Left over from Monday . . . The RCMP announced that charges won’t be laid after that hazing incident involving the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. The mother of one of the victims has told CBC News that she isn’t happy and that the family is considering filing a lawsuit.
There is more right here.
———
Going into Tuesday’s games, the Prince Albert Raiders were 6-20-2 and 16 points out of a playoff spot. The reality is that the Raiders won’t be in the playoffs in the spring.
On Tuesday, then, they dealt D Tyler Vanscourt, 19, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for fourth- and fifth-round selections in the 2013 bantam draft.
The Raiders had acquired Vanscourt, who is from Corona, Calif., from the Spokane Chiefs on Sept. 15, giving up G Luke Lee-Knight and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft in the exchange. Vanscourt, who was in Moose Jaw’s lineup against the visiting Vancouver Giants on Tuesday night, had 17 points and 25 penalty minutes in 26 games.
Vanscourt was one of four 19-year-old defencemen on the Raiders’ roster and that is too many considering the way things have gone south in Prince Albert. Vanscourt’s departure means more playing time for Sawyer Lange, 17, and Josh Morrissey, 16.
Also on Tuesday, the Raiders added F Luke Mahura, 16, to their roster. He had been with the midget AAA St. Albert, Alta., Raiders. He was sixth in the AMHL scoring race, with 21 points in 21 games. He was the 28th overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft.
There are less than three weeks left before the WHL goes into its pre-Christmas roster freeze, which lasts through Dec. 26. It will be interesting to see if Raiders GM Bruno Campese is busy between now and then.
One thing we know for sure — his phone is ringing.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are hoping Vanscourt can provide some depth to a back end that has lost Morgan Rielly (knee, perhaps for the season) and also has done without Joel Edmundson, Kendall McFaull and Dylan McIlrath at various times due to injuries and suspensions.
———
JUST NOTES: The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Zach Paterson and F Tyler Sandhu, their two second-round 2011 bantam picks. Paterson, taken 34th overall, is from Edmonton. Sandhu, the 42nd selection, is from B.C.’s Lower Mainland. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds have launched a free mobile app for iPhone and Android devices. It was developed by NewSport Media. According to a Thunderbirds’ news release: “The Official Seattle Thunderbirds iPhone and Android Apps incorporate the latest team headlines and news, scores and schedule, stats, standings and roster. The apps will connect fans to the team's social media platforms, website and promotions calendar. The new app will also let fans purchase tickets through their mobile browser. . . . If you want it, go to the Thunderbirds website and scan the appropriate QR code. Or search for Thunderbirds in the App Store or Android Marketplace. . . .
———
In Moose Jaw, F Matt Bellerive scored the only goal of a five-round shootout to g ive the Vancouver Giants a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . .
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings won their fourth straight game, beating the Spokane Chiefs, 4-1. . . . F Dylan Wruck had two goals, with F Michael St. Croix scoring once and setting up two others. F Tyler Maxwell, the third player on the line, had an assist. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Brody Sutter had two goals and an assist as the Hurricanes beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-1. . . . Lethbridge has won four of six and has taken three in a row from the Rebels. . . . The Rebels, already down a few bodies, lost D Alex Petrovic at 16:20 of the first period when he took a major and game misconduct for a check to a head. . . . The Rebels, who have lost six straight, already were without D Aaron Borejko, F Daulton Siwak and F Adam Kambeitz, with injuries, while F John Persson was ill and F Turner Elson is suspended. . . . The Rebels dressed F Scott Feser from the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Rebels. He also may play tonight against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds scored three goals in a span of 2:48 late in the third period and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 4-2. . . . The Broncos led 2-1 when D Shea Theodore pulled Seattle even at 17:11. . . . F Chance Lund got the winner 35 seconds later. . . . The Broncos went 1-4-0 on their U.S. Division tour. Gotta think they were able to get some breaks on Black Friday sales, though.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Martin Gernat, Edmonton
F Daniel Dale, Swift Current
———
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click on the DONATE button up there at the top right . . . and thank you very much.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Blazers win, deal Caron
 |
| CHASE SCHABER |
 |
| JOSH CARON |
Schaber scored three goals and Ranford drew four assists as the Kamloops Blazers escaped with a 4-3 WHL victory over the host Victoria Royals.
The game ended with the Royals holding a 6-on-4 advantage — they were on the power play and goaltender Keith Hamilton was on the bench. However, the home team wasn’t able to beat Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave.
Following the game, the Blazers announced they have traded veteran defenceman Josh Caron, 20, to the Everett Silvertips for a fourth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. The two teams had been talking about this trade since at least Thursday. Caron, who didn’t make the trip to Victoria, completed a three-game suspension when he sat out last night’s game.
Caron, one of the toughest players and most-feared scrappers in the WHL, played 128 games with the Blazers, picking up 15 points and 375 penalty minutes. Caron never was selected in the NHL draft, but he went to camp with the Minnesota Wild prior to last season and signed a contract before returning to the Blazers.
This was the second recent deal between these teams. On Nov. 14, the Blazers sent right-winger J.T. Barnett to Everett for a third-round selection in the 2013 draft.
Interestingly, the Silvertips are scheduled to play in Kamloops on Dec. 7.
The Blazers have been carrying eight defencemen, meaning freshmen Tyler Bell and Landon Cross haven’t been able to get into the lineup on a consistent basis. Cross was a healthy scratch last night.
By moving Caron, the Blazers also open up a spot for a 20-year-old player. A WHL team is allowed to have three such players on their roster; the Blazers other two are Schaber and defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer.
The Silvertips had room for a 20-year-old after sending centre Tyler Maxwell to the Edmonton Oil Kings last week. Their other 20-year-olds are F Josh Birkholz and D Brennan Yadlowski.
Caron also becomes one of nine defencemen on the Everett roster, although Silvertips fans aren’t likely to see Ryan Murray until some time in January. He is out with an ankle injury and isn’t likely to play for them before head for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp early next month.
Schaber, who has played hurt for most of the last month, finished last night’s game with the second three-goal game of his WHL career; it came in his 241st regular-season game. He also scored three times in a 6-3 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Feb. 27, 2010.
Ranford enjoyed the first four-assist game of his career; he had drawn three assists in a game on four occasions. He now has six points in his last two games after recording a goal and an assist Saturday in an 8-2 victory over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds.
This was the start of a stretch of four games in five nights for the Blazers. They will play in Victoria again tonight, then return home to face the Prince George Cougars on Friday and the Royals on Saturday.
The Blazers (17-7-1) remain fourth in the Western Conference, but are only one point behind the Vancouver Giants (17-9-2) and Portland Winterhawks (17-9-2). Kamloops, which is 9-2-0 against B.C. Division opponents, is 5-1-1 in its last seven games.
The Royals, meanwhile, are 11-15-1. They have lost four in a row and eight of nine, and are seventh in the 10-team conference.
Last night, Schaber scored the game’s first, third and fifth goals. He gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead, then broke 1-1 and 2-2 ties, his third goal coming at 5:33 of the third period.
Right-winger J.C. Lipon upped the Blazers’ lead to 4-2 at 14:54 of the third period. That goal proved important as centre Logan Nelson pulled Victoria to within one just a minute later.
Jamie Crooks had Victoria’s first two goals.
Cheveldave, an 18-year-old freshman from Calgary, stopped 26 shots as he made his sixth straight start. He also improved his record to 10-3-1.
Hamilton also finished with 26 saves.
JUST NOTES: Announced attendance was 4,400. . . . Lipon’s ninth goal was his 22nd point this season. He had 21 points in 65 games last season. . . . Kamloops D Brady Gaudet had two assists, giving him five over his last two games. He also has nine in 17 games this season; last season, he finished with seven in 56 games. . . . The Blazers were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Royals were 0-for-3. . . . Victoria F Kevin Sundher picked up two assists. The first was his 218th regular-season point. That broke the franchise’s career record that had been held by F Ryan Howse, who now is with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. . . . The Blazers scratched F Jordan DePape (shoulder), Caron, Cross and F Chase Souto. . . . When the Cougars are at Interior Savings Centre on Friday night, it’ll be the annual Teddy Bear/Toque Toss.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Robert Schnabel (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). He had one assist in nine games with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga) earlier this season. . . .
F Tyler Bouck (Prince George, 1995-2000) and D Chris Heid (Spokane, 1998-2003) each signed a contract extension with Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL). . . . Bouck signed a two-year extension through the 2013-14 season, while Heid signed a one-year extension through 2012-2013. . . . Bouck, who also is the team captain, has eight goals and 10 assists in 22 games this season. Heid has two assists in 13 games. . . . Ingolstadt's head coach is Rich Chernomaz (Saskatoon, Victoria Cougars, 1979-83); the assistant coach is Rick Nasheim (Spokane, Regina, 1980-83). This is Chernomaz's 13th season as a head coach in the DEL.
———
F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds will miss up to four weeks with an injury suffered early in the first period of Saturday’s 8-2 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops.
Troock was taken off the ice on a stretcher at 1:50 of the first period. He was taken to
Royal Inland Hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, where he was found to have a non-displaced fracture of his first rib. He returned to Seattle on the team bus after the game and was re-examined by team doctors on Monday.
Here is part of the Thunderbirds’ press release:
“Kamloops forward Brendan Ranford attempted to make a check on Troock as he was moving the puck up the ice from the Seattle zone. In the process of the check, the momentum of Ranford's stick swung and hit Troock from behind in the neck. The blow struck Troock along the full vertical length of his neck.
“Troock fell to the ice upon the impact of Ranford's stick hitting him. He attempted to get up and skate off the ice, but was unable . . .
“Because of the graphic nature of this injury to Troock and the many fans who have inquired, the T-Birds feel it is important to let fans and media know the extent of his injury. . . . it has been confirmed that Troock suffered a fracture of the first rib from the force of the blow.
“It is estimated that Troock will miss about four weeks as the rib heals.”
A note from Wikipedia on the first rib:
“The first rib is the most curved and usually the shortest of all the ribs; it is broad and flat, its surfaces looking upward and downward, and its borders inward and outward.”
There is more right here.
The Thunderbirds are to be commended for the way in which they have handled this situation. Trainer Phil Varney was patient in providing an explanation during a trying situation after Saturday’s game. The statement issued by the team late Monday afternoon lets people know exactly what happened.And that certainly beats leaving it until Tuesday and listing Troock as being out for a month with an upper-body injury.
———
You won’t read a whole lot here about Canada’s national junior team as there are plenty of other places that have lots of information.
But there were two noteable omissions from the selection camp roster that was announced Monday.
Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds is the WHL’s best goaltender and deserves a spot on that roster.
And you really have to wonder what F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats has to do in order to get an invitation? His omission is especially glaring.
———
Later in the day, Pickard tweeted:
“Congrats to all the invitees to team Canada!! Lots of buddies got invited! Go for gold!”
———
Rob Vanstone, in the Regina Leader-Post:
“What does Jordan Weal have to do to suitably impress the Hockey Canada brass? The Regina Pats star has been turning heads ever since entering the WHL as a 16-year-old. He routinely makes amazing plays at high speed and, as such, should have been a mortal lock for inclusion on Canada’s world junior team. Yet, he wasn’t among the 41 invitees to the selection camp. Granted, the CHL is loaded with elite talent, but it is preposterous to suggest that Weal is not among the top 41 major-junior players in the country.”
———
JUST NOTES: Don’t look now but this season is starting to shape up a lot like the last one for the Kootenay Ice. The Ice is 18-5-3. Last season, after 26 games, it was 17-7-2. And we all know what happened last season, don’t we? . . . By the way, when the Ice went 5-0 in its trip through the B.C. Division last week, it was the first time in franchise history it had done that. . . . The Ice has won six in a row on the road, tying a franchise record (Dec. 18, 2009, to Jan. 22, 2010; Nov. 11, 1999, to Nov. 26, 1999). . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen has played in 141 games played, two shy of the franchise record held by Jeff Glass (2002-05). . . .
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation revealed the preliminary roster for its national junior team on Monday. However, it didn’t include any major junior players. Those players, including perhaps Saskatoon Blades G Andrey Makarov, will be added later in December. . . .
With two NHL teams, the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, changing coaches on Monday, former WHL D Ian Herbers (Kelowna, Spokane, Lethbridge, Swift Current, 1984-88) became a head coach. He had been an assistant coach under Kirk Muller with the Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators. With Muller moving up to Carolina, Herbers, 44, is the Admirals’ new head coach. . . . Herbers’ first game as head coach comes tonight against the visiting Abbotsford Heat. . . . Muller’s AHL head-coaching career lasted 17 games. He took over from former WHL player/coach Lane Lambert, who moved up to the Predators as an assistant coach. . . . Dave Boehler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the last time Milwaukee went through a mid-season coaching change “was in 1984-85, when Jim Pappin took over for Cliff Koroll.” . . . Boehler also reported: “Martin Gelinas, the current director of player development with Nashville, will help Herbers until a new assistant coach is hired.”
———
If you haven’t yet seen it, the Joe Kapp-Angelo Mosca dustup has more than gone viral. It happened Friday at a Grey Cup lunchon in Vancouver. The two, both of whom are only three or four months from turning 74, have had a thing going since the 1963 Grey Cup game.
Anyway, their clip got play prior to ESPN’s Monday Night Football and also got on CNN. Kapp, of course, is a name in the U.S., if only because he is the only quarterback to have played in the Rose Bowl, Super Bowl and Grey Cup.
And, on Monday, there also was this right here in The New York Times. If you haven’t seen it, the video is here, too.
———
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click on the DONATE button up there at the top right . . . and thank you very much.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
D Robert Schnabel (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). He had one assist in nine games with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga) earlier this season. . . .
F Tyler Bouck (Prince George, 1995-2000) and D Chris Heid (Spokane, 1998-2003) each signed a contract extension with Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL). . . . Bouck signed a two-year extension through the 2013-14 season, while Heid signed a one-year extension through 2012-2013. . . . Bouck, who also is the team captain, has eight goals and 10 assists in 22 games this season. Heid has two assists in 13 games. . . . Ingolstadt's head coach is Rich Chernomaz (Saskatoon, Victoria Cougars, 1979-83); the assistant coach is Rick Nasheim (Spokane, Regina, 1980-83). This is Chernomaz's 13th season as a head coach in the DEL.
———
F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds will miss up to four weeks with an injury suffered early in the first period of Saturday’s 8-2 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops.
Troock was taken off the ice on a stretcher at 1:50 of the first period. He was taken to
 |
| Semisportmed.com |
Here is part of the Thunderbirds’ press release:
“Kamloops forward Brendan Ranford attempted to make a check on Troock as he was moving the puck up the ice from the Seattle zone. In the process of the check, the momentum of Ranford's stick swung and hit Troock from behind in the neck. The blow struck Troock along the full vertical length of his neck.
“Troock fell to the ice upon the impact of Ranford's stick hitting him. He attempted to get up and skate off the ice, but was unable . . .
“Because of the graphic nature of this injury to Troock and the many fans who have inquired, the T-Birds feel it is important to let fans and media know the extent of his injury. . . . it has been confirmed that Troock suffered a fracture of the first rib from the force of the blow.
“It is estimated that Troock will miss about four weeks as the rib heals.”
A note from Wikipedia on the first rib:
“The first rib is the most curved and usually the shortest of all the ribs; it is broad and flat, its surfaces looking upward and downward, and its borders inward and outward.”
There is more right here.
The Thunderbirds are to be commended for the way in which they have handled this situation. Trainer Phil Varney was patient in providing an explanation during a trying situation after Saturday’s game. The statement issued by the team late Monday afternoon lets people know exactly what happened.And that certainly beats leaving it until Tuesday and listing Troock as being out for a month with an upper-body injury.
———
You won’t read a whole lot here about Canada’s national junior team as there are plenty of other places that have lots of information.
But there were two noteable omissions from the selection camp roster that was announced Monday.
Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds is the WHL’s best goaltender and deserves a spot on that roster.
And you really have to wonder what F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats has to do in order to get an invitation? His omission is especially glaring.
———
Later in the day, Pickard tweeted:
“Congrats to all the invitees to team Canada!! Lots of buddies got invited! Go for gold!”
———
Rob Vanstone, in the Regina Leader-Post:
“What does Jordan Weal have to do to suitably impress the Hockey Canada brass? The Regina Pats star has been turning heads ever since entering the WHL as a 16-year-old. He routinely makes amazing plays at high speed and, as such, should have been a mortal lock for inclusion on Canada’s world junior team. Yet, he wasn’t among the 41 invitees to the selection camp. Granted, the CHL is loaded with elite talent, but it is preposterous to suggest that Weal is not among the top 41 major-junior players in the country.”
———
JUST NOTES: Don’t look now but this season is starting to shape up a lot like the last one for the Kootenay Ice. The Ice is 18-5-3. Last season, after 26 games, it was 17-7-2. And we all know what happened last season, don’t we? . . . By the way, when the Ice went 5-0 in its trip through the B.C. Division last week, it was the first time in franchise history it had done that. . . . The Ice has won six in a row on the road, tying a franchise record (Dec. 18, 2009, to Jan. 22, 2010; Nov. 11, 1999, to Nov. 26, 1999). . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen has played in 141 games played, two shy of the franchise record held by Jeff Glass (2002-05). . . .
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation revealed the preliminary roster for its national junior team on Monday. However, it didn’t include any major junior players. Those players, including perhaps Saskatoon Blades G Andrey Makarov, will be added later in December. . . .
With two NHL teams, the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, changing coaches on Monday, former WHL D Ian Herbers (Kelowna, Spokane, Lethbridge, Swift Current, 1984-88) became a head coach. He had been an assistant coach under Kirk Muller with the Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators. With Muller moving up to Carolina, Herbers, 44, is the Admirals’ new head coach. . . . Herbers’ first game as head coach comes tonight against the visiting Abbotsford Heat. . . . Muller’s AHL head-coaching career lasted 17 games. He took over from former WHL player/coach Lane Lambert, who moved up to the Predators as an assistant coach. . . . Dave Boehler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the last time Milwaukee went through a mid-season coaching change “was in 1984-85, when Jim Pappin took over for Cliff Koroll.” . . . Boehler also reported: “Martin Gelinas, the current director of player development with Nashville, will help Herbers until a new assistant coach is hired.”
———
If you haven’t yet seen it, the Joe Kapp-Angelo Mosca dustup has more than gone viral. It happened Friday at a Grey Cup lunchon in Vancouver. The two, both of whom are only three or four months from turning 74, have had a thing going since the 1963 Grey Cup game.
Anyway, their clip got play prior to ESPN’s Monday Night Football and also got on CNN. Kapp, of course, is a name in the U.S., if only because he is the only quarterback to have played in the Rose Bowl, Super Bowl and Grey Cup.
And, on Monday, there also was this right here in The New York Times. If you haven’t seen it, the video is here, too.
———
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click on the DONATE button up there at the top right . . . and thank you very much.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Monday, November 28, 2011
Blazers off to Victoria for two
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Like tourists on a two-day jaunt to Vancouver Island, the Kamloops Blazers were to rise earlier than usual today to catch a bus to get to the ferry.
No, they won’t be hitting the Empress for afternoon tea.
Rather, they’ll be bellying up to a buffet on the ferry for their pregame meal.
The Blazers and Victoria Royals are to renew their WHL rivalry tonight and Wednesday at the 7,006-seat Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
Tonight marks the Blazers’ first game in Victoria since Jan. 30, 1994 — Kamloops lost 5-4 on that occasion. The Cougars moved to Prince George following the conclusion of that season.
The Chilliwack Bruins were sold and relocated to Victoria last summer, after spending five seasons on the Lower Mainland. The Blazers have welcomed the Royals by beating them twice — 8-2 and 4-1 — at Interior Savings Centre.
And the Royals will be back in town Saturday, one night after the Blazers play host to Prince George.
The Blazers (16-7-1) arrive in Victoria having picked up at least a point in five of their last six games, a stretch during which they are 4-1-1. The Royals (11-14-1) have lost four in a row.
Kamloops has played especially well in its last two games, the 4-1 victory over the Royals on Friday night, followed by an 8-2 trouncing of the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday.
According to Blazers head coach Guy Charron, the Blazers outchanced Victoria 28-12 and Seattle 30-10.
“Any time we give the opposing team fewer than 15 scoring chances,” Charron said, “we know we are giving ourselves a better chance to win.”
The Blazers didn’t practise Sunday, but were back on the ice Monday, spending some extra time on a power play that was 0-for-6 against Victoria on Oct. 2 and 0-for-5 on Saturday.
There not being an ice surface on the ferry, they won’t get in a morning skate, as they normally would on game day.
“We reminded the players to get their proper rest,” Charron said, adding that check-in time at Interior Savings Centre was 6:30 a.m., with the bus to leave at 7.
“Hopefully,” Charron said, “we don’t get delayed by snow or whatever on the Coquihalla.
“It’ll be different. For us, a lot of the players are looking at it being their first time on the ferry so they’re looking forward to it.”
The last time the Blazers headed south for two games, they left a day in advance in order to get to Spokane a day early. They then beat the Chiefs 2-1 and lost 3-2 in overtime to the Tri-City Americans.
“This isn’t like we played (Monday) night,” Charron said, “and then had to catch the ferry in the morning and play that night.”
The Blazers go into tonight’s game with all hands able to play, with the exception of defenceman Josh Caron, who is completing a three-game WHL suspension. He will be eligible to return Wednesday night.
Goaltender Cole Cheveldave will make his sixth consecutive start for Kamloops. His 2.39 GAA has him ranked fourth among WHL goaltenders who have played at least 400 minutes. The 18-year-old freshman from Calgary is 9-3-1 with a .914 save percentage.
JUST NOTES: On Jan. 30, 1994, the Cougars won on Dorian Anneck’s second goal of the game, at 19:11 of the third period. The Blazers, who trailed 4-0 in the first period, got two goals from Hnat Domenichelli and singles from Jarrett Deuling and Rod Stevens. G Rod Branch got the hook at 3-0, with Steve Passmore coming on in relief. . . . It’s the annual Teddy Bear/Toque Toss on Friday when the Blazers are at home to the Cougars. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, who left Saturday’s game on a stretcher, could miss four weeks with a nondisplaced fracture of his first rib. He was injured when struck in the back of the neck by the stick of Kamloops F Brendan Ranford. There was no intent, so Ranford isn’t likely to be disciplined.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Daily News Sports Editor
Like tourists on a two-day jaunt to Vancouver Island, the Kamloops Blazers were to rise earlier than usual today to catch a bus to get to the ferry.
No, they won’t be hitting the Empress for afternoon tea.
Rather, they’ll be bellying up to a buffet on the ferry for their pregame meal.
The Blazers and Victoria Royals are to renew their WHL rivalry tonight and Wednesday at the 7,006-seat Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
Tonight marks the Blazers’ first game in Victoria since Jan. 30, 1994 — Kamloops lost 5-4 on that occasion. The Cougars moved to Prince George following the conclusion of that season.
The Chilliwack Bruins were sold and relocated to Victoria last summer, after spending five seasons on the Lower Mainland. The Blazers have welcomed the Royals by beating them twice — 8-2 and 4-1 — at Interior Savings Centre.
And the Royals will be back in town Saturday, one night after the Blazers play host to Prince George.
The Blazers (16-7-1) arrive in Victoria having picked up at least a point in five of their last six games, a stretch during which they are 4-1-1. The Royals (11-14-1) have lost four in a row.
Kamloops has played especially well in its last two games, the 4-1 victory over the Royals on Friday night, followed by an 8-2 trouncing of the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday.
According to Blazers head coach Guy Charron, the Blazers outchanced Victoria 28-12 and Seattle 30-10.
“Any time we give the opposing team fewer than 15 scoring chances,” Charron said, “we know we are giving ourselves a better chance to win.”
The Blazers didn’t practise Sunday, but were back on the ice Monday, spending some extra time on a power play that was 0-for-6 against Victoria on Oct. 2 and 0-for-5 on Saturday.
There not being an ice surface on the ferry, they won’t get in a morning skate, as they normally would on game day.
“We reminded the players to get their proper rest,” Charron said, adding that check-in time at Interior Savings Centre was 6:30 a.m., with the bus to leave at 7.
“Hopefully,” Charron said, “we don’t get delayed by snow or whatever on the Coquihalla.
“It’ll be different. For us, a lot of the players are looking at it being their first time on the ferry so they’re looking forward to it.”
The last time the Blazers headed south for two games, they left a day in advance in order to get to Spokane a day early. They then beat the Chiefs 2-1 and lost 3-2 in overtime to the Tri-City Americans.
“This isn’t like we played (Monday) night,” Charron said, “and then had to catch the ferry in the morning and play that night.”
The Blazers go into tonight’s game with all hands able to play, with the exception of defenceman Josh Caron, who is completing a three-game WHL suspension. He will be eligible to return Wednesday night.
Goaltender Cole Cheveldave will make his sixth consecutive start for Kamloops. His 2.39 GAA has him ranked fourth among WHL goaltenders who have played at least 400 minutes. The 18-year-old freshman from Calgary is 9-3-1 with a .914 save percentage.
JUST NOTES: On Jan. 30, 1994, the Cougars won on Dorian Anneck’s second goal of the game, at 19:11 of the third period. The Blazers, who trailed 4-0 in the first period, got two goals from Hnat Domenichelli and singles from Jarrett Deuling and Rod Stevens. G Rod Branch got the hook at 3-0, with Steve Passmore coming on in relief. . . . It’s the annual Teddy Bear/Toque Toss on Friday when the Blazers are at home to the Cougars. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, who left Saturday’s game on a stretcher, could miss four weeks with a nondisplaced fracture of his first rib. He was injured when struck in the back of the neck by the stick of Kamloops F Brendan Ranford. There was no intent, so Ranford isn’t likely to be disciplined.
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1982, SPORTS
Copyright 1982/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY
JIM MURRAY
The NBA Never Had It So Good
When I began to cover pro basketball about 20 or so years ago, it was a hit-and-miss sport, mostly the latter.
Franchises were like floating crap games. The teams dropped their bags wherever they could get a basketball and a couple of hundred people to pass the hat to. If you scratched the St. Louis Hawks uniform emblem, you might see Waterloo, Iowa stenciled underneath.
The game was played in metropolises like Sheboygan, Oshkosh, Anderson, Ind., and Providence, R.I. The Tri-Cities Blackhawks (Moline and Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport, Iowa) were the forerunners of today's Atlanta Hawks.
But, it wasn't only in prehistoric times that the game was part sport, part medicine show. The public thought the Harlem Globetrotters were the best team in basketball and, to sell out Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks usually had to share a doubleheader with the Globies.
The public was slow to warm to the game. I can remember, as late as 1961, going to a playoff game on a Sunday afternoon between the St. Louis Hawks and the Los Angeles Lakers and finding a "throng" of about 2,800 at the Sports Arena. And the floor had players on it like Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan, Clyde Lovelette, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Rod Hundley.
Even with that kind of talent, I recall Wilt Chamberlain was the highest paid player in the league at less than $20,000. The Lakers had been sent to L.A. by the then-owner, Bob Short, with instructions to his general manager to "keep the team going into the Pacific Ocean if they lose money there, too." The game ultimately thrived in L.A. where the population had a large number of New York expatriates who had learned the game in their youth in the boroughs of the big city, where basketball was "the poor man's polo."
I bring this up because the commissioner of modern pro basketball passed through this week with a report to the media on the state of the game in this Year of Our Lord 1982.
One thing is sure: It's never going back to Oshkosh.
Lawrence F. O'Brien, once the Kennedy family's political mentor, and ex-Postmaster General of the U.S., reports that rumors of the game's terminal status are somewhat, if not greatly exaggerated. He broke up the fast break of the doomsayers with a little fancy "D" of his own under the basket:
Rumor No. 1 had it that the NBA was in deep financial trouble and in imminent danger of collapse from top to bottom. "Not so," said Commissioner O'Brien. "In the NBA, one-third of the league is highly profitable, one-third is breaking even or almost, and one-third is losing money. But corrections in the league population of 23 are not contemplated because cable revenues are just over the horizon for even the most troubled franchises."
Rumor No. 2 had it that television, the Great White Father of sports, is disenchanted with basketball as a prime time or even Sunday afternoon attraction. "We just signed a new four-year pact with CBS for $88 million and a $5.5 million-a-year pact with cable TV (ESPN and USA). That's $27.5 million a year we get to split evenly among our franchises. We signed for only two years with cable because we think the numbers there are going to go up substantially and soon."
Rumor 3 had it that affluent white fans are becoming disenchanted with the almost all-black makeup of the game. "There is no evidence of that at all. Attendance is up 8 per cent all over the league and some franchises are up dramatically — a 90 per cent increase in New Jersey. The color of the uniform means more to the fans than the color of the player."
Rumor 4 had it that fat-cat owners are pricing the league out of business, as witness Magic Johnson's $25-million contract. "The average salary in this league is $214,500, and our figures indicate that two-thirds of all team revenues go to the players," O'Brien said. He did not say it in so many words, but he indicated that, when the league players association contract is up this year, the players may have to approach the bargaining table in a "give-back" frame of mind, that, like all labor, it might behoove them to sacrifice individual benefits to preserve the industry as a whole.
Will players be apt to take such a statesmanlike view, he was asked, or will most choose not to care what happens to the goose now that they've gotten their golden eggs out of it? "We hold more informal discussions than other sports," O'Brien pointed out. "I have not personally dabbled into the preliminary negotiations, but I think we have a closer sense of fraternity and purpose about our league that some of the older, more-established sports."
Maybe they should have. There are lots of us still around who remember when the "league" was a bus load of players riding through the cornfields of Iowa on the lookout for an empty gym and a bunch of farm workers who just got paid, when Walter Brown bought the Celtics for $2,500 and, when someone called the arena to ask what time the game would be played, the answer might be "What time would you like it?"
Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247
F Ty Rattie scored four times, including three in the first period, as the host Portland Winterhawks dumped the Swift Current Broncos 6-2 on Sunday. . . . The game featured a late line brawl that included battling goalies. Ch-ch-ch-ching!!!! . . . The Winterhawks also should be fined by the WHL office for disrespecting the Grey Cup game. . . . Rattie scored three times in the first period as he posted Portland’s first hat trick of the season. . . . Scott Sepich reports that the last Portland player to score four times in a game was D Brayden Coburn on Feb. 4, 2005. . . . Portland has won seven in a row at home. . . . Rattie also had an assist. . . . Linemate Sven Bartschi drew four assists. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow scored to run his goal-scoring streak to five games. That’s pretty neat for a defenceman. . . . Swift Current took 105 of the 200 minutes in penalties handed out by referee Trevor Hanson. . . . Of those, 166 came at 18:37 of the third period. That included 12 fighting majors and 10 game misconducts. . . . And just in time for Christmas, too. . . . At least there weren’t any checking-from-behind penalties.
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Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Rebels F Adam Kambeitz (broken wrist) will be out for up to six weeks. He was injured Friday during the Rebels’ 5-1 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Red Deer F Daulton Siwak (undisclosed) also is out, but should be back in about a week. . . . At the same time, F Turner Elson has drawn one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions and F Joel Hamilton took a headshot during Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers and he, too, is on the shelf. Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy will draw a suspension for the hit on Hamilton. . . . And let’s not forget D Aaron Borkejko, who is day-to-day with some kind of injury.
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F Brendan Persley, 18, who was released last week by the Victoria Royals, has rejoined the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. Persley, who is from Kelowna, played a few games for the Vipers in 2009-10. He had a goal in nine games with Victoria, after putting up eight points and 62 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) last season.
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Taking Note on Twitter
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Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Rebels F Adam Kambeitz (broken wrist) will be out for up to six weeks. He was injured Friday during the Rebels’ 5-1 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Red Deer F Daulton Siwak (undisclosed) also is out, but should be back in about a week. . . . At the same time, F Turner Elson has drawn one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions and F Joel Hamilton took a headshot during Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers and he, too, is on the shelf. Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy will draw a suspension for the hit on Hamilton. . . . And let’s not forget D Aaron Borkejko, who is day-to-day with some kind of injury.
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F Brendan Persley, 18, who was released last week by the Victoria Royals, has rejoined the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. Persley, who is from Kelowna, played a few games for the Vipers in 2009-10. He had a goal in nine games with Victoria, after putting up eight points and 62 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) last season.
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Taking Note on Twitter
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Blazers play their game, bury T-birds
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| Seattle goaltender Daniel Cotton was under pressure from defenceman Brady Gaudet and the Kamloops Blazers for much of Saturday's game. (Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News) |
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| Seattle winger Branden Troock gets stretchered off the ice during Saturday's game in Kamloops. (Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News) |
Daily News Sports Editor
Brendan Ranford was in the middle of things from start to finish on Saturday night.
And it showed on the scoresheet where he was plus-3 with a goal, an assist — the former his 200th career regular-season point — and 21 minutes in penalties as he helped the Kamloops Blazers to a convincing 8-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds at Interior Savings Centre.
When it was all done, however, Ranford, in his 230th game, was more concerned with the condition of Seattle winger Branden Troock.
“I was worried for Branden,” said Ranford, who took a double minor for high-sticking Troock at 1:50 of the first period.
Troock, who missed last season with a head injury, left on a backboard. He had movement in all extremities when he was taken to Royal Inland Hospital for X-rays. Troock, 17, who may have a minor neck injury, was on the team bus when it left. On Sunday, he was sore but resting at home. He will see the team’s doctor today.
Troock had moved the puck off the right side boards in Seattle’s zone when Ranford moved in to check him. After the collision, Ranford’s stick came up and around, the blade striking Troock on the back of the neck, just under his helmet.
One WHL official saw a replay and deemed it “accidental.”
Troock was treated on the ice by Seattle trainer Phil Varney and Colin Robinson, the Blazers’ trainer, and Dr. Todd Ring.
Coincidentally, Ranford and Troock both are products of Edmonton’s Canadian Athletic Club.
“I didn’t really mean to (hurt him),” Ranford said. “I hit him and I came around . . . I don’t even know. I didn’t mean it. I wish him the best of luck in his recovery.”
Prior to this season, and after tests that included his vision, medical people discovered a nerve in the back of Troock’s neck was acting up and causing concussion-like symptoms. He has since been visiting an acupuncturist once a week.
On Saturday, not even a clinic full of acupuncturists could have helped the Thunderbirds, who didn’t get even one shot on goal while Ranford was in stir. The visitors ended up being outshot 50-19, including 19-3 in the first period.
“We just played hockey,” Ranford said. “We played our game, the Blazers’ style of hockey. We got pucks in deep and brought our speed.”
That is exactly what happened and Seattle simply couldn’t match the Blazers below the faceoff dots.
Kamloops also got some life from a minor shuffle when head coach Guy Charron swapped wingers Cole Ully and Brock Balson to start the second period. Ully ended up with Ranford and Chase Schaber, while Balson dropped back to play alongside Ryan Hanes and Aspen Sterzer.
“I thought Ully was on his game,” Charron said of the 16-year-old freshman from Calgary. “Every shift, with Hanes and Sterzer, he had some jump and was making good plays with the puck.
“Not that Brock wasn’t playing well, but when Ully is at the top of his game he’s a pretty good player. He’s a great skater and he can keep up with Schaber.”
Ully rewarded the coach with his third goal of the season at 9:21 of the second period. That gave the Blazers a 3-1 lead and, when Logan McVeigh, who had a goal and two assists, counted less than two minutes later, this one was history.
Hanes and Balson, the two Kamloops kids on the Blazers’ roster, put the exclamation mark on this one at 6:56 of the third period. Hanes pulled the trigger with Balson drawing the lone assist and they may have gotten the night’s loudest applause.
Tim Bozon, Dylan Willick, Colin Smith and Austin Madaisky also scored for the Blazers, who got three assists from Brady Gaudet, a 17-year-old sophomore defenceman who has been searching for his confidence.
Luke Lockhart and Burke Gallimore scored for Seattle, which had won three of its last four games. The Thunderbirds, who dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the visiting Prince George Cougars on Friday, drove through the night, arriving in Kamloops at 5:30 a.m.
Considering Ranford’s contributions it was kind of fitting that he should be front and centre late in the third period. Seattle defenceman Cason Machacek was given a major and game misconduct for a check to the head on Smith and Ranford promptly responded, for which he was given the instigating minor, fighting major and game misconduct.
In the vernacular, that completed the third Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game — of Ranford’s career. All that and 200 points made it quite a night.
“It was nice,” Ranford said, “but I didn’t know until the announcement. It was an exciting moment but the win was the most important thing. We’re playing a lot better defensively and it’s a lot of fun this year.”
The Blazers (16-7-1) are fourth in the Western Conference, one point out of second and five off the leading Tri-City Americans. Kamloops leaves Tuesday morning for Victoria and games that night and Wednesday against the Royals (11-14-1).
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 4,005. . . . Seattle G Daniel Cotton stopped 42 shots in his third career start. . . . In NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings that were released earlier this month, Troock was ranked 11th among WHL skaters eligible for the 2012 draft. . . . The Blazers’ season-high for shots in a game had been 46 from a 5-2 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Nov. 12. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 17 shots in his fifth straight start. . . . McVeigh had four goals and nine assists in 59 games last season. He has matched those numbers in 20 games this season. . . . Gaudet had the second three-point night of his career. He scored three goals in a 10-5 loss to the Chiefs in Spokane on Dec. 11. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Ranford: played like he did in first half of last season; 2. McVeigh: Playing like he can contribute on offence; 3. Ully: Ran with the big dogs.
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In the early days of the Vancouver Canucks as an NHL franchise, it's safe to say that things oftentimes were a bit of an adventure. Greg Douglas was the team's public relations director back in the day. Here's what he told columnist Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province the other day: “The rock in management in those days was Larry Popein. He was the assistant GM and had come from the New York Rangers and he took care of all the details. I don't think the franchise could have survived without him.” . . . Obviously, Canucks fans today should be thankful for the good work Popein did. . . . Popein, of course, is retired and living right here in River City with his good wife, Joyce. . . . Defenceman Jason Strudwick, who played for your Kamloops Blazers (1993-95), has signed for the remainder of this season with Södertälje of the Elitserien in Sweden. He played last season with the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. . . .
Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon Express, after reports surfaced that Pamela Anderson will play the Virgin Mary in a TV special: “Isn't Anderson portraying the Virgin Mary like Mother Teresa portraying Anderson?” . . . More from Hutchinson: “We know Anderson's ex-husbands - Tommy Lee, Kid Rock and Rick Saloman - won't be the Three Wise Men.” . . . While Buffalo was losing to the Cowboys in Dallas the other day, Bills receiver David Nelson caught a TD pass and gave the ball to gal-pal Kelsi Reich, who just happens to be a Cowboys cheerleader. Of course, Nelson caught a lot of grief for that. But as blogger R.J. Currie asked: “Since when is there a bad time to hug a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader?” . . . Forward Troy Ofukany of Kamloops has signed with the Central league's Tulsa Oilers and, in fact, scored in his first game with them on Tuesday, a 7-6 shootout loss to the Arizona Sundogs. Ofukany started the season with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles. . . .
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be back at Edmonton's City Centre Airport next summer as part of the Edmonton Indy weekend. The NASCAR race is scheduled for July 22 and should include Sun Peaks driver Jason White. . . . The NASCAR gang stops at Vernon's Motoplex Speedway on July 14. . . . Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun: “Can't make sense of Tim Tebow winning unless there's something about him selling his soul to the devil and an upcoming musical planned.” . . . Here is New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, explaining why they sent an eight-man blitz after Tebow, who promptly ran for 20 yards and the game-winning touchdown last week: “At that time, we had pressured him. We thought they were going to do really what they did. They ran verticals in the passing game, so we wanted to pressure it, and quite honestly, he made a great play.” . . .
After games two weeks ago, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was fined $7,500 for grabbing an opponent by the helmet and throwing him to the ground. Meanwhile, Chicago Bears receiver Earl Bennett got hit for 10 grand for wearing orange shoes. . . . The moral of the story, according to Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Good thing for Stafford he wasn't wearing orange shoes when he did it.” . . . “Searching for something to be thankful for?” writes Ron Judd in the Seattle Times. “How about the lack of public debt from a white-elephant, unused sports arena? We're grateful to live in a region smart enough to chop loose its mooring lines from the sinking ship known as the NBA, whose entire 2011-12 season appears to be on the skids. Couldn't happen to a nicer organization.” . . .
Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Whenever John Fox talks about Tim Tebow, even after a Denver win, the Broncos' coach comes off like a guy whose underwear is on backward.” . . . One more from Ostler, who on Thursday wrote that he is thankful for “Joe Paterno, because he and all the other folks back in JoePaLand have set the sleaze bar so high that we'll never again have to become righteously-indignant when a college program is busted for hookers on yachts with free tattoos.” . . . Oh, and Ostler also is thankful for “MLB's new ban on the use of smokeless tobacco during TV interviews. It will be a challenge for some of these guys to get through a two-minute interview without drooling brown slime, but worth it if it encourages young ballplayers to avoid the nasty habit until they're at least 12.” . . .
When a player gets traded, he often will say he wants to see his former team do well, except when playing against his new club. Not San Jose Sharks defenceman Brent Burns, who was acquired from the Minnesota Wild over the summer. He told the San Jose Mercury News: “It's like an ex-girlfriend. You really don't want her to get the white picket fence and the great job.” . . . If you're an NFL watcher, are you tired of the CTV promos yet? Thought so. . . . And how many of those shows do you watch? Thought so. . . .
On election days, why aren't there polling stations in shopping malls? Maybe it's time to take the polls to the people, rather than the way it is now, which is the other way around. . . . Folks are building a US$3.4-million boating centre on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake near Austin, Texas. Noted the aforementioned Dwight Perry: “Or as it's destined to be known in rowing circles, The Best Little Oarhouse in Texas.”
(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, follow him at twitter.com/gdrinnan, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.)
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| Tri-City forward Justin Feser unleashes a shot in the direction of Regina goaltender Matt Hewitt on Saturday night in Kennewick, Wash. The Americans won the game, 6-1. (Photo courtesy Doug Love / Tri-City Americans) |
If you missed it, and if you like reading good rants, you should skip over to Regan Bartel’s blog and the entry titled ‘One call proves costly.’ . . . Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, didn’t like the performance turned in by a referee on Friday night. . . . I guess that’s why Bartel calls his blog Regan’s Rant. . . . There is a link over there on the right, and I’m thinking that Bartel’s name has been stroked off the Christmas card list by every zebra in the world . . .
If you are looking for some interesting reading, head over to the Regina Leader-Post’s website and check out Greg Harder’s series on Headshots and Hockey. . . . Of special interest are stories on Colton Stephenson, who retired from the Edmonton Oil Kings earlier this season, because of concussion-related problems, and Brayden Cuthbert of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who has yet to play this season for the same reason. . . . If you read only one part of this series, though, make it Part 4 in which Harder writes about Dr. Patrick Neary who “has dedicated several years of meticulous research to unlocking the concussion enigma.”
The entire series may be found right here.
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JUST NOTES: D Stefan Elliott (Saskatoo, 2007-11) scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game on Saturday and it came on Hockey Night in Canada. He scored his side’s third goal in a 5-2 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . He finished plus-1 with two shots in 19 minutes 36 seconds of playing time over 25 shifts. . . . Elliott, a second-round pick, 49th overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009 NHL draft is 20, so he still could be playing with Saskatoon. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Eric Arnold scored twice, including the winner at 11:41 of the third period, as the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. Arnold, who has four goals, had last scored on Sept. 30. . . . The Warriors swept the home-and-home series, having won 7-6 in Brandon on Friday. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost three in a row. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, the WHL’s leading scorer, was held pointless for the second time this season. His eight-game goal streak also ended. . . . Moose Jaw was without F Justin Kirsch (concussion), as well as D Dylan McIlrath and F Tanner Eberle, both of whom are serving suspensions. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Brady Brassart had two goals and an assist to help the Calgary Hitmen to an 8-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Hitmen broke open a 1-1 game with three goals in a span of 3:01 in the second period. . . . The Hitmen went 4-0 on their swing into the East Division. . . . Each team took 51 penalty minutes. . . .
In Saskatoon, G Adam Morrison stopped 27 shots in leading the Vancouver Giants to a 4-1 victory over the Blades. The Giants acquired Morrison, 20, from the Blades earlier in the season. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson had two goals. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls wasn’t able to beat Morrison on a late first-period penalty shot with the Blades leading 1-0. . . . Saskatoon F Lukas Sutter took two checking-to-the-head minors, one at 17:49 of the first and the other just 54 seconds into the second. . . .
In Edmonton, F Tyler Maxwell scored twice as the Oil Kings dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-2. . . . Maxwell, who has 13 goals, was acquired Thursday from the Everett Silvertips. . . . F Michael St. Croix had two goals and two assists, while F Dylan Wruck added a goal and two helpers. They are Maxwell’s linemates. . . . Edmonton D Martin Gernat had two assists and was plus-3 with his parents, who are here from Slovakia, among the crowd of 8,759 on Minor Hockey Night. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk and F Kristians Pelss (both undisclosed). . . .
In Red Deer, the Medicine Hat Tigers went 2-for-11 on the PP and beat the Rebels, 4-1. . . . Red Deer took 56 of 103 penalty minutes. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem scored his WHL-leading 27th goal, into an empty net. . . . Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy picked up a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct at 11:10 of the first period. . . .
Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 29 shots. . . .
In Kamloops, F Brendan Ranford reached the 200-point plateau as his Blazers dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 8-2. . . . Ranford, playing in his 230th game, got there with a second-period goal, his 13th of the season. He also had an assist and a scrap, for the third Gordie Howe hat trick of his career. . . . He also served an early double minor for high-sticking after hitting Seattle F Brendan Troock. After the collision, Ranford’s stick came around and the blade struck Troock in the back of his neck, directly under his helmet. Troock, who missed all of last season with a head injury, left on a stretcher and was taken to hospital as a precaution. When the Thunderbirds left the arena, they planned on stopping at Royal Inland Hospital and picking up Troock for the trip home. . . . Kamloops D Brady Gaudet had three assists. . . . Seattle was outshot 50-19, including 19-3 in the first period. Two of those shots were dump-ins that preceded line changes, with the other a soft shot from the point by D Brad Deagle. . . . The Thunderbirds gave starter Calvin Pickard a rest — he had started 20 of 22 — and gave Daniel Cotton his third career start. . . . Seattle D Cason Machacek was ejected with a major for checking to the head in the third period. . . .
In Everett, the Swift Current Broncos got two goals from F Taylor Vause and beat the Silvertips, 3-1. . . . The Broncos are 1-2 on their U.S. Division trip. . . . They are in Portland today. . . . Broncos G Jon Groenheyde stopped 32 shots. . . . Vause has 15 goals. . . . Everett has lost four in a row. . . .
In Kelowna, F Brett Bulmer scored three times to spark the Rockets to a 6-5 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Bulmer has six goals in 10 games since returning from the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. . . . Victoria D Zach Habscheid scored his first goal of the season. It was his second in 113 regular-season games. . . .
In Spokane, the Prince George Cougars surprised the Chiefs, 5-4, on D Linden Springer’s first goal. He broke a 4-4 tie at 2:23 of the third period. . . . The goal came in Springer’s 23rd game, 20 of which he has played this season. . . . It also was his first point. . . . The Chiefs are 0-7 on the road as they head out on a five-game trip into the Central Division. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Patrick Holland had a goal and two assists as the Tri-City Americans beat the Regina Pats, 6-1. . . . G Eric Comrie stopped 20 shots for the victory. . . . The Americans have won four in a row and are one point behind the Kootenay Ice, who top the WHL’s overall standings. The Americans, at .760, do have the league’s best winning percentage. . . . Regina finished its U.S. Division trek at 1-3-1. . . . The Pats next play Friday against the visiting Vancouver Giants.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Matej Stransky, Saskatoon
F Eric Walker, Vancouver
D Brady Gaudet, Kamloops
F Taylor Crunk, Victoria
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Taking Note on Twitter
Saturday, November 26, 2011
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-2005) signed a contract through Dec. 24 with La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B). He was released after a tryout with Biel (Switzerland, NL A) on Thursday. The contract begins Monday.
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JUST NOTES: F Sebastian Svendsen, 20, wasn’t in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ lineup Friday night as they beat the host Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-6. James Gallo, the radio voice of the Warriors on CHAB, reported via Twitter than Svendsen has left the club and returned home to Denmark. He missed the early portion of the season with a knee injury and has four points in 11 games. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch left in the first period and didn’t return. That followed a hit from Brandon F Darian Dziurzynski. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden had four assists. He has 22 points in 13 games. . . . The Warriors erased a 6-4 deficit with three third-period goals. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, giving him a WHL-leading 58 points in 27 games. Stone has goals in each of his last eight games. . . .
F Mark McNeill’s ninth goal, at 3:04 of OT, gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 4-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . The Raiders had lost six in a row. . . . F Kellan Tochkin of the Raiders tied the score with 8.4 seconds left in the third period. . . . F Justin Maylan, 20, drew three assists for the Raiders. He has 32 points in 27 games and just may have some market value between now and the Jan. 10 trade deadline. . . . In Saskatoon, the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Blades 6-2. That ended Saskatoon’s eight-game winning streak and franchise record-tying 10-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Hitmen are 3-0 on a four-game East Division swing that ends tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Calgary got two goals from F Jimmy Bubnick, who is from Saskatoon. . . .
In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. It was Brossoit’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . He is 13-7-2, 2.43, .914. . . . F Tyler Maxwell, acquired Thursday from the Everett Silvertips, had one assist in his Edmonton debut. He played on a line with Michael St. Croix and Dylan Wruck. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk (undisclosed). . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes went into Red Deer and beat the Rebels 5-1 in a game that featured 12 fighting majors. The Hurricanes took 76 of the game’s 118 penalty minutes. . . .
In Kelowna, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots in leading the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Rockets. . . . At this point, Lieuwen has to be one of the leading candidates for the player of the year award. He is 13-4-3, 1.78, .938. This was his first shutout of the season and eighth of his career. . . . Backstopped by Lieuwen, the Ice is 18-5-3 and leading the overall standings. . . . The Ice played five B.C. Division teams in seven nights and ran the table. . . . The Ice scored its last three goals on the PP. . . . F Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, giving him four goals and 10 assists over the five-game swing. His older brother, Max, had three assists and finished the B.C. part of what will be a nine-game trip with four goals and six helpers. . . . Ice F Brock Montgomery, who scored one goal in 54 games last season, had two last night, giving him seven in 26 games this season. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-1, in a game that featured 142 penalty minutes, 71 to each team. . . . The teams took 74 of those minutes for a dustup at 17:48 of the third period. . . . In Everett, F Jordan Weal had two goals and an assist, the 200th of this career, to help the Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Silvertips. Regina is 1-2-1 on its U.S. Division tour that ends in Kennewick tonight. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Charles Inglis tied the game at 19:21 of the third period and scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 32 shots. Seattle F Burke Gallimore wasn’t able to beat Owsley on a first-period penalty shot. . . . G Mac Carruth stopped 46 shots as the host Portland Winterhawks beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Spokane is 0-7 on the road this season and that includes three losses in Portland.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
The AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons have recalled F Milan Kytnar (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10), while also signing D Dylan Yeo (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-2007) to a free-agent tryout deal. . . .
———
A Friday night tweet from Katie Strang of ESPN, who covers the New York hockey scene: “Asked (Islanders) GM Garth Snow if he is contemplating sending Nino Niederreiter back to junior team Portland Winterhawks of WHL; he said ‘No’.”
———
A second tweet from Strang: “Also, Isles spokesperson said Niederreiter is indeed healthy. 19-year-old Swiss winger was scratched for 3rd straight game tonight.”
———
Later, Strang wrote about this on her blog right here.
———
Josh Cooper of The Tennessean has the latest on Brent Peterson right here. Peterson, a former player and coach with the Portland Winterhawks is living with Parkinson’s disease and preparing for surgery that he and his family hope will provide some relief.
———
Andrew King, a former junior hockey player, tells his concussion-plagued story right here, from the pages of the Montreal Gazette.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-2005) signed a contract through Dec. 24 with La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B). He was released after a tryout with Biel (Switzerland, NL A) on Thursday. The contract begins Monday.
———
JUST NOTES: F Sebastian Svendsen, 20, wasn’t in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ lineup Friday night as they beat the host Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-6. James Gallo, the radio voice of the Warriors on CHAB, reported via Twitter than Svendsen has left the club and returned home to Denmark. He missed the early portion of the season with a knee injury and has four points in 11 games. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch left in the first period and didn’t return. That followed a hit from Brandon F Darian Dziurzynski. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden had four assists. He has 22 points in 13 games. . . . The Warriors erased a 6-4 deficit with three third-period goals. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, giving him a WHL-leading 58 points in 27 games. Stone has goals in each of his last eight games. . . .
F Mark McNeill’s ninth goal, at 3:04 of OT, gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 4-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . The Raiders had lost six in a row. . . . F Kellan Tochkin of the Raiders tied the score with 8.4 seconds left in the third period. . . . F Justin Maylan, 20, drew three assists for the Raiders. He has 32 points in 27 games and just may have some market value between now and the Jan. 10 trade deadline. . . . In Saskatoon, the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Blades 6-2. That ended Saskatoon’s eight-game winning streak and franchise record-tying 10-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Hitmen are 3-0 on a four-game East Division swing that ends tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Calgary got two goals from F Jimmy Bubnick, who is from Saskatoon. . . .
In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. It was Brossoit’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . He is 13-7-2, 2.43, .914. . . . F Tyler Maxwell, acquired Thursday from the Everett Silvertips, had one assist in his Edmonton debut. He played on a line with Michael St. Croix and Dylan Wruck. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk (undisclosed). . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes went into Red Deer and beat the Rebels 5-1 in a game that featured 12 fighting majors. The Hurricanes took 76 of the game’s 118 penalty minutes. . . .
In Kelowna, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots in leading the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Rockets. . . . At this point, Lieuwen has to be one of the leading candidates for the player of the year award. He is 13-4-3, 1.78, .938. This was his first shutout of the season and eighth of his career. . . . Backstopped by Lieuwen, the Ice is 18-5-3 and leading the overall standings. . . . The Ice played five B.C. Division teams in seven nights and ran the table. . . . The Ice scored its last three goals on the PP. . . . F Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, giving him four goals and 10 assists over the five-game swing. His older brother, Max, had three assists and finished the B.C. part of what will be a nine-game trip with four goals and six helpers. . . . Ice F Brock Montgomery, who scored one goal in 54 games last season, had two last night, giving him seven in 26 games this season. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-1, in a game that featured 142 penalty minutes, 71 to each team. . . . The teams took 74 of those minutes for a dustup at 17:48 of the third period. . . . In Everett, F Jordan Weal had two goals and an assist, the 200th of this career, to help the Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Silvertips. Regina is 1-2-1 on its U.S. Division tour that ends in Kennewick tonight. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Charles Inglis tied the game at 19:21 of the third period and scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 32 shots. Seattle F Burke Gallimore wasn’t able to beat Owsley on a first-period penalty shot. . . . G Mac Carruth stopped 46 shots as the host Portland Winterhawks beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Spokane is 0-7 on the road this season and that includes three losses in Portland.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
The AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons have recalled F Milan Kytnar (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10), while also signing D Dylan Yeo (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-2007) to a free-agent tryout deal. . . .
———
A Friday night tweet from Katie Strang of ESPN, who covers the New York hockey scene: “Asked (Islanders) GM Garth Snow if he is contemplating sending Nino Niederreiter back to junior team Portland Winterhawks of WHL; he said ‘No’.”
———
A second tweet from Strang: “Also, Isles spokesperson said Niederreiter is indeed healthy. 19-year-old Swiss winger was scratched for 3rd straight game tonight.”
———
Later, Strang wrote about this on her blog right here.
———
Josh Cooper of The Tennessean has the latest on Brent Peterson right here. Peterson, a former player and coach with the Portland Winterhawks is living with Parkinson’s disease and preparing for surgery that he and his family hope will provide some relief.
———
Andrew King, a former junior hockey player, tells his concussion-plagued story right here, from the pages of the Montreal Gazette.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Friday, November 25, 2011
Blazers reign over Royals
 |
| Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave has the answer as Brandon Magee of the Victoria Royals tries to beat him Friday night at Interiors Savings Centre. (Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News) |
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Turnovers? Grandma’s kitchen never saw anything like this. Daily News Sports Editor
Odd-man breaks? More than there’ve been from any Mexican jail.
The Kamloops Blazers benefited from all of that and more as they dropped the Victoria Royals 4-1 in a WHL game played at Interior Savings Centre on Friday night.
The Blazers (15-7-1) are 3-1-1 in their last five games. They get right back at it tonight against the Seattle Thunderbirds, who dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the visiting Prince George Cougars last night. Game time at ISC is 7 o’clock.
The Royals 11-13-1), who meet the Rockets in Kelowna tonight, have lost six of seven.
This one was ugly, pretty much from start to finish, but especially so in the second period.
The Royals stumbled so badly in the middle period that Marc Habscheid, their general manager/head coach, called time out at 6:35. At that point, the Royals were trailing 2-0 and being outshot 23-6. Habscheid informed them of exactly that, although perhaps not in those words.
“The amount of pucks we turn over in the neutral zone is astonishing,” Habscheid said. “They get it and it goes back in, and you end up spending too much time in your own end.”
And, last night, it could have been worse . . . much worse.
Erratic shooting? Jimmy Breslin’s gang that couldn’t shoot straight had nothing on the Blazers on this night.
The Royals gave the home boys more pucks and more odd-man rushes than they could have wished for, and the locals oftentimes returned the favour by shooting high, wide or both.
That is why the Blazers led only 3-0 in the third period when the Royals’ power-play gave them a breath of life.
“What we need to learn is . . . as dominant as we were,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said, “I thought we took two bad penalties in the third period. That, to me, is undisciplined.”
With the Blazers on the power play, defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer took an interference penalty. Less than a minute after Kamloops killed that one, winger Chase Souto went off for hooking.
Victoria centre Kevin Sundher scored on the power play to get the visitors to within two.
“Now you allow the other team to get back in it,” Charron said. “The penalty killing has done a tremendous job and we put our penalty killing in that situation. You can’t.
“We have to get better at those things so that we can be the team that we are expected to be.”
The Blazers also may have caught a break when referee Mike Campbell waved off what might have been a late Victoria goal. The Royals went to the net hard and the puck crossed the line, but Campbell waved it off and ruled that goaltender Cole Cheveldave had been pushed into the net.
“We hung around,” Habscheid said, “and I’m not sure about that disallowed goal. (Cheveldave) was tripped on the play . . . that’s a hockey play. And then it’s 3-2 and you never know. That gives us more energy.”
“You never know,” Charron echoed.
The Blazers got a solid effort from Cheveldave, who finished with 17 saves, about six of them coming from a flurry late in the second period when the Royals enjoyed the man advantage.
“He’s a competiive ittle bugger,” Charron said of the freshman from Calgary. “His work eithic in practice . . . he never gives up on a shot and he gets upset when things don’t go well for him.”
The Blazers got two goals from Dylan Willick, the second one into an empty net, with Chase Schaber and Colin Smith getting the others.
Kamloops again got good mileage from Smith’s line, with Tim Bozon and J.C. Lipon on the wings. They earned a lot of chances, but were guilty of some erratic shooting.
“It just wasn’t going in for me,” said Lipon, who twice fired high and wide when he was in close. “It’s nice to get all the chances, though. They were going in earlier in the year . . . they’ll come.”
Lipon especially was pleased with the way the Blazers dominated the Royals last night because these teams will meet again.
“We beat them 8-2 before but we knew they would come out hard tonight,” he said. “We play these guys four times in the next two weeks. We wanted to send a message right off the bat.”
———
The plan was for the Royals to travel to Kamloops on Thursday, via the 1 p.m. ferry from Swartz Bay. However, inclement weather resulted in repeated sailing cancellations, so they returned to the capital and caught the 11 a.m. ferry yesterday.
The Blazers are to play a doubleheader in Victoria next week and plan on leaving Tuesday morning for a game there that night.
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 3,725. . . . The Royals were 1-for-5 on the power play; the Blazers were 0-for-5. . . . Victoria G Keith Hamilton finished with 36 saves. . . . Victoria D Tyler Stahl, 19, sat out his 21st straight game since suffering a concussion on Oct. 1 in Prince George. Cougars F Charles Inglis served a 10-game suspension for the hit to the head that put Stahl on the shelf. . . . The Royals have released F Brendan Persley, 18, who is from Kelowna. Persley, who had one goal in nine games, missed all of training camp and the early part of the season with mononucleosis. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. D Marek Hrbas, Kamloops. Strong and physical; 2. Willick: Two goals, strong defence; 3. Lipon: Lots of jump, lots of chances.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) was assigned by Salavat Yulayev Ufa (Russia, KHL) to Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) after clearing KHL waivers. He has no points in 12 games for Salavat Yulayev this season. . . .
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) was not offered a contract by Biel (Switzerland, NL A) after his four-day tryout ended Thursday. He had one assist in 15 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) earlier this season.
———
It would seem that Bob Green, the general manager of the Edmonton Oil Kings, has served notice that he feels his club can contend in the Eastern Conference.
Or he at least wants to serve notice to the other teams that, hey, “We’re in this, too.”
On Thursday, Green surrendered D Griffin Foulk, 16, and a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick in order to acquire F Tyler Maxwell, 20, from the Everett Silvertips.
Maxwell had been sent home to Manhattan Beach, Calif., a couple of weeks ago after asking for a trade.
In 216 games with Everett, Maxwell put up 195 points, including a franchise-record 107 goals.
Maxwell flew from SoCal to Everett on Thursday and will get into Edmonton today. He should arrive in time to play tonight against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
The acquisition of Maxwell dictated another move from the Oil Kings, as that left them 20-year-old over the maximum of three, the others being forwards Josh Lazowski, Jordan Peddle and Rhett Rachinski. They promptly placed Lazowski on waivers. A native of Leduc, Alta., he had eight points in 17 games this season. Last season, he put up 28 points in 32 games.
Meanwhile, Foulk is from Broomfield, Colo. He was an eighth-round selection by Edmonton in the 2010 bantam draft, and has been in each of the Oil Kings’ last two training camps. He is playing a second season of major midget with the Colorado Thunderbirds.
The Oil Kings (13-8-3) go into the weekend in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, where nine of 12 teams have winning percentages above .500.
The Tigers have beaten the Oil Kings twice this season, 5-3 in Edmonton on Sept. 30 and 4-3 in a shootout in Medicine Hat the next night.
———
JUST NOTES: D Josh Caron of the Kamloops Blazers drew a three-game suspension for a Wednesday night check to the head of Kootenay Ice F Max Reinhart. . . . D Martin Marincin of the Prince George Cougars will play for Slovakia in the 2012 World Junior Championship. . . . The Victoria Royals have released F Brendan Persley, 18, who had one goal in nine games this season. He missed training camp and the start of the season with mononucleosis. Persley, who had eight points in 43 games last season with the Chilliwack Bruins (hey, remember them?), is from Kelowna.
———
There’s a neat story right here from Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times. It involves F Brooks Laich, now of the Washington Capitals, and Dean Chynoweth, now an assistant coach with the New York Islanders. Back then, though, Laich was with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Chynoweth was the head coach.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) was assigned by Salavat Yulayev Ufa (Russia, KHL) to Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) after clearing KHL waivers. He has no points in 12 games for Salavat Yulayev this season. . . .
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) was not offered a contract by Biel (Switzerland, NL A) after his four-day tryout ended Thursday. He had one assist in 15 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) earlier this season.
———
It would seem that Bob Green, the general manager of the Edmonton Oil Kings, has served notice that he feels his club can contend in the Eastern Conference.
Or he at least wants to serve notice to the other teams that, hey, “We’re in this, too.”
On Thursday, Green surrendered D Griffin Foulk, 16, and a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick in order to acquire F Tyler Maxwell, 20, from the Everett Silvertips.
Maxwell had been sent home to Manhattan Beach, Calif., a couple of weeks ago after asking for a trade.
In 216 games with Everett, Maxwell put up 195 points, including a franchise-record 107 goals.
Maxwell flew from SoCal to Everett on Thursday and will get into Edmonton today. He should arrive in time to play tonight against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
The acquisition of Maxwell dictated another move from the Oil Kings, as that left them 20-year-old over the maximum of three, the others being forwards Josh Lazowski, Jordan Peddle and Rhett Rachinski. They promptly placed Lazowski on waivers. A native of Leduc, Alta., he had eight points in 17 games this season. Last season, he put up 28 points in 32 games.
Meanwhile, Foulk is from Broomfield, Colo. He was an eighth-round selection by Edmonton in the 2010 bantam draft, and has been in each of the Oil Kings’ last two training camps. He is playing a second season of major midget with the Colorado Thunderbirds.
The Oil Kings (13-8-3) go into the weekend in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, where nine of 12 teams have winning percentages above .500.
The Tigers have beaten the Oil Kings twice this season, 5-3 in Edmonton on Sept. 30 and 4-3 in a shootout in Medicine Hat the next night.
———
JUST NOTES: D Josh Caron of the Kamloops Blazers drew a three-game suspension for a Wednesday night check to the head of Kootenay Ice F Max Reinhart. . . . D Martin Marincin of the Prince George Cougars will play for Slovakia in the 2012 World Junior Championship. . . . The Victoria Royals have released F Brendan Persley, 18, who had one goal in nine games this season. He missed training camp and the start of the season with mononucleosis. Persley, who had eight points in 43 games last season with the Chilliwack Bruins (hey, remember them?), is from Kelowna.
———
There’s a neat story right here from Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times. It involves F Brooks Laich, now of the Washington Capitals, and Dean Chynoweth, now an assistant coach with the New York Islanders. Back then, though, Laich was with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Chynoweth was the head coach.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Charron's flick not that scary
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Guy Charron was in his office early Thursday and, yes, he watched the flick from the previous night.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers had stood behind the bench and watched as his charges were felled, 7-3, by the Kootenay Ice, the WHL’s defending champion.
Charron then began the work of preparing his guys for two weekend home games, tonight against the Victoria Royals (11-12-1) and Saturday against the Seattle Thunderbirds (10-11-0).
Kamloops goes into the weekend at 14-7-1, good for fourth spot in the Western Conference, although it has the conference’s second-best winning percentage (.659).
If you weren’t in Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday, you missed a six-goal second-period explosion by the visitors that broke open a 1-1 game.
After watching the video, Charron decided that “the score was not an indication of the game.”
As he pointed out, the Ice had 15 scoring chances, while the Blazers had “18 or 19.”
Of course, such use of numbers gives credence to Mark Twain’s theory that “facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.”
Because, as Charron was well aware, while his guys owned the third period, outscoring the Ice 2-0, both goals coming via the power play, and outshooting it 11-4, the game had ended in the second period.
The Blazers actually came out of the first period in good shape, despite a major penalty handed to defenceman Josh Caron for a hit to the head of Ice centre Max Reinhart. The WHL has suspended Caron for three games, meaning he won’t play this weekend.
Still, the Blazers came out of the first period tied 1-1. The home side also held an 11-8 edge in shots.
“Even though we took the major penalty,” Charron said, “I thought we did very well. Our first period was dominant.”
The second period, however, was a different story. The Ice scored six times on eight shots, while the Blazers mustered only two scoring chances.
“Their second period was dominant . . .,” Charron said. “In the third, we outchanced them. But, in saying that, you (allow a team to) score x number of goals on x number of shots, it’s going to be tough to win the hockey game.”
The Blazers’ downfall began with two penalties — a goaltender interference call against left-winger Brendan Ranford and a checking-from-behind minor to defenceman Austin Madaisky — in the period’s first five minutes.
The Ice scored on each of the power plays to take a 3-1 lead. And the Blazers were done, if for no other reason than they now were too caught up in the work of referee Derek Zalaski.
“For sure . . . for sure . . . for sure,” Charron said. “That’s a valid point, for sure.
“Something we as a team have to get better at is dealing with some of the adversity. For me, we didn’t play badly, but we didn’t . . . when things go well for us on the road we are more focused to play the way we need to play and at home we get away from it a little bit.”
So the work in progress will continued tonight against Marc Habscheid’s Royals, who have won three of their last 10 games and have given up a WHL-high 121 goals.
With Caron out, Brady Gaudet, 17, draws back into the Blazers’ lineup after being a healthy scratch for three straight games. Landon Cross, another 17-year-old defenceman, has been a healthy scratch for six straight games and nine of the last 10, but may play tonight in place of Tyler Bell.
Two Kamloops forwards — team captain Chase Schaber and freshman winger Cole Ully — were missing from practice yesterday.
Charron said Schaber was given a maintenance day — “He’s resting. He’s been banged up for quite some time,” Charron said — while Ully has a “lower body injury.”
And who to start in goal? Cole Cheveldave started Wednesday and gave up four goals on 12 shots, before being relieved by Cam Lanigan, who was beaten three times on four shots. Cheveldave re-entered and stopped the last six shots he faced.
So . . . Cheveldave is expected to make his fourth straight start tonight.
JUST NOTES: Caron will be eligible to return for a game in Victoria on Wednesday. The Blazers also play in Victoria on Tuesday. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer was playing the role of proud brother yesterday, after his sister, Emerance, a 17-year-old goaltender, was named to the Canadian team that will play in the IIHF U-18 World championship in Prerov and Zlin, Czech Republic, Dec. 31 through Jan. 7. Emerance plays for the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. . . . The Royals signed F Ben Walker, 18, from the Edina, Minn., High School Hornets on Monday. He could make his WHL debut tonight. . . . Victoria remains without D Tyler Stahl (concussion), who was injured on Oct. 1. . . . Seattle, which has won three in a row, is at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, 17, is back after missing all of last season with what was thought to be a concussion. In short, it turned out to be a problem with a nerve in his neck that was mimicking a concussion. He now visits an acupuncturist once a week and, so far, it’s keeping him in the lineup.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Daily News Sports Editor
Guy Charron was in his office early Thursday and, yes, he watched the flick from the previous night.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers had stood behind the bench and watched as his charges were felled, 7-3, by the Kootenay Ice, the WHL’s defending champion.
Charron then began the work of preparing his guys for two weekend home games, tonight against the Victoria Royals (11-12-1) and Saturday against the Seattle Thunderbirds (10-11-0).
Kamloops goes into the weekend at 14-7-1, good for fourth spot in the Western Conference, although it has the conference’s second-best winning percentage (.659).
If you weren’t in Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday, you missed a six-goal second-period explosion by the visitors that broke open a 1-1 game.
After watching the video, Charron decided that “the score was not an indication of the game.”
As he pointed out, the Ice had 15 scoring chances, while the Blazers had “18 or 19.”
Of course, such use of numbers gives credence to Mark Twain’s theory that “facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.”
Because, as Charron was well aware, while his guys owned the third period, outscoring the Ice 2-0, both goals coming via the power play, and outshooting it 11-4, the game had ended in the second period.
The Blazers actually came out of the first period in good shape, despite a major penalty handed to defenceman Josh Caron for a hit to the head of Ice centre Max Reinhart. The WHL has suspended Caron for three games, meaning he won’t play this weekend.
Still, the Blazers came out of the first period tied 1-1. The home side also held an 11-8 edge in shots.
“Even though we took the major penalty,” Charron said, “I thought we did very well. Our first period was dominant.”
The second period, however, was a different story. The Ice scored six times on eight shots, while the Blazers mustered only two scoring chances.
“Their second period was dominant . . .,” Charron said. “In the third, we outchanced them. But, in saying that, you (allow a team to) score x number of goals on x number of shots, it’s going to be tough to win the hockey game.”
The Blazers’ downfall began with two penalties — a goaltender interference call against left-winger Brendan Ranford and a checking-from-behind minor to defenceman Austin Madaisky — in the period’s first five minutes.
The Ice scored on each of the power plays to take a 3-1 lead. And the Blazers were done, if for no other reason than they now were too caught up in the work of referee Derek Zalaski.
“For sure . . . for sure . . . for sure,” Charron said. “That’s a valid point, for sure.
“Something we as a team have to get better at is dealing with some of the adversity. For me, we didn’t play badly, but we didn’t . . . when things go well for us on the road we are more focused to play the way we need to play and at home we get away from it a little bit.”
So the work in progress will continued tonight against Marc Habscheid’s Royals, who have won three of their last 10 games and have given up a WHL-high 121 goals.
With Caron out, Brady Gaudet, 17, draws back into the Blazers’ lineup after being a healthy scratch for three straight games. Landon Cross, another 17-year-old defenceman, has been a healthy scratch for six straight games and nine of the last 10, but may play tonight in place of Tyler Bell.
Two Kamloops forwards — team captain Chase Schaber and freshman winger Cole Ully — were missing from practice yesterday.
Charron said Schaber was given a maintenance day — “He’s resting. He’s been banged up for quite some time,” Charron said — while Ully has a “lower body injury.”
And who to start in goal? Cole Cheveldave started Wednesday and gave up four goals on 12 shots, before being relieved by Cam Lanigan, who was beaten three times on four shots. Cheveldave re-entered and stopped the last six shots he faced.
So . . . Cheveldave is expected to make his fourth straight start tonight.
JUST NOTES: Caron will be eligible to return for a game in Victoria on Wednesday. The Blazers also play in Victoria on Tuesday. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer was playing the role of proud brother yesterday, after his sister, Emerance, a 17-year-old goaltender, was named to the Canadian team that will play in the IIHF U-18 World championship in Prerov and Zlin, Czech Republic, Dec. 31 through Jan. 7. Emerance plays for the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. . . . The Royals signed F Ben Walker, 18, from the Edina, Minn., High School Hornets on Monday. He could make his WHL debut tonight. . . . Victoria remains without D Tyler Stahl (concussion), who was injured on Oct. 1. . . . Seattle, which has won three in a row, is at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, 17, is back after missing all of last season with what was thought to be a concussion. In short, it turned out to be a problem with a nerve in his neck that was mimicking a concussion. He now visits an acupuncturist once a week and, so far, it’s keeping him in the lineup.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Ice freezes out Blazers
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Perhaps the Kamloops Blazers should have put Colton Canuel in the starting lineup.
Canuel, 6, was part of the pregame show Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre. He was the Tim Hortons Timbits player chosen to skate with the Blazers and stand at the blue-line with the starting lineup during the singing of O Canada.
He drew quite an ovation, too, as he chose to drag out his appearance as long as he could. As it turned out, that was the evening’s highlight for Blazers fans as their favourites then went out and absorbed a 7-3 licking at the hands of the defending WHL-champion Kootenay Ice.
The Ice, playing its fourth game in five nights, scored six second-period goals on eight shots on two goaltenders in a span of 14 minutes 25 seconds to bury the Blazers, who had been off since Saturday.
This also was the Ice’s fourth straight victory, following triumphs in Victoria, Vancouver and Prince George. The Ice completes its rampage through the B.C. Division Friday in Kelowna.
Things went wrong for Kamloops right from the get-go as it lost defenceman Josh Caron at 1:16 of the first period. He was ejected for a check — a firmly placed elbow — to the head of Kootenay centre Max Reinhart.
Still, the Blazers gave up just one goal on the ensuing five-minute power play and, when left-winger Tim Bozon scored later, the home boys were able to escape the first period in a 1-1 draw.
But the visitors are the defending champions for a reason — let them see your jugular and they’ll bite you — and two early second-period power-play goals stretched the lead to 3-1 and, for all intents and purposes, all that was left was the 50-50 draw.
The fourth Ice goal kind of summed up the Blazers’ night. With a faceoff in the neutral zone, the Blazers moved defenceman Austin Madaisky to right wing, with right-winger J.C. Lipon moving back. Kootenay’s Jesse Ismond won the faceoff forward and Dylen McKinlay broke in alone, going through the space where Madaisky might have been, and scored.
Following that goal, Kamloops head coach Guy Charron yanked goaltender Cole Cheveldave, who was making his third straight start, and sent in Cam Lanigan. However, Lanigan gave up three goals on four shots and Cheveldave re-entered the fray.
In the end, the two combined for 15 saves, while Kootenay’s Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 25 shots in a steady showing.
Drew Czerwonka, Ismond, Max Reinhart, Sam Reinhart, Brock Montgomery and Joe Antilla scored for the Ice (17-5-3), which is tied for the WHL’s overall lead with the idle Saskatoon Blades.
Brendan Ranford and Bronson Maschmeyer added third-period goals for Kamloops (14-7-1), which remains fourth in the Western Conference.
The Blazers get a chance to get back on track with home games on Friday (Victoria Royals) and Saturday (Seattle Thunderbirds).
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 3,895. . . . The Ice was 3-for-4 on the PP; the Blazers were 2-for-4, with both goals coming in the third period long after the issue had been settled. . . . The Reinhart brothers, Max and Sam, don’t have their first initials on their Ice jerseys. General manager Jeff Chynoweth says he ordered them but the brothers told him they don’t want them. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. F Sam Reinhart: A goal and three assists; he turned 16 on Nov. 6; 2. Ismond: Was in the middle of everything; 3. Ice D John Neibrandt: Steady back there.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Daily News Sports Editor
Perhaps the Kamloops Blazers should have put Colton Canuel in the starting lineup.
Canuel, 6, was part of the pregame show Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre. He was the Tim Hortons Timbits player chosen to skate with the Blazers and stand at the blue-line with the starting lineup during the singing of O Canada.
He drew quite an ovation, too, as he chose to drag out his appearance as long as he could. As it turned out, that was the evening’s highlight for Blazers fans as their favourites then went out and absorbed a 7-3 licking at the hands of the defending WHL-champion Kootenay Ice.
The Ice, playing its fourth game in five nights, scored six second-period goals on eight shots on two goaltenders in a span of 14 minutes 25 seconds to bury the Blazers, who had been off since Saturday.
This also was the Ice’s fourth straight victory, following triumphs in Victoria, Vancouver and Prince George. The Ice completes its rampage through the B.C. Division Friday in Kelowna.
Things went wrong for Kamloops right from the get-go as it lost defenceman Josh Caron at 1:16 of the first period. He was ejected for a check — a firmly placed elbow — to the head of Kootenay centre Max Reinhart.
Still, the Blazers gave up just one goal on the ensuing five-minute power play and, when left-winger Tim Bozon scored later, the home boys were able to escape the first period in a 1-1 draw.
But the visitors are the defending champions for a reason — let them see your jugular and they’ll bite you — and two early second-period power-play goals stretched the lead to 3-1 and, for all intents and purposes, all that was left was the 50-50 draw.
The fourth Ice goal kind of summed up the Blazers’ night. With a faceoff in the neutral zone, the Blazers moved defenceman Austin Madaisky to right wing, with right-winger J.C. Lipon moving back. Kootenay’s Jesse Ismond won the faceoff forward and Dylen McKinlay broke in alone, going through the space where Madaisky might have been, and scored.
Following that goal, Kamloops head coach Guy Charron yanked goaltender Cole Cheveldave, who was making his third straight start, and sent in Cam Lanigan. However, Lanigan gave up three goals on four shots and Cheveldave re-entered the fray.
In the end, the two combined for 15 saves, while Kootenay’s Nathan Lieuwen turned aside 25 shots in a steady showing.
Drew Czerwonka, Ismond, Max Reinhart, Sam Reinhart, Brock Montgomery and Joe Antilla scored for the Ice (17-5-3), which is tied for the WHL’s overall lead with the idle Saskatoon Blades.
Brendan Ranford and Bronson Maschmeyer added third-period goals for Kamloops (14-7-1), which remains fourth in the Western Conference.
The Blazers get a chance to get back on track with home games on Friday (Victoria Royals) and Saturday (Seattle Thunderbirds).
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 3,895. . . . The Ice was 3-for-4 on the PP; the Blazers were 2-for-4, with both goals coming in the third period long after the issue had been settled. . . . The Reinhart brothers, Max and Sam, don’t have their first initials on their Ice jerseys. General manager Jeff Chynoweth says he ordered them but the brothers told him they don’t want them. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. F Sam Reinhart: A goal and three assists; he turned 16 on Nov. 6; 2. Ismond: Was in the middle of everything; 3. Ice D John Neibrandt: Steady back there.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Vladislav Klochkov (Saskatoon, Lethbridge, 1996-98) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Yunost Minsk (Belarus, Extraliga). He had one goal in 12 games for Titan Klin (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) earlier this season. Last season, He had 10 goals and seven assists in 51 games with Yunost.
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G Tyler Bunz was back with the Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday night, the first time he has played since taking a puck to the head last week while on the bench with the WHL team that was playing a Russian squad in Regina. . . . Bunz stopped 27 shots as the Tigers dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . The Blades have won 10 in a row on home ice to start the season, tying the franchise record (1975-76). The Blades also have won their last eight games. . . . After the game, Tigers F Boston Leier tweeted a photo of his left hand, showing a damaged pinkie finger, with this message: “Guess my Dr Evil impersonations will be put on hold, #6weeks #really?” . . .
The Everett Silvertips announced Tuesday that F Vladimir Dolnik, 18, will play for Slovakia at the 2012 World Junior Championship. He has five assists in 23 games in his first WHL season. The WJC runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Calgary and Edmonton. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reported Tuesday afternoon that D Ryan Murray (ankle) was back on skates for the first time since being injured. . . .
F Cody DePourcq of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees has committed to the U of Denver Pioneers. DePourcq, 16, has 11 points in 23 games with the Vees. The 5-foot-5 DePourcq was a 10th-round selection by the Everett Silvertips in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft. Everett dropped him shortly after the draft and he was added by the Kamloops Blazers. . . . G Josh Thorimbert, who is on the Blazers' college list, is the WCHA's defensive player of the week after posting 4-2 and 4-1 victories over the visiting Wisconsin Badgers on the weekend. A sophomore from Saskatoon, he is 3-1, 2.42, .923 this season. He was a third-round pick by the Blazers in the 2007 bantam draft. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings played their fourth game in five nights on Tuesday when they played host to the Calgary Hitmen. A couple of the Wheat Kings, F Mark Stone and F Mike Ferland, played for the WHL against the Russians on Thursday so were playing their fifth game in six nights. The Hitmen beat the Wheat Kings, 6-3. . . . Brandon was without D Ryan Pulock, who is thought to have a concussion. F Tanner Eberle of the Moose Jaw Warriors drew a three-game suspension for the hit that put Pulock out of action. . . . What is former Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Steve Pleau doing these days? He’s a pro scout for the Calgary Flames and spent Tuesday night in Nashville watching the Edmonton Oilers beat the Predators 6-2. . . .
The Kootenay Ice sat out veteran F Jesse Ismond for its 3-2 victory over the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday night. F Max Reinhart missed a game on Saturday and F Drew Czerwonka, the team captain, didn’t play Sunday. According to blogger Jeff Bromley, six players violated team rules, with F Dylen McKinley, D Luke Paulsen and F Elgin Pearce yet to sit out. . . . The Ice next plays tonight in Kamloops. . . . Kootenay is 3-0 on its swing into the B.C. Division, having also won in Victoria and Vancouver.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Taylor Peters, Portland
———
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the NFL has empowered its game observers to “alert the medical staffs of possible undetected injuries.”
There is more right here.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
F Vladislav Klochkov (Saskatoon, Lethbridge, 1996-98) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Yunost Minsk (Belarus, Extraliga). He had one goal in 12 games for Titan Klin (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) earlier this season. Last season, He had 10 goals and seven assists in 51 games with Yunost.
———
G Tyler Bunz was back with the Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday night, the first time he has played since taking a puck to the head last week while on the bench with the WHL team that was playing a Russian squad in Regina. . . . Bunz stopped 27 shots as the Tigers dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . The Blades have won 10 in a row on home ice to start the season, tying the franchise record (1975-76). The Blades also have won their last eight games. . . . After the game, Tigers F Boston Leier tweeted a photo of his left hand, showing a damaged pinkie finger, with this message: “Guess my Dr Evil impersonations will be put on hold, #6weeks #really?” . . .
The Everett Silvertips announced Tuesday that F Vladimir Dolnik, 18, will play for Slovakia at the 2012 World Junior Championship. He has five assists in 23 games in his first WHL season. The WJC runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Calgary and Edmonton. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reported Tuesday afternoon that D Ryan Murray (ankle) was back on skates for the first time since being injured. . . .
F Cody DePourcq of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees has committed to the U of Denver Pioneers. DePourcq, 16, has 11 points in 23 games with the Vees. The 5-foot-5 DePourcq was a 10th-round selection by the Everett Silvertips in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft. Everett dropped him shortly after the draft and he was added by the Kamloops Blazers. . . . G Josh Thorimbert, who is on the Blazers' college list, is the WCHA's defensive player of the week after posting 4-2 and 4-1 victories over the visiting Wisconsin Badgers on the weekend. A sophomore from Saskatoon, he is 3-1, 2.42, .923 this season. He was a third-round pick by the Blazers in the 2007 bantam draft. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings played their fourth game in five nights on Tuesday when they played host to the Calgary Hitmen. A couple of the Wheat Kings, F Mark Stone and F Mike Ferland, played for the WHL against the Russians on Thursday so were playing their fifth game in six nights. The Hitmen beat the Wheat Kings, 6-3. . . . Brandon was without D Ryan Pulock, who is thought to have a concussion. F Tanner Eberle of the Moose Jaw Warriors drew a three-game suspension for the hit that put Pulock out of action. . . . What is former Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Steve Pleau doing these days? He’s a pro scout for the Calgary Flames and spent Tuesday night in Nashville watching the Edmonton Oilers beat the Predators 6-2. . . .
The Kootenay Ice sat out veteran F Jesse Ismond for its 3-2 victory over the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday night. F Max Reinhart missed a game on Saturday and F Drew Czerwonka, the team captain, didn’t play Sunday. According to blogger Jeff Bromley, six players violated team rules, with F Dylen McKinley, D Luke Paulsen and F Elgin Pearce yet to sit out. . . . The Ice next plays tonight in Kamloops. . . . Kootenay is 3-0 on its swing into the B.C. Division, having also won in Victoria and Vancouver.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Taylor Peters, Portland
———
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the NFL has empowered its game observers to “alert the medical staffs of possible undetected injuries.”
There is more right here.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) signed a tryout contract with Biel (Switzerland, NL A). He had one assist in 15 games this season with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) before being released by mutual agreement last week. The contract runs through Thursday. . . .
F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Rapperswil (Switzerland, NL A). He had five goals and three assists in five games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga) earlier this season. . . .
D Jason Strudwick (Kamloops, 1993-95) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Södertälje (Sweden, Elitserien). He had two assists in 43 games with Edmonton Oilers (NHL) last season.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) signed a tryout contract with Biel (Switzerland, NL A). He had one assist in 15 games this season with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) before being released by mutual agreement last week. The contract runs through Thursday. . . .
F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Rapperswil (Switzerland, NL A). He had five goals and three assists in five games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga) earlier this season. . . .
D Jason Strudwick (Kamloops, 1993-95) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Södertälje (Sweden, Elitserien). He had two assists in 43 games with Edmonton Oilers (NHL) last season.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Monday, November 21, 2011
This week we gather around the family table, carve up the turkey, ladle out the gravy and cross our fingers that Aunt Sophie doesn't get too deep into that vat of port wine. You know how she gets.
It's Thanksgiving.
It’s a time to reflect on all the things we are thankful for and those with whom we've had the pleasure of sharing those moments.
After 13 years of continuing to carry the torch of one of the world’s greatest wordsmiths, we are thankful for all of you who have made it possible for us to continue to provide scholarships to those deserving kids from across academia. Without you, this dream may not have been realized.
We thank major contributors over the years like the Barron Hilton Foundation, The McCormick Tribune Foundation, the St. Louis Rams, the PGA of America, American Honda, ESPN and the countless others who have given year after year to make sure that the future journalists we help know who set the bar to which they all look to rise.
We are thankful for the countless volunteers who have given their time and energy to help the JMMF move forward through the years.
We are thankful for the judges who have scrutinized the essays to select the top writers from the crop of prospects and helped fund the ‘Judges Award.’
We thank our hard-working Board of Directors who give their time and energy to help further our efforts.
Most of all, we thank Jim Murray for his insatiable wit and wisdom that carried us all through 38 years of laughter, tears and the occasional tirade. Without Jim our ship would not have a star by which to sail.
So, as you sit down to your turkey and dressing and tip your glasses of vino (not too much for Aunt Sophie), remember the ones who are with us, the ones who have moved on and the ones who have left an indelible mark on our very souls, to which we say, "Thank you . . . for a real good time!"
Please remember the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation in your year-end charitable giving.
And to get you ready for Thanksgiving Day, here is Jim Murray's first Thanksgiving column with the Los Angeles Times, from Nov. 23, 1961 . . .
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November 23, 1961, SPORTS
Copyright 1997/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY
A Reason For Thanks
Jim Murray
Thanksgiving Day. A time to count your blessings, sew the turkey, uncap the cider and be thankful the Indians aren't out there any more. Just the Russians.
The world of sport has it's reasons to give thanks to this day along with everyone else. Walter O'Malley can give thanks for Chavez Ravine. So can Don Drysdale and Duke Snider.
Floyd Patterson can give thanks for Tom McNeeley and a boxing commission that isn't squeamish about the sight of blood. McNeeley's blood.
Barron Hilton can give thanks for San Diego. Sid Gillman can give thanks for Barron Hilton. Both of them can give thanks for Conrad Hilton.
Ralph Houk can give thanks for Whitey Ford, Whitey for Luis Arroyo.
Here are some others and their reasons for being grateful this Thanksgiving morning:
The New York Yankees — for the American League.
The American League — for the New York Yankees.
The Cincinnati Reds — that nobody got hurt.
Roger Maris — that the pitchers aren't as fast as they used to be but that the ball is faster.
The Stanford Indians — that the season is almost over.
The Georgia Tech team — that nobody got killed.
Georgia Tech's Chick Graning — that he has some teeth left.
Alabama's Darwin Holt — that he doesn't have to pay Chick Graning's dental bill.
The American Dental Assn. — that someone does.
UCLA or USC — that Ohio State doesn't want to come to the Rose Bowl.
Wilt Chamberlin — that he didn't start smoking as a boy.
Joe Stalin — that he finally got out of the Communist Party.
Nikita Khrushchev — that grave-robbing isn't a crime in Russia. That neither is grave-filling. Sugar Ray Robinson — that there are so few fighters around nowadays who can beat an old man. Or an old lady, either, for that matter.
The Los Angeles Rams — that the Chargers left town when they did.
Billy Wade — that George Halas doesn't believe what he reads.
Bob Waterfield — that he at least has Jane Russell to go home to.
The Los Angeles Blades — that people who like hockey even like bad hockey, and that some people can't tell the difference.
The Los Angeles Dodgers — that they didn't win the pennant and have to play the Yankees in the Coliseum. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
The Sugar Bowl — that the South is waking up enough so they can at least invite a team that has some freckle-faces on it.
The Rose Bowl — that everybody wants to go there except the Big Five which would just as soon not start the New Year in a suicide attempt.
Bill Rigney — that he's with an old established firm and not one of those fly-by-nights in San Francisco who get jittery and fire you for finishing third.
Dan Reeves or Ed Pauley — that one of them can quit suffering with the Rams come next season.
All of us — that we can give to the Mercy Bowl, not get from it. And that we can go to it and not listen to it from a bed.
And now, if you don't mind, I think I'll turn my attention to the turkey and the bicarbonate of soda. And a Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
* Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times
Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B). He had six assists in 14 games this season for the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) prior to his release last week. Sierre signed Mapletoft as an injury replacement for former OHL F Lee Jinman.
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In Calgary, F Lukas Sutter scored two goals, including the winner, as the Saskatoon Blades dumped the Hitmen, 6-5. . . . Sutter broke a 5-5 tie at 8:58 of the third period as the Blades won their seventh straight game. . . . Sutter, an 18-year-old from Lethbridge, now has 21 points, including eight goals, in 24 games. Last season, he finished with 19 points, four of them goals, in 71 games. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick had a goal and two assists. He has 183 points in 285 career regular-season games. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 41 shots. He leads the WHL with 15 victories. . . . The Blades, with 35 points, lead the overall standings, one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .
In Vancouver, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice got big nights from the Reinhart boys and beat the Giants, 4-1. . . . F Sam Reinhart, 16, had a goal and three assists, and older brother Max, 18, had a goal and two helpers. The Reinhart boys are from Vancouver. . . . Sam has 14 points in 23 games; Max has 25 points in 20 games. . . . The Giants had won six in a row going into this one. . . . The Ice is 2-0 on what is the start of a nine-game road swing. It opened with an 8-3 victory over the Victoria Royals on Saturday night and continues on Tuesday in Prince George against the Cougars. . . . D Eric Walker, who has left Northern Michigan U and joined the Giants, didn’t play. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots in improving his record to 11-4-3. He has a 1.82 GAA and a .936 save percentage. . . . Vancouver opens its six-game East Division swing on Friday in Prince Albert. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Paul Ciarelli scored at 1:40 of OT as the Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Warriors, 7-6. . . . Brandon F Alessio Bertaggia tied the score at 6-6 when he scored on a penalty shot at 10:39 of the third. He finished with two goals, giving him 11. . . . The Warriors took a 6-3 lead into the third period. Trailing 3-2, they seemingly took control by scoring four times in a span of 4:07 in the second period. . . . One night earlier, Brandon had coughed up a 4-0 lead in losing 5-4 to the Broncos in Swift Current. . . . Last night, Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and three assists. He leads the WHL scoring race, with 54 points in 25 games. He has an eight-point lead on F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who has played two fewer games. . . . F Andrew Johnson had two goals and two assists for the Warriors. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock left the game early in the second period after being checked from behind by Moose Jaw F Tanner Eberle, who was given a major and game misconduct. . . .
———
SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT
F Tanner Eberle, Moose Jaw (major)
———
JUST NOTES: When G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds blanked the visiting Tri-City Americans 3-0 on Friday, it was the first shutout in the league since Oct. 29. On that night, Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Patrik Bartosak of the Red Deer Rebels both pitched shutouts. . . . There have been only 15 shutouts in the WHL this season. . . .
———
Joe O’Connor of the National Post spent some time at a special breakfast the other day. Among the guests was Jim McKenny, who has been sober for 25 years but has a son on the streets. That piece is right here.
———
David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail knows the NHL will be celebrating the return of Sidney Crosby today. But, as he points out, this isn’t the end of the concussion problems. The last three paragraphs of this piece are especially interesting because they deal with how much concussions might be down in the NHL this season.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B). He had six assists in 14 games this season for the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) prior to his release last week. Sierre signed Mapletoft as an injury replacement for former OHL F Lee Jinman.
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In Calgary, F Lukas Sutter scored two goals, including the winner, as the Saskatoon Blades dumped the Hitmen, 6-5. . . . Sutter broke a 5-5 tie at 8:58 of the third period as the Blades won their seventh straight game. . . . Sutter, an 18-year-old from Lethbridge, now has 21 points, including eight goals, in 24 games. Last season, he finished with 19 points, four of them goals, in 71 games. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick had a goal and two assists. He has 183 points in 285 career regular-season games. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 41 shots. He leads the WHL with 15 victories. . . . The Blades, with 35 points, lead the overall standings, one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . In Vancouver, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice got big nights from the Reinhart boys and beat the Giants, 4-1. . . . F Sam Reinhart, 16, had a goal and three assists, and older brother Max, 18, had a goal and two helpers. The Reinhart boys are from Vancouver. . . . Sam has 14 points in 23 games; Max has 25 points in 20 games. . . . The Giants had won six in a row going into this one. . . . The Ice is 2-0 on what is the start of a nine-game road swing. It opened with an 8-3 victory over the Victoria Royals on Saturday night and continues on Tuesday in Prince George against the Cougars. . . . D Eric Walker, who has left Northern Michigan U and joined the Giants, didn’t play. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots in improving his record to 11-4-3. He has a 1.82 GAA and a .936 save percentage. . . . Vancouver opens its six-game East Division swing on Friday in Prince Albert. . . .In Moose Jaw, F Paul Ciarelli scored at 1:40 of OT as the Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Warriors, 7-6. . . . Brandon F Alessio Bertaggia tied the score at 6-6 when he scored on a penalty shot at 10:39 of the third. He finished with two goals, giving him 11. . . . The Warriors took a 6-3 lead into the third period. Trailing 3-2, they seemingly took control by scoring four times in a span of 4:07 in the second period. . . . One night earlier, Brandon had coughed up a 4-0 lead in losing 5-4 to the Broncos in Swift Current. . . . Last night, Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and three assists. He leads the WHL scoring race, with 54 points in 25 games. He has an eight-point lead on F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who has played two fewer games. . . . F Andrew Johnson had two goals and two assists for the Warriors. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock left the game early in the second period after being checked from behind by Moose Jaw F Tanner Eberle, who was given a major and game misconduct. . . . ———
SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT
F Tanner Eberle, Moose Jaw (major)
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JUST NOTES: When G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds blanked the visiting Tri-City Americans 3-0 on Friday, it was the first shutout in the league since Oct. 29. On that night, Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Patrik Bartosak of the Red Deer Rebels both pitched shutouts. . . . There have been only 15 shutouts in the WHL this season. . . .
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Joe O’Connor of the National Post spent some time at a special breakfast the other day. Among the guests was Jim McKenny, who has been sober for 25 years but has a son on the streets. That piece is right here.
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail knows the NHL will be celebrating the return of Sidney Crosby today. But, as he points out, this isn’t the end of the concussion problems. The last three paragraphs of this piece are especially interesting because they deal with how much concussions might be down in the NHL this season.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It used to be that the Kamloops Blazers, unlike a lot of Canadians, hated going cross-border shopping.
Not any more.
The Blazers completed a two-game swing into the U.S. Division on Saturday night with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on a Justin Feser goal at 1:25.
That came one night after the Blazers beat the Chiefs 2-1 in Spokane, and left Kamloops with a 3-0-1 record in U.S. Division arenas this season. This follows a combined 4-15-1 record over the previous two seasons.
The three-point weekend has the Blazers (14-6-1) fourth in the Western Conference, three points out of first and with games in hand on each of the teams in front of them.
“I liked our game and Cole Cheveldave played well in both games,” offered Kamloops head coach Guy Charron, in reference to the goaltender who went the distance in both games. “When your goaltender makes the good saves and keeps you in the games, that’s what makes the difference.”
Cheveldave made 28 saves in Spokane and followed that with 33 stops against the Americans.
“Looking at the game and the chances . . . that was the difference . . . we got caught a little bit with penalties,” Charron said of Saturday’s game. “But we regrouped and got better in the second and had a good third period. We came back from a two-goal deficit which was a good sign.”
The Americans (16-6-0) were playing at home for the first time in three weeks and they won for the sixth time in seven games.
Playing in front of 5,408 fans, the Americans took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Adam Hughesman, with his 15th score of the season on a 5-on-3 power play, and Malte Stromwall, a Swedish freshman, on a breakaway just 30 seconds later.
“They scored on a 5-on-3; we didn’t score on the 5-on-3,” said Charron, whose club had a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage in the second period. “They scored on a breakaway. We had two or three opportunities alone — Bozon had a breakaway . . . he didn’t score.”
After a scoreless second period, the Blazers pulled even in the third, getting a power-play goal from Chase Schaber, off a Brendan Ranford feed, and an even-strength score from Matt Needham, a shot that bounced off defenceman Michal Plutnar and past goaltender Ty Rimmer. Needham’s goal was his fourth, but his first since the season’s fifth game.
The teams were playing three skaters aside in overtime as referees Trent Knorr and Chris Crich handed out six minor penalties, three to each team, late in the third period.
The winner came off a 2-on-1 break with defenceman Derek Ryckman taking a shot and Feser scoring on the rebound. It was Feser’s ninth goal of the season and second career overtime score.
Continued from A12
Cheveldave, now 7-2-1, finished with 33 saves, 11 more than Rimmer, who has won four straight and is 10-3-0.
“It was positive,” Charron said of the weekend.
The Blazers travelled to Spokane on Thursday and Charron felt that really helped.
“We arrived in Spokane the night before,” he said. “We didn’t play in Kamloops and travel all night and play the next night. We were on even terms.”
The Blazers now will prepare to face the defending-champion Kootenay Ice (15-5-3) at Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday night.
The Ice began a nine-game road swing with an 8-3 victory over the Victoria Royals on Saturday night and then dumped the Vancouver Giants 4-1 on Sunday. The Ice also will go against the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday before making its way to Kamloops.
The Ice hasn’t played in Kamloops since Nov. 27, 2009, when it beat the Blazers 6-5 in a shootout.
JUST NOTES: Tri-City is 8-2-0 at home. . . . Kamloops is 7-2-1 on the road. . . . The Blazers have lost five straight in Kennewick. . . . Each team was 1-for-6 on the PP. . . . The Blazers scratched F Jordan DePape (shoulder), D Landon Cross, D Brady Gaudet and F Aspen Sterzer. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully was back in the lineup after a six-game absence, the first five with an undisclosed injury.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Daily News Sports Editor
It used to be that the Kamloops Blazers, unlike a lot of Canadians, hated going cross-border shopping.
Not any more.
The Blazers completed a two-game swing into the U.S. Division on Saturday night with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on a Justin Feser goal at 1:25.
That came one night after the Blazers beat the Chiefs 2-1 in Spokane, and left Kamloops with a 3-0-1 record in U.S. Division arenas this season. This follows a combined 4-15-1 record over the previous two seasons.
The three-point weekend has the Blazers (14-6-1) fourth in the Western Conference, three points out of first and with games in hand on each of the teams in front of them.
“I liked our game and Cole Cheveldave played well in both games,” offered Kamloops head coach Guy Charron, in reference to the goaltender who went the distance in both games. “When your goaltender makes the good saves and keeps you in the games, that’s what makes the difference.”
Cheveldave made 28 saves in Spokane and followed that with 33 stops against the Americans.
“Looking at the game and the chances . . . that was the difference . . . we got caught a little bit with penalties,” Charron said of Saturday’s game. “But we regrouped and got better in the second and had a good third period. We came back from a two-goal deficit which was a good sign.”
The Americans (16-6-0) were playing at home for the first time in three weeks and they won for the sixth time in seven games.
Playing in front of 5,408 fans, the Americans took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Adam Hughesman, with his 15th score of the season on a 5-on-3 power play, and Malte Stromwall, a Swedish freshman, on a breakaway just 30 seconds later.
“They scored on a 5-on-3; we didn’t score on the 5-on-3,” said Charron, whose club had a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage in the second period. “They scored on a breakaway. We had two or three opportunities alone — Bozon had a breakaway . . . he didn’t score.”
After a scoreless second period, the Blazers pulled even in the third, getting a power-play goal from Chase Schaber, off a Brendan Ranford feed, and an even-strength score from Matt Needham, a shot that bounced off defenceman Michal Plutnar and past goaltender Ty Rimmer. Needham’s goal was his fourth, but his first since the season’s fifth game.
The teams were playing three skaters aside in overtime as referees Trent Knorr and Chris Crich handed out six minor penalties, three to each team, late in the third period.
The winner came off a 2-on-1 break with defenceman Derek Ryckman taking a shot and Feser scoring on the rebound. It was Feser’s ninth goal of the season and second career overtime score.
Continued from A12
Cheveldave, now 7-2-1, finished with 33 saves, 11 more than Rimmer, who has won four straight and is 10-3-0.
“It was positive,” Charron said of the weekend.
The Blazers travelled to Spokane on Thursday and Charron felt that really helped.
“We arrived in Spokane the night before,” he said. “We didn’t play in Kamloops and travel all night and play the next night. We were on even terms.”
The Blazers now will prepare to face the defending-champion Kootenay Ice (15-5-3) at Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday night.
The Ice began a nine-game road swing with an 8-3 victory over the Victoria Royals on Saturday night and then dumped the Vancouver Giants 4-1 on Sunday. The Ice also will go against the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday before making its way to Kamloops.
The Ice hasn’t played in Kamloops since Nov. 27, 2009, when it beat the Blazers 6-5 in a shootout.
JUST NOTES: Tri-City is 8-2-0 at home. . . . Kamloops is 7-2-1 on the road. . . . The Blazers have lost five straight in Kennewick. . . . Each team was 1-for-6 on the PP. . . . The Blazers scratched F Jordan DePape (shoulder), D Landon Cross, D Brady Gaudet and F Aspen Sterzer. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully was back in the lineup after a six-game absence, the first five with an undisclosed injury.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
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