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Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, who covers the Saskatoon Blades on a daily basis, weighs in on the situation right here.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post, who covers the Regina Pats for that newspaper, offers up his opinion right here.
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And, finally, I think my 15 minutes is pretty much up after an appearance on CBC Radio’s As It Happens. . . . That happened on Wednesday and it’s right here. I am told that it’s somewhere near the end of Part Two.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Adrian Foster (Saskatoon, Brandon, 1999-2002) was released by Örebro (Sweden Allsvenskan) at the end of his one-month tryout contract. He was pointless in seven games. . . .
G Scott Reid (Tri-City, Seattle, Kamloops, Saskatoon, 1994-97) and D Evan Schafer (Prince Albert, 2002-06) were granted their releases from Edinburgh Capitals (UK Elite). Reid has a 5.26 GAA and a .867 save percentage in 34 games. Schafer has three goals and seven assists in 34 games for the Capitals this season. The Capitals are in financial difficulties and have seen their coach and eight of their 11 import players leave the team. . . .
F Tim Konsorada (Brandon, 1999-2005) signed a contract for the rest of the season with Selb (Germany Oberliga) after obtaining his release from Merano (Italy Serie A2). He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 24 games for Merano this season.
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JUST NOTES: The OHL’s Soo Greyhounds fired head coach Denny Lambert on Tuesday, with general manager Dave Torrie stepping in on an interim basis. The Greyhounds are 14-21-5 and last in the Western Conference. Lambert, a former NHL player, took over from Craig Hartsburg for 2008-09. Lambert was an assistant under Hartsburg for four seasons. Hartsburg now is in his second season as head coach of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Ice F Matt Fraser had a goal and two assists. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings played one of those day games aimed at the youngsters and drew 7,066 fans as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Kootenay Ice. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka had a goal and two assists. He was a sixth-round draft choice of the Edmonton Oilers in 2010. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart got bragging rights, at least for now, with two goals and two assists. He was plus-4. His brother, Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart, was pointless and minus-3. . . . The teams were on their best behaviour with nary a scrap in front of all the school children. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 32 shots as the Red Deer Rebels dumped the Warriors, 4-0. . . . Kuemper leads the WHL with seven shutouts, and he has 13 in his career — both franchise records. He had three shutouts in each of his last two seasons. . . . F Brett Ferguson had a goal and two assists for the Rebels. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Jonathan Parker continued with the best season of his WHL career, scoring three times and adding two helpers in an 8-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Parker, a 19-year-old from Solana Beach, Calif., has 27 goals. He is in his third WHL season — in his first two, he had 17 and then 15 goals. Parker has 53 points in 45 games. He had 39 in his first season (2008-09) with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Parker has two career hat tricks — one with the Raiders and one with Seattle. . . . Raiders D Tyler Yaworski, who had missed the previous seven games with mononucleosis, had a goal and two assists, and was plus-5. . . . Raiders F Brandon Herrod also had a goal and two assists, while F Mark McNeill got his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Raiders have beaten Brandon three times in nine days. Those are tough losses for the Wheat Kings because the Raiders, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, are five points ahead of Brandon. . . . John MacNeil of the Brandon Sun notes: “Wheat Kings D Brodie Melnychuk, who suffered a leg injury while blocking a shot in Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout loss at Saskatoon, sat out Wednesday, snapping a 208-game ironman streak for the Balgonie, Sask., native.” . . .
In Regina, G Matt Hewitt stopped 59 shots through overtime and the Pats went on to beat the Saskatoon Blades, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . Hewitt stopped 22 shots in the first period, 17 in the second and 16 in the third. He then was perfect in OT as the Blades outshot Regina, 4-0. . . . The Pats outscored the Blades 3-2 in the shootout. . . . F Jordan Weal had two assists for the Pats. . . . 
In Lethbridge, the Calgary Hitmen forced OT at 19:02 of the third period and beat the Hurricanes, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . Calgary D Kyle Schmidt scored his second goal of the season late in the third period. . . . Lethbridge had taken a 3-1 lead into the third period. Caglary F Justin Kirsch got Calgary to within one with his 20th, at 5:52. . . . Calgary scored the only two goals of the shootout, one of them coming from F Brooks Macek, who was acquired Monday from the Tri-City Americans. . . .
In Chilliwack, D Jesse Zgraggen got his first goal of the season to help the Bruins to a 5-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Zgraggen, a 17-year-old from Lethbridge, had been pointless in his first 33 games. . . . Prince George D Cody Carlson finished at minus-5, while D Daniel Gibb was minus-4. . . . Chilliwack also got a goal each from three of its top guns — Kevin Sundher (15), Roman Horak (16) and Ryan Howse (27). . . . The Bruins will head north and meet the Cougars in Prince George on Friday and Saturday. . . .
In Kamloops, Medicine Hat F Linden Vey moved into the WHL scoring lead as the Tigers got past the Blazers, 4-1. . . . Vey scored one goal and set up another, giving him 67 points. That’s one more than Kamloops F Brendan Ranford, who went pointless. . . . Vey was playing on a line with Emerson Etem, who scored his 23rd goal of the season, and Kellan Tochkin, who was acquired from the Everett Silvertips on Monday. . . . Tochkin had one assist. . . . The Tigers had only one two-minute PP — their other one lasted 11 seconds — but head coach Shaun Clouston started it with five forwards, the first time he has done that this season. The five were Vey, Tochkin, Etem, Wacey Hamilton and Tyler Pitlick. . . . Emerson’s goal was the Tigers’ WHL-leading 12th shorthanded score of the season. . . . 
In Portland, the Spokane Chiefs built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . Portland got third-period goals from F Riley Boychuk, at 12:33, and F Sven Bartschi, his 23rd, at 13:04, but couldn’t get the equalizer. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 29 shots. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson took over the WHL goal-scoring lead with his 31st. He has one more than Kamloops F Brendan Ranford. . . . The Chiefs now are two points behind the Western Conference-leading Winterhawks and Spokane holds three games in hand. . . . Spokane has lost three fewer games than Portland.———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
D Connor Cox, Saskatoon.
F Shayn Neigum, Regina (double minor)
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