Taking Note

JUST NOTES: The visiting Peoria Rivermen and Rockford IceHogs went 16 rounds in a shootout on Saturday, before Peoria D David Shields won the AHL game, 3-2. Of note was that one of the game’s two fights featured Peoria’s Chris Bruton (Spokane, 2004-08) battling Rockford’s Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10)just 23 seconds into the game. . . . The AHL’s Chicago Wolves released D Kyle Verdino, 20, on Saturday. Verdino had left the Seattle Thunderbirds last week for a tryout with the Wolves. . . . F Charles Inglis of the Prince George Cougars will be hearing from the WHL office after taking a major and game misconduct for checking to the head of D Tyler Stahl during a 6-5 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals on Saturday night. . . . F Jamie Crooks led the Royals with three goals, the first time he has done that in 156 regular-season games. . . .
Also on Saturday night, F Brendan Gallagher was back in the Vancouver Giants’ lineup and had one goal. But it wasn’t nearly enough as the Giants were beaten 6-3 by the Rockets in Kelowna. Vancouver has given up 22 goals over its last four games. . . . According to DubNation: “After Saturday's contest, Vancouver held a lengthy closed-door session.” . . . Gallagher was returned by the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens on Friday and began his Saturday at 1:45 a.m. . . . G Corbin Boes stopped 23 shots for his second career shutout as the host Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Saskatoon Blades, 6-0. F Mark Stone scored three times for Brandon, giving him the second hat trick of his WHL career. He had one three-goal game in 2009-10, when he scored 11 goals. He wasn’t able to turn the trick last season when he scored 37 times. He has 13 points, including five goals, in five games this season. . . .
 F Anthony Bardaro had three goals to lead the host Spokane Chiefs to a 7-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. He had one hat trick last season en route to a 24-goal finish. . . . The Chiefs lost three players to injuries -- F Mitch Holmberg took a high-stick to the face and will be seeing a dentist, while D Tanner Mort and F Liam Stewart left with undisclosed injuries. “I don’t know if I want to comment. I know I had guys hurt,” Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “I didn’t see it and I haven’t viewed it on the video so it’s really difficult for me to comment. . . . We spent a lot of time on the power play.” The Chiefs were 4-for-12 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-5. . . . Spokane also got four assists from sophomore D Reid Gow, who had 11 points in 41 games last season.
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Two more former U.S. college football players have sued the NCAA, saying it failed to protect them from concussions.
There is more right here.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail opens a Saturday column by writing about “mad hatters” and the fact that nine out of 10 doctors once preferred Camels.
“And so it goes with hockey,” MacGregor writes. “This early fall of 2011 may well go down as the moment the Canadian game chose to step out of its own Alice-in-Wonderland world of make-believe and bring an end to the scourge of head hits – all head hits, including the accidental, including hits delivered by fists.
“We are not there yet, but we are getting there – and that alone is cause for hope.”
There is one quote in the MacGregor piece that simply jumps off the page. It comes from referee Bruce Tennant, a veteran of more than 30 years in stripes. He told MacGregor: “If I had a son who wasn’t showing the potential to play at the highest levels, I really don’t think I’d let him play contact hockey.”
MacGregor’s complete column is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
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