You are able to make a donation at any BMO Bank of Montreal branch in Western Canada.
Should you live outside of that area and want to donate, please mail donations to:
Western Hockey League
c/o Tim Bozon
Father David Bauer Arena
2424 University Drive NW
Calgary AB
T2N 3Y9
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G Patrik Bartosak, who finished up his WHL career with the Red Deer Rebels last week, has joined the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Bartosak was a fifth-round selection by the Kings in the NHL’s 2013 draft and he has signed with Los Angeles. . . .
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that “the Pats have been officially fined $500 for closing practices early last week. That's a violation of the WHL’s media policy.” . . . The WHL also has posted the fine on the discipline section of its website. . . .
When the Victoria Royals beat the visiting Spokane Chiefs 2-1 in OT on Friday night, it marked the first time in franchise history that the team had held the lead in a playoff series. . . . According to the Royals, the attendance of 6,615 for Game 1 marked the largest playoff hockey crowd in the city’s history. . . .
The WHL’s eight first-round series all are through two games, with only one series -- between the Calgary Hitmen and Kootenay Ice -- even at 1-1. That series will resume tonight in Cranbrook; that is the only game on the Monday schedule. . . . On Sunday, the team that scored first in each of the five games went on to lose.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, D Dysin Mayo broke a 1-1 tie at 12:41 of the third period and the Oil Kings went on to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-1. . . . The Oil Kings hold a 2-0 edge as the series heads for Prince Albert and games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . After two scoreless periods, Prince Albert F Dakota Conroy got the game’s first goal 20 seconds into the third period. . . . Edmonton F Riley Kieser tied it on a PP at 8:06. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci added insurance at 15:32. . . . Kieser, who also had an assist, scored his first WHL PP goal. He and Bertolucci are on Edmonton’s third line, along with F Mads Eller. . . . For the first two games, the Oil Kings assigned F Curtis Lazar the task of checking Prince Albert F Leon Draisaitl. . . . Oil Kings G Tristan Jarry stopped 31 shots, two more than Prince Albert’s Cole Cheveldave. . . . 
In Everett, Seattle F Branden Troock’s first WHL playoff goal, at 2:58 of the third period, broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Thunderbirds on their way to a 3-1 victory over the Silvertips. . . . This is the only first-round series that is alternating venues with each game. Seattle takes a 2-0 series lead back to its home arena in Kent for Tuesday night. . . . Troock has battled injury problems throughout his three-year career and is only now playing in his first playoff games. . . . Everett F Carson Stadnyk opened the scoring at 3:51 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs tied it on a PP at 5:01 of the second. . . . Seattle F Russ Maxwell added insurance with his second goal of the series at 8:45 of the third. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 26 shots, while Everett’s Austin Lotz turned aside 13. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had two assists. . . . Seattle was 1-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-5. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Ryan Olsen snapped a 1-1 tie at 17:18 of the first period and the Rockets went on to beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . The Rockets lead the series 2-0 as it heads to Kennewick, Wash., for games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . As in Edmonton and Everett, the visiting team scored first and then surrendered three straight goals. . . . F Phil Tot scored for the Americans at 10:37 of the first period, but the Rockets got that one back when F Myles Bell counted on the PP at 14:40. . . . Rockets D Joe Gatenby scored his first WHL goal at 3:01 of the second period to provide some breathing room. Gatenby, a 16-year-old from Kelowna, had six assists in 43 regular-season games. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 24 shots, 20 fewer than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . The Rockets were 1-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-4. . . . 
In Victoria, F Logan Nelson’s OT goal gave the Royals a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Royals have won 2-1 in OT on Saturday night, so take a 2-0 series lead to Spokane for games on Wednesday and Thursday nights. . . . Nelson scored his first goal of the series, banging home the rebound of a point shot from D Ryan Gagnon, at 2:18 of extra time. . . . The Chiefs had erased a 3-1 deficit on goals by F Liam Stewart at 4:33 of the second period and D Reid Gow, on the PP, at 9:07 of the third. . . . Spokane F Dominic Zwerger opened the scoring 47 seconds into the game. . . . The Royals scored the next three goals, with F Logan Fisher counting at 1:27 and F Brandon Magee at 9:31 of the first, and F Tyler Soy getting his first WHL playoff goal at 3:47 of the second. . . . I don’t know if it means anything, but Victoria’s scorers wear Nos. 17, 18, 19 and 20. . . . D Jason Fram had two assists for Spokane. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka kicked out 28 shots, while Spokane’s Eric Williams turned aside 41. . . . Polivka set a franchise record for career playoff victories (4) by a goaltender, passing the mark that had been held by Lucas Gore. . . . The Chiefs were 1-for-5 on the PP; the Royals were 0-for-5. . . . 
In Regina, F Tim McGauley scored twice and added an assist as the Brandon Wheat Kings dropped the Pats, 8-4, to take a 2-0 lead in their series. . . . They’ll now head for Brandon and games on Wednesday and Friday nights. . . . The Wheat Kings went into Regina and outscored the Pats 14-7 in winning the first two games. . . . As in Sunday’s other four games, the home side scored first as F Connor Gay got his second goal of the series at 1:37 of the first period. . . . Brandon scored twice before the first period ended and added two more goals early in the second to take control. . . . Brandon F Richard Nejezchleb had a goal and two assists, while F Tyler Coulter drew two assists. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock had a goal and an assist, giving him 12 points, including eight assists, in his last five games. . . . The Wheat Kings also got a goal from F Nolan Patrick, the fourth overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . D Jesse Zgraggen had two assists for Regina. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 27 shots, while Regina’s Dawson MacAuley kicked out 36. . . . Brandon was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Pats were 0-for-3. . . . Regina F Dyson Stevenson, who sat out Game 1 with a broken hand, was back for this one but was held off the scoresheet. . . . F Peter Quenneville and veteran D Eric Roy were among Brandon’s scratches. Quenneville, who was in Game 1, played the last two regular-season games, and scored five times, after being out since Feb. 17. Roy left Game 1 with an undisclosed injury.---
THE FIRST ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. PRINCE ALBERT (8)Season series: Edmonton, 2-1-1; Prince Albert, 2-2-0.
Saturday: Prince Albert 3 at Edmonton 5 (6,534)
Sunday: Prince Albert 1 at Edmonton 3 (6,584)
Tuesday: Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday: Prince Albert at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Prince Albert at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, 3-5 weeks; D Blake Orban, indefinite.
Prince Albert: D Graeme Craig, indefinite.
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REGINA (2) vs. BRANDON (7)
Season series: Brandon, 5-3-0; Regina, 3-3-2.
Saturday: Brandon 6 at Regina 3 (6,200)
Sunday: Brandon 8 at Regina 4 (5,014)
Wednesday: Regina at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Friday: Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
x-Saturday: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Regina vs. Brandon, at Dauphin, Man., 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Brandon: F Peter Quenneville, day-to-day; D Eric Roy, day-to-day.
Regina: D Tye Hand, indefinite; G Daniel Wapple, day-to-day.
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CALGARY (3) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
Season series: Calgary, 4-4-0; Kootenay, 4-2-2.
Thursday: Kootenay 5 at Calgary 2 (6,649)
Saturday: Kootenay 0 at Calgary 5 (9,019)
Monday: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Thursday: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Calgary: F Cal Babych, day-to-day; F Connor Rankin, day-to-day.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Landon Cross, day-to-day; D Tyler King, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. SWIFT CURRENT (5)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 2-2-0; Swift Current, 2-2-0.
Friday: Swift Current 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,512)
Saturday: Swift Current 2 at Medicine Hat 4 (3743)
Tuesday: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Sunday: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, indefinite; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Steve Owre, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Swift Current: None.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. TRI-CITY (8)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-4-0; Tri-City, 0-3-1.
Saturday: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 3 (5,827)
Sunday: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 3 (5,041)
Tuesday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Friday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
x-Saturday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Tri-City plays home games in Kennewick, Wash.)
INJURIES
Kelowna: D Jesse Lees, indefinite.
Tri-City: F Taylor Vickerman, indefinite.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VANCOUVER (7)
Season series: Portland, 4-0-0; Vancouver, 0-3-1.
Friday: Vancouver 3 at Portland 4 (9,756)
Saturday: Vancouver 0 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Tuesday: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Portland at Vancouver, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Vancouver: F Tyler Benson, indefinite; F Jakob Stukel, indefinite; D Dalton Thrower, indefinite; F Ty Ronning, day-to-day.
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VICTORIA (3) vs. SPOKANE (6)
Season series: Victoria, 1-3-0; Spokane, 3-1-0.
Saturday: Spokane 1 at Victoria 2 (OT) (6,615)
Sunday: Spokane 3 at Victoria 4 (OT) (4,629)
Wednesday: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Thursday: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Saturday: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, March 30: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
INJURIES
Victoria: None.
Spokane: D Colton Bobyk, week-to-week; F Adam Hascic, day-to-day; F Blair Oneschuk, week-to-week.
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SEATTLE (4) vs. EVERETT (5)
Season series: Seattle, 5-4-1; Everett, 5-4-1.
Saturday: Everett 1 at Seattle 2 (4,650)
Sunday: Seattle 3 at Everett 1 (4,150)
Tuesday: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Friday: Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
x-Saturday: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Seattle plays home games in Kent, Wash.)
INJURIES
Seattle: F Connor Honey, indefinite.
Everett: F Kohl Baum, indefinite; F Tyler Sandhu, day-to-day.
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From Lee-Gaye Hicketts (@lhicketts), the mother of Victoria Royals D Joe Hicketts: “Ot win and now needing to make the 9pm ferry omg.”
They live in Kamloops.
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A short time later, she tweeted: “Driving onto the ferry. pray for good weather on the coq in the next three to four hours.”
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From Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning), the radio voice of the Seattle Thunderbirds: “@SeattleTbirds 0-for-27 on PP in playoffs last year vs. @Kelowna_Rockets. 3-fo-7 so far this series vs. @WHLsilvertips.”
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