The Medicine Hat Tigers, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference, are at home to the Red Deer Rebels, who are second. The Tigers are one point behind the Kootenay Ice, which meets the visiting Regina Pats tonight.The Tigers have two games in hand on the Ice and three on the Rebels.
Red Deer has won two in a row and is 9-1-0 in its last 10, while the Tigers are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and also have won their last two games.
Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that the Rebels expect to have D Alex Petrovic back tonight. He didn’t play in Friday’s 8-1 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors after taking a punch for F Austin Connor of the Prince Albert Raiders. Connor later was hit with a three-game WHL suspension.
Tonight’s other game has the Prince George Cougars in Edmonton to face the Oil Kings. The Cougars are coming off a weekend sweep of the visiting Kelowna Rockets, while the Oil Kings will be playing their first home game since a four-game swing into the U.S. Division. Edmonton has lost three straight and is 2-6-2 in its last 10 outings.
The Oil Kings are sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos.
The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, just on epoint ahead of the Everett Silvertips.
Edmonton hockey fans should be interested in getting a look at Prince George D Martin Marincin, the Slovakian who was a second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 2010 draft. He has 46 points, including 13 goals, in 47 games with the Cougars.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes will celebrate their 25th season in 2011-12 and they have started working on season-ticket sales.
As one promotion aimed at next season, the Hurricanes will sell 2,500 season tickets for the 25th season at prices that are reduced by 25 per cent.For all the prices and all the deals, check out the Hurricanes’ website.
Next season also will signal the completion of the renovations to the ENMAX Centre, and also should see the Hurricanes working hard to prepare their bid to serve as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup.
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F Darren Kramer of the Spokane Chiefs leads the WHL in fighting majors and penalty minutes, and it isn’t even close.
So how has he done in the fighting department?
“I’d say my record is fairly decent,” he tells Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “I’ve lost a few pretty clean but for the majority of the time my hands are hurting more than my face. That’s a good thing. I like to be pretty honest and most of them come out draws.”
Read Trimmer’s story on Kramer and the impact he has had in the Chiefs’ dressing room right here.
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In Portland, the Winterhawks are continued fundraising efforts on behalf of Mitchell Lammert, a 12-year-old who plays for the Junior Hawks and is battling cancer.The Winterhawks raised more than $2,500 at a recent pizza party and now will give the Lammert family all proceeds from the 50/50 draw and a silent auction during Friday’s game against the visiting Tri-City Americans.
With the Americans threatening to apply some heat to the Western Conference-leading Winterhawks, there could be a good crowd at Friday’s game.
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F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s player of the week. He had 12 points, including five goals, in three games last week. . . . Ty Rimmer of the Prince George Cougars is the WHL nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0 with a shutout last week. He had a 1.00 GAA and a .960 save percentage. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that Vancouver Giants captain James Henry, who just returned after missing five weeks with a knee injury, will miss another couple of weeks. It seems he re-injured the knee during Friday’s 4-3 shootout victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. . . .———
As expected, the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens have named Guy Carbonneau as their new head coach, at least through the end of this season.
Carbonneau, 50, is a former NHL player and also went 124-83-23 as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens before being fired late in 2008-09. He also played four seasons with the Sagueneens and now is part of their ownership group.He replaced Richard Martel, who was in his eighth season with Chicoutimi when he was fired last week.
Carbonneau’s debut as head coach comes Wednesday in Val-d’Or.
Carbonneau had been working as the team’s president and governor. QMJHL rules prohibit a head coach from serving on the board of governors, so Marc Desforges has been named governor.
As well, Jos Canale is the new GM through the end of this season. Canale is a veteran QMJHL coach who also once did a turn as head coach of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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