Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s hanging judge, handed out 11 games in suspensions to six players.
F Justin Kirsch of the Moose Jaw Warriors got hit the hardest. He drew a four-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major against the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Friday. He sat out Saturday’s game in Swift Current so has three games left to serve. Kirsch hit Swift Currrent D Reece Scarlett, who left the ice on a stretcher and is out week-to-week.
D Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels got a two-game suspension for his headshot on Hitmen F Joe Kornelson in Calgary on Friday. Dumba didn’t play Sunday in Edmonton so has one game left in the suspension.
D Joel Edmundson of the Warriors got hit with two games for fighting off a faceoff against Swift Current on Friday. He, too, has served one game.
F Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades (charging major) and F Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks (cross-checking major) each got one-game suspensions.
Also drawing a one-game suspension was F Zach McPhee of the Everett Silvertips who drew a game misconduct for an unspecified reason against the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday.
Meanwhile, D Kale Kessy of the Medicine Hat Tigers drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in a game against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday. He hit Lethbridge D Ryan Pilon, who left the game and didn’t return.
At the same time, there have yet to be suspensions (or the waiving of penalties) for Moose Jaw F Andrew Johnson (charging major), Lethbridge D Spencer Galbraith (headshot major) and Prince George F Jari Erricson (headshot major).
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The Vancouver Giants dealt F Matt Bellerive to the Red Deer Rebels for a third-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Bellerive, a second-round selection by Vancouver in the 2009 draft, left the Giants and requested a trade after being a healthy scratch from two weekend games.
Bellerive, who turns 18 on Dec. 7, had 14 points in 45 games last season.
“He’s a guy who is still a younger player,” Jesse Wallin, Red Deer’s head coach, told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “We feel he has lots of potential to break out yet. He went through two seasons in Vancouver and from what I understand he left the team out of frustration.
“He’s a guy who we hope can find his way with a fresh start, a new environment. He’s a hard-nosed kid who has some ability as well. He was a good scorer at the bantam and midget levels and we’re hoping that with a change of scenery here and a fresh start that he can start to produce and be a guy who can definitely be a top-six forward for us and provide some offence.”
Bellerive is expected to play for the Rebels on Friday against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
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JUST NOTES:
The Prince Albert Raiders lost D Zach Hodder, 19, with an apparent shoulder injury on Saturday. If that’s the case, it’s really too bad as Hodder as a history of shoulder problems. He was the 20th overall selection in t he 2008 bantam draft, taken by the Vancouver Giants. He was never able to find a spot there and then made a brief stop last season in Saskatoon with the Blades. Reports out of Prince Albert had him playing quite well. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos have assigned D Zack Gonek, 16, to the midget AAA St. Albert, Alta., Raiders. Gonek, the 13th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, got into five exhibition games with the Broncos and had 13 penalty minutes. He had 21 points and 91 penalty minutes with the midget AA St. Albert Flyers last season. . . .
D Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks and D Cody Corbett of the Edmonton Oil Kings will miss weekend WHL games as they travel to Buffalo to play in Saturday’s All-American Prospect Game. There will be 40 of the top American players in the game, with teams coached by Phil Housley and Rob McClanahan. . . . Corbett is on Team Housley, while Jones is on Team McClanahan. . . .
D Antoine Corbin of the Prince Albert Raiders and F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers will be leaving their teams this week and reporting to the training camp of the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Both are 20 years of age so are eligible to sign and play in the AHL.
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Dwight Mullins is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. Mullins (Lethbridge, Calgary, Saskatoon, 1982-88)) spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Allen, Texas, Americans. He lost that job when former NHLers Ed Belfour, Craig Ludwig and Mike Modano became involved in the Allen ownership group and hired Steve Martenson as head coach. . . . In Elmira, Mullins replaces Pat Bingham (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89), who stepped down a couple of weeks ago.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Mark Cuban (@mcuban), the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, after watching Monday Night Football from Seattle: “I would love to see what my reaction would be if a Mavs game ended like #MNF. #Expensive #NBAtime”
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