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| Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans, sporting his Nuclear Night jersey, makes a save Friday while Portland Winterhawks forward Sven Bartschi watches. (Photo by Doug Love/Tri-City Americans) |
F Andrew Schneider (Seattle, Swift Current, 1988-93) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany 2.Bundesliga) after his release by Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had one goal and 11 assists in 25 games with Klagenfurt this season. This is Schneider's second tour of duty with Schwenningen, having played for the Wild Wings from 1997 to 2000. . . .
D Mike Siklenka (Seattle, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season and the next three seasons with Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). The conract runs through the end of 2013-14. Siklenka had three goals and 10 assists in 36 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this season. . . .
F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been recalled from loan to Thurgau (Switzerland NL B) by Lugano (Switzerland NL A) and loaned out to Lagenthal (Switzerland NL B) for the rest of this season. He had six goals and five assists in 12 games during his assignment to Thurgau.
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Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, is a finalist for the Slats Gill Award as Oregon‘s sportsperson of the year. The award goes annually to the outstanding coach, administrator or organization from an Oregon-based team at any level of competition. It will be awarded Sunday at the Oregon Sports Awards. . . . According to a Winterhawks release, the other nominees are Linfield College baseball coach Scott Brosius, Aloha High School football coach Chris Casey, University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly and University of Oregon cross-country/track and field coach Vin Lananna. . . . The awards will be presented in the Tiger Woods Center at Nike’s headquarters. Former NFL player Ahmad Rashad will play host to the event, which will be televised later on Comcast Sports Northwest.
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The most recent eight-game suspension to a CHL player wasn’t for a positive drug test, a doping infraction as it is oftentimes called.
No. This one was for a flying elbow and it went to Kingston Frontenacs D Erik Gudbranson, who played for Canada at the World Junior Championship. Yes, this is the same fellow who was selected by the Florida Panthers with the third overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft.
Gudbranson was suspended for drilling Oshawa F J.P. Labardo, who ended up with a five-game suspension for his headshot on the Kingston goaltender.
Earlier this season, Gudbranson sat out a five-game sentence for a headshot on Cosimo Fontana of the Ottawa 67’s. Fontana remains sidelined with a concussion.
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George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports that F Landon Ferraro of the Everett Silvertips was to have hernia surgery on Friday. According to Sipple, who spoke with Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill, Ferraro was to have the surgery and should be on his way home Monday to begin rehab. He is expected to be out for up to two months. Ferraro has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the second round of the 2009 NHL draft.
Sipple’s story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Kootenay Ice has added D Mike Simpson, a sixth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, to its roster while D Luke Paulsen recovers from a concussion. Paulsen tried to play earlier in the week but wasn’t able to finish. . . . The 6-foot-4 Simpson plays for the junior B Port Moody, B.C., Black Panthers. . . . Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that G Mackenzie Skapski will make his first WHL start tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. Skapski is a great story. He was selected by the Ice in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft and needed facial surgery after being injured when the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins’ bus went off the road during a trip to Prince George last season. Skapski plays for the junior B Ridge Meadow, B.C., Flames. . . . F Bretton Cameron and G Tyson Sexsmith both are back with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Cameron (Medicine Hat, 2005-10) had been up with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. He picked up one assist in two games. Sexsmith (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2004-09) was with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. Sexsmith has been injured and hasn’t played since Nov. 7. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Mark Stone broke a 3-3 tie at 11:11 of the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen. . . . He’s got 25 goals. . . . The Wheat Kings won for the fourth time in five games and moved into sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . F Shayne Wiebe got his 27th goal for Brandon. . . . D Alex Roach of Calgary and D Rene Hunter of Brandon each scored his second goal of the season. It was the second WHL goal for each player, as well. . . . F Matt MacKay had a goal and two assists for Brandon. . . . F Misha Fisenko had two assists for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 10,156. . . . The Wheat Kings are in Medicine Hat tonight, while the Hitmen travel to Red Deer.
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In Moose Jaw, the Crushed Can was hopping as the Warriors scored twice in the second half of the third period to beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Moose Jaw moved into a tie for fourth with the idle Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference. They are one point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Dylan Hood got his 23rd to forge a 3-3 tie on a PP at 10:51. F Sam Fioretti got the winner, his seventh goal of the season, at 12:31. . . . Hood finished with two goals and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek had a goal and two helpers, while F Quinton Howden drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . Due to illness, the Pats only dressed 18 players and one or two of those saw limited playing time. . . . F Cody Beach didn’t dress for the Warriors. Head coach Dave Hunchak told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that Beach was out for “failing to meet team standards.” . . . Attendance was 2,883. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Regina, and Beach is expected to play. . . . The Pats now are 11th in the conference. They are only three points out of a playoff spot, but need to climb over three teams to get there. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Chris Collins scored twice and set up another as the Blades beat the Swift Current Broncos, 6-3. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky and F Josh Nicholls each had a goal and two assists. . . . The Blades, who have won four in a row, scored the game’s first five goals. . . . D Dalton Reum scored his first goal of the season for the Broncos, who have lost five in a row. It also was his first WHL goal. The 18-year-old from Camrose, Atla., played 37 games last season and has gotten into 13 games this season. . . . The Broncos haven’t won since Jan. 15, when they won 3-2 to end Saskatoon’s 11-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Saskatoon unit that features Brayden Schenn, Curtis Hamilton and Jake Trask was held pointless. . . . Attendance was 4,908. . . . There were four incidents of fisticuffs. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Swift Current. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice erased a 3-2 third-period deficit and beat the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . D Daniel Johnston’s first goal of the season, in his 45th game, gave the home team a 4-3 lead on a PP at 2:50 of the third period. . . . Ice F Kevin King tied it, with his 22nd, at 5:09, on a PP, and D Hayden Rintoul’s first of the season, at 10:06, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Rintoul was playing in his 29th game of the season. . . . F Elgin Pearce got his ninth on a PP at 14:28 and D Brayden McNabb got the empty-netter, at 19:02. . . . McNabb, who has 13 goals, also had two assists, while F Max Reinhart had three helpers. . . . F Austin Fyten pulled Lethbridge into a 2-2 tie with his 20th and 21st goals in the latter half of the second period. . . . Attendance was 3,229. . . . The Ice is third in the conference, one point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice and Hurricanes meet tonight in Cranbrook. . . .
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In Red Deer, it was another perfect night for G Darcy Kuemper as the Rebels blanked the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-0. . . . Kuemper stopped 31 shots, including 11 in each of the first two periods, as he earned his CHL-leading 10th shutout. It also was the 16th of his career. He set franchise single-season and career shutouts earlier this season. . . . Red Deer has won 10 in a row and is 10-0-1 in its last 11. . . . The Rebels are three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades, who hold two games in hand. . . . The Rebels got two goals from F Brett Ferguson, who has 17, and one from D Aaron Borejko, who has one. He got it in his 51st game of the season. In his career, he now has three goals in 158 games -- two in 97 games with Red Deer, one in 61 games with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Ryan Nugent Hopkins and F Andrej Kudrna each had a goal and an assist. . . . D Colin Archer and D Alex Petrovic each had two assists. . . . The Oil Kings, who are 0-5-1 in their last six, have been blanked three times this season. . . . Attendance was 4,588. . . . Edmonton is at home to the Prince Albert Raiders tonight (it’s Michael Jackson Night, although the King of Pop isn’t likely to be in attendance), while the Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Cody Chikie had a goal and three assists to lead the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Rockets led this one 2-0 before the game was two minutes old as F Colton Sissons, with his ninth, and F Shane McColgan, with his 18th, both scored. F Geordie Wudrick made it 3-0 with his 26th at 6:09. . . . The Cougars got to within 3-1 and 4-2 but that was it. . . . Chikie, a 19-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., had one three-point game to his credit before this one. . . . He’s got 10 goals this season. . . . Despite there being just one scrap, the teams combined for 112 penalty minutes, with the Rockets taking 59 of those. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-10 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 6,088. . . . The Rockets meet the visiting Vancouver Giants tonight. Kelowna is second in the B.C. Division, a point behind the Giants. . . .
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In Vancouver, the Giants outshot Kamloops 38-17 as they beat the Blazers, 3-1. . . . Vancouver has won five straight games and 10 of 12. . . . F Spencer Bennett scored twice for the Giants, giving him 24. He broke a 1-1 tie at 4:42 of the second period and added insurance at 4:57 of the third on a PP. . . . Bennett has 21 points, including 12 goals, in 13 games with Vancouver since coming over from the Portland Winterhawks. He had 21 points, 12 of them goals, in 37 games with the Winterhawks. . . . The Giants have given up only eight goals in winning five in a row. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Rowinski had two assists. . . . G Mark Segal stopped 16 shots in winning his ninth straight start. . . . Kamloops has lost five in a row and nine of 10. . . . Attendance was 10,378. . . . The Blazers meet the Bruins in Chilliwack tonight, while the Giants visit Kelowna. Vancouver leads the B.C. Division by one point over the Rockets.
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In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-3. . . . F Darren Kramer forged a 3-3 tie at 5:32 of the second and F Matt Marantz put the Chiefs out front at 7:00. . . . Kramer has five goals; Marantz has 15. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who leads the WHL with 37 goals, iced it at 9:13 of the third. Johnson also had an assist and pulled into a tie for the lead in the WHL scoring race. He and F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who didn’t play Friday, are tied at 82 points. Johnson also is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . F Stephen Kuhn had a goal, his 14th, and two assists for the Chiefs. . . . F Kevin Sundher had two assists for the Bruins. . . . Chiefs G Mac Engel stopped 18 shots, 20 fewer than Chilliwack’s Lucas Gore. . . . Spokane was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 7,521. . . . The Chiefs pulled to within one point of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. Spokane is at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . .
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In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 35 shots to help the Silvertips blank the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-0. . . . The shutout was Simpson’s first of the season and third of his career. . . . The Silvertips have put up three shutouts this season, with Luke Siemens getting the other two. . . . Seattle has been blanked three times. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 20 of 26 shots before being relieved by Michael Salmon with 15:40 left in the third. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored twice, giving him 31. . . . F Cody Fowlie had two goals and an assist. He went into the game with eight points, three of them goals, in 46 games. . . . Attendance was 8,045. . . . The Silvertips, Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers are tied for last in the Western Conference, one point behind the eighth-place Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Everett, Seattle and Kamloops are a combined 5-20-5 over each of their last 10 games. . . . The Prince George Cougars are in Everett tonight, while the Thunderbirds meet the visiting Portland Winterhawks. It’s Teddy Bear Toss Night at the game in Kent, Wash. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Kruise Reddick scored three goals and G Drew Owsley stopped 35 shots to lead the host Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks, who had won six in a row. . . . Tri-City is 4-1-1 against Portland this season. . . . Reddick, who now has three WHL hat tricks, scored the game’s first two goals, the opener at 3:06 of the first period on a PP, and the second at 10:31 of the first. . . . He completed his hat trick at 19:10 of the second, giving the home team a 4-0 lead on another PP. . . . The Americans, who have won 14 of 15 at home, were 2-for-7 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 2-for-8. . . . Reddick has 12 goals this season. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists for the Americans. . . . Portland D William Wrenn was even. He went into the game at plus-16 in 10 games. . . . Attendance was 6,032, the seventh largest in franchise history, on the second annual Nuclear Night. . . . One year ago, F Johnny Lazo had three goals as the Americans beat visiting Portland 6-2 on Nuclear Night. . . . The Americans are in Spokane tonight, while the Winterhawks meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Nine minors:
Regina F Garrett Mitchell (double minor)
Edmonton F Mark Reners
Prince George F James Dobrowolski
Prince George F Jaroslav Vlach
Prince George F Troy Bourke
Portland F Sven Bartschi
Tri-City F David Conrad (double minor)
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