Monday's stuff . . .

There isn’t anything to report on the Chilliwack-to-Victoria front, at least not as of late Monday night.
Except that Oren Koules says he isn’t interested.
Koules, a former co-owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, told me via email that he “was shocked to read my name . . . I have never inquired about a WHL team . . . huge fan of the league . . . fan not owner.”
Koules is a former WHL player (Portland, Great Falls, Medicine Hat, Spokane, Calgary, Brandon, 1979-82) who went on to make his mark in the entertainment world.
Among other things, he has been the executive producer of 161 episodes of, yes, Two and a Half Men.
Check out his IMDB right here.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are involved in a scrap for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot and are getting back G Jamie Tucker in time for the last two weeks of the regular season. He has been out a month with a badly cut thumb. That’s the good news for Raiders fans. The bad news is that F Charles Wells now is out with a separated shoulder. . . . Raiders radio voice Drew Wilson also reports that the club has added D Josh Morrissey, the sixth pick in the 2010 bantam draft, to their roster. His midget AAA team in Calgary is done, so he’ll finish up the season with the Raiders. . . .
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Should the Regina Pats qualify for the playoffs, they will play first-round games in the Queen City, after all.
The Brandt Centre, the Pats’ home arena, won’t be available due to the World men’s curling championship, so the team will move into the Co-operators Centre, which is on the grounds at Evraz Place.
Seating capacity will be 1,278, plus standing room, so season-ticket holders will get the first crack at tickets.
Games 3 and 4 of the first-round series would be played in Regina, with tentative dates of march 29 and 30.
The Pats are 10th in the Eastern Conference, three points out of a playoff spot.
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The Portland Winterhawks are 20-6-0 since Jan. 8. Why is that date relevant? It was on that day that the Winterhawks had access to all of their players for the first time in more than a month.
Since that date, Portland has outscored its opponents 128-81.
Graham Kendrick, their crack director of media and public relations, came up with a neat chart on Monday. Here is the Winterhawks’ record, showing their one six-week slump with players going to and coming from Christmas tournaments:
Sept. 25 - Nov. 20: 20-3-0-1
Nov. 21 - Dec. 31: 5-9-0-2
Jan. 8 - Present: 20-6-0-0
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JUST NOTES: As was reported Friday by Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review, the Tampa Bay Lightning has signed Spokane Chiefs C Tyler Johnson, 30, to a three-year NHL deal. Johnson, who is tied for the WHL goal-scoring lead and is second in points, was a free agent. . . . Johnson also is a native of Spokane. . . . F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points, including seven goals, in four games last week. . . . Lucas Gore of the Chilliwack Bruins is the WHL’s nominee as CHL goaltender of the week. He was 4-0-0, 1.00, .968 last week.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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