Taking Note

The Vancouver Giants left for Edmonton immediately after a 4-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals on Friday night. The Giants and Oil Kings played this afternoon. . . . F Cain Franson and F Thomas Foster, both of whom have the dreaded upper-body injury, didn’t make the trip, but could join the Giants later in the week. They are to play in Lethbridge on Tuesday and Medicine Hat on Thursday. . . . Franson may have a concussion, after taking a headshot from Brandon D Tyler Yaworski on Wednesday. Foster was injured in the first period on Friday.
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D Nick Walters of the Everett Silvertips drew a ‘tbd’ suspension under supplemental discipline on Saturday morning. According to the WHL website, the suspension was from a game against the Spokane Chiefs on Friday night. . . . The Chiefs reported after the game that F Mitch Holmberg, their leading scorer, left the game in the first period after taking a shot to the head. However, no penalty was assessed. Presumably, then, Walters delivered the blow and it’s now in the hands of Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey.
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It was Thursday around 10 p.m., when Jeff Chynoweth’s phone rang. Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, answered, not knowing who it was.
It turned out to be F Drew Czerwonka, 20, a veteran who was the Ice’s captain. Czerwonka was calling to tell Chynoweth that he was retiring.
Czerwonka told Chynoweth his heart was no longer in it after all the injuries he has had to battle.
Chynoweth now has room for a 20-year-old and may well be keeping a close eye on the situation involving the Kamloops Blazers.
Kamloops is carrying three 20-year-old forwards — Jordan DePape, Brendan Ranford and Dylan Willick. As well, the Blazers could still get D Austin Madaisky back from the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. Madaisky went to camp with Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, and was kept on the roster, only to be a healthy scratch from each of their first four games.
On Friday, Madaisky was assigned to the ECHL’s Evansville Icemen. He played his first professional game on Saturday as the Icemen lost 4-1 to the host Kalamazoo Wings.
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Former WHL G Spencer Tremblay (Moose Jaw, 2011-12) recorded his first QMJHL victory on Saturday, stopping 26 shots as the Moncton Wildcats beat the host Sherbrooke Phoenix, 4-3, in OT. Moncton has won four in a row. . . . Tremblay, 18, was released by the Warriors in September, cleared WHL waivers and moved on to the QMJHL.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Kamloops, the Blazers scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 5-2. . . . The Blazers (14-0-1) scored five times in the first period on Friday as they dumped the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 8-1. . . . Kamloops has outscored its opposition 24-5 in first periods. . . . The Blazers now are 14-0-1 and have won 12 in a row for the first time since 1989-90. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had two goals and an assist as he ran his point streak to 15 games. He has at least one point in each of his club’s games this season. . . . F Tim Bozon also had two goals and an assist, while F JC Lipon had two assists. . . . That line now has combined for 99 points in 15 games. . . . Bozon has a WHL-leading 14 goals, while Lipon leads the points race with 37 and Smith is next at 35. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . Kamloops left immediately after the game for Kent, Wash., there it will play the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . . The Blazers were without F Aspen Sterzer for a second straight game as he attends the funeral of a grandmother in Calgary. He is expected to rejoin the team in time for a Tuesday game in Everett. . . . Victoria D Tyler Stahl, the team captain, missed his third straight game with an undisclosed injury. He hasn’t played since being named team captain early in the week. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes broke a 1-1 tie with three second-period goals and beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . F Craig Leverton scored his first two goals, with the first one standing up as the winner. . . . The Hurricanes took 84 of the 152 penalty minutes dished out. . . . Lethbridge is 6-3-1 in its last 10 and 8-7-1 overall. . . .

F Mike Winther scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Warriors had won the first-half of the weekend doubleheader 3-2 in Prince Albert on Friday. . . . Winther has five goals this season. . . . Raiders freshman F Leon Draisaitl celebrated his 17th birthday with three assists. . . .

F Hunter Shinkaruk scored two goals and set up two others as the host Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Regina Pats, 5-4. . . . Shinkaruk has nine goals this season. He has nine points in his last two games. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan left after two periods. He apparently took a hit at some point and was taken out as a precaution. . . . G Marek Langhamer came on with the game 2-2 and stopped eight shots to earn the victory. . . . Regina D Colton Jobke, who had played in his 200th game on Friday night when the Pats dropped a 6-1 decision in Lethbridge, scored at 19:59 of the third period. . . . Regina was without F Trent Ouellette who suffered an undisclosed injury in Friday’s 6-1 loss in Lethbridge. . . . Already without F Colton Stephenson, it means Regina is minus its top two centres right now. . . .

D Brady Gaudet scored the game’s first goal and then got the winner in the circus as the Red Deer Rebels got past the Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . Gaudet, who was acquired a week ago from the Kamloops Blazers, scored his first goal of the season at 4:20 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson, with his second goal of the game and fourth of the season, forced OT at 14:15 of the third period. . . . F Cody Sylvester got his 13th goal of the season for Calgary. . . . The shootout went seven rounds, with Gaudet the 13th shooter. F Conner Bleackley had scored for Red Deer in Round 2, and that was answered by Calgary F Brooks Macek. . . .

The host Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-3. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix scored his 100th career goal on a second-period PP. F T.J. Foster earned his 200th career point on that goal. . . . The Rockets are 1-1-1 on a four-game Central Division swing that concludes today in Calgary. . . .

F Zach Pochiro scored in the fifth round of the circus to give the host Prince George Cougars a 3-23 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings, who completed a seven-game road trip at 2-3-2, forced OT with two goals in the second half of the third period. . . . F Chad Robinson, who came over from the Red Deer Rebels in a swap earlier in the week, scored a PP goal at 13:13 and D Colton Waltz tied it with his first goal at 17:36. . . .

F Connor Honey scored twice to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips in Everett. . . . Honey, who has five goals, broke a 2-2 tie at 8:58 of the third period. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz (groin) played for the first time since Oct. 6 and stopped 16 shots. . . . The Silvertips, who had won four in a row, were without F Josh Winquist (groin) and dressed only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Seattle G Justin Myles stopped 27 shots to earn his first WHL victory. Myles now is 1-2-0. . . .

G Eric Williams stopped 35 shots as the Spokane Chiefs went into Kennewick, Wash., and edged the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 8:11 of the second period. . . . The Americans got two third-period goals, that last one from F Marcus Stromwall at 18:53. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie now is 0-5 against Spokane. . . . The Chiefs have beaten the Americans three times already this season. . . . The Chiefs were without F Mitch Holmberg, their leading scorer. He took a high hit on Friday night. . . .
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Colin Jacobs, Prince George
F Seth Swenson, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kelowna Rockets radio voice Regan Bartel (@Reganrant): “Just looking at schedule. Didn't @WHLGiants play at home (Friday) night? Play in Edmonton Sunday at 4 pm. Wow! Talk about a set up for failure.”
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TWEET OF THE DAY II:
From Edmonton Oil Kings G Laurent Brossoit (@LBrossoit): “OK fine I’ll go on a date with you @PaulinaGretzky if you’ll stop asking . . . #WhoAmIKidding”
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TWEET OF THE DAY III:
From former Tri-City Americans F Adam Hughes man (@Hughdog17): “I really thought @ShinboSlice @PattyShwayz and myself had a decent year last year! Lipon, Smith, Bozon are making it look too easy #wow”

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