SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings scored three PP goals as they beat the Regina Pats, 5-2. . . . The Wheat Kings take a 2-0 series lead, and a six-game playoff winning streak, to Regina for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Brandon had won 5-1 on Friday. . . . The Pats have lost two straight after having won four in a row. . . . Brandon F Tyler Coulter scored shorthanded at 4:00 of the first period and F Jayce Hawryluk got his fifth goal, on the PP, at 13:01. . . . In the second period, Regina D Colby Williams scored a PP goal at 9:31, but Brandon D Ivan Provorov got that one back, on the PP, at 12:19. Pats F Pavel Padakin got his guys back to within one, at 3-2, at 16:24, on another PP. . . . However, Brandon D Macoy Erkamps scored with 2.5 seconds left in the period to restore the two-goal lead. . . . Brandon D Kale Clague scored the game’s final goal, on a PP, at 10:56 of the third. . . . Brandon F Rihards Bukarts had three assists, all on the PP, while F Nolan Patrick and D Eric Roy each had two helpers. . . . Brandon was 3-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 2-for-6. . . . Regina had gone into the game having killed off 11 of 12 opposition power plays. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 35 shots, one fewer than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . Regina D Sergey Zborovsky took an interference major and game misconduct at 16:25 of the third period for a hit on Hawryluk, who didn’t return. The league will look into that play, for sure. . . . Brandon D Colton Waltz left in the first period and didn’t return, while Regina lost D Chase Harrison after a third-period hit by Hawryluk. . . . How does Brandon like to play the game? Perhaps this tweet from Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun best sums it up: “How much do Brandon's D like to rush? Clague carried the puck into the Regina zone but his D partner Roy was offside.” . . . Regina D James Hilsendager served the third-game of a three-game WHL-issued suspension. . . . The Pats also were without F Rykr Cole, who left in the first period of Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Jared McAmmond got into his first playoff game in Cole’s absence. . . . Attendance was 4,752. . . . Henderson has a game story
right here.
In Kelowna, F Tyson Baillie scored 58 seconds into OT to give the Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Rockets, who lead the series 2-0, have won all six of their playoff games this spring. They won the opener 5-0 on Friday. . . . The series now moves to Victoria for games Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Baillie’s second goal of the game and fifth of the playoffs came two seconds after the expiration of a Kelowna PP. . . . Royals D Chaz Reddekopp was penalized for checking from behind just 30 seconds after F Brandon Magee had forced OT. . . . Kelowna built a 3-0 lead on a first-period PP goal by F Tyson Baillie and second-period scores by F Tomas Soustal, at 4:11, and F Gage Quinney, at 11:16, on a PP. . . . Magee scored for Victoria at 18:02 of the second period, on a PP, ending Kelowna’s shutout streak at 218:02. It was the first goal the Rockets and G Jackson Whistle surrendered on home ice in these playoffs. This was their fourth home game. . . . Victoria F Alex Forsberg redirected a shot by D Joe Hicketts at 7:31 of the third, on a PP, and Magee tied it with his eighth goal of the playoffs, at 18:26. . . . Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl had three assists, giving him five helpers in two games. . . . F Austin Carroll had three assists for the Royals, with Hicketts getting two. . . . Whistle finished with 38 saves. . . . Victoria starter Coleman Vollrath left at 11:16 of the third period after giving up three goals on 15 shots. Justin Paulic was beaten once on 12 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-8 on the PP; Victoria was 2-for-5. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase got the ol’ heave-ho at 18:44 of the first period. According to a tweet from Regan Bartel, the Rockets’ radio voice, Chase was tossed for “playing without a mouth guard and then throwing it on ice after he received a misconduct.” . . . Kelowna F Josh Morrissey, who returned from an ankle injury to play in Game 1, left after the first period. Morrissey had been out for six weeks before returning with a three-assist effort in Game 1. . . . Attendance was 5,473. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story
right here.
In Everett, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored 29 seconds into the second OT to give the Portland Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald tweeted: “Portland wins an offensive-zone faceoff, and Bjorkstrand works his way across the slot before burying a shot into the top corner.” . . . F Nic Petan won the draw that led to the GWG. . . . The series is 1-1 — Everett had won 5-3 on Friday — as the teams head for Portland and games on Thursday and Friday nights. . . . Game 5 will be played in Everett next Sunday. . . . Bjorkstrand, the Danish import who led the WHL in goals and points in the regular season, has six goals in these playoffs. . . . Portland D Adam Henry scored on a wraparound at 10:18 of the third period to force OT. . . . The Winterhawks had taken a 2-1 lead into the second period. . . . Everett F Jake Mykitiuk scored the game’s first goal, at 3:12 of the first. . . . Portland D Blake Heinrich tied it at 12:48 and F Chase De Leo, on a PP, gave the visitors the lead at 15:29. . . . Everett took the lead on two second-period goals by F Nikita Scherbak, who has three in these playoffs. His second goal came with 34.8 seconds left in the period. . . . Portland F Paul Bittner had two assists, as did Petan. . . . Everett D Cole MacDonald had two helpers, after earning three on Friday. . . . Portland G Adin Hill turned aside 41 shots, as did Everett’s Carter Hart. . . . G Austin Lotz wasn’t on the Everett bench to start the game. After the first period, Patterson tweeted: “For those wondering about Lotz, I think I saw him go off in pain during the warm-up. Probably why he's not on the bench.” . . . Lotz was back on the bench in the second period. . . . Portland was 1-for-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-3. . . . Everett has gone to multi-OT in three of eight playoff games. It’s previous single-season high was two. . . . Attendance was 4,579. . . . Patterson has a game story
right here. . . . Freelancer Scott Sepich wrote
this lead for The Oregonian.
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F Calder Brooks of the Spokane Chiefs has joined the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders. Brooks, who finished up his junior eligibility this season, had 58 points, including 23 goals, in 52 games, 50 of them with Spokane. The Chiefs acquired him from the Prince Albert Raiders early in the season. He also played two-plus seasons with the Calgary Hitmen.
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F Brett Roulston, who played two seasons (2012-14) with the Prince George Cougars, scored 20 seconds into overtime as the Nanaimo Clippers beat the host Penticton Vees 2-1 last night. . . . The Clippers lead the BCHL’s best-of-seven final, 2-0. . . . Nanaimo had won 5-2 in Penticton on Friday. . . . Roulston, 20, is from Whitehorse. . . . The series resumes in Nanaimo with games scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
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G Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans earned his first pro victory last night as the host St. John’s IceCaps beat the Hershey Bears, 5-1. Comrie stopped 21 shots. Former Spokane Chiefs D Brenden Kichton had two assists, while former Kamloops Blazers F JC Lipon scored his fifth goal of the season. . . . D Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds had two assists as the visiting Norfolk Admirals beat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3-2 in OT. Theodore’s first assist was primary and on the PP; his second assist was on the winner.
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On Friday night, F Brett Stovin scored three times to lead the ECHL’s Missouri Mavericks to a 4-1 victory over the host Brampton Be ast. Stovin, who played out his junior eligibility with the Saskatoon Blades this season, scored one in the first period and twice in the third, with the last one into an empty net. Stovin finished the regular season with six points, including five goals, in eight games with the Mavericks.
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THE COACHING GAME:
As mentioned here yesterday, the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings named Chad van Diemen as their new head coach. . . . Here’s more from Brian Wiebe’s blog Brian’s Banter: “With the departure of van Diemen, Powell River added Brock Sawyer to its team as a full-time assistant coach. Sawyer, who played for the Kings from 2006-08, was a part-time assistant to head coach Kent Lewis in 2014-15 following a two-year pro career in the Southern Professional Hockey League and a four-year NCAA Div. III career at Elmira College.” . . . If you want BCHL news, check out Brian’s Banter. There’s a link over there on the right.
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