Wednesday . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds have chosen not to renew the contract of assistant coach John Becanic. Becanic spent one season with the Thunderbirds, after spending two seasons as head coach of the Everett Silvertips. Prior to that, he had been an Everett assistant coach for four seasons.
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The OHL’s Peterborough Petes, first-round losers in the playoffs, have ended Jeff Twohey’s 17-year run as the club’s general manager. He had been part of the organization for 29 years. . . . The Petes also announced that head coach Ken McRae and assistant coaches Ryan Barnes and Joe Cirella won’t have their contracts renewed, although McRae and Barnes have been told they are free to re-apply when a new GM is in place. . . . The Petes were 29-35-1-3 in the regular season and then got swept by the Mississauga IceDogs in the first round.
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G Darcy Kuemper of the Red Deer Rebels has signed an ATO (amateur tryout deal) with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Kuemper was a sixth-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL draft. The Aeros are the Wild’s AHL affiliate.
———
The ECHL’s Florida Everblades have signed D Mitch McColm to a standard playing contract. They released him from his ATO and then signed him to a deal, meaning he will finish this season with them. McColm, 20, played out his major junior eligibility with the Regina Pats this season. They acquired him from the Chilliwack Bruins in January.
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PLAYOFF NOTES: G Martin Jones of the Calgary Hitmen has never lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers He is 4-0 against the Tigers this season, with two of the victories in shootouts, and 10-0 in his career, putting up a 1.57 GAA, a .940 save percentage and two shutouts. The teams begin a second-round series Friday in Calgary. . . .
———
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Calgary wins series 4-3)
———
Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
———
Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
———
Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat wins series 4-2)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City wins series 4-2)
———
Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
———
Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Kelowna wins series 4-3)
———
Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Portland wins series 4-3)
Wednesday: Portland 5 at Spokane 4 (OT)
———
SECOND ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
Friday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
x-April 9: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-April 11: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 5 p.m.
x-April 13: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 6 p.m.
———
Brandon (2) vs. Saskatoon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.
Saturday: Brandon at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5 p.m.
April 9: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5:30 p.m.
x-April 10: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5:30 p.m.
x-April 12: Brandon at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.
x-April 14: Saskatoon at Brandon, 5 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Kelowna (6)
Friday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-April 9: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-April 11: Tri-City at Kelowna, 5 p.m.
x-April 13: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
———
Portland (5) vs. Vancouver (2)
Saturday: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Vancouver at Portland, 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
April 9: Portland at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
x-April 10: Portland at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Remainder of schedule to be determined.
———
WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
In Spokane, F Ty Rattie scored his first WHL playoff goal in overtime to give the Portland Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Rattie, the second overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, scored 17 regular-season goals. . . . He won this one at 17:29 of OT. . . . The visiting team won every game in this series. . . . The Winterhawks will meet the Vancouver Giants in the second round. The Giants completed a four-game sweep of the Kamloops Blazers one week earlier. . . . “We’ve got playoff experience now,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston said on Freedom 970 AM’s post-game show. . . . Asked about playing the Giants, Johnston said: “We feel comfortable. We beat Vancouver the last two times we played them. We enjoy playing up there.” . . . The Chiefs got out to a 3-0 lead last night, getting a goal from F Tyler Johnson and two from F Mitch Wahl. Wahl’s second goal, and fourth of the series, came at 3:31 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks got goals from F Nino Niederreiter and F Ryan Johansen before the second period ended. . . . Spokane F Kyle Beach restored the two-goal lead with his seventh goal of the series at 6:50 of the third period. . . . But Portland got goals from F Riley Boychuk, at 9:45, and F Luke Walker, at 13:24, to tie it. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 44 shots, while Portland’s Mac Carruth turned aside 26. . . . Carruth, 17, joined the Winterhawks in midseason from the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild. He went the distance in all seven games. . . . Attendance was 6,048. . . . The Chiefs were 0-for-4 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-1. . . . Here’s Andy Kemper, the radio voice of the Winterhawks, after they were given their first power play of the game early in the third period: “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We’ve got a power play for Portland.” . . . If you haven’t seen Rattie’s winner, it’s right here.

Tuesday . . .

Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., continues to lob hand grenades in the direction of the Canadian Hockey League.
"I think college hockey and major junior hockey in Canada have to coexist," Kelly told A.J. Perez, a national reporter for the website FanHouse. "I am not pleased with some of their recruiting tactics, when it comes to recruiting American kids and some of the information they provide."
Then there was this . . .
"As long as we're honest with kids and they're honest with kids, than they ought to have that choice. For most kids, college hockey is the way to go. Some kids it may be major junior is the way to go."
And this. . . .
Kelly said it's gotten back to him that junior teams are touting an education program to prospective players and their parents that in most cases doesn't measure up to what NCAA member schools can provide.
"That's one area where I get a little bit annoyed," Kelly said. "I don't think they're telling the full story. There are a lot of loopholes. They need to be more open and candid with kids and not leave it up to them to realize the shortcoming of that program."
The entire story is right here.
---
D Brett Ponich, 19, of the Portland Winterhawks has signed a three-year deal with the St. Louis Blues. Ponich was a second-round pick in the NHL’s 2009 entry draft. The 6-foot-7 Ponich, who captains the Winterhawks, had 14 points this season.
---
F Landon Ferraro and F Willie Coetzee, both of the Red Deer Rebels, have joined the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Ferraro, a second-round pick in the NHL’s 2009 draft, and Coetzee, a free-agent signing by the Red Wings, may not play with the Griffins; they might just practice with the club.
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F Mark Derlago of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads set a franchise record Tuesday when he scored his 40th goal of the season in a 2-0 victory over the host Anchorage Aces. Derlago got No. 40 into an empty net at 19:17 of the third period. He broke the mark that had been shared by F D’Arcy McConvey (2005-06) and F Marty Flichel (2006-07). Derlago (Brandon, 2003-06) and Flichel (Tacoma, Kelowna, 1992-96) are former WHL players.
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The Colorado Avalanche has signed F Mark Olver, 22, to a three-year NHL contract. Olver, who just completed his junior season at Northern Michigan, is to report to the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. He won the CCHA’s scoring title, with 35 points in 27 games, and was all-conference first team. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2008 NHL draft. Mark’s father, John, is a former WHL coach.
---
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that the Vancouver Giants’ next series, against either the Spokane Chiefs or Portland Winterhawks, will follow a 2-3-2 format. . . . “Portland and Spokane are playing Game 7 of their Western Conference quarterfinal (Wednesday night) in Spokane,” Ewen reports, “but both clubs have apparently agreed to a schedule with the Giants already.” . . . The series, according to Ewen, will open with games Saturday and Sunday in Spokane or Portland. The next three games would be in Vancouver on April 7, April 9 and, if necessary, April 10. . . . Ewen also reports that Vancouver F Tomas Vincour is questionable for the start of Round 2. Vincour didn’t play in Game 4 of the Giants’ sweep of the Kamloops Blazers but a reason for his absence never was provided. . . . Vancouver F Nathan Burns, 16, is done for the season after having knee surgery. He played in two games of the four-game series with Kamloops.
---
The roster hasn’t been announced yet but Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has D Ryan Murray and G Kent Simpson of the Silvertips being selected to the Canadian team that will play in the IIHF U-18 world championship tournament in Belarus, April 13-20. . . . Everett F Shane Harper, 20, who signed with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers late in the regular season, has joined the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms.
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The other day, there was video making the rounds of Abbotsford Heat head coach Jim Playfair. Today we bring you, yes, a good, old-fashioned bench-clearing brawl. It’s from a Southern Professional Hockey League game involving Fayetteville and Knoxville and, in the end, the game was forfeited when one of the teams ran out of players. There was no sign of Reg Dunlop in the video; at least, none that I could see.
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GAME 7 NOTES: It’s Portland at Spokane on Wednesday night in Game 7 of their first-round series. . . . The road team has won each of the first six games. . . . Portland is 7-0 in Spokane this season, including 4-0 in the regular season. . . . Portland has scored first in five of the six games in the series. The only exception was Game 6 when the Chiefs got the first goal and went on to a 4-3 victory. . . . These teams have met in a sudden-death game on nine other occasions -- the Chiefs are 5-4. . . . This is the fourth time in the last five series between these teams that Spokane has won Game 6 to force a final game. . . . Dean (Scooter) Vrooman passes along this note: “Portland is now 0-9 in home Game 6s in best-of-7 series going back to the 1979 WHL final with Brandon. All but one of those games has been a cliffhanger loss like Monday night, with Portland at least marginally, and sometimes overwhelmingly, outplaying the opponent. Strange.” . . . Strange, but, hey, isn’t that junior hockey? . . . The teams announced Tuesday that the game “will be carried live on SWX in Spokane and on a taped delay basis regionally on FSN Northwest. Jay Stewart and Kevin Sawyer will have the call beginning at 7 p.m. on SWX. The taped delay broadcast on FSN Northwest is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.”

Tuesday . . . early

The Prince Albert Raiders have signed four members of their management team to two-year deals that run through 2011-12. They all were on contracts that were to have expired on May 31. General manager and head coach Bruno Campese was re-signed, as were Steve Young, Craig Bedard and Duane Bartley. . . . "The Board undertook a complete review and unanimously voted to extend the contracts of Bruno Campese and the hockey staff for two years," said team president Dale McFee, who is a former Raiders player, in a press release. . . . Campese has been head coach since June 21, 2007, and GM since Jan. 14, 2008. . . . Young, who signed on as the assistant GM/assistant coach on May 8, 2008, has been promoted to assistant GM/associate coach. . . . Bedard returns as assistant coach, a role he has filled since July 9, 2007. . . . Bartley, the athletic therapist, is the longest serving member of the hockey staff, having joined the Raiders on July 31, 2001.
---
Shaw TV will cover the second-round series between the Calgary Hitmen and Medicine Hat Tigers. Here are the dates for that series (all times local):
Friday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 5 p.m.
April 6: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
April 7: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-April 9: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-April 11: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
x-April 13: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x - if necessary.
---
The first two games of the Eastern Conference series between the No. 2 Brandon Wheat Kings and No. 3 Blades will be played in Saskatoon. With the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon’s Keystone Centre, the series will go 2-3-1-1, if necessary. Here’s the schedule (all times local):
Friday: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7 p.m.
April 7: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7 p.m.
April 9: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
x-April 10: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
x-April 12: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7 p.m.
x-April 14: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x - if necessary.
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The dates for the Western Conference series between the No. 1 Tri-City Americans and No. 6 Kelowna Rockets (all times local):
Friday: Kelowna at Tri-City Americans, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
April 6: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
April 7: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-April 9: Kelowna at Tri-City, TBA
x-April 11: Tri-City at Kelowna, TBA
x-April 13: Kelowna at Tri-City, TBA
x - if necessary.

More on THE RANT!

Jim Playfair’s rant was just too good. So if you want to see a few different takes on it, check out this right here . . . and right here . . . and right here. Of course, the AHL fined him but didn’t suspend him, and the attendance at the Abbotsford’s next home game was announced at more than 6,000. Just a coincidence?

What's ahead for Blazers?

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The results aren’t yet in evidence on the scoreboard, but Craig Bonner, the general manager of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, is feeling comfortable with his team.
“I think we’re finally at a point now where the rebuilding, and bringing in the people we think we can be successful with, is done,” Bonner said Monday, five days after his club’s season came to an end. “The final piece of the puzzle was finding a high-end coach, which we believe we have.”
That would be Guy Charron, who replaced the fired Barry Smith on Nov. 23 and signed a contract running through 2011-12 earlier this month.
“I’m comfortable with our group,” Bonner continued. “I know you can’t win in this league by making trades all the time.
“Is there going to be some tweaking? Yeah. Is a lot going to happen over the summer? I doubt it.
“But we do have room for some 20-year-old guys and if the right guy comes available, then we’ll definitely have to look at it. But I don’t plan on a whole bunch of player movement.”
——————
With Kurtis Mucha, 20, having graduated, Bonner is working to improve his goaltending, which now starts with Jon Groenheyde, who will return for a third season.
Josh Thorimbert, a third-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft, has yet to commit, either to the Blazers or to the college route. Thorimbert is the SJHL’s rookie of the year and has helped the Kindersley Klippers into a conference final against the Yorkton Terriers. They will play Game 7 of that series tonight in Eston, Sask.
“If Thorimbert commits to our program, him coming in at 18 with a full year of junior A under his belt — he played a lot of games— immediately you’re going to get a guy who is going to push Jon right away,” Bonner said. “Jon has shown flashes, but it was made very clear to him at the end of the season that he will have to prove himself.
“He has to come in in great shape and show us that he’s ready to be that guy. He’s going to be given that opportunity. Like we said to him at the end of the season, he has a great opportunity but he has to earn it.”
The Blazers also hold the WHL rights to goaltenders John Keeney, a 1993-born Californian who is with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers; Troy Trombley (1994), who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., and has signed a WHL contract; and, Taran Kozun (1994), a recent addition to the protected list. Kozun is from Nipawin, Sask.
The 6-foot-5 Trombley put up a 2.21 GAA and .914 save percentage as his midget AAA Sherwood Park Squires won their league’s playoff title.
——————
The Blazers’ roster contains more depth on defence than at any other position.
With the terrific play of Austin Madaisky in the four playoff losses to the Vancouver Giants and the continued improvement of Josh Caron, the future looks bright.
In an intriguing move, the Blazers have added Corey Fienhage, 20, to their protected list. A native of Topeka, Kan., who calls Apple Valley, Minn., home, he just completed his sophomore season with the U of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Fienhage, a third-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL draft, started this season as UND’s seventh defenceman but moved up when senior Chay Genoway was injured in November.
Bonner has yet to speak with Fienhage, but has talked with his representative. NCAA players aren’t allowed to employ agents.
The Fighting Sioux will be adding Derek Forbot, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound potential first-round NHL pick out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, and perhaps Dillon Simpson, the son of former NHLer Craig Simpson, so it could be that Fienhage is exploring his options.
The scouting report on Fienhage is that he is big and physical, and needs to work on his skating. He won’t take up a spot on the Blazers’ list for too long, as he’ll move to their college list during the bantam draft on April 29.
“He’s a big, strong kid,” Bonner said. “He’s kind of a longshot . . . I think there is an outside shot. He may come to us wanting to play in our league. We’ll just wait and see if anything transpires.”
Fienhage had one assist and 28 penalty minutes in nine games as a freshman; this season, he had two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 30 games.
Fienhage played for Eastview High School in the Minneapolis area where he was all-conference for three seasons and a Mr. Hockey finalist for 2007-08. He finished that season with the USHL’s Indiana Ice, picking up three points and 12 penalty minutes in 12 games.
——————
When it comes to the forward ranks, Bonner said he would like to add at least one 20-year-old and to arrange for the return of Slovakian centre Dalibor Bortnak.
“With our 20-year-old situation, we have room to bring guys in,” Bonner explained. “I don’t think we need a high-end skill guy. I think we need a veteran leader who can play both ends of the rink and maybe play on the wing with a couple of our skilled players. We could use a little speed and probably a little bit of toughness up front.
“Ideally, it would be a grittier winger who can put up some numbers . . . kill penalties and do a lot of different things and play a lot of minutes.”
Bortnak completed his second season here, although he missed the first 27 games after suffering a spleen injury in training camp. When a European player is cleared to play here, he initially has a two-year release. That means Bortnak will need another release before he can return.
“He expressed to us that he wants to come back,” Bonner said of the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder. “He feels he needs another year of junior, especially with his injury. He wants to pursue an NHL career and the best way for him to do that is playing over here.”
Bonner feels Bortnak will be selected during the NHL draft in June. And if he isn’t taken, he almost certainly will get a free-agent tryout, something he was to have had last fall with the Edmonton Oilers before that sliced spleen got in the way.
“It shouldn’t be a big issue,” Bonner said of obtaining another release. “I would think he could be a big part of our team next year. He’s a big-body guy . . . he would be a nice guy to have back.”
——————
Even with losing only three players off the roster, Bonner expects some new faces to push, and push hard, when training camp opens in August.
Lyndon Martell, a 1993-born forward from Prince George, had 31 points in 44 games with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings, while Logan McVeigh, the 32nd overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft, had 54 points in 39 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts.
“McVeigh had a real strong season, more than what we all expected, which is great,” Bonner said.
Defenceman Brady Gaudet, the Blazers’ first pick in the 2009 bantam draft, suffered a knee injury in training camp here, but bounced back to put up 20 points in 41 games with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
“If he’s ready, we’ll be excited,” Bonner said. “He’s going to get every opportunity to make our team. If he’s not (ready), we’ve got enough depth that if the right thing for him is to go back, he’ll go back.”
Aspen Sterzer, a list player who had 38 points in 31 games with the Calgary-based EDGE Maroon as it won the Rural Alberta midget league title, has signed and will be given a good look, too. He added seven points in eight playoff games.
“We expressed to the guys coming back,” Bonner said, “that it’s not a slam dunk who will be on the team next season, that it’s going to be a battle.
“With a new coach in his first training camp, we hope the guys come ready to battle.”

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Monday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: The Kassel Huskies (Germany DEL) have confirmed that F Alex Leavitt (Swift Current, Everett, 2003-05) and D Mike Card (Kelowna, 2002-06) won’t return to the team next season. Some German reports indicate that Card already has reached an agreement with another DEL team for next season. Leavitt had 10 goals and 29 assists in 54 games and Card had six goals and 19 assists in 53 games for the Huskies this season.
———
Former NHL player and coach Ron Low continues to recover after being mugged in Calgary on March 17. I haven’t been able to find an updated story, but there’s some news on the incident right here. My memories of Ron Low go back a long ways. It was in the 1970s when he was a pro goaltender who would spend his summers playing first base for the Binscarth Orioles of the Manitoba Senior Baseball League. How many first-basemen do you recall playing while breaking in a goaltenders' catching mitt? It was because of him that MSBL umpires started carrying tape measures because, invariably, the other team would protest something about the glove.
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It’s old news by almost two weeks now but the junior B Golden, B.C., Rockets have hired Ty Davidson as their general manager and head coach. The move was made March 17. . . . Davidson replaces Rockie Zinger, whose contract wasn’t renewed. . . . Davidson is the son of Garry Davidson, a former BCHL owner, GM and head coach who now is the director of player personnel for the Portland Winterhawks.
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MONDAY . . .
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Calgary wins series 4-3)
Monday: Moose Jaw 2 at Calgary 6
———
Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
———
Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
———
Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat wins series 4-2)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City wins series 4-2)
———
Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
———
Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Kelowna wins series 4-3)
Monday: Kelowna 2 at Everett 1
———
Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Series tied 3-3)
Monday: Spokane 4 at Portland 3
Wednesday: Portland at Spokane, 7 p.m.
———
SECOND ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
Friday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 pm., Shaw TV
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Calgary, 5 p.m.
———
Brandon (2) vs. Saskatoon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Saskatoon
Saturday: Brandon at Saskatoon
April 7: Saskatoon at Brandon
April 9: Saskatoon at Brandon
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Kelowna (6)
Friday: Kelowna at Tri-City
———
Vancouver (2) vs. Spokane (4)/Portland (5) winner
—————————
PLAYOFF NOTES: The Brandon Wheat Kings, the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, won’t be able to open the second round at home on Friday and Saturday. That’s because the annual Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is in progress at the Keystone Centre. The second round will feature the Wheat Kings against the Saskatoon Blades, and they’ll open with games Friday and Saturday at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon. The series then will head for Brandon and three straight games, if necessary. . . . The Wheat Kings had two new faces at practice on Monday. G Liam Liston, 16, and D Jordan Fransoo, 16, are skating with the Wheat Kings. Liston likely will stay with the Wheaties for the balance of the season, while Fransoo will be with them through the weekend. Liston, a third-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, was 16-3-0 with a 2.23 GAA and a .898 save percentage with the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. Fransoo, a fourth-round pick in the 2008 draft, had 31 points in 42 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. . . . Shaw TV will show Game 1 of the Medicine Hat-Calgary series on Friday.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Jimmy Bubnick scored his first two playoff goals to help the Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Hitmen won the series 4-3 — they won the last three games — and will meet the Medicine Hat Tigers in the second round. That series will open Friday in Calgary. . . . Bubnick, who was acquired from Kamloops on Jan. 10, was scoreless in eight playoff games with the Blazers. He had four assists through six games with the Warriors. Bubnick had been bothered by a shoulder injury as the regular season drew to a close. . . . F Tyler Shattock, who also was involved in that deal with Kamloops, had his second goal of the series and added an assist. . . . F Cody Sylvester, who also scored twice, opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the series, at 3:56 of the first period. . . . Moose Jaw F Jason Bast, with his seventh goal, on the PP, pulled his side even at 10:17. . . . Bubnick restored the home team’s lead at 12:11 and Shattock scored on the PP at 14:42, thus Calgary took a 3-1 lead into the second. . . . F Brandon Kozun, on the PP, and Bubnick added second-period goals. . . . Bubnick’s goal, coming at 19:46, may have been the final nail. . . . Kozun also had two assists. . . . Sylvester had five goals in the series after scoring 10 in 68 regular-season games. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones made 25 saves, three fewer than Moose Jaw’s Jeff Bosch. . . . Calgary was 2-for-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 10,557.
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In Portland, the Spokane Chiefs scored two first-period goals and never trailed as they scored a 4-3 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The series is tied 3-3 and the road team has won each of the first six games. . . . They’ll play Game 7 in Spokane on Wednesday night. . . . These teams have met 14 times this season, with the home team winning just once. . . . F Levko Koper led the Chiefs with his first two goals of the series. . . . F Kyle Beach, on the PP at 5:54 of the first, and Koper, at 11:11, gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski got Portland on the board on the PP at 4:21 of the second. His goal caused at least some confusion as he was able to whip the puck right through the net in behind G James Reid. After video review, the goal stood. . . . Spokane F Kenton Miller got that goal back at 6:01, with Portland F Luke Walker pulling his guys to within one, at 3-2, at 10:36. . . . Koper restored the two-goal margin two minutes later. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter got his third goal of the series at 6:36 of the third to make things interesting. . . . Spokane G James Reid, who made 40 saves, preserved the tie with a huge glove save on Walker with 1:48 left in the third period. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth turned aside 33 shots. . . . The highlight of the Portland radio broadcast? The work of Scooter Vrooman, from between the benches. . . . The crowd of 6,101 included Portland owner Bill Gallacher.
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In Everett, F Lucas Bloodoff broke a 1-1 tie in the second period and the Kelowna Rockets held on for a 2-1 victory over the Silvertips in Game 7 of that series. . . . The Rockets took a 2-1 lead into the third period. . . . G Geordie Wudrick, with his eighth goal of the series, scored on the PP at 1:36 of the first. . . . Everett F Chris Langkow got that one back at 4:52 of the second, also on the PP. . . . Bloodoff restored Kelowna’s lead at 12:23 of the second. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 40 shots, while Kent Simpson of Everett stopped 20. . . . The Rockets were 1-for-2 on the PP; the Silvertips were 1-for-6. . . . Kelowna won four of the series’ last five games. . . . Attendance was 4,784. . . . Everett had D Radko Gudas back in the lineup after he sat out four games with a shoulder injury. D Chris de la Lande (upper body) didn’t return, though. . . . Gudas took the game’s first penalty, at 1:30 of the first, with Wudrick scoring six seconds later.

Sunday . . .

G Kurtis Mucha earned the victory Sunday as the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder edged the visiting Las Vegas Wranglers, 6-5, in front of 6,845 fans. Mucha came on in the first period, relieving Andrew Perugini, with his club down 3-0. Mucha stopped 15 of 17 shots the rest of the way, with Stockton winning on F Matt Robinson’s third goal of the game, and 29th of the season, at 19:00 of the third period.
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The Dallas Stars like what they’ve got in former Kelowna Rockets F Jamie Benn. Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has more right here.
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As was written here late last week, it is sounding more and more as though F Tyler Pitlick will be leaving Minnesota State-Mankato and joining the Medicine Hat Tigers. Check out this right here, from Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press.
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The Prince George Citizen’s Jason Peters reports that D Michael King, a third-round selection by the Kootenay Ice in the 2008 WHL bantam draft, has opted to join the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. King, 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, played the last two seasons with the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. “We phoned Kootenay and told them that I was going BCHL and was going for a scholarship,” King told Peters. “They phoned quite a few times after that, wanting to talk and stuff but I think I made the right choice.”
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WHL PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Series tied 3-3)
Monday: Moose Jaw at Calgary, 7 p.m.
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Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
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Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
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Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat wins series 4-2)
Sunday: Kootenay 1 at Medicine Hat 4
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City wins series 4-2)
Sunday: Tri-City 4 at Chilliwack 1
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Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
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Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Series tied 3-3)
Monday: Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
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Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Portland leads series 3-2)
Monday: Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m. (Rose Garden)
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PLAYOFF NOTES: The Portland Winterhawks have played seven games in Spokane this season, including three in the playoffs, and have won them all. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have gone into Portland six times and has won five times. . . . The series between the Winterhawks and Chiefs is on a 2-3-1-1 format because the NCAA basketball tournament was in the arena in Spokane last weekend. Spokane opened in Portland with two victories; the Winterhawks went to Spokane and won three times. . . . They’ll play Game 6 in Portland on Monday, with Game 7, if needed, in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . Scott Sepich of The Oregonian reports: “The only other time the Winterhawks have won three road games in a playoff series was in 2006, when they won three games in Seattle in a 4-3 series victory. That was the last postseason series victory for Portland.” . . .
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SUNDAY:
In Medicine Hat, F Joey Frazer scored twice, the last one into an empty net, as the Tigers scored a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Tigers, who won 5-2 in Cranbrook on Friday night, won the series, 4-2. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his fourth goal of the series at 12:37 of the first period, with Fraser getting his second of the series at 1:36 of the second period. . . . Etem finished with a goal and two helpers, while F Linden Vey had four assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 23 shots, while Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 20 for the Ice. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-5 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,006.
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In Chilliwack, G Drew Owsley stopped 33 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Americans won the series, 4-2. . . . F Patrick Holland opened the scoring for the visitors, with his second goal of the series, at 10:56 of the first period. . . . Chilliwack F Roman Horak tied it at 8:27 of the second period, on the PP. . . . F Jordan Messier scored the eventual winner at 12:55 of the second period, with F Sergei Drozd and F Brooks Macek adding third-period goals. . . . Macek had four goals in the series. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 32 shots. . . . The Americans were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,787.

Saturday . . .

In an interesting twist, the general manager and head coach of one AJHL team is suing another team in the same league and he’s looking for more than $350,000. Former WHLer Brian Curran, now with the Lloydminster Bobcats, is suing the Brooks Bandits. Kevin Martin of the Calgary Sun has the story right here.
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The ECHL’s Stockton Thunder has signed G Kurtis Mucha, 20, to a five-game amateur tryout contract. Mucha finished his WHL eligibility as the Kamloops Blazers were swept by the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday. Mucha was on the bench Saturday as the Thunder fell 3-2 to the visiting Las Vegas Wranglers. . . . Mucha actually made his pro debut last season, stopping 25 shots on April 3 for the Idaho Steelheads in a game against the Phoenix Road Runners. . . . In order to make room for Mucha on the roster, Stockton G Aaron Sorochan was recalled by the AHL’s Springfield Falcons and subsequently released. . . . Sorochan is a former WHL goaltender. . . . Stockton and Springfield both are affiliates of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . Former Kamloops D Ryan Funk played his second game Saturday with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. He was pointless but a plus-2 as Idaho beat the visiting Victoria Salmon Kings, 5-1.
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Former NHLer Bill Muckalt is the first head coach of the NAHL’s newest franchise, which will play out of the 6,000-seat Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., next season. The franchise is owned, according to an NAHL press release, by Ken Dennis, a Southern California resident who worked in the entertainment industry for over 30 years with Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox as a television producer for hit shows such as “Family Guy,” “The X-Files,” “Millennium” and “Space: Above and Beyond.” . . . Muckalt played eight seasons in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks.
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If you haven’t yet seen Abbotsford Heat head coach Jim Playfair in action on Saturday night against the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs, well, you don’t want to miss it. It’s right here, and that’s Dave Sheldon, formerly of the Chilliwack Bruins and Vancouver Giants, calling the action. This is very much a cha-ching moment. You know that Playfair will be making a contribution early in the week.
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Joe Caligiuri won the first battle of 20-year-old goaltenders Saturday as the Dauphin Kings opened the MJHL final with a 1-0 OT victory over the Winnipeg Saints. Caligiuri stopped 25 shots to get the victory over Justin Leclerc, who kicked out 38. . . . F Ryan Dreger scored the game’s lone goal, taking advantage of a partial fan by Leclerc on a loose puck outside his crease Dreger led the MJHL with 53 goals in the regular season but hadn’t scored in eight playoff games. . . . Game 2 is Tuesday in Dauphin.
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One of the fun parts of the WHL playoffs is watching and listening as the coaches work to play the officials. Some of them have it down to a fine art; others are still learning that art.
On Friday night, as the Kootenay Ice dropped a 5-2 decision to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman dropped a couple of notes about missed calls by the linesmen.
When Bromley asked Ice head coach Mark Holick about that, the response was: "I'm not getting into it. I can't afford to make those comments.”
Meanwhile, in Kennewick, Wash., the Chilliwack Bruins were erasing a 3-1 deficit and beating the host Tri-City Americans, 4-3, in overtime.
The Americans ended up 1-for-8 on the PP in that one, while Habscheid’s Bruins were 1-for-2. The referees were Sean Raphael and Nathan Wieler.
“The officials never gave us a break all night,” Habscheid told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “We had one power play, plus five seconds tonight, and we had one for 55 seconds the last game. I’ve never seen that in all my years of coaching.”
On Wednesday, with Tri-City winning 4-3 in OT on the road, the Americans were 1-for-3 and the Bruins were 0-for-1. The referees were Matt Kirk and Colby Smith.
Of course, in Game 3, the Americans were 1-for-9 and the Bruins were 2-for-7. The referees that night were Steve Papp and Derek Zalaski.
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SATURDAY . . .
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Series tied 3-3)
Saturday: Calgary 7 at Moose Jaw 3
Monday: Moose Jaw at Calgary, 7 p.m.
———
Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
———
Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
———
Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat leads series 3-2)
Sunday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City leads series 3-2)
Sunday: Tri-City at Chilliwack, 5 p.m.
———
Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
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Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Series tied 3-3)
Saturday: Everett 4 at Kelowna 5
Monday: Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
———
Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Portland leads series 3-2)
Saturday: Portland 4 at Spokane 3
Monday: Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m. (Rose Garden)
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In Kelowna, the Rockets scored two goals 22 seconds apart in the third period to erase a 4-3 deficit and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-4. . . . The series is tied 3-3 and the teams will decide the issue Monday in Evertt. . . . The home team has won each of the first six games. . . . Kelowna D Tyson Barrie, with his second goal of the game, at 9:11 of the third period, on the PP, tied the score. . . . F Lucas Bloodoff, with his first goal of the series, got the winner at 9:33. . . . F Shane McColgan got his first goal of the series for Kelowna. . . . F Scott MacDonald got Everett a 1-0 lead at 4:33 of the first period, but the Rockets scored the next three goals -- McColgan, in the first period, and Barrie and Codey Ito in the second. . . . The Silvertips then got three goals in a span of 7:11 later in the second. F Dan Iwanski, at 12:36, F Byron Froese, at 18:45, on the PP, and F Shane Harper, on the PP, at 19:47, gave the visitors a 4-3 lead. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger made 12 saves, while Everett’s Kent Simpson kicked out 30 shots. . . . Kelowna F Brandon McMillan, who has yet to score in this series, had two assists, as did D Colton Jobke. . . . Everett was 2-for-3 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 5,038. . . . That’s right . . . 5,038. . . . Everett was again without D Radko Gudas and D Chris de la Lande, both out with upper body injuries.
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In Moose Jaw, the Calgary Hitmen served notice that they aren’t done yet, as they scored the game’s first three goals and went on beat the Warriors, 7-3. . . . The series, which Moose Jaw had led 2-0 and 3-1, now is tied 3-3 with Game 7 in Calgary on Monday night. . . . . F Del Cowan had two goals, his first of the series, and an assist and was plus-5 for the Hitmen. . . . F Jimmy Bubnick, who was plus-4, got his first of the series to get Calgary going at 12:49 of the first. . . . Cowan made it 2-0 at 18:09, and F Joel Broda upped the lead to 3-0 at 1:40 of the second. . . . F Thomas Frazee, with his fourth of the series, got the Warriors on the board at 4:54, on the PP. . . . D Giffen Nyren got that one back for Calgary seven minutes later. . . . The Warriors then made it interesting, cutting the deficit to 4-3 on goals by D Ryan Stanton, at 16:01, on the PP, and D Connor Cox, at 17:24. . . . But Cowan scored 1:12 into the third and F Ian Schultz closed it out with his fourth and fifth goals of the series. . . . F Quinton Howden, Moose Jaw’s leading scorer in the regular season, returned from a broken collarbone and drew three assists. But he also was minus-3. . . . Moose Jaw D Chad Suer was minus-5. . . . Both goaltenders, Martin Jones of Calgary and Jeff Bosch of Moose Jaw, stopped 36 shots. . . . Calgary forwards twice were penalized goaltender interference. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-5 on the PP; Calgary was 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,860.
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In Spokane, the road team won for the fifth time in this series, as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Chiefs, 4-3. . . . This series is being played with a 2-3-1-1 format, with Spokane having the extra home game, if it goes that far. This means that Portland now goes home with a chance to win the series on Monday at the Rose Garden. . . . The Winterhawks, who have scored first in all five games, built up a 4-1 lead before the Chiefs got late goals from F Mitch Wahl, at 13:07 of the third period, and F Kyle Beach, at 19:28. . . . Beach has five goals in the series. . . . F Ryan Johansen scored his first two goals of the series for Portland. . . . F Riley Boychuk and F Luke Walker put Portland out front in the first period and Johansen upped the lead to 3-0 at 11:29 of the second. Walker and Johansen both scored on the PP. . . . D Jared Cowen scored for the Chiefs, on the PP, at 6:08 of the third, but Johansen got that one back at 8:26. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 36 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid stopped 26. . . . Portland was 2-for-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 1-for-6. . . . There were 21 minor penalties handed out in this game -- 15 in the first period, five in the second and one in the third. . . . Attendance was 4,540. . . . That’s right . . . 4,540.

Keeping Score

The Left Coast Sports Babe, with a question and the answer: “How bad are the Washington Wizards? They've been thinking of changing their name to the Washington Generals.” . . . Bill Goldberg, a former grapplin’ champ, told the Tulsa World that, despite reports to the contrary, he isn’t pondering a comeback: “I'm 43 years old. Do I want to be Ric Flair? Do I want to be Hulk Hogan? In the twilight of my life, do I want to be running around in my underwear trying to injure people? Absolutely not." . . . Does that sound like there might be a comeback and a couple of grudge matches in the works, or what? Gotta wonder if Randy (The Ram) Robinson might be interested? . . .

Local old-timer hockey players need to know that Murray Owen is “one job” from retirement. Owen, a dangler of note in local hockey circles, will then have more time to commit to working on his game. . . . After NBAer Gilbert Arenas told Esquire magazine that he owned more than 500 guns, Bill Littlejohn, an avid Seattle Times reader, noted: “He also revealed that when he signed with the Wizards, he dropped his plans to invade Luxembourg." . . . Headline at TheOnion.com: Jake Delhomme misses dotted line trying to sign contract. . . .

If you happened to catch Sunday’s CIS men’s basketball championship game on TSN2 from Ottawa, you may have noticed a Kamloops flavour to it. That’s because our own Steve Seibel, who is one of Canada’s top basketball officials, got the assignment to work the championship game, in which the U of Saskatchewan Huskies won their first title, beating the UBC Thunderbirds, 91-81. Seibel, who in his other life is a lawyer with Cundari Seibel, also worked a semifinal in which the Huskies upset the No.1-ranked Carleton Ravens. . . . Just last month Seibel was in Argentina working the FIBA Americas League final. . . . But the really big news is that Seibel has been selected to officiate in the FIBA World Championship in Turkey, Aug. 28 to Sept. 12. . . . “I still can’t believe I got the appointment,” Seibel said. “I’m very shocked and honoured.” . . .

Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “You read some of these texts that Tiger Woods allegedly sent to the porn girl, and what strikes you first — even given the dopey language of text messages, dirty and otherwise — is that the guy wasn't an English major at Stanford.” . . . Donald Fehr running the NHLPA has to be a nightmare of epic proportions for NHL owners. . . . Local numbers man Norm Daley was in Dunedin, Fla., a couple of weeks ago and watched in awe as fans of the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays gave outfielder Tyson Gillies a standing ovation for his work in the outfield. Gillies, one of the Phillies’ top prospects, is likely to start the season with the Double A Reading Phillies. . . .

Since winning the Memorial Cup right here in River City in the spring of 1995, the Kamloops Blazers have decided to go in more different directions than Lindsay Lohan’s career, changing management people and head coaches on numerous occasions. Other than the springs of 1996 (lost in conference final) and 1999 (lost in WHL final), the Blazers have lost 12 first-round series, going 9-48 in the process. . . . So who did the deal with the devil for the Memorial Cup championships in 1992, ’94 and ’95? Or is it simply a case of the Curses of Brownie and Habby piling on? . . . Blazers centre C.J. Stretch deserved better than to go out winless in 16 playoff games. Say what you want about Stretch, he has NHL hands. . . .

Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix wonders: “If television stations want fees from cable providers for using their signals, shouldn’t radio stations pay newspapers for using their news?” . . . I have only had time to watch Part 1 of the Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg 10-parter The Pacific on HBO, but it looks like a keeper. . . . The Seattle Seahawks recently acquired quarterback Charlie Whitehurst from the San Diego Chargers and signed him to a two-year, US$8-million deal. . . . According to Peter King at SI.com, Whitehurst hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass in an NFL game in four years. . . .

Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “I don't want to say I'm worried for the Dodgers, but . . . they recently lost to the Chinese All-Stars. Approximately 29 people in China play baseball. Most people in China would identify baseball bats as Yao Ming's chopsticks.” . . . Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times: “Noted golfer/philanderer Tiger Woods will make a triumphant return to golf next month at the Masters. Where else? Augusta is one of the last, best places in the country for good ol' boy players like Tiger to revel in subjugating women.” . . . One more from Judd: “The Canadian dollar, long a weakling stepsister to the U.S. greenback, has approached near parity with the American dollar. Big deal. They still don't know how to spell ‘favorite’ or ‘labor.’ ” . . .

Former Blazers captain Ajay Baines was in Abbotsford last night where he served as the analyst on the visiting team’s radio broadcast of the Hamilton Bulldogs’ AHL game with the Heat. Baines captained the Bulldogs in 2006-07 and scored the Calder Cup-winning goal in Game 5 of the championship final. The always smiling Baines, who turned 32 on Thursday, retired over the summer and lives in Kamloops. . . . Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “An injury will prevent heartthrob David Beckham from competing for England in the World Cup, causing the World Cup's immediate indefinite postponement until which time his recovery is complete.” . . . One more from Cote: “Coach Urban Meyer has returned to the Florida Gators football team in time for spring practice, following a leave of absence that was somewhat unusual in that it did not involve any actual leaving.” . . .

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.

Friday . . . NHL deal for Stefan Schneider

THE MacBETH REPORT: D Mark Ardelan (Brandon, Vancouver, Prince Albert, 1999-2004) signed a two-year contract extension with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany DEL). Ardelan has eight goals and 23 assists in 56 games for the Roosters this season. . . .
Eisbären Berlin (Germany DEL) has announced that F Denis Pederson (Prince Albert, 1991-95) will retire at the end of this season. Pederson, who is in his seventh season with Eisbären, is quoted on the team website: "The decision is not easy for me but it was primarily a family decision." He led the team in scoring during the regular season with 19 goals and 33 assists in 54 games. The first-place Eisbären open their quarterfinal against Augsburg on Tuesday.
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A source has told me that F Stefan Schneider of the Portland Winterhawks has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. The undrafted Schneider is a 20-year-old from Vernon, B.C. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Schneider had 23 points, including 12 goals, and 42 penalty minutes in 72 games in the regular season. He has one goal in four playoff games this season.
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Fred Pittendreigh, the owner of the junior B Chase, B.C., Chiefs, had said he would make an announcement Friday regarding the future of his Kootenay International Junior Hockey League franchise. . . . Well, Friday came and Friday went and there wasn’t any news. . . . The Chiefs, who have been members of the 17-team junior B league since 2007, have been rumoured to be on their way to Kelowna’s Rutland district. Pittendreigh, who owns the Chiefs, said Wednesday that an announcement would be made Friday. No press release was sent out Friday, and Pittendreigh didn’t return multiple phone messages left by the Kamloops Daily News. . . . If Pittendreigh did want to sell or relocate the franchise, he would have to get it OK’d by the rest of the member franchises. The next league meeting is scheduled for April 11.
Mark Hunter of the Kamloops Daily News also reported:
According to the KIJHL constitution, “applications for relocation are accepted up to November 1,” meaning Pittendreigh would have had to have put the wheels in motion for a move months ago.
KIJHL president Bill Ohlhausen refused to talk about whether Pittendreigh filed the paperwork before Nov. 1.
“That’s confidential information between him and I,” Ohlhausen said Friday. “I could have that information as of Nov. 1.”
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The Federal Hockey League now is up to six teams with the addition of the Brooklyn Aviators. There is more right here.
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It’s business as usual for the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, despite the financial woes of former WHL/NHL player Len Barrie, who owns 51 per cent of the junior A team. Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has more right here.
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WHL PLAYOFF NOTES: The Moose Jaw Warriors will have a second chance to upset the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday night in the Crushed Can. The Warriors, the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed, hold a 3-2 series edge on the Hitmen, who finished atop the overall standings. The Warriors have gotten this far without F Quinton Howden, their leading scorer, who is out with a broken collarbone. He is skating with the team but no one is saying when he will return. . . . D Ryan Funk, whose WHL career ended Wednesday when his Kamloops Blazers were swept by the Vancouver Giants, was in uniform with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads on Friday night. He was pointless as the Steelheads lost 1-0 to the visiting Victoria Salmon Kings before 4,796 fans. . . . D Jordan Hale of the Brandon Wheat Kings has been suspended for three games for a charging major he took in Game 3 of their sweep of the Swift Current Broncos. Hale will sit out the first two games of Brandon’s next series.
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FRIDAY . . .
FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Moose Jaw leads series 3-2)
Saturday: Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
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Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
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Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
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Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Medicine Hat leads series 3-2)
Friday: Medicine Hat 5 at Kootenay 2
Sunday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City leads series 3-2)
Friday: Chilliwack 4 at Tri-City 3 (OT)
Sunday: Tri-City at Chilliwack, 5 p.m.
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Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
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Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Everett leads series 3-2)
Friday: Kelowna 0 at Everett 4
Saturday: Everett at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
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Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Series tied 2-2)
Friday: Portland 4 at Spokane 2
Saturday: Portland at Spokane, 7 p.m.
Monday: Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m. (Rose Garden)
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In Cranbrook, the Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 1-0 deficit and went on to beat the host Kootenay Ice, 5-2. . . . The Tigers lead the series 3-2 and can wrap it up at home on Sunday. . . . F Kevin King scored his fourth goal of the series to give the Ice a 1-0 lead at 1:22 of the first period. . . . The Tigers took control with four goals before the period ended, as D Matt Konan, D Jace Coyle and F Kale Kessy all found the range. . . . F Dominik Pacovsky got the Ice back to within one with a PP goal at 4:32 of the second. . . . The Tigers put it away with third-period goals by F Linden Vey and F Bretton Cameron, the latter into an empty net. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 31 shots, including 17 in the second period. . . . The Ice started G Todd Mathews but he left after one, having stopped 11 of 14 shots. Nathan Lieuwen came on to play the last two periods, stopping seven of nine. . . . The Ice was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,598. . . . Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that the Ice plans on sending video to the WHL office of an elbow by Medicine Hat F Cole Grbavac to the face of Kootenay F Matt Fraser. Ice head coach Mark Holick told Bromley that Fraser appears to have a cracked cheekbone below his right ear. He returned to the game wearing a full shield.
---
In Spokane, F Chris Francis scored twice as the Portland Winterhawks doubled the Chiefs, 4-2. . . . The series is tied with Game 5 in Spokane on Saturday night. . . . Portland has played six times in Spokane this season and has won them all. . . . Spokane actually opened this series by winning twice in Portland. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s first three goals, two of them in the first period. F Luke Walker (6:15) and Francis (12:26) both scored their first goals of the series. . . . Francis added a PP score at 7:26 of the second. . . . F Tyler Johnson scored for the Chiefs on the PP at 11:19 of the second, but Portland got that one back when F Nino Niederreiter got his second of the series at 4:09 of the third. . . . F Kyle Beach scored on the PP 32 seconds later but that was as close as the Chiefs could get. . . . Beach has four goals in the series. . . . Beach’s goal came six seconds after Portland F Tayler Jordan was hit with a major for charging. . . . D Eric Doyle had two assists for Portland. . . . Spokane was 2-for-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-4. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who is turning into a real story in this series, stopped 29 shots. Carruth, who turned 18 on Thursday, has a 2.76 GAA and a .913 save percentage in going the distance in each of the first four games. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 24 of 28 shots, although he spent some time on the bench after Portland’s second goal. Michael Tadjdeh played the last 7:34 of the first period, stopping the only shot he faced. . . . Attendance was 5,718.
---
In Kennewick, Wash., the Chilliwack Bruins, down 3-1 heading into the third period, rebounded for a 4-3 overtime victory over the host Tri-City Americans. . . . F Roman Horak got the winner at 7:16 of the first OT period. Horak, who also had two assists, has two goals in the series. . . . The Americans lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Chilliwack on Sunday. . . . Tri-City got two goals from F Brooks Macek as it took a 3-1 through two periods. . . . F Alexander Wiklund, with his second of the game at 2:30 of the third, on the PP, and F Ryan Howse, with his fifth goal of the series, at 18:26 forced OT. . . . F Sergei Drozd and D Tyler Schmidt each drew two assists for the Americans. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 44 shots, 14 more than Tri-City’s Drew Owsley. . . . The Bruins were 1-for-2 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 3,667.
---
In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 21 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 4-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Everett takes a 3-2 edge into Game 6 in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . Everett F Tyler Maxwell scored his first two goals of the series, opening the scoring at 1:00 of the first period and giving his mates a 3-0 lead with a shorthanded score at 11:00 of the second. . . . F Shane Harper added his fifth goal of the series and F Dan Iwanski got his second. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 29 shots. . . . Everett was 1-for-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,361. . . . Everett continues to play without D Radko Gudas (upper body) and now D Chris de la Lande (upper body) has joined him on the sideline.

Friday . . . early

The Medicine Hat Tigers may be close to adding a potential impact forward to their roster for next season. Tyler Pitlick, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder from
Centerville, Minn., turns 19 on Nov. 1. He played this season as a freshman at Minnesota State-Mankato, earning 19 points, including 11 goals, in 38 games. A nephew of former NHLer Lance Pitlick, Tyler was ranked 21st among North American skaters eligible for the NHL draft in Central Scouting’s mid-term ratings. . . . Pitlick apparently is about to visit Medicine Hat and check out things before deciding whether to leave school and join the Tigers.
---
The Kamloops Blazers’ three 20-year-olds all will be getting at least a taste of the pro game. . . . D Ryan Funk flew out of Kelowna Friday morning to join the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. He is expected to be in the lineup Friday night against the Victoria Salmon Kings. . . . C C.J. Stretch is heading home to California on Sunday and will skate with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign. . . . G Kurtis Mucha is expected to join the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder at some point on the weekend. The Thunder is affiliated with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Mucha went to camp with the Oilers and was offered a minor-league contract; instead of signing, he chose to return to the Portland Winterhawks, hoping to finish his WHL career there. However, they dealt him to Kamloops in November.

Optimism reigns as Blazers look ahead

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
There weren’t many teary eyes Thursday when the Kamloops Blazers cleaned out their Interior Savings Centre dressing room.
Instead, most of those eyes were looking ahead, focused on a future that appears bright for the WHL franchise.
The Blazers held meetings on Thursday, a day after the Vancouver Giants swept them out of a best-of-seven first-round playoff series. The Giants finished the series with a 5-4 victory at ISC on Wednesday.
The disappointment that normally lingers following a lost season made way for optimism for the future Wednesday. Everyone agreed that things are looking up for the Blazers, with a solid core of young talent and a quality head coach in Guy Charron.
“Next year and the next couple of years, we definitely have the opportunity to be a very strong team,” said defenceman Austin Madaisky, an 18-year-old defenceman around whom the Blazers can build. “We feel pretty good about that.”
The Blazers finished the regular season 32-33-2-5, and were the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Kamloops lost to the No. 2-seeded Giants (41-25-3-3) in a series that featured three one-goal games, two of them in overtime.
It was during these playoffs that Madaisky, who had three goals and three assists in the four games, and 16-year-old forward Colin Smith, who ended with two goals and two assists, showed just how high their ceilings may be.
Madaisky, a second-year player, was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen in a Jan. 10 deal, while Smith just completed his first season with the Blazers after being their first pick in the 2008 bantam draft.
“It’s quite encouraging to know that Colin is only 16 years old,” said Charron, who coached the Blazers to a 21-20-0-4 record after taking over on Nov. 23. “To think . . . where could it all lead?
“It’s the same thing with Madaisky — when he first came here, he hadn’t found his identity . . . but his growth came every day and he showed a lot of leadership.”
The Blazers were a much different team at the end of the season than at the start. Through trades and releases during the season, general manager Craig Bonner moved out 11 players and brought in seven.
Most of these moves were geared at making the Blazers younger, which succeeded considering the Blazers were the second-youngest team in the WHL, behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, at season’s end.
Bonner’s biggest trade was the Madaisky deal, in which Kamloops acquired the defenceman and forward Chase Schaber from the Hitmen for forwards Jimmy Bubnick and Tyler Shattock, who was the Blazers captain at the time, and defenceman Zak Stebner.
Schaber, who turned 19 on Jan. 3, was solid during his time here, picking up 22 points, 10 of them goals, in 28 games. Madaisky, who is likely to hear his name called at the NHL draft in June, played 26 regular-season games for the Blazers, picking up two goals and seven assists.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity,” said Madaisky of the trade. “The coaching staff is great, they’ve helped me a lot. I love it here.”
Goaltender Kurtis Mucha, defenceman Ryan Funk and forward C.J. Stretch all completed their 20-year-old seasons Wednesday, so won’t be able to witness the Blazers’ future firsthand. But that doesn’t mean they’re not excited for what good times may lay ahead for the franchise.
“I look at the team — they’re going to have a solid team,” said Mucha, who was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks for a fourth-round draft pick on Nov. 22. “Having Guy around from the start of the season . . . so he can get everyone on the same page right from the start, that’s going to help out a lot.”
Stretch perhaps deserved a better playoff fate after spending five years in a Blazers uniform and playing more regular-season games (341) than any other Kamloops junior. The Irvine, Calif., native, who turns 21 in August, ended his junior career with 248 points, 85 of them goals, and 342 penalty minutes.
But he only played 16 playoff games — all of them losses. He did managed to score 19 points in those games, and was the team’s leading scorer in a 2007 sweep by the Prince George Cougars (eight points) and this year’s postseason (seven points).
“I always stayed loyal to the team, even when the ship was going down,” said Stretch, who plans to hang around until Sunday, then head south to start practising with the ECHL’s Ontario, Calif., Reign. “Some people wanted out . . . but I had a fun time.
“We had some pretty good years here, just not the success we wanted in the playoffs.”
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

Oilers in Mucha's future?

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
The illness to one former Kamloops Blazers goaltender may turn into an opportunity for another former Kamloops Blazers goaltender.
Kurtis Mucha, who finished his WHL career Wednesday when the Blazers lost to the visiting Vancouver Giants, says he is looking at a number of different professional options right now.
One of them, he says, is with the Edmonton Oilers organization, which is in need of a healthy goaltender due to a recent illness to Devan Dubnyk, who played for the Blazers from 2001-05.
“I talked to Edmonton, and they said they’re going to look through their system,” said Mucha, whom the Blazers acquired from the Portland Winterhawks in November. “With (Dubnyk) being sick, they’re going to have to shuffle some goalies around.”
When Dubnyk got sick before the Oilers’ home game against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, Edmonton was forced to call up Nathan Deobald, a third-string goaltender for the U of Calgary Dinos, to back up Jeff Deslauriers. Dubnyk told reporters Thursday that he is starting to feel better, but isn’t yet ready to play.
Mucha said if he does go to the Oilers’ organization, it likely wouldn’t be with the big club, but rather the AHL’s Springfield Falcons or the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder.
“I might be able to slide on to one of their three teams,” said Mucha, who went to camp with the Oilers in September. “It won’t be the NHL team, but that would be nice.”
Mucha, a Sherwood Park, Alta., native, finished his junior career having appeared in more games (245) and played more minutes (13,708) than any other goaltender in CHL history.
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

It happens, just ask the Blazers

The disbelief hadn’t yet become ennui when the inbox took a hit.
The note was from a gent who lives in Pittsburgh and is a big WHL fan, one who, for whatever reason, pays particular attention to the Kamloops Blazers.
“I don’t think they’ve won a playoff series since I put on a Blazer bumper sticker and that’s a long, long time ago,” he wrote.
And then he asked this question:
“Young people in Kamloops, do they ask when was the last time they won a series?”
If you think the playoff woes that have befallen your Blazers — they still are your Blazers, aren’t they? — haven’t been noticed around the world, well, you’d be wrong. We are a society that really loves train wrecks, and this has become a playoff train wreck of monstrous proportions with numbers that border on the ridiculous.
When an outsider mentions that the Blazers have lost 19 straight playoff games, all you can do is shrug your shoulders. When it is mentioned that the Blazers have won five of their last 48 playoff games — and that 5-43 is a .104 winning percentage — you can only roll your eyes.
And if the outsider dares to go on and mention the eight straight overtime losses, the not having won an overtime game at home since Jarome Iginla scored in extra time in 1996, to having exited the WHL playoffs in the first round in 10 of the last 11 years — the Blazers didn’t qualify in the other season or it might be 11-for-11 — and to having been swept in seven of those series . . . well, about all you can do is quote Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland: “It happens.”
But, you know, stuff — really strange stuff — just seems to happen, and has happened, to this hockey team, and we’re not referring to all the off-ice hijinks that occurred over the last decade and beyond.
Sheesh, do you remember Alan Manness? Nice young man. His father, Clayton, was Manitoba’s Minister of Finance at one point. Alan started his WHL career with the Blazers in 1996. They later traded him to the Regina Pats, who sent him to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
So it came to pass that Manness was there when it started to happen. He had a goal and three assists as the host Thunderbirds thrashed the Blazers 7-2 in Game 2 of what would become the first sweep of this extended non-playoff run. You may recall that Seattle forward Oleg Saprykin was tossed for cross-checking defenceman Micki DuPont, who would later be named the CHL’s top defenceman, in the back of the head.
Saprykin sat out one game, while DuPont didn’t miss a game, although he wasn’t the same player he had been. In Game 4, Saprykin had two goals and two assists, Seattle won 5-2 and the Blazers were gone.
Yes, it happens.
Then came the spring of 2001. The Blazers were to meet up with the Spokane Chiefs in the first round. Spokane defenceman Kurt Sauer was a stud — big, tough, mean and dominant. The Blazers were going to need forward Paul Brown, who wasn’t big but thought he was tough and had an unpredictable edge to his game, to try to neutralize Sauer.
Except that Brown got into some trouble in the last game of the regular season against the Rockets in Kelowna and drew a two-game suspension. What was Brown doing? Well, he was running around trying to start a late-game scrap because as he said, “I wanted to get to 300 PIMs.”
The Chiefs outscored the Blazers 20-5 and swept into the second round.
It was becoming evident that something was at work here.
And then there was the classic six-game series with the Kootenay Ice in 2003. That one will be remembered for Game 3, a four-overtime thriller that is the longest game in WHL history. It also will be remembered for Game 6, the series’ final game that went into the third overtime period. The Blazers lost them both.
Kamloops forward Scottie Upshall, a talent who lived on the edge, took 17 minor penalties in that series, including five in Game 3. His penalties led to 13 Ice power plays and three Kootenay goals. When a well-timed goal or two could have won a series, Upshall, who scored 99 regular-season goals with the Blazers, came up empty. He had a lot of chances but didn’t score even one goal in the six games.
It happens.
In the spring of 2004, the Vancouver Giants were in their third season of existence. Their coaching staff was led by Dean Evason, a Blazers Legend, and included former Blazers captain Craig Bonner (yes, he now is the Kamloops general manager) and Darcy Wakaluk. All three had been Blazers coaches two years earlier when Kamloops was swept by the Rockets. In another one of those changes in directions that have dogged this franchise, all three were fired shortly after that series.
And now the Giants, in the playoffs for a second time, were trying to win their first playoff series. They held a 3-1 lead in games as they played Game 5 at home, but, suddenly, they were losing 4-1 with under 12 minutes to play in the third period. Game 6 would be played the next night in Kamloops. Well, you know the rest. Three goals in under 10 minutes tied it and forward Ty Morris won it in overtime. Game 6 never happened.
It happens. It just seems to happen more to some organizations than to others.
In the spring of 2005, the Blazers hooked up again with the Ice. When forward Kevin Hayman scored at 18:57 of the third period to give the Blazers a 3-2 victory in Game 3, and a 2-1 series lead, Kamloops looked to be in good shape.
The date was March 29.
Who was to know that from then until now the Blazers wouldn’t win another playoff game?
One night later, the Ice’s Dale Mahovsky broke Kamloops’ hearts at 1:25 of overtime and the Blazers, it would seem, have never recovered.
Kamloops won 40 games in the 2006-07 regular season but Ray Macias, who led all WHL defencemen in points, left in Game 70 with a season-ending wrist injury.
In the first round, the Blazers met up with the Prince George Cougars, who had run hot and cold for a lot of the season. Sniper Devin Setoguchi, who had been acquired from the Saskatoon Blades, had 36 goals in 55 games but, observers said, should have been capable of so much more.
Well, guess what happened? Yes, with Setoguchi scoring and Real Cyr tending goal like he never had before, the Cougars swept the Blazers. Setoguchi scored five goals, two of them OT winners, and set up two others. Cyr stood on his head and then some, winning four one-goal games, including three in OT.
The Cougars went 15 games deep into the playoffs that spring. The Blazers went home. Again.
Yes, it happens.
There was an ownership change and a coaching change and an ugly four-game beating by the Tri-City Americans in 2008.
And then came 2008-09, when the Blazers would lose 13 times — 13 STINKIN’ TIMES — to the Rockets. Of course, the last four of those losses came in the playoffs. Ahh, that used to be such a rivalry.
Which brings us to this season, one that ended Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre. Yes, the Blazers were swept again, this time by the Giants, who won three one-goal games, two of those in OT.
Now think about this: The Giants, with seven 1990-born players and three 20-year-olds on their roster, held the lead for 11 per cent of the four games; the Blazers, with one 19-year-old and three 20s, were out front 32.3 per cent of the time.
The Blazers held at least one lead in each of the four games. In Games 1 and 3, both of which were won by Vancouver in OT, the Giants led for a combined total of 32 seconds.
And still the Blazers got swept.
These teams met 14 times this season, if you include exhibition games. The Giants won 11 times — three in overtime and four others in shootouts.
The Blazers were close, but you know what they say about close.
Still, there are those in the hockey community who feel the Blazers finally are headed in the right direction, that they no longer are stumbling around the hockey wasteland, operating by guess and by golly.
Another email showed up in the inbox Thursday morning. This one, from a respected NHL executive, offered: “I like where Kamloops is going . . . (head coach) Guy Charron is a great guy (and an) excellent coach.”
That he is. He also has a two-year contract. And in five months, he’ll be running his first Blazers training camp.
Charron has had his first taste of playoffs with this organization now. He knows that what he watched transpire has roots that run deeper than one season. There were times when the look in his eyes told you he didn’t quite believe what he had seen.
But you can bet he now knows that, in these parts, it happens.
Charron is the latest person charged with stopping it.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Thursday . . .

FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Moose Jaw leads series 3-2)
Thursday: Moose Jaw 2 at Calgary 5
Saturday: Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
———
Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
———
Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon wins series 4-0)
Thursday: Saskatoon 5 at Red Deer 2
———
Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Series tied 2-2)
Friday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City leads series 3-1)
Friday: Chilliwack at Tri-City, 7 p.m.
———
Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
———
Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Series tied 2-2)
Friday: Kelowna at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Saturday: Everett at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
———
Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Spokane leads series 2-1)
Friday: Portland at Spokane, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Portland at Spokane, 7 p.m.
———
THURSDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Calgary, the Hitmen stayed alive with a 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw, the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, holds a 3-2 edge in the series. Game 6 is Saturday at the Crushed Can. Methinks the joint will be hopping. . . . F Brandon Kozun, the WHL’s regular-season scoring leader, led Calgary with a goal and three assists. . . . Moose Jaw scored first, when F Antonin Honejsek scored his third of the series at 18:59 on the PP. . . . The Hitmen scored the next five goals, before Honejsek closed the scoring with his fourth at 13:53 of the the third period. . . . Calgary was 3-for-5 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 7,138.
———
In Red Deer, the Saskatoon Blades scored a 5-2 victory over the Rebels to sweep the first-round series. . . . F Adam Kambeitz scored shorthanded for Red Deer at 1:47 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon scored the next four goals, starting with one from D Stefan Elliott on the PP at 8:06 of the first period. . . . F Jeremy Boyer put the Blades out front at 113:11 of the second and F Curtis Hamilton notched the eventual winner at 4:23. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford, beaten only three times in four games, stopped 31 shots and finished the series with a .977 save percentage. . . . Red Deer G Kraymer Barnstable turned aside 32 shots. . . . Red Deer was 1-for-8 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 3,800. . . . The Rebels played without F Landon Ferraro and F Andrej Kudrna. “This was a big game, a game we needed to win to survive to play the next day, and those two guys weren’t at 100 per cent physically,” Red Deer head coach Jesse Wallin told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “We just felt that to give ourselves the best chance we needed 20 guys on the ice who were 100 per cent, who were ready to compete at that level. We had healthy bodies available and although it was a difficult decision, we decided that was the right way to go.” 
———
MEANWHILE . . .
With Swift Current having been eliminated, Broncos F Cody Eakin is to join the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals. Eakin, who had 91 points, including 47 goals, this season was a third-round pick by Washington in the NHL’s 2009 draft.
———
With the Kamloops-Vancouver series over, Shaw TV shifts its attention to the series between the Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers. That series is 2-2 with Game 5 in Cranbrook on Friday night. Shaw won’t televise that game, but will show Game 6 from Medicine Hat on Sunday and, if necessary, Game 7 from Cranbrook on Tuesday.
———
The U of Manitoba Bisons staged quite a comeback as the CIS hockey championship began at Fort William, Ont., Gardens. F Mike Heller got his second goal, at 1:51 of OT, to give the No. 5 Bisons a 5-4 victory over the No. 2 McGill Redmen. . . . McGill led that one 4-1 going into the third period. . . . Manitoba tied it on goals by F Kyle Howarth (Medicine Hat, Spokane, Prince Albert, 2003--06), Hellyer (Prince Albert, 2003-06) and F Ian Duval (Regina, Calgary, Moose Jaw, Kelowna, 2003-09). Duval tied it with 4.8 seconds left in the third period. Duval also made the pass that set up Hellyer’s winner.
———
How did the Vancouver Giants celebrate their four-game sweep of the Kamloops Blazers that was completed Wednesday night? Well, they spent a couple of hours sitting on their broken down bus between Kamloops and Vancouver. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that the Giants’ bus broke down not far from Kamloops and the team had to wait a couple of hours for a replacement. Instead of getting back to their homes by 3 a.m., they didn’t get home until around 6. . . . As Ewen pointed out, the Giants’ bus has had a tough season. “The bus has already had difficulties on trips from Chilliwack and Regina and there was the flat tire just outside Binscarth, Man., that caused a six-hour delay during their extended Eastern Conference roadswing brought about by the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.”
———
The SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks have hired Doug Johnson as their next head coach. He presently is an assistant coach with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. Johnson, from Bracken, Sask., is a former Hawks player. . . . He replaces Colin O’Hara who resigned on Feb. 10.

Wednesday . . .

FIRST ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Moose Jaw (8)
(Moose Jaw leads series 3-1)
Thursday: Moose Jaw at Calgary, 7 p.m.
———
Brandon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
(Brandon wins series 4-0)
Wednesday: Brandon 3 vs. Swift Current 2 (OT) (at Regina)
———
Saskatoon (3) vs. Red Deer (6)
(Saskatoon leads series 3-0)
Wednesday: Saskatoon 2 at Red Deer 1 (OT)
Thursday: Saskatoon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
———
Kootenay (4) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Series tied 2-2)
Wednesday: Kootenay 1 at Medicine Hat 5
Friday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Chilliwack (8)
(Tri-City leads series 3-1)
Wednesday: Tri-City 4 at Chilliwack 3 (OT)
Friday: Chilliwack at Tri-City, 7 p.m.
———
Vancouver (2) vs. Kamloops (7)
(Vancouver wins series 4-0)
Wednesday: Vancouver 5 at Kamloops 4
———
Everett (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Series tied 2-2)
Wednesday: Everett 4 at Kelowna 5 (2OT)
Friday: Kelowna at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Saturday: Everett at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
———
Spokane (4) vs. Portland (5)
(Spokane leads series 2-1)
Wednesday: Portland 2 at Spokane 1
Friday: Portland at Spokane, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Portland at Spokane, 7 p.m.
———
WEDNESDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Regina, D Alexander Urbom scored at 16:27 of overtime to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings won the series, 4-0. . . . The Broncos played their two home games in Regina because the world women’s curling championship is being played in the arena in Swift Current. . . . Attendance was 1,344. . . . Urbom’s goal was his second of the series. . . . The Wheat Kings scored two second-period goals — by D Travis Hamonic, at 4:39, and F Brayden Schenn, at 7:51 on the PP — to take a 2-0 lead. . . . The Broncos tied it before the end of the second, on goals by D Reece Scarlett, at 13:15, and F Taylor Vause, shorthanded, at 18:41. . . . Schenn also had an assist and finished the four games with nine points. . . . The Wheat Kings were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-2. . . . Brandon G Jacob DeSerres stopped 20 shots, while Swift Current’s Mark Friesen turned aside 45. . . . Brandon was without D Jordan Hale, who is awaiting the length of a suspension for a charging major he took for a hit on Broncos F Adam Lowry in Game 3. Lowry didn’t play in Game 4.
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In Red Deer, F Marek Viedensky scored his first goal of the playoffs at 5:03 of overtime to give the Saskatoon Blades a 2-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Viedensky was acquired from the Prince George Cougars in January. He fired the puck towards the net from the boards and had it bounce off a couple of Rebels and into the net. . . . The Blades, with a 3-0 lead, can eliminate the Rebels on Thursday night in Red Deer. . . . The Blades, who were without GM/head coach Lorne Molleken and three players after a line brawl in Game 2, took a 1-0 lead when D Stefan Elliott scored a PP goal at 0:04 of the seocnd period. . . . Red Deer tied it on its first goal of the series, with F Willie Coetzee scoring at 10:52. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 37 shots. . . . Red Deer G Kraymer Barnstable kicked out 39. . . . The Blades were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 4,082. . . . With Molleken suspended for four games, assistant coach David Struch is running the Blades’ bench. . . . After the shenanigans of Game 2, referees Dan Cowley and Derek Herman gave the Blades 20 of 34 penalty minutes, including a misconduct to F Curt Gogol. . . . WHL commissioner Ron Robison and Richard Doerksen, the league’s vice-president, hockey, were in attendance.
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers got a goal and two assists from F Taylor Gal and beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-1. . . . Gal set up F Emerson Etem for his third goal of the series at 9:52 of the first period and then scored on a penalty shot at 2:08 of the second. . . . F Dominik Pacovsky got the Ice to within one at 4:19 of the second, but the Ice scored three times, twice on the PP, before the period ended. . . . D Tomas Kundratek, D Mark Isherwood and F Wacey Hamilton all scored, with Kundratek and Hamilton counting on the PP. . . . The Tigers were 2-for-7 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-6. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 21 shots, while the Ice duo of starter Todd Mathews and Nathan Lieuwen combined on 26 saves. Attendance was 3,966. . . . The series, tied 2-2, continues Friday in Cranbrook.
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In Chilliwack, F Kruise Reddick’s third goal in four games, at 15:09 of overtime, gave the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Bruins forced OT with two goals 11 seconds part in the last minute of the third period. . . . With G Lucas Gore on the bench for the extra attacker, F Jamie Crooks scored at 19:38 and drew an assist on F Kevin Sundher’s goal at 19:49. . . . The Americans led 2-0 when F Patrick Holland and F Brendan Shinnimin, with his fifth goal in four games, scored at 8:35 and 9:09 of the first period. . . . F Ryan Howse, with his fourth goal of the series, got the Bruins to within one at 3:12. . . . F Brooks Macek upped the Americans’ lead, on the PP, at 10:55 of the third. . . . F Adam Hughesman drew two assists for Tri-City. . . . Attendance was 3,449. . . . One night after the teams combined for 18 power plays, the Americans were 1-for-3 and the Bruins were 0-for-2. . . . Both goaltenders — Drew Owsley of the Americans and Gore — stopped 33 shots. . . . The victory was the first in Chilliwack for Tri-City head coach Jim Hiller, who was fired by the Bruins after last season. He had been their head coach through three seasons. The Americans lost three times in Chilliwack during this regular season. . . . The Americans were without F Neal Prokop, who suffered a season-ending broken leg in Game 3. “We were playing for Neal today. Today and the rest of the way,” Reddick told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. . . . The Americans, with a 3-1 edge, are at home for Game 5 on Friday.
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In Kamloops, F Brendan Gallagher broke a 4-4 tie at 15:41 of the third period and the Vancouver Giants beat the Blazers, 5-4. . . . The Giants won the series in four games. . . . The Blazers have lost 19 straight playoff games. . . . F Colin Smith gave Kamloops a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the game at 9:23 of the third period. . . . F Craig Cunningham tied it at 10:45. . . . Cunningham and Gallagher each had 10 points in the four games. . . . D Austin Madaisky, who was the Blazers’ best player in the series, scored his third goal in four games. He also had three assists in the series. . . . The Blazers were 3-for-3 on the PP; the Giants were 1-for-2. . . . D Kevin Connauton and F Lance Bouma had two assists each for Vancouver. . . . Kamloops C C.J. Stretch, in his final WHL game, set up three goals, while linemate Brendan Ranford had two helpers. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 25 shots. Kamloops G Jon Groenheyde, in his first start of the series, turned aside 26 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,140.
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In Kelowna, F Geordie Wudrick’s PP goal, at 0:46 of the second overtime period, gave the Rockets a 5-4 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The victory allowed the Rockets to hold serve, with Game 5 in Everett on Friday. . . . Wudrick scored his second goal of the game, and sixth in four games, with F Chris Langkow off for tripping. He had been penalized at 19:19 of the first OT. . . . Everett led this one 2-0 before it was six minutes old, on goals from F Shane Harper, his fourth, and F Markus McCrea. . . . Kelowna scored the next three goals, all before the first period ended. F Spencer Main, Wudrick and F Brett Bulmer counted. . . . The Silvertips took a 4-3 lead in the second period on goals from F Clayton Cumiskey and D Ryan Murray. . . . The Rockets forced OT when D Antoine Corbin scored his second goal of the series at 2:45 of the third period. Corbin had five goals in the regular season. . . . The Rockets were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 1-for-3. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger, in his first start of the series, stopped 39 shots, nine more than Everett’s Thomas Heemskerk. . . . Attendance was 6,088. . . . Everett was without D Radko Gudas (upper body) for a second straight game.
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In Spokane, D Troy Rutkowski broke a 1-1 tie at 16:00 of the third period and the Portland Winterhawks hung on to beat the Chiefs, 2-1. . . . Portland has eight goals in this series, with five of them from the back end. . . . The Chiefs, with a 2-1 lead, are at home to Game 4 on Friday night. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter scored at 5:22 of the second period. . . . Spokane F Kyle Beach got that one back at 12:10 of the second. It was his third goal of the series. . . . Portland, which has won all five times it has played in Spokane this season, was 0-for-1 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-for-2. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 30 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid kicked out 47 shots. . . . The Chiefs gave up a season-high 49 shots on goal. . . . Attendance was 4,320.

Chiefs move could be bad news for Storm

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
Barry Dewar, owner and general manager of the Kamloops Storm, will be sad to see the Chase Chiefs move to Kelowna, and so will his wallet.
Dewar, whose Storm lost a KIJHL first-round playoff series to Chase last month, was talking about the Chiefs’ potential move to Kelowna, which appears imminent. Chiefs owner Fred Pittendreigh said Wednesday that an announcement would be coming Friday.
Dewar said that some Chase fans may start to support the Storm if the Chiefs move to Kelowna, but he figured that the loss of Kamloops’ biggest rival would hurt the Storm.
“It’s a big hit economically,” said Dewar, who pointed out that he has yet to talk to Pittendreigh to confirm the move. “There are hoops that Fred has to jump through . . . but if he does move, it would have an impact on the Kamloops Storm.”
The Chiefs have only been in the KIJHL since 2007-08, but have created a terrific rivalry with the Storm. Most of that comes from the Chase fans, who drive into Kamloops for the games and routinely out-cheer their Storm counterparts.
Dewar said that the games the Chiefs play in Kamloops — Chase played here four times during the 2009-10 regular season, and twice in the playoffs — were “unquestionably” the most profitable of the season.
“It’s not even close to the next closest team,” Dewar said. “Chase has a great fanbase and it does support the team — I think if you talk to the Sicamous Eagles, they’d say the same things.”
The Chiefs’ move has been rumoured for a few weeks now, but Pittendreigh sounded as though it was a done deal. He said an announcement is coming Friday, and didn’t deny that it involved the team moving to Kelowna.
“That’s what it looks like,” he said. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know Friday.”
If the Chiefs do move to Kelowna, they would be the third junior hockey team in that region — along with the WHL’s Rockets, who routinely sell out the 6,007-seat Prospera Place, are the Westside Warriors, who play in the BCHL.
Dewar, meanwhile, said he doesn’t intend to look into moving the Storm to Chase — a move that may be more appealing than it seems when considering the solid community support in the town, plus relatively low costs of playing at Art Holding Memorial Arena.
“The nice thing about Kamloops is that, while it costs more to operate, it has a lot of benefits,” Dewar said, pointing to the community getting behind the Keystone Cup Western Canadian junior B championship, which is scheduled for April 15-18 at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre. “We’re getting good corporate support.”
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

Dylan a complete unknown — except to Segal

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It is rare, indeed, to find a junior hockey player who professes to be a fan of Bob Dylan — yes, that Bob Dylan.
But such is the case with goaltender Mark Segal of the Vancouver Giants.
“My dad is a Dylan fan . . . has been for a long time,” said Segal, an 18-year-old WHL freshman from Vancouver, as he prepared to face the Kamloops Blazers in a WHL playoff game at Interior Savings Centre.
While in high school, Segal said, he listened to the same music as everyone else — “rock.”
But as time wore on he went back to his childhood memories. His father, a psychiatrist who is from South Africa, listened to a lot of Dylan. And so it was that when he revisited his childhood, Segal became a Dylan fan.
Segal has twice seen Dylan in concert, once in Seattle and once at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, which just happens to be the Giants’ home arena.
Segal said he doesn’t listen to Dylan prior to games — he prefers to leave the American Troubadour for his spare time. Instead, Segal listens to hip-hop and some country around the rink.
Overall, though, he said he listens to “everything . . . Neil Young . . . Grateful Dead . . . country.”
There is, he said, a lot of country in the Giants’ dressing room, something Segal blames on “some of the guys from Saskatchewan.”
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Ask the Kamloops Blazers what’s playing in their dressing room and you get a variety of answers.
“It’s a mix of everything,” offers freshman forward Colin Smith, a 16-year-old from Edmonton. He said he listens to “whatever is new” and “whatever is good.”
Does he listen to Bob Dylan?
“I don’t know who that is,” Smith replied.
Veteran forward C.J. Stretch, 20, said a lot of ’80s rock plays in the Blazers’ room. He mentioned Motley Crue and Metallica, just for starters.
And what about Bob Dylan?
“I don’t know who that is,” said Stretch, who is from Irvine, Calif.
The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind . . .
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Vancouver forward Brett Breitkreuz sounded quite pleased to hear that Bob Green, the general manager of the Edmonton Oil Kings, had taken in Game 3 of the series on Tuesday night.
Breitkreuz, who scored the overtime goal in the Giants’ 5-4 victory, was acquired from Edmonton at the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
“I have nothing bad to say about the Edmonton Oil Kings organization,” said Breitkreuz, a 20-year-old from Springside, Sask. “It was a special place to play for two and a half seasons. They treated me with nothing but respect and class . . . they are going to have a geat organization there in a couple of years. They have some great young players.”
The Giants got Breitkreuz and forward Tomas Vincour, 19, for forwards Garry Nunn, 20, Mike Piluso, 19, Sebastien Svendsen, 18, two bantam draft picks and a conditional pick.
“I hope the trade works out for the best for both teams,” Breitkreuz said. “I really do thank Bob Green for this opportunity.”
The Giants wanted to get bigger up front at the trade deadline, and the 6-foot-2 Breitkreuz and Vincour, at 6-foot-2, have fit right in. So, too, have James Wright, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, who was returned by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, and Brett Lyon (6-foot-2) and Milan Kytnar (6-foot-1), both of whom were acquired earlier in the season.
“I think I fit in in Vancouver . . . with what the Giants are trying to do,” said Breitkreuz, whose younger brother, Clarke, finished up the season with the Prince George Cougars.
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The Blazers now have lost six straight overtime games on home ice.
That includes two losses to the Prince George Cougars in the spring of 2007, one to the Kootenay Ice in 2005 and another to the Cougars in 1998, along with a 3-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets a year ago Wednesday.
The last time the Blazers won in OT at home? On April 6, 1996, F Jarome Iginla scored at 13:23 of extra time to provide a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans.
Since that Iginla goal, the Blazers also are 2-6 in OT games on the road.
That includes two losses in triple OT — to the Calgary Hitmen in 1999 and Kootenay in 2003 — and the longest game in WHL history, a 3-2 loss to the Ice in Cranbrook on March 25, 2003.
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The Brothers GM — Scott Bonner is the Giants’ general manager; brother Craig is the Blazers’ GM — bear a striking resemblance to each other.
So it was no surprise to Scott when the parking lot attendant at the ISC mistook him for his brother Wednesday night and asked why he was slowing down.
“You know where you park,” she said to him.
It was, Scott said, the third time it had happened that day.
He twice was asked if this was the night the streak — the Blazers went into Game 4 having lost 18 straight playoff games — would end?
“It happens all the time,” a laughing Scott said of being mistaken for his brother, “and that’s the worst part.”
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JUST NOTES: Vincour signed a three-year NHL contract with the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. Vincour was a fifth-round pick by the Stars in the 2009 NHL draft. In the regular-season, he had 48 points, including 29 goals, with Vancouver and Edmonton. Vincour was a late scratch prior to last night’s game. No reason was given, but he did take a stick to the face in a Thursday practice. That cost him four teeth and he took 12 stitches. He played the first three games of the series wearing a full shield. . . . The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks have signed F Prab Rai, 20, of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Rai was a fifth-round pick by the Canucks in the 2008 NHL draft. He had 69 points, including 41 goals, with the Thunderbirds this season.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com