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| Russ Parker (left) and the Regina Pats saluted Mike Sillinger prior to a Friday night WHL game in Regina. (Regina Pats photo) |
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F Gasper Kopitar began this season with the Portland Winterhawks and now is with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers. Mark Emmert of the Des Moines Register checks in with Kopitar right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY GAMES:
In Spokane, the Chiefs exploded for six second-period goals and beat the Kootenay Ice 11-2 in the first outdoor game in WHL history. . . . The game, played at Avista Stadium, which is home to a minor pro baseball team, drew 7,075 fans. . . . D Tyler Vanscourt and F Blake Gal each scored twice for the Chiefs. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson scored his WHL-leading 33rd goal and added an assist. Strangely, Johnson, who is recognized as one of the WHL’s top defensive centres, finished minus-1. . . . F Matt Marantz added a goal and three assists for the Chiefs, with F Brady Brassart and F Anthony Bardaro each setting up three goals. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . The Ice had beaten the Chiefs 6-2 in Cranbrook on Friday night, ending Spokane’s seven-game winning streak. . . . F Cody Eakin (hand) didn’t play for the Ice. . . .
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In Prince Albert, F Brett Lyon scored his first two goals of the season to help the Warriors to a 7-2 victory over the Raiders, who had won three in a row. . . . Lyon, who was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 4, went into the game with three goals in 132 regular-season games. He began his career with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Lyon, 19, scored at 3:36 of the first period and added a second goal at 5:50. . . . F Quinton Howden also scored twice for the Warriors. he has 25. . . . Moose Jaw D Dallas Ehrhardt, 18, scored his first WHL goal. It was his 29th game this season and the 54th of his career. . . . Warriors F Dylan Hood scored the game’s first goal, his 20th of the season. . . . Attendance was 2,357. . . . The Raiders had beaten the Warriors 4-2 in Moose Jaw on Friday night. . . .
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In Regina, G Darcy Kuemper earned his WHL-leading eighth shutout of the season as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Pats, 6-0. . . . Kuemper stopped 24 shots in posting his 14th career shutout. He set franchise records for shutouts in a season and a career earlier in the season. . . . F Byron Froese scored twice for Red Deer and has 19 goals this season. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had his 12th goal and two assists. . . . Attendance was 3,303. . . . Red Deer F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and an assist, and was plus-4. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Taylor Vause’s late second-period goal stood up as the winner as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Blades, 3-2. . . . Vause got his 13th goal on a PP at 19:55 of the second to give his side a 3-1 lead. . . . The Blades had won 11 in a row at home. At 18-2-1, they boast the WHL’s best home record. . . . F Brayden Schenn (shoulder) didn’t play for Saskatoon. It is anticipated that he will make his debut with the Blades on Saturday against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . Saskatoon D Dalton Thrower (concussion) also may return Saturday. . . . Attendance was 8,487. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 29 shots. . . .
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In Brandon, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 25 shots to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 9-0 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . No, that isn’t a typo. . . . Brossoit has two shutouts this season and in his career. . . . F Dylan Wruck and F T.J. Foster each had two goals and two assists for the Oil Kings, who got two assists from each of F Jordan Hickmott and F Travis Ewanyk. . . . The first period was scoreless. . . . With a 1-0 lead, the Oil Kings exploded for five goals in a span of one minute 55 seconds. They scored at 11:24, 11:38, 12:14, 12:25 and 13:19. . . . The WHL record for fastest five goals is 76 seconds and was set by the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 9, 1982. . . . Edmonton was 2-for-2 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 3,751. . . . From Wheat Kings play-by-play man Bruce Luebke: “The last time Brandon gave up nine goals on home ice in a regular-season game was Feb. 5, 1999 in a 9-4 loss to Moose Jaw. . . . Brandon captain Shayne Wiebe left the game after the second period with a suspected shoulder injury, while Wheat Kings' F Brenden Walker left in the third with what appeared to be a hand injury.” . . . Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal played three seasons with the Wheat Kings in the 1980s. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Portland Winterhawks erased a 1-0 deficit with three second-period goals and went on to beat the Blazers, 5-2. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist, and was plus-3. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel drew two assists. . . . Kamloops was with F Chase Schaber (groin), F Jordan DePape (leg) and F Bernhard Keil (shoulder), and lost two more forwards in the game’s first five minutes. Logan McVeigh left with a leg injury, while Thomas Frazee departed with a knee problem. . . . Kamloops F Ryan Hanes was assessed a slashing major for a hack at Portland G Mac Carruth as time ran out in the third period. The resulting skirmish resulted in 107 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 4,344. . . . D William Wrenn picked up his first WHL point, an assist, in his fifth game since leaving the Denver Pioneers over the Christmas break. . . .
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In Prince George, the Chilliwack Bruins scored two shorthanded goals en route to a 3-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . F Ryan Howse, who is from Prince George, opened t he scoring with a shorthanded goal at 4:52 of the first period. It was his 29th goal this season. . . . F Roman Horak finished the scoring, shorthanded, at 9:38 of the third. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 46 shots. . . . Attendance was 2,176. . . . The Cougars had beaten the Bruins 7-3 on Friday night. . . .
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In Everett, the Silvertips took a 3-0 first-period lead and never trailed as they edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-5. . . . Everett F Tyler Maxwell scored four times and set up another. His fourth goal, at 8:21 of the third, was his 29th and gave his mates a 6-4 lead. . . . The four goals in one game tied the Everett franchise record (Moises Gutierrez, Jan. 24, 2007). . . . F Ryan Harrison, acquired Monday from the Medicine Hat Tigers, had two goals and two assists for Everett, while F Landon Ferraro had three assists. . . . Seattle got two goals from F Travis Toomey and a goal and two helpers from F Burke Galliimore. . . . Attendance was 8,344. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Linden Vey had two goals and two assists to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Vey now leads the WHL with 72 points, four more than Kamloops F Brendan Ranford and five more than F Tyler Johnson of Spokane. . . . F Kellan Tochkin, who came over from Everett on Monday, had two assists, as did D Thomas Carr. . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 25 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 6,103. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., the host Tri-City Americans scored the game’s first five goals as they beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-2, to win their 11th straight home game. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two goals and an assist for the winners, while D Matt MacKenzie and F Carter Ashton each had two assists. . . . Shinnimin has 19 goals now, while linemate Adam Hughesman netted his 27th and added an assist. Ashton is the third member of that line. . . . F Spencer Bennett got his 19th goal of the season for Vancouver. . . . Attendance was 5,239. . . . The Giants had won five of their last six games.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Red Deer F Turner Elson
Seattle D Ryan Button
Vancouver F Dalton Sward
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