THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Lee Goren (Saskatoon, 1995-96) was released by the Straubing Tigers (Germany DEL). He had 12 goals and 25 assists in 33 games for the Tigers this season. According to the club, Goren was released after he came to Tigers management with an offer from Bern (Switzerland NL A). There is no announcement from Bern at present. To replace Goren, Straubing has signed F Adrian Foster (Saskatoon, Brandon, 1999-2002). Foster had no points in seven games earlier this season on a tryout with Örebro (Sweden Allsvenskan).
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They’re having a bobblehead night Friday in Kennewick, Wash., as the Tri-City Americans play host to the Spokane Chiefs. Yes, there are lots of bobblehead nights in sports these days. But this one will be special. That’s because it’s Jimmy Butcher Bobblehead Night. . . . And how is Jimmy Butcher? . . . Jacques Von Lunen of the Tri-City Herald has the story right here.
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Just because Louis Dumont never made it to the NHL doesn’t mean he isn’t living a dream. Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star takes a look at Dumont and his career right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Edmonton Oil Kings have lost D Griffin Reinhart, 16, for the rest of the season. He suffered a broken wrist during a 5-4 OT loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday night. . . . Reinhart has 25 points and is plus-10 in 44 games with the Oil Kings. . . . On Sunday night, F Jonathan Parker scored four times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-1 victory over the host Calgary Hitmen. Attendance was 11,740. . . . Parker’s first career four-goal game left him with 33 goals. . . . In Kent, Wash., F Ryan Harrison broke a 1-1 tie at 17:15 of the second period to give the Everett Silvertips a 2-1 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. Harrison wasn’t around for the finish, though, as he was tossed with a checking-from-behind major at 5:16 of the third period. . Attendance was 4,091.

It seems that the AJHL’s St. Albert Steel is skating on rather thin financial ice. Jeff Hansen of the St. Albert Gazette takes an in-depth look at the situation right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Broncos, 3-1. . . . The Blades had dumped the visiting Broncos 6-3 on Friday night. . . . F Brad Hoban got the game’s first goal, his 16^th, at 5:39 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon’s line of Brayden Schenn, Jake Trask and Curtis Hamilton then scored twice. Schenn got his fourth at 7:31, with Trask getting his 14^th, via the PP, at 10:09. . . . Each of those three, all of whom were blanked Friday, had two points. . . . The Broncos have lost six in a row. . . . Attendance was 2,117. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 35 shots as he improved his record to an amazing 26-3-0. . . . The Blades, winners of five straight, maintained their three-point lead atop the Eastern Conference, while the Broncos are seventh, three points up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .
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In Regina, F Jordan Weal scored at 1:20 of OT to give the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Warriors had beaten the Pats 4-3 in Moose Jaw on Friday. . . . One night later, the Warriors opened up a 3-0 lead in the second period, then watched the Pats score four straight goals. . . . Weal forced OT with his 24^th goal at 19:24 of the third period. . . . D Myles Bell had three assists for Regina. . . . F Sebastian Svendsen scored twice for the Warriors before the game was eight minutes old. He’s got 21. . . . Attendance was 5,014. . . . The Pats vaulted into a tie for 10^th with the Prince Albert Raiders in the Eastern Conference, one point out of a playoff spot. . . . The Warriors are fifth, a point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . . F Dylan Wruck scored twice for Edmonton, giving him 28. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 36 shots. . . . It was Michale Jackson Night and apparently one of the highlights came when Edmonton F T.J. Foster moonwalked after scoring his 19^th goal at 18:36 of the third period to provide some breathing room at 4-2. . . . Attendance was 6,682. . . . This was a big victory for Edmonton as it moved the Oil Kings into sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Raiders, who meet the Hitmen in Calgary today, are tied with the Regina Pats for 10^th, but are just one point out of eighth. . . .
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In Cranbrook, F Elgin Pearce’s 10^th goal, at 3:31 of OT, gave the Kootenay Ice a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 8:11 of the second period. . . . F Mitch Maxwell forced OT with his 13^th goal at 11:15 of the third period. . . . D Reid Jackson scored his first goal of the season for Lethbridge. It came in his 36^th game this season. The 17-year-old from Weyburn, Sask., had four goals in 50 games last season. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 30 shots in his first WHL start. . . . Attendance was 2,701. . . . The Ice, with two straight victories, are third in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The loser point allowed the Hurricanes to move into a tie with the Brandon Wheat Kings for eighth. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers opened up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Cole Grbavac’s 10^th goal, at 6:52 of the second period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Shayne Wiebe, with his 28^th, and F Mark Stone, with his 26^th, got Brandon to within one late in the second period. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey scored his 34^th goal. He and Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 83 points. . . . Medicine Hat F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and two helpers. . . . The Tigers, with four straight victories, are fourth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Kootenay Ice and a point ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Tigers hold two games in hand on Kootenay and three on Moose Jaw. . . .
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In Red Deer, the Rebels won their 11^th straight game, beating the Calgary Hitmen, 5-2. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 18 shots in running his record to 32-8-3. . . . F Byron Froese scored three times for the Rebels, giving him 27, as the home side was forced to erase a 2-0 deficit. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had three assists. . . . Attendance was 5,395. . . . The Rebels are first in the Central Division and just three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades. However, the Blades hold two games in hand. . . . Red Deer is 11-0-1 in its last dozen games. . . . The Hitmen have lost four in a row. . . .
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In Chilliwack, F Dylan Willick and F Thomas Frazee each scored twice to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Blazers snapped a five-game losing streak as it won for the fourth time in its last 19 road games. . . . F Brendan Ranford added three assists for the Blazers, while F JT Barnett had a goal and two assists. . . . Willick, perhaps the Blazers’ most consistent player this season, has 16 goals, while Frazee has 22. . . . The Bruins took 59 of 110 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 3,748. . . . These two teams will play a home-and-home series on the weekend, opening Friday in Kamloops and finishing Saturday in Chilliwack. . . . The victory moved Kamloops into a tie for seventh with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Bruins. . . .
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In Spokane, F Mason Wilgosh broke a 4-4 tie at 19:23 of the third period to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Wilgosh scored his 11^th goal off a backdoor feed from F Patrick Holland. . . . The teams meet again Friday night, this time in Kennewick, Wash. . . . F Connor Rankin gave the Americans a 4-2 lead at 15:43 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs tied it on goals by F Tyler Johnson, his WHL-leading 38^th, at 16:05, and F Stephen Kuhn, his third of the game and 17^th of the season, at 18:51 on a PP. . . . F Justin Feser had three assists for the Americans. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-4. . . . Johnson’s goal ran his point streak to 17 games. . . . Attendance was 10,474. . . . The Chiefs slipped three points back of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks, with Spokane holding two games in hand. . . . The Americans, 8-1-1 in their last 10, are three points behind Spokane. Tri-City holds three games in hand on Spokane and five on Portland. . . .
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In Everett, the Silvertips opened up a 3-0 lead early in the second period and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored twice for Everett, giving him 33. He ended up with his WHL-leading 11^th game-winner of the season. . . . Maxwell has 88 career goals, passing F Zach Hamill on Everett’s all-time list and leaving him second only to F Shane Harper (100). . . . The Cougars made it interesting on goals by F Charles Inglis, his 20^th, and F Brett Connolly, his 28^th, at 11:44 and 12:04 of the third period. . . . Maxwell iced it at 16:02. . . . D Ryan Murray had three assists for Everett. . . . F Brendan Rowinski had two goals for Vancouver, while F Spencer Bennett had two assists and Brendan Gallagher, the third member of that line, added two helpers. . . . Attendance was 6,179. . . . The Silvertips meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., today. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Geordie Wudrick scored three times to help the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The victory lifted the Rockets into first place in the B.C. Division, a point up on the Giants. . . . Wudrick has 29 goals. . . . F Cody Chikie, who had a goal and three assists in a 7-3 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Friday, had three assists. . . . Attendance was 6,184. . . . The Rockets have won six in a row. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., G Mac Carruth stopped 43 shots to help the Portland Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland D William Wrenn had a goal, his first, and an assist, and was plus-4. He is plus-18 in 12 games since leaving the U of Denver and joining the Winterhawks over the Christmas break. . . . F Ty Rattie, F Brad Ross and F Ryan Johansen each had a goal and an assist for Portland. . . . Portland F Craig Cunningham scored once, giving him seven goals in four games against Seattle since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Attendance was a ShoWare Centre record of 6,158. It was Teddy Bear Night and the fans tossed 5,031 stuffed animals onto the ice when F Travis Toomey scored for Seattle in the first period. . . . The Thunderbirds fell into the Western Conference cellar, one point out of ninth and two out of eighth. They are at home to the Everett Silvertips today.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Calgary D Peter Kosterman
Tri-City D Matt MacKenzie



Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans, sporting his
Nuclear Night jersey, makes a save Friday while Portland Winterhawks
forward Sven Bartschi watches. (Photo by Doug Love/Tri-City Americans)

 THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andrew Schneider (Seattle, Swift Current, 1988-93) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany 2.Bundesliga) after his release by Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had one goal and 11 assists in 25 games with Klagenfurt this season. This is Schneider's second tour of duty with Schwenningen, having played for the Wild Wings from 1997 to 2000. . . .
D Mike Siklenka (Seattle, 1997-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season and the next three seasons with Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank Liga). The conract runs through the end of 2013-14. Siklenka had three goals and 10 assists in 36 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this season. . . .
F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been recalled from loan to Thurgau (Switzerland NL B) by Lugano (Switzerland NL A) and loaned out to Lagenthal (Switzerland NL B) for the rest of this season. He had six goals and five assists in 12 games during his assignment to Thurgau.
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Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, is a finalist for the Slats Gill Award as Oregon‘s sportsperson of the year. The award goes annually to the outstanding coach, administrator or organization from an Oregon-based team at any level of competition. It will be awarded Sunday at the Oregon Sports Awards. . . . According to a Winterhawks release, the other nominees are Linfield College baseball coach Scott Brosius, Aloha High School football coach Chris Casey, University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly and University of Oregon cross-country/track and field coach Vin Lananna. . . . The awards will be presented in the Tiger Woods Center at Nike’s headquarters. Former NFL player Ahmad Rashad will play host to the event, which will be televised later on Comcast Sports Northwest.
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The most recent eight-game suspension to a CHL player wasn’t for a positive drug test, a doping infraction as it is oftentimes called.
No. This one was for a flying elbow and it went to Kingston Frontenacs D Erik Gudbranson, who played for Canada at the World Junior Championship. Yes, this is the same fellow who was selected by the Florida Panthers with the third overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft.
Gudbranson was suspended for drilling Oshawa F J.P. Labardo, who ended up with a five-game suspension for his headshot on the Kingston goaltender.
Earlier this season, Gudbranson sat out a five-game sentence for a headshot on Cosimo Fontana of the Ottawa 67’s. Fontana remains sidelined with a concussion.
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George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports that F Landon Ferraro of the Everett Silvertips was to have hernia surgery on Friday. According to Sipple, who spoke with Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill, Ferraro was to have the surgery and should be on his way home Monday to begin rehab. He is expected to be out for up to two months. Ferraro has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the second round of the 2009 NHL draft.
Sipple’s story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Kootenay Ice has added D Mike Simpson, a sixth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, to its roster while D Luke Paulsen recovers from a concussion. Paulsen tried to play earlier in the week but wasn’t able to finish. . . . The 6-foot-4 Simpson plays for the junior B Port Moody, B.C., Black Panthers. . . . Matt Coxford of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that G Mackenzie Skapski will make his first WHL start tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. Skapski is a great story. He was selected by the Ice in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft and needed facial surgery after being injured when the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins’ bus went off the road during a trip to Prince George last season. Skapski plays for the junior B Ridge Meadow, B.C., Flames. . . . F Bretton Cameron and G Tyson Sexsmith both are back with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Cameron (Medicine Hat, 2005-10) had been up with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. He picked up one assist in two games. Sexsmith (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2004-09) was with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. Sexsmith has been injured and hasn’t played since Nov. 7. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Mark Stone broke a 3-3 tie at 11:11 of the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen. . . . He’s got 25 goals. . . . The Wheat Kings won for the fourth time in five games and moved into sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . F Shayne Wiebe got his 27^th goal for Brandon. . . . D Alex Roach of Calgary and D Rene Hunter of Brandon each scored his second goal of the season. It was the second WHL goal for each player, as well. . . . F Matt MacKay had a goal and two assists for Brandon. . . . F Misha Fisenko had two assists for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 10,156. . . . The Wheat Kings are in Medicine Hat tonight, while the Hitmen travel to Red Deer.
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In Moose Jaw, the Crushed Can was hopping as the Warriors scored twice in the second half of the third period to beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Moose Jaw moved into a tie for fourth with the idle Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference. They are one point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Dylan Hood got his 23^rd to forge a 3-3 tie on a PP at 10:51. F Sam Fioretti got the winner, his seventh goal of the season, at 12:31. . . . Hood finished with two goals and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek had a goal and two helpers, while F Quinton Howden drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . Due to illness, the Pats only dressed 18 players and one or two of those saw limited playing time. . . . F Cody Beach didn’t dress for the Warriors. Head coach Dave Hunchak told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that Beach was out for “failing to meet team standards.” . . . Attendance was 2,883. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Regina, and Beach is expected to play. . . . The Pats now are 11^th in the conference. They are only three points out of a playoff spot, but need to climb over three teams to get there. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Chris Collins scored twice and set up another as the Blades beat the Swift Current Broncos, 6-3. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky and F Josh Nicholls each had a goal and two assists. . . . The Blades, who have won four in a row, scored the game’s first five goals. . . . D Dalton Reum scored his first goal of the season for the Broncos, who have lost five in a row. It also was his first WHL goal. The 18-year-old from Camrose, Atla., played 37 games last season and has gotten into 13 games this season. . . . The Broncos haven’t won since Jan. 15, when they won 3-2 to end Saskatoon’s 11-game home-ice winning streak. . . . The Saskatoon unit that features Brayden Schenn, Curtis Hamilton and Jake Trask was held pointless. . . . Attendance was 4,908. . . . There were four incidents of fisticuffs. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Swift Current. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice erased a 3-2 third-period deficit and beat the Hurricanes, 6-3. . . . D Daniel Johnston’s first goal of the season, in his 45^th game, gave the home team a 4-3 lead on a PP at 2:50 of the third period. . . . Ice F Kevin King tied it, with his 22^nd, at 5:09, on a PP, and D Hayden Rintoul’s first of the season, at 10:06, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Rintoul was playing in his 29^th game of the season. . . . F Elgin Pearce got his ninth on a PP at 14:28 and D Brayden McNabb got the empty-netter, at 19:02. . . . McNabb, who has 13 goals, also had two assists, while F Max Reinhart had three helpers. . . . F Austin Fyten pulled Lethbridge into a 2-2 tie with his 20^th and 21^st goals in the latter half of the second period. . . . Attendance was 3,229. . . . The Ice is third in the conference, one point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice and Hurricanes meet tonight in Cranbrook. . . .
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In Red Deer, it was another perfect night for G Darcy Kuemper as the Rebels blanked the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-0. . . . Kuemper stopped 31 shots, including 11 in each of the first two periods, as he earned his CHL-leading 10^th shutout. It also was the 16^th of his career. He set franchise single-season and career shutouts earlier this season. . . . Red Deer has won 10 in a row and is 10-0-1 in its last 11. . . . The Rebels are three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades, who hold two games in hand. . . . The Rebels got two goals from F Brett Ferguson, who has 17, and one from D Aaron Borejko, who has one. He got it in his 51^st game of the season. In his career, he now has three goals in 158 games -- two in 97 games with Red Deer, one in 61 games with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Ryan Nugent Hopkins and F Andrej Kudrna each had a goal and an assist. . . . D Colin Archer and D Alex Petrovic each had two assists. . . . The Oil Kings, who are 0-5-1 in their last six, have been blanked three times this season. . . . Attendance was 4,588. . . . Edmonton is at home to the Prince Albert Raiders tonight (it’s Michael Jackson Night, although the King of Pop isn’t likely to be in attendance), while the Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Cody Chikie had a goal and three assists to lead the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Rockets led this one 2-0 before the game was two minutes old as F Colton Sissons, with his ninth, and F Shane McColgan, with his 18^th, both scored. F Geordie Wudrick made it 3-0 with his 26^th at 6:09. . . . The Cougars got to within 3-1 and 4-2 but that was it. . . . Chikie, a 19-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., had one three-point game to his credit before this one. . . . He’s got 10 goals this season. . . . Despite there being just one scrap, the teams combined for 112 penalty minutes, with the Rockets taking 59 of those. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-10 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 6,088. . . . The Rockets meet the visiting Vancouver Giants tonight. Kelowna is second in the B.C. Division, a point behind the Giants. . . .
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In Vancouver, the Giants outshot Kamloops 38-17 as they beat the Blazers, 3-1. . . . Vancouver has won five straight games and 10 of 12. . . . F Spencer Bennett scored twice for the Giants, giving him 24. He broke a 1-1 tie at 4:42 of the second period and added insurance at 4:57 of the third on a PP. . . . Bennett has 21 points, including 12 goals, in 13 games with Vancouver since coming over from the Portland Winterhawks. He had 21 points, 12 of them goals, in 37 games with the Winterhawks. . . . The Giants have given up only eight goals in winning five in a row. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Rowinski had two assists. . . . G Mark Segal stopped 16 shots in winning his ninth straight start. . . . Kamloops has lost five in a row and nine of 10. . . . Attendance was 10,378. . . . The Blazers meet the Bruins in Chilliwack tonight, while the Giants visit Kelowna. Vancouver leads the B.C. Division by one point over the Rockets.
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In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-3. . . . F Darren Kramer forged a 3-3 tie at 5:32 of the second and F Matt Marantz put the Chiefs out front at 7:00. . . . Kramer has five goals; Marantz has 15. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who leads the WHL with 37 goals, iced it at 9:13 of the third. Johnson also had an assist and pulled into a tie for the lead in the WHL scoring race. He and F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who didn’t play Friday, are tied at 82 points. Johnson also is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . F Stephen Kuhn had a goal, his 14^th, and two assists for the Chiefs. . . . F Kevin Sundher had two assists for the Bruins. . . . Chiefs G Mac Engel stopped 18 shots, 20 fewer than Chilliwack’s Lucas Gore. . . . Spokane was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 7,521. . . . The Chiefs pulled to within one point of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. Spokane is at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . .
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In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 35 shots to help the Silvertips blank the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-0. . . . The shutout was Simpson’s first of the season and third of his career. . . . The Silvertips have put up three shutouts this season, with Luke Siemens getting the other two. . . . Seattle has been blanked three times. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 20 of 26 shots before being relieved by Michael Salmon with 15:40 left in the third. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored twice, giving him 31. . . . F Cody Fowlie had two goals and an assist. He went into the game with eight points, three of them goals, in 46 games. . . . Attendance was 8,045. . . . The Silvertips, Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers are tied for last in the Western Conference, one point behind the eighth-place Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Everett, Seattle and Kamloops are a combined 5-20-5 over each of their last 10 games. . . . The Prince George Cougars are in Everett tonight, while the Thunderbirds meet the visiting Portland Winterhawks. It’s Teddy Bear Toss Night at the game in Kent, Wash. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Kruise Reddick scored three goals and G Drew Owsley stopped 35 shots to lead the host Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks, who had won six in a row. . . . Tri-City is 4-1-1 against Portland this season. . . . Reddick, who now has three WHL hat tricks, scored the game’s first two goals, the opener at 3:06 of the first period on a PP, and the second at 10:31 of the first. . . . He completed his hat trick at 19:10 of the second, giving the home team a 4-0 lead on another PP. . . . The Americans, who have won 14 of 15 at home, were 2-for-7 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 2-for-8. . . . Reddick has 12 goals this season. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists for the Americans. . . . Portland D William Wrenn was even. He went into the game at plus-16 in 10 games. . . . Attendance was 6,032, the seventh largest in franchise history, on the second annual Nuclear Night. . . . One year ago, F Johnny Lazo had three goals as the Americans beat visiting Portland 6-2 on Nuclear Night. . . . The Americans are in Spokane tonight, while the Winterhawks meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Nine minors:
Regina F Garrett Mitchell (double minor)
Edmonton F Mark Reners
Prince George F James Dobrowolski
Prince George F Jaroslav Vlach
Prince George F Troy Bourke
Portland F Sven Bartschi
Tri-City F David Conrad (double minor)

Well, so much for that.
Chris Jaster of the Prairie Post reports that Dave (Tiger) Williams won’t be playing for the Notekeu Hockey League’s Herbert Hawks after all.
Here’s what Jaster wrote:
“Williams, who played with the Swift Current Broncos for three seasons, decided not to join Herbert's senior hockey club as he could not fit enough games into his personal schedule which would allow him to compete with the Hawks in the playoffs.
“Players must have participated in a minimum of 25 per cent of a team's games in order to participate in the playoffs. Williams, who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League, would have had to play in six of the team's final seven league games to be eligible.”
Jaster’s complete story is right here.

It seems that this is a big weekend for more than one Tiger.
While Tiger Woods begins his golf season this weekend in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines near San Diego, an emailer early Thursday informs that one of the most popular players -- who at the same time likely was one of the most unpopular players -- in NHL history is about to make a comeback of sorts.
Apparently, Dave (Tiger) Williams (Swift Current, 1971-74) practised with the Herbert Hawks of the Notekeu Hockey League on Wednesday night in preparation for a game tonight against the visiting Mossbank Blades. Game time is 8:30.
Here’s hoping that Tiger scores at least one goal and treats the fans to the riding of the stick through the neutral zone.
The Notekeu Hockey League -- yes, there is more than one NHL -- features nine teams in communities located in the southwestern side of Saskatchewan.
Mossbank and Herbert go into tonight’s game tied for second place.
Williams, if you are wondering, is to turn 57 on Feb. 3.
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You have to assume that all WHL coaches aspire to be running a bench in the National Hockey League; after all, the NHL is The Show to coaches, too.
However, Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has learned that at least some of the WHL’s coaches aren’t necessarily in a hurry to get to the NHL. Check that story out right here.
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Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News has a look at a young player who has scored more than 100 goals in fewer than 30 games. . . . That story is right here.
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Earlier this season, F Jake Trask had trouble getting playing time. Now he’s on a line with two players off Canada’s national junior team. Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Spokane Chiefs have played 48 games this season; the Tri-City Americans have played 45. They have met each other four times, which means they will clash eight more times during this regular season. The first of those eight is Saturday in Spokane. . . . D Cason Machacek of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has been suspended for five games for his actions at the end of the second period of what was a 10-2 loss to the host Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday night. It seems he came off the bench at the buzzer and entered into an altercation. He already has served two one-game suspensions this season. . . . F Connor Redmond, who had offseason shoulder surgery, may play his first game of the season for the Vancouver Giants tonight. They are at home to the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Kamloops finishes up a stretch of three road games in four nights on Saturday against the Chilliwack Bruins. The Blazers will meet the Bruins three times in a four-game stretch, with a visit from the Everett Silvertips squeezed in Wednesday. . . . The Kelowna Rockets entertain the Prince George Cougars tonight. That is the first of seven in a row for the Rockets against B.C. Division foes.

Lorne Molleken is the fifth head coach in WHL history to reach 500 victories. He got there Wednesday night when his Saskatoon Blades got past the Oil Kings 4-3 in Edmonton.
The other four are Ken Hodge, Ernie McLean, Pat Ginnell and Don Hay. Only Hay, the head coach of the Vancouver Giants, is still active.
(Interestingly, Molleken’s first coaching job (1985-86) was with the SJHL’s Swift Current Indians. He replaced Ginnell, who had moved on to the WHL’s New Westminster Bruins. The assistant GM with the Indians was Lorne Frey, now the assistant GM, head scout and director of player personnel with the Kelowna Rockets.)
The fact that Molleken is on that list is testament to the manner in which he now lives his life.
To say that Molleken was a free spirit is something of an understatement.
My favourite Molleken story goes back to the mid-1970s when he was a hard-living goaltender with the Winnipeg Clubs, who were coached by the gravelly voiced Muzz MacPherson.
Legend has it that Molleken was doing the scarecrow routine in goal during a practice session one day in the Winnipeg Arena.
MacPherson was at centre ice running drills and looking on with more and more smoke coming out of his ears.
Finally, MacPherson yelled at Molleken: “Hey, Mooner, you going to try to stop some pucks today?”
Molleken replied: “Muzz, see that thing up above you?”
MacPherson, in telling the story, would say, “Like a fool I looked up.”
And he saw the score clock.
Seeing MacPherson look up, Molleken said: “When it starts, I start.”
Over the years, Molleken hasn’t lost his sense of humour. He did, however, manage to lose a few bad habits. He has grown into one of those coaches whose players will go to the wall for him.
You just know that Molleken, 54, will be spending a lot of time today on the phone and the computer, returning congratulatory messages.
It couldn’t happen to a better man.
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Dave Shoalts of The Globe and Mail reports: “Len Barrie’s misadventures in leading the Bear Mountain golf resort and real-estate development into bankruptcy left more than 100 angry investors and creditors in his wake, including 18 current and former National Hockey League players who lost a total of more than $13-million.” . . . That story is right here.
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Tony Gallagher, a sports columnist with the Vancouver Province, checks in with former Portland Winterhawks player and coach Brent Peterson. Now an assistant coach with the NHL’s Nashville Predators, Peterson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease eight years ago. That piece is right here. If you read one thing today, make this your choice.
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JUST NOTES: With G James Reid (ankle) on the shelf, the Spokane Chiefs have brought in Adam Iwan, 17, to back up Mac Engel. Iwan was a 10^th-round selection of the Saskatoon Blades in the 2008 bantam draft. He has been playing with the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. . . . Did you know: The WHL weekly update of roster moves that is dated Jan. 25 includes 11 players listed as being out with concussions and seven others with head injuries. . . . One of those players with a concussion is F Steve Oursov of the Chilliwack Bruins. He is attempting something of a comeback after battling post-concussion syndrome. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Linden Vey, the WHL’s scoring leader, broke a 2-2 tie at 9:46 of the second period as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Raiders, 3-2. . . . Vey has 33 goals. With 82 points, he holds a two-point lead over Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 35 shots, one more than Prince Albert's Jamie Tucker. . . . The Tigers led this one 2-0 on first-period PP goals by F Kellan Tochkin, his 19^th, and F Kale Kessy, his eighth. . . . The Raiders scored twice early in the second, with F Brandon Herrod getting his 20^th at 3:37 and F Jonathan Parker his 29^th just 29 seconds later. . . . Attendance was 2,066. . . . Medicine Hat F Tyler Pitlick didn’t play. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Marek Viedensky broke a 3-3 tie at 7:28 of the third period as the Saskatoon Blades skated to a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . The victory was No. 500 as a WHL head coach for Saskatoon’s Lorne Molleken. He is the fifth coach in WHL history to reach that milestone. . . . The Blades held 2-0 and 3-2 leads, only to have Edmonton tie it 2-2 and 3-3. . . . Viedensky and F Brayden Schenn each had a goal and an assist for Saskatoon, with F Chris Collins getting two assists. . . . Edmonton F Jordan Hickmott was ejected with a boarding major, so could be looking at a WHL suspension. . . . Attendance was 4,711. . . .
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In Cranbrook, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored three times in the third period and skated away with a 5-4 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . The victory lifted Brandon to within one point of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. . . . F Brenden Walker scored three goals for Brandon, giving him 19. He tied the score 2-2 at 18:03 of the second and gave Brandon a 3-2 lead at 2:33 of the third. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie upped that to 4-2 with a shorthanded score at 8:45. . . . Ice F Elgin Pearce made it 4-3 on the PP at 9:29. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay provided some breathing room at 11:07. . . . Ice F Cody Eakin got his 21^st at 13:53 to make things interesting. He also had two assists. . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 34 shots. . . . The Ice has lost three in a rwo for the first time this season. . . . Attendance was 2,220. . . .
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In Red Deer, the Rebels went 4-for-9 on the PP as they romped to a 10-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Red Deer, which has won nine in a row, led 9-0 early in the third period before F Cam Braes scored two PP goals for the visitors. . . . F Turner Elson scored three times and added an assist for Red Deer. He’s got 15 goals this season. He scored twice on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . F Daulton Siwak added a goal and three assists for the Rebels, while F Byron Froese scored twice, giving him 24. F Brett Ferguson had a goal and two assists. . . . Attendance was 3,859. . . .
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In Portland, four Winterhawks forwards had four-point games in a 9-2 thrashing of the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Brendan Leipsic had two goals and two assists, while Craig Cunningham, Riley Boychuk and Sven Bartschi each had a goal and three helpers. . . . F Ty Rattie also scored twice for Portland. . . . Roman Horak, Ryan Howse and Robin Soudek, who are Chilliwack linemates, were a combined minus-17. . . . Portland D Taylor Aronson and D William Wrenn didn’t have a point between them but each was plus-5. . . . Portland has won six in a row. . . . The Winterhawks’ nine goals was a season-high; they have twice scored eight times. . . . Portland’s 51 shots also was a season-high. . . . Attendance was 2,346. . . .
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In Prince George, F Brett Connolly returned to the Cougars’ lineup and enjoyed a four-point outing in a 9-5 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . That was a single-game high for the Cougars’ offence this season. . . . A knee injury had kept Connolly sidelined since Jan. 12. . . . Connolly scored twice, giving him 27, and added two assists. . . . F Nick Buonassisi and F Charles Inglis each had a goal and three assists. . . . F Greg Fraser had two goals for the Cougars, with D Cody Carlson scoring once and adding two assists. . . . Prince George D Daniel Gibb got his first goal of the season. He has a goal and three assists in 46 games. Last season, he had a goal and three assists in 69 games. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford scored twice, giving him 32. He hadn’t scored in his previous 10 games. . . . Prince George was 4-for-7 on the PP; the Blazers were 3-for-5. . . . Kamloops has lost four in a row and eight of nine. . . . The Cougars are 5-1 against the Blazers, with a 32-20 edge in scoring. . . . Attendance was 1,789. . . .
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In Spokane, G Mac Engel earned his first WHL victory as the Chiefs blanked the Everett Silvertips, 3-0. . . . Engel is playing in place of injured starter James Reid. . . . Engel went into the game with a 0-4-3 record in 13 appearances. . . . A 17-year-old from Red Deer, he stopped 18 shots in earning his first shutout. . . . It was Spokane’s fifth shutout of the season; the other four belong to Reid. . . . Everett has been blanked a WHL-leading seven times. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 45 shots. . . . Spokane F Matt Marantz opened the scoring with his 14^th of the season at 4:56 of the second period. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson ran his point streak to 15 games with an assist on F Levko Koper’s empty-netter. . . . Attendance was 3,758.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Red Deer F Josh Cowen
Kamloops F Thomas Frazee
Spokane F Mike Aviani

There are 22 teams in the WHL. That means there are approximately 500 players on WHL team rosters on any given day.
F Spencer Asuchak of the Prince George Cougars has been suspended for eight games after testing positive for methylhexaneamine, a stimulant that he inadvertently ingested in an over-the-counter supplement. Which is how he became the first player in WHL history to be suspended under the CHL’s anti-doping policy.
Asuchak has said that he used one supplement (Jack3d) over the summer and another (Razor 8) in December.
Two OHL players were suspended, or at least their suspensions were announced, on Jan. 14. One of the players had already served his eight-game suspension when the announcement was made. Both of them tested positive for methylhexaneamine; both of them apparently ingested it via Jack3d, which they purchased over the counter.
So, boys being boys and all of that, do you really think that Asuchak is the only player in all of the WHL who inadvertently used an over-the-counter supplement? Do you think that these three players are the only ones in the 60-team CHL with methylhexaneamine in their systems?
What if every player in the WHL was tested? How many of those 500 or so players do you think would come up positive?
Here’s what Dean Clark, Prince George’s head coach, told Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports’ junior hockey editor:
“I’m sure there are other kids. These guys aren’t the first guys. I think there are some general managers in our league who are worried . . . because there was a month before the Ontario guys came out (positive) where (WHL players) were being tested, so there could be some more guys that come out here that end up testing positive.”
Asuchak was tested in Prince George on Dec. 17. The Cougars were informed of his result on Jan. 19.
What if every player in the WHL was tested on, say, Feb. 20? How many players would be looking at suspensions as the playoffs were getting started?
Of course, the testing is done by random selection, so that would never happen. But it’s worth thinking about.
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G Mac Engel of the Spokane Chiefs has played in 13 games this season, but he’s still looking for his first victory. He is 0-4-3 going into this weekend’s games. And he will be the starter now that James Reid, who has appeared in 42 games, is out with an ankle injury. Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has the Chiefs’ story right here.
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Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Silvertips F Landon Ferraro’s season may not be over. “Ferraro, who was diagnosed with a hernia, is heading to Detroit this week to be evaluated by the Red Wings' doctors,” scribbled Patterson, noting that Ferraro has signed an NHL contract with the Wings, who selected him in the second round of the 2009 draft. “Those doctors will determine whether Ferraro will undergo surgery now or after the season. If Ferraro undergoes surgery to repair the hernia, he could be back in early March, in time for the stretch run.”
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F Oliver Gabriel of the Portland Winterhawks will miss the remainder of the season thanks to a shoulder injury. He is to undergo surgery to repair a dislocated right shoulder. He suffered the injury in October, then hurt it again Jan. 15 in a 5-2 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Gabriel, 19, had 32 points in 41 games with Portland this season, getting career highs in goals (11) and assists (21). . . . He attended training camp with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets on a free-agent tryout deal and ended up signing a three-year deal.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers made some new friends during their recent visit to Kamloops for a game with the Blazers. Check this out right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Tri-City Americans have signed F Justin Spagrud, a third-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Spagrud, who is from Gull Lake, Sask., has 15 points in 32 games with the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires. He will play for Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, N.S., Feb. 11-27. . . . F Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs is the CHL’s player of the week. He had 10 points in four games last week. . . . The AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed G Alkexander Pechurskiy to a pro tryout contract. Pechurskiy, 20, started this season with the Tri-City Americans but lost out in the 20-year-old numbers game. He has played in 21 games with the Central league’s, going 10-8-0, 2.74, .898. A Russian, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2008 draft.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s first two goals and never trailed as they beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . F Tyler Pitlick, with his 20^th, and F Linden Vey, with No. 32, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. . . . The Pats weren’t able to get back even, despite getting a goal, his 22^nd, and two assists from F Jordan Weal. . . . F Garrett Mitchell also had a goal and two helpers for Regina. . . . Vey also had an assist and now leads the WHL with 81 points, two more than Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and two assists for the Tigers, who got 30 saves from G Tyler Bunz. . . . Attendance was 4,998. . . .
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In Swift Current, G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 53 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-3 victory over the Broncos. . . . The home side outshot the visitors 20-9 in the first period and 22-6 in the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach, in his return after a six-game concussion-related absence, got the game’s first goal, his ninth, at 3:55 of the first period on a PP. . . . F Antonin Honejsek upped the lead to 2-0 with his 21^st just five minutes later. . . . The Broncos weren’t able to catch up. . . . F Quinton Howden got his 28^th for Moose Jaw, while F Dylan Hood got No. 21. . . . F Taylor Vause had a goal and an assist for the Broncos. . . . F Sebastian Svendsen and D Dylan Bowman each had two assists for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-6 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 2,212. . . . “(Heemsker) played well,” Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “We’ve been challenging our guys to start getting playoff ready mentally here and to play a certain way. If there’s one guy that’s already there, it’s Thomas Heemskerk. He made big saves when we needed them and he was a calming influence and he controlled the pace of play. There’s no question we gave up shots, but we didn’t give up 56 shots.” . . .
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In Calgary, Saskatoon’s Lorne Molleken earned the 499^th victory of his head-coaching career as the Blades beat the Hitmen, 8-4. . . . Molleken’s first chance to become the fifth coach in WHL history to get to 500 victories comes tonight in Edmonton against the Oil Kings. He also has coached the Moose Jaw Warriors and Regina Pats. . . . The Blades led this one 4-0 by 12:43 of the second period and took a 6-1 lead into the third period. . . . F Jake Trask scored twice for Saskatoon -- he’s got 13 -- and added an assist. F Curtis Hamilton had a goal and two assists, and F Brayden Schenn, the third member of the line, scored his first goal for the Blades and set up another. . . . D Stefan Elliott also had a goal and two assists for Saskatoon. . . . F Cody Sylvester had two goals for Calgary, which got two assists from F Brooks Macek. . . . Saskatoon was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 7,820. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes opened up a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . F Michael Sofillas, with his second, F Austin Fyten, with No. 19, and F Max Ross, with his 12^th, scored first-period goals for Lethbridge. . . . F Shayne Wiebe got Brandon to within one with a pair of second-period goals, both of which were shorthanded. Wiebe has 26 goals. . . . F Russell Maxwell restored Lethbridge’s two-goal lead at 12:39 of the third on a PP. . . . F Scott Glennie got Brandon back to within one at 17:04, with his 21^st. . . . Lethbridge G Dylan Tait stopped 29 shots, seven fewer than Brandon’s Liam Liston. . . . Lethbridge D Mike Reddington had two assists. . . . Attendance was 2,748. . . . G Tyson Sexsmith, the WHL’s career record-holder in shutouts (26), is joining the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. Sexsmith hasn’t played since Nov. 7 when he was with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. He has been on injured reserve since then, and now has been recalled by Worcester. Sexsmith, who played for the Vancouver Giants, was a third-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in the NHL’s 2007 draft.

Don Hay, the head coach of the Vancouver Giants, issued a broad apology Monday night after, his team had to use Kamloops Blazers training camp jerseys during a game in Kamloops on Saturday night. The Giants’ jerseys missed the bus to Kamloops on Saturday afternoon, so they wore black Kamloops jerseys that included a Blazers logo on the fronts.
“It’s embarrassing to our organization and we’re not happy about it,” Hay said in his weekly appearance with Dan Russell on SportsTalk, Vancouver radio station CKNW’s nightly show. “It’s not something that we’re very proud of . . . not taking our jerseys and not representing our organization.
“We made the best of it and we’re moving on.”
Hay, who is from Kamloops and is a former Blazers coach, did admit that he was OK with wearing the logo.
“Having spent 10 years there and growing up watching the Blazers . . . obviously, I was comfortable wearing that sweater more than any other team’s in the league,” Hay said.
Then he added: “It was something different and not something we’d like to do every game.”
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Robert Schnabel (Red Deer, 1997-99) has been loaned for the rest of this season to Chomutov (Czech Republic 1.Liga) by Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic Extraliga). He had one goal and four assists in 26 games for Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia Extraliga) earlier this season during a two-month stint as an injury replacement. Schnabel's Czech playing rights were held by Mlada Boleslav and a "loan exchange" was made between Mlada Boleslav and Chomutov, where Chomutov loaned F/D Jan Benda to Mlada Boleslav in exchange for Schnabel. Schnabel's loan to Chomutov will continue for next season should Chomutov win promotion to Extraliga.
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F Burke Gallimore of the Seattle Thunderbirds wore a microphone on Jan. 18 when they met the visiting Kamloops Blazers in Kent, Wash.
The clip that ended up on KCPQ-TV is right here.
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JUST NOTES: D Josh Morrissey, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, is scheduled to make his WHL debut Wednesday with the Prince Albert Raiders against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. Morrissey plays for the midget AAA Calgary Royals; he has 36 points in 26 games, leaving him 13^th overall in the AMHL scoring race. He played in the league’s all-star game last weekend in Fort Saskatchewan. . . . The Kootenay Ice has recalled G Mackenzie Skapski and F Levi Cable for its next five games. Skapski, a third-round pick in the 2009 draft, has a 4.27 GAA and a .894 save percentage with the junior B Ridge Meadows Flames. Cable, 16, has 45 points in 34 games with the midget AAA Yorkton, Sask., Harvest. . . . The Ice is without D Joey Leach and F Steele Boomer, both of whom will miss up to six weeks with ankle problems. . . . C Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs is the WHL’s player of the week. He recorded 10 points, including two goals, in four games to move to the top of the scoring race. He and F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers are tied for the lead, with 79 points. . . . Mark Segal of the Vancouver Giants is the WHL nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 3-0-0, 1.06, .953 last week. . . .
F Nino Niederreiter tied a Portland Winterhawks’ franchise record Sunday when he scored the OT winner to beat the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 6-5. That was Niederreiter’s fourth OT goal, pulling him even with F Todd Robinson (1994-95) and F Ken Yaremchuk (1980-83). Robinson played 317 regular-season games, while Yaremchuk was in 210. Niederreiter has played in 97 games. . . . Portland, by the way, is 26-0-0 when scoring four or more goals. . . . The Winterhawks have scheduled their annual Buckaroos Salute for Feb. 5 when they are playing the Tri-City Americans. Among the former Buckaroos players who will be in attendance are Jim Hay, Art Jones and Tom McVie.

Surely, this isn’t what the Canadian Hockey League had in mind when it entered into an agreement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that involved random drug testing of its athletes.

Surely, the CHL was looking for something more than what has been dropped in its lap.

In the last couple of weeks, the CCES has announced positive tests for three CHL players, each of whom was suspended for eight games, which is the penalty for a first-time offender.

SPENCER ASUCHAK

No matter the crime. No matter the intent. Test positive and you’re gone for eight games. A press release is issued and you are branded for life. You are a cheat . . . a user of stimulants . . . a user of PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs) . . . a Ben Johnson on skates. Googler you name and you’ll come up positive.

And that is really, really too bad.

Each of the three players tested positive for the same thing, a stimulant known as methylhexaneamine. Each, it seems, ingested it in the same fashion, through a supplement purchased over the counter. Of this there doesn’t seem to be any doubt.

In the case of forward Spencer Asuchak of the Prince George Cougars, whose suspension was announced Monday, he purchases his supplements in his hometown of Kamloops.

Asuchak, a 19-year-old forward, told the Prince George Citizen that he used Jack3d over the summer and Razor 8 in December. According to Jason Peters of the Citizen, Asuchak “mixed them with water prior to workout sessions to give himself an energy boost.“

Asuchak told Peters that he is “pretty upset.”
“I’ll get through it,” Asuchak said. “It happens -- you make mistakes and learn from them.”
Asuchak has 24 points, including 15 goals, in 42 games with the Cougars this season. He will be eligible to play again on Feb. 8 when the Cougars are scheduled to meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton.
But, sheesh, there are MISTAKES and then there are mistakes. And this was a molehill of a mistake.
Asuchak is a bit of a fitness/workout guy. He takes great pride in his workouts and his physique. Yes, he has heard the whispers, that he must be on something steroidish. But when he was selected for testing on Dec. 17 he wasn’t at all concerned. Why not? Because he knew that the four or five different pre-workout supplements he was using were fine. They all had checked out against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances.
Unfortunately, the WADA list that Asuchak was using was issued on Jan. 1, 2009. What he didn’t know was that methylhexaneamine didn’t appear on the WADA list until Jan. 1, 2010.
But, earlier this month, WADA again changed the status of methylhexaneamine. WADA issues an updated list on Jan. 1 of each year. The 2011 list has methylhexaneamine moved from its non-specified list, where it first appeared on Jan. 1, 2010, to its specified list.
This explanation appears on WADA’s website:
"During the course of 2010, the anti-doping community noticed evidence that (methylhexaneamine) had reappeared in a number of nutritional supplements and was therefore subject to potential inadvertent use by athletes.
"While athletes are responsible for everything they use under the strict liability principle applied in the fight against doping, international experts forming the agency's scientific committees took this reality into account to reclassify methylhexaneamine into the 'specified stimulants' category of the 2011 list.
"Generally speaking, 'specified substances' are substances that are more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation.
"If the athlete can prove that he or she did not intend to enhance performance by using them to the satisfaction of the results management authority, the sanction under the world anti-doping code can go from a two-year ban to a warning."
There already have been instances of athletes receiving lighter sentences after testing positive for methylhexaneamine. For example, positives tests during the Commonwealth Games last year resulted in 11 athletes being disciplined, but all of those suspensions since have been overturned.
As well, there are a couple of South African rugby players in the process of appealing bans. That story is right here.
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In the meantime, Asuchak didn’t even know what methylhexaneamine was or what its use is. Rather, I’m told, he was using supplements for creatine, caffeine, beta alinine and arginine -- creatine for building muscle, arginine for the pump, and caffeine for the energy.
Asuchak knew what was coming when he heard on Jan. 14 that two OHL players -- Alexander Aleardi of the Plymouth Whalers and Ryan O’Connor of the Saginaw Spirit -- had tested positive after using Jack3d and had been suspended. Asuchak knew immediately that his test would be positive.
(As it turned out, the teams were given advance notice. Aleardi, for example, served his entire suspension prior to it even being announced. Observers were under the impression that he was out with the dreaded upper body injury. When Asuchak’s suspension was announced Monday, he already had served three games because the Cougars had been informed of the positive test on Wednesday.)
It used to be caffeine. I remember covering the Regina Pats when one of their players would make half-a-dozen pregame visits to the scout/media room for coffee. He would drink at least six cups before going out for the pregame warmup. Then came the Sudafed era.
And now we’re into PEDs. Hey, I’m all for drug testing for PEDs. And I’m all for athletes being responsible for what goes into their bodies, and all of that stuff. But these are junior hockey players we’re talking about here. Yes, WHL teams work constantly to educate their players on PEDs and supplements and all of that, but there has to be some kind of warning system in place.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner and CHL vice-president, is quoted thusly: “In reviewing this matter, we are completely satisfied that the player used a supplement which had been purchased over the counter at a retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a prohibited stimulant under our national CHL Anti-Doping Policy.”
In a Jan. 14 statement announcing that the two OHL players had tested positive, CHL president David Branch, who also is the OHL commissioner, was quoted as saying: “We are completely satisfied that the players used a supplement which they had purchased over the counter at a local retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a stimulant.”
Never mind that both statements are virtually the same. It is most evident that there was no intent to cheat. There was no intent to gain a competitive advantage. These would appear to be clear-cut cases of inadvertent use.
That being the case, it behooves the adults who are responsible to change this policy before more damage is done. It is time to consider the intent in these situations and to turn potential eight-game suspensions into warnings.

From the early summer of 1973 until the fall of 1978, I worked in the sports department at the Winnipeg Tribune. The sports editor was Jack Matheson . . . the legendary Jack Matheson. In those days, the sports editor was the columnist and usually covered the No. 1 beat in town. In Winnipeg, that was the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers; Matty also looked after men’s curling in the winter.
I learned more in those five years at the Winnipeg Tribune than at any other time in my career. Some of that was due to things like the hot-lead process disappearing and computers replacing typewriters. But most of what I learned came from watching and listening to Matty in action.
For years now, I have written a weekly column that, in these parts, is called Taking Note. It ran as Keeping Score while I was at the Regina Leader-Post and appears as Taking Note in the Kamloops Daily News. It is, in fact, a weekly testament to Matty, who wrote such a column at The Trib. I can still picture him sitting in his cubbyhole of an office, hammering away on the Underwood with his index fingers. He would hit the keys so hard that they would punch out some lower-case letters, like o and e, leaving holes where the letters should be.
On occasion, I will mention LGIW. That, too, came from Matty.
One summer, because I hated being stuck in the office, I decided to cover stock car racing. A new short track, Winnipeg Speedway, was opening and there also was a drag strip, Bison Dragways, located east of the city.
It wasn’t long before Matty had tagged me with a nickname. From that point on, I was Grease. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t change a spark plug.
I remember one time when one of the writers wrote a story on a local sports figure who had died. The story referred to the person in question as having “succumbed.”
The next evening, when we came into work, there was a note hanging in the sports department. It was written with the red wax pencil that Matty preferred and it read: SUCCUMBED HAS SUCCUMBED.
Matty died Monday night after an illness. He was 86.
Condolences to Peggy, Jim, John, Marnie and their families.
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If you’re interested, check out this piece right here that Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun wrote about Matty in November.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Evan Bloodoff (10) of the Kelowna Rockets looks for a rebound
in front of Tri-City Americans goaltender Drew Owsley on Sunday
in Kennewick, Wash. (Photo by John Allen/Tri-City Americans)

A few notes after a Sunday night in the WHL. . . .
Although there only were four games, it was a night of interesting matchups.
In Cranbrook, B.C., the Red Deer Rebels ran their winning streak to eight games with a 6-4 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. The victory lifted the Rebels six points clear of the second-place Ice in the Central Division and pulled Red Deer to within one point of the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades.
Saskatoon does hold three games in hand.
But, at the same time, the schedule is getting close to the stretch drive, although, with some of the races for playoff positioning being so tight, one wonders if the run to the playoffs hasn’t already started.
In the Eastern Conference, Saskatoon, Red Deer Kootenay, the Medicine Hat Tigers and Moose Jaw Warriors can call the printers this morning and order up playoff tickets. They’ll be there.
But there are six teams in the hunt for the remaining three playoff spots (eight of the conference’s 12 teams make it), with only the Calgary Hitmen having been all but eliminated. The Hitmen are 10 points out with 25 to play, but they would have to climb over four teams to get there and, in this era of loser points, that’s near impossible.
The Edmonton Oil Kings, Swift Current Broncos and Prince Albert Raiders hold down the conference’s last three spots, but look out for the Regina Pats who are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and have crawled to within two points of the eighth-place Raiders.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes pulled into a tie with Regina by beating the host Pats in overtime on Saturday. And it’s those three-point games that are the scourge of teams trying to get back into the hunt.
The Brandon Wheat Kings, although perhaps written off a couple of weeks ago, are making noises, too. They are 3-4-3 in their last 10 and are just three points behind the Raiders. But, with 23 games left, they still have to climb over three teams to get into the spring dance.
By the way, there were only 2,373 fans at the game in Cranbrook. Must be a city full of NFL fans.
In the Western Conference, the Portland Winterhawks, all the distractions over and done with, are showing all the signs that they are getting things back together.
The Christmas tournaments are done. The trade deadline is past. The Top Prospects Game is history. That means the Winterhawks, and everyone else, now is able to concentrate on the task at hand.
Portland did that Sunday, beating the visiting Spokane Chiefs 6-5 in overtime. The Winterhawks are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and have won five straight. That has moved them three points clear of the Chiefs atop the U.S. Division. The Chiefs hold two games in hand.
The Tri-City Americans, who are third in the division, are three points in back of the Chiefs. Spokane has two games in hand on Portland; Tri-City has four.
And, hey, what’s with just 2,649 fans in Portland for Sunday’s matchup with the Chiefs? There were 7,395 there on Saturday for an afternoon affair with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Strange, no?
Meanwhile, let’s not discount two of the WHL’s hottest teams, the Vancouver Giants and Kelowna Rockets, both of whom just completed dreaded three-in-three weekends and won all three.
The Giants have won four straight and eight of 10 and lead the B.C. Division. But they can’t shake the Rockets, who have won four in a row and six of 10 to stay a point off the pace. The Giants visit Kelowna on Saturday and you know the joint will be rocking.
And you might want to keep an eye on Vancouver C Andrej Stastny down the stretch. A Slovakian, he hadn’t done a lot offensively, at least in terms of putting up numbers, since joining the Giants after playing for Slovakia at the World Junior Championship. Still, the sample size was small.
But the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder scored his first three goals and added an assist in a 6-1 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday, then added two more goals and another assist in Sunday’s 7-3 victory over the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. He’s big, can skate, and can handle the puck. His weekend can only serve to boost his confidence.
There was a time, not that long ago, when the feeling was that it might not be so bad to finish seventh in the Western Conference. That, of course, would mean a first-round matchup with the No. 2 seed, which would be the B.C. Division pennant winner. However, that was before Vancouver G Mark Segal got on a run, before the Giants did some roster tinkering and before Stastny showed up.
And don’t discount the Rockets, who will grind you to death. They beat Seattle in Kent, Wash., on Friday, won in Spokane on Saturday and dumped the host Americans on Sunday.
Not too shabby!
For now, then, pencil in Portland, Vancouver, Spokane, Tri-City and Kelowna.
The other five teams are within six points of each other.
The Prince George Cougars, hurting without captain Brett Connolly, are searching for their game and are 4-6-0 in their last 10. They are sixth in the conference, three points up on the Chilliwack Bruins, who are 4-5-1 of late.
The Seattle Thunderbirds have been to overtime a league-high 16 times this season and their accumulation of nine loser points just may help get them into the postseason. At present, they are tied with Kamloops, which is fast running out of players thanks to injuries, and are two points ahead of the Everett Silvertips.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Portland, F Nino Niederreiter’s second goal of the game, with 36.6 seconds left in overtime, gave the Winter hawks a 6-5 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Niederreiter, who has 20 goals, also had an assist. . . . F Ryan Johansen also scored twice for the Winterhawks. He had an assist on the winner, too. . . . The Winterhawks have won five in a row. . . . The Chiefs took a 2-0 lead in this one, on goals by D Brenden Kichton, his 11^th, and D Jared Cowen, his 12^th, before the first period was 15 minutes old. . . . The Winterhawks then scored four in a row, with Johansen and Niederreiter scoring before the period ended and F Sven Bartschi, with his 25^th, and F Riley Boychuk, with his 12^th, striking 10 seconds apart in the second period. . . . Spokane G James Reid, who stopped 14 of 18 shots, suffered an undisclosed injury on the Boychuk goal and was replaced by Mac Engel, who came on to turn aside 17 of 19 shots. . . . F Levko Koper, with his 24^th, got the Chiefs back to within one before the second ended, and Kichton tied it at 3:37 of the third. . . . Johansen, with his 23^rd, gave Portland the lead at 10:13 of the third, with Koper equalizing with the game’s lone PP goal, at 14:26. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson had three assists. He and Medicine Hat Tigers F Linden Vey are tied atop the WHL points derby, each with 79. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 42 shots. . . . Interesting that both teams ended the game with a Mac in goal. . . . Attendance was 2,649. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Zach Franko ran his scoring streak to 11 games as the Kelowna Rockets edged the host Tri-City Americans, 4-3. . . . The Rockets had lost nine straight games in the Toyoto Center. . . . The Americans had won 13 straight at home, the second-longest such streak in franchise history. . . . Franko, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, had two goals and finished plus-3. He started his points streak on Jan. 1 and has 15 points in those 11 games. . . . The Rockets turned to freshman G Jordan Cooke and, in his ninth WHL start, he turned aside 30 shots in earning his fifth victory. . . . Kelowna has won four straight. . . . The Rockets mustered 15 shots on Tri-City G Drew Owsley. . . . Tri-City held a 16-5 edge in shots in the first and it was 13-4 in the third. . . . The Rockets took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Jessey Astles, his third, at 9:28, and Franko, at 11:47. . . . The Americans tied it with F Carter Ashton (21) and F Justin Feser (16) scoring before period’s end. . . . Kelowna D MacKenzie Johnston got his first WHL goal, at 10:56 of the second, with Franko scoring at 4:11 of the third. . . . Ashton narrowed the margin at 8:24 of the third. . . . Johnston, a 17-year-old from Swift Current, is in his second WHL season. He had one assist in 54 games last season. He scored in his 34^th game this season. . . . Attendance was 4,017. . . . The Americans are at home to Portland on Friday and in Spokane on Saturday.
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In Cranbrook, the Red Deer Rebels got three goals from F John Persson and five points from F Andrej Kudrna as they dumped the host Kootenay Ice, 6-4. . . . Kudrna, who has 21 goals, scored twice and added three assists, with F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins earning four helpers -- one on each of Red Deer’s first four goals, each of which came via the PP -- and D Alex Petrovic getting three. . . . F Brett Ferguson, with a goal, was the only other Red Deer player to earn a point. . . . Persson, an 18-year-old Swedish sophomore, has 21 goals after earning 11 points, including seven goals, last season. Yes, this was his first WHL hat trick. . . . The Ice got a goal and an assist from each of D Brayden McNabb and F Cody Eakin, who got his 20th. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 36 shots, 10 more than the Ice’s Nathan Lieuwen. . . . Red Deer was 4-for-10 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,373. . . .
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In Vancouver, the Giants beat the Chilliwack Bruins 7-3, their third victory over a division foe in as many nights. . . . On Friday, the Giants beat the visiting Prince George Cougars, 3-0, and on Saturday then went into Kamloops and dropped the Blazers, 6-1. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher scored three times, giving him 32, as the Giants opened up a 7-0 lead early in the third period. . . . Vancouver F Andrej Stastny had two goals and an assist, giving him seven points over his last two games. . . . The Giants were 1-for-9 on the PP; the Bruins were 1-for-4. . . . Attendance was 6,929.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Tri-City D Matt MacKenzie

     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter  gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
For now at least, Andrej Stastny is the answer to a trivia question.
Who is the last WHL player to score three goals in a game while wearing a Kamloops Blazers jersey?
Stastny did it Saturday night as he led the Vancouver Giants to a 6-1 victory over the Blazers before 4,223 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
Got that?
Visiting player scores three goals while wearing Blazers jersey and home team loses.
Seriously.
The Giants somehow managed to forget their jerseys when they were loading the bus for the trip to Kamloops earlier in the day. So they wore a set of Kamloops’ black training camp jerseys, each with a Blazers logo on the front and small white numbers on the back.
“It probably looked really ridiculous to the crowd,” offered a laughing Brendan Gallagher, who scored his 29^th goal, a shorthanded effort, for the Giants. “It was something as players that we haven’t had to deal with. It was a little adversity that we had to black out going into the game.
“It’s definitely something we probably would never go through again . . . it was bizarre.”
Equally bizarre was Stastny’s road to Vancouver.
From Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia, the 19-year-old was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in the CHL’s 2010 import draft. The Blades weren’t able to land him, however, and dropped him from their list. The Giants, having released Swedish forward Casper Carning, had room for an import so grabbed Stastny’s rights. He went on to play for Slovakia at the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo and joined the Giants after the tournament.
“We’ve been waiting for him to get his first one,” Gallagher said. “He’s been getting tons of chances in every game. For him to finally break out tonight was huge for us.”
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Stastny broke a 1-1 tie in the second period and then scored twice to key a four-goal Vancouver third period as the Giants dominated the last two periods, outshooting their hosts 33-14.
Stastny’s third goal, and his seventh point in eight games, reeked of his potential as he powered through defencemen Tyler Hansen and Austin Madaisky and went in to shovel a shot past goaltender Jeff Bosch.
“We know that he’s a big power forward who can skate,” Gallagher said. “He makes great plays on the ice. If we can get him going like this it’ll be huge for us.”
(On Sunday night, Stastny scored twice and added an assist as the Giants beat the visiting Chilliwack Bruins, 7-3. Gallagher scored three times.)
The Blazers got out of the first period in a 1-1 tie -- Colin Smith scoring on the power play almost eight minutes after Spencer Bennett had given the Giants a 1-0 lead. However, the Giants opened the middle period with a 49-second two-man advantage and took it right to the Blazers.
Vancouver, with a 12-7 edge in first-period shots, peppered Bosch with eight shots in the second period’s first 1:52 and had increased its total to 24 just four minutes later.
The Blazers, back on their heels, never recovered.
Gallagher broke the Blazers’ backs with his goal at 7:16, and forward Nathan Burns iced it 40 seconds later.
“We had a lot of shots tonight,” Gallagher said. “We wanted to crash the net and find ways to get goals any way we could. We know they’re a little bit of a banged up team over there.”
The Blazers again were missing injured forwards Dalibor Bortnak, Jordan DePape and Chase Schaber. They also were without defenceman Josh Caron, while centre Matt Needham didn’t finish the game.
Caron, who missed 41 games with a broken collarbone, hurt the collarbone in his sixth game back, Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said X-rays were negative but that Caron would undergo more tests early this week.
The 15-year-old Needham, who returned to his midget team in Penticton after Saturday’s game, aggravated a knee injury on Friday and then dinged a shoulder Saturday.
“Minor stuff,” Needham said.
“They played a pretty solid game,” said Needham, who was quick to credit the Giants. “We weren’t happy with our effort. But you have to give them credit . . . they played well and we have to be better.”
Needham, the seventh overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, returns home having played in 10 games and picked up seven points. He will play for Team B.C. in the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, Feb. 11-27, and perhaps finish his season with the Blazers.
“I definitely didn’t expect to get up (with the Blazers) as much as I have,” Needham said. “It’s been awesome. The guys are great. I love playing here, and I’ve had some success so everything’s been good.”
And he has proved his worth at this level. On Friday, in a tie game, Needham was taking a defensive zone faceoff with 1:15 left in the third period.
“Guy has had a lot of trust in me out there,” Needham said.
The Blazers, who have lost four in a row at home, are on the road for their next three games. They meet the Cougars in Prince George on Wednesday, the Giants (24-19-4) in Vancouver on Friday and the Bruins in Chilliwack on Saturday.
Kamloops (21-26-3) came out of the weekend having lost seven of its last eight games. It is tied with the Seattle Thunderbirds (18-21-9) for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
JUST NOTES: Apparently, the Giants won’t be fined for forgetting their jerseys, but could pay for wearing jerseys without namebars. . . . Prior to the start of the game, Cory Flett, the WHL’s director, communications, tweeted: “Little bit of a jersey debacle in Kamloops tonight, Giants forget game jerseys, will be wearing Blazer practice uniforms, major mistake.” . . . The Blazers next play at home on Feb. 2 against the Everett Silvertips.

The Vancouver Giants, wearing black Kamloops Blazers training
camp jerseys, and the Blazers, wearing their whites, prepare to start the
third period on Saturday night. The Giants' jerseys didn't get on the
bus to Kamloops for Saturday's game.

A post-game scoring change on Friday night ended F Spencer Bennett’s scoring streak at nine games. Originally, he was credited with an assist on the game’s first goal in the Vancouver Giants’ 3-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars. However, after the game, he lost that assist and the point streak went with it. . . . The winning goal, originally credited to D Darren Bestland, now belongs to F Brendan Rowinski. . . . Bennett may have started a new streak Saturday when he had a goal and two assists in a 6-1 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops.
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JUST NOTES: F Bretton Cameron, who completed his WHL career with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season, has moved from the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder to the AHL’s Connecticut Whale on a PTO (pro tryout agreement). Cameron, who is into the AHL for the first time, had a team-high 13 goals with Stockton. He has 23 points in 29 games. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Portland, F Craig Cunningham scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in an afternoon game that drew 7,395 fans. . . . Cunningham has 16 goals, including six in 11 games with Portland. He was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Dec. 29 and has 12 points in 11 games with the Winterhawks. . . . The Winterhawks, who are at home to the hard-charging Spokane Chiefs tonight at 5, have won four in a row. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had a goal and two assists, and was plus-3. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 44 shots. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton turned aside 33 shots. He lost his shutout at 16:33 of the third period when F Marcel Noebels scored a shorthanded goal. Noebels, from Germany, has 17 goals. . . . Portland visits the Thunderbirds on Saturday for Seattle’s annual Fred Meyer Teddy Bear Toss. . . .
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In Regina, F Cam Braes scored the game’s last two goals, the last one in overtime, to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over the Pats. . . . D Brandon Davidson’s sixth goal at 15:25 of the second period gave Regina a 2-1 lead. . . . Braes tied it at 16:18 of the second and won it at 4:15 of OT on the PP. . . . He has 24 goals. . . . D Landon Oslanski had a goal and two assists for Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes were 2-for-4 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 3,909. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Chris Collins and F Marek Viedensky each had two goals as the Blades beat the Calgary Hitmen, 5-1. . . . F Brayden Schenn, who is from Saskatoon, had one assist in his debut with the Blades. He was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 10 but a shoulder injury had kept him on the sideline. . . . Schenn drew an assist on F Jake Trask’s 11th goal of the season at 15:15 of the second period. That gave the Blades a 3-1 lead. . . . F Brooks Macek gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 12:16 of the first period. . . . F Josh Nicholls earned three assists for the Blades. . . . Viedensky, Nicholls and Collins each finished plus-3. . . . Viedensky, with 21 goals, is the fourth Blades skater with more than 20 snipes. . . . Collins has 12 goals. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 27 shots to run his record to 22-3-0. . . . Attendance was 7,646. . . .
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In Brandon, F Shayne Wiebe had two goals and an assist to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Mark Stone added a goal and two assists for Brandon, which got two assists from each of D Ryan Pulock and F Matt MacKay. . . . MacKay has six points over his last two games. . . . F Trevor Cameron pulled the Broncos into a 1-1 tie at 12:43 of the first but the Wheat Kings then scored five straight goals. . . . Wiebe has 24 goals. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie notched his 20th score of the season. . . . Brandon was 4-for-7 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-2. . . . The Wheat Kings now are three points out of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . Attendance was 4,430. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Kellan Tochkin’s shootout goal gave the Medicine Hat Tigers a 5-4 victory over Oil Kings in a wild one. . . . The Oil Kings watched a 3-0 first-period lead disappear but came back to hold a late 5-4 edge. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck — they’re calling him the Wrucking Ball — broke a 4-4 tie with his 26th goal of the season at 16:01 of the third period. . . . Tochkin got the Tigers back into a tie, at 5-5, at 18:16. . . . F Cole Grbavac had pulled the Tigers into a 4-4 tie with his ninth goal at 1:32 of the third. . . . F Mark Reners scored twice for Edmonton. Reners opened this season with Lethbridge, putting up 11 points in 20 games. He was dealt to Vancouver and had three points in 11 games with the Giants. With Edmonton, he has seven points, including four goals, in seven games. . . . The Tigers actually won the 10-player shootout, 3-2. They got goals from F Hunter Shinkaruk, F Tyler Pitlick and Tochkin, with F Kristians Pelss and F Jordan Hickmott scoring for the Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had a goal, his 31st and two assists. He leads the WHL with 79 points, three more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . Attendance was 5,884. . . .
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In Red Deer, G Darcy Kuemper record his CHL-leading ninth shutout of the season as the Rebels beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-0. . . . The Rebels, who have won seven straight, now have put up three straight blank jobs. . . . Kuemper stopped 35 shots in earning his 15th career shutouts. . . . Kuemper has blanked the Warriors three times this season and those are the only times Moose Jaw has been shut out. . . . Attendance was 5,993. . . . F Andrej Kudrna’s 19th goal at 14:18 of the second period stood up as the winner. . . . F Byron Froese scored his 22nd goal in to an empty net and also had an assist. . . . Kudrna drew an assist on Froese’s goal. . . .
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In Kamloops, F Andrej Stastny scored his first three WHL goals and set up another as the Vancouver Giants dumped the Blazers, 6-1. . . . Stastny was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in the CHL’s 2010 import draft, but they weren’t able to land him. After the Blades dropped him from their list, the Giants claimed him. He played for Slovakia at the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo and joined the Giants after the tournament. . . . Statsny, who finished plus-4, now has seven points in eight games with Vancouver. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 20 shots in winning his eighth straight decision. He is 17-8-4. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 after one but Vancouver took a 2-1 lead in the second on Stastny’s first goal and outshot the hosts, 22-7. . . . The Giants scored four third-period goals, including F Brendan Gallagher’s shorthanded tally. He has 29 goals this season. . . . The Giants wore the Blazers’ training camp black jerseys after their road whites somehow missed the bus to Kamloops. . . . Attendance was 4,223. . . . Kamloops scratched D Josh Caron. He had played seven games since sitting out 41 with a broken collabone. But he reinjured the collarbone on Friday and, while X-rays were negative, will be further checked out before returning to the lineup again. . . .
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In Spokane, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Spokane, which had won four straight, last lost in regulation at home on Oct. 23, going 14-0-2 since that 4-2 loss to the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Mitch Holmberg’s 10^th goal, 18 seconds into the second period, gave the Chiefs a 3-1 lead. . . . F Colton Heffley’s second goal of the season, at 5:03, got the Rockets to within one and F Shane McColgan’s 17^th tied it at 18:40. . . . F Brett Bulmer’s second of the game and 17^th of the season broke the tie at 16:28. . . . Kelowna F Geordie Wudrick got his 25^th into an empty net. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko had two assists, running his points streak to 10 games. He has 13 points over that stretch. . . . F Tyler Johnson scored his WHL-leading 36^th goal and ran his points streak to 13 games. . . . Spokane F Levko Koper got his fourth shorthanded goal of the season. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 35 shots, 23 more than Spokane’s Mac Engel. . . . Attendance was 6,834. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Adam Hughesman scored three times to help the host Tri-City Americans to a 7-4 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The teams combined for six goals in the first period and five in the second, then played a scoreless third. . . . Hughesman has 31 goals this season. He scored 17, 16 and 18 goals each of the last three seasons. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin had a goal, his 21^st, and three assists, while F Carter Ashton got his 20^th and drew three assists. . . . D Rasmus Rissanen had three assists for Everett, while F Parker Stanfield had two goals and an assist. . . . Attendance was 5,181. . . . The Americans, who are 6-0-1 in their last seven games, have won 13 straight home games, one shy of the franchise record. The Ams can tie that mark today when they meet the Kelowna Rockets, who have won three in a row and five of six. But the Rockets haven’t won in their last nine visits to Kennewick.
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In Chilliwack, F Nick Buonassisi’s shootout goal gave the Prince George Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . D Sena Acolatse also scored for the Cougars in the shootout, while F Kevin Sundher counted for the Bruins. The shootout ended in the fifth round. . . . Chilliwack F Robin Soudek tied the game 3-3 with his 12^th goal, on the PP, at 5:39 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,123. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-4. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 34 shots, two more than Prince George’s James Priestner. . . . F Taylor Stefishen scored twice for the Cougars, the first one shorthanded. He has 14 goals. . . . F Ryan Howse scored a goal, his 32^nd, and added a helper for the Bruins.