Friday, March 31, 2017

Carl is king with T-Birds ... Broncos, Silvertips take leads ... Blazers take Rockets to Game 6


F Kevin Undershute (Medicine Hat, Portland, 2004-08) has signed a one-year extension with Caen (France, Div 1). This season, in 24 games, he had four goals and a team-leading 16 assists.
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Shots fired!
The Global TV outlet based in Kelowna chose to do a story this week on attendance at Kamloops Blazers’ home games.
The story followed two home playoff games. In  those games, the Blazers played host to the Kelowna Rockets, with 3,878 fans in the Sandman Centre on Tuesday night and 4,297 there on Wednesday.
This season, the Blazers’ average attendance for 36 regular-season home games was 3,782. The Global piece was slugged: Where are the hockey fans in Kamloops?
Interestingly, the only hockey person to try to answer that question was Bruce Hamilton, the governor, president and general manager of the Rockets, who also is the WHL’s chairman of the board.
There wasn’t a comment from Stu MacGregor, the Blazers’ general manager who was at both home playoff games, nor was their a comment from Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers’ majority owner who attended Game 4.
It was interesting, too, that Hamilton wasn’t asked: Where are the hockey fans in Kelowna?
The Rockets averaged 6,082 fans per game in 2011-12, slipped to 5,358 in 2012-13, and haven’t been close to 6,000 since then. This season, they averaged 5,162 fans, down 80 from the previous season.
The Global piece is right here.
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Mike McKenzie has been named general manager of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, effective immediately. He takes over from Murray Hiebert, who wanted a lighter workload and now is the director of hockey operations. . . . McKenzie, the son of TSN’s Bob McKenzie, has been with the Rangers since 2012. He was an assistant coach for three seasons, before adding assistant general manager to his job description in 2015. . . . The Rangers had their season end Friday night, with a 6-2 loss to the host Owen Sound Attack, which won the series, 4-1. Ryan McGill, a former WHL player and coach, is the Attack’s head coach. . . . In another OHL series, the host London Knights beat the Windsor Spitfires, 2-1. Windsor still leads that series, 3-2, and is going home for Game 6 on Sunday afternoon.
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Coaching

 The junior B Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific Junior Hockey League have signed Steve Robinson as their new head coach. He replaces Judd Lambert, who stepped down earlier in the week after being head coach for nine of the past 10 seasons. . . . The Sockeyes finished their in their division this season, at 22-13-3-5. . . . This season, Robinson coached the midget A1 team in the Seafair Minor Hockey Association, which is in Richmond.
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FRIDAY GAMES:


At Kennewick, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds advanced to the second round with a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans, who never held a lead as they were swept. . . . The Thunderbirds now await the
CARL STANKOWSKI
winner of a series between the Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals. If it’s the Silvertips, they’ll start in Everett on April 7 and 8. If it’s Victoria, the series would begin in Kent, Wash., with games on April 8 and 9. . . . Tri-City has lost 10 straight playoff games, going back to 2014. . . . If you’re looking for a series MVP, how about Seattle G Carl Stankowski. He got into seven regular-season games, but stepped up with G Rylan Toth unable to answer the playoff bell. Toth led all WHL goaltenders with 36 regular-season victories. . . . Stankowski, who stopped 28 saves last night, went 4-0, 2.00, .932 in the series. . . . F Alexander True (2) gave the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:01 of the first period. . . . The Americans got even when F Kyle Olson (1) scored at 6:19. . . . F Nolan Volcan (2) put Seattle back out front at 19:59. . . . F Nolan Yaremko (1) got Tri-City even again, at 3:58. . . . Seattle F Donovan Neuls (3) broke the tie at 16:56. . . . Seattle got insurance from F Sami Moilanen (1) at 19:20 of the second. . . . True added an empty-netter at 18:33. . . . Seattle got two assists apiece from D Austin Strand, D Ethan Bear and F Keegan Kolesar, with Moilanen adding one. . . . Kolesar now leads the WHL’s playoff scoring race, with 11 points. . . . G Rylan Parenteau stopped 27 shots for the Americans. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-3. . . . The Thunderbirds continue to be without F Mathew Barzal and G Rylan Toth, neither of whom has played since early March. As well, F Ryan Gropp missed his second straight game after taking a high hit from Tri-City D Dalton Yorke in Game 2. . . . Yorke sat out the second game of a two-game suspension last night. . . . Announced attendance: 3,020.
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At Moose Jaw, F Lane Pederson scored twice to help the Swift Current Broncos to a 2-1 victory over the
LANE PEDERSON
Warriors. . . . The Broncos lead the series, 3-2, and get their first chance to wrap it up tonight in Swift Current. A seventh game, if needed, would be played Monday in Moose Jaw. . . . The Broncos also got a huge night from G Jordan Papirny, who finished with 34 saves. The Warriors had a 16-9 edge in second-period shots and it was 10-1 in the third. . . . Pederson scored his first two goals of the series in the second period, at 3:25 and 14:03. . . . Moose Jaw got its goal from F Brett Howden (2), on a PP, at 17:22 of the second period. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 20 shots for Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors were 1-6 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-2. . . . The Warriors had F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Noah Gregor in the lineup, both of them surfacing after head coach Tim Hunter threw them under the bus following Game 4. Hunter had threatened to scratch both players from the lineup, but didn’t. Perhaps their combined 161 points, including 77 goals, in the regular season had something to do with it. . . . Halbgewachs has a goal and two assists in this series, while Gregor is pointless. . . . The Broncos had D Noah King, 17, in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 4. They scratched D Dom Schmiemann. . . . Announced attendance: 4,465.
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At Kelowna, the Kamloops Blazers got 32 saves from G Connor Ingram as they stayed alive with a 4-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . Kelowna holds a 3-2 lead in the series. They’ll return to Kamloops for Game
CONNOR INGRAM
6 on Sunday. A seventh game, if needed, would be played in Kelowna on Tuesday. . . . The Blazers won Game 3, 4-1, at home on Tuesday, then dropped a 1-0 decision on Wednesday. . . . After five games, Ingram is 2-3, 2.01, .951. . . . Ingram, who turned 20 on Friday, has played in 12 playoff games, all against the Rockets. He is 5-7, 2.98, .944. . . . F Reid Gardner (2) gave the Rockets a 1-0 lead at 11:05 of the first period, meaning this was the first time in the series that the team scoring first didn’t win. . . . F Garrett Pilon, who signed a three-year entry level contract with the NHL’s Washington Capitals on Thursday, pulled the Blazers even with his first goal at 17:46. . . . Pilon also drew an assist on a goal from F Quinn Benjafield (2) at 1:22 of the second period that gave Kamloops the lead. . . . The visitors put it away with third-period goals from F Rudolfs Balcers (2), at 5:32, and F Collin Shirley (1), shorthanded, at 12:22. . . . Kelowna had been the only one of the CHL’s 60 teams not have allowed a shorthanded goal this season. . . . Benjafield added an assist to his goal. . . . The Blazers got 15 saves from Ingram in the second period and 10 more in the third. . . . The Rockets were 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Blazers were 0-8 on the PP; they now are 1-28 in the series. . . . The Blazers had F Luc Smith in their lineup for the first time in this series and he picked up an assist. Smith had suffered an undisclosed injury late in the regular season. . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, didn’t make the trip, so missed his second straight game after showing symptoms of mumps. He isn’t expected to return for Sunday’s game, but hopes to be back if there is a Game 7. . . . The Rockets chose not to make head coach Jason Smith or players available for post-game interviews, according to Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier, “due to fear of the mumps.” Post-game quotes from head coach Jason Smith were made available via Kevin Bain, Kelowna’s media relations manager. . . . Announced attendance: 5,547.
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At Everett, F Eetu Tuulola scored at 7:02 of the first OT to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the
EETU TUULOLA
Victoria Royals. . . . The Silvertips lead the series, 3-2, with Game 6 in Victoria on Sunday afternoon. . . . Everett got the game’s first goal with F Matt Fonteyne (2) scoring at 5:14 of the second period. . . . Victoria tied it 48 seconds later when F Carter Folk scored his first goal. . . . The Silvertips went back out front when F Patrick Bajkov got his fifth goal, on a PP, at 19:59. . . . Victoria F Jared Dmytriw (1) forced OT with a goal at 14:20 of the third period. . . . Tuulola won it with his second goal of the series. . . . The Silvertips got two assists from each of D Kevin Davis and F Dominic Zwerger, with Bajkov and Fonteyne adding one each. . . . Bajkov and Zwerger, who has eight assists, now have 10 points apiece, one point off the playoff scoring lead. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 17 shots for the Silvertips. . . . At the other end, Griffen Outhouse blocked 33 shots. . . . Everett was 1-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-1. . . . The Silvertips welcomed F Riley Sutter back to their lineup, but they remain without F Devon Skoleski. . . . The Royals continue to be without F Jack Walker and D Scott Walford. . . . Announced attendance: 3,833.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Red Deer leads, 3-1)
Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)
Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 3-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:16 PM
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Thursday, March 30, 2017

Hunter rips into veteran forwards . . . Ex-WHL coach in hospital after crash . . . Rebels have 'Canes on ropes

Scattershoot

 The Spokane Chiefs weren’t going to re-sign Don Nachbaur as head coach after the 2017-18 season, so the decision was made to part company right now. According to the Spokane Spokesman-Review that’s how general manager Scott Carter explained the decision that was announced on Thursday morning. . . . “In my mind, we weren’t going to carry on beyond this year and this opened up a discussion,” Carter told the newspaper. “We both felt it was in both our interests to part ways now. Don is a good coach, but we were willing to move forward. There’s nothing negative about Don.” . . . In September, the Chiefs had signed Nachbaur to an extension through next season.
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If you’re a WHL team looking for a coach, where do you start? Well, how about with Kyle Gustafson or Enio Sacilotto? . . . Gustafson is the Portland Winterhawks’ associate coach and is in his 11th season on the coaching staff there. Travis Green, the last assistant coach in Portland under Mike Johnston, has worked out pretty well with the AHL’s Utica Comets. In fact, his name comes up every time there is an NHL head-coaching vacancy. So why not Gustafson? . . . Sacilotto, who has a terrific resume, is the Victoria Royals’ director of prospect development and WHL scout. He was moved into that position on Aug. 25, after six seasons as an assistant coach. Earlier this month, he was named head coach of Croatia’s entry in the 2017 IIHF World Championship tournament (Division 1, Group B) that runs in Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 23-29.
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So . . . you’re wondering: What’s up with Mathew Barzal? . . . The Seattle Thunderbirds forward, the Western Conference’s outstanding player, last played on March 7. He took a pregame warmup on March 10, but left the ice before the game began and has yet to return to game action. He was said to be showing mumps symptoms and was tested. However, the Thunderbirds have never commented publicly on the results. On Thursday, through a team spokesperson, general manager Russ Farwell told Taking Note: “He is recovering from illness and doing well, but as we (are in) the playoffs we do not have any further comment at this time.”
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Apparently, if someone is tested for mumps, the results are available about three days later. That being the case, it might be worth noting that the Thunderbirds have never said whether Barzal tested positive for mumps. Just spitballing here, but what if his “illness” isn’t mumps? Could he have an injury or some other ailment?
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Hey, Sportsnet, I didn’t comment on your abysmal CHL telecast schedule late in the regular season. But your decision to show us the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs beating the host Hamilton Bulldogs, 5-1, on Thursday night, while the London Knights and Windsor Spitfires were playing was a slap in the face. You set the table by showing two games earlier in the London/Windsor series, which is the most attractive matchup in the opening round of CHL playoffs, so why not continue with it?
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BTW, the host Spitfires won, 3-2, in OT last night to take a 3-1 lead in that series. They’re back in London for Game 5 tonight when there aren’t any games scheduled for TV. The Spitfires, don’t forget, will be the host team for the 2017 Memorial Cup tournament.
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Meanwhile, in Gary Bettman’s world, five Canadian NHL teams were playing on Thursday night and all five games — Florida at Montreal, San Jose at Edmonton, Ottawa at Minnesota, Toronto at Nashville, Anaheim at Winnipeg — were televised with regional restrictions. Thankfully, WGN Chicago was showing a baseball game between the Cubs and Houston Astros.
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The MLB season begins Sunday. Finally!
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 The WHL’s department of discipline was busy whacking and disciplining on Thursday. Peter Anholt, the general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, contributed $1,000 to the WHL’s Easter egg fund for “actions following game at Red Deer on March 29.” That was Game 3, which the Hurricanes lost, 4-3, in OT to the Rebels on Wednesday night. . . . Meanwhile, D Dalton Yorke of the Tri-City Americans had his suspension set at two games. He sat out a 9-2 loss to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday and will miss tonight’s Game 4 in Kennewick. If the Americans lose, their season will be over and so will Yorke’s career as he is in his 20-year-old season. He was suspended under supplemental discipline for a high hit on Seattle F Ryan Gropp in Game 2. Yorke was given a charging minor on the play. Gropp was scratched from Game 3 with an undisclosed injury.
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Parry Shockey, a former WHL coach who is well known in hockey circles, remains in a Calgary hospital after being involved in a serious accident on Highway 519 near Fort Macleod, Alta., on March 16.
According to Fort Macleod RCMP, a car travelling west pulled out to pass another vehicle when it collided head on with an SUV that was travelling east.
Shockey was driving the SUV. The driver of the car was declared dead at the scene.
Shockey, with non-life-threatening injuries, was taken by ambulance to hospital in Calgary.
Shockey, 63, was an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs for two seasons (1994-96). He was the head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 1996-97, then spent two seasons (1997-99) as head coach of the Regina Pats and one (2004-05) with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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Would a WHL head coach make healthy scratches of two of his best forwards for Game 5 of a playoff series that is tied 2-2?
The Swift Current Broncos beat the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-2, on Wednesday night to even that series. They’ll play again Friday in Moose Jaw.
After Game 3, Moose Jaw head coach Tim Hunter unloaded on veteran forwards Noah Gregor and Jayden Halbgewachs.
As reported by Marc Smith of discovermoosejaw.com, Hunter said:
“When you have two of your best players – Noah Gregor and Jayden Halbgewachs – play like fourth liners for 60 minutes, we’re not going to win a hockey game ever/ We can’t have two of our top six forwards play like they’re disinterested, zero effort and zero commitment to the team effort, so we may just forge on without them.”
Hunter pointed out that he sat Brayden Burke in an earlier game in the series and the veteran forward responded.
“I sat out Burke for 20 minutes and he got the message, he’s played great since,” Hunter told Smith. “Maybe that’s what will happen to Halbgewachs and Gregor, they can sit out for a game and we’ll see what they can do in Game 6. . . .”
Burke was benched during Game 2 on Saturday night, then returned to scoring the game-winner in a 3-2 victory that evened the series, 1-1.
“You can’t start the game with two passengers,” Hunter continued, “and then have everyone else playing at the end of their stick, which is unacceptable. We knew they were going to compete harder tonight, this is a do-or-die game for them, and we came out like, ‘It’s all great, we won a game here, let’s just go home.’ ”
Meanwhile, Randy Palmer of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald quoted Hunter saying:
“We’re like a boat carrying a couple of anchors in Halbgewachs and Gregor, who haven’t played very well in the four games so far, and that’s going to end because they’re going to be candidates for being sat out.
“I’m not carrying around two guys that I’ve warned and hoped would play better at this point, so we’re going to take some measures to change the lineup.”
Here’s Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“I have seen (and heard) coaches who are upset with their teams. I have been involved in off-the-record conversations with coaches who are privately livid over the performance, or lack thereof, of a particular player.
“But rare is the day in which a head coach will publicly single out a skater — Hunter being a notable, quotable exception.
“Hunter is very good at what he does, as evidenced by his inclusion on Canada’s world junior coaching staff. Perhaps he will emerge from this series with an enhanced reputation, adding the unofficial title of ‘master psychologist’ to his resume.
“But if this ploy proves to be a failure, the fallout could last considerably longer than the Warriors’ 2016-17 season.”
 They’ll play Game 6 back in Swift Current on Saturday.
Smith’s complete story is right here.
Vanstone’s column is right here.
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F Garrett Pilon of the Kamloops Blazers has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. They selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Pilon, who turns 19 on April 13, was born in Mineola, N.Y., but played minor hockey in Saskatoon. He is the son of former NHLer Rich Pilon. . . . Garrett had 47 points, including 15 goals, in 71 games as a WHL freshman in 2015-16. This season, he put up 20 goals and 45 assists in 67 games. . . . The Capitals said in a news release that Pilon will report to the AHL’s Hershey Bears when the Blazers’ season ends. They trail the Kelowna Rockets, 3-1, in a first-round series, with Game 5 in the Little Apple tonight (Friday). Pilon has one assist in the first four games of the series.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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JUST NOTES:

The junior B Pacific Junior Hockey League has expanded to 11 teams with the addition of the Langley Trappers, who will play out of the George Preston Recreation Centre. The Trappers are co-owned by Burt Henderson and Brad Bakken. Henderson will be the general manager and head coach, with Bakken as the assistant GM and associate head coach. Bakken, a defenceman in his playing days, got into 53 games over three seasons (2005-08) with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Interestingly, as Gary Ahuja of the Langley Times, points out, the Trappers arrive in Langley one season after the junior B Langley Knights moved to Surrey following the relocation of the Vancouver Giants from the Pacific Coliseum to the Langley Events Centre. . . . Ahuja’s story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines issued a news release Thursday morning, stating that they are “accepting resumes for the position of head coach and for the position of assistant general manager.” . . . The Wolverines were 14-42-4 this season, finishing last in the 11-team MJHL, under general manager/head coach Barry Butler.
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The junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League have replaced general manager/head coach Dan Lemmon with Curtis Toneff, who had been an assistant GM/assistant coach with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. . . . Toneff is a Nanaimo native. . . . The Buccaneers had a 31-16-1 regular-season record, the best in the franchise’s five-year history, then lost in five games to the Campbell River Storm in the North Division final. . . . Lemmon spent two seasons with the Buccaneers.
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Judd Lambert has resigned as head coach of the junior B Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. This season, the Sockeyes were 22-13-3-5, good for third place in their division. The Sockeyes have yet to name a replacement. Lambert, a former Sockeyes goaltender, had been head coach for five seasons, before taking a year off. He returned for the 2013-14 season.
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The AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons have hired Kevin Hasselberg as their general manager and head coach. He replaces Brian Curran, whose contract wasn’t renewed after he finished his fifth season. Hasselberg, a native of Duchess, Alta., left the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars last summer for the SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers. He had been GM and head coach of the North Stars for five seasons. Hasselberg took over from Rod Aldoff in Pensacola, but was fired and replaced by Aldoff on Feb. 13. . . . This season, the Dragons finished 22-33-5, good for sixth place in the eight-team Viterra South Division. . . . Hasselberg also spent six seasons as head coach of the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlies.
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THURSDAY GAMES:


At Red Deer, F Evan Polei, who scored the OT winner in Game 3 on Wednesday night, broke a 3-3 tie on a wrap-around with 1:59 left in the third period as the Rebels beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-3. . . .
LANE ZABLOCKI
The Rebels will take a 3-1 series lead into Lethbridge for Game 5 on Saturday . . . The Hurricanes (44-21-7) finished second in the Central Division, 22 points ahead of the Rebels (30-29-13). . . . For the second straight game, the Hurricanes watched a two-goal lead disappear. . . . F Tyler Wong put Lethbridge ahead at 2:19 of the first period, with F Jordy Bellerive (1) making it 2-0 at 15:39. . . . Red Deer halved the deficit on F Lane Zablocki’s goal at 19:22. . . . The Rebels pulled even when F Brandon Hagel scored a shorthanded goal at 5:14 of the second period. . . . Wong’s fourth goal, on a PP, gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead at 17:58. . . . Zablocki’s fifth goal of the series, on a PP, got Red Deer back into a tie at 9:11. . . . Polei’s third goal snapped the tie and Hagel (4) added an empty-netter at 19:05. . . . Red Deer got four assists from F Michael Spacek and two from D Carson Sass. Polei added one to his goal. . . . D Igor Merezhko and F Egor Babenko each had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . The Rebels got 27 saves from G Riley Lamb, while Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 38 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-8 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-3. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Giorgio Estephan for a second straight game after he took a high-stick to the face from Spacek in the second period of Game 2. . . . Announced attendance: 5,213.
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At Calgary, the Regina Pats scored three second-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Calgary
AUSTIN WAGNER
Hitmen. . . . The Pats, who finished atop the overall standings, swept the Hitmen from the first-round series. . . . Regina finished 42 points ahead of Calgary in the regular season, so a sweep wasn’t a surprise. . . . Going back to the regular season, the Pats now have won 12 straight games. . . . D Dallas Davidson broke open a goal-less game with his first goal at 2:51. . . . F Austin Wagner, who is from Calgary, made it 2-0 at 7:47 and then added more insurance at 19:25. Both goals came via the PP. . . . Wagner has three goals in these playoffs. . . . F Tristan Nielsen (1) got Calgary on the scoreboard, on a PP, at 7:03 of the third period. . . . Regina put it away on PP goals from D Connor Hobbs (1), an empty-netter at 17:53, and F Jeff de Wit (1), at 19:11. . . . Hobbs also had two assists. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 20 shots to earn the victory over Cody Porter, who made 34 saves. . . . Regina was 4-6 on the PP; Calgary was 1-3. . . . Announced attendance: 7,246.
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At Portland, F Matt Revel scored two third-period goals to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The series is tied, 2-2, with Game 5 in Prince George on Saturday. Then
MATT REVEL
they’ll head back to Portland for Game 6 on Monday. . . . Someone mentioned to me that if the series goes seven games, the Winterhawks will spend 90 hours on their bus. . . . A seventh game, if needed, would be played Wednesday in Prince George. . . . Last night, the Cougars got out to a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Aaron Boyd (3), at 8:12, and F Jesse Gabrielle (1), at 11:17. . . . The Winterhawks pulled even before the period ended, though, as F Evan Weinger (1) counted at 17:01 and F Skyler McKenzie (3) scored on a PP at 18:33. . . . F Keegan Iverson (2) gave the Winterhawks the lead at 8:20. . . . The Cougars roared back to take a 4-3 lead late in the period on goals from F Nikita Popugaev (1), on a PP, at 15:46 and F Radovan Bondra (2), at 17:24. . . . Revel, a late-season waiver pickup, tied the score, 4-4, at 8:54 of the third period, then got the winner at 15:34. . . . Revel suffered a collarbone injury while with the Kamloops Blazers during a game against the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Dec. 10. He was on the shelf as the Jan. 10 trade deadline arrived and the Blazers added F Lane Bauer, 20, from the Oil Kings. In order to make room, Kamloops put Revel on waivers. He played 11 late-season games with Portland, scored twice and adding an assist. . . . He went into last night’s game with a goal and six assists in 14 career playoff games. . . . The Winterhawks got a big game out of D Caleb Jones, who drew four assists, while F Cody Glass had two. . . . D Brendan Guhle had two assists for the Cougars, with Bondra getting one. . . . The Winterhawks got 29 saves from G Cole Kehler. . . . At the other end, G ty Edmonds stopped 27 shots. . . . Portland was 2-4 on the PP; Prince George was 1-3. . . . Portland F Brad Ginnell, the grandson of the late Pat Ginnell, a WHL legend in his day, made is playoff debut. . . . The Cougars scratched F Brad Morrison, who returned from an ankle injury to score a goal in Game 2, but struggled in Game 3. . . . Announced attendance: 4,491.
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FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 3-0)
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 3-1)
Victoria at Everett, 7:35 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:07 PM
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Nachbaur out after seven seasons in Spokane . . . WHL's third-winningest coach gone . . . Year left on contract

Don Nachbaur is out as head coach of the Spokane Chiefs.
(Photo: Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs)

Don Nachbaur, the third-winningest regular-season head coach in WHL history, is out as head coach of the Spokane Chiefs.
The team announced Thursday morning that it and Nachbaur “have mutually agreed to part ways.”
Nachbaur, who had been with the Chiefs since 2010, had a year left on his contract.
Nachbaur also has coached with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans. He was 261-190-48 with the Chiefs. He holds the Spokane franchise records for regular-season games coached (496) and victories (261). In WHL history, his 691 regular-season victories rank third, behind the retired Ken Hodge (742) and Don Hay (720) of the Kamloops Blazers.
This season, the Chiefs went 27-33-12 and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Tim Speltz, the Chiefs’ longtime general manager, left the organization on Aug. 16 as he signed on as director of western scouting with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. He had been with the Chiefs for 26 years.
Scott Carter took over as general manager on Sept. 8.
On Sept. 23, the Chiefs signed Nachbaur to a contract extension through the 2017-18 season.
Nachbaur’s departure signals the first coaching change of the 22-team WHL’s offseason.
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Here’s a look at the 22 WHL head coaches who have more than 300 regular-season victories to their credit (following 2016-17):
1. Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland), 742
2. Don Hay (Kamloops, Tri-City, Vancouver) 720
3. Don Nachbaur (Seattle, Tri-City, Spokane) 692
4. Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina) 626
5. Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster) 548
6. Mike Williamson (Portland, Calgary, Tri-City) 534
7. Pat Ginnell (Flin Flon, Victoria, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, New Westminster) 518
8. Peter Anholt (Prince Albert, Seattle, Red Deer, Kelowna, Lethbridge) 466
    Jack Shupe (Medicine Hat, Victoria) 466
10. Dean Clark (Calgary, Brandon, Kamloops, Prince George) 465
11. Kelly McCrimmon (Brandon) 456
12. Bob Lowes (Seattle, Brandon, Regina) 453
13. Brent Sutter (Red Deer) 441
14. Marc Habscheid (Kamloops, Kelowna, Chilliwack, Victoria, Prince Albert) 424
15. Doug Sauter (Calgary, Medicine Hat, Regina, Brandon) 417
16. Marcel Comeau (Calgary, Saskatoon, Tacoma, Kelowna) 411
17. Bryan Maxwell (Medicine Hat, Spokane, Lethbridge) 397
18. Graham James (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Calgary) 349
19. Bob Loucks (Lethbridge, Tri-City, Medicine Hat) 340
20. Willie Desjardins (Saskatoon, Medicine Hat) 333
21. Kevin Constantine (Everett) 326
22. Shaun Clouston (Medicine Hat) 320

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:30 AM
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Mumps still hanging around WHL? . . . Tigers sweep defending champs . . . Polei OT hero in Red Deer


F Jamie Lundmark (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 1998-2001) has signed a one-year extension with Klagenfurt (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 51 games, he had 26 goals and 25 assists. He led the team in goals and points, while serving as an alternate captain.
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 The mumps may not yet be through with the WHL.
Jon Keen, the voice of the Kamloops Blazers on Radio NL, wasn’t available for Game 4 of a series with the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night.
Jeremy Bosch, who usually rides shotgun with Keen on home games, handled the play-by-play with Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week providing the analysis.
During the game, Taking Note was told by three sources that Keen has shown symptoms of mumps and has been placed in isolation awaiting test results.
Keen later told Taking Note that his situation is “very premature at this point.”
Keen is in his 14th season as a play-by-play voice in the WHL. Keen began his WHL career with the Swift Current Broncos before moving to Kamloops. He called his 1,000th game on March 8.
With the playoffs here, the Blazers, like other teams, have shut down the information highway, so it’s not known if there is anyone else in the organization with symptoms.
It could be that the Blazers are at least the sixth WHL team to be hit by the mumps, following the Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers, Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos and Victoria Royals.
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The WHL’s defending champions bowed out last night in Dauphin, Man. The Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2, to sweep the holders of the Ed Chynoweth Cup from the first round. . . . The Wheat Kings played all four games without F Nolan Patrick, who was injured in the second-last game of the regular season. . . . Brandon also was without veteran F Tanner Kaspick. . . . Patrick ended up playing only 33 games this season, putting up 46 points, including 20 goals. He underwent sports hernia surgery in July and missed almost all of training camp. He returned for the season’s first five games, then didn’t play again until Jan. 14. . . . He has been projected as the consensus No. 1 selection for the NHL’s 2017 draft through the entire season. It will be interesting to see if that holds up on June 23 in Chicago.
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The Tri-City Americans were without D Dalton Yorke, 20, for Game 3 of their series with the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night. Yorke drew a TBD suspension for a hit he delivered during the Game 2’s third period in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night. Yorke took a charging minor at 15:10 for a hit on F Ryan Gropp, who was scratched last night. The suspension came under supplemental discipline, meaning the Thunderbirds sent video to the league and asked for a review. When it comes to supplemental discipline, the injury factor carries a lot of weight. . . . While Yorke was scratched last night, F Vladislav Lukin returned to the Americans after missing Game 2. Tri-City also had F Nolan Yaremko back for this one. He missed the end of the regular season and the first two games of this series after being injured in practice.
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The Thunderbirds, meanwhile, again were without F Mathew Barzal and G Rylan Toth as they took a 2-0 edge into Game 3 last night. Barzal (mumps) hasn’t played since March 7. Barzal, the Western Conference’s player of the year, took the warmup prior to a March 10 game, then left for the dressing room before the anthem. Barzal hasn’t played since then. . . . Toth, who led WHL goaltenders with 36 victories in the regular season, was taken out of a game in Portland on March 11. At the time, it was said to have been for precautionary reasons. He hasn’t played since then. . . . F Ryan Gropp, who apparently was injured in Game 2 on a hit from Tri-City D Dalton Yorke, led the Thunderbirds in goals (35) and points (84) in the regular season.
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Regan Bartel, the play-by-play voice of the Kelowna Rockets, put this note on his blog Wednesday morning:
“The Rockets had their fair share of scoring chances in (Game 3 on Wednesday), but according to the Kelowna Rockets analytics team, the shot clock wasn't exactly true. The Rockets had 23 shots on net, not the 38 that were shining brightly on the Sandman Centre shot clock. If that indeed is true, 23 shots on net won't win you too many games against elite goaltending.”
Ahh, the games inside the playoff games!
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The playoffs are here so when a coach says that an injured player is OK and “he’ll be fine,” well, you take it with a grain of salt. . . . On Sunday, F Giorgio Estephan of the host Lethbridge Hurricanes left in the second period after taking a high-stick from F Michael Spacek of the Red Deer Rebels. Lethbridge head coach Brent Kisio told Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald: “He’s fine. He’s good to go.” . . . Estephan was scratched from Game 3 in Red Deer last night.
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One player who was in the lineup last night in Red Deer was Rebels captain Adam Musil. He hadn’t played since March 4. The next day, he suffered an undisclosed injury in an off-ice incident — he later was seen with a walking boot on an ankle — and was listed as being out week-to-week.
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The Vancouver Giants didn’t make the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hard at work. On Wednesday, they announced the signing of F Cyle McNabb, a list player from Winnipeg. McNabb, who will turn 17 on Sept. 15, spent this season with the Rink Hockey Academy’s prep team, putting up nine goals and 16 assists in 29 games.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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F Travis Jost has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche, which selected him 10th overall in the NHL’s 2016 draft. This means Jost, who played two seasons with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, will leave the U of North Dakota Fighting Hawks after just one season. The Regina Pats hold his WHL rights, having acquired them from the Everett Silvertips. The Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup. Hmmm . . .
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It was a tough day for hockey at North Dakota. Earlier in the day, word got out that the school is axing its women’s program. The team was practising at the time that word leaked. . . . Brad E. Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, who covers UND hockey like sand covers a beach, reported that the women’s team had a recruit on campus at the time. Lauren Hennessey had left Boston at 5 a.m., for her UND visit. . . . The announcement came one day after USA Hockey reached an agreement with its women’s national team that averted a boycott of the IIHF World Championship that is to begin Friday in Plymouth, Mich. . . . UND also will be dropping men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams.
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Coaching

 The junior B Mission City Outlaws of the 10-team Pacific Junior Hockey League announced Wednesday that co-coaches Mike Drouillard and Brad Veitch have retired. Veitch spent five years with the Outlaws; Drouillard was there for four seasons. . . . The Outlaws then named Mike Renner as their new head coach. Earlier in the day, the PJHL’s Port Moody Panthers had announced that Renner, the team’s interim head coach, wouldn’t be returning. That was announced by Peter Zerbinos, who took over as general manager on March 16. The Panthers finished 16-27-1 this season, putting them fifth in the five-team Tom Shaw Conference. . . . Mission was 18-22-4, which left it fourth in the Harold Brittain Conference.
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WEDNESDAY GAMES:

In Red Deer, F Evan Polei scored 48 seconds into the second OT period to give the Rebels a 4-3 victory
EVAN POLEI
over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Rebels hold a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 scheduled for tonight in Red Deer. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s last three goals, winning it on Polei’s second of the series. This was the first OT game of these WHL playoffs. . . . F Lane Zablocki had given Red Deer a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 2:44 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes stormed back with three straight goals. . . . F Tyler Wong (2) scored on a PP at 8:51. . . . D Brennan Menell (1) gave the visitors the lead at 18:57 of the second period. . . . F Zak Zborosky (1) upped the lead to 3-1 at 3:10 of the third period. . . . F Brandon Hagel (2) scored on a PP at 16:53, getting the Rebels to within one goal. . . . Red Deer tied it when Zablocki scored his third goal of the series with 19.6 seconds left in the third period. . . . The Rebels got three assists from D Jared Freadrich and two from Polei. . . . Wong had two assists for Lethbridge, with Menell and Zborosky adding one each. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 49 shots for the Rebels, four more than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . Red Deer was 2-5 on the PP. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-2 on the PP. They had been 0-12 before Wong scored. . . . Announced attendance: 5,017.
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At Kennewick, Wash., D Ethan Bear and F Donovan Neuls each had five points as the Seattle Thunderbirds whipped the Tri-City Americans, 9-2. . . . The Thunderbirds hold a 3-0 lead in the series
DONOVAN NEULS
and can end it Friday in Kennewick. . . . The Americans switched goaltenders, going from Rylan Parenteau, who had started the first two games (0-2, 4.65, .875), and bringing Evan Sarthou off the bench. But Sarthou was lifted before the game was 11 minutes old, having allowed three goals on seven shots. . . . Bear, who finished with two goals and three assists, opened the scoring at 2:55. . . . F Scott Eansor (2) made it 2-0 at 7:48 and D Jarret Tyszka (1) upped it to 3-0 at 10:16. . . . Neuls, who scored his second goal and added four helpers, made it 4-0 at 12:03, with D Austin Strand (2) increasing the lead to 5-0 at 17:08. . . . Seattle also got goals from F Keegan Kolesar (3) and F Alexander True (1), with Bear later adding his second of the game and second of the series and Strand scoring his third. . . . F Austyn Playfair (2) and F Morgan Geekie (1) scored for the Americans. . . . True and Kolesar added three assists each. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski stopped 21 shots in running his record to 3-0 in relief of injured starter Rylan Toth. . . . Parenteau allowed six goals on 29 shots in 49:44. . . . Seattle was 3-7 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 2,632.

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At Portland, F Jansen Harkins scored once and added four assists to lead the Prince George Cougars to
JANSEN HARKINS
a 6-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for tonight in Portland. They’ll be back in Prince George for Game 5 on Saturday. . . . F Skyler McKenzie (2) gave the Winterhawks a 1-0 lead just 14 seconds into the first period. Who knew the home side wouldn’t score again? . . . Harkins (2) tied it at 8:26 and F Kody McDonald (1) put the Cougars out front, on a PP, at 12:36. . . . F Colby McAuley (1) scored at 17:42 for a 3-0 lead. . . . D Tate Olson (1), F Brogan O’Brien and McAuley (2) added Prince George’s other goals. . . . D Brendan Guhle and F Nikita Popugaev each had two assists for the winners, with McAuley getting one. . . . The Cougars got 37 stops from G Ty Edmonds. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler allowed six goals on 38 shots in 47:35. Shane Farkas finished up by stopping all seven shots he faced in 12:25. . . . Prince George was 2-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-6. . . . Announced attendance: 4,585.
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At Dauphin, Man., the Medicine Hat Tigers ended a goal-less game with two scores in the first two
DAVID QUENNEVILLE
minutes of the third period en route to a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Tigers swept the best-of-seven series and eliminated the defending champions. . . . Medicine Hat had a 37-15 edge in shots through two periods but couldn’t get the puck past Brandon G Logan Thompson. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko finally solved Thompson, scoring his third goal of the series 24 seconds into the third period. . . . D David Quenneville made it 2-0 at 1:31. . . . F Reid Duke got Brandon to within a goal, on a PP, at 3:11. . . . Quenneville replied with his third goal of the series, on a PP, at 12:09. . . . The Wheat Kings got another PP goal, this one from D Kale Clague (1), at 15:48. . . . The Tigers got 23 saves from G Michael Bullion, who went the distance in all four games. . . . Thompson finished with 51 saves. . . . Brandon was 2-4 on the PP; Medicine Hat 1-5. . . . The Wheat Kings took their first-round home games to Credit Union Place in Dauphin because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has taken over the Keystone Centre complex. . . . Announced attendance: 1,825.
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At Kamloops, G Michael Herringer stopped 24 shots to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 1-0 victory over
MICHAEL HERRINGER
the Blazers. . . . The Rockets lead the series, 3-1, with a chance to end it at home on Friday night. . . . Exactly on year earlier, on March 29, 2016, Herringer stopped 40 shots in a 1-0 victory in Kamloops. . . . Last night, Herringer saved the victory with a terrific push across save on Kamloops F Collin Shirley late in the third period. Herringer was trying to smother the puck on the right side of his crease, when it squirted loose. Shirley corralled it behind the net and came out the other side. Herringer somehow got his left pad to the post and stopped the stuff attempt. . . . Herringer now has two shutouts in this series — the Rockets won the opener, 4-0 — and four in his post-season career. . . . Dillon Dube, the best forward on the ice in this one, scored the game’s only goal, at 2:37 of the second period. He’s got three goals in the four games. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram put on quite a show, stopping 48 shots. The Rockets held a 40-14 edge in shots after two periods. . . . Steve Yzerman, the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, was in the house. The Lightning selected Ingram in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Kelowna was 0-3 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-7. . . . The Blazers, who beat the visiting Rockets 4-1 on Tuesday night, now are 1-20 on the PP in the four games. . . . The Blazers remain without F Luc Smith, who was hurt in the second-last game of the regular season. . . . Announced attendance: 4,297.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 30 shots as the Royals beat the Everett Silvertips, 2-1. . . .
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
That series is 2-2 as it heads back to Everett for Game 5 on Friday. Game 6 is scheduled for Victoria on Sunday. . . . Last night, F Regan Nagy (1) gave Victoria a 1-0 lead at 5:03 of the first period and F Dante Hannoun (1) made it 2-0 at 19:16 of the second. . . . Everett got within a goal when F Patrick Bajkov scored his fourth goal of the series, on a PP, at 16:05 of the third period. . . . Everett held a 10-7 edge in shots in the first period and 11-7 in the second. . . . The Silvertips got 18 saves from G Carter Hart. . . . Everett was 1-4 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . The Royals again played without F Jack Walker and D Scott Walford, both of whom have undisclosed injuries. . . . The Silvertips continue to be without F Riley Sutter and F Devon Skolenski, who also have undisclosed injuries. Sutter is believed to be close to returning. . . . Announced attendance: 4,637.
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At Swift Current, F Ryley Lindgren scored three times to lead the Broncos to a 5-2 victory over the Moose
RYLEY LINDGREN
Jaw Warriors. . . . The series is tied 2-2 as it heads back to Moose Jaw for Game 5 on Friday night. They’ll be back in Swift Current for Game 6 on Saturday. . . . The Broncos took control with three goals in the first nine minutes of the first period. . . . Lindgren scored twice, at 0:59 and 2:03, with F Tyler Steenbergen making it 3-0 at 8:57. . . . The Warriors made it interesting with a pair of early second-period PP goals, F Brett Howden (1) counting at 1:16 and D Josh Brook (1) finding the range at 2:25. . . . Steenbergen added his fourth goal of the series, on a PP, at 18:57 of the third period. . . . Lindgren iced it with his third goal of the game, and fourth of the series, on a PP, at 19:45. . . . The Warriors got two assists from each of F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Brayden Burke. . . . Swift Current got 30 stops from G Jordan Papirny, while Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko turned aside 20. . . . The Broncos were 2-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 2-6. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890. . . . Darren Steinke, the travelling blogger, was on hand for this one. His blog is right here.

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THURSDAY GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m. (Red Deer leads, 2-1)
Regina at Calgary, 7 p.m. (Regina leads, 3-0)
Prince George at Portland, 7 p.m. (Prince George leads, 2-1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:16 AM
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