Tragedy struck the hockey world Wednesday with the death of Patrick Steel, an 18-year-old forward from Sherwood Park, Alta., who was in his freshman season with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles.
According to the AJHL, Steel died of unexplained causes. An autopsy is scheduled; the RCMP has said it doesn’t consider the death as suspicious, but it is investigating.
Steel, who played last season for the midget AAA Canadian Athletic Club in Edmonton, was pointless in 13 games with the Steel.
Andrew Milne (Spokane, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, 1995-99), a former assistant coach in Swift Current and Kamloops, is the Eagles’ general manager and head coach.
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In Regina, the Moose Jaw Warriors ran their winning streak to six games by beating the Pats, 3-1. . . . Moose Jaw D Dallas Ehrhardt drew two assists. . . . Warriors G Luke Siemens stopped 37 shots. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Eberle, who is from Regina, scored the eventual game-winner, giving his side a 2-0 lead at 19:38 of the first period. . . . The Warriors had D Joel Edmundson (ankle) back in the lineup, but D Dylan McIlrath (undisclosed) sat out again. They also were without D Morgan Rielly (knee) and F Cody Beach (coach’s decision). . . . Moose Jaw F Sebastian Svendsen (knee) played for the first time since Oct. 10. . . . The Pats visit Moose Jaw tonight.
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Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reports that “if everything works out” a news conference will be held in Dallas on Nov. 21 to introduce Tom Gaglardi as the new owner of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, has been working for months to purchase the NHL franchise out of bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy hearing that was to have been held in Delaware on Nov. 23, now is scheduled for Nov. 18.
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Today’s good read is right here. It’s a column by Lisa Olson, a columnist with AOL FanHouse, and it’s on the scandal at Penn State. You won’t want to miss it.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Showing posts with label AJHL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AJHL. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Down the stretch they come . . .
It is fair to say that the WHL is into the stretch run. Every team but one, the Tri-City Americans, has played at least 50 games. And there are some awfully interesting playoff races on the go.
It would seem safe to say that things are going to get awfully heated between now and March 20, the final night of the regular season.
There are 10 games scheduled for tonight and there are some interesting matchups.
The Regina Pats, for example, are in Brandon to play the Wheat Kings. The Pats are 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference, three points behind the Wheat Kings, who hold down the last playoff spot.
The Seattle Thunderbirds visit the Silvertips in Everett, knowing that they need to stop their nine-game losing streak if they are to make the playoffs. The Thunderbirds are 10th in the 10-team Western Conference, two points out of a playoff spot and six points behind Everett, which has won four in a row.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are in Prince Albert to meet the Raiders, with both teams tied for ninth in the East, one point behind Brandon and two behind the seventh-place Swift Current Broncos, who have lost seven in a row and are at home to the fourth-place Medicine Hat Tigers.
And the Spokane Chiefs are in Kennewick, Wash., where they will meet the Americans. The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, but are just three points behind the Portland Winterhawks and just one ahead of Tri-City. The Americans hold two games in hand on the Chiefs and four on the Winterhawks.
Meanwhile, the Chilliwack Bruins will cross the Coquihalla to Kamloops where they will tangle with the Blazers, showcasing again what is turning into a nasty, nasty rivalry.
In fact, Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progess reports that the coaches -- Kamloops head coach Guy Charron and Chilliwack head coach Marc Habscheid -- seem to be embroiled in something of a war of words.
It seems that Charron had a few things to say on Radio NL’s postgame show after his club scored a 5-1 victory in Chilliwack on Saturday in a game that featured some late scraps and a biting allegation.
Habscheid, ordinarily a man of few words, wasn’t reserved in firing back.
Each team is 2-7-1 in its last 10 games, so perhaps frustrations are starting to boil over on the ice and behind the benches.
The teams meet tonight in Kamloops and again Saturday in Chilliwack.
For your reading enjoyment, check out Welsh’s piece right here.
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These are not good times in the camp of the Swift Current Broncos. Jordan Wall, the team’s director of business operations, tells Chris Jaster of the Prairie Post that falling attendance figures have put the organization in a tough financial position. That story is right here.
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Unless some local investors come forward between now and March 4, the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats will be on their way to Whitecourt, Alta. Carl Carter of the Lloydminster Meridian Booster has the story right here.
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Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald takes a look at F Jimmy Bubnick of the Calgary Hitmen, including his latest facial cut. This one took about 20 stitches to close and, yes, there’s a photo. It’s all right here.
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D Luca Sbisa (Lethbridge, Portland, 2007-10) is beginning to carve out what he hopes is a long NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks. Mark Whicker of the Orange Country Register checks in with him right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Brandon Wheat Kings have recalled D Dylan Kuczek, 16, from the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. He was a second-round selection by the Wheat Kings in the 2009 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 205-pounder has 18 points and 69 penalty minutes in 30 games with the Thrashers. . . . The Wheat Kings are short of defencemen, having lost Brodie Melnychuk to a broken leg and Spencer Galbraith to a one-game suspension for a charging major incurred in Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Regina Pats tonight. . . . F James Henry (knee) hasn’t played for the Vancouver Giants since being injured on Dec. 27 in a 4-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers. The Giants, having won seven of their last eight games, meet the Hitmen in Calgary tonight and they hope to have Henry back in the lineup. . . .
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Here’s how Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports began his report on the firing of a QMJHL coach this week: “This actually happened: Tuesday, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens took the team picture with Richard Martel in it; and by Wednesday, he was out of the picture.”
Click!
It would seem safe to say that things are going to get awfully heated between now and March 20, the final night of the regular season.
There are 10 games scheduled for tonight and there are some interesting matchups.
The Regina Pats, for example, are in Brandon to play the Wheat Kings. The Pats are 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference, three points behind the Wheat Kings, who hold down the last playoff spot.
The Seattle Thunderbirds visit the Silvertips in Everett, knowing that they need to stop their nine-game losing streak if they are to make the playoffs. The Thunderbirds are 10th in the 10-team Western Conference, two points out of a playoff spot and six points behind Everett, which has won four in a row.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are in Prince Albert to meet the Raiders, with both teams tied for ninth in the East, one point behind Brandon and two behind the seventh-place Swift Current Broncos, who have lost seven in a row and are at home to the fourth-place Medicine Hat Tigers.
And the Spokane Chiefs are in Kennewick, Wash., where they will meet the Americans. The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, but are just three points behind the Portland Winterhawks and just one ahead of Tri-City. The Americans hold two games in hand on the Chiefs and four on the Winterhawks.
Meanwhile, the Chilliwack Bruins will cross the Coquihalla to Kamloops where they will tangle with the Blazers, showcasing again what is turning into a nasty, nasty rivalry.
In fact, Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progess reports that the coaches -- Kamloops head coach Guy Charron and Chilliwack head coach Marc Habscheid -- seem to be embroiled in something of a war of words.
It seems that Charron had a few things to say on Radio NL’s postgame show after his club scored a 5-1 victory in Chilliwack on Saturday in a game that featured some late scraps and a biting allegation.
Habscheid, ordinarily a man of few words, wasn’t reserved in firing back.
Each team is 2-7-1 in its last 10 games, so perhaps frustrations are starting to boil over on the ice and behind the benches.
The teams meet tonight in Kamloops and again Saturday in Chilliwack.
For your reading enjoyment, check out Welsh’s piece right here.
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These are not good times in the camp of the Swift Current Broncos. Jordan Wall, the team’s director of business operations, tells Chris Jaster of the Prairie Post that falling attendance figures have put the organization in a tough financial position. That story is right here.
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Unless some local investors come forward between now and March 4, the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats will be on their way to Whitecourt, Alta. Carl Carter of the Lloydminster Meridian Booster has the story right here.
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Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald takes a look at F Jimmy Bubnick of the Calgary Hitmen, including his latest facial cut. This one took about 20 stitches to close and, yes, there’s a photo. It’s all right here.
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D Luca Sbisa (Lethbridge, Portland, 2007-10) is beginning to carve out what he hopes is a long NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks. Mark Whicker of the Orange Country Register checks in with him right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Brandon Wheat Kings have recalled D Dylan Kuczek, 16, from the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. He was a second-round selection by the Wheat Kings in the 2009 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 205-pounder has 18 points and 69 penalty minutes in 30 games with the Thrashers. . . . The Wheat Kings are short of defencemen, having lost Brodie Melnychuk to a broken leg and Spencer Galbraith to a one-game suspension for a charging major incurred in Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Regina Pats tonight. . . . F James Henry (knee) hasn’t played for the Vancouver Giants since being injured on Dec. 27 in a 4-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers. The Giants, having won seven of their last eight games, meet the Hitmen in Calgary tonight and they hope to have Henry back in the lineup. . . .
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Here’s how Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports began his report on the firing of a QMJHL coach this week: “This actually happened: Tuesday, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens took the team picture with Richard Martel in it; and by Wednesday, he was out of the picture.”
Click!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
It seems that the AJHL’s St. Albert Steel is skating on rather thin financial ice. Jeff Hansen of the St. Albert Gazette takes an in-depth look at the situation right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Broncos, 3-1. . . . The Blades had dumped the visiting Broncos 6-3 on Friday night. . . . F Brad Hoban got the game’s first goal, his 16th, at 5:39 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon’s line of Brayden Schenn, Jake Trask and Curtis Hamilton then scored twice. Schenn got his fourth at 7:31, with Trask getting his 14th, via the PP, at 10:09. . . . Each of those three, all of whom were blanked Friday, had two points. . . . The Broncos have lost six in a row. . . . Attendance was 2,117. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 35 shots as he improved his record to an amazing 26-3-0. . . . The Blades, winners of five straight, maintained their three-point lead atop the Eastern Conference, while the Broncos are seventh, three points up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .
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In Regina, F Jordan Weal scored at 1:20 of OT to give the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Warriors had beaten the Pats 4-3 in Moose Jaw on Friday. . . . One night later, the Warriors opened up a 3-0 lead in the second period, then watched the Pats score four straight goals. . . . Weal forced OT with his 24th goal at 19:24 of the third period. . . . D Myles Bell had three assists for Regina. . . . F Sebastian Svendsen scored twice for the Warriors before the game was eight minutes old. He’s got 21. . . . Attendance was 5,014. . . . The Pats vaulted into a tie for 10th with the Prince Albert Raiders in the Eastern Conference, one point out of a playoff spot. . . . The Warriors are fifth, a point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . . F Dylan Wruck scored twice for Edmonton, giving him 28. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 36 shots. . . . It was Michale Jackson Night and apparently one of the highlights came when Edmonton F T.J. Foster moonwalked after scoring his 19th goal at 18:36 of the third period to provide some breathing room at 4-2. . . . Attendance was 6,682. . . . This was a big victory for Edmonton as it moved the Oil Kings into sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Raiders, who meet the Hitmen in Calgary today, are tied with the Regina Pats for 10th, but are just one point out of eighth. . . .
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In Cranbrook, F Elgin Pearce’s 10th goal, at 3:31 of OT, gave the Kootenay Ice a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 8:11 of the second period. . . . F Mitch Maxwell forced OT with his 13th goal at 11:15 of the third period. . . . D Reid Jackson scored his first goal of the season for Lethbridge. It came in his 36th game this season. The 17-year-old from Weyburn, Sask., had four goals in 50 games last season. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 30 shots in his first WHL start. . . . Attendance was 2,701. . . . The Ice, with two straight victories, are third in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The loser point allowed the Hurricanes to move into a tie with the Brandon Wheat Kings for eighth. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers opened up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Cole Grbavac’s 10th goal, at 6:52 of the second period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Shayne Wiebe, with his 28th, and F Mark Stone, with his 26th, got Brandon to within one late in the second period. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey scored his 34th goal. He and Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 83 points. . . . Medicine Hat F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and two helpers. . . . The Tigers, with four straight victories, are fourth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Kootenay Ice and a point ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Tigers hold two games in hand on Kootenay and three on Moose Jaw. . . .
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In Red Deer, the Rebels won their 11th straight game, beating the Calgary Hitmen, 5-2. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 18 shots in running his record to 32-8-3. . . . F Byron Froese scored three times for the Rebels, giving him 27, as the home side was forced to erase a 2-0 deficit. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had three assists. . . . Attendance was 5,395. . . . The Rebels are first in the Central Division and just three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades. However, the Blades hold two games in hand. . . . Red Deer is 11-0-1 in its last dozen games. . . . The Hitmen have lost four in a row. . . .
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In Chilliwack, F Dylan Willick and F Thomas Frazee each scored twice to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Blazers snapped a five-game losing streak as it won for the fourth time in its last 19 road games. . . . F Brendan Ranford added three assists for the Blazers, while F JT Barnett had a goal and two assists. . . . Willick, perhaps the Blazers’ most consistent player this season, has 16 goals, while Frazee has 22. . . . The Bruins took 59 of 110 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 3,748. . . . These two teams will play a home-and-home series on the weekend, opening Friday in Kamloops and finishing Saturday in Chilliwack. . . . The victory moved Kamloops into a tie for seventh with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Bruins. . . .
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In Spokane, F Mason Wilgosh broke a 4-4 tie at 19:23 of the third period to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Wilgosh scored his 11th goal off a backdoor feed from F Patrick Holland. . . . The teams meet again Friday night, this time in Kennewick, Wash. . . . F Connor Rankin gave the Americans a 4-2 lead at 15:43 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs tied it on goals by F Tyler Johnson, his WHL-leading 38th, at 16:05, and F Stephen Kuhn, his third of the game and 17th of the season, at 18:51 on a PP. . . . F Justin Feser had three assists for the Americans. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-4. . . . Johnson’s goal ran his point streak to 17 games. . . . Attendance was 10,474. . . . The Chiefs slipped three points back of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks, with Spokane holding two games in hand. . . . The Americans, 8-1-1 in their last 10, are three points behind Spokane. Tri-City holds three games in hand on Spokane and five on Portland. . . .
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In Everett, the Silvertips opened up a 3-0 lead early in the second period and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored twice for Everett, giving him 33. He ended up with his WHL-leading 11th game-winner of the season. . . . Maxwell has 88 career goals, passing F Zach Hamill on Everett’s all-time list and leaving him second only to F Shane Harper (100). . . . The Cougars made it interesting on goals by F Charles Inglis, his 20th, and F Brett Connolly, his 28th, at 11:44 and 12:04 of the third period. . . . Maxwell iced it at 16:02. . . . D Ryan Murray had three assists for Everett. . . . F Brendan Rowinski had two goals for Vancouver, while F Spencer Bennett had two assists and Brendan Gallagher, the third member of that line, added two helpers. . . . Attendance was 6,179. . . . The Silvertips meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., today. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Geordie Wudrick scored three times to help the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The victory lifted the Rockets into first place in the B.C. Division, a point up on the Giants. . . . Wudrick has 29 goals. . . . F Cody Chikie, who had a goal and three assists in a 7-3 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Friday, had three assists. . . . Attendance was 6,184. . . . The Rockets have won six in a row. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., G Mac Carruth stopped 43 shots to help the Portland Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland D William Wrenn had a goal, his first, and an assist, and was plus-4. He is plus-18 in 12 games since leaving the U of Denver and joining the Winterhawks over the Christmas break. . . . F Ty Rattie, F Brad Ross and F Ryan Johansen each had a goal and an assist for Portland. . . . Portland F Craig Cunningham scored once, giving him seven goals in four games against Seattle since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Attendance was a ShoWare Centre record of 6,158. It was Teddy Bear Night and the fans tossed 5,031 stuffed animals onto the ice when F Travis Toomey scored for Seattle in the first period. . . . The Thunderbirds fell into the Western Conference cellar, one point out of ninth and two out of eighth. They are at home to the Everett Silvertips today.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Calgary D Peter Kosterman
Tri-City D Matt MacKenzie
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Broncos, 3-1. . . . The Blades had dumped the visiting Broncos 6-3 on Friday night. . . . F Brad Hoban got the game’s first goal, his 16th, at 5:39 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon’s line of Brayden Schenn, Jake Trask and Curtis Hamilton then scored twice. Schenn got his fourth at 7:31, with Trask getting his 14th, via the PP, at 10:09. . . . Each of those three, all of whom were blanked Friday, had two points. . . . The Broncos have lost six in a row. . . . Attendance was 2,117. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 35 shots as he improved his record to an amazing 26-3-0. . . . The Blades, winners of five straight, maintained their three-point lead atop the Eastern Conference, while the Broncos are seventh, three points up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .
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In Regina, F Jordan Weal scored at 1:20 of OT to give the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Warriors had beaten the Pats 4-3 in Moose Jaw on Friday. . . . One night later, the Warriors opened up a 3-0 lead in the second period, then watched the Pats score four straight goals. . . . Weal forced OT with his 24th goal at 19:24 of the third period. . . . D Myles Bell had three assists for Regina. . . . F Sebastian Svendsen scored twice for the Warriors before the game was eight minutes old. He’s got 21. . . . Attendance was 5,014. . . . The Pats vaulted into a tie for 10th with the Prince Albert Raiders in the Eastern Conference, one point out of a playoff spot. . . . The Warriors are fifth, a point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . . F Dylan Wruck scored twice for Edmonton, giving him 28. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 36 shots. . . . It was Michale Jackson Night and apparently one of the highlights came when Edmonton F T.J. Foster moonwalked after scoring his 19th goal at 18:36 of the third period to provide some breathing room at 4-2. . . . Attendance was 6,682. . . . This was a big victory for Edmonton as it moved the Oil Kings into sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Raiders, who meet the Hitmen in Calgary today, are tied with the Regina Pats for 10th, but are just one point out of eighth. . . .
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In Cranbrook, F Elgin Pearce’s 10th goal, at 3:31 of OT, gave the Kootenay Ice a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 8:11 of the second period. . . . F Mitch Maxwell forced OT with his 13th goal at 11:15 of the third period. . . . D Reid Jackson scored his first goal of the season for Lethbridge. It came in his 36th game this season. The 17-year-old from Weyburn, Sask., had four goals in 50 games last season. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 30 shots in his first WHL start. . . . Attendance was 2,701. . . . The Ice, with two straight victories, are third in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The loser point allowed the Hurricanes to move into a tie with the Brandon Wheat Kings for eighth. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers opened up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Cole Grbavac’s 10th goal, at 6:52 of the second period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Shayne Wiebe, with his 28th, and F Mark Stone, with his 26th, got Brandon to within one late in the second period. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey scored his 34th goal. He and Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 83 points. . . . Medicine Hat F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and two helpers. . . . The Tigers, with four straight victories, are fourth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Kootenay Ice and a point ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Tigers hold two games in hand on Kootenay and three on Moose Jaw. . . .
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In Red Deer, the Rebels won their 11th straight game, beating the Calgary Hitmen, 5-2. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 18 shots in running his record to 32-8-3. . . . F Byron Froese scored three times for the Rebels, giving him 27, as the home side was forced to erase a 2-0 deficit. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had three assists. . . . Attendance was 5,395. . . . The Rebels are first in the Central Division and just three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades. However, the Blades hold two games in hand. . . . Red Deer is 11-0-1 in its last dozen games. . . . The Hitmen have lost four in a row. . . .
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In Chilliwack, F Dylan Willick and F Thomas Frazee each scored twice to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-1 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Blazers snapped a five-game losing streak as it won for the fourth time in its last 19 road games. . . . F Brendan Ranford added three assists for the Blazers, while F JT Barnett had a goal and two assists. . . . Willick, perhaps the Blazers’ most consistent player this season, has 16 goals, while Frazee has 22. . . . The Bruins took 59 of 110 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 3,748. . . . These two teams will play a home-and-home series on the weekend, opening Friday in Kamloops and finishing Saturday in Chilliwack. . . . The victory moved Kamloops into a tie for seventh with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Bruins. . . .
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In Spokane, F Mason Wilgosh broke a 4-4 tie at 19:23 of the third period to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Wilgosh scored his 11th goal off a backdoor feed from F Patrick Holland. . . . The teams meet again Friday night, this time in Kennewick, Wash. . . . F Connor Rankin gave the Americans a 4-2 lead at 15:43 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs tied it on goals by F Tyler Johnson, his WHL-leading 38th, at 16:05, and F Stephen Kuhn, his third of the game and 17th of the season, at 18:51 on a PP. . . . F Justin Feser had three assists for the Americans. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-4. . . . Johnson’s goal ran his point streak to 17 games. . . . Attendance was 10,474. . . . The Chiefs slipped three points back of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks, with Spokane holding two games in hand. . . . The Americans, 8-1-1 in their last 10, are three points behind Spokane. Tri-City holds three games in hand on Spokane and five on Portland. . . .
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In Everett, the Silvertips opened up a 3-0 lead early in the second period and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Tyler Maxwell scored twice for Everett, giving him 33. He ended up with his WHL-leading 11th game-winner of the season. . . . Maxwell has 88 career goals, passing F Zach Hamill on Everett’s all-time list and leaving him second only to F Shane Harper (100). . . . The Cougars made it interesting on goals by F Charles Inglis, his 20th, and F Brett Connolly, his 28th, at 11:44 and 12:04 of the third period. . . . Maxwell iced it at 16:02. . . . D Ryan Murray had three assists for Everett. . . . F Brendan Rowinski had two goals for Vancouver, while F Spencer Bennett had two assists and Brendan Gallagher, the third member of that line, added two helpers. . . . Attendance was 6,179. . . . The Silvertips meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., today. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Geordie Wudrick scored three times to help the Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The victory lifted the Rockets into first place in the B.C. Division, a point up on the Giants. . . . Wudrick has 29 goals. . . . F Cody Chikie, who had a goal and three assists in a 7-3 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Friday, had three assists. . . . Attendance was 6,184. . . . The Rockets have won six in a row. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., G Mac Carruth stopped 43 shots to help the Portland Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland D William Wrenn had a goal, his first, and an assist, and was plus-4. He is plus-18 in 12 games since leaving the U of Denver and joining the Winterhawks over the Christmas break. . . . F Ty Rattie, F Brad Ross and F Ryan Johansen each had a goal and an assist for Portland. . . . Portland F Craig Cunningham scored once, giving him seven goals in four games against Seattle since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Attendance was a ShoWare Centre record of 6,158. It was Teddy Bear Night and the fans tossed 5,031 stuffed animals onto the ice when F Travis Toomey scored for Seattle in the first period. . . . The Thunderbirds fell into the Western Conference cellar, one point out of ninth and two out of eighth. They are at home to the Everett Silvertips today.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Calgary D Peter Kosterman
Tri-City D Matt MacKenzie
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The Portland Winterhawks are big and talented and the best team in the WHL. They 
know that. And they know they have a target on their backs but it doesn’t seem to bother them one little bit. Hey, they’re already talking Memorial Cup. If you want more, check out this right here from Kerry Eggers in the Portland Tribune. . . . The Everett Silvertips, one of the Winterhawks says, were intimidated by Portland’s skill. Seriously! . . . Of course, all of this was said and written before the Winterhawks went into Chilliwack on Friday night.
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How is Calgary Hitmen general manager Kelly Kisio dealing with the rotten start his club has gotten off to this season? Well, it seems he is watching a lot of late-night TV. George Johnston of the Calgary Herald details all of that right here.
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The AJHL set a single-game attendance record Friday as the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons doubled the Drayton Valley Thunder 4-2 in a game that was played outdoors. The game drew 5,726 fans, breaking the previous record of 4,400. . . .
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Some Friday highlights from the WHL:
In Swift Current, the Broncos won their fourth straight home game, beating the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . F Jordan Peddle had a goal and an assist for the Broncos, with F Cody Eakin getting two assists. . . . Swift Current D Graeme Craig, a 17-year-old from Red Deer, scored his first WHL goal. It came in his 89th career regular-season game. . . . The Broncos had a 48-19 edge in shots, including 16-1 in the third period. . . . Attendance was 2,035. . . . The Broncos had F Taylor Vause (hamstring) back in the lineup, while F Dillon Wagner played his first game of the season after having undergone offseason knee surgery. . . .
———
In Moose Jaw, Mackenzie Royer scored a PP goal with 9.2 seconds left in the third period as the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . Royer has scored in each of four games since he was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen earlier this month. . . . The Wheat Kings led 3-1 midway through the game, but couldn’t hang on. . . . The Warriors took a 4-3 lead on goals by D Collin Bowman, F Quinton Howden and F Cody Beach. . . . Brandon tied it on F Mark Stone’s second goal of the game at 10:27 of the third. . . . Stone has 16 goals this season. . . . F Brayden Cuthbert scored his first WHL goal for the Warriors. He just happens to be from Brandon. It was his 24th game. . . . Moose Jaw F A.J. Johnson drew three assists. . . . Brandon has lost six in a row. . . . The start of the game was delayed when a pane of glass was broken during the warmup. . . . Attendance was 2,522. . . . The teams will meet tonight in Brandon. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that Warriors head coach Dave Hunchak “sat 20-year-old Dylan Hood and 19-year-olds Antonin Honejsek and Jesse Paradis for the first 10 minutes of the third period. Paradis didn’t earn a shift in the third period and will be scratched tonight.” . . . Hunchak told Gourlie: “We didn’t get efforts from a handful of guys. It’s not acceptable and as a result a 20-year-old and two 19-year-olds sit for the better part of 20 minutes of the hockey game.”
———
In Prince Albert, F Brandon Herrod scored twice to help the Raiders to a 3-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Herrod, who has 11 goals, broke a 1-1 tie at 16:59 of the first period. . . . F Lukas Sutter scored his first WHL goal for the Blades. It came in his 31st game, the 24th this season. . . . Sutter scored after Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix wrote a story on how the freshman still was looking for his first goal. . . . F Jonathan Parker added his 16th for the Raiders. . . . Attendance was 2,891. . . . The start of the game was delayed by some issues with the playing surface. Perhaps it hasn’t yet been cold enough to make ice in Prince Albert? Hey, just kidding. . . .
———
In Calgary, Red Deer F Adam Kambeitz scored at 19:58 of the third period to give the Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Calgary F Kris Foucault had tied the score on the PP at 17:09 of the third. . . . Red Deer had a 25-15 edge in shots, including 14-3 in the third. . . . Foucault scored twice, giving him seven. . . . Calgary D Matt MacKenzie had two assists. . . . Attendance was 7,710. . . .
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings broke a 4-4 tie with two goals 43 seconds apart late in the third period and beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-4. . . . F Josh Laswoski broke a 4-4 tie with his second goal of the game at 16:06 and F. T.J. Foster provided insurance at 16:49. . . . F Brendan Gallagher scored twice for Vancouver and now has 22 goals. He is tied for the WHL lead with F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Oil Kings, who came into the WHL for the 2007-08 season, had never beaten the Giants. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix had two assists and now has 26 points in 25 games. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk and F Kristians Pelss also had two assists each. . . . Attendance was 4,726. . . . Vancouver head coach Don Hay has 499 career regular-season coaching victories. He now will go after No. 500 tonight in Red Deer against the Rebels. . . . F Brennan Rowinski, who was acquired by Vancouver from the Moose Jaw Warriors earlier in the month, played his first game with the Giants. He had offseason knee surgery and played two games with the Warriors before the trade. But the Vancouver medical staff didn’t clear him for game action until now. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Blazers got two goals in the shootout and beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-3. . . . The Chiefs had beaten the Blazers 10-1 in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . The Blazers had a 2-0 lead on two goals by F Jordan DePape. . . . Spokane got two goals from F Tyler Johnson, one of them while his side was down two men, to tie it. . . . D Jared Cowen, who had scored three times Wednesday, put Spokane ahead 3-2 as he finished off a 3-on-2 rush at 5:51 of the third. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick forced OT at 18:40. . . . F Brendan Ranford and D Austin Madaisky of Kamloops scored the shootout goals. . . . Ranford finished with three assists and now has 41 points, two behind scoring leader Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Chiefs lost G James Reid to a leg injury at 9:23 of the second period. He needed help getting off the ice. At the end of the period, he went onto the ice but wasn’t able to put any weight on the leg. He wasn’t on the bench for the third period. . . . Mac Engel replaced Reid and stopped 16 of 17 shots but was 0-for-2 in the shootout. . . . The shootout never looked worse than it did in this game. After the Zamboni scraped the ice, a problem with one net delayed things about 15 minutes. Finally, both teams were allowed to shoot at the same net. . . . Attendance was 3,974. . . .
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In Prince George, F Troy Bourke scored three times to lead the Cougars to a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Bourke, 16, was the 26th pick in the 2009 bantam draft. He has nine goals this season. He scored three in five games last season. . . . Yes, it was his first WHL hat trick. . . . Prince George D Sena Acolatse had two assists and now has 25 points in 21 games. . . . The Pats finished their B.C. Division tour at 1-2-2. . . . The Cougars held a 5-0 lead, with Regina scoring three times in the third period. . . . Pats D Brandon Davidson set up two of those goals. He has 15 points in his last 12 games. . . . Attendance was 2,098. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., G Drew Owsley stopped 35 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . It was his second shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin scored twice. . . . Attendance was 4,455. . . .
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In Chilliwack, the Bruins scored five times in the third period in spanking the Portland Winterhawks, 7-2. . . . Portland led 2-0 in the second period on goals by its Swiss players, Nino Niederreiter and Sven Bartschi. Niederreiter has seven goals; Bartschi has 17. . . . The Bruins tied it on second-period goals by D Brandon Manning and D Jeff Einhorn. . . . Einhorn’s goal was his first of the season and his eighth in 220 career games. . . . Chilliwack F Kevin Sundher had two of the third-period goals. He also had two assists. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 30 shots. . . . F Ryan Howse scored his 19th goal of the season for Chilliwack. . . . Attendance was 3,256. . . .
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In Everett, F Burke Gallimore’s two goals led the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Gallimore, who has 14 goals, gave Seattle a 2-0 lead early in the second period. . . . D Ryan Murray got Everett within one on a late second-period PP. . . . Seattle got insurance from F Marcel Noebels, with his seventh goal, just 17 seconds into the third. . . . Gallimore iced it with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance was 7,027.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Six minors:
Lethbridge F Cason Machacek
Moose Jaw D Collin Bowman
Moose Jaw F Jordan Wyton
Red Deer D Matthew Pufahl
Kamloops D Austin Madaisky
Portland F Oliver Gabriel
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Taking Note on Twitter
know that. And they know they have a target on their backs but it doesn’t seem to bother them one little bit. Hey, they’re already talking Memorial Cup. If you want more, check out this right here from Kerry Eggers in the Portland Tribune. . . . The Everett Silvertips, one of the Winterhawks says, were intimidated by Portland’s skill. Seriously! . . . Of course, all of this was said and written before the Winterhawks went into Chilliwack on Friday night.———
How is Calgary Hitmen general manager Kelly Kisio dealing with the rotten start his club has gotten off to this season? Well, it seems he is watching a lot of late-night TV. George Johnston of the Calgary Herald details all of that right here.———
The AJHL set a single-game attendance record Friday as the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons doubled the Drayton Valley Thunder 4-2 in a game that was played outdoors. The game drew 5,726 fans, breaking the previous record of 4,400. . . .
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Some Friday highlights from the WHL:
In Swift Current, the Broncos won their fourth straight home game, beating the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . F Jordan Peddle had a goal and an assist for the Broncos, with F Cody Eakin getting two assists. . . . Swift Current D Graeme Craig, a 17-year-old from Red Deer, scored his first WHL goal. It came in his 89th career regular-season game. . . . The Broncos had a 48-19 edge in shots, including 16-1 in the third period. . . . Attendance was 2,035. . . . The Broncos had F Taylor Vause (hamstring) back in the lineup, while F Dillon Wagner played his first game of the season after having undergone offseason knee surgery. . . . ———
In Moose Jaw, Mackenzie Royer scored a PP goal with 9.2 seconds left in the third period as the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . Royer has scored in each of four games since he was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen earlier this month. . . . The Wheat Kings led 3-1 midway through the game, but couldn’t hang on. . . . The Warriors took a 4-3 lead on goals by D Collin Bowman, F Quinton Howden and F Cody Beach. . . . Brandon tied it on F Mark Stone’s second goal of the game at 10:27 of the third. . . . Stone has 16 goals this season. . . . F Brayden Cuthbert scored his first WHL goal for the Warriors. He just happens to be from Brandon. It was his 24th game. . . . Moose Jaw F A.J. Johnson drew three assists. . . . Brandon has lost six in a row. . . . The start of the game was delayed when a pane of glass was broken during the warmup. . . . Attendance was 2,522. . . . The teams will meet tonight in Brandon. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that Warriors head coach Dave Hunchak “sat 20-year-old Dylan Hood and 19-year-olds Antonin Honejsek and Jesse Paradis for the first 10 minutes of the third period. Paradis didn’t earn a shift in the third period and will be scratched tonight.” . . . Hunchak told Gourlie: “We didn’t get efforts from a handful of guys. It’s not acceptable and as a result a 20-year-old and two 19-year-olds sit for the better part of 20 minutes of the hockey game.”———
In Prince Albert, F Brandon Herrod scored twice to help the Raiders to a 3-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Herrod, who has 11 goals, broke a 1-1 tie at 16:59 of the first period. . . . F Lukas Sutter scored his first WHL goal for the Blades. It came in his 31st game, the 24th this season. . . . Sutter scored after Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix wrote a story on how the freshman still was looking for his first goal. . . . F Jonathan Parker added his 16th for the Raiders. . . . Attendance was 2,891. . . . The start of the game was delayed by some issues with the playing surface. Perhaps it hasn’t yet been cold enough to make ice in Prince Albert? Hey, just kidding. . . . ———
In Calgary, Red Deer F Adam Kambeitz scored at 19:58 of the third period to give the Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Calgary F Kris Foucault had tied the score on the PP at 17:09 of the third. . . . Red Deer had a 25-15 edge in shots, including 14-3 in the third. . . . Foucault scored twice, giving him seven. . . . Calgary D Matt MacKenzie had two assists. . . . Attendance was 7,710. . . . ———
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings broke a 4-4 tie with two goals 43 seconds apart late in the third period and beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-4. . . . F Josh Laswoski broke a 4-4 tie with his second goal of the game at 16:06 and F. T.J. Foster provided insurance at 16:49. . . . F Brendan Gallagher scored twice for Vancouver and now has 22 goals. He is tied for the WHL lead with F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Oil Kings, who came into the WHL for the 2007-08 season, had never beaten the Giants. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix had two assists and now has 26 points in 25 games. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk and F Kristians Pelss also had two assists each. . . . Attendance was 4,726. . . . Vancouver head coach Don Hay has 499 career regular-season coaching victories. He now will go after No. 500 tonight in Red Deer against the Rebels. . . . F Brennan Rowinski, who was acquired by Vancouver from the Moose Jaw Warriors earlier in the month, played his first game with the Giants. He had offseason knee surgery and played two games with the Warriors before the trade. But the Vancouver medical staff didn’t clear him for game action until now. . . . ———
In Kamloops, the Blazers got two goals in the shootout and beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-3. . . . The Chiefs had beaten the Blazers 10-1 in Spokane on Wednesday. . . . The Blazers had a 2-0 lead on two goals by F Jordan DePape. . . . Spokane got two goals from F Tyler Johnson, one of them while his side was down two men, to tie it. . . . D Jared Cowen, who had scored three times Wednesday, put Spokane ahead 3-2 as he finished off a 3-on-2 rush at 5:51 of the third. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick forced OT at 18:40. . . . F Brendan Ranford and D Austin Madaisky of Kamloops scored the shootout goals. . . . Ranford finished with three assists and now has 41 points, two behind scoring leader Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Chiefs lost G James Reid to a leg injury at 9:23 of the second period. He needed help getting off the ice. At the end of the period, he went onto the ice but wasn’t able to put any weight on the leg. He wasn’t on the bench for the third period. . . . Mac Engel replaced Reid and stopped 16 of 17 shots but was 0-for-2 in the shootout. . . . The shootout never looked worse than it did in this game. After the Zamboni scraped the ice, a problem with one net delayed things about 15 minutes. Finally, both teams were allowed to shoot at the same net. . . . Attendance was 3,974. . . . ———
In Prince George, F Troy Bourke scored three times to lead the Cougars to a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Bourke, 16, was the 26th pick in the 2009 bantam draft. He has nine goals this season. He scored three in five games last season. . . . Yes, it was his first WHL hat trick. . . . Prince George D Sena Acolatse had two assists and now has 25 points in 21 games. . . . The Pats finished their B.C. Division tour at 1-2-2. . . . The Cougars held a 5-0 lead, with Regina scoring three times in the third period. . . . Pats D Brandon Davidson set up two of those goals. He has 15 points in his last 12 games. . . . Attendance was 2,098. . . . ———
In Kennewick, Wash., G Drew Owsley stopped 35 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . It was his second shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin scored twice. . . . Attendance was 4,455. . . . ———
In Chilliwack, the Bruins scored five times in the third period in spanking the Portland Winterhawks, 7-2. . . . Portland led 2-0 in the second period on goals by its Swiss players, Nino Niederreiter and Sven Bartschi. Niederreiter has seven goals; Bartschi has 17. . . . The Bruins tied it on second-period goals by D Brandon Manning and D Jeff Einhorn. . . . Einhorn’s goal was his first of the season and his eighth in 220 career games. . . . Chilliwack F Kevin Sundher had two of the third-period goals. He also had two assists. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 30 shots. . . . F Ryan Howse scored his 19th goal of the season for Chilliwack. . . . Attendance was 3,256. . . .———
In Everett, F Burke Gallimore’s two goals led the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Gallimore, who has 14 goals, gave Seattle a 2-0 lead early in the second period. . . . D Ryan Murray got Everett within one on a late second-period PP. . . . Seattle got insurance from F Marcel Noebels, with his seventh goal, just 17 seconds into the third. . . . Gallimore iced it with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance was 7,027.———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Six minors:
Lethbridge F Cason Machacek
Moose Jaw D Collin Bowman
Moose Jaw F Jordan Wyton
Red Deer D Matthew Pufahl
Kamloops D Austin Madaisky
Portland F Oliver Gabriel
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Thursday, November 25, 2010
 |
| Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks in one of the club's third jerseys. (Photo courtesy Bryan Heim/Portland Winterhawks) |
And the Portland Winterhawks are the latest WHL team to enter the fray.
The Winterhawks unveiled their third jerseys Wednesday night and went on to score a 4-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips before 7,444 fans at the Rose Garden.
The jersey in the photo above is that third jersey.
It’s different, as third jerseys should be. And the more I look at it, the more it grows on me.
Earlier, the Saskatoon Blades unveiled the denim look -- the Canadian tuxedo -- and got a whole bunch of publicity and reaction throughout the hockey world.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes, Brandon Wheat Kings, Kamloops Blazers, Chilliwack Bruins . . . everyone is getting in on the act.
And while they should.
With attendance figures falling like snowflakes in some communities, teams are having to pull out all stops in trying to lure fans into their buildings. And once they get them there, they have to put on an entertaining show in the hopes of turning them into regular customers.
The Winterhawks, for one team, are hard at work and seem to be on the right track.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has been assigned on loan by Chomutov (Czech Republic 1.Liga) to Plzen (Czech Republic Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had 23 goals and 37 assists in 44 games for Chomutov last season and has one goal in two games with Plzen this season. . . .
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser (Germany 2.Bundesliga) after terminating his contract with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga). He had two goals and one assist in 25 games with Dukla this season. . . .
F Troy Ofukany (Kelowna, Regina, Red Deer, 2004-08) signed a tryout contract with the Luleå Rebels (Sweden Division 1). He had eight goals and five assists in 49 games with the Wichita Thunder and Odessa Jackalopes (both Central Hockey League) last season.
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The OHL has had it with staged fighting and has moved to bring an end to it, starting with games of Friday.
From an OHL press release:
“The Ontario Hockey League today announced a new playing rule that will comeinto effect with the commencement of games on Friday, November 26, 2010.
“The new rule is: ‘If two or more players should enter into a fight prior
to, or at the drop of the puck at the commencement of any period of a game,
then such player(s) shall be assessed an automatic game misconduct. In
addition to any penalties assessed, the OHL Member Team shall be fined
$500.00 and the player(s) suspended for one (1) game. For any subsequent
offence by the same team, the fine shall increase in $500.00 increments, and
for any subsequent offence by the same player the minimum suspension would
double from the previous occurrence.’ ”
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In case you have forgotten, the AJHL is staging an outdoor game Friday in Fort McMurray with the Oil Barons playing host to the Drayton Valley Thunder. The AJHL’s single-game attendance record apparently is 4,400. The outdoor game is expected to draw 5,000 or more fans.
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Here is a Thanksgiving Day story for you that involves Mandi Schwartz and her family. It’s a must read on this particular day.
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Some Wednesday highlights:
For starters, the 10-team Western Conference got put in the mixing bowl and tossed around like so much salad . . . again.
What a horse race this is going to be.
The Kamloops Blazers beat the visiting Regina Pats on Tuesday night and vacated the cellar. The Blazers lost to the Chiefs in Spokane last night and fell back into the basement.But, as incredible as this may sound, the Blazers are four points out of second place.
The Portland Winterhawks won again and now hold a 14-point lead over the second-place Vancouver Giants.
The Giants have 29 points and are just one point ahead of the Tri-City Americans. The Seattle Thunderbirds are a point behind the Ams. The Chiefs, Kelowna Rockets, Prince George Cougars and Everett Silvertips are one point behind Seattle.
The Chilliwack Bruins and Kamloops are tied for last, one point that group of four.
Amazing!
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In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored three times in the third period and
beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-2. . . . F Brandon Herrod, with his ninth, broke a 2-2 tie at 17:08 of the third period. . . . F Todd Fiddler had a goal, his sixth, and an assist for the Raiders, as did F Jonathan Parker, who got his 15th goal. . . . D Antoine Corbin had two assists for the Raiders. He has played four games since coming over from the Kelowna Rockets and has three two-point games. . . . Raiders G Eric Williams stopped 34 shots. . . . Attendance was 1,893. . . .---
In Swift Current, F Killian Hutt scored his ninth goal on a PP at 4:28 of
OT to give the Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock forced OT with his second goal of the season at 7:05 of the third on the PP. . . . F Scott Glennie had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Adam Lowry had a goal and an assist for the Broncos, while D Kyle Verdino had two assists. . . . Broncos G Mark Friesen stopped 34 shots. . . . ---
In Edmonton, F Dylan Wruck broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 13:32 of the third period as the Oil Kings edged the Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . Calgary
had won the last 16 games between these teams, including four in the playoffs. . . . Since entering the league, the Oil Kings are 4-18-0 versus the Hitmen. . . . Wruck has 10 goals this season. . . . F Michael St. Croix drew three assists for Edmonton. . . . F Trevor Cheek had two assists for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary scored all three of its goals on the PP as it erased a 2-0 deficit. . . . F Kristians Pelss, with his second goal of the season, pulled Edmonton even at 7:16 of the third period. Pelss, 18, will play for his native Latvia at the Division 1A U-20 world junior championship in Bobruisk, Belarus, Dec. 13-19. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 32 shots. . . .---
In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes got three shootout goals and beat the Red
Deer Rebels, 5-4. . . . F Cam Braes had two goals for Lethbridge and F Mitch Maxwell drew three assists. . . . D Alex Petrovic and F Dalton Siwak each had a goal and an assist for Red Deer. . . . Siwak forced OT with his seventh goal at 15:08 of the third. . . . F Mark Reners, F Jacob Berglund and F Austin Fyten scored for the home team in the shootout, while only F Byron Froese was able to counter for Red Deer. . . .---
In Kelowna, F Geordie Wudrick scored three times to lead the Rockets to a 6-1 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Rockets scored three goals in the
game’s last minute, the first into an empty net. . . . Kelowna D Tyson Barrie had two assists. . . . Barrie became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer among defencemen last weekend. He now has 190 points, including 146 assists, in 219 regular-season games. The previous record (186 points) was held by Burt Henderson, who played with the Rockets from 1993-96. That included two seasons in Tacoma. . . . The Rockets, who were 4-10-0 not that long ago, now are 13-11-0, meaning they have won nine of their last outings. . . . Wudrick, who played his 300th game last weekend in Prince George, has 10 goals in 23 games this season. It was his second hat trick of this season and the third of his career. . . . He got his third goal at 19:59 of the third period. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 32 shots. . . . Regina F Thomas Frazee had a nine-game point streak end. . . . Kelowna F Max Adolph (concussion) returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence. . . . Rockets F Andreas Stene will play for Norway at the World Junior tournament in Buffalo, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. He has six points in 18 games with Kelowna. . . . F Gal Koren of the Rockets will play for Slovenia in the U-20 Division 1, Group B championship in Bled, Slovenia, Dec. 12-18. Gal, who has been out with a concussion, is pointless in nine WHL games. . . .---
In Chilliwack, G James Priestner stopped 28 shots to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 4-0 victory over the Bruins. . . . It was the first of eight
scheduled meetings between these teams this season. . . . The Bruins, who are 2-3-4 over their last nine games, are three games into a six-game homestand. . . . It was Priestner’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. It was his first shutout since March 8, 2008, when, while with the Kamloops Blazers, he beat the Cougars 1-0 in Prince George. . . . F Brett Connolly had two assists for Prince George. . . . Attendance was 2,267. . . . The Bruins had F Robin Soudek back in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 11 when he was hit from behind by Vancouver Giants D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, who drew a seven-game suspension. . . . . “I've seen it a few times, and I think the hit was probably partly my fault because I turned my back to him,” Soudek told Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress. “As soon as I hit the boards, everything in my neck cracked and I was just happy I was able to move my fingers and toes. But they did the X-rays and everything was OK. The concussion was the worst, because some days you feel pretty good and think it might be gone. And the next day you've got symptoms back. It's not a fun time.” . . . ---
In Portland, the Winterhawks got two goals and an assist from F Oliver Gabriel as they beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-2. . . . The Winterhawks are 21-4-1 and that’s the WHL’s best record. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 7,444. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 22 shots, 12 fewer than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . The Silvertips remain without F Landon Ferraro (concussion). . . .---
In Spokane, D Jared Cowen scored three times as the Chiefs spanked the Kamloops Blazers, 10-1. . . . The teams meet again Friday in
Kamloops. . . . Cowen, who was playing in his 201st regular-season game, enjoyed his first three-goal game. . . . He has six goals this season and 25 for his career. . . . F Tyler Johnson, F Steven Kuhn, F Anthony Bardaro and F Matt Marantz each had a goal and two assists for the Chiefs, while F Brady Brassart and F Levko Koper each had two assists. . . . F Brendan Ranford scored for the Blazers, giving him a WHL-leading 22 goals. . . . The Chiefs scored four times in the first period and six times in the third. . . . This was the worst beating absorbed by the Blazers since Jan. 17, 1997, when they lost 12-1 to the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . The last time the Blazers surrendered at least 10 goals in a game was Oct. 12, 2009, when they were beaten 12-5 by the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . In their last two visits to Spokane, the Blazers have been outscored, 17-1. The Chiefs beat them 7-0 on Feb. 17. . . . ---
In Kent, Wash., F Adam Hughesman scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Tri-City Americans beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-4. . . . The
Americans, who came in having lost six of seven, trailed 3-0 at 12:31 of the second period and 4-2 late in the third. . . . F Kruise Reddick, at 17:23, and F Jordan Messier, 18:01, scored for the Americans to force OT. . . . F Neal Prokop, who suffered a badly broken leg in the first round of the playoffs last spring, returned to the Americans’ lineup. Tri-City dressed Prokop, Reddick and D Zak Stebner as its 20-year-olds, choosing to sit D Tyler Schmidt. The Americans have 14 days to declare three 20-year-olds. . . . Prokop had one assist, setting up Messier’s tying goal. . . . Hughesman had two assists in regulation time, while F Brendan Shinnimin had a goal and an assist. . . . Seattle got two goals from F Colin Jacobs and two assists from F Tyler Alos. . . . Talk about busy goaltenders! Drew Owsley of the Americans stopped 42 shots, while Seattle’s Calvin Pickard turned aside 55. . . . Attendance was 2,639. . . . From the Americans’ Dan Mulhausen: “Owsley matched his season-high with 42 saves in collecting his 50th WHL win. Meanwhile, Pickard faced 50-plus shots for the fourth time in his career, finishing with 55 saves in the tough luck loss. Three of the four times he has faced 50 or more shots in a game have come against Tri-City, including a career-best 57-save shutout on Oct. 2, 2009.”---
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Seattle F Travis Toomey
Seattle F Brenden Dillon
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