D Pavel Kubina (Moose Jaw, 1996-97) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A). He had three goals and 12 assists in 69 games with Tampa Bay and Philadelphia last season. Switzerland has a transfer deadline of Feb. 15. Kubina is represented by former Tri-City F Vladimir Vujtek Jr. . . .
F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL). He has 12 goals and 21 assists in 43 games for the Freezers this season. Festerling also has made five appearances with the German National Team this season, getting one goal and one assist. Festerling was under contract with Hamburg through the 2013-14 season, so this extension keeps him under contract through the 2014-15 season.———
From the Brandon Sun: “Brandon native and WHL official Matt Kirk has been chosen as a referee for the IIHF men’s world championship, May 3-19 in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland.”
———
For an interesting and, I would suggest, accurate look at a ranking of CHL teams, check out this right here. It’s done by Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports.
———
The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2013 on Tuesday. It includes the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Kamloops Blazers, both of which won the Memorial Cup, and former Blazers F Mark Recchi.
Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun has more right here.
———
A couple of interesting items from the Kootenay Ice’s weekly news update. . . . Ryan McGill became the second head coach in franchise history to win 200 regular-season games. He got there with a 4-0 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. . . . The other Ice head coach with 200 victories? Cory Clouston, with 209. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski has stopped 24 out of 25 shootout attempts this season.———
The matchups if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton vs. Lethbridge
Saskatoon vs. Medicine Hat
Calgary vs. Swift Current
Prince Albert vs Red Deer
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland vs. Seattle
Kelowna vs. Everett
Kamloops vs. Tri-City
Victoria vs. Spokane
———
TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly and F Justin Kirsch each scored twice as the Warriors dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-1. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 29 shots. . . . Rielly has nine goals. . . . Kirsch got his 20th of the season into an empty net. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports: “The Warriors were without defenceman Kirk Johnson who has returned home to tend to a personal matter. Fellow defenceman Spencer Morse was out of the lineup due to a coach’s decision.” . . . The Warriors continue to be without G Daniel Wapple (concussion) and have Zachary Sawchenko, who turned 15 on Dec. 30, backing up Paulic. . . . The Warriors are 12 points out of a playoff spot with 15 games to play. . . . The Raiders have lost two straight. East Division leaders for most of this season — that’s worth the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference — the Raiders now are fourth in the conference, and they’re just three points ahead of the fifth-place Red Deer Rebels. . . . 
In Regina, F Jacob Doty broke a 3-3 tie at 7:50 of the third period and the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . Tigers F Hunter Shinkaruk, in his first game after missing three with a knee injury, had a goal and an assist. . . . Doty’s goal was his 11th; Shinkaruk has 31. . . . The Pats erased a 3-1 third-period deficit on goals by F Marc McCoy at 4:16 and F Morgan Klimchuk, his 28th, just 40 seconds later. . . . Regina, with 15 games remaining, now trails the Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes by 13 points. The Tigers and Hurricanes hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Saskatoon, the Blades ran their winning streak to nine games with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Blazers F Josh Nicholls forced OT with a goal, his 36th, with 28.8 seconds left in the third period and then got the winner in the circus. . . . The victory lifted the once-struggling Blades into a tie with Prince Albert atop the East Division standings. The Blades hold a game in hand. . . . One supposes there is no more Internet ramblings about yanking the Blades out as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup. . . . F Graham Black had two goals and two assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current F Colby Cave gave his guys a 4-3 lead with his 15th goal, shorthanded, at 11:49 of the third. . . . The Broncos erased a 3-1 deficit on goals by F Chance Lund, Black and Cave. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky got his 30th goal and ran his point streak to nine games. . . . Saskatoon F Michael Ferland also has a nine-game streak going. He had an asist last night. . . . Nicholls was the only one of six shooters to score in the shootout. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Victor Rask scored three times as the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Tri-City Americans, 6-2. . . . Rask has 10 goals. . . . The Hitmen scored the game’s first four goals. . . . F Brooks Macek had a goal, his 27th, and two assists for Calgary. . . . Calgary scored four goals on eight shots in the second period. . . . Tri-City starter Luke Lee-Knight gave way to Troy Trombley in the second period. Trombley made his second appearance since joining the team after Eric Comrie (hip) was shut down in mid-January. . . . Tri-City has lost three in a row. . . . The Hitmen are 4-0 on a five-game U.S. Division swing that ends tonight in Spokane. . . . Calgary has played its last eight games on the road, going 5-3-0. It returns home Saturday against Victoria.———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Evan Morden, Prince Albert
F Braden Christoffer, Regina
F Elgin Pearce, Medicine Hat
CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
———
From former Red Deer Rebels G Darcy Kuemper (@dkuemps35): “Thank you so much everyone for all the support! What an experience that was tonight, wish we could have pulled out the win tho. #whatarush”
The Minnesota Wild recalled Kuemper, 22, from the AHL’s Houston Aeros and he made his NHL debut last night, going the distance with 28 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver.
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
Posts
