Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Merry Christmas from the Broncos . . . Big victory for Pats . . . Bizarre night in Kelowna


There are so many third, fourth, fifth, etc., sweaters and uniforms being used in the hockey work now that the novelty has long been lost.
But every once in a while a team is able to come up with something that is kind of neat.
Which brings us to the Swift Current Broncos and the sweaters that will be used on Saturday night, one of which is pictured above.
When the Broncos take to the ice against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, Swift Current will be wearing what perhaps can best be described as Christmas green and red uniforms with a nifty logo -- a bronco with antlers.
Ryan Switzer, the team’s director of communications and digital media, advises that “they will be auctioned off via silent auction during the game with proceeds helping out the inaugural Innovation Credit Union Salvation Army kids Christmas party later this month. The team will be having a get-together with under-privileged families in the area.”
Switzer also points out that for fans unable to attend Saturday’s game, “There is a Dillon Heatherington jersey up for auction online right now on our website.” That website is right here.
And, as you might have guessed if you are familiar with this kind of stuff, the sweaters were designed by former Broncos F Taylor Vause, who has a gift for this sort of thing.
You are able to follow Vause on Twitter (@wizardofvause) or check out some of his NHL-related work right here.
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F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had four assists in six games, and in 14 games with Lausitzer Füchse Weisswasser(Germany, DEL2), he had three goals and 12 assists. . . .
D Justin Kirsch (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 2009-13) has signed a contract for the rest of the season with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL), he had one assist in four games; he also was pointless in one game with the Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL). Kirsch has dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
F Kamil Vávra (Regina, 2003-04) has been released by Šumperk (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). In 29 games, he had five goals and two assist.
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Red Fisher, who covered the Montreal Canadiens for more than 55 years for the Montreal Star and Montreal Gazette, put retirement aside for a while as he remembered the late Jean Beliveau. Fisher’s piece is right here.
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D Tamas Laday of the Spokane Chiefs will play for Hungary in the IIHF U20 World Championship (Division I Group B) later this month. The tournamet is scheduled for Dunaujvaros, Hungary, Dec. 14-20. . . . This will be quite a thrill for Laday as it will take place 50 km from his hometown of Szekesfehervar. . . . Laday, a WHL freshman, has one assist in 21 games with the Chiefs. A year ago, he played for Hungary in the IIHF U20 Division II Group A tournament, scoring twice and adding five assists in five games. . . . Laday is scheduled to leave the Chiefs on Dec. 8 and return for a Dec. 27 game against the visiting Tri-City Americans.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers open a road trip on Friday night against the Silvertips in Everett. Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News reports that the Tigers are hopeful that F Markus Eisenschmid will return to their lineup at some point during that trip. Eisenschmid, a 19-year-old German, suffered a broken kneecap when he blocked a shot on Oct. 25 against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. He finished that game and played again on Oct. 28 against the Red Deer Rebels. But he hasn’t played since then. . . . He wants to get back in the lineup, too, because he wants to get some games in before leaving Dec. 17 to join the German team that will play in the World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Austin Gray, a 17-year-old from Prince George. Gray is playing for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. The Cougars' captain, he has a league-leading 37 points, including 20 goals, in 19 games with the first-place club. It is anticipated that he will finish the season with the Cougars. . . .
Following a 5-2 loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders last night, the Prince George Cougars announced two roster moves. . . . They have signed D Kirk Bear, 19, and added him to their 50-player protected list. . . . They also released Slovakian D Martin Bobos, 19. . . . Bear is pointless in four games; Bobos had one assist in 15 games, after earning seven assists in 67 games last season. . . . The Cougars are carrying 25 players, including 16 forwards and seven defencemen. . . . They are scheduled to meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, F Pavel Padakin scored a Teddy Bear goal for the third straight season and the Pats went on to a 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Each of the previous two seasons, Padakin scored the Teddy Bear goal in a Calgary Hitmen uniform. He was acquired by the Pats on Sept. 23 and got the goal at 11:21 of the second period. It was his eighth goal this season. . . . F Sam Steel scored twice for the Pats, including an empty-netter. He’s got seven goals. . . . F Peter Quenneville scored both Brandon goals, giving him seven. . . . F Rykr Cole, the pride of Moosomin, Sask., scored his second goal, giving the Pats a 3-1 lead at 6:46 of the third. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, in his eighth straight start, stopped 37 shots. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple turned aside 26 shots in posting his eighth straight victory. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley had a five-game goal streak end. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Rihards Bukarts for a third straight game, while D Kale Clague remains out with an injury incurred at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Brandon D Mark Matsuba left in the first period after taking a hit from Regina F Dryden Hunt. . . . The Pats (17-10-1) have won four in a row; they are 9-2-0 in their last 11. . . . The Wheat Kings (21-6-2) had been 4-0-1 in their previous five. . . . Brandon is 7-3-1 over its last 11. . . . In the East Division, Brandon leads second-place Regina by nine points. . . . The Pats and Wheat Kings meet again Friday, this time in Brandon. . . .

In Prince George, D Josh Morrissey scored a goal and added two assists to help the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . It was the opening game of the Raiders’ B.C. Division tour that continues Friday in Kamloops. . . . Former Cougars F Jordan Tkatch broke a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal at 10:44 of the second period and F Gage Quinney, with his fifth, made it 3-1 at 19:06. . . . Raiders F Reid Gardiner added insurance with his 15th at 9:30, before Morrissey scored his seventh into an empty net at 18:50. . . . That was Morrissey’s 60th regular-season goal, tying the franchise record that was held by Emanuel Viveiros (1982-86). . . . F David Soltes had a goal, his ninth, and an assist for the Cougars. He has six PP goals. . . . Prince George had F Chase Witala (leg) and D Marc McNulty (undisclosed) back in the lineup. McNulty had missed nine games, while Witala watched for two. . . . The Raiders, who are 7-5-0 under head coach Marc Habscheid, improved to 14-14-0, while the Cougars slipped to 13-15-0. . . .

In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier, the WHL’s leading sniper, scored twice as the Rockets dumped the Saskatoon Blades, 5-1. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last five goals. . . . Chartier, who is from Saskatoon, has 31 goals. . . . F Nick Merkley had a goal, his ninth, and two assists for Kelowna, while D Madison Bowey drew three assists and D Riley Stadel had two. . . . Chartier also leads the WHL in points (50), one more than Merkley, who is No. 1 in assists (49). . . . In one of the more bizarre moments of this season, the starting goaltenders -- Nik Amundrud of the Blades and Jake Morrissey of the Rockets -- got into a third-period fight at centre ice. They received the only fighting majors during that stoppage in play. The fight happened despite the fact that Amundrud’s backup, Trevor Martin, is fighting a flu bug, while the Rockets had two goaltenders, Jackson Whistle (ill) and Michael Hollinger (injured), unable to play. . . . In fact, the Rockets had an AP on the bench whose name wasn’t on the on-line scoresheet. . . . It turns out it was Sam Bobyn, who, according to Rockets play-by-play man Regan Bartel, became the first Kelowna-born goaltender to play for the Rockets. . . . Morrissey, in his first start on home ice, stopped 20 shots. Bobyn came on at 8:40 of the third, but didn’t face a shot. The Blades were outshot 9-0 in the third period, if the scoresheet is to be believed. . . . The Rockets improved to 23-3-3. . . . The Blades (7-20-2) have lost five in a row (0-4-1), including the first two games on their B.C. Division tour. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix is on the road with the Blades and has a game story right here. . . .

In Everett, F Nikita Scherbak scored twice and added an assist to lead the Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Scherbak broke a 1-1 tie at 13:16 of the second period and added insurance with a PP goal at 17:00 of the third. He’s got 14 goals. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis had two assists. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 14th goal for the Chiefs. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin scored his eighth goal and added an assist. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 31 shots, 10 more than Spokane’s Tyson Verhelst. . . . Everett took two of the game’s three minor penalties. . . . Everett improved to 17-5-4, while the Chiefs, who have lost two straight, are 14-9-3.
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