Friday, February 20, 2015

Cougars leaving early on next trip . . . Raiders stun Wheaties . . . Milestone for Reinhart



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Mark Lamb, the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos, does a lot more than just coach his WHL team. If you’re interested in more, I wrote a piece on Lamb for The Coaches Site. . . . That story is right here.
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The Prince George Cougars are starting their next road trip four days early as they head to Kent, Wash., for a Friday night date with the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Cougars actually will leave on Monday and make stops in Quesnel (Monday), Williams Lake (Tuesday) and Quesnel (Wednesday), where they will practise and then work with minor hockey teams. Each stop also will include community meet and greets, and autograph sessions. . . .  “In order to support the 2015 Canada Winter Games to the fullest extent possible, the Cougars moved out of their own dressing room to make room for the surplus of athletes,” explained Andy Beesley, the Cougars’ vice-president of business.“This allowed us to create a voluntary extra road trip so we can reach out to our partner communities that we consider to be a major part of the Prince George Cougars family.”
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Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has waded into the minimum wage debate that involves major junior hockey. The piece is headlined: If junior operators can’t afford a reasonable wage, it’s time to shut down. . . . His take is right here.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed G Ryan Gilchrist, 16. The 6-foot-3 Gilchrist plays for the midget AAA Lloydminster, Alta., Bobcats, for whom he is 8-5-3, 2.81, .890. He has been in each of Seattle’s last two training camps. At the moment, he likely is third on Seattle's depth chart, behind Taran Kozun, 19, and Logan Flodell, who turned 18 on Feb. 10.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES

B.C. DIVISION: Kelowna won in Victoria and now leads the overall standings by four points over Brandon. . . . Victoria will finish second in the division. . . . The Rockets and Royals don’t like each other; they’ll meet again tonight in Victoria. . . . Vancouver lost on the road, Kamloops lost at home and Prince George didn’t play. That leaves Vancouver third, three points ahead of Kamloops and Prince George. . . . Kamloops plays in Vancouver tonight.
U.S. DIVISION: Everett picked up a loser point at home, while Portland won at home. The division-leading Silvertips hold a five-point lead on the Winterhawks, each with 14 games remaining. . . . Seattle won at home and is five points behind Portland and nine ahead of Spokane, which lost at home. . . . Tri-City won on the road and is one point behind Spokane. . . . Spokane and Tri-City hold down the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots. . . . It’s worth pointing out that Everett has clinched a playoff spot, something it has done in all 12 seasons of its existence.
EAST DIVISION: Brandon lost on the road. It leads the division by 23 points and Eastern Conference by 15. . . . Regina won at home. It is second in the division, eight points ahead of Swift Current, which also won at home and is eight points ahead of Moose Jaw, which won on the road. The Warriors’ victory moved them within five points of the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Prince Albert won at home and is seven points out of that wild-card spot.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary won on the road and closed to within two points of idle Medicine Hat, which leads the division. Calgary holds a game in hand. . . . Red Deer lost on the road and is six points behind Calgary. . . . Kootenay beat visiting Edmonton. Kootenay is seven points behind Red Deer. The Ice is in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spots, four points up on Edmonton.
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WHL team logoIn Swift Current, F Coda Gordon had a goal and two assists to lead the Broncos to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The visitors led 1-0 and 2-1, but the Broncos scored the game’s last three goals. . . . Gordon tied the game 2-2 with his 18th goal of the season at 8:37 of the second period. . . . D Jordan Thomson broke the tie with his sixth goal at 7:17 of the third. . . . F Glenn Gawdin added insurance when he scored his 13th into an empty net at 18:43. . . . F Colby Cave had a goal, his 26th, and an assist for the Broncos. . . . F Wyatt Johnson scored his 23rd for the Rebels, on a PP 36 seconds into the game. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 35 shots, 18 more than Taz Burman of the Rebels. . . . The Broncos improved to 28-25-5. . . . The Rebels (30-19-9) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). . . .

In Prince Albert, F Austin Glover had two goals and an assist to help the Raiders to a 6-4 victory over the the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Raiders led 4-0 at 3:22 of the second period, only have Brandon tie it before the end of the period. . . . F Simon Stransky broke the tie with his 10th goal at 1:10 of the third. Glover got the empty-netter, his 11th goal this season, at 19:39. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored his 28th goal and added two assists for the Raiders, who got three assists from D Brendan Guhle. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk, who sat out the previous 13 games with an undisclosed injury, scored three times for Brandon. He’s got 22 goals and is the club’s sixth 20-goal man. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley ran his point streak to 15 games when he scored his 35th goal of the season. . . . Prince Albert G Nick McBride stopped 31 shots. . . . The Raiders were 1-for-2 on the PP; the Wheaties were 0-for-4. . . . With G Alex Moodie (undisclosed injury) out, the Wheat Kings had brought in G Logan Thompson to back up G Jordan Papirny. However, Thompson was ill and a scratch last night. . . . Brandon continues to be without F Nolan Patrick, F Reid Duke, D Ivan Provorov and D Kale Clague, all out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Raiders (24-32-3) had lost their last two games (0-1-1). . . . The Wheat Kings (43-10-6) suffered their first regulation-time loss since Jan. 10. They had been 14-0-2 in their previous 16 games and had won nine straight on the road. . . .

In Regina, the Pats ran their winning streak over Saskatoon to 13 games with a 4-1 victory over the Blades. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks, who had missed eight games with a knee injury, scored his 21st goal and added an assist. The Pats also got a goal, his 18th, and an assist from Jesse Gabrielle. . . . Regina scored three times in the second period, the first, from F Braden Christoffer, coming 44 seconds in on a PP. he’s got 18 goals. . . . Regina F Patrick D’Amico had two assists. . . . F Ryan Graham, who had missed nine games with a back injury, scored his 14th goal, a shorthanded effort, for the Blades. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple made his 15th straight start. He stopped 32 shots, eight more than Brock Hamm of the Blades. . . . The Pats (31-19-7) had lost their previous three games (0-3-1). . . . The Blades (17-38-3) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 46 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Edmonton got the game’s first goal when F Luke Bertolucci scored his seventh at 12:52 of the first period. . . . Ice F Levi Cable tied it with his 25th, via the PP, at 17:31 of the second. . . . F Sam Reinhart broke the tie with his 14th goal, and 300th career point, on a PP, at 7:10 of the third. . . . Reinhart later added an empty-netter. . . . F Luke Philp scored his 24th goal and added an assist for the Ice, while D Renat Valiev had three assists. . . . Hoflin stopped all 18 shots fired his way in the second period and 16 more in the third. . . . The Ice was 2-for-2 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-for-1. . . . A Pink The Rink promotion drew the season’s largest crowd — 3,224. . . . The Ice (30-27-2) has points in three straight (2-0-1) as it goes on the road for five games, starting tonight in Spokane. . . . The Oil Kings are 26-27-6. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has lots more on the game and Reinhart's milestone right here. . . .

In Kamloops, F Brayden Point’s three goals led the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-3 victory over the Blazers. . . . Point scored the game’s first two goals, at 4:38 of the first, on a PP, and at 12:58. . . . Warriors F Jack Rodewald got his 28th at 9:00 of the second, on a PP, for a 3-0 lead. . . . F Cole Ully, with his 29th, and F Joel Hamilton, with his 12th, got the Blazers to within one but they weren’t able to tie it. . . . Point stretched the lead to 4-2 with his 26th goal at 15:34 of the second. . . . Hamilton got his second of the game, and 13th of the season, on a PP at 19:37 of the third period. . . . D Dustin Perillat and F Axel Blomqvist each had two assists for the visitors. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko stopped 31 shots, six more than Connor Ingram of the Blazers. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-6 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-for-4. . . . The Warriors (24-30-5) are 2-0-1 in their last three. They are 3-2-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends tonight in Prince George. . . . Kamloops (22-32-6) has lost three in a row. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks broke a 2-2 tie with three third-period goals and beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-2. . . . F Keegan Iverson gave Portland a 3-2 lead with his ninth goal at 3:52 and F Skyler McKenzie added insurance with his third goal at 4:49. . . . Portland D Layne Viveiros iced it with his sixth goal at 14:18. . . . F Oliver Bjorkstrand notched his 41st goal for the Winterhawks. . . . Vancouver F Dalton Sward forged a 2-2 tie with his 11th at 19:17 of the first. . . . F Dominic Turgeon, with his 18th goal, and McKenzie each added an assist. . . . Giants G Jackson Houck got his 19th goal and also had an assist. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 31 shots, 10 fewer than Vancouver’s Payton Lee. . . . Portland was 0-for-7 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-for-2. . . . The Winterhawks (34-20-4) have points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Giants (25-31-3) had won their previous two. . . .

In Spokane, the Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last three goals, all in the third period, and beat the Chiefs, 4-3. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto’s 18th goal gave the Chiefs a 3-1 lead at 4:57 of the third. . . . D Micheal Zipp got his ninth goal at 6:23 to get Calgary to within a goal. . . . F Elliott Peterson, with his ninth, tied it at 7:48. . . . D Colby Harmsworth won it with his second goal of the season, at 12:38. . . . F Adam Tambellini drew two assists for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke turned aside 26 shots, six more than Spokane’s Garret Hughson. . . . Spokane F Calder Brooks had one assist in his first game since Jan. 2. He had been out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Chiefs also had D Nick Charif back in the lineup. He last played on Jan. 24. . . . This was the first of 11 straight road games for the Hitmen, whose home building is being taken over by the Canadian men’s curling championship. . . . The game featured a matchup of the Helgesen brothers, F Kenton, 20 with the Hitmen and D Tyson, 17, with the Chiefs. They are from Fairview, Alta., and had family in the crowd. "It was a pretty special experience," Kenton told Chris Derrick of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. "I've never really played against him. . It was kind of cool. We were kind of hitting each other a few times and getting into it.” . . . The Hitmen (35-18-5) have won three straight. . . . The Chiefs (27-26-4) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Victoria, F Leon Draisaitl broke a 2-2 tie at 19:17 of the third period as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Royals, 3-2. . . . Kelowna D Josh Morrissey had tied the game, with his 13th goal, on a PP, at 12:36 of the third. . . . Draisaitl, who also had two assists, has 10 goals. . . . F Austin Carroll scored his 34th goal for the Royals, giving them a 1-0 lead at 1:48 of the first. . . . Kelowna F Cole Linaker tied it with his 13th, on a PP, at 10:29. . . . F Greg Chase scored his 17th, on a PP, at 9:51 of the second to give the home side a 2-1 edge. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-6 on the PP; Victoria was 2-for-7. . . . Morrissey now is on a 10-game point streak. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer stopped 25 shots, four fewer than Coleman Vollrath of the Royals. . . . The minor penalties handed out includes seven for roughing, two for checking from behind and one for a headshot. . . . The Rockets (46-9-4) have won four straight. . . . The Royals (32-23-4) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Everett, F Tyler Sandhu scored the only goal of a three-round shootout as the Tri-City Americans beat the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . F Carson Stadnyk gave the home team a 1-0 lead with his 23rd goal at 14:24 of the first period. . . . D Parker Wotherspoon tied it with his ninth goal at 16:56 of the third. . . . Each team was 0-for-2 on the PP. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 30 shots through OT, while Austin Lotz of the Silvertips stopped 26. . . . Sandhu began this season with Everett, before being traded to the Red Deer Rebels and then to the Americans. . . . Everett F Logan Aasman (concussion) played in his first game since Nov. 30, but the Silvertips were without D Noah Juulsen (undisclosed injury). . . . Tri-City’s scratches included D Brandon Carlo, who took a puck to the head on Tuesday. . . . Tri-City has taken three of four games from Everett over the past two weeks. . . . The Americans (27-29-3) had lost three straight. . . . Everett (35-16-7) has points in five straight (2-0-3). . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds scored three PP goals, the last one in OT, and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-3. . . . D Jerret Smith got the winner, scoring his eighth goal of the season on the PP just 58 seconds into extra time. . . . Lethbridge F Mike Winther had been ejected with a spearing major and game misconduct at 16:54 of the third period. . . . F Jamal Watson had given Lethbridge a 3-2 lead with his 22nd goal, shorthanded, at 4:06 of the third. . . . Seattle F Cory Millette tied it with his 16th goal, on the PP, at 4:30. . . . Seattle was 3-for-5 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-for-3. . . . F Mathew Barzal had four assists for Seattle, while Millette had two. . . . Smith added an assist to his goal. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore scored his ninth goal, via the PP, and had an assist. . . . D Kord Pankewicz had a goal, his seventh, and an assist for the Lethbridge, which got two assists from Winther before his departure. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner turned aside 34 shots, 14 more than Taran Kozun of the Thunderbirds. . . . Lethbridge head coach Peter Anholt put up 127 victories as head coach of the Thunderbirds (1989-92). . . . The Thunderbirds now are (30-21-7). . . . The Hurricanes (18-34-6) have lost two straight.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 6:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Portland, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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