-City Americans F Todd Kennedy, who is awaiting word on the length of a suspension he will receive from the WHL office.
As of Thursday night, Kennedy was under indefinite suspension.
The Americans meet the Silvertips in Everett on Friday night then are on the road Saturday (Spokane) and Sunday (Kent).
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If you haven’t seen the three goals the Tri-City Americans scored within 25 seconds of the game’s opening minute on Tuesday, there’s a clip right here. . . . The Americans went on to beat the visiting Portland Winterhawks, 6-0. . . . Fans of U.S. Division teams no doubt will especially enjoy the dulcet tones of Americans’ play-caller Craig West.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings are at home to the Chilliwack Bruins on Friday and the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday. . . . The Wheat Kings, who are third in the Eastern Conference after a brief stay on top, have eight games left, six of them on home ice. . . . Brandon F Aaron Lewadniuk sat out Thursday’s practice with a shoulder injury and may not play this weekend. At the same time, F Paul Ciarelli (thumb), F Mike Ferland (hand) and F Mark Stone (concussion) are out and won’t play. . . . As well, F Ryley Miller took a puck in the face during Thursday’s practice, although the extent of any injuries had yet to be determined. . . . The Wheat Kings would like to bring in F Paul Van de Velde, who is an affiliate player, but he is out with a thigh injury. Van de Velde plays for the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
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The Spokane Chiefs will entertain the Prince George Cougars on Friday night and the Tri-City Americans on Saturday. The big party, however, may well be Friday when the organization unveils the Top 25 Chiefs in 25 Years. . . . According to a press release from the Chiefs: “Sixteen of the 25 players on the list will be in the building, including:
8 Memorial Cup Champions
3 Stanley Cup Championships
6 of the top 10 scorers in Chiefs history
6 players who played in the NHL
3 first round NHL picks
4 second round NHL picks
5 of the top 25 players in penalty minutes in Chiefs history.”
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F Evan Bloodoff was in the Kelowna Rockets’ lineup for the first time this season as they lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. Bloodoff, 19, underwent surgery on his right knee in September. Bloodoff took a regular shift but admitted there was some rust. “It felt really good to be out there again, it’s been a while,” Bloodoff told the Kelowna Capital News’s Warren Henderson. “Things were a little bit off, but I just have to keep it simple. My teammates need to be patient with me. I need some time to get back playing again and feeling comfortable.” . . . The Rockets meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Friday and then head for Calgary and a Saturday date with the Hitmen.
———
Former WHL player and coach Mark Ferner has been named the BCHL Interior Conference’s coach of the year for a second straight season. He receives the Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy. Ferner’s Vernon Vipers went 51-6-0-3 this season and won their first BCHL overall title in seven seasons. Vernon also set a league record for fewest goals against (119), breaking the previous record by 18.
———
The Chilliwack Bruins have made some moves in an attempt to bring back fans who may have left them over the last season or two. That story is right here.

Some notes . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Chad Bassen (Regina, Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2000-04) has signed a contract (one year plus option) starting next season with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL). He has 11 goals and 16 assists in 48 games this season with Straubing Tigers (Germany DEL) . . .
D Stefan Ulmer, who joined the Spokane Chiefs for the 2007-08 season and is playing with them now, has signed a three-year contract with Lugano (Swiss NL A) starting next season. Ulmer has five goals and 26 assists in 55 games with Spokane this season.
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The Portland Winterhawks are starting up their own Hall of Fame. The inaugural class will be inducted March 6 at the Rose Garden. That inaugural class features the late Brian Shaw, a long-time WHLer who moved the franchise from Edmonton to Portland; Ken Hodge, the winningest head coach in WHL history; Innes Mackie, who spent more than 30 years as the team’s trainer; and, Dennis Holland, the franchise’s career leader in goals scored. . . . It is only fitting that Shaw, Hodge and Mackie go in together as they are the men who pushed to move the franchise to Portland for the 1976-77 season.
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Congratulations to former Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Bob Bartlett. He will be inducted as a builder into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame on June 12 in Red Deer. Bartlett, who once scouted for the Lethbridge Broncos, now is a director for the Hockey Alberta foundation.
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CORRECTION: Troy Bourke, who played for the Prince George Cougars the other night, spent this season with the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders, not the South Side Athletic Club, as I mentioned here late last week. . . . Thanks to Larry for pointing that out.
———
The WHL is looking into the hit by F Todd Kennedy of the Tri-City Americans on D Eric Doyle of the Portland Winterhawks in a Tuesday night game. Kennedy was given a charging major and game misconduct for what perhaps was the worst headshot of this season in the WHL. Kennedy has been suspended by the WHL while the incident is under investigation.

Mondays with Murray . . . on Wednesday

If you happen to be a baseball fan, this is your time of year. Nothing is better than spring training. So here, courtesy of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, we get the diamond season started. . . . The fact that Murray just happens to mention John Robertson here is a bonus. Robertson, aka Coconut Willie, was one of the greats of Canadian sports journalism. . . . Enjoy!

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1973, SPORTS
Copyright 1973/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

The Big Con of Spring

It's that time of year again. Every squeaky contralto in the country is boning up on "Oh, say can you see?" Organists are blowing the dust off their medley of 1910's Top 10 song hits. Venders are practising spilling mustard. Announcers are practising saying, "And that reminds me of the Iron Horse!" so they can get into an anecdote about Lou Gehrig which will be a whole lot more interesting than what is going on down in the field.
     It's a time when every team is the 1927 Yankees, every rookie is on his way to Cooperstown, and every manager is a certified genius. Without their mighty celebrating, the team might finish fifth — which it will anyway. But knowing the nuances of baseball like telling the pitcher, "Don't give him anything to hit, but don't walk him neither." Or telling a hitter, "Be sure to hit your pitch" knowing that HIS pitch will never show up in a big league game till they allow girls in it, is the stuff of pennants.
———
    The manager, you see, also has to sell tickets. He knows he can't show up at spring training and tell the press, "If you took the best skills of all 40 men I got on the big club roster and put them all together they wouldn't make 1 1/2 major league ball players." He's got to deal in the big con.
     Every year at this time we offer you Murray's Instant Decoder and flash on the screen for you, "What They Say" and "What It Means." Just remember, the manager's pitch looks big and fat, but you can trust me it will curve into the dirt as soon as you go for it. First, what he says. And then, the curve.
     "We think the trade will help both clubs" . . . "We got two guys they don't want for two guys we don't want and, pretty soon, we're all going to find out why the other fellow didn't want them."
     "He's got an arm like Koufax" . . . "It's got five fingers, an elbow, bicep, and it can cut steak. Unfortunately, it's attached to a guy who in no way resembles Koufax."
     “We're going for youth" . . . "The infield looks like a slow leak in Boys Town and, believe me, 'leak' is the word. That fellow in Montreal, John Robertson, said they made the routine ground ball extinct. Around the league, they're known as 'The Big E.' They're going to make the infield fly rule extinct, too. They throw more ground balls than they field."
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    "We got the best bench in the league" . . . "It's the players sitting on it that aren't much good."
     "I saw Ruth in his prime, and our cleanup hitter is just like him" . . . "He drinks, chases girls, stays out late, and eats too much. At the plate, he looks more like his first name is Ruth."
     "He has all the tools to make it" . . . "As a plumber."
     "They've got us to beat" . . . "That's just the trouble."
     "This club will steal on you" . . . "Lock your lockers."
     "You're going to find we got the best bunch of utility men in the game" . . . "and to prove it, they'll all be climbing light poles this time next year."
     "I figure a year in Double A could help our outfield" . . . "I don't have to tell you that I mean 'Alcoholics Anonymous.' "
     "You'd have to say our starting five are all finished pitchers by now" . . . "Also by the fifth inning."
     "This club is well-balanced" . . . "Everybody is mediocre."
     "If we can improve in a few areas, we'll take it all" . . . "The areas are pitching, fielding, and hitting."
     "We figure the Big Guy will be healthy this year" . . . "He was in the whirlpool so much last year the guys started to throw him sardines."

Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times.

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247

Saturday . . .

Taking Note is taking off for a few days. Back late in the week, hopefully.
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F Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who won the WHL scoring title last season with the Vancouver Giants, has been reassigned by the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, 21, had one assist and was plus-1 in seven games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His first AHL assist was recorded on January 31 against the Manitoba Moose. . . . He had 33 points, including nine goals, in 38 games with the Nailers before being recalled.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Calgary (10) 43-17-1-1-88
dx-Brandon (9) 42-17-1-3-88
x-Saskatoon (11) 41-14-3-3-88
Kootenay (10) 38-19-3-2-81
Medicine Hat (9) 34-21-3-5-76
Red Deer (11) 35-22-0-4-74
Swift Current (9) 31-28-0-4-66
Moose Jaw (12) 28-24-4-4-64
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Prince Albert (11) 29-27-3-2-63
Regina (10) 26-29-3-4-59
Saturday: Calgary 4 at Kamloops 3; Kootenay 2 at Lethbridge 1 (SO); Moose Jaw 0 at Medicine Hat 4; Vancouver 2 at Prince Albert 3 (OT); Chilliwack 3 at Regina 5; Brandon 4 at Saskatoon 6.
Sunday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat; Prince Albert at Swift Current.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (11) 41-17-1-2-85
dx-Vancouver (10) 37-20-2-3-79
x-Everett (10) 39-19-3-1-82
x-Spokane (12) 39-20-3-1-80
x-Portland (9) 38-22-2-1-79
x-Kelowna (10) 29-28-2-3-63
Kamloops (8) 28-30-2-4-62
Chilliwack (10) 27-29-1-5-60
x — clinched playoff spot.
Saturday: Calgary 4 at Kamloops 3; Kelowna 2 at Portland 3; Vancouver 2 at Prince Albert 3 (OT); Chilliwack 3 at Regina 5; Everett 4 at Seattle 2; Spokane 2 at Tri-City 1.
Sunday: Kelowna at Seattle.
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SATURDAY:
In Kennewick, Wash., the Spokane Chiefs broke a scoreless tie with two third-period goals as they beat the host Tri-City Americans, 2-1. . . . The Chiefs have won seven in a row and now have won four straight from the Americans and six of nine in the season series. . . . Tri-City has lost four of its last six games. . . . F Brady Brassart, with his eighth, at 1:43 and F Blake Gal, with his eighth, at 2:57, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . Tri-City D Brett Plouffe got his sixth at 18:22 on the PP. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 32 shots as the Chiefs won their third road game in four nights. . . . Tri-City G Alexandre Pechurskiy stopped 22 shots. . . . The Americans were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 5,783. . . . Tri-City F Kruise Reddick (foot) returned after a six-game absence.
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In Edmonton, G Cam Lanigan stopped 31 shots to help the Oil Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Cameron Abney, with his fifth, just 31 seconds into the game and F Devin Balness, with his fifth, at 3:37, gave the home team an early 2-0 lead. . . . F Parker Stanfield cut that in half with his 10th at 12:26, only to have F Robin Soudek, with his eighth, restore Edmonton’s two-goal lead at 18:35. . . . Four goals in the first period and there wasn¹t another until 5:05 of the third when Prince George F Brock Hirsche scored his 13th on the PP. . . . The Cougars, who have lost five in a row, were 1-for-2 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-for-2. . . . Prince George G Hudson Stremmel stopped 27 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,216. . . . The Cougars had F Troy Bourke, a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, in their lineup, along with D Dane Phaneuf, a third-round pick in 2009. Phaneuf is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs D Dion Phaneuf, who played in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels and who was on hand for this game. . . . Bourke and the younger Phaneuf play for the midget AAA Edmonton South Side Athletic Club that was eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the week.
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In Kamloops, Blazers G Kurtis Mucha set a Canadian Hockey League for career games played by a goaltender but he wasn’t able to beat the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Hitmen scored in the last minute of each of the first two periods and went on to a 4-3 victory. . . . Mucha played in his 240th regular-season game, breaking the record that had been held by Ryan Mior, who played with the QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket and Gatineau Olympiques (2003-08). . . . F Chase Schaber, who went to Kamloops from Calgary as part of five-player deal in January, scored twice, giving him 13. He opened the scoring 16 seconds into the game and closed it with 11.5 seconds remaining in the third period. . . . Calgary, with 15 victories in its last 18 games, took control with three straight goals after Schaber’s first score. . . . D Giffen Nyren, who went from Kamloops to Calgary for a draft pick earlier in the season, scored at 19:22 of the first and F Cody Sylvester counted at 19:34 of the second. . . . Mucha finished with 25 saves. . . . Calgary G Michael Snider stopped 17 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,533. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick, who was part of that five-player deal, missed his third straight game with a shoulder injury.
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In Lethbridge, F Dustin Sylvester scored the only goal of the shootout as the Kootenay Ice scored a 2-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The teams exchanged first-period goals, with F Carter Bancks getting his 15th, shorthanded, for the home team at 3:13 and F Christian Magnus getting his second of the season for the Ice at 17:42. . . . Kootenay, which had lost its previous two games, was 0-for-5 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-for-7. . . . The Hurricanes, who have lost five straight, had a great chance to win it in OT when Ice forwards Kevin King (high-sticking) and Max Reinhart (unsportsmanlike conduct) were penalized at 3:17. But the home side failed to capitalize. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 27 shots, while Lethbridge¹s Linden Rowat blocked 20. . . . Attendance was 3,344.
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In Medicine Hat, G Tyler Bunz stopped 23 shots for the shutout as the Tigers beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 4-0. . . . D Jace Coyle’s 10th goal, at 14:38
of the first period, stood up as the winner as Bunz posted the second shutout of
the season and the second of his career. . . . D Mark Isherwood scored twice for
the Tigers, who halted a three-game losing skid, and now has 16 on the season. . . . Moose Jaw G Jeff Bosch stopped 16 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-for-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,006.
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In Portland, D Troy Rutkowski broke a 2-2 tie at 16:17 of the third period to give the Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rockets, now having lost three in a row, took a 2-1 lead into the third period after F Shane McColgan scored at 19:59 of the second period to break a 1-1 tie. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter scored his 33rd, on the PP, at 14:52 of the third to tie it at 2-2. . . . Portland was 1-for-7 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-for-5. . . . Attendance at Memorial Coliseum was 4,197. . . . McColgan, 16, has 24 goals. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 35 shots, one fewer than Kelowna¹s Adam Brown.
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In Prince Albert, D Ryan Button’s OT goal gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Raiders F Brandon Herrod had forced OT with a shorthanded goal, his 34th goal of the season, at 14:38 of the third period. . . . The Raiders took a 1-0 lead on F Igor Revenko’s 24th goal, on the PP, at 2:19 of the second. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher scored twice, at 3:38 of the second and 11:22 of the third, to give his side a 2-1 lead. He has 36 goals. . . . Vancouver F Craig Cunningham drew assists on both goals. . . . Prince Albert G Jamie Tucker, who asked for a trade out of Vancouver and ended up with the Raiders, stopped 29 shots, 11 fewer than the Giants’ Mark Segal. . . . The Raiders, who had lost their last five games, were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Giants, who had won four in a row, were 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,228.
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In Regina, F Jordan Weal scored two goals and set up two others as the Pats dropped the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-3. . . . Weal has 29 goals. . . . Regina F Jordan Eberle added his 42nd goal and two assists. . . . The Pats were without F Garrett Mitchell. He returned Friday after missing three games with a concussion, then suffered a broken nose during a 10-2 loss to the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . Chilliwack F Jamie Crooks scored his 18th goal. He and F Shayne Neigum scored to pull the Bruins to within 3-2, but Regina F Hampus Gustafsson scored his 11th at 11:02 of the third and Weal added his second goal 2:52 later. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo stopped 22 shots, while Chilliwack’s Braden Gamble turned aside 23. . . . The Bruins were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Pats were 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 4,739.
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In Saskatoon, the Blades overcame a 3-1 first-period deficit and beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 6-4. . . . Brandon got PP goals from D Colby Robak, his 14th, and F Jay Fehr, his 24th, at 10:41 and 12:04 of the first period to take a 3-1 lead. . . . The Blades scored the game’s next three goals, with F Zac Boyer giving them a 4-3 lead with his 10th goal at 13:27 of the second. . . . That goal sent Brandon starter Andrew Hayes to the bench, having stopped 19 of 23 shots. . . . Brandon D Jordan Hale, with his third, put the visitors back into a tie. . . . Saskatoon D Jyri Niemi broke the 4-4 tie at 12:31 of the third on the PP. . . . Blades F Derek Hulak added an empty-netter, his 27th. . . . Brandon was 2-for-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-for-5. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 23 shots. . . . Attendance was 5,181. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Mark Stone, who was injured during a 10-2 victory over the visiting Regina Pats on Friday and spent the night in hospital. He was released from Brandon General on Saturday morning. He is out indefinitely with a concussion. . . . D Travis Hamonic made his long-awaited debut with the Wheat Kings. Hamonic, who was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Jan. 10, had been out since suffering a shoulder injury while playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship in Saskatoon. . . . Brandon had won five in a row and 12 of 13 going into this one.
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In Kent, Wash., the Everett Silvertips scored the game’s last four goals and beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-2. . . . The Thunderbirds had a 2-0 lead on a first-period goal by F Chance Lund, his fifth, at 10:36 and a second-period score by F Prab Rai, his 35th, at 3:06 of the second on the PP. . . . Everett tied it before the period ended as F Tyler Maxwell, with his 31st, and F Dan Iwanski, with his sixth, scored. . . . F Byron Froese broke the tie with his 25th, on the PP, at 6:31 of the third period. . . . Everett F Shane Harper iced it with an empty-netter. He has 37 goals. . . . Attendance was 5,174. . . . The Thunderbirds now have lost 17 in a row. . . . Everett was 3-for-4 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 1-for-4.

Thunderbirds die another slow death

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Seattle Thunderbirds have lost 15 straight WHL games.
Whoops! Make that 16, eight of them by one goal.
Just when it looked like the tailspin might end, Kamloops centre C.J. Stretch went end-to-end and beat goaltender Calvin Pickard to give the Blazers a 5-4 overtime victory before 4,081 fans at Interior Savings Centre on Friday night.
The Thunderbirds, who play out of Kent, Wash., haven't won since beating the visiting Prince George Cougars 4-1 on Jan. 9. In their last eight games, including this one, the Thunderbirds (14-34-7-4) have taken five leads - three games were tied - into the second period.
It was 1-1 last night and the Thunderbirds, with a 9-6 edge in shots, seemed in pretty good shape. But the Blazers took them apart in the second period, outshooting them 20-10 and scoring three times.
When Kamloops centre Dalibor Bortnak struck with 3.6 seconds left in the period for a 4-2 lead, it looked like this one was over.
However, Stretch took a tripping penalty at 1:40 of the third period and Thunderbirds right-winger Prab Rai, their second-best player behind Pickard, scored his second goal to halve the deficit.
Late in the third period, referee Devin Klein called Kamloops defenceman Austin Madaisky for interference and Colin Jacobs forged a 4-4 tie.
It remained, then, for Stretch to win it with his 26th goal of the season. He corralled the puck and plodded through the neutral zone in Stretchian fashion, evading a stickcheck from Seattle centre Lindsay Nielsen and giving defenceman Tanner Muth the old howdy-do, before shoveling the puck past Pickard.
It was Stretch's second OT goal and his eighth game-winner of the season.
“We took an early penalty . . . that wasn't the way to start the third period,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said. “Any time you play a weaker team and they stay close, they're alive and they feel confident.”
Charron also felt his side made too many mental errors.
“Their thinking caps aren't on,” he said. “I know it's not physical fatigue; if anything, it's related to mental fatigue.”
As evidence, he offered up the case of winger Jordan DePape, who returned after sitting for a week with a rib injury. DePape was the Blazers' best forward and had a goal and two assists.
“My legs were a little tied up; I had to wake them up,” DePape said.
He would have had more, too, but for the nifty work of Pickard who, it turns out, is a buddy of DePape's, both of them being Winnipeggers.
Pickard finished with 28 saves, none more dazzling than the glove save off a DePape shot at 2:48 of the second period. DePape was only three or four feet outside the paint when he accepted a pass and snapped a shot that ended up in his pal's catching mitt.
“I haven't had the bounces lately . . . but, yeah, he did make a nice save on me,” said DePape, who has 14 goals. “I thought it was (in).”
“He keeps their team in there,” Charron added. “He's got a (.913) save percentage and he's getting how many shots a night? He's the franchise . . . a (Roberto) Luongo-type.”
The Blazers also got goals from Colin Smith, who had gone 17 games without scoring, and Brendan Ranford, who was terrific - again - and finished plus-4.
Mitch Elliot, a 6-foot-5 forward from Prince George, also scored for Seattle, getting his first goal in his 44th game.
Kamloops goaltender Kurtis Mucha stopped 23 shots, as he tied the CHL record for career appearances by a goaltender. This was Mucha's 239th game.
The Blazers (28-29-2-4) remain seventh in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins, who beat the Broncos 3-0 in Swift Current.
Kamloops native Lucas Gore stopped 31 shots to earn the shutout.
Kamloops did close to within one point of the sixth-place Kelowna Rockets, who lost 4-1 to the visiting Calgary Hitmen.
The Blazers will start Mucha again tonight, this time against the Hitmen (42-17-1-1), who are one of the WHL's elite teams
JUST NOTES: Referees Brett Iverson and Klein gave the Blazers six of 10 minors and one of two majors. . . . Elliot scored a decision over Kamloops D Brandon Underwood in the game's only scrap. Underwood left for repairs, while Wright served his time with an icebag on his right hand.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Friday . . .

THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Brandon (10) 42-16-1-3-88
dx-Calgary (11) 42-17-1-1-86
x-Saskatoon (12) 40-14-3-3-86
Kootenay (11) 37-19-3-2-79
Red Deer (11) 35-22-0-4-74
Medicine Hat (10) 33-21-3-5-74
Swift Current (9) 31-28-0-4-66
Moose Jaw (13) 28-23-4-4-64
———
Prince Albert (12) 28-27-3-2-61
Regina (11) 25-29-3-4-57
Friday: Regina 2 at Brandon 10; Calgary 4 at Kelowna 1; Spokane 6 at Kootenay 4; Prince George 1 at Red Deer 3; Vancouver 5 at Saskatoon 2; Chilliwack 3 at Swift Current 0.
Saturday: Prince Albert at Edmonton; Calgary at Kamloops; Kootenay at Lethbridge; Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat; Vancouver at Prince Albert; Chilliwack at Regina; Brandon at Saskatoon.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (13) 41-16-1-2-85
dx-Vancouver (11) 37-20-1-3-78
x-Everett (11) 38-19-3-1-80
x-Spokane (13) 38-20-3-1-78
x-Portland (10) 37-22-2-1-77
Kelowna (11) 29-27-2-3-63
Kamloops (9) 28-29-2-4-62
Chilliwack (11) 27-28-1-5-60
x — clinched playoff spot.
Friday: Seattle 4 at Kamloops 5 (OT); Calgary 4 at Kelowna 1; Spokane 6 at Kootenay 4; Vancouver 5 at Saskatoon 2; Chilliwack 3 at Swift Current 0; Everett 3 at Tri-City 2.
Saturday: Calgary at Kamloops; Kelowna at Portland; Vancouver at Prince Albert; Chilliwack at Regina; Everett at Seattle; Spokane at Tri-City.
———
FRIDAY:
In Kennewick, Wash., F Kellan Tochkin broke a 2-2 tie at 3:58 of the third period as the Everett Silvertips scored a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Tri-City now is 25-7-0-0 at the Toyota Center. . . . Tochkin, who also scored the game’s first goal, now has 23 goals. . . . His winning goal came 3:03 after F Neal Prokop had pulled the Americans into a 2-2 tie. . . . Everett led 2-0 after one period, only to have the Americans get a goal from F Brooks Macek, his 17th, at 16:27 of the second. . . . Everett G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 34 shots as he earned his 20th victory this season, while Tri-City’s Drew Owsley turned aside 24. . . . Everett F Byron Froese had two assists. . . . Attendance was 5,461.
———
In Saskatoon, special teams were a big deal as the Vancouver Giants dumped the Blades, 5-2. . . . The Giants were 2-for-2 on the PP, while the Blades were 0-for-6. That included four minutes in the second period after Vancouver D David Musil took a double high-sticking penalty. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 30 shots. . . . After F Walker Wintoneak gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead, the Giants got first-period PP goals form D Neil Manning and F Milan Kytnar, who was acquired earlier from the Blades. . . . F Brendan Gallagher had two goals, giving him 34, and an assist for the Giants. . . . The Giants scored their last two goals in empty nets. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 18 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,097. . . . The Blades had won six of their previous seven games. . . . The Giants, who have won four in a row, are closing in on their fifth consecutive B.C. Division title. In WHL history, only the Kamloops Blazers (1983-88) have won five straight division titles.
———
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings scored four times on the game’s first six PP
opportunities and went on to beat the Pats, 10-2. . . . F Brayden Schenn,
with his 25th, got Brandon on the board at 4:56 of the first period. . . .
The Wheat Kings then took complete control with four PP goals over the next 13 minutes, from F Toni Rajala, his 21st, F Shayne Wiebe (20), F Aaron
Lewadniuk (31) and F Jay Fehr (23). . . . The Wheat Kings now have eight
players on their roster with at least 20 goals this season. . . . Brandon
built up a 7-0 second-period lead before the Pats got goals from F Jordan
Eberle, his 41st, and F Jordan Weal, his 27th. . . . Rajala rang up three
goals — it was his first WHL hat trick — and two assists before he was done, while linemates Lewadniuk and Fehr each had a goal and three assists. . . . D Colby Robak, who didn’t practice Thursday because of a leg injury, had two assists and was plus-4. . . . D Darren Bestland was pointless and plus-4. . . . F Matt Calvert drew three assists. . . . Wiebe finished with two goals. . . . Brandon G Jacob De Serres stopped 13 shots. . . . The Regina duo of Damien Ketlo and Dawson Guhle combined to stop 26 shots. . . . The teams evenly split 172 penalty minutes, with most of those coming from a handful of late-game scraps. . . . Attendance was a season-high 5,536. . . . Brandon finished up 4-for-10 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-2. . . . The Wheat Kings, who have won 12 of their last 13 games, have won eight in a row at home. . . . This game turned ugly as, according to the Brandon Sun, “20-year-old Pats defenceman Colten Teubert goaded (Brandon defenceman Michael Stone, 17, into a fight that ended with the Wheat Kings forward crumpled on the ice and later being examined by doctors as of press time.” . . . Schenn, a teammate of Teubert’s on Canada’s national junior team, told The Sun’s Rob Henderson: “I think a guy like that has been in the league long enough, obviously it is a blowout game, but I think you’ve got to have a little bit more class than that. If you want to be tough guy, go fight (Wheat Kings enforcer) Jordan Hale, that’s all I’ve got to say about that.” . . . The bottom line is that the Pats are seven points out of a playoff spot and fading fast, and head coach Curtis Hunt wasn’t impressed. “We’ve got some players who, when the going gets tough, they didn’t really get going, they just went,” Hunt told the Regina Leader-Post. “I challenged the kids after about, ‘If you’re considering shutting this thing down, then you’ll be gone. We’ll get you running right out of town.' I have no interest in finishing this year at not competing at 110 per cent and I have no interest in guys who don’t put on the jersey with a sense of pride, a sense of urgency and a sense of team and wanting to get something accomplished.”
———
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . F Cameron Abney broke a 1-1 tie at 13:10 of the second period with his fourth of the season. . . . This was Edmonton’s fifth victory in its last 37 games. . . . F Michael St. Croix added insurance, with his second of the game and 15th of the season, at 15:02 of the second. . . . F T.J. Foster and F Garry Nunn each had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Edmonton G Torrie Jung turned aside 31 shots, 11 fewer than Lethbridge’s Brandon Anderson. . . . The Hurricanes have lost four in a row. . . . Attendance was 4,713.
———
In Kamloops, C C.J. Stretch scored at 1:22 of OT to give the Blazers a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent. . . . The Blazers had lost their last two games; the Thunderbirds now have lost 16 in a row. . . . Kamloops took a 4-2 lead into the third, but the Thunderbirds tied it on PP goals by F Prab Rai, at 1:47, and F Colin Jacobs, at 15:20. . . . .Rai, who scored twice, now has 34 goals this season. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 28 shots. . . . Kamloops G Kurtis Mucha made 23 saves as he tied the CHL record for career appearances by a goaltender. . . . Attendance was 4,081.
———
In Kelowna, F Cody Sylvester broke a 1-1 tie at 11:43 of the second period and the Calgary Hitmen went on to a 4-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . Sylvester, who is from Kelowna, has eight goals this season. . . . The Hitmen have won 10 of their last 11 games. . . . F Tyler Shattock drew two assists for Calgary, which lost to the Rockets in six games in the WHL final last spring. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 24 shots, while Kelowna’s Mark Guggenberger turned aside 31. . . . Attendance was 6,231.
———
In Cranbrook, the Spokane Chiefs counted the game’s last three goals and beat the host Kootenay ice, 6-4, for their sixth straight victory. . . . The Ice erased a 3-1 deficit — the visitors scored on three of their first five shots — with second-period goals from F Dustin Sylvester, shorthanded, F Max Reinhart and D Brayden McNabb. McNabb’s goal, his 16th, gave the Ice a 4-3 lead at 18:26. . . . Spokane D Stefan Ulmer, who had two goals and an assist, tied it 26 seconds later. . . . Spokane F Brady Brassart broke the tie at 3:36 of the third, with Ulmer getting the assist, and Chiefs F Levko Koper got the empty-netter at 19:59. . . . Spokane F Kyle Beach scored his WHL-leading 46th goal. He has nine goals in his last four games. . . . Spokane G James Reid made 25 saves, while the Ice’s Todd Mathews stopped 19. . . . Referee Derek Zalaski handed out four minor penalties, three to the Ice. . . . The Chiefs were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-0. . . . Attendance was 2,922.
———
In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Rebels now are 22-7-0-2 at home. . . . The Cougars have lost four in a row. . . . F Andrej Kudrna, with his 26th, F Daulton Siwak, with his second, and F Brett Ferguson, with his 11th, scored second-period goals from Red Deer. . . . Rebels G Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 shots, losing his shutout when F Alex Rodgers got his 18th, on the PP, at 5:01 of the third. . . . Prince George G Kyle Jahraus stopped 31 shots. . . . Prince George was 1-for-8 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-3. . . . F Brett Connolly (hip) didn’t play for the Cougars. . . . Attendance was 5,339.
———
In Swift Current, G Lucas Gore stopped 31 shots to lead the Chilliwack
Bruins to a 3-0 victory over the Broncos. . . . The shutout was the fourth of
the season for Gore, which is a franchise single-season record. Alex Archibald set the previous record in 2006-07. . . . F Jamie Crooks scored two PP goals, the first one at 9:01 of the first period. He has 17 on the season. . . . F Kevin Sundher drew two assists. . . . Swift Current G Morgan Clark stopped 17 shots. . . . The game marked the return of Chilliwack GM/head coach Marc Habscheid to his hometown. He spent the last couple of seasons in Swift Current after being fired as an assistant coach by the NHL’s Boston Bruins. . . . Attendance was 2,333. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Broncos, who had won their previous three games, were 0-for-8.

Keeping Score

The Kurtenblog,in the Vancouver Province, asks: “Is there a cooler name in the anchor-person industry than Lisa LaFlamme? A name like that shouldn’t be working for CTV. Lisa LaFlamme should be fighting evil mutants with Wolverine and Professor X.” . . . LaFlamme is one of CTV’s anchors during the Olympic Winter Games. . . . Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “Isn’t (Mike) Milbury criticizing an NHL general manager like Don Taylor of Sportsnet criticizing a barber?” . . . Michelle Pye, who lives on the Left Coast now after growing up in Kamloops and starting her soccer officiating career here, has been selected to referee at the CONCACAF women’s U-17 championship in Costa Rica next month. . . .

“I think they are pushing it a little too much. To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we’re crash-test dummies? I mean, this is our lives.” That was luger Hannah Campbell-Pegg of Australia, the day before Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed on the Olympic track in Whistler. . . . If you didn’t get a lump in your throat watching Alexandre Bilodeau get his gold medal on Monday evening, perhaps you should try breathing on a mirror. . . . Sheesh, the security bill for the Games is somewhere around $1 billion and they put The Great One in the back of a pickup truck for a security-free trip around downtown Vancouver. Gotta wonder why they didn’t use the Popemobile. . . . Hey, Brian Williams, one more time: How many Olympics Games have you covered? . . .
The Left Coast Sports Babe opines: “Now that the Saints have won the Super Bowl, those paper bags that fans used to wear over their heads are gone for good. But in a humanitarian gesture, folks in New Orleans are sending their unused bags to Air Canada Centre.” . . . So now we know a couple of things about Tiger Woods: 1. He can read words written by somebody else; and, 2. He’s sorry that he got caught. . . . So what else is new? . . . Boston Bruins winger Mark Recchi scored the tying goal and the shootout winner in a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers a week ago and Hockey Night in Canada spelled it R-E-I-C-H-I. Maybe if he plays another season, HINC will get it right. . . . So which is it: The Norwegian men’s curling team either lost a bet, or it’s doing children’s birthday parties in its spare time in Vancouver? . . .

Charles Barkley, an NBA analyst on TNT, doesn’t seem to like the Boston Celtics’ chances of winning a title. As he told The Associated Press: “People keep waiting on them to get healthy. I mean no disrespect, but old people don’t get healthy. They die.” . . . Former Kamloops Blazers defenceman Nolan Baumgartner and the Vancouver Canucks completed an 18-day eight-game road swing Sunday in St. Paul, Minn. After the game, Baumgartner was assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Uhh, the Moose left Monday morning at 9 o’clock on a six-day road trip. By the time he is done, Baumgartner will have played 15 straight road games with two teams. . . .

Jeff Passan, at Yahoo! Sports: “The opening rounds of women’s hockey at the Winter Olympics are not sport. They are ritual slaughter. The sport’s beasts – all two of them – put such savage, severe beatings on their feckless opponents that taking the sport seriously becomes impossible.” . . . If you sat down and watched both Olympic hockey games on Thursday night, you received a real treat. As entertaining as Canada-Switzerland was, Russia-Slovkia was even better. . . . Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Shaun (The Flying Tomato) White reigned as the halfpipe snowboard champion, allowing him to maintain his title as King of all Slackers. Is he getting a little old to spend his life on skateboards and snowboards? Yeah, but he’ll never have to get a real job now.” . . . It says here that White’s show was one of the best in the Games to this point. . . .

Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “I love the idea that people are wondering about Mikhail Prokhorov getting the Nets, and getting into the NBA. Are they kidding? What, our rich guys are more noble than Russian rich guys? Besides, with the state of the current economy in the NBA, a member of the Gambino family could get a team.” . . . One more from Lupica: “When does Michael Phelps swim in Vancouver?” . . . American figure skater Johnny Weir, who is a Second World War buff, was asked this week who he would rather have been — Churchill, Roosevelt or Stalin. He replied: “I would have been Lady Gaga.” . . . After host Minnesota blasted the Vancouver Canucks and Canadian Olympic team goaltender Roberto Luongo on Sunday, Wild forward Guillaume Latendresse offered: “I hope we didn’t ruin his confidence.” . . .

Hey, Kamloops Blazers fans, the good news is that you didn’t finish last in the Tri-City Herald’s Best of the West poll that was published on Sunday. The bad news is that fans of the Prince George Cougars finished ahead of you. . . . Jim Swanson, the sports editor of the Prince George Citizen, points out that Prince George has one more athlete competing in the Winter Games — biathlete Megan Tandy — than all of Vancouver Island and Kamloops. “Hey,” Swanson writes, “that’s not something that would happen often, so I say we take every single chance we have to lord it over the Islanders and Kamloopsians.” . . . That settles it. We surrender. Prince George has better winter sports athletes and better hockey fans. . . . But let’s not forget that Prince George was home to — do I dare mention it? — Battle of the Hockey Enforcers. . . . And how did that go? . . . ABC-TV’s Jimmy Kimmel has been watching the Olympics. As he put it, “Skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating, these are not sports. They’re vacation activities. I feel like I’m watching someone’s home movies.”

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score returns March 6.

Thursday . . .

THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Brandon (11) 41-16-1-3-86
d-Calgary (12) 41-17-1-1-84
x-Saskatoon (13) 40-13-3-3-86
Kootenay (12) 37-18-3-2-79
Medicine Hat (10) 33-21-3-5-74
Red Deer (12) 34-22-0-4-72
Swift Current (10) 31-27-0-4-66
Moose Jaw (13) 28-23-4-4-64
———
Prince Albert (12) 28-27-3-2-61
Regina (12) 25-28-3-4-57
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Regina at Brandon; Calgary at Kelowna; Spokane at Kootenay; Prince George at Red Deer; Vancouver at Saskatoon; Chilliwack at Swift Current.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (14) 41-15-1-2-85
dx-Vancouver (12) 36-20-1-3-76
x-Everett (12) 37-19-3-1-78
x-Portland (10) 37-22-2-1-77
x-Spokane (12) 36-20-3-1-76
Kelowna (12) 29-26-2-3-63
Kamloops (10) 27-29-2-4-60
Chilliwack (12) 26-28-1-5-58
x — clinched playoff spot.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Seattle at Kamloops; Calgary at Kelowna; Spokane at Kootenay; Vancouver at Saskatoon; Chilliwack at Swift Current; Everett at Tri-City.
---
It’s true! It’s true!!
The Scooter is making a comeback. Well, he is for one night.
The Portland Winterhawks announced Thursday that “legendary Winterhawks play-by-play announcer Dean (Scooter) Vrooman will return to the radio broadcast booth Saturday night and join his son Todd in calling the Winterhawks game against the Kelowna Rockets on Freedom 970 AM.
“The Vroomans will be together in the broadcast booth as Andy Kemper, the team’s play-by-play announcer, has a family commitment that night and is unable to attend the game. Todd Vrooman will handle play-by-play for the first and third periods with Dean Vrooman doing color, while Dean will handle play-by-play duties in the second period with Todd providing analysis.
“Dean Vrooman was the play-by-play voice of the Winterhawks for 25 years, and called the action for the team’s Memorial Cup championships in 1983 and 1998.”
You can bet there will be a lot of smiles in the rink Saturday as Scooter patrols his old stomping grounds. Gotta think the start of the second period opens with the fans standing, looking to the broadcast booth and providing an ovation.
Scooter, have a good one!
By the way, this is believed to be the first time a father-son combination have handled a WHL broadcast. There was a time when Dave Sheldon, then the radio voice of the Vancouver Giants, planned on doing a game with his father. But it never came to pass.
---
There is going to be an interesting battle for the starting goaltender’s position when the Kamloops Blazers open training camp for the 2010-11 season. Yes, Jon Groenheyde, who presently is in a supporting role to Kurtis Mucha, likely will be seen as the favourite. But should Josh Thorimbert, who has a late-1992 birthdate, decide the WHL is the way for him, he very well could push, and push hard, in an attempt to become the No. 1 guy in the ’Loops. Thorimbert, the 59th pick in the 2007 bantam draft, has had a tremendous season with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. There’s more on that right here.
---
There is some injury news as the Regina Pats prepare to visit the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday night. . . . The Pats will welcome back F Garrett Mitchell (concussion) after a three-game absence. . . . The Wheat Kings will be without F Paul Ciarelli (hand) indefinitely. He was injured Sunday against the host Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . D Travis Hamonic, whom Brandon acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors at the trade deadline, is now engaging in full practices. You may recall that he hasn’t played since suffering a shoulder injury while playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship. He hopes to play on or about March 1. . . . Brandon D Colby Robak (leg) didn’t practice Thursday but should play on the weekend. . . . The Wheat Kings visit the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday with the two teams tied for first in the overall standings. What might the over-under be on the attendance?
---
The Calgary Hitmen visit the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday. It was just last spring when the Rockets took six games to beat the Hitmen in the WHL’s championship final. . . . The Rockets now are 29-26-2-3 and trying to get healthy and ready for playoffs, while the Hitmen are 41-17-1-1 and poised for another deep playoff run. . . . When the Hitmen visited Kelowna on Oct. 28, the Rockets put up a 4-1 victory. . . . Kelowna D Dallas Jackson (ankle) may not play, while LW Evan Bloodoff, out all season with a knee injury, is getting closer and may play before month’s end. It just won’t be this weekend.
---
F Campbell Elynuik of the Everett Silvertips will sit this weekend with a shoulder injury. . . . The Kamloops Blazers will continue to be without D Ryan Funk (ankle) and F Jordan DePape (ribs) as they prepare for home games Friday (Seattle Thunderbirds) and Saturday (Calgary Hitmen). Those injuries mean the Blazers are playing four 16-year-olds on a regular basis -- D Tyler Hansen,
F Colin Smith, F Rhyse Dieno and F JC Lipon.
---
The Spokane Chiefs plan on throwing a party on Feb. 26 prior to their game with the visiting Prince George Cougars. On that night, the Chiefs, who are celebrating their 25th season in Spokane, will reveal what they are calling their Top 25 Chiefs in 25 Years.” According to a press release, “A majority of the Top 25 Chiefs in 25 Years will be in attendance and honored at center ice. The ceremony will begin at 7:00 with the puck dropping at 7:30.” . . . The Chiefs moved to Spokane from Kelowna -- remember the Wings? -- prior to the 1985-86 season. . . . According to that same press release: “417 players have worn a Chiefs jersey with 47 of them playing at least one game in the National Hockey League. . . . Chiefs fans had the opportunity to help select the top 25 Chiefs through on-line voting and balloting at the games. Other factors in selecting the top 25 Chiefs included career achievements, honors and team success.”
---
Here’s an edited version of a press release that was issued Thursday:
The Canadian Hockey League in association with the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup Host Committee has announced the schedule and start times for the tournament that will be held May 14-23 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon.
The puck drops on Friday, May 14, when the host Wheat Kings take on the champions from the OHL, with the tournament wrapping up with the championship final scheduled for Sunday, May 23. All games will be televised by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS.
2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup Schedule (all times Central):
Round-Robin Game 1 – OHL vs. Brandon, Friday, May 14, 7 p.m.
Round-Robin Game 2 – WHL vs. QMJHL, Saturday, May 15, 2 p.m.
Round-Robin Game 3 – Brandon vs. QMJHL, Sunday, May 16, 2 p.m.
Round-Robin Game 4 – WHL vs. OHL, Monday, May 17, 7 p.m.
Round-Robin Game 5 – QMJHL vs. OHL, Tuesday, May 18, 7 p.m.
Round-Robin Game 6 – Brandon vs. WHL, Wednesday, May 19, 7 p.m.
Tie-Breaker (if necessary) – Thursday, May 20, 7 p.m.
Semifinal – Friday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.
Championship final – Sunday, May 23, 2 p.m.
---
A limited number of 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament packages are available for $399 plus GST. If you’re interested, contact the Wheat Kings' office at 204-726-3535 or by email at office@wheatkings.com.

Could be an interesting night in Kamloops

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Yes, Tyler Shattock, a winger with the Calgary Hitmen, is looking forward to
Saturday night. Yes, he has been looking forward to it since Jan. 10.
“I’m pretty excited,” Shattock, a 19-year-old from Salmon Arm, said. “It’s
going to be a different feeling going into that arena, though.”
He is hardly alone.
The Kamloops Blazers are to meet the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds tonight
at Interior Savings Centre. But let’s be honest — the Thunderbirds are only
a minor impediment on the way to Saturday when the Calgary Hitmen are to
provide the opposition.
It was Jan. 10 when the Blazers dealt Shattock, who was their captain,
forward Jimmy Bubnick and defenceman Zak Stebner to the Calgary Hitmen in
exchange for centre Chase Schaber and defenceman Austin Madaisky.
You can bet that all five players didn’t waste much time before checking the
schedule and circling Saturday, Feb. 20.
“A day . . . not even,” said a smiling Madaisky, who turned 18 on Jan. 30.
“Right away, actually,” responded Schaber, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Jan. 3.
When the Blazers made that deal, it was a crystal-clear signal that the
organization was focussing its rebuilding attentions on next season and the
season after that.
After all, Madaisky and Schaber will be back for one more season and perhaps
two. There are no such guarantees with Shattock and Bubnick, both of whom
were selected in the 2009 NHL draft. Stebner and defenceman Giffen Nyren,
who was acquired from the Blazers on Nov. 23, are 20 so are in their final WHL
seasons.
At the same time, the message from the Hitmen was that management felt this
team now was good enough to challenge for a championship.
Since Jan. 10, Calgary is 13-5-0-0. The Hitmen, who meet the Rockets in
Kelowna tonight, had won eight straight games before they dropped a 4-2 decision to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Monday.
“We had a pretty good streak going until then,” said Shattock. “It’s good.
I’ve never really been in this spot where we’re battling for first in the
Eastern Conference. It’s a lot of fun.”
The Hitmen (41-17-1-1) go into the weekend atop the Central Division and just two points behind Brandon, which leads the WHL’s overall standings. Calgary also has the Eastern Conference’s best defensive record.
Shattock admits, however, that it wasn’t fun early on, not when the Hitmen
were whacked in their first two games after the deadline — 8-1 by the
Raiders in Prince Albert and 4-1 in Saskatoon by the Blades.
“Those were rough,” Shattock said. “I think it was just with everything that
happened with the trade deadline. I talked to (Joel) Broda, too, and he said
the same thing happened when he got traded there. Trying to find chemistry
with different guys. But after those two games we got on a pretty good roll
so it’s working out well right now.
Of late, Shattock has found himself on a line with Broda, who led the WHL with 53 goals after being acquired last season from the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Bubnick, who sat out a 5-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Wednesday with what the team said was an “upper body” injury.
Shattock said his role is “pretty much the same as in Kamloops.” He’s among
the top six forwards and plays on both specialty teams. The big difference,
he said, is that there is less pressure to score.
“We’ve got three lines that can score on any given night,” he said. “It’s
nice to know that if you don’t score — that if some guys aren’t going on any
given night — that other guys will probably be going.”
Shattock also said that he is quite enjoying the winning atmosphere in
Calgary.
“We almost expect to win every night,” he stated. “You get that vibe when
you’re in the room so you kind of just get used to it. It doesn’t really
take much to have that attitude.”
The trade also has turned out well for Madaisky and Schaber, both of whom
are playing bigger roles here than they were in Calgary.
“It’s been great,” said Madaisky, who is from Surrey. “Everyone has been
extremely welcoming. I feel right at home. I have great billets, great
teammates.
“And it’s nice to play a little bigger role, especially on a team this young.”
Madaisky fits nicely in the Blazers’ top two defensive pairings and has been playing
on special teams. With him being eligible for the 2010 NHL draft, that is a big deal.
As he said, when a player is in his draft season, “minutes are pretty important.”
And, he added, he is playing “a fair amount” more than he did in Calgary.
As for Saturday’s game, Madaisky said he expects to hear from two good
friends — defenceman Matt MacKenzie and forward Tyler Fiddler — during the
game.
“I do have friends there,” Madaisky said, “but during the game there will be
no friends. Both me and Chase will be playing for keeps.”
Schaber, a Red Deer native, is looking at it as “just another game.”
“It’ll be a big deal,” he said, “but it’s just another game that you have
to get prepared for. The hype isn’t going to take me out of it. I’m going to
play my game. I’ll bring whatever I have . . . I’m just oging to let it play
out and hopefully it goes well for me and for us as a team.
“I have a good feeling about it.”
Schaber, who said MacKenzie is his best friend on the Hitmen, admitted that
“it’ll be kind of weird playing against old teammates.”
“But,” he added, “that’s their team and I’m on my team now.”
JUST NOTES: Game time tonight and Saturday is 7 o’clock. . . . Kamloops is 8-9-0-1 since Jan. 10. . . . During his season and half with the Hitmen, Madaisky car-pooled with the 19-year-old Fiddler. . . . Madaisky’s parents, Dolores and Pat, would have been here Saturday except for one thing. “They’ve got Olympic hockey tickets,” Madaisky said. . . . After Saturday’s game, the Blazers head into the Central Division for three games, stopping in Edmonton (Wednesday), Lethbridge (Feb. 26) and Medicine Hat (Feb. 27).

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS at KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
Today, 7 p.m., Interior Savings Centre (Radio NL 610)

SEATTLE (14-34-6-4): The Thunderbirds, who lost 1-0 in overtime to the Bruins in Chilliwack on Tuesday, arrive on a 15-game losing skid. . . . They last won on Jan. 9 when they beat the visiting Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . The Thunderbirds last won a road game on Dec. 18 when they went to OT before beating the Chiefs 3-2 in Spokane. Since then, the T-birds are 0-7-3-0 away from the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash. . . . The Thunderbirds are ninth in the Western Conference. They are 20 points out of a playoff spot with 14 games remaining. . . . Were they in possession of a playoff berth, G Calvin Pickard might very well be the league’s MVP. He leads the WHL in minutes played (2,969) and has appeared in 50 games. He also has a respectable 3.03 GAA and a .913 save percentage. His record is 12-28-6-4. . . . F Prab Rai, one of the WHL’s best skaters, leads Seattle in goals (32) and points (54), while D Jeremy Schappert has a team-high 33 assists. . . . All told, 36 players have suited up for the Thunderbirds this season. . . . Injuries: F Brennan Tutt (elbow, out).
————————
KAMLOOPS (27-29-2-4): This is the second of three home games in four nights for the Blazers. The Calgary Hitmen visit on Saturday night. . . . The Blazers dropped a 7-0 decision to the Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday night. . . . The was the worst home-ice shutout inflicted on the Blazers in franchise history. They have been beaten 5-0 at home on three occasions, most recently by the Thunderbirds on Dec. 10, 2006. Jacob De Serres, now with the Brandon Wheat Kings, got the shutout that night. . . . G Kurtis Mucha played in his 238th game Wednesday, although he was lifted early in the second period. He already holds the WHL record for most career appearances by a goaltender, and now is one shy of the CHL record held by the QMJHL’s Ryan Mior (P.E.I., Gatineau, 2003-08). . . . The Blazers are 1-2-0-0 against Seattle, which put up a 7-2 victory here on Nov. 13. The Thunderbirds have outscored the Blazers 12-6 in the three games. . . . Injuries: D Ryan Funk (ankle, out); F Jordan DePape (ribs, doubtful).
— GREGG DRINNAN

Close shave for The Micker

The Revelstoke Grizzlies, a junior B team that plays in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, raised $1,226 to help Bruin Stairs, a minor hockey player from Vernon who has some medical difficulties. . . . As a result, Troy Mick, the Grizzlies' GM/head coach, experienced a close shave. The players had agreed to shave their heads if they were able to raise more than $500, while Mick said he would climb on board if they raised $1,000. "Deep, deep down I was hoping they would get close because then we could still give them the money," said Mick. "But they went over-the-top and I'm more than happy to do it because it's for a great cause."
There's more from the Revelstoke Times Review right here, including a look at an exhibition game between the Grizzlies and a team from Minnesota.

Scooter to return to Portland airwaves?

When you’re a sports writer in the newspaper business, you live normal hours. It’s the rest of the world that is crazy. Right?
Anyway . . . I was watching Olympic Winter Games replays at 2:30 a.m. Pacific Time when I decided it was just about time to go to bed. Mainly because I have a good book on the go.
But, of course, before heading that way there was to be one last check of my email.
Good thing, too, because there was a hot tip . . .
You have to wonder if fans of the Portland Winterhawks are ready for this . . .
The tipster writes that he/she has been told “that on Saturday night the Portland Winterhawks radio team is going to be rather special. Rumour has it that some guy named Scooter is going to be teaming with his son to call the Winterhawks game against the Kelowna Rockets.”
Say it's so, Scooter. Say it's so!

Wednesday . . .

It would seem that the next move is up to the WHL.
Prior to the start of the season, the WHL implemented a helmet rule, prohibiting a player from taking off his own helmet before engaging in fisticuffs.
Recently, some players have incorporated new moves into their prefight routine. Each player will undo his own chinstrap, then they come together, with each player knocking off the other player’s helmet before any punches are thrown.
This all is very interesting and apparently within the rules as they presently are written.
But I have a feeling that it won’t be long before that rule is rewritten, or the league comes up with a new one.
Still, let us give the players credit for originality.
———
THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Brandon (11) 41-16-1-3-86
d-Calgary (12) 41-17-1-1-84
x-Saskatoon (13) 40-13-3-3-86
Kootenay (12) 37-18-3-2-79
Medicine Hat (10) 33-21-3-5-74
Red Deer (12) 34-22-0-4-72
Swift Current (10) 31-27-0-4-66
Moose Jaw (13) 28-23-4-4-64
———
Prince Albert (12) 28-27-3-2-61
Regina (12) 25-28-3-4-57
Wednesday: Prince George 1 at Calgary 5; Swift Current 4 at Lethbridge 1; Red Deer 1 at Saskatoon 8.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Regina at Brandon; Calgary at Kelowna; Spokane at Kootenay; Prince George at Red Deer; Vancouver at Saskatoon; Chilliwack at Swift Current.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (14) 41-15-1-2-85
dx-Vancouver (12) 36-20-1-3-76
x-Everett (12) 37-19-3-1-78
x-Portland (10) 37-22-2-1-77
x-Spokane (12) 36-20-3-1-76
Kelowna (12) 29-26-2-3-63
Kamloops (10) 27-29-2-4-60
Chilliwack (12) 26-28-1-5-58
x — clinched playoff spot.
Wednesday: Portland 2 at Everett 5; Spokane 7 at Kamloops 0.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Seattle at Kamloops; Calgary at Kelowna; Spokane at Kootenay; Vancouver at Saskatoon; Chilliwack at Swift Current; Everett at Tri-City.
———
WEDNESDAY:
In Everett, C Zack Dailey set up three goals to lead the Silvertips to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . With the victory, Everett moved past Portland and into third place in the Western Conference. . . . The Silvertips are 21-9-1-1 at home. . . . Everett has won five of nine games in the season series. . . . Everett F Shane Harper scored twice, giving him 36. He opened and closed the scoring, the latter into an empty net. . . . F Tyler Maxwell got his 30th of the season for Everett, which was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . Portland was 2-for-4. . . . F Spencer Bennett, with his 18th, got Portland to within one, at 3-2, at 10:56 of the third. . . . F Scott MacDonald, with his fourth, gave Everett some insurance at 17:51. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 28 shots. . . . Portland starter Ian Curtis stopped 25 shots through two periods. Mac Carruth played the third, stopping seven of eight. . . . Attendance was 4,742.
———
In Saskatoon, the Blades scored five first-period goals and went on to an
8-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades, who won their 40th game, broke open a scoreless game with four goals in a span 3:49. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls scored the game’s first and last goals, giving him 14 on the season. . . . F Derek Hulak and F Marek Viedensky each had a goal and two assists for Saskatoon. . . . Viedensky and Nicholls each ended up at plus-5. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 19 shots. . . . Red Deer starter Darcy Kuemper left with the score 4-0 after stopping seven of 11 shots. Kraymer Barnstable came on to turn aside eight of 12. . . . Attendance was 3,935. . . . Each team was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . The Rebels had won four in a row. . . . The teams appear to have engaged in one of those multi-fight situations at 9:49 of the third period.
———
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored on each of their first three shots en route to a 5-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Tyler Shattock scored his 26th goal, shorthanded, and drew an assist on F Joel Broda’s 30th goal in that early barrage. . . . Calgary F Martin Jones stopped 23 shots, losing his shutout when F Taylor Makin scored his 10th goal at 7:12 of the second period. . . . The Hitmen have won nine of 10. . . . Prince George G Hudson Stremmel left while trailing 3-0 without stopping a shot. Kyle Jahraus came on to stop 15 of 17. . . . The Hitmen were 1-for-7 on the PP; Prince George was 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 6,841. . . . Calgary was without D Michael Stone (foot) and F Jimmy Bubnick (upper body).
———
In Kamloops, F Kyle Beach scored three times to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 7-0 victory over the Blazers. . . . Beach leads the WHL with 45 goals. He has scored eight times in his last three games. . . . Beach also had an assist. . . . Mitch Wahl, who centres Beach and Blake Gal, had two goals and an assist. . . . G James Reid stopped 26 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and the eight of his career. . . . Reid had four shutouts in 18 appearances last season and has four in 49 games this season. . . . The Blazers have lost four of five, while Spokane has won five straight and nine of 11. . . . Attendance was 3,874, the second-smallest crowd in Kamloops this season. . . . This was the worst home-ice loss by shutout in Blazers’ franchise history. They have been beaten three times at home by 5-0 scores. The goaltenders were Jacob De Serres (Seattle Thunderbirds, Dec. 10, 2006), Aaron Baker (Tri-City Americans, Dec. 20, 1995) and Mike Vernon (Calgary Wranglers, Jan. 20, 1983). The latter game was the first time Kamloops had been blanked at home. At that point, the Kamloops franchise, then the Junior Oilers, was in its second season.
———
In Lethbridge, F Stephan Novotny scored twice to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Dustin Donaghy, who hadn’t scored in 54 games, scored for Lethbridge and now has three goals in his last three games. . . . Novotny, who was acquired from the Kelowna Rockets earlier in the season, has 24 goals. . . . F Justin Dowling also scored for Swift Current — he has 27 — and added two assists. . . . D Derek Claffey had the game’s first goal, his seventh, and also had two helpers for the visitors. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 15 shots, while Lethbridge’s Linden Rowat stopped 26. . . . Attendance was 3,438. . . . The Hurricanes have lost 12 of 13, while the Broncos have won three in a row. . . . Lethbridge lost F Carter Bancks, its captain, in the first period. He blocked a shot with an arm, left for X-rays and didn’t return. He will be re-evaluated on Thursday.