So how exactly is it that the Tri-City Americans do it?
Tri-City, a franchise that was in the junkyard not all that long ago, has played 17 games. It has won 11 of those and has loser points from two other outings. That means the Americans are 11-4-2 on the season.
They went 8-4-2 in October, despite playing 11 of those games on the road.
The Americans already have played one-third of their road games — they are 7-4-1 away from home. Their six-game East Division trip is finished — they went 3-3-0 after losing the first two. Their annual trip to Prince George is finished — they split with the much-improved Cougars, winning 7-3 and losing 8-3.
In the friendly confines of the Toyota Center, the Americans are 4-0-1.
In the second game of that East Division road swing, the Americans lost Brendan Shinnimin, their top centre, to a 12-game suspension for an ugly check from behind. The Americans are 7-2-1 without Shinnimin, who is eligible to return Nov. 13 when they meet the Chiefs in Spokane.
They lost veteran C Kruise Reddick, their captain, to a concussion in an Oct. 9 game against the Wheat Kings in Brandon. They are 5-2-1 without him.
They were without veteran C Mason Wilgosh (jaw) for their first 10 games.
And they are one point behind the Portland Winterhawks, who lead the Western Conference and the U.S. Division.
Let’s not forget that when this season started the Americans weren’t big enough, weren’t skilled enough, had lost too much off the back end and on and on and on.
So how do they do it?
For starters, GM Bob Tory and his scouting staff are as good as any talent evaluators in the league and, of course, they struck the mother lode in Winnipeg, a city that has contributed a whole lot to the Tri-City cause.
Tory has hired solid coaches, first in Don Nachbaur and now in Jim Hiller, who is in his second season with the Americans.
But, more than anything else, I would suggest that the Americans are evidence of what happens when management really is able to change the culture of an organization.
A lot of people involved in downtrodden sports organizations talk about needing (and wanting) to change the culture, recognizing that an entire thought process has to be remade before a franchise can get back on the track to success. Some franchises struggle to get back, finding that this is a process that takes time. Others never make it, or, if they do, rise to the top for a season or two and then slide right back down.
The Americans, though, seem to have found the elixir. They may not get a whole lot of publicity but there can be little doubt that they now are one of the 60-team CHL’s elite franchises.
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The Americans are just one of the great early stories as the WHL turns the page from October to November.
Right up there with them are the Kootenay Ice and Prince George Cougars.
Kootenay GM Jeff Chynoweth heard from the railbirds when, after saying he wouldn’t do it, he went ahead and promoted assistant coach Kris Knoblauch to head coach following the departure of Mark Holick. The critics were quick to seize on Knoblauch’s age (32) and the fact he had minimal coaching experience.
With assistants Jerry Bancks and Todd Johnson helping out, the Ice has won seven in a row, boasts an 11-3-1 record, and is sitting atop the Eastern Conference, one point clear of the Saskatoon Blades. If you put stock in winning percentages, Kootenay’s .767 is second only to Portland (.833).
The Cranbrook critics have been silent of late. If you’re a WHL fan you just hope they start buying tickets again.
Meanwhile, the Cougars, who had the worst record in the entire CHL last season, are 9-6-1 and fourth in the Western Conference. In the B.C. Division, they are but three points behind the front-running Vancouver Giants.
What is most impressive, however, is that the Cougars are 6-3-1 on the road. What’s the big deal? Last season, they finished with a 4-28-4 road record.
Hockey fans in Prince George have been slow to make their way back to the CN Centre, although it is early — the Cougars have played only six home games. But the Cougars are 7-2-1 in their last 10 outings and, with Brett Connolly healthy and defenceman Martin Marincin getting better every time out, you wonder if there won’t be a lot of magic in this season.
And let’s not forget the Winterhawks, who were having so much dirt shovelled on them just a couple of short years ago. Remember?
Now they are 12-2-1. They have won six in a row and nine of 10. They lead the WHL in victories, points and winning percentage. They are scoring and playing defence, with Mac Carruth and Keith Hamilton, a pair of 18-year-olds, providing solid goaltending.
They didn’t really need to get back Nino Niederreiter, but the Swiss sensation landed on their doorstep Friday, fresh off nine games with the NHL’s New York Islanders. Oh, and he likely has enough coin in his jeans to buy lunch for the boys a time or two.
More than that, though, the Winterhawks have a team that is entertaining and fun to watch. There is chemistry between Ty Rattie, the 17-year-old sophomore, and Swiss freshman Sven Bartschi. And there is Gordie Howe-like unpredictability in winger Brad Ross.
What all of this means is that the Winterhawks are back. Now if only the fans would return.
On the other end of the performance scale are teams like the Kelowna Rockets and the Calgary Hitmen.
The Rockets (4-10-0) have lost three straight and have fallen into the Western Conference basement. They are six points out of a playoff spot and GM Bruce Hamilton and head coach Ryan Huska have experessed concern about leadership and work ethic from veteran players. Those are never positive signs.
In Calgary, the Hitmen also are 4-10-0, but they have lost six in a row. Coaches and players are talking about sticking together and not getting frustrated and taking the positives and working with them to get better.
The Hitmen, of course, are the WHL’s defending champions. But when you’re 4-10-0 stuff happens. Like on Sunday when they twice erased two-goal deficits only to lose on a goal with 59.1 seconds left in the third period.
But that’s what happens when the snowball starts rolling downhill.
Just ask the Brandon Wheat Kings, who recently followed a four-game winning streak with a nine-game drought.
Or the Edmonton Oil Kings. It wasn’t that long ago when they were on a franchise-record five-game winning streak. Today, they are trying to snap an eight-game losing skid.
That’s the kind of season it’s been to date. And the fun likely has just begun.
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The Regina Pats, of course, were beaten at home 11-1 by the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night. According to Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post it was the Pats’ most-lopsided defeat in eight years, matching a 10-0 loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Oct. 26, 2002.” . . . Harder also pointed out that “the Pats’ three 20-year-olds — Mark Schneider (-6), Colin Reddin (-6) and Thomas Frazee (-4) — were a combined minus-16.” . . . F Marek Kalus, who scored twice for Spokane in that victory, is the younger brother of F Petr Kalus, who played for the Pats in 2005-06.
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SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
SASKATOON 5 at CALGARY 3: D Stefan Elliott broke a 3-3 tie with 59.1 seconds left in the third period. . . . This was a strange game in that there was one goal scored in the first period and seven in the third. . . . The Blades (10-5-0) scored first when F Darian Dziurzynski got his 11th at 5:04 of the first. . . . F Curtis Hamilton upped the lead to 2-0 at 2:02 of the third. . . . F T revor Ccheek, with his second, got the Hitmen on the board at 6:05. . . . F Braeden Johnson restored Saskatoon’s two-goal lead, with his second, just 55 seconds later. . . . The Htimen then pulled into a tie on goals from F Tyler Fiddler, his third, and F Jimmy Bubnick, his fourth, at 8:24 and 13:41. . . . Elliott won it with his fourth and Hamilton added an empty-netter, his eighth, at 19:50. . . . Hamilton also had an assist, while the Blades got two assists from each of F Marek Viedensky and F Josh Nicholls. . . . The Hitmen (4-10-0) have lost six in a row. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrisoin stopped 21 shots, four fewer than Calgary’s Michael Snider. . . . Saskatoon was 0-for-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 7,536. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

DePape gets bragging rights over buddy

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Jordan DePape admits that he did a lot of talking during Saturday’s WHL game at Interior Savings Centre.
“I was talking to him throughout the game,” the Kamloops Blazers’ winger said, the “him” being Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Calvin Pickard. “Like, ‘I got one coming on you Cal.’ We were laughing about it.”
Pickard almost had the last laugh, too, but, in the end, it was DePape who wore the biggest smile.

JORDAN DePAPE

DePape blasted a rebound past Pickard on a Kamloops power play just 32 seconds into overtime to give the Blazers a 3-2 victory before an announced crowd of 4,058.
The victory snapped the Blazers’ four-game home-ice losing streak and improved their record to 8-7-1. They’ll play at home again Wednesday, this time against the Kelowna Rockets (4-10-0), who have lost three in a row.
The Thunderbirds (5-3-4) have points in nine of 12 games as they have gone into overtime or a shootout on seven occasions.
DePape and Pickard were born a month apart in the spring of 1992 and grew up in Winnipeg.
“We’re good buddies,” DePape said. “I started playing hockey with him when I was eight.
“He knows where I like to shoot. I was lucky enough to get an open net on him and he almost did grab it.”
Pickard, the younger brother of former Tri-City Americans star goaltender Chet Pickard, finished with 49 saves, many of them of the magnificent variety. On a number of occasions, he slid across his crease to stone a Blazers’ shooter who was attempting to one-time the puck into an apparent open net.
On the winner, Pickard didn’t quite get over in time and DePape, from the left wing, was able to slap in a Chase Schaber rebound for his fourth goal of the season.
“That’s the Calvin (we’ve heard about),” DePape said. “He almost won that game and we more than doubled them in shots.”
The Blazers didn’t have much trouble getting pucks to the net against one of the WHL’s largest teams.
“That’s going to win us games,” DePape said. “If it’s any other goalie in the league, we probably would have had a couple of others. That has to be our bread and butter . . . get a lot of shots on net and crash the net.”
The Blazers outshot the visitors 19-3 in the first period and 16-9 in the second but were tied 1-1 going into the third. Centre Colin Smith scored for the Blazers at 9:43 of the first period on a wrap-around, while defenceman Travis Bobbee drilled a slapshot past Kamloops goaltender Jeff Bosch at 15:58 of the second.
When Bobbee scored, the Blazers had a 35-8 edge in shots.
“We rely on Pickard,“ Bobbee said, “but we kind of don’t want to  . . . but we do. He’s such a good goaltender.”
Left-winger Marcel Noebels actually put Seattle out front on a backdoor play on the power play early in the third period, a play on which Bosch had no chance.
Bosch, while not as busy as Pickard, had a quality night with 23 saves. That included a key glove save on Seattle centre Luke Lockhart who was awarded a penalty shot at 3:16 of the third period, just 1:56 after Noebels had scored.
Kamloops defenceman Austin Madaisky, with his fourth of the season, forged a 2-2 tie by beating Pickard with a high shot through traffic on a power play at 8:43.
Seattle was presented with a late power-play opportunity when forward Tyler Alos tried to power his way around Kamloops defenceman Brandon Underwood, who was nailed for holding.
Before the Thunderbirds could mount much of a threat, defencemen Brenden Dillon was penalized for interference — the Blazers, killing the Underwood penalty, chipped the puck past Dillon and he nudged winger Dylan Willick to prevent a 2-on-1 going the other way.
A couple of years ago, neither Underwood nor Dillon would have been penalized. Times have changed, however, and both players found themselves doing time.
It was while Dillon was off that DePape put this one to bed.
The Blazers hadn’t had great starts in recent games. For example, they had fallen behind 4-0 on Wednesday before eventually dropping a 6-4 decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings.
This time, though, the slow start was nowhere to be found.
“It wasn’t as loud as it usually is,” DePape said of his club’s pregame buildup. “We said, ‘Enough talk. Let’s just go and do it.’
“I thought we had a good start.”
That they did.
At the same time, the Thunderbirds were back on their heels. They had dropped a 2-0 decision to the visiting Prince George Cougars on Friday night and headed this way immediately after the game, arriving at about 4 a.m.
Still, Bobbee refused to attribute his side’s start to bus legs.
“I think it was more mental,” he said. “We can’t let the schedule get in the way of things. It’s more of a mental thing. Every team goes through it. Once we get past that we’ll be a better team and definitely play a full 60 minutes.”
JUST NOTES: Referees Dan Cowley and Trent Knorr gave each team seven minors and one major. . . . The Blazers were 2-for-6 on the power play; the Thunderbirds were 1-for-6. . . . Madaisky’s goal was announced as unassisted but assists were added Sunday to F JT Barnett and D Corey Fienhage. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Pickard: Could have had all three stars; 2. Bosch: May have saved day with save on penalty shot; 3. DePape: Lots of chances and buried the winner.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

Consider for a few moments, if you will, the road, or roads, travelled by Travis Bobbee during his WHL career.
Bobbee, 20, grew up on a farm near the rural Manitoba community of Arborg. It’s in the Interlake region, about an hour’s drive north of Winnipeg. The population of Arborg in 2006 was 1,021.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes selected Bobbee with the 15th overall pick in the 2005 bantam draft. He played 59 games over two seasons in Lethbridge -- population somewhere around 86,000 -- before being traded to Portland, with a population of slightly more than 500,000, early in 2007-08.
The Winterhawks dealt him to the Swift Current Broncos last season. Swift Current, with a population of 16,000, is the smallest of the 60 communities that are home to CHL teams.
Earlier this season, Bobbee found himself on the move again. This time it was off to Seattle -- population about 600,000, but with something like 4 million living in its metropolitan area.
Going from Portland to Swift Current, Bobbee admits, was a bit of a shock.
“Everything in that town is about five minutes away,” said Bobbee, who scored his first goal of the season in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday night. “It’s unbelievable how small it was.”
But now he’s in Seattle where traffic can be, shall we say, something of a problem.
The Thunderbirds, for example, played at home on Friday night. Rather than wait until Saturday morning to head for Kamloops, they chose to leave right after a 2-0 loss to the Prince George Cougars.
That’s because they knew the traffic would be much lighter at night than at anytime the following day.
As a chuckling Bobbee put it: “Every hour is rush hour” in the Seattle area.
As for making the adjustment from Swift Current to Seattle, Bobbee said: “Now everything is back to the big city life. It’s 15, 20, 25 minutes to get to the rink some days.”
His family is still on the farm at Arborg, so he’s still a small-town boy at heart.
Ask him what he prefers -- big city or small town -- and he replies: “Ahh, I’ll take anything.”
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SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
VANCOUVER 4 at EDMONTON 2: G Brendan Jensen stopped 35 shots for the Giants (10-6-2). . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher broke a 1-1 tie 20 seconds into the second period with his WHL-leading 16th goal. . . . Vancouver F Matt Bellerive got his second just 2:26 later. . . . F James Henry upped the lead to 4-1 at 3:54 of the third. . . . F Michael St. Croix had both Edmonton goals. He has six. . . . The Oil Kings (5-9-1) have lost eight in a row. . . . Vancouver F Craig Cunningham, the WHL’s scoring leader, had two assists. . . . Edmonton starter Cam Lanigan surrendered three goals on six shots. Laurent Brossoit came on to stop 15 of 16. . . . Vancouver was 1-for-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,311. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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BRANDON 3 at LETHBRIDGE 6: F Graham Hood scored his second and third goals of the season for the Hurricanes (6-5-3). His first goal gave the home team a 4-0 lead at 16:06 of the first period. . . . Lethbridge F Brady Ramsay scored his first WHL goal at 4:31 of the first to give his side a 2-0 edge. . . . F Cam Braes upped the lead to 3-0 when he ended a 12-game drought at 9:47 of the first. It was his third goal of the season. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-10-1) had been 2-0-1 in their last three games. This was the last game in an eight-game road trip that took them through the B.C. Division. Brandon finished 2-5-0-1 on the trip that began Oct. 16 in Swift Current. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes was lifted after one period. He gave up four goals on 14 shots. Liam (Sonny) Liston came on to stop 15 of 17. . . . F Jacob Berglund, F Ryon Moser and D Reid Jackson each had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . F Dominick Favreau scored twice for Brandon, while Mark Stone got his 10th. . . . Brandon was 1-for-5 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-for-4. . . . Lethbridge G Dylan Tait turned aside 32 shots. . . . Brandon F Shayne Wiebe left in the first period with an apparent leg injury and didn’t return. . . . Lethbridge F Brody Sutter returned from a shoulder injury but left after two shifts. . . . Attendance was 2,776. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Brandon F Hampus Gustafsson.
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PRINCE ALBERT 4 at MOOSE JAW 7: F Quinton Howden scored twice in the game’s first 5:03 and the Warriors went on to lead this one 5-1 before the second period was half over. . . . Howden has nine goals. . . . Moose Jaw (7-8-1) has won three straight. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek also scored twice, giving him seven, while F Sam Fioretti had three assists. F Spencer Edwards and F Dylan Hood added two helpers each for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw F Danny Gayle had a goal and two assists. . . . Raiders F Jonathan Parker got his 11th goal of the season. . . . Moose Jaw F A.J. Johnson got his first WHL goal. . . . The Raiders (5-8-4) got two goals from F Todd Fiddler, who has three. . . . Moose Jaw G Brandon Stone stopped 30 shots in what was his second career start and his first complete game. . . . G Jamie Tucker of the Raiders turned aside 31. . . . P.A. was 3-for-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 1-for-6. . . . The Raiders have lost five in a row. . . . Attendance was 2,678. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SPOKANE 11 at REGINA 1: F Levko Koper scored two goals and set up four others for the Chiefs (6-7-0). . . . Koper, who has seven goals, also was plus-5. . . . The Chiefs, who opened an East Division tour with a 3-2 loss in Moose Jaw on Friday, scored twice in the first period and added five more in the second before the Pats got on the board. . . . Regina (5-8-2) had won three straight. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson added two goals and two assists, while F Marek Kalus had two goals and an assist. . . . D Garrett Leedahl, D Brenden Kichton and F Dominik Uher each had two assists. . . . Attendance was 4,327. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SEATTLE 2 at KAMLOOPS 3 (OT): F Jordan DePape scored a PP goals 32 seconds into overtime to win this one. It was his fourth goal of the season. . . . However, the night belonged to Seattle G Calvin Pickard, who stopped 49 shots. . . . DePape and Pickard are boyhood friends from Winnipeg. . . . The Thunderbirds (5-3-4) have lost five straight games but have at least one point in nine of their 12 games. . . . The Blazers (8-7-1) took a 1-0 lead on F Colin Smith’s third goal at 9:43 of the first. . . . The Thunderbirds took a 2-1 lead on goals by D Travis Bobbee, his first, at 15:58 of the second, and F Marcel Noebels, his fourth, on the PP, at 1:10 of the third. . . . Kamloops D Austin Madaisky forced OT with a PP goal at 8:43 of the third. . . . The Blazers outshot Seattle 19-3 in the first period and 16-9 in the second. The home team had three quick PP shots in OT, with DePape slapping home a rebound. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch turned aside 23 shots. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-6 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 4,058. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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PRINCE GEORGE 4 at TRI-CITY 3 (SO): F Charles Inglis won this one with a shootout goal. . . . He and D Sena Acolatse, both of whom were acquired from Saskatoon this season, both scored in the shootout. F Adam Hughesman scored for the Americans, with Inglis breaking the tie. . . . The Cougars got the game’s first goal, from D Martin Marincin on the PP at 1:55 of the first, and the teams alternated goals after that. . . . F Jordan Messier had two goals -- he has 11 -- and an assist for the Americans (11-4-2). . . . Inglis had two assists for the Cougars (9-6-1) who won 2-0 in Seattle on Friday night. . . . The Americans had won their first four home games. . . . The Cougars had been winless in 13 games in the Toyota Center, going back to Nov. 2, 2003. . . . Prince George G Ty Rimmer, coming off the shutout in Seattle, stopped 28 shots, one fewer than Tri-City’s Drew Owsley. . . . Each team was 1-for-3 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 4,165. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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KELOWNA 1 at PORTLAND 6: The Winterhawks (12-2-1) ran their win streak to six with their second victory over the Rockets in two nights. On Friday, Portland beat the visitors 4-2. . . . Kelowna (4-10-0) now has lost three straight. . . . The Winterhawks are 6-1-1 at home. They lead the WHL in points (25), victories (12) and winning percentage (.833). . . . Portland forwards Ty Rattie and Sven Bartschi ran their point streaks to nine games. Rattie, who had two goals and an assists, has 20 points in those nine games. Bartschi, who had a goal and assist, has 17 points over the nine games. . . . Rattie, with 28 points, is third in the WHL scoring race. Bartschi, with 23 points, is the WHL’s highest-scoring rookie. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter, playing his second game since returning from the NHL’s New York Islanders, scored his first goal. . . . Portland got two assists from each of D Joe Morrow and F Brad Ross. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 29 shots to improve to 6-1. He has allowed five goals over his last five games. . . . Carruth lost his shutout bid when F Shane McColgan scored on the PP at 10:39 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 35 shots, including a second-period penalty shot by F Taylor Peters. . . . Attendance was 2,508. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SASKATOON 1 at RED DEER 7: F Andrej Kudrna scored three times and set up another to lead the Rebels (11-5-0). . . . Red Deer, which has won three straight, broke open a 1-1 tie with two PP goals in the last minute of the second period, F Byron Froese getting his ninth at 19:12 and Kudrna scoring 35 seconds later. . . . Kudrna now has 12 goals. . . . The Rebels added four third-period goals. . . . Froese finished up with a goal and two assists, while F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists. . . . The Blades are 10-4-0. . . . The Rebels have allowed 31 goals in 16 games. . . . The Blades had earned a 2-1 victory in Red Deer on Oct. 15. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 25 shots. . . . Saskatoon starter Adam Morrison allowed four goals on 28 shots. With Steven Stanford (concussion) out for a week, Adam Todd backed up Morrison and saw his first action. He stopped nine of 12 shots. Todd was brought in from the Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. major midget league. . . . Saskatoon was 0-for-1 on the PP; the Rebels were 3-for-8. . . . Attendance was 4,897. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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CHILLIWACK 4 at MEDICINE HAT 5: F Linden Vey led the Tigers (7-5-0) with a goal and two assists, his goal, at 16:23 of the third period, giving his guys a 5-3 lead. . . . Vey has four goals on the season. . . . F Emerson Etem scored three times for the Tigers, giving him nine on the season. He scored once at even strength, once on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . F Wacey Hamilton of Medicine Hat broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 4:03 of the third. . . . Tigers D Thomas Carr had two assists. . . . The Bruins (8-5-0) got two assists from F Ryan Howse. . . . Each team was 2-for-7 on the PP. . . . Medicne Hat had lost two in a row, while the Bruins had a four-game winning streak snapped. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

Orr going pink

Colton Orr has always been the thoughtful type. Which is why it should come as no surprise that the Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer will wear pink skates tonight. He's doing it in memory of a friend, Todd Davison, who died of cancer. The two were teammates with the Regina Pats. There's more right here.

Moon continues to shine

The PBR Canadian Cup National Finals presented by Wrangler are scheduled for Saskatoon, in Credit Union Centre, Nov. 19 and 20.
The CUC, of course, is home to the Saskatoon Blades.
So the Blades have cut a promotional deal with PBR Canada and Wrangler that includes the use of a third jersey.
Yes, that is the third jersey in the photo above.
The Blades plan on wearing these jerseys on Nov. 12 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
One look at those jerseys raises a question: They practically scream WRANGLER, even through there is no label in evidence. So how long before we see advertising patches on WHL team jerseys?
When you see a jersey like this one it makes you think it won’t be long until there are Husky/Mohawk patches on the front and KalTire strips across the back.
Or maybe it’ll have Drake Hotel across the back in place of the name bar.
(PBR? That would be Professional Bull Riders.)
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jared Aulin (Kamloops, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Leksand (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had 16 goals and 21 assists in 64 games for the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) last season. The contract contains a one-month tryout clause, then rolls into a contract for the rest of the season. . . .
F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) signed a one-year plus option contract with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga). He had six goals and four assists in an 11 game try-out with Skalica (Slovakia Extraliga) this season.
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Congrats to old friend Cam Moon, the long-serving radio voice of the Red Deer Rebels. He worked his 1,001st consecutive game Friday night as the Rebels beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 5-2.
If you haven’t listened to Moon call a game, you should. He’s personable and easy to listen to, and he and analyst Mike Moller clearly enjoy bringing the games to their listening audience.
Moon will be back at it tonight as the Saskatoon Blades visit Red Deer. Moon once played goal for the Blades — he also played for the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers — and has some great stories to tell, most of which are fit only for private conversations.
He will have a tougher time calling tonight’s game than he did last night. You can bet on that. . . . Why? . . . Because he is one of the biggest baseball fans around. So you know he’ll have Game 3 of the World Series up on his laptop tonight. Yes, he is talented enough to keep one eye on Texas and San Francisco, while talking about Saskatoon and Red Deer.
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Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, has a story right here on the Seattle Thunderbirds’ backup goaltender. Michael Salmon hasn’t had a whole lot to do this season because he’s the caddy for Calvin Pickard, perhaps the WHL’s best goaltender. Salmon, however, is working hard and trying to be a good teammate.
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Former WHL scoring champion Erik Christensen continues to be his own worst enemy. Christensen has all the tools to be a superb offensive player -- he won the 2002-03 WHL scoring title with 108 points while with the Kamloops Blazers -- has always struggled to deal with the pressure he puts on himself to perform. That is the problem again, this time as he struggles to find his place with the New York Rangers. Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes about it right here.
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haven’t seen all of Hockey Canada’s officiating assignments for IIHF events, but at least four WHL officials have been selected to work on the international stage. . . . Matt Kirk and Pat Smith will work at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . Kiel Murchison will be at the the IIHF World Championship in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia, April 29 though May 5. . . . Trent Knorr gets the U-18 World Championship (Division 3, Group B) in Mexico City, March 14-19.
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There was an interesting goaltending battle in Canada West hockey on Friday night as the visiting Alberta Golden Bears scored a 5-4 shootout victory over the Calgary Dinos. . . . Kurtis Mucha of the Golden Bears stopped 18 shots through OT and then turned aside five shooters in a shootout. At the other end, Dustin Butler turned aside 29 shots and stopped the first four shootout shooters he faced before F Sean Ringrose scored to win it. . . . Calgary F Matt Isbister had given his side a 4-3 lead at 18:56 of the third, only to have Alberta F Chad Klassen tie it at 19:42.
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It was one year ago tonight when Ben Fanelli of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers was crushed by Mike Liambis of the Erie Otters. Liambis now is playing for the UBC Thunderbirds, who play in the CIS’s Canada West conference. But waht of Fanelli? It turns out he has yet to receive medical clearance to return to game action. Jeff Hicks of the Kitchener-Waterloo Record has that story right here.
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John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that U.S. college hockey officials will meet with NHL people on Nov. 9 in Toronto. The college hockey people, including Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., are concerned about losing young players to NHL teams. Shipley’s story is right here.
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Haven’t seen one like this in a while. In the Central league last night, the host Missouri Mavericks scored a 5-2 victory over the Mississippi RiverKings. The teams combined for 300 penalty minutes. Check out the scoresheet right here. Gotta love the fact that each team ended up with 150 minutes.
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FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
CHILLIWACK 7 at CALGARY 2: F Roman Horak had two goals and an assist and F Ryan Howse drew three assists for the Bruins (8-4-0), who won their fourth straight game. . . . D Brandon Manning helped out with a goal and three helpers. . . . The Hitmen (4-9-0) have lost five in a row and have scored six goals in those games. . . . The Bruins scored the game’s first two goals — F Brandon Magee getting his first WHL goal and Horak getting his eighth — before the Hitmen roared back to tie it before the first period ended. . . . F Justin Krisch and F Trevor Cheek, with his first WHL score, counted for Calgary. . . . The Bruins, however, got goals from F Robin Soudek, his sixth, and F Chris Collins, his first, before the first period ended. Soudek scored at 17:53, with Collins scoring shorthanded at 19:46. . . . Manning, with his fifth, gave Chilliwack a 5-2 lead in the second. . . . Horak, with his ninth, and F Kevin Sundher, with his second, finished the scoring in the third. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 30 shots. . . . Calgary opened with Juraj Holly. He gave up two goals on five shots and left at 4:39 of the first. Michael Snider came on to stop 20 of 25. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-6 on the PP and now are 23-for-75 (30.7 per cent) on the season. . . . Attendance was 7,813. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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BRANDON 4 at KOOTENAY 5 (SO): The Ice scored three shootout goals to win this one. . . . F Matt Fraser, F Jesse Ismond and F Max Reinhart beat Brandon G Liam (Sonny) Liston, who stopped 37shots through OT. It was the first shootout of Liston’s WHL career. . . . Ice G Brett Teskey stopped 13 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-9-1) were playing the seventh game of an eight-game swing that ends tonight in Lethbridge. . . . The Ice now is 11-3-1 and has won seven in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings led this one 3-0 at 12:18 of the first period on goals by F Brenden Walker, his seventh, D Brodie Melnychuk (3) and F Mark Stone (9). . . . The Ice came back to take a 4-3 lead, with F Drew Czerwonka counting at 11:38 of the third period for that lead. . . . Brandon F Hampus Gustafsson forced OT at 12:34 of the third. . . . F Scott Glennie and F Paul Ciarelli each had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Christian Magnus, D Joey Leach and Czerwonka each had a goal and an assist for the Ice, while F Elgin Pearce had two assists. . . . Brandon was 0-for-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,478. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Ice was without two defencemen — Hayden Rintoul (collarbone) and James Martin (nose). They lost D John Neibrandt after a second-period scrap with F Michael Ferland.
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SPOKANE 2 at MOOSE JAW 3: D Connor Cox scored at 15:40 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. It was his third goal of the season. . . . The Warriors (6-8-1) got the game’s first goal, from F Dylan Hood at 6:39 of the first, and the teams alternated goals after that. . . . Chiefs F Levko Koper forged a 2-2 tie at 5:54 of the third on the PP. . . . The Chiefs (5-7-0), who had won three of four, were playing Game 1 of an eight-game road trip. . . . Moose Jaw F Danny Gayle had a goal and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk kicked out 21 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid turned aside 40. . . . The Chiefs were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,556. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SWIFT CURRENT 4 at PRINCE ALBERT 3 (OT): F Stepan Novotny’s 11th goal of the season, at 2:04 of OT, won it for the Broncos (9-8-0). . . . The Raiders (5-7-4) have lost six in a row. . . . Prince Albert’s Sebastian Svendsen scored twice, giving him 10. He opened the scoring at 15:52 of the first period and the teams alternated scoring after that. . . . Swift Current F Cody Eakin, returning from a hip injury, tied the score 3-3 with his ninth goal at 7:43 of the third on the PP. . . . F Mark McNeill and F Jonathan Parker each had two assists for P.A. . . . The Broncos got two assists from F Taylor Vause, while F Justin Dowling, playing with a sore right shoulder, had a goal and an assist. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raideers were 1-for-5. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 37 shots, 12 more than Prince Albert’s Eric Williams. . . . Attendance was 2,073. . . . The Raiders played again without three defencemen — Jordan Rowley (wrist), Nathan Deck (knee) and Emerson Hrynyk (shoulder). . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . Of the 13 minor penalties handed out, four were for goaltender interference. Each team took two of those penalties.
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VANCOUVER 2 at RED DEER 5: F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and two assists for the Rebels (10-5-0). They acquired Kudrna, who has nine goals, from the Giants last season. . . . F Byron Froese added two goals for the Rebels. He has eight on the season. . . . D Alex Petrovic and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two helpers for the home team. . . . The Giants (9-6-2), who had won four in a row, scored the game’s first and last goals. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher had his 16-game point streak snapped. Gallagher, with 15 goals and 13 assists, had at least one point in each of his team’s 16 games going into this one. . . . Giants F Craig Cunningha, who leads the WHL with 34 points, also was held pointless. He had been riding a 10-game streak. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots. Vancouver opened with Mark Segal, who gave up four goals on 22 shots. Brendan Jensen came on late in the second period and stopped nine of 10. . . . The Giants were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Rebels were 3-for-7. . . . Vancouver took 50 of the game’s 90 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 4,408. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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PRINCE GEORGE 2 at SEATTLE 0: G Ty Rimmer stopped 36 shots for his first WHL shutout. Rimmer, who was acquired by Prince George from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 16 for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, was making his first start for the Cougars (8-6-1). . . . This was the first shutout by a Prince George goaltender since March 6, 2009, when Kevin Armstrong stopped 31 shots in a 2-0 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last night, the teams were scoreless well into the third period. . . . F Nick Buonassisi broke the scoreless tie with his sixth of the season, on the PP, at 13:59. . . . F Taylor Stefishen added insurancee at 16:24. It was his second of the season. . . . Tefishen, Buonassisi and D Martin Marincin each had two points. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 30 shots for Seattle (5-3-3). . . . The Thunderbirds have lost four in a row, with the first three of those losses coming in OT or a shootout. This, in fact, was their first loss in regulation in seven games. . . . The Cougars were 1-for-8 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 3,033. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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TRI-CITY 3 at EVERETT 2 (SO): The Americans (11-4-1) got two shootout goals, while both Everett (5-4-4) shooters were blanked. . . . F Adam Hughesman and F Patrick Holland both scored in the shootout. . . . The Silvertips have lost five in a row and have scored seven goals in those games. . . . The Americans have won four of five. . . . F Parker Stanfield scored his third goal at 2:30 of the second period to give the Silvertips a 2-1 lead. . . . F Brooks Macek got his third at 9:21 of the second to tie the score at 2-2. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley turned aside 38 shots, seven more than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . This was victory No. 48 for Owsley, moving him into seventh on the franchise’s all-time list, one ahead of Olaf Kolzig, who now is one of the team’s owners. . . . The Americans were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 6,422. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Silvertips announced after the game that their Pink in the Rink auction raised US$38,807.77, with proceeds benefiting the Providence General Foundation. Among other things, they auctioned off special game jerseys. The highest price paid for a jersey was $1,500, for D Ryan Murray’s. . . . And a special tip of the cap to Denny Spencer, a season-ticket holder in Everett. He donated $5,000 in memory of his wife, who recently lost her battle with breast cancer. You, sir, are someone special.
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KELOWNA 2 at PORTLAND 4: The Winterhawks (11-2-1) broke a 1-1 tie with three straight goals as they welcomed F Nino Niederreiter back into their lineup. . . . Niederreiter, the fifth pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, was sent back by the New York Islanders on Thursday. He had one assist last night. . . . Niederreiter had a goal and an assist in nine games with the Isles. According to CapGeek.com, he was paid US$101,613 while in the NHL. . . . The Winterhawks have won five in a row. . . . D Joe Morrow scored for Portland, on the PP, at 8:45 of the first, with Kelowna F Cody Chikie, who scored both Kelowna goals, tying it at 9:04 with his first of the season. . . . F Riley Boychuk broke the 1-1 tie at 16:55 of the first. . . . After a scoreless second period, the Winterhawks got third-period goals from F Brad Ross, his seventh, at 15:32, and F Sven Bartschi, his 10th, at 15:59. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two assists. . . . Rattie and Bartschi are on eight-game point streaks. . . . The Rockets, who have lost four of five, are 4-9-0. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 32. . . . Kelowna wsa 0-for-9 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 2,448. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . However, the teams, who play again tonight in Portland, combined for 114 penalty minutes, with the Winterhawks taking 58 of those.
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Congratulations to all of the players who were in action on Friday night. Eight games and not one checking-from-behind penalty. In Regina, Brad Hornung is smiling.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

In the most anticipated NBA opening night in some time, the Miami Heat chilled in Boston. After which Jackie McMullan of ESPN.com wrote: “The Miami Heat shot 36 per cent from the floor, LeBron and D-Wade combined for 14 of their team’s 17 turnovers and, for extended portions of the third quarter, when James barreled down the floor past lumbering center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and hoisted shots for himself as his teammates gathered around the perimeter to watch, it almost felt as though the King had never left Cleveland.” . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “How about that Tour de France champ, Alberto Contador? He tests positive for steroids and blames it on some tainted filet mignon. Turns out he also tested positive for the plasticizer used in blood-doping IV bags. Apparently it was a bad idea to smush up the tainted filet mignon and eat it intravenously.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Cliff Lee wins playoff game for whatever team it is he plays for now. . . .
 If you missed it, Prince George has been named host city for the 2012 Canadian senior baseball championship. First, the 2015 Canada Winter Games and now this. . . . Is there anything left for the rest of us? . . . Great to see Cheryl and Donna Rock with a new Chelsea’s outlet up and running. When I was there the other day, they didn’t even have signage up but they still couldn’t keep the cinnamon buns from rushing out the door. . . . They’re in Aberdeen, next to Gourmet Greens. It won’t do you any good, but tell them I sent you. . . . If you weren’t aware, NFL Films has prepared a 10-episode series — Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players. . . . Former cornerback Deion Sanders came in at No. 34, which he termed “preposterous.” He also said he was “appalled.” As he put it: “How can you tell me with a straight face that 33 other players had a greater impact?” . . .
That young fellow whose howling countenance was shown on the video screen late in the first period of the Kamloops Blazers’ game on Wednesday? Turns out his name is Tristen and he is two months old. Maybe he’ll flash us a smile at the next game. . . . Social note: Left-hander C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers and Dominique Piek, one of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit models, are an item. . . . The Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball team, including Kamloops’ own Kelly Olynyk, is No. 6 in The Associated Press’ preseason Top 25. The Zags open with an exhibition game against Southern Oregon on Nov. 11 and they could meet up with No. 1 Duke at a tournament in Kansas City, Nov. 22 and 23. . . . If you’re not doing anything Monday evening, drop by the Noble Pig at 650 Victoria St., and offer up congratulations to Dylan Armstrong and Sultana Frizell. They’re fresh off gold medal-winning efforts at the Commonwealth Games in India. . . .
 Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “Looks like there’s no end in sight for Dwyane Wade’s court battle with his ex-wife over their two sons. Now she wants custody of LeBron and Bosh, too.” . . . Remind me one more time why Rick Rypien is on the Vancouver Canucks’ roster? . . . Ahh, yes, he’s responsible for crowd control. . . . So you’ve got a Russian team coming to Kamloops to play the locals and you just know you’re going to be scrambling to sell tickets. So you make sure the kid who is arguably the local team’s best forward is on the team. Right? Wrong. . . . Whoever was involved in the decision not to include Blazers winger Brendan Ranford on the team that will play that Subway Super Series game here on Nov. 17 should be embarrassed. All the kid does is show up and play hard every night. And if that doesn’t warrant a spot on your team, along with the fact that he has given the WHL more than two years of his young life, nothing does. . . . Former Blazers winger Mark Rooneem has returned home to Hinton, Alta., where he now plays for the North Central league’s Heat. He is playing on a line with his brothers, Kris and Hillar. . . .
 Peter King of Sports Illustrated after Sunday‘s NFL games: “In the past 365 days, the Titans are 13-4 and the Broncos 4-13. A year ago today, Denver was 6-0 and Tennessee 0-6.” . . . After that officiating botch job in Miami on Sunday, Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register wrote: “The Pittsburgh Steelers might have won a game they shouldn’t have won, because the zebras couldn’t tell who recovered Ben Roethlisberger’s fumble in the end zone, setting up a field goal for a 23-22 victory. Yeah, I couldn’t tell which of three Dolphins was on top of the ball, either.” . . . Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel had a female friend make this suggestion to him: “If Brett Favre really wants to impress women, he should text them photos of his paycheck.” . . .
Headline on the front page of the New York Post one week ago: $210M Bust! Yanks for nothing. . . . I recently discovered that Sportsnet One now is accessible on my dish. So I checked it out the other afternoon. Beach volleyball. . . . Checked out the other Sportsnet channels: Poker, poker, billiards, Premier League World. . . . At the same time, the two TSN channels were showing NASCAR qualifying and, yes, poker. . . . Thank you, CRTC, for allowing us to have such a variety of quality programming in our country. . . . Stan Lee, an icon of the comic book world with Marvel Comics, is working with the NHL to come up with hockey-themed superheroes. Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “Maybe they could name a trophy for him — the Stan Lee Cup.” . . . One last time: Book ’em, Danno.

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

Blazers focusing on preparation

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
There was bewilderment and frustration in defenceman Austin Madaisky’s voice as he talked about what happened to the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday night.
Coming off three straight road victories, the Blazers surrendered five goals before the second period was five minutes old and went on to drop a 6-4 decision to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings.
That decision dropped the Blazers’ record at Interior Savings Centre to a less than mediocre 2-5-1. Away from home, however, they are a scintillating 5-2-0.
The Blazers (7-7-1) get a chance to turn things around at home tonight against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Game time is 7 o’clock.
Madaisky wondered aloud if the Blazers weren’t a little overconfident going into the game against Brandon. After all, the home boys had won three in a row while Brandon came in having lost nine of its last 10.
“I think we took them a little lightly,” Madaisky said.
After the game, Kamloops head coach Guy Charron admitted: “There was concern about our attitude going into this game here.”
Starting tonight, Madaisky said, “We have to play the hockey we’re capable of playing. This can’t continue.”
Asked to analyze the Blazers’ play at home and on the road, the 18-year-old Madaisky, a fifth-round selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL’s 2010 draft, pointed to a couple of things.
“On the road,” he said, “we simplify our game and don’t try to do too much. We get into the ISC and we’re too fancy instead of simplifying our game.”
The other thing that concerns him, he said, is pregame preparation.
“That is definitely something we have to take into consideration,” he said.
As Madaisky pointed out, when a team is on the road, the players are together almost all the time. So they don’t do a whole lot that doesn’t involve thinking, eating or sleeping hockey.
It’s a different story at home, with all kinds of distractions that can get in the way of a player trying to focus on preparing for a game.
Madaisky even went so far as to wonder if players “aren’t getting enough rest at home,” suggesting perhaps such things as computer games might be getting in the way of pregame preparation.
The Blazers will want to be rested tonight because they are certain to be leaned on by perhaps the WHL’s largest team.
The Thunderbirds’ roster lists eight of 14 forwards at 6-foot-2 or taller, with five of eight defencemen at better than 6-foot-3.
“They’re bigger which could mean that they’re not as mobile as some teams,” Madaisky reasoned. “We have a defence that is big and mobile. Up front, we’re quick.”
The Blazers, then, will want to get the puck in behind the Seattle goal line and work on those big defencemen. That is something that Brandon’s forwards did to the Blazers’ defencemen with some effectiveness in the first half of Wednesday’s game.
“Yeah,” Madaisky said, “in the first intermission (Wednesday), guys were asking, ‘What’s going on?’ They were taking it to us.”
Charron wants to see some of the lesser lights contribute on a more regular basis.
“As a group when you win games you’ve had contributions from all four lines,” he said. “(Too often) we’ve had to depend too much on the same people to do it for us. There are other guys who have to chip in here and there. If they don’t, it makes our team just an average team.”
The Blazers have scored 49 goals, with 24 of them coming from the line of Brendan Ranford (13), Chase Schaber (6) and JT Barnett (5).
JUST NOTES: The Thunderbirds dropped a 2-0 decision to the visiting Prince George Cougars last night. . . . The Blazers are at home again Wednesday, with the Kelowna Rockets providing the opposition. Kamloops then will head back to Alberta for games in Calgary and Lethbridge. . . . Seattle D Austin Baecker, who is from Kelowna, had his junior A rights traded this week from the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm to the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. Baecker is listed at 6-foot-6 and 242 pounds. Earlier this season, Grande Prairie acquired his rights from the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials.

SCOUTING REPORT:
    Key injuries: Seattle — LW Justin Hickman (broken hand, out); RW Branden Troock (ill, out); D Erik Fleming (knee, doubtful); Kamloops — D Josh Caron (collarbone).
    Overview: While the Blazers enjoyed a rare Friday night off, the Thunderbirds were at home to the Prince George Cougars. . . . Kamloops LW Brendan Ranford is on an 11-game point streak, with 10 goals and eight assists over that stretch. Only Vancouver Giants F Brendan Gallagher (16) and Prince George Cougars F Brett Connolly (14) are on longer streaks. . . . RW Burke Gallimore leads Seattle in goals (7), while D Brendon Dillon is tops in assists (9). . . .Gallimore, Dillon and C Colin Jacobs lead with nine points apiece. . . . Ranford and Gallimore were linemates with the bantam AAA Edmonton CAC Canadians. . . . German RW Marcel Noebels has seven points in 10 games. He and Kamloops LW Bernhard Keil are former teammates. Keil has one goal in 11 games. He has been a healthy scratch the last two games. . . . Kamloops F Logan McVeigh, 16, has been a healthy scratch in four of the last five games, while D Brady Gaudet, 16, has sat out nine of 15. The WHL mandates that 16-year-olds get into at least 40 games. . . . Kamloops RW Jordan DePape has five points over his last three games. . . . After eight home games, the Blazers’ average attendance is at 4,001. That’s down from 4,339 after eight games last season. . . . Seattle D Scott Ramsay suffered a concussion while in camp with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Ramsay, 20, played last night for the first time since Oct. 15. . . . Calvin Pickard, the WHL’s top goaltender, has started each of Seattle’s first 10 games. He is 5-2-3, 2.58, .923. . . . Jon Groenheyde, who has started each of the last four Kamloops games on the bench, may be on the ice to open this one. . . . Six of 10 Seattle games have gone to OT or a shootout.
— GREGG DRINNAN

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

This is the design of the jerseys being auctioned off by the Everett Silvertips.

The Everett Silvertips are at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight and it’s Pink the Rink night.
There will be a whole lot of things happening, with proceeds going to the Providence General Foundation.
Included will be a chuck-a-puck promotion; a ticket package that includes an upper-level ticket, an ‘I Pinked the Rink’ Silvertips t-shirt, and a $6 donation to the PGF, all for $20; and, an online auction involving commemorative pink-trimmed Silvertips jerseys.  Bids on each jersey start at $150 — email bids to auctions@everettsilvertips.com.
Notes from a Silvertips release: “In the subject line please place the name of the player that you are bidding on and in the body of the email please include your bid amount as well as a day-time phone number that we can use to contact you should you be the highest bidder. If you are submitting an online bid and will be in attendance please indicate that in your email.” Email bids will be accepted until today at 3 p.m.; bidding resumes in-person once the doors open on Friday at 6:30 p.m., and will continue through the end of the second period. Winning bids will be posted in the third period.
After the game, jerseys will be presented to the highest bidders.
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The Kamloops Blazers will conclude their Pink Power Play fund-raiser on Saturday as they play host to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
It’s all part of their efforts to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As well, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation will continue its WestJet Raffle through the second period, with the winner announced during the third period.
The Blazers are auctioning off specially designed Bauer Vapor x60 Composite Sticks. Bid sheets will be out for Saturday's game, with the auction ending as the second period begins. Email bids will be accepted at aneuls@blazerhockey.com. For more info, or to check on bids, visit the Blazers’ website or the team’s Facebook page.
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The Saskatoon Blades are on the road this weekend and may not have the services of G Steven Stanford, 20, who left Thursday’s practice with a possible concussion.
As a result, the Blades have recalled G Adam Todd, a fourth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. Todd is to join the Blades in time for a Saturday game against the Rebels in Red Deer. The Blades then will meet the Hitmen on Sunday afternoon in Calgary.
Todd is in his first season with the major midget Okanagan Rockets. He is 3-2-0, 3.01, .894.
With Todd on the move, the Rockets plan on giving two weekend starts to freshman Connor De Melo, 15, who is 3-2-0, 3.04, .871. The Rockets have a weekend doubleheader with the Cariboo Cougars.
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The Kamloops Blazers have assigned F Jesse Sinatynski, 18, to junior A. He is expected to play somewhere in the AJHL. Sinatynyski, who is from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., was acquired Oct. 14 from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He played three games with the Blazers, scoring once, and was a healthy scratch for one game. . . . Kamloops now is carrying 24 players, including two goaltenders and eight defencemen. That includes D Josh Caron, who is out for another month with a broken collarbone.
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Head coach Craig Hartsburg has returned to the practice ice with the Everett Silvertips. But he won’t be on the bench Friday when the Tri-City Americans are in town. Hartsburg underwent a heart catheterization last week and will undergo open hart surgery on Wednesday in Everett to repair an ascending aortic aneurysm. . . . Hartsburg will attend Friday’s game, but associate coach Jay Varady and assistant coach Chris Hartsburg will work the bench, as they did for three games last week. . . . After the surgery, Hartsburg won’t be back coaching until sometime in the new year. . . . The Americans lost three road games without Hartsburg -- 2-0 to the Portland Winterhawks, 4-3 to the Kelowna Rockets and 3-1 to the Vancouver Giants.
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It was a busy day for the Portland Winterhawks. First, they got F Nino Niederreiter back from the NHL’s New York Islanders. Then they announced that G Ian Curtis, 20, had cleared WHL waivers.
Niederreiter should play for the Winterhawks in a weekend doubleheader against the Kelowna Rockets. They’ll play twice at Memorial Coliseum tonight and Saturday night.
The fifth overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft,  Niederreiter, 18, had a goal and an assist in nine games with the Islanders. Because of his age and the fact that he was drafted off a CHL team’s roster, Niederreiter, who is from Switzerland, either had to play with the Islanders or be returned to Portland.
Last season, his first in the WHL, Niederreiter had 60 points, including a team-high 36 goals. He added 16 points, eight of them goals, in the playoffs. And, of course, he got a lot of pub during the World Junior Championship when he led Switzerland into the semifinals and was named a tournament all-star. And he played for Switzerland at the 2010 IIHF world championship.
It will be interesting to see how GM/head coach Mike Johnston and assistant Travis Green fit in Niederreiter among their top six forwards. He also is the third forward on the roster with an NHL contract as F Ryan Johansen, the fourth pick in the 2010 NHL draft, and F Oliver Gabriel, a free agent, have signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. (D Brett Ponich, a second-round pick by St. Louis in 2009, has signed with the Blues.)
Later in the day, the Winterhawks announced that Curtis would be on the move as they have decided to go with their two 18-year-old goaltenders — Mac Carruth and Keith Hamilton.
The original plan was to go with Curtis and Carruth. But when both of them went down with injuries, Hamilton carried the mail through the season’s first couple of weeks and was outstanding.
Curtis is 2-0, 3.50, .909 this season. Last season, he went 27-21-3, 3.39, .906. He also has played with the Swift Current Broncos and Prince George Cougars.
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The Calgary Flames had a guest — F Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Bruins — at their Thursday night game against the visiting Colorado Avalanche. Howse, a third-round selection by the Flames in the 2009 NHL draft, watched the Flames fall, 6-5. . . . Chilliwack plays the Hitmen in Calgary tonight. . . . The BCHL’s Langley Chiefs recently have added three former WHLers to their roster. D Brad Haber, who was released by the Red Deer Rebels, is with the Chiefs, as are the Scholten brothers, Dillon and Brandon, both of whom had been with the Vancouver Giants. Haber is 20, as is Dillon Scholten, a defenceman. Brandon Scholten, 18, is a forward. . . . Calgary Hitmen F Kris Foucault (shoulder) is questionable for a game tonight against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. He was injured during Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to visiting Kootenay when he absorbed a clean hit from Ice D Brayden McNabb.
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Blazers trim forward from roster

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Jesse Sinatynski experiment is over . . . at least for now.
The WHL’s Kamloops Blazers released Sinatynski, an 18-year-old forward, from their roster on Thursday, although he will stay on their protected list.
The Blazers gave the Brandon Wheat Kings a 2011 fifth-round draft pick in exchange for Sitanyski on Oct. 13. He played in three games with the Blazers, scoring one goal, and was a healthy scratch in the other.
A native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., Sinatynski is expected to end up with an AJHL team. He was a 13th-round pick by the Wheat Kings in the WHL’s 2007 bantam draft.
“I made the deal the day before the waiver draft,” Blazers general manager Craig Bonner explained, referring to the day when each WHL team had to get down to a maximum of three 20-year-old players. “I didn’t think (Shayne) Neigum was going to be available.”
Neigum, 20, was placed on waivers by the Chilliwack Bruins and the Blazers claimed him.
“I thought we needed one more forward,” Bonner said. “When Neigum became available, we ended up with too many guys again.”
In Sinatynski, Bonner was looking for the player he had watched total 64 points and 154 penalty minutes with a midget AAA team in Fort Saskatchewan two seasons ago.
“He played with a lot of passion,” Bonner said. “I knew he wasn’t a great skater, but he was a real competitive guy.
“The one thing I really liked about him was his passion for the game. He was that kind of player and he made up for his deficiencies with that. It just seems that that has been lost. That happens to some players.”
Last season, with the Wheat Kings as the host team for the Memorial Cup, Sinatynski got into just 27 games, putting up 10 points and six penalty minutes.
“After his year in Brandon, it seems he lost a bit of that competitive edge that we were looking for,” Bonner said. “After watching him, it seems the passion is gone.”
Bonner, now with 24 players on his roster, didn’t want to have an 18-year-old who was in and out of the lineup.
“For his own sake he needs to go back to junior A and play and try to find that passion again,” Bonner said. “Hopefully,  he can go and have some success and we’ll see.
“It’s in his hands what he wants do do.”
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When the Blazers opened training camp in late August, they were faced with a real lack of depth at the goaltending position.
That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.
The Blazers now hold the rights to nine goaltenders, including Jeff Bosch, 20, and Jon Groenheyde, 19, who are on their roster, and Josh Thorimbert, 18, who is a freshman with the Colorado College Tigers.
Also on the Kamloops protected list are Cole Cheveldave, 17, of the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons; John Keeney, 17, with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers; Braden Krogfoss, 15, who is playing midget AAA in Cloverdale; Scott Lapp, 15, who is playing midget AAA in Semiahmoo; Troy Trombley, 16, who is with a midget AAA team in Fort Saskatchewan; and, Taran Kozun, 16, with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos.
The Blazers placed Cheveldave on their list following the AJHL’s Showcase Weekend early in October, while Lapp earned a spot on the list with a strong performance in the Blazers’ training camp.
“The plan was to draft two goaltenders,” Matt Recchi, the Blazers’ director of player personnel, said. They were only able to draft one — Krogfoss — so a decision was made to “list the best one out of camp.”
“Lapp was real good at camp,” Recchi said, noting that “we kept him through to main camp. He was that good.”
Keeney, who is from Twin Peaks, Calif., is 2-1 with a 1.92 GAA and .927 save percentage in three games with Omaha. He now is partnered with Todd Mathews, 20, who was dropped by the WHL’s Kootenay Ice at the 20-year-old deadline. Mathews, from Covina, Calif., lost his only start with the Lancers.
Thorimbert, from Saskatoon, is one of three goaltenders with the Tigers, the others being sophomore Joe Howe and senior Tyler O’Brien. Howe has started five of the Tigers’ six games and is 2-2-1, 1.99, .928. Thorimbert gave up three goals on 19 shots in winning his one start.
JUST NOTES: The Blazers are at home Saturday, 7 p.m., to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Matthew Needham, the Blazers’ first pick in the 2010 WHL bantam draft, has 19 points, including nine goals, in 18 games with the Penticton-based Okanagan Hockey Academy U-18 prep team. He picked up nine points in his last three games. . . . F Cody DePourcq, who is on the Blazers’ list and also is at OHA, has 21 points, including 13 goals, in 19 games.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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CHL chat

A note from Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports informs that this week's CHL Chatravaganza goes today (Thurdsay) at 4 ET/1 PT. "We have much to discuss, especially news of a Nino Niederreiter nature," he writes. . . . You are able to check it out right here.

Nino on way back

Yes, the New York Islanders have returned F Nino Niederreiter to the Portland Winterhawks.
The fifth-overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, Niederreiter, 18, had a goal and an assist in nine games with the Islanders.
He had 60 points, including 36 goals, in 65 games with the Winterhawks last season, his first in the WHL.
He also had a memorable World Junior Championship with Switzerland, including an OT goal that defeated Russia.
Meanwhile, F Brayden Schenn, a product of the Brandon Wheat Kings, will be in the lineup tonight for the Los Angeles Kings as they meet the Stars in Dallas. Schenn, 19, was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NHL draft. The Kings have indicated that they will keep Schenn with them, rather than return him to Brandon.
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Blazers struggle at home — again

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The face on the video screen at Interior Savings Centre belonged to a youngster who appeared to be only a month or two old. The look on his face told you he wasn’t happy.
Just another Kamloops Blazers fan trying to figure out his favourite WHL team.
The Blazers, coming off three straight road victories, gave up four first-period goals Wednesday night and went on to drop a 6-4 decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings before 3,808 fans.
It was after Brandon’s fourth goal, a power-play effort with one second left in the first period, that the young fan’s howling countenance appeared on the video screen.
At that point, the Wheat Kings were 2-for-3 on the power play and had four goals on 10 shots. They finished with three PP goals in 10 opportunities and six goals on 31 shots.
The Blazers (7-7-1) were 17-for-17 on the penalty kill in winning those three road games while surrendering four goals on 100 shots.
“It was disappointing,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said of last night’s effort. “If you were to tell me that our team would have reacted the way they did tonight, I would have said, ‘No . . . that it was almost impossible.’
“I guess there’s lots to learn.”
The Blazers now have lost four straight home games. In fact, they are only 2-6-0 at home.
“We have to establish a style of play that is going to make it difficult for teams to come in and play,” Charron said. “Obviously, the game plan wasn’t really followed and we allowed the other team to build momentum. When that happens you put yourself behind the 8-ball.”
Last night, the Blazers found themselves behind the 16-ball. Once again, it wasn’t that they lost — it was how they lost.
Beaten 8-6 by the Portland Winterhawks and 8-1 by the Prince George Cougars in their last two home appearances, this time they fell behind 5-0 before the second period was five minutes old.
The Wheat Kings (6-9-0) were playing the sixth game in an eight-game road swing. They had snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna on Tuesday night.
“Once you get on a roll with something it kind of keeps going like that,” said Brandon captain Shayne Wiebe, who played the first 171 games of his WHL career with the Blazers. “Eventually, you’re going to get out of it . . . you just have to keep working.”
Which is what the Wheat Kings did, even as the Blazers tried to mount a comeback.
Wiebe, who scored the winner in Kelowna, got his club started, scoring on the power play before the game was two minutes old.
“It was a nice feeling,” he said of scoring in what once was his home arena.
Forward Jason Swyripa and defencemen Ryan Pulock, who also had two assists, and Brodie Melnychuk added Brandon goals before the period ended, the latter one coming with one second showing on the clock.
Charron sent goaltender Jon Groenheyde in to replace Jeff Bosch for the start of the second period, and the hole got even deeper when forward Mark Stone scored on a power play at 4:44.
“Our penalty killing was outstanding on the road,” Charron said. “Tonight, it was nowhere near what it was on the road. Why? It’s the same people.”
As for changing goaltenders, Charron said his side didn’t play well in front of Bosch.
“We exposed him more than we should,” Charron reasoned. “Our success on the road was based on good defensive hockey. Tonight, we didn’t do any of that. Why? That’s a good question.”
Forwards Jordan DePape, who was acquired from Brandon in exchange for Wiebe, Brendan Ranford and Dalibor Bortnak provided some hope with second-period goals in a span of 4:47.
Centre Chase Schaber got the Blazers to within one at 15:42 of the third, but that was it.
Brandon’s Mark Mieritz, a freshman from Denmark, scored his first WHL goal into an empty net at 19:36.
And just like that a team that two nights ago was on a nine-game losing streak now has won two in a row.
“That’s the biggest thing . . . making sure you don’t get too frustrated,” Wiebe said of losing nine in a row. “But when you keep working hard, if you keep pushing and working, things will start to work your way. Bounces will start coming your way, like they weren’t when you were in the losing streak.”
The Wheat Kings are off to Cranbrook for a Friday night engagement with the Kootenay Ice.
Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon’s owner, general manager and head coach, said he used last season’s Ice team as an example for his club during its losing streak. When last season’s Wheat Kings went into Cranbrook on Oct. 30, the Ice was 5-11-0; it beat the Wheat Kings 2-1 to start a 38-13-5 run to season’s end.
The Wheat Kings, the host team and a finalist in last spring’s Memorial Cup, are hoping to duplicate that.
The Blazers, meanwhile, will start preparations today for a Saturday night visit by the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Charron said he tried to impress upon his guys that this three-game homestand — the Rockets are here Wednesday — is as important as last week’s three road games.
“We had a focus . . . we had a game plan on the road,” he explained. “I thought we had a very similar focus and game plan at home but obviously we didn’t execute it.
“On the road, I thought we were focused right from the get-go.”
It is that focus the Blazers will try to rediscover before Saturday.
JUST NOTES: Referees Steve Papp and Andy Thiessen somehow found a way to hand out 19 minors, 11 of them to the Blazers. Each team took a fighting major. . . . The Blazers were 1-for-7 on the power play. . . . Brandon last played here on Oct. 26, 2008, when it lost 3-1. . . . The Wheat Kings flew in F Mark Ferland, who had missed the last 11 games with a knee injury. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Pulock: First WHL goal, two assists, blocked shots, made plays; 2. Stone: A goal, two assists, lots of ice time; 3. F Scott Glennie, Brandon: Three assists.

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Taking Note on Twitter

A WHL franchise and the economy . . .

Pats captain Garrett Mitchell (left), Jordan Weal
and Carter Ashton model the jerseys the club will wear Saturday night.

The Regina Pats are to stage their fifth annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night on Saturday as they play the visiting Spokane Chiefs.
Most, if not all, WHL teams are involved in breast cancer awareness promotions, in one way or another. The Pats, however, will wear special jerseys that night — they are pictured above and, I’m thinking, they are looking awfully spiffy.
The jerseys will be auctioned off, via silent auction, and presented to their new owners immediately following the end of the game. According to a Pats press release:
“The proceeds from the auction, as well as the sales of the Pats pink scarves this season, will go to the Canadian Cancer Society for breast cancer research.
“Over the past four years, the Pats have raised more than $50,000 towards breast cancer research through their jersey auctions and sales of pink hats, scarves and lollipops. All of the money raised stays in Saskatchewan.”
A pink scarf? If you’re interested, they’re available for $15 through the Pats’ online store right here.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Mike Wirll (Brandon, Prince Albert, Prince George, Lethbridge, 1997-2003) was released by Skövde (Sweden Division 1) with one week left on his contract. He had three goals and one assist in seven games this season. The club said that Wirll has been hampered with a back injury. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 1996-2001) was released by the Cologne Sharks (Germany DEL). He had two goals and one assist in 15 games this season.
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What is a WHL franchise worth to a city’s economy? Kenneth Carlaw, an associate professor of economics at Kelowna’s UBC-Okanagan, has completed a study and come up with a figure of $31 million. Doyle Potenteau of DubNation takes a look at that story right here . . . . Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ president and general manager, plans on using the report to help as the club prepares to bid on the 2013 Memorial Cup.
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The midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires have lost their general manager and their head coach. GM Scott Rumpel and head coach Regan Darby resigned following 7-1 and 9-0 losses to the Prince Albert Mintos that left the Legionnaires at 2-6-1. Andy Schneider, a former Swift Current Broncos forward, now is helping assistant coaches Todd Hornung and Sheldon Reinhart with the team. . . . Hornung played five seasons in the WHL, split between the Portland Winterhawks, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current. . . . F Walker Wintoneak, who played out his WHL eligibility last season with the Saskatoon Blades, has signed with the Central league’s Missouri Mavericks. He played four seasons with the Blades.
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Remember Pavel Brendl? Well, he’s 29 years of age now and has just signed on with his 10th professional organization. There’s more right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
KOOTENAY 3 at CALGARY 0: G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 22 shots for his third shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. . . . The Ice (10-3-1), which has won six in a row, got a shorthanded goal from F Max Reinhart, his seventh, at 15:27 of the first period. . . . F Jesse Ismond scored on the PP at 15:08 of the third. . . . F Matt Fraser added an empty-netter at 19:00 of the third. . . . The Hitmen (4-8-0) have lost four in a row; they are 2-4-0 at home. . . . Calgary G Michael Snider stopped 27 shots. . . . Kootenay was 1-for-7 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-6. . . . D Brayden McNabb was back in the Ice lineup after being out with a shoulder injury. However, D Hayden Rintoul (collarbone) didn’t play. He was injured in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . Attendance was 7,210. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Kootenay D Luke Paulsen.
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CHILLIWACK 2 at EDMONTON 1: Bruins G Lucas Gore stopped 37 shots. . . . The Bruins (7-4-0) took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Roman Horak, at 9:49, and F Brendan Persley, at 14:24. . . . Edmonton (5-8-1) got its goal from F Stephane Legault at 14:52 of the third. . . . The Oil Kings have lost seven in a row. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan stopped 18 shots. . . . The Bruins were 0-for-1 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 3,566. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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BRANDON 6 at KAMLOOPS 4: D Ryan Pulock, who turned 16 on Oct. 6, scored his first WHL goal and added two assists as the Wheat Kings won their second straight game. . . . Brandon (6-9-0) ended a nine-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Rockets in Kelowna on Tuesday. . . . Pulock went into last night’s game with two assists in 10 games. . . . Brandon scored the game’s first five goals and then watched as Kamloops (7-7-1) scored four in a row. . . . The Blazers had won their last three games, all on the road. . . . F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists for Brandon. . . . F Scott Glennie had three assists for Brandon. Glennie, a first-round selection by the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s 2009 draft, has been getting heat from some corners for what is seen as a slow start, but Wheat Kings owner/GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon said that the criticism is unfair. “He just hasn’t been scoring,” McCrimmon said. “But he’s been just fine.” Glennie now has two goals and nine assists in 13 games. . . . Brandon was 3-for-10 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-for-7. . . . Attendance was 3,808. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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VANCOUVER 5 at LETHBRIDGE 2: F Craig Cunningham, the WHL’s scoring leader, had three assists for the Giants. . . . He now has 34 points. . . . The Giants (9-5-2) scored three goals in the game’s first 10 minutes, driving Lethbridge starter Dylan Tait to the bench. He stopped four of seven shots. Tanner Kovacs, 16, from Innisfail, Alta., came on in his WHL debut to stop 27 of 29 shots. . . . Lethbridge starter Brandon Anderson wasn’t available due to illness. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen, in his third straight start, stopped 25 shots. . . . Lethbridge (5-5-3) got two goals from F Alex Kuvaev, who now has four. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher, who leads the WHL with 15 goals, had two assists, as did F James Henry. . . . The Burns brothers, Michael and Nathan, each scored for the Giants. One of them has three goals; the other has one. . . . The Giants now have won four in a row. . . . Lethbridge was 2-0-1 in its last three games. . . . The Giants were 1-for-6 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-fo4-6. . . . Vancouver went east without F Randy McNaught (ankle), F Marek Tvrdon (shoulder), D Zach Hodder (shoulder) and F Connor Redmond (shoulder). . . . Attendance was 2,543. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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MOOSE JAW 5 at PRINCE ALBERT 4 (SO): F Antonin Honejsek, who had two assists in regulation time, scored the only goal of the shootout. He was the first of the six shooters who took part. . . . The Raiders (5-7-3), who have lost five in a row, led 3-1 midway in the second period and 4-3 late in the third period. . . . The Raiders’ last two losses have been via shootout. . . . F Sebastian Svendsen, with his second of the game, gave the Raiders a 4-3 lead on the PP at 16:53. . . . He has seven goals this season. . . . Moose Jaw D Morgan Rielly, with his second of the season, forced OT at 18:21. . . . The Warriors, who had lost their last two games, are 5-8-1. . . . Svendsen also had an assist, for a three-point night. F Jonathan Parker of the Raiders had a goal and two assists. . . . The Warriors got two assists from F Jordan Wyton. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 45 shots, 10 more than P.A.’s Jamie Tucker. . . . Moose Jaw D Dallas Ehrhardt played his first game of the season. He suffered a knee injury while in the Edmonton Oilers’ training camp. . . . The Raiders again were without three injured defencemen — Jordan Rowley (wrist), Nathan Deck (knee) and Emerson Hrynyk (shoulder). . . . The Raiders were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Warriors never had even one opportunity. . . . Attendance was 1,917. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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PRINCE GEORGE 3 at SPOKANE 7: The Chiefs (5-6-0) scored four of the game’s last five goals. . . . The Chiefs finished 2-for-5 on the PP and also had a shorthanded goal. . . . The Cougars (7-6-1) were 1-for-3 with a shorthanded tally. . . . The Chiefs went 3-3-0 on a six-game homestand. They now head east where they will play six games in eight nights. They open Friday in Moose Jaw. . . . Spokane D Tyler Vanscourt scored his first goal of the season, and second of his career, at 19:59 of the second period, giving his side a 4-2 lead. . . . D Brendan Kichton had a goal and two assists for Spokane. He has played four games and has seven points. . . . Spokane D Garrett Leedahl and F Dominik Uher each had two assists. . . . F Brett Connolly got his 14th goal of the season for Prince George. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 29 shots, five fewer than Prince George’s James Priestner. . . . Attendance was 3,514. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Kichton.

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