Taking Note

The Portland Winterhawks have a friend in Mitch Lammert, a local hockey player who is battling cancer. Mitch visited the Winterhawks on Thursday and spent some time with the players on the ice and in the dressing room.
That story, from KATU.com, is right here.
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Meanwhile, Jim Beseda of the Oregonian takes a look at the Portland Winterhawks organization and how they’re working just as hard off the ice to as they are on the ice to ensure success. (Did you know the Winterhawks have 40 full-time employees?)
Beseda’s piece is right here.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers, who next play on Wednesday when they visit the Saskatoon Blades, have four players out with concussions. According to Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News, F Sam Dezman, F Tyler Pitlick, D Scott Ramsay and D Matthew Konan all are sidelined with concussions. . . . The Tri-City Americans, having lost G Drew Owsley to a knee injury on Saturday, have brought in G Cam Gorchynski, who had been with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. . . . The Tri-City Herald’s annual Best of the West poll was in the Sunday paper. If you haven’t seen it, it’s right here. . . .Michael Buble, who owns a chunk of the Vancouver Giants, was a winner at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. His album Crazy Love was saluted as Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Chilliwack, F Adam Hughesman scored two goals to help the Tri-City Americans to a 6-1 victory over the Bruins. . . . Hughesman has 38 goals. . . . F Carter Ashton and F Brendan Shinniman each had a goal and two assists for the visitors, while D Tyler Schmidt drew three assists. . . . G Chris Driedger, starting for Tri-City in place of the injured Drew Owsley (knee), stopped 20 shots in his fourth career start. He was beaten only by F Ryan Howse, who got his 40th goal of the season at 17:35 of the first period. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore set a franchise record by playing in his 49th game of the season. He stopped 34 shots but left trailing 6-1. . . . Braden Gamble relieved him and stopped all five shots he faced. . . . The Bruins, who had won three in a row, were without D Brandon Manning (suspended), D Zach Habscheid (injured), D Jeff Einhorn (injured) and F Tim Traber (broken leg). . . . Attendance was 3,804. . . . The Americans are back within one point of second-place Spokane in the U.S. Division. . . . The Bruins hold down eighth spot in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Kamloops. Chilliwack now holds three games in hand on Kamloops. . . .
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In Red Deer, F Brett Connolly scored the game’s last two goals as the Prince George Cougars scored a 4-3 OT victory over the Rebels. . . . Connolly tied the game 3-3 at 18:02 of the third period, then won it with his 35th goal this season, on the PP, at 2:33 of extra time. . . . D Sena Acolatse had two assists for the Cougars, who got 39 saves from G Ty Rimmer. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson ran his point streak to 14 games with one assist. . . . Attendance was 4,527. . . . With the loser point, the Rebels, who lead the Central Division, moved seven points clear of the Kootenay Ice and now are within a point of  Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind Kelowna and four ahead of Everett. . . .
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In Swift Current, D Adrian Van de Mosselaer broke a 2-2 tie at 11:53 of the the third period to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 3-2 victory over the Broncos. . . . Van de Mosselaer has four goals this season. . . . F Jordan Hickmott and F Colton Stephenson had two assists each for Edmonton. . . . And on a weekend when the WHL played its first game in Whitehorse, Edmonton F David Stephens scored his first WHL goal. Stephens is a 17-year-old Whitehorse native. The goal came in his 28th game. . . . F Justin Dowling had a goal, his 19th, and an assist for the Broncos. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 25 shots, seven fewer than Swift Current’s Mark Friesen. . . . Attendance was 1,878. . . . Edmonton, which was 0-for-0 on the PP, took three of the game’s four minor penalties. . . . The Broncos were 0-for-2 on the PP. . . . The Oil Kings are sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of Brandon. . . . The Broncos remain tied for eighth with Prince Albert, just two points ahead of Regina and Lethbridge. . . .
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In Everett, D Zak Stebner scored twice, including the OT winner, as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Stebner scored the game’s first goal, at 9:28 of the first period on a PP, and the last, at 2:22 of extra time. He’s got seven goals this season. . . . Kelowna F Max Adolph scored his third goal of the season. He now has goals in two straight games. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist and F Josh Birkholz forged a 2-2 tie with goals 1:21 apart late in the second period. . . . Kelowna F Shane McColgan had two assists. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 33 shots, four more than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . Attendance was 5,574. . . . Kelowna closed to within two points of B.C. Division-leading Vancouver and the Rockets hold one game in hand. The team that wins the B.C. Division will be the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, meaning home-ice advantage in the first round of playoffs. the division’s second-place team looks certain to finish fifth in the conference, which is looking like it will mean a first-round date with Spokane or Tri-City, with the U.S. team holding home-ice advantage. . . . Everett is seventh in the conference, four points behind Prince George and three ahead of Chilliwack. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard kicked out 57 shots and the host Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Spokane Chiefs, 3-1. . . . Pickard won his 20th game of the season. He is 20-26-8. . . . F Anthony Bardaro gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 10:27 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Travis Toomey tied it at 15:09 of the second and F Colin Jacobs gave his side the lead at 1:57 of the third. . . . F Burke Gallimore got the empty-netter at 19:04. . . . D Ryan Button had three assists for Seattle, while F Brendan Rouse had two. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 34 shots. . . . Attendance was 2,538. . . . The Thunderbirds are last in the Western Conference, but now are just three points behind Chilliwack, which is eight. . . . Spokane is second in the U.S. Division, five points behind Portland and one ahead of Tri-City. The Chiefs now have one game in hand on Portland.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None to report.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
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