SATURDAY’S GAMES:
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The third game of the series between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Rebels in Red Deer will begin at 7 p.m. The game, which is scheduled for Wednesday, originally was scheduled for 7 p.m., but then was shifted to TBD in order to accommodate a possible Sportsnet telecast. But the Brandon-Edmonton series will go at least five games, with the fifth game set for Wednesday. Sportsnet will televise that game, with an 8 p.m. start time, allowing Game 3 in Red Deer to begin at 7 p.m.
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F Beck Malenstyn of the Calgary Hitmen has a friend in Penticton who is battling cancer. Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun reports that Kaylee Kozari-Bowland, 16, has “a rare, aggressive form of cancer” and “has exhausted all treatments available at the B.C. Children’s hospital, and now her desperate family is looking to a trial at the MD Cancer Center in Texas.” . . . Her family is looking at a bill of $200,000 or more, and Malenstyn wants to help. So he and the Hitmen are putting together a silent auction. . . . Fisher’s story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Brett Hopfe has resigned as director of hockey operations and head coach of the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys. Hopfe has filled both positions for more than three seasons. . . . Hopfe had signed a three-year contract extension on June 10. . . . The Grizzlys finished 24-27-9 this season, good for fifth place in the South Division. They were swept by the Drumheller Dragons in a best-of-five first-round playoff series.———
Happy 61st to @bdnwheatkings legend Ron Chipperfield who's one of few pros to go from playing in Calgary to Edmonton. pic.twitter.com/srONCeYoVm
— O-Pee-Chee Stars (@opeecheestars) March 29, 2015
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In Prince Albert, F Craig Leverton scored the only goal of a six-round shootout to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Raiders F Austin Glover forced OT with his 13th goal at 7:44 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock scored his 30th goal, on a PP, at 11:06 of the first. . . . Raiders D Jesse Lees tied it with his 12th goal at 3:56 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci restored the one-goal lead with his ninth goal at 6:39 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots through OT, one more than Prince Albert’s Nick McBride. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton gave Jarry full credit for earning his team the loser point. “We owe Tristan for the point tonight,” Hamilton said on the team’s website. “There’s no question about that. He was the most substantial difference maker in the lineup tonight. It’s disappointing that Tristan gave us that kind of effort and we weren’t able to respond in front of him.” . . . Edmonton was 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . The Raiders (25-35-3) had lost their previous three games. . . . Edmonton (29-28-7) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL scoring race, had two goals as the Tigers got past the Red Deer Rebels, 4-0. . . . Cox, who now has 99 points, including 25 goals, scored on a PP at 7:30 of the first period and on a penalty shot at 13:08 of the second. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley scored his 15th at 11:10 of the second and F Chad Labelle got his eighth goal, into an empty net, at 18:58 of the third. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 24 shots for his first shutout of the season. . . . Langhamer, the last European goaltender in the WHL, has five career shutouts. . . . The Tigers (40-21-3) have won three straight. . . . The Rebels (32-21-10) have been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . 
In Kamloops, D Colby Harmsworth’s third goal of the season, at 4:45 of OT, gave the Calgary Hitmen a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . With the teams playing three skaters aside due to penalties, Harmsworth and F Radel Fazleev took off on a 2-on-1. Fazleev slid a pass to Harmsworth and he got the puck under G Connor Ingram for the winner. . . . Calgary led this one 2-0 after one period and 3-1 in the second period, only to have Kamloops scored three second-period goals to take a 4-3 lead. . . . F Collin Shirley scored twice for the Blazers, giving him 22. . . . Calgary F Connor Rankin forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 30th of the season, at 5:23 of the third. . . . F Terrell Draude also scored twice for Calgary, giving him 12 goals. . . . D Travis Sanheim, F Jody Stallard — I hope his nickname is Tracy — and F Taylor Sanheim each had two assists for Calgary. . . . F Matt Revel scored his 16th goal and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke, who has won nine straight decisions, stopped 29 shots, five fewer than Connor Ingram of the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-5. . . . D Jake Bean, the terrific 16-year-old, was among Calgary’s scratches. He is expected to miss at least four weeks after suffering a suspected shoulder/collarbone injury in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . The Blazers have put F Deven Sideroff (suspected wrist) on the injured list. They show him as out week-to-week. . . . Kamloops also scratched F Matt Needham with an undisclosed injury. . . . Needham and Sideroff have played almost the entire season with F Cole Ully on one of the WHL’s top lines. . . . The Hitmen (40-19-5) are 6-1-0 on their franchise record 11-game road swing. They left Calgary on Feb. 19 and had travelled 2,579 km when they left Kamloops for Prince George last night. . . . Calgary has won 17 of its last 19 games and is 13-1-1 on the road since Jan. 4. . . . The Blazers (24-33-7) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Victoria, D Shea Theodore had a goal and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory over the Royals. . . . Victoria had beaten Seattle 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night. . . . One night later, the visitors scored the game’s first three goals, two of them in the first period. . . . F Cory Millette got his 19th goal at 1:13 and Theodore added his 11th at 17:03. . . . D Jerret Smith made it 3-0 at 8:50 of the second, on a PP, and the Royals weren’t able to get back in this one. . . . D Joe Hicketts scored his 11th goal for the Royals, on a PP, at 2:08 of the third. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 29 shots. . . . Each team was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds (32-23-9) had lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . The Royals are 34-26-4. . . . 
In Everett, F Kohl Bauml scored with 39 seconds left in OT to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Bauml has 30 goals this season. . . . Everett scored the game’s last three goals. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 36th goal, on a PP, at 6:46 of the first period. . . . Rockets F Leon Draisaitl, who drew an assist on Baillie’s goal, got his 15th goal, on a PP, at 4:19 of the second. Draisaitl now has goals in six straight games. . . . Everett F Nikita Scherbak got his guys on the board with his 27th goal at 3:54 of the third and F Dawson Leedahl tied it with his 13th at 10:16. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-1. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 37 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . Hart is 9-1-1 since Jan. 1. . . . The Silvertips scratched D Kevin Davis and D Tristen Pfeifer, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches as it went with 17 skaters. . . . The Silvertips improved to 38-19-7. . . . Kelowna (48-11-5) has lost two in a row. . . . 
In Spokane, F Adam Helewka scored three goals and G Garret Hughson stopped 29 shots as the Chiefs dropped the Vancouver Giants, 7-0. . . . Hughson has two shutouts in his last four games. He has four career shutouts. . . . Helewka, who has 38 goals, scored the game’s first two goals, the first one coming while shorthanded at 15:18 of the first period. He also drew one assist. . . . It was Helewka’s second career hat trick. He scored four times against Vancouver on Nov. 1, 2013. . . . F Calder Brooks added his 20th goal and three assists, while F Kailer Yamamoto scored his 19th goal and had two helpers. . . . D Jason Fram and F Liam Stewart each had two assists. . . . The Chiefs (31-27-4) have won four in a row and outscored the opposition 22-2 in the process. . . . The Giants (26-34-3) have lost three straight.
In Edmonton, the defending Memorial Cup-champion Oil Kings unleashed a 58-shot barrage as they defeated the Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 55 shots, 38 more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Oil Kings F Brandon Baddock broke a 1-1 tie at 1:07 of the second period. He’s got 11 goals. . . . Edmonton D Austin Sautner added insurance with his 10th goal at 6:00 of the third, and F Brett Pollock got his 15th into an empty net at 17:38. . . . D Dysin Mayo had two assists for Edmonton. . . . F Glenn Gawdin scored for Swift Current, giving him 10. . . . Edmonton’s first goal came from F Tyson Gruninger, an AP from Drayton Valley, Alta. His first goal came in his sixth game. . . . “It’s a great end to the calendar year. It’s been a wonderful calendar year for the Edmonton Oil Kings, and it’s certainly a fitting end to that,” Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team’s website. “That was as complete an effort as we’ve had in a long, long time. “I thought every guy understood the game plan tonight and every guy was really committed to executing it.” . . . The Oil Kings (17-16-5) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Broncos slipped to 19-16-4. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Morgan Klimchuk scored at 1:06 of OT to give the Regina Pats a 2-1 victory over the Warriors. . . . Klimchuk, who spent part of December in the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp, has 14 goals. He redirected a shot by Regina F Dryden Hunt. . . . D Dallas Valentine gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with his first goal at 3:48 of the first period. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks pulled his side even with his 16th goal at 9:21 of the second. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 26 shots, three more than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . Each team was a 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . They’ll play again Friday, this time in Regina. . . . The Pats (23-12-2) have won three straight. . . . The Warriors (15-19-4) have lost six in a row. . . .
In the OHL, F Connor McDavid put up 42 points in the Erie Otters' first 14 games. He was blanked in No. 15, but has seven points in two games since then. On Saturday, he had his eighth four-point game of the season as the host Otters dumped the Saginaw Spirit, 8-1. . . . McDavid now has 49 points, including 15 goals, in 17 games. . . . He leads the OHL in assists (34) and points. Teammate Dylan Strome is next, with 39 points. . . . Erie F Alex DeBrincat, a freshman, leads the OHL in goals, with 19.
In Saskatoon, F Ryan Graham scored twice and added an assist as the Blades doubled up on the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-2. . . . Graham gave his side 2-0 and 3-1 leads with his fourth and fifth goals of the season. . . . F Ryan Gropp scored his ninth for Seattle (8-7-3), which was without F Mathew Barzal for a second straight game. He has an undisclosed injury. . . . Saskatoon G Trevor Martin stopped 34 shots to get his first WHL victory after three losses. . . . Seattle lost D Evan Wardley to a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 16:34 of the first period. He hit Saskatoon F Nick Zajac, who stayed in the game. . . . The Thunderbirds are 1-1-0 on an East Division tour. . . . The Blades (6-13-0) snapped a four-game losing skid. . . . 
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings got two shootout goals to beat the Calgary Hitmen, 2-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (16-3-1) are on a season-high six-game winning streak. . . . F Rihards Bukarts and F John Quenneville scored the shootout goals for Brandon; only F Adam Tambellini scored for Calgary. . . . Bukarts scored his 10th goal at 6:10 of the second period, via the PP. . . . Calgary got that one back at 13:15 when D Travis Sanheim scored his seventh goal, also on the PP. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 36 shots, seven more than Calgary's Mack Shields. . . . According to a tweet from Bruce Luebke, the veteran radio voice of the Wheat Kings: "That breaks a 12-game regular-season losing streak for the @bdnwheatkings against Calgary. 1st win over Hitmen since Nov.4, 2011." . . . The Hitmen (10-8-2) had won their previous three games. . . .
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice got two shootout goals and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . F Luke Philp and F Jaedon Descheneau scored for the Ice (6-13-0) in a shootout that went five rounds. F Coda Gordon, who shot first, was the only visiting player to score. . . . The Ice has won three in a row. . . . F Colby Cave scored his eighth goal and added an assist for the Broncos (11-9-3). His PP goal at 1:49 of the third period forced OT. . . . After the game, the Ice released F Jared Legien, 16, from its roster. He is on his way back to the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals. From White City, Sask., Legien was the ninth overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He had one assist in 13 games with the Ice. . . . The Ice is carrying 23 players, including 14 forwards and seven defencemen. . . . 
In Prince George, F Austin Carroll broke a 2-2 tie early in the second period and the Victoria Royals skated to a 6-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . Carroll scored his 13th goal at 2:17 of the second. . . . Victoria got shorthanded goals from F Brandon Magee, who ran his point streak to nine games, and F Regan Nagy. . . . Those goals offset the Cougars' two PP scores. . . . D Joe Hicketts had two assists for Victoria (10-9-2), which was 0-2-1 in its previous three outings. . . . Magee had a goal and an assist in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Cougars, and repeated that last night. He missed the first 12 games of the season with a suspension, but has at least a point in each of the nine games he has played. . . . The Cougars (11-9-0) had won four in a row and also had won five straight at home. . . . Prince George F Chance Braid missed this one as he awaits word on a suspension. His check from behind on Friday left Victoria F Jared Dmytriw with a concussion. . . . 
In Portland, F Nic Petan scored 56 seconds into OT to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Petan has two goals this season. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand forced OT with a PP goal at 13:58 of the second period. He's got 11 goals. He also had two assists. . . . Petan also had two assists. . . . Freshman F Deven Sideroff scored his 10th goal for the Blazers (9-9-3), who have lost five in a row (0-3-2). . . . Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield, the 19th pick in the 2013 bantam draft, scored his first goal. . . . Portland (8-11-2) was 2-for-7 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-for-1. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 34 shots in his first appearance since Oct. 21. He had been out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala completed a two-game suspension, while D Marc McNulty remains out with an undisclosed injury. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Beau McCue scored at 2:34 to give the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Mcue has eight goals this season. . . . Tri-City F Taylor Vickerman tied the game 2-2 with his first goal, on the PP, at 19:55 of the second period. . . . Americans G Eric Comrie stopped 23 shots, two fewer than Red Deer's Rylan Toth. . . . The Americans (12-8-0) have won four in a row. . . . The Rebels (9-9-2) went 2-1-2 on their U.S. Division swing. . . . 
In Kelowna, G Michael Herringer earned his first WHL shutout as the Rockets dropped the Vancouver Giants, 5-0. . . . Herringer turned aside 29 shots in his second appearance of the season. . . . Herringer was with the Rockets because of an injury to backup Jake Morrissey. It would appear that Morrissey is ready to return because the Rockets apparently released Herringer from their roster after the game; at least, his name disappeared from the roster on the WHL website. He was 2-0-0/1.50/.938 during his stint in Kelowna. Chances are Herringer, 18, is headed back to the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers. . . . The Rockets scored five second-period goals, with F Tyrell Goulbourne getting three of those. Goulbourne, who has seven goals, scored three times in 7:01. . . . Goulbourne, who sat out the club's last game with a one-game suspension, also had an assist and was plus-5. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley had two assists, while F Rourke Chartier scored his WHL-leading 18th goal and had two helpers. . . . The Rockets (17-1-1), who are 9-0-0 at home, went 5-0-1 while head coach Dan Lambert was at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Sarnia, Ont. Assistant coaches Kris Mallette and Travis Crickard ran the show in Lambert’s absence. . . . The Giants (7-11-0) have lost three straight. . . . 
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