The Victoria Royals have signed D Isaac Schacher, who turned 18 on Feb. 7, and he made his debut in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Schacher, from Kimberley, B.C., was pointless and plus-1 in his first game. He plays for the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior League, for whom he has 36 points and 44 penalty minutes in 45 games.———
After a 22-game absence, sophomore F Logan Nelson is scheduled to return to the Victoria Royals’ lineup tonight as they meet the Rebels in Red Deer. Nelson was out with an undisclosed injury that, according to Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist, “put him on crutches.” . . . Nelson, 19, has 31 points, including 23 assists, in 34 games.
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F Gage Quinney, a list player from Las Vegas, is spending a few days with the Prince Albert Raiders. He has 40 points, 24 of them goals, in 37 games with the Las Vegas Storm of the U.S. U-18 Tier 1 Elite Midget Hockey League. . . . Quinney, 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, is the son of former WHLer Ken Quinney (Calgary, 1981-85), who now is a firefighter in Las Vegas.———
A total of 34 folks from Prince Albert, all of them involved with the Raiders, civic politics or local businesses, toured Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw on Tuesday. . . . “We’re not going home and getting into a debate about whether we should build a hospital or a bridge or a rink,” Raiders president Dale McFee told the delegation, as quoted in a story by Perry Bergson of the Prince Albert Herald. “That’s not why we’re here … The last thing we want is to go home and start this debate with ‘We’re building a rink tomorrow’ and have everybody up in arms in Prince Albert. There’s a lot of homework that needs to be done. This is just step one.”
The Raiders’ home arena, the Art Hauser Centre, has 2,580 seats and standing room for 786. It is the smallest arena in the 60-team CHL.
Bob MacDonald, who is on the Raiders’ board, told Bergson that the team’s budget has gone from $1.2 million to $2.1 million in 10 years.
“We need revenues,” MacDonald told Bergson. “I think we’re going to find that there’s going to come a point and time when we can’t support a team in a 2,500-seat arena. The league is fine as long as we’re paying our bills.”
Bergson’s complete story is right here.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton vs. Lethbridge
Prince Albert vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Medicine Hat
Saskatoon vs Red Deer
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland vs. Seattle
Kelowna vs. Everett
Kamloops vs. Tri-City
Victoria vs. Spokane
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Kelowna, G Jackson Whistle stopped 20 shots and the Rockets three PP goals as they dumped the Everett Silvertips, 4-1. . . . The Rockets had beaten the Silvertips 3-2 in Everett on Sunday. . . . Were the playoffs to begin today, Kelowna and Everett would meet in the first round. . . . Whistle is 13-2-1, 2.01, .927 since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Ryan Olsen scored twice for the Rockets, giving him 30, and added an assist. . . . Kelowna captain Colton Sissons scored his 24th goal and added two helpers. . . . D Landon Oslanski scored for the Silvertips at 19:29 of the second period. However, the goal wasn’t awarded until after a lengthy video review following the end of the period. It was then determined that Oslanski’s shot had gone through the net’s mesh. . . . Everett has lost eight in a row. . . . The Rockets lead the B.C. Division by seven points over the Kamloops Blazers. The teams play tonight in Kamloops and Saturday in Kelowna.---
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None
CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Saskatoon Blades F Logan Harland (@LoganHarland): “Well Dairy Queen Blizzard, looks like its just you and me this Valendines day :) but I’m okay with that because you’re so good it’s rDQlous!”
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