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Far too often we watch those who play in the WHL and forget that they are young men trying to find their way in this difficult and sometimes ugly world.David Searle is an 18-year-old defenceman who played with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, he is an impressive looking player.
But, in January, Searle asked the Storm for a leave of absence. He wasn’t injured. He wasn’t ill. He simply doesn’t know if he he wants to continue playing hockey.
Todd Vandonk of kawartha.com has Searle’s story right here.
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F Stephen Peat, one of the toughest players ever to skate in the WHL, has signed with the senior AAA Penticton Vees. Peat, 31, signed at the Feb. 10 deadline. Peat (Red Deer, Tri-City, Calgary, 1995-2000) was selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 32nd pick of the NHL’s 1998 draft. His pro career was halted by a broken leg. He now lives in Vancouver. . . . The Vees and Prince George Mohawks will play Feb. 26, 8 p.m., in Summerland, B.C., and Feb. 27, 2 p.m., at Memorial Arena in Kamloops.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Brayden Schenn scored at 1:04 of OT as the Blades got past the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-4. . . . Schenn also had an assist. . . . Schenn has 29 points in 13 games with Saskatoon. Of his 11 goals with the Blades, two are OT snipes. . . . Linemate Curtis Hamilton added a goal, his 19th, and two helpers. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask, the third member of that line, goit his 24th goal. He has points in nine straight games and at least one goal in eight of those. . . . The Tigers forced OT with two late third-period goals. . . . D Thomas Carr scored his sixth goal on a PP at 17:15. . . . F Emerson Etem tied it shorthanded at 18:45. . . . Etem, who had two goals, has 32 on the season. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had three assists. He now leads the WHL with 95 points, two more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . Tigers F Wacey Hamilton had two assists, as did Saskatoon D Duncan Siemens. . . . The Blades, down 1-0 midway in the second period, went ahead 3-1 with three goals in 3:10. . . . Attendance was 4,838. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 34 shots, eight more than Saskatoon’s Stephen Stanford. . . . Saskatoon G Adam Morrison (mononucleosis) is back on the ice, so the Blades have returned G Tyler Oswald to the midget AAA Pembina Valley Hawks, who play out of Morden, Man. . . . The Tigers were without F Sam Dezman, F Tyler Pitlick, D Matthew Konan and D Scott Ramsay, all of whom are out with concussions. According to Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News, “Pitlick is listed as day-to-day, Ramsay as seven to 10 days, and Konan week-to-week. Konan was hurt Friday in Brandon, Ramsay last week in Moose Jaw, and Pitlick took a hit to the jaw (on Feb. 9) against Prince George.” . . . Rooney also reported that Dezman, who hasn’t played since Dec. 14, may be finished. Dezman, a 19-year-old from Edmonton, has a history of concussion-related problems. . . . Saskatoon, the first WHL team to 45 victories, has 92 points, eight more than the Red Deer Rebels in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Tigers, who clinched a playoff spot with the loser point, are tied with the Kootenay Ice for third. . . . As luck would have it, the Ice will play host to the Tigers on Friday night. . . . And, as more luck would have it, the Blades will visit the Ice on Saturday night. . . . And, as even more luck would have it, the Blades will be in Medicine Hat on Sunday. . . .———
In Moose Jaw, the Calgary Hitmen showed that they will continue to fight the good fight, as they dumped the Warriors, 3-1. . . . Defending-champion Calgary, with the WHL’s poorest record, scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Jimmy Bubnick got it started with his 17th, at 1:07 of the first period. . . . F Kris Foucault had a goal, his 19th, and an assist, while F Trevor Cheek got his eighth. . . . F Andrew Johnson got his fourth for Moose Jaw, at 17:26 of the second. . . . Calgary G Mike Snider stopped 31 shots. . . . Moose Jaw G Brandon Stone turned aside 26. . . . Attendance was 2,512. . . . The Warriors, with 14 games left, appear headed for a fifth-place finish. They are nine points behind Kootenay and The Hat, and 11 points ahead of Edmonton. . . . A first-round matchup appears likely to have Moose Jaw meeting Kootenay or Medicine Hat, with the latter having home-ice advantage. . . . The Hitmen are 13 points behind eighth-place Prince Albert so will have to be content with playing the role of spoiler over their final 14 games. . . . The Warriors are in Prince Albert on Friday, while Calgary drops in on Regina. . . .———
In Regina, F Mark McNeill, a player the scouts are falling in love with, had two goals as the Prince Albert Raiders edged the Pats, 4-3. . . . The Raiders erased a 3-2 deficit with the game’s last two goals. . . . McNeill got his second, and 24th of the season, at 10:27 of the second on a PP. . . . F Justin Maylan scored the winner, his 13th, just 54 seconds later. . . . D Antoine Corbin and D Jordan Rowley each had two assists for the Raiders. . . . F Jonathan Parker got his 38th goal for the Raiders. . . . Regina got a goal and two assists from F Garrett Mitchell, who has 17 goals, and three assists from D Brandon Davidson. . . . Mitchell came up dry on a first-period peanlty shot. . . . Each team scored two PP goals. . . . Raiders G Eric Williams stopped 37 shots, eight more than Regina’s Matt Hewitt. . . . Attendance was 3,966. . . . This loss really hurt Regina, which is tied for 10th with Lethbridge and now is six points behind the Raiders, who hold down the conference’s final playoff spot. . . . ———
In Vancouver, G Adam Brown kicked out 42 shots and F Colton Sissons scored three times and set up another to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-2 victory over the Giants. . . . Vancouver got on the board first, when F Spencer Bennett got his 28th just 34 seconds into the game. . . . The Rockets came back with the next three, with Sissons getting two and F Geordie Wudrick getting his 31st. . . . Vancouver F Andrej Stastny got his mates to within one at 16:56 of the second, only to have Sissons complete his hat trick at 17:33. . . . Sissons has 14 goals. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 18 shots. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko had two assists, on PP goals by Wudrick and Sissons. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 5,877. . . . Kelowna still is without F Mitchell Callahan (head). Also missing were D Mitchell Chapman (head), F Jason Siebert (wrist), F Brett Bulmer (leg) and F Jessey Astles (shoulder). As well, F Colton Jobke served the third game of a seven-game suspension. . . . The Giants remain without D Joel Rogers (concussion) and F James Henry (knee). . . . The Rockets moved atop the B.C. Division with the victory. Actually, they and the Giants are tied, each with 65 points. But Kelowna, with a game in hand, has a .580 winning percentage; the Giants are at .570. . . . They are six points ahead of Prince George. . . . Spokane visits Kelowna on Friday, while the Giants are at home to Seattle. . . .———
In Everett, D Brendon Kichton scored two goals and was plus-5 as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the Silvertips, 7-2. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowen had two assists and was plus-6. . . . Spokane F Levko Koper scored three times, giving him 29. . . . Koper, 20, had a career-high 27 goals last season. . . . Chiefs F Anthony Bardaro had three assists. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson, who is second in the WHL scoring race, had one assist. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored his 37th goal for Everett. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson, making his 12th straight start, stopped 46 shots. . . . G Mac Engel made 21 saves for Spokane, which had veteran James Reid back on the bench. He has been out with a hip injury. . . . Everett D Ryan Murray was unable to score on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 4,723. . . . The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Portland with each having played 57 games. The Tri-City Americans, with three games in hand, are two points behind Spokane. . . . Spokane is in Kelowna on Friday, while the Americans are at home to Chilliwack. Portland is idle Friday but will play visiting Chilliwack on Saturday. . . . The Silvertips, who are two points ahead of eighth-place Kamloops, are on their way to Prince George for a weekend double dip. . . . Kamloops opens a five-game Central Division swing in Edmonton on Friday.———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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