WHL debut. His brother, Jesse, is a defenceman in his second season with the Cougars. The two are from Waldheim, Sask. Jesse plays for the midget AAA Beardy’s Blackhawks, for whom he has 15 points in 12 games. He had seven points in four games with the Blackhawks at the Mac’s tournament in Calgary and will play for Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, N.S., in February. . . . Alex is expected to start on a line with James Dobrowolski and Taylor Stefishen, the Cougars’ two 20-year-old forwards. That spot ordinarily would be filled by Brett Connolly, who is with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . It’s Family Day in Prince George, with game time set for 2 p.m.---
John Becanic, who has coached in the WHL with Everett, Seattle, and Tri-City, is off to a positive start as head coach of the NAHL’s Wenatchee, Wash., Wild. The Wild, now 4-0-0 under its new head coach, beat the visiting Fresno Monsters 4-3 on Friday night in Becanic’s first game on home ice. . . . Attendance was 3,207. . . . Becanic was named head coach on Nov. 24, replacing the fired Paul Baxter. Becanic had been working as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Giants.
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When the Red Deer Rebels blanked the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-0 on Thursday, G Darcy Kuemper set a couple of positive franchise records. It was the sixth shutout for him this season, breaking the single-season mark that had been shared by Shane Bendera (2000-01) and Cam Ward (2002-03). It also was Kuemper’s 12th career shutout, breaking Ward’s record of 11. Ward’s Red Deer career ran from 2000-04.---
D Ty Wishart (Prince George, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) was the price paid by the Tampa Bay Lightning to acquire G Dwayne Roloson, 41, from the New York Islanders in an NHL trade made Saturday. . . . Wishart, 22, was the 16th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft. He has 18 points in 31 games with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals this season.---
Some notes from Saturday’s WHL games. . . .
In Regina, the Pats opened up a 3-0 lead and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. D Austin Bourhis will be hearing from the WHL office after picking up a charging major and game misconduct early in the third period. F Shayne Neigum opened the scoring for Regina with his third goal in four games and his fourth of the season. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Marek Viedensky had a goal and three assists to lead the Blades to a 7-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 40 shots, while D Connor Cox drew three assists and D Dalton Thrower had two goals, giving him five. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Austin Fyten scored three goals and set up three others as the Hurricanes dropped the Swift Current Broncos, 8-2. F Cam Braes added two goals and an assist for Lethbridge. Braes and Fyten each finished at plus-5. . . . Braes has 18 goals; Fyten has 15. . . . F Trevor Cameron, who joined the Broncos from the SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds, scored his first WHL goal. Cameron, 18, had 29 points in 32 games with the Hounds. . . . F Graham Black, whose rights the Broncos acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings over the Christmas break, has decided to stay with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He skated with the Broncos but declined an opportunity to join them for the remainder of this season. Black, who leads the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in goals and points, continues to explore his NCAA options. . . .
In Medicine Hat, G Brandon Glover stopped 22 shots and F Justin Kirsch scored his 17th goal to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-1 victory over the Tigers. . . .
In Everett, F Brendan Shinnimin scored twice and drew an assist as the Tri-City Americans beat the Silvertips, 3-1. Shinnimin now has 13 goals. . . . Everett F Tyler Maxwell was ill and didn’t play, which allowed F Ryan Chynoweth, the Silvertips’ first pick in the 2010 WHL draft, to make his WHL debut. . . .
In Kelowna, F Levko Koper scored three times to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-2 victory over the Rockets. He has 18 goals. His third goal was into an empty net at 19:37 of the third period. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Dylan Willick broke a 2-2 tie at 13:37 of the third period to give the Kamloops Blazers a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Brendan Ranford scored his WHL-leading 29th goal for Kamloops in the first period. . . . The victory lifted Kamloops out of 10th place in the Western Conference, past Everett and Chilliwack, and into eighth spot.gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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