Showing posts with label Alec Baer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alec Baer. Show all posts

Friday, February 10, 2017

Thunderbirds fly into U.S. lead . . . Pats' streak now at 10 . . . 'Cane train rolls past Raiders


The Prince Albert Raiders revealed on Thursday that F Jordy Stallard, 19, won’t play again this season after undergoing shoulder surgery on Monday. On Friday, the Raiders said that F Carson Miller also has had shoulder surgery and his season is over. As well, F Drew Warkentine is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury that “will likely keep him out for the remainder of the season.” . . . Warkentine, from Prince Albert, was injured during a 3-2 loss to the host Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday. He had two goals and four assists in 32 games and had only recently returned from another injury. . . . Miller, from Yorkton, Sask., turned 17 on Friday. He had seven goals and 12 assists in 46 games as a freshman. He was a first-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, G Logan Thompson stopped 34 shots, 18 of them in the first period, as the Wheat Kings beat the Everett Silvertips, 2-1. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Rylan
LOGAN THOMPSON
Bettens (4), at 2:06, and F Tyler Coulter (24), on a PP, at 19:24. . . . The Silvertips got to within a goal when F Eetu Tuulola (12) scored at 4:31 of the third period. . . . Everett G Mario Petit stopped 27 shots. . . . Brandon was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 1-5. . . . This was Game 1 of Everett’s six-game East Division swing. To prepare, they visited Souris, the hometown of general manager Garry Davidson, on Thursday where they curled and walked the famous Swinging Bridge. . . . The Wheat Kings, who issued a news release earlier in the week saying they had been hit by the mumps, dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. F Caiden Daley, F Reid Duke and F Cole Reinhardt are ill, while F Tanner Kaspick and F Linden McCorrister have undisclosed injuries. . . . D Noah Juulsen and D Lucas Skrumeda both returned to Everett’s lineup. . . . The Silvertips have seven Manitobans on their roster; five of them were in the lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings (27-20-7) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and are five points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos in the East Division. . . . The Silvertips (31-12-10) slipped to second in the U.S. Division, a point behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. Everett holds one game in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,866.
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At Calgary, F Mark Rassell scored three times to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Rassell, who is from Calgary, has 26 goals, including his first WHL hat trick. . . . The Hitmen
MARK RASSELL
actually led this one 2-0 before the game was three minutes old. . . . D Jaydan Gordon scored his first goal of the season at 1:45. It was his second career goal and came in his 154th game. . . . F Tristen Nielsen added his second goal of the season at 2:51. . . . The Tigers tied it on a pair of PP goals from Rassell, at 6:16 and 13:48, then took the lead when D Jordan Henderson scored his fifth goal at 5:53 of the second period. . . . F Zach Fischer added insurance with No. 28 at 10:19. . . . Rassell completed his hat trick at 6:03 of the third period. . . . F Matt Bradley (26) and D Clayton Kirichenko (9) also scored for the Tigers, who got three assists from F Max Gerlach. . . . F Steve Owre and F Chad Butcher each added two assists for the winners, with Kirichenko and Henderson getting one apiece. . . . The Tigers got 19 saves from G Nick Schneider. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin allowed three goals on 16 shots in 25:53. Kyle Dumba finished up, stopping 10 of 14 shots in 34:07. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-5 on the PP; Calgary was 0-1. . . . The Tigers (39-16-1) have won three in a row. They lead the Central Division by six points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Hitmen (19-26-9) have lost three straight and are three points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,560.
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At Edmonton, G Jordan Hollett stopped 23 shots as the Regina Pats skated to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . With the victory, the Pats became the first WHL team this season to clinch a
JORDAN HOLLETT
playoff spot. . . . Hollett, who made his 12th start of the season, usually backs up Tyler Brown. Hollett improved his record to 11-0-1. . . . F Nicholas Bowman (7) gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 6:07 of the first period. . . . The Pats then scored the next three goals. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan (8) tied it at 12:43, with F Filip Ahl getting his 23rd at 14:29. D Dawson Davidson made it 3-1 at 6:29 of the second period. . . . Edmonton D Conner McDonald’s fifth goal got Edmonton back to within a goal at 17:55. . . . Davidson and McDonald both started this season with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Regina F Nick Henry ran his goal streak to five games with No. 26 at 7:19. . . . D Connor Hobbs completed the scoring with his 24th goal — he leads WHL defencemen in goals — at 17:00. . . . Hobbs also had an assist. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s scoring leader, picked up one assist, giving him 97 points. Regina F Adam Brooks, who is second to Steel with 91 points, also had an assist. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 34 shots. . . . Regina was 1-2 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-4. . . . Edmonton D Will Warm didn’t play after being hit with a three-game suspension after he took a charging major and game misconduct against the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday. Swift Current F Lane Pederson, who was on the receiving end of that hit, was scratched by the Broncos last night in Red Deer. . . . F Jeff de Wit was back in Regina’s lineup after serving a two-game suspension. . . . Prior to the game, the Oil Kings added a pair of defencemen to their roster — Matthew Robertson and Jayden Platz. . . . Robertson, a first-round selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, is the younger brother of Oil Kings F Tyler Robertson. Matthew had five goals and 11 assists in 26 games with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Platz had seven assists in seven games with the Northern Alberta X-Treme prep team. He was a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Robertson played against Regina, while Platz didn’t. . . . Regina swept the season series, 4-0-0. . . . The Pats (39-6-7) have won 10 straight games. They lead the overall standings by six points over the Medicine Hat Tigers. Regina also has four games in hand. . . . The Oil Kings (18-32-4) have lost 16 in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 11,833.
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At Kelowna, F Nolan Foote scored three times and G Brodan Salmon recorded the shutout as the Rockets dumped the Vancouver Giants, 6-0. . . . Foote, whose father, Adam, is a former NHL
NOLAN FOOTE
defenceman, has 14 goals in his freshman season. His brother, Cal, a defenceman, is a teammate in Kelowna. . . . Nolan, who won’t turn 17 until Nov. 29, won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2019. . . . F Erik Gardiner opened the scoring with his third goal, on a PP, at 5:23 of the first period. His brother, Reid, drew the secondary assist on the goal. . . . Foote scored the next two goals, both on the PP, at 7:21 of the first and 4:17 of the second. . . . F Leif Mattson scored twice for Kelowna, giving him five goals, with Foote completing the hat trick at 2:36 of the third. . . . The Rockets got two assists form F Kole Lind. . . . Salmond stopped 22 shots in record his second shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic stopped 50 shots. . . . The Rockets were 3-7 on the PP; the Giants were 0-6. . . . The Rockets have won 22 straight from the Giants in Kelowna, dating to March 19, 2011. . . . F Bartek Bison made his debut with the Giants after being acquired from the Prince George Cougars a month ago. An 18-year-old from Amsterdam, Netherlands, he had been sidelined with a brain injury since Dec. 3. . . . Kelowna (31-20-4) is tied with the Victoria Royals for third in the B.C. Division, six points behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Giants (18-33-5) are 1-7-2 in their past 10 games. . . . Announced attendance: 5,163.
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At Lethbridge, F Alec Baer scored twice as the Hurricanes got past the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . .
ALEC BAER
Baer, a 19-year-old from St. Louis Park, Minn., has 11 goals in 52 games this season. He has eight goals in 13 games with Lethbridge after being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Baer opened the scoring at 14:30 of the first period. . . . Prince Albert tied it when F Tim Vanstone (9) scored, shorthanded, at 5:30 of the second period. . . . F Matt Alfaro gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead with his 15th goal, at 4:50 of the third period, and F Zak Zborosky, who also had an assist, made it 3-1 with No. 34, on a PP, at 14:42. . . . The Raiders cut the deficit to one when F Curtis Miske scored his 12th goal, at 18:36. . . . Baer put it away with an empty-netter at 19:18. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 37 stops. . . . At the other end, Ian Scott turned aside 30 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-5. . . . F Tyler Wong, the Hurricanes’ captain, picked up one assist in his 300th regular-season game. . . . The Hurricanes were without G Ryan Gilchrist (flu), so had Adam Swan from the midget AAA Interlake Lightning backing up Skinner. From Ashern, Man., Swan was an 11th-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes (33-15-7) have won nine in a row and have points in 15 straight games (13-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Raiders (13-38-5) have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,177.
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At Portland, F Joachim Blichfeld erased a 4-2 third-period deficit and then scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland erased 3-1 and 4-2
JOACHIM BLICHFELD
deficits to get it to OT. . . . The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead on F Hudson Elynuik’s 19th goal, at 5:12 of the first period. . . . F Cody Glass (25) tied it, shorthanded, at 15:06. . . . Spokane went ahead 3-1 as F Taylor Ross got his fifth goal at 15:50 of the first and F Keanu Yamamoto (20) counted on the PP at 3:34 of the second. . . . The Winterhawks cut the deficit to one on D Henri Jokiharju’s seventh goal, at 5:04. . . . But the Chiefs got that one back when F Jared Anderson-Dolan ran his goal-scoring streak to six games with No. 30, at 12:02. . . . Blichfeld, who now has 21 goals, scored at 7:51 and 15:31 of the third period to force OT. . . . Jokiharju assisted on both of those goals. . . . Blichfeld was the first to go in the shootout and scored the only goal. He has four game-winners in Portland’s past seven games. . . . Portland F Alex Overhardt also had two assists. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from F Kailer Yamamoto and one each from Keanu Yamamoto and Elynuik. . . . G Cole Kehler earned the victory, coming on in relief to stop all 17 shots he faced in 32:58. Starter Shane Farkas was beaten four times on 17 shots in 32:02. . . . The Chiefs got 46 saves from Dawson Weatherill. . . . Spokane was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-2. . . . The Winterhawks (30-22-3) hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, 10 points ahead of Spokane. . . . Portland also is two points behind the Tri-City Americans, who are third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Chiefs (22-23-9) have points in two straight (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 8,388.
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At Red Deer, F Tyler Steenbergen scored three goals to take over the WHL goal-scoring lead as the Swift
TYLER STEENBERGEN
Current Broncos beat the Rebels, 4-1. . . . Steenbergen, from Sylvan Lake, Alta., which is next door to Red Deer, has 43 goals, one more than F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Broncos took a 2-0 lead on goals from Steenbergen, at 1:17 of the first period, and F Glenn Gawdin (19), at 11:14 of the second. . . . The Rebels got to within one as F Lane Zablocki (18) scored, on a PP, at 9:26 of the third period. . . . Steenbergen got that one back 27 seconds later and completed his hat trick into an empty net at 19:34. . . . F Riley Stotts has two assists for the Broncos. . . . G Taz Burman earned the victory with 26 saves. . . . The Rebels got 28 stops from G Lasse Petersen. . . . Red Deer was 1-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-6. . . . The Rebels were without F Adam Musil, who was serving a one-game suspension for instigating a fight in the final five minutes of Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Rebels also were fined $500 for Musil’s indiscretion. . . . The Broncos (29-17-8) have won four straight. They are third in the East Division, six points behind the Moose Jw Warriors with two games in hand. . . . The Rebels (23-24-8) have lost three in a row and are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,665.
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At Saskatoon, F Kirby Dach scored his first two WHL goals to help the Blades to a 4-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Dach, who turns 16 on Jan. 21, was the second-overall selection in the 2016
KIRBY DACH
WHL bantam draft. He is from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., and was added to the Blades’ roster earlier in the week. This was his fifth game this season with Saskatoon. . . . F Josh Paterson (12) gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 12:13 of the first period. . . . Dach made it 2-0 at 14:29 of the second period. . . . The Warriors tied it on goals from F Thomas Foster (15), shorthanded, at 15:33 of the second and D Josh Brook (2) just 32 seconds into the third. . . . Dach snapped the tie at 6:18, with F Mason McCarty adding insurance with the empty-netter, at 19:39. . . . Saskatoon G Logan Flodell stopped 22 shots on his 20th birthday. . . . The Warriors got 29 saves from G Brody Willms. . . . Saskatoon was 1-6 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . McCarty was back in Saskatoon’s lineup after missing 27 games with a knee injury. . . . Saskatoon scratched six players with “upper-body” injuries, while the Warriors scratched four with “lower-body” injuries. . . . Saskatoon was without D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr, both out with brain injuries, along with F Cam Hebig, F Markson Bechtold, F Lukus Mackenzie and F Caleb Fantillo. Fantillo was injured in practice on Thursday. . . . Moose Jaw was missing D Colin Paradis, F Jaxan Kaluski, F Brayden Burke and F Noah Gregor. . . . The Blades (22-26-6) have won two in a row. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Warriors (32-16-8) had been 1-0-1 in their previous two games. They are second in the East Division, 13 points behind the Regina Pats. . . . Announced attendance: 3,182.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds moved into first place in the U.S. Division with a 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle (34-15-5) won its 10th straight game — it is 10-0-1 in its past 11
KEEGAN KOLESAR
games — and now leads the Everett Silvertips by one point. Everett opened a six-game East Division trip with a 2-1 loss in Brandon. . . . F Jordan Topping (16) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 9:55 of the first period. . . . Seattle responded with the next four goals. . . . F Donovan Neuls (11) tied it, on a PP, at 12:38 and F Keegan Kolesar (15) gave the Thunderbirds the lead at 15:13, also on a PP. . . . There were 15 PPs in this one. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear’s 20th goal, on a PP, made it 3-1 at 12:15 of the second period and F Sami Moilanen added his 17th just nine seconds later. . . . Parker Wotherspoon scored his ninth goal, on a PP, at 16:24, and set the Americans’ franchise record for career points by a defenceman. Wotherspoon has played in 263 games (2012-17). He had shared the record with Tyler Schmidt, who put up 165 points in 320 games (2006-11). . . . The Thunderbirds got third-period insurance from F Ryan Gropp (20), at 3:23, and F Alexander True (17), at 15:44. . . . Gropp has goals in five straight game and points in 11 in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds got three assists from each of Kolesar and F Mathew Barzal, while Bear and Gropp added one apiece. . . . The Thunderbirds got 18 saves from G Rylan Toth. . . . Tri-City starter Evan Sarthou was beaten six times on 40 shots in 55:44. Rylan Parenteau finished up with three saves in 4:16. . . . Seattle was 3-8 on the PP; Tri-City was 2-7. . . . D Jarret Tyszka was back in Seattle’s lineup, but the Thunderbirds had two players — D Turner Ottenbreit and Moilanen — not finish the game, both apparently the victims of high hits. . . . Tri-City was without injured F Michael Rasmussen, a 32-goal man. . . . The Americans (31-22-3) have lost two in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 5,308.
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At Victoria, F Jack Walker and F Tyler Soy scored shootout goals to give the Royals a 2-1 victory over the
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
Kamloops Blazers. . . . This one featured two of the WHL’s top goaltenders. . . . Griffen Outhouse turned aside 41 shots for the Royals, earning his WHL-leading 30th victory this season. He is in his second season and has a combined 48-21-7 record. . . . The Blazers got 20 saves from Connor Ingram. . . . F Matt Phillips gave the Royals a 1-0 lead with his 39th goal, at 7:21 of the first period. . . . The Blazers tied it when D Ondrej Vala struck for his ninth goal, on a PP, at 11:09. . . . Vala has goals in three straight games. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-5. . . . The Royals (31-21-4) had lost their previous two games. They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for third in the B.C. Division, six points behind Kamloops. . . . The Blazers (33-18-6) have points in their past four games (2-0-2). . . . The same two teams will meet again tonight in Victoria. . . . Announced attendance: 4,466.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Everett at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Regina at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Big day for Shirleys . . . Ex-WHL tough guy dies at 56 . . . Americans run table in East Division


Yes, Craig Cunningham, who played in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants and Portland Winterhawks, was in attendance at an AHL game in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday night. It was the first game he has attended since suffering a heart attack during the pregame warmup on Nov 19. That is former Everett Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert, now the general manager of the Tucson Roadrunners, at the left.
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Collin Shirley was all smiles late Saturday night, and it wasn’t all because the Kamloops Blazers captain had scored once and added two assists in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
A lot of it was because his younger sister, Sophie, had been named the event’s top forward at the IIHF U-18 World Women’s Championship that concluded Saturday in Zlin, Czech Republic. Team USA beat Canada, 3-1, in the final.
Sophie, 17, finished the tournament with two goals and four assists in five games, tying with three others for the tournament scoring lead.
“She’s good,” Collin, 20, said. “She’s a really good skater and a skilled player. She’s really fast and skilled.”
With a laugh, he added: “It was tough to go home (to Saskatoon) at Christmas time and have her give it to me.”
It didn’t take any prodding to get Collin to admit that he’s awfully proud of his sister. His schedule only allowed him to take in part of one game during the U-18 tournament. But, as luck would have it, he picked the right one, Friday’s semifinal in which Sophie had two goals and an assist in a 6-2 victory over Sweden.
“When ever I get a chance to watch her it’s fun to see how far she’s come over the past two years,” he said. “It’s awesome.”
It’s worth noting that there’s another Shirley who’s a pretty fair player, too. That would be Grace, 15, who has 25 points, including 12 goals, in 20 games with the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.
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Boris Fistric, who won a Memorial Cup championship with Ernie McLean’s New Westminster Bruins died Friday night in an Edmonton hospital. He was 56.
BORIS FISTRIC
Fistric died of a brain hemorrhage after falling on steps at home and striking his head.
He had worked at Edmonton Exchanger for 32 years.
As per Fistric’s wishes, there won’t be a memorial service.
Fistric, an Edmonton native, played two-plus seasons with the Bruins, totalling 27 goals, 76 assists and 973 penalty minutes — he had seasons of 414 and 460 minutes — in 143 games.
He helped the Bruins to the 1978 WHL championship and Memorial Cup title. In the regular season, he had nine goals, 34 assists and 414 penalty minutes. In 21 playoff games, he had three goals and 16 assists, along with 142 penalty minutes.
He was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings early in 1979-80, where he had a goal, eight assists and 164 penalty minutes in 23 games.
Fistric, 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, was vastly under-rated as a passer, perhaps because his propensity for taking penalties over-shadowed that part of his game.
He was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of the NHL’s 1979 draft.
Fistric played two seasons with their IHL farm team, the Kalamazoo Wings, totalling 15 goals, 57 assists and 788 penalty minutes in 140 regular-season games. He added two assists and 109 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games.
He retired after the 1981-82 season.
Fistric’s son, Marc, played four seasons (2002-06) with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants before going on to a pro career that included 325 NHL games. A hard-hitting defenceman, Marc’s season was halted by back problems after the 2014-15 season.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, G Travis Child stopped 18 shots to earn a shutout in his first start with the Wheat Kings as
TRAVIS CHILD
they beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-0. . . . Child was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos at the trade deadline on Tuesday. . . . He has two shutouts this season, the first two of his career. . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the visiting Ice, 8-3, on Friday night. . . . F Ryan Bettens (2) opened the scoring at 12:31 of the first period, with F Connor Gutenberg (9) making it 2-0 at 7:57 of the second. . . . F Reid Duke (25) added another at 14:53, with D Daniel Bukac rounding out the scoring with his first WHL goal, on a PP, at 17:16 of the second. . . . D Kale Clague had two assists. . . . G Payton Lee turned aside 39 shots for the Ice. . . . Brandon was 1-6 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick went pointless in his second game back. . . . F Vince Loschiavo, who scored one of the Ice’s goals on Friday night, was scratched from this one. . . . Brandon (22-17-4) has won two in a row. The Wheat Kings hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, eight points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay (10-27-8) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,045.
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At Calgary, the Prince George Cougars scored three times in the third period and beat the Hitmen, 5-4. . .
TY EDMONDS
. Calgary took a 3-2 lead into the third. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins, who has 12 goals, scored at 7:20 and 12:54 to put his side oiut front, 4-3. . . . F Radovan Bondra upped that to 5-3 with his 21st goal at 17:24. . . . Calgary F Beck Malenstyn (18) got it back to within one at 18:39. . . . F Josh Maser (3) had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 2:10 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on F Mark Kastelic’s eighth goal, at 10:47. . . . Prince George went back out front when F Brad Morrison scored his 17th goal at 13:54. . . . The Hitmen took the lead on second-period goals from F Jakob Stukel (14), at 8:10, and D Jake Bean (3), on a PP, at 19:23. . . . Bondra also had two assists. . . . The Hitmen got three assists from D Vladislav Yeryomenko and one from Bean. . . . G Ty Edmonds blocked 47 shots for the Cougars in winning his 24th game this season. His 93 career victories are three off the franchise record held by Scott Myers. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 24 shots for Calgary. . . . Calgary was 1-5 on the PP; Prince George was 0-3 on the PP. . . . Prince George F Jesse Gabrielle was hit with a cross-checking major and game misconduct at the end of the third period. . . . The Cougars went 3-1-0 in playing four games in five nights in Alberta. . . . The Cougars scratched D Sam Ruopp and D Tate Olson, both with undisclosed injuries, and F Aaron Boyd (ill). . . . Prince George (31-12-2) has won three in a row and is atop the overall standings, one point ahead of Regina, although the Pats have five games in hand. . . . The Hitmen (15-20-6) had points in each of their previous two games (1-0-1). They are within four points of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,607.
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At Everett, F Keegan Kolesar’s goal at 4:44 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the
KEEGAN KOLESAR
Silvertips. . . . Kolesar has seven goals this season. . . . Seattle took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals from D Ethan Bear (12), at 8:22, and F Alexander True (11), at 8:46. . . . F Matthew Wedman drew the primary assist on each of those goals. . . . The Silvertips tied it on goals from F Connor Dewar (7), at 10:07, and F Eetu Tuulola (11), at 12:20. . . . Seattle went back out front at 15:32 of the third period when F Mathew Barzal scored his third goal of the season, beating Everett G Carter Hart through the legs. The two were teammates on Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . Everett forced OT when F Matt Fonteyne got No. 13 at 17:23. . . . Bear and Barzal also had an assist each. . . . Seattle got 28 saves from G Rylan Toth, while Hart stopped 34 at the other end. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-1 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-3. . . . Seattle (22-14-4) has won four in a row and is third in the U.S. Division, three points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Everett (27-5-8) has points in four straight (2-0-2). It leads the U.S. Division by three points over the Tri-City Americans. The Silvertips have eight games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 8,249, a sellout on Local Heroes Night.
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At Kamloops, line mates Collin Shirley and Lane Bauer combined for a goal and five assists as the Blazers doubled the Vancouver Giants, 6-3. . . . Shirley had a goal and two assists, while Bauer drew
JOE GATENBY
three helpers. Nick Chyzowski, the third member of that line, scored once. . . . The Blazers took a 3-0 first-period lead on goals from F Deven Sideroff (25), Chyzowski (13) and F Rudolfs Balcers (23). . . . F Brendan Semchuk, who is from Kamloops, scored his seventh for the Giants, at 3:59 of the second period. . . . The Blazers jumped back into control on two goals from D Joe Gatenby, at 15:59 of the second period and 3:22 of the third. The latter came via the PP. . . . Gatenby went into this season with five goals in 174 regular-season games, all with the Kelowna Rockets. He has five goals in 44 games with the Blazers, including the first two two-goal games of his career. . . . Vancouver opened the third period with goals from F Brayden Watts,  his fifth, and F Ty Ronning, his 18th, at 5:00 and 10:51. . . . Shirley iced it with a highlight-reel shorthanded score at 14:19. He’s got 18 goals. . . . Balcers and Sideroff added an assist each. . . . F James Malm had three assists for Vancouver, with Watts adding two to his goal. Ronning had one assist. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson, making his 15th straight start, stopped 25 shots. G Connor Ingram, who hasn’t played since being with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, should rejoin the Blazers before they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck stopped 28 shots. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Blazers (26-16-3) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (16-25-3) have lost five in a row. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson missed his sixth straight game with what was said on Jan. 4 to be a minor injury. . . . Announced attendance: 3,923.
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At Lethbridge, F Alec Baer scored two goals for the second time in three games to help the Hurricanes to a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Baer had three goals in 39 games with the Vancouver
ALEC BAER
Giants. He has four in three games since being dealt to Lethbridge. . . . The Oil Kings got three goals from F Colton Kehler, who has 14 scores. . . . Lethbridge scored the game’s first three goals, with Baer counting at 1:25 and D Brennan Riddle (4) at 16:00 of the first period, and F Tyler Wong getting No. 31, and the 250th point of his career, at 2:15 of the second. . . . Kehler got his first goal, on a PP, at 3:50. . . . Baer put the home boys up by three again, at 6:34. . . . Kehler answered that one, on a PP, at 19:14. . . . F Egor Babenko (15) scored for Lethbridge at 2:43 of the third period, but Edmonton F Trey Fix-Wolansky replied with his 12th, at 3:01. . . . Lethbridge F Giorgio Estephan’s 22nd goal, at 5:38, ended up being the winner. It also was his 200th career point. . . . The Oil Kings got close as Kehler completed the hat trick at 10:09 and D Conner McDonald (3) scored at 18:32. . . . Lethbridge F Zak Zborosky had two assists, with Wong and Babenko adding one each. . . . Edmonton got two assists from each of D Will Warm and F Davis Koch, with Fix-Wolansky getting one. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 29 shots for the Hurricanes, nine more than Edmonton’s Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 2-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-5. . . . D Matthew Robertson made his WHL debut with the Oil Kings. He was their first-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He was brought in from the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Lethbridge (24-15-6) has points in five straight (4-0-1) and is second in the Central Division. . . . Edmonton (18-22-4) has lost five in a row and now is tied with the Saskatoon Blades for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,577.
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At Portland, F JareT Anderson-Dolan scored two goals and set up another, and F Keanu Yamamoto had two goals as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Winterhawks, 6-5. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the host
JARET ANDERSON-DOLAN
Chiefs, 5-4, on Friday night. . . . Last night, F Riley Woods (8) gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 1:24 of the first period. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie tied it with his 27th goal at 1:55. . . . The Chiefs scored the next three goals, with Anderson-Dolan counting at 9:01, Yamamoto scoring at 9:55 and F Eli Zummack (3) scoring, on a PP, at 4:11 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks replied with three straight goals. F Alex Overhardt (6) scored on a PP at 5:36, with F Ryan Hughes (16) getting the Winterhawks to within one at 6:13 and McKenzie tying it at 8:26. . . . The Chiefs went up by two as Yamamoto got No. 18 at 11:57 and Anderson-Dolan scored his 22nd at 11:57 of the third. . . . (I wonder how often that happens? The same team scores back-to-back goals at the identical time in back-to-back periods.) . . . F Cody Glass (21) pulled Portland back to within a goal at 18:34. . . . Woods and Zummack each had an assist for Spokane. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld had two assists for Portland, with Glass and Overhardt each getting one. . . . The Chiefs got 38 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten three times on five shots in 9:55. Shane Farkas finished up in his WHL debut, allowing three goals on 20 shots in 48:04. Farkas, who turned 18 on Thursday, is from Penticton, B.C. . . . This was the fourth meeting of eight this season between these teams. Portland now is 3-1-0, while the Chiefs are 1-2-1. . . . Hughes has a goal in each of the four games. . . . F Keegan Iverson, the team captain, was among the Portland scratches after he didn’t finish Friday’s game due to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Chiefs (18-19-7) had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Winterhawks (22-19-1) are in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot but are just two points ahead of Spokane. . . . Announced attendance: 7,005. . . . F Matt Revel, acquired by the Winterhawks from the Kamloops Blazers at the trade deadline, is scheduled to travel to Portland on Jan. 22. Revel, 20, has been out since Dec. 10 with a collarbone injury that is expected to keep out until some time in February.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored the game’s last two goals to give the Pats a 7-6 OT victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Brooks tied the game with 8.6 seconds left to play and won it 18 seconds into
ADAM BROOKS
OT. The winner was the 100th goal of his career. . . . He finished with two goals, giving him 24, and an assist. . . . The Raiders actually led this one 4-0 after one period on two goals from F Carson Miller, who has seven, and singletons from F Curtis Miske (8) and F Jordy Stallard (10). Miller’s first goal and Stallard’s score came via the PP. . . . Regina got back into it with three straight second-period goals — F Bryan Lockner got his third, and second in two nights, while F Jeff de Wit got No, 5 and F Dawson Leedahl got his 18th. . . . F Parker Kelly’s shorthanded goal restored Prince Albert’s two-goal lead at 6:43 of the third period. He’s got seven goals. . . . Regina F Nick Henry’s 21st goal, on a PP, pulled the home boys back to within one, at 7:48. . . . Raiders F Spencer Moe (4) gave them a 6-4 lead at 10:08. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (17) scored for Regina at 12:09, setting the stage for Brooks’ heroics. . . . Regina got three assists from F Sam Steel, two from D Josh Mahura, and one from de Wit. . . . Steel and Brooks are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 73 points. . . . D Vojtech Budik had two assists for the Raiders, with Miller adding one for a three-point night. . . . G Kurtis Chapman, up from the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, made his first career WHL started for Regina and gave up four goals on 13 shots in 20 minutes. He was backed up by Max Paddock, who plays for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings. Paddock, a nephew to Regina GM/head coach John Paddock, came on in relief and posted his first WHL victory by stopping 13 of 15 shots. . . . The Pats are down to the third and fourth goaltenders on their depth chart. Starter Tyler Brown went out with an undisclosed injury during Friday’s 6-5 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans. Backup Jordan Hollett has been out with an ankle injury since before Christmas. . . . The Raiders got 29 saves from Nic Sanders. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 1-2. . . . When the Raiders went up 4-0, it meant that the Pats had given up nine straight goals. The Tri-City Americans had scored the game’s last five goals in a 6-5 victory in Regina on Friday. . . . D Connor Hobbs and F Filip Ahl were among Regina’s scratches. . . . The Raiders were without F Simon Stransky, who left Friday’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Red Deer Rebels after absorbing a third-period hit from D Brandon Schuldaus. . . . Regina (28-5-7) had lost its previous two games. It is second in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . Prince Albert (8-33-5) has lost nine in a row (0-6-3). . . . Announced attendance: 5,127.
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At Saskatoon, F Lukus MacKenzie’s shorthanded goal broke a 2-2 tie at 6:58 of the third period and the Blades went on to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . MacKenzie has six goals. . . . F Michael Farren’s fourth goal, on a PP, gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead at 3:37 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei then scored twice, giving him 19, at 7:04 and 15:08 of the second period, for a 2-1 lead. . . . The Blades tied it on F Gage Ramsay’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 2:18 of the third period. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk added insurance for the Blades, his 17th goal going into an empty net at 19:43. . . . Farren also had an assist. . . . F Adam Musil had two helpers for the Rebels. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 20 shots for the Blades, one more than Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Saskatoon was 2-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-1. . . . The Blades (17-22-6) have won two in a row and are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Rebels (20-18-6) had won their previous two games. They are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,173.
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At Swift Current, F Jordan Topping and F Morgan Geekie scored shootout goals to give Tri-City a 4-3
JORDAN TOPPING
victory over the Broncos, allowing the Americans to run the table on their East Division trip. . . . F Ryley Lindgren’s 15th goal, his first since coming over to the Broncos from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the week, opened the scoring 25 seconds into the game. . . . F Jordan Topping gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with goals at 9:39 of the first and 9:38 of the second. . . . F Glenn Gawdin (16) and F Tyler Steenbergen (33) put the Broncos back out front by scoring at 1:10 and 6:07 of the third. . . . Geekie’s 25th goal, at 15:04 of the third, on a PP, forced OT. . . . Topping scored in the second round of the circus, with Lindgren replying for the Broncos. Geekie’s third-round goal won it. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for Swift Current and Steenbergen added one to his goal. . . . Tri-City got 28 stops from G Rylan Parenteau, while Jordan Papirny stopped 29 at the other end. . . . Tri-City was 2-5 on the PP; Swift Current 0-6. . . . The Americans (28-17-3) have won six in a row. They are second in the U.S. Division, 11 points ahead of Seattle, which holds eight games in hand. . . . The Broncos (24-13-8) have lost two straight (0-1-1). They are third in the East Division, three points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Announced attendance: 2,080.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse stopped 36 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Moose Jaw
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
Warriors. . . . Outhouse turned aside 11 shots in the first period and 15 in the third as he posted his third shutout this season and the seventh of his career, which is in its second season. . . . Outhouse also won his 23rd game this season as he improved his career record to 41-18-7. . . . F Tyler Soy opened the scoring with his 18th goal, at 12:26 of the first period. . . . Victoria went up 2-0 when F Vladimir Bobylev (4) struck on a PP, at 2:26 of the second period. . . . F Matt Phillips got No. 28 at 19:35 of the second. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko stopped 27 shots. . . . The Royals were 1-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-5. . . . Victoria (23-18-4) had lost its previous three games. It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Moose Jaw (26-11-7) is 1-1-0 on its B.C. Division tour. The Warriors remain second in the East Division, four points behind the Regina Pats and three ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Announced attendance: 5,275.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.
Spokane vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Red Deer at Swift Current, 4 p.m.

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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Nanaimo closing in on WHL franchise? ... Americans 4-0 on east swing ... Steenbergen shows off six-pack


Debrecen (Hungary, MOL Liga) has signed F Jesse Schultz (Tri-City, Prince Albert, Kelowna, 1999-2003) and D Jesse Dudas (Lethbridge, Prince George, Swift Current, Regina, 2003-09) to contracts for the rest of the season. . . . This season, with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite), Schultz had eight goals and 11 assists in 23 games. He was released on Dec. 30. . . . Dudas had been with TPS Turku (Finland, Liiga), but was injured in the only game he played, a Champions League match in which he scored a goal. He was released on Nov. 28.
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 The Kootenay Ice moving to Nanaimo? An expansion franchise? What will it be? Who knows, but it seems that talks are ongoing . . .
According to the Nanaimo News Bulletin, the City of Nanaimo and the WHL are involved in talks that could lead to a franchise landing in the Vancouver Island City.
Tamara Cummingham of the News Bulletin reports that, according to city staff, “negotiations” between the WHL and the city “leading to a memorandum of understanding for one of its teams (are) underway.”
Nanaimo has yet to hold a referendum on an $86.6-million event centre, something that likely will happen in March.
Despite that, Cunningham reports, the city has “hired a legal advisor, financial advisor and put out requests for qualifications for architects, project management and an operations manager.”
Cunningham’s story is right here.
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You may have read here yesterday that the Red Deer Rebels had dropped veteran F Matt Campese, 19, and that he was returning to the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors. It turns out that Campese, who has a goal and an assist with the Rebels, will stay in Red Deer for the remainder of this season.
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A number of players who weren’t involved in deals at Tuesday’s WHL trade deadline are on the move. Here’s a look . . .
F Dakota Odgers, 20, has joined the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. He was released by the Moose Jaw Warriors at the trade deadline. . . .
D Zach Wytinck, 17, has moved from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, while F Garrett Armour, 19, will play for the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues. . . .
D Ethan King, 17, who had been with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has been added to the roster of the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound King is from Vernon, B.C. . . .
F Ethan O’Rourke, 17, has moved from the Prince George Cougars to the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. He is the son of Cougars’ associate coach Steve O’Rourke. . . .
The Regina Pats have brought in F Duncan Pierce, 16, from the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers, while dropping D Riley Bruce, 17, from their roster. Bruce is headed for the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. Bruce had a goal and two assists in 18 games with the Pats. . . . Pierce has 10 goals and 13 assists in 25 games with the Thrashers. His arrival leaves the Pats with 13 forwards, to go with three goaltenders — Jordan Hollett is injured — and seven defencemen.
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The Vancouver Giants, fresh off an Alberta swing and having traded away F Radovan Bondra, F Thomas Foster and D Dmitry Osipov, are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday night. . . . Postmedia’s Steve Ewen reports that F Tyler Benson, who has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury, skated Wednesday in a non-contact sweater, as did F Dawson Holt and F Johnny Wesley. . . . D Darian Skeoch, who has been out with an ankle injury, took part in the full practice so should play Friday.
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The Portland Winterhawks have rescheduled a pair of games that were postponed by inclement weather over the weekend. . . . The game with the Kamloops Blazers that was to have been played on Sunday now is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., at the Moda Center. . . . The game with the Everett Silvertips that was to have been played on Saturday has been moved to Tuesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m., at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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The WHL hasn’t seen a sniper like Brian Propp since, well, Brian Propp. No one could score like Propp when he played for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the late 1970s, and he went on to an NHL career in which he totalled 1,004 points in 1,016 games. . . . Propp suffered a stroke more than a year ago, but has recovered to the point where he will be playing in a Philadelphia Flyers alumni game on Saturday. Adam Kimelman of nhl.com has more right here on Propp’s remarkable recovery and how he’s helping others.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, F Jordan Topping scored the game’s last three goals as the Tri-City Americans beat the
JORDAN TOPPING
Wheat Kings, 5-2. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 2-0 lead on goals from F Ty Lewis (22), at 1:43 of the first period, and F Baron Thompson (2), 38 seconds into the second period. . . . D Parker Wotherspoon got the Americans on the scoreboard, with his seventh goal, at 4:25 of the second. . . . F Parker AuCoin pulled Tri-City even with his 15th goal, his third shorthanded, at 9:21. . . . Topping, who has nine goals, gave the Americans the lead at 12:22, then added insurance at 5:17 and 19:44 of the third. His second goal came via a PP and the third was an empty-netter. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie, who is from nearby Strathclair, Man., drew four assists and you can bet that his father, Craig, a former WHLer (Brandon, Spokane, 1991-94), was in attendance. . . . The Americans also got three assists from F Tyler Sandhu. . . . Geekie and Sandhu drew the assists on all three of Topping’s goals. . . . G Rylan Parenteau stopped 29 shots for the victory, while Brandon’s Logan Thompson also blocked 29. . . . The Americans were 1-5 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-5. . . . The Wheat Kings lost F Reid Duke with a kneeing major and game misconduct at 2:41 of the third period. . . . Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen was scratched for a second straight game. . . . The Americans (26-17-3) have won four in a row, all on an East Division swing. They are second in the U.S. Division, four points behind the Everett Silvertips, who have eight games in hand. . . . The Wheat Kings (20-17-4) had won their previous two games. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,233.
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At Edmonton, the Lethbridge Hurricanes scored twice before the game was three minutes old and went
ALEC BAER
on to a 7-4 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . F Zak Zborosky, in his first game with the Hurricanes after being acquired from the Kootenay Ice, scored on his first shot on his first, at 1:06 of the first period. . . . He’s got 29 goals. . . . F Jordy Bellerive made it 2-0 at 2:29. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton changed goaltenders, sending Josh Dechaine in for Patrick Dea at 2:29. . . . The Hurricanes scored off a 2-on-0 break with F Egor Babenko getting his 14th goal at 4:10. . . . The visitors went up 4-0 when F Tyler Wong got No. 29, at 13:41. . . . The Oil Kings made a game of it with three goals in 35 seconds early in the second period. . . . F Ty Gerla scored tgwice, giving him four goals, at 2:58 and 3:06, and D Will Warm added his sixth goal, at 3:33. . . . But the Hurricanes regained control on two goals from F Alec Baer, in his first game since coming over from the Vancouver Giants. He counted at 5:40 and 12:14 of the second period, giving him five goals this season. . . . Bellerive’s second goal of the game, and 19th this season, added more insurance 36 seconds into the third period. . . . Edmonton D Conner McDonald (2) closed out the scoring with his first goal since being acquired last week from the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of D Brennan Menell, F Giorgio Estephan and D Igor Merezhko, and one each from Wong, Zborosky and Babenko. . . . F Brett Kemp, who was acquired from the Everett Silvertips, had three assists for Edmonton, with McDonald and Gerla each getting one. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 39 shots for Lethbridge. . . . At the other end, Dea gave up three goals on five shots, while Dechaine was beaten five times on 31 shots. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-2. . . . F Matt Alfaro, who came over from the Ice with Zborosky, was scratched with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Oil Kings are without F Riley Stadel, who was acquired from the Kelowna Rockets last week. He is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Hurricanes (23-15-5) have won three straight and are a solid second in the Central Division. . . . The Oil Kings (18-21-4) have lost four in a row. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,442.
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At Everett, G Mario Petit and G Dorrin Luding combined for 23 saves in sharing the shutout as the
DORRIN LUDING
Silvertips beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-0. . . . With Carter Hart yet to return to Everett’s lineup after playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship, Petit started and stopped 18 shots in 52:36. . . . Luding, a 17-year-old from Prince George, came on to make his WHL debut with 7:24 to play and stopped five shots. . . . F Brandson Hein scored his first goal, at 2:40 of the second period, and it stood up as the winner. . . . Hein, an 18-year-old from Winnipeg, scored in his 21st game. . . . F Connor Dewar (6) made it 2-0 at 11:57 of the second period and F Devon Skoleski (6) made it 3-0, while shorthanded, at 5:29 of the third. . . . F Jake Christiansen (3) and F Riley Sutter (13) added goals later in the third period. . . . Everett got two assists from F Bradly Goethals, while Skoleski added an assist to his goal. . . . Silvertips D Kevin Davis recorded one assist to run his point streak to 13 games, the longest active streak in the WHL at this point. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill made 29 stops. . . . Everett was 1-3 on the PP; Spokane was 0-2. . . . The Silvertips were without D Aaron Irving and D Lucas Skrumeda. . . . Everett (26-5-7) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). It is tied for third in the overall standings, two points behind the Regina Pats and one behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Chiefs (17-18-7) have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and remain two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,225.
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At Medicine Hat, the Prince George Cougars scored two third-period goals as they beat the Tigers, 4-3. .
JARED BETHUNE
. . F Radovan Bondra, who was acquired Tuesday from the Vancouver Giants, scored his 20th goal to tie the score just 37 seconds into the period. . . . F Jared Bethune broke the tie on a PP, at 7:06. He’s got 12 goals. . . . D Sam Ruopp (3) had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at 5:58 of the first period. . . . The Tigers took the lead on goals from F Steve Owre (15), at 10:05 of the first, and F Zach Fischer (23), on a PP, at 8:26 of the second period. . . . The Cougars tied it when F Jesse Gabrielle scored No. 20, at 9:26. . . . That lasted until 11:50 when F Matt Bradley’s 19th goal gave the home side a 3-2 lead. . . . Gabrielle and Bondra added an assist each, as did Fischer and Owre. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 29 shots in earning his 22nd victory of the season, one more than he put up last season and six fewer than in 2014-15. . . . Tigers G Nick Schneider, who leads the WHL with 26 victories, stopped 27 shots. . . . The Tigers were 1-4 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-5. . . . D Brendan Guhle was back in the Cougars’ lineup after missing one game due to illness. . . . The Cougars (29-12-2) moved past the Tigers (29-13-1) and into second place in the overall standings, two points behind the idle Regina Pats (27-4-7). . . . The Tigers had won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,967.
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At Prince Albert, D Vladislav Yeryomenko scored at 2:11 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 5-4 victory
VLADISLAV YERYOMENKO
over the Raiders. . . . It was Yeryomenko’s fourth goal this season. . . . The teams took turns scoring back-to-back goals in this one. . . . F Justyn Gurney (2) and F Andrei Grishakov (5) gave Calgary a 2-0 lead with goals at 9:21 and 11:51 of the first period. . . . The Raiders tied it on second-period goals from F Adam Kadlec (3) and D Kolten Olynek (9). . . . D Brady Reagan (2) gave Calgary a 3-2 lead at 13:22 of the second and F Jakob Stukel made it 4-1 just five seconds into the third period. . . . F Jordy Stallard, who was acquired from the Hitmen at the trade deadline, bot his ninth goal at 8:15 to get the Raiders to within one. . . . F Cavin Leth tied with his 11th goal, at 13:56. . . . F Parker Kelly had two assists for the Raiders, with Kadlec and Olynek getting one each. . . . G Trevor Martin, in his first appearance since joining the Hitmen this week, stopped 25 shots. . . . The Raiders got 27 stops from G Ian Scott. . . . Calgary was 0-1 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-3. . . . The Hitmen lost 5-4 in OT to the Blades in Saskatoon on Tuesday night. . . . Calgary (15-19-6) had lost its previous five games (0-2-3). It is four points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Raiders (8-31-4) have lost seven in a row (0-5-2). . . . Announced attendance: 1,815.
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen scored two goals and added four assists to lead the Broncos to an
TYLER STEENBERGEN
8-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Steenbergen has 12 points in his last four games and 21 in his last 10. In that 10-game stretch, he also has three two-point games, a three-pointer and a four-pointer. . . . The teams were tied 2-2 after the first period, but the Broncos took control with four goals in in 2:16 late in the second. . . . Steenbergen, who has 32 goals, scored at 15:14 and 16:41, with F Conner Chaulk getting his fifth goal at 17:20 and F Aleksi Heponiemi scoring No. 14 at 17:30. . . . Steenbergen, an 18-year-old from Sylvan Lake, Alta., has 55 points, including 32 goals, in 43 games. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 20 goals and 26 assists in 67 games. His fifth point last night was No. 100 for his career. . . . Swift Current F Glenn Gawdin scored the game’s last two goals — he’s got 15 — and also had two assists, while Heponiemi also had two goals and two assists. Gawdin, Steenbergen and Heponiemi combined for 14 points. . . . Broncos D Max Lajoie had two assists, too. . . . F Vince Loschiavo scored his 14th goal and added an assist for the Ice. . . . The Broncos got 24 saves from G Taz Burman, while Kootenay’s Jakob Walter stopped 35 shots. . . . Kootenay was 2-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-3. . . . Swift Current (24-12-7) has won two in a row and is third in the East Division, two points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice (10-25-8) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 1,647.
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At Victoria, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Royals, 4-3. . . . D Cal
CALVIN THURKAUF
Foote (4) pulled the Rockets into a 3-3 tie with a PP goal, at 14:36 of the third period. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf broke the tie with his 18th goal, at 15:14 of the third period. . . . F Tomas Soustal had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at 12:43 of the first period. . . . Victoria F Vladimir Bobylev (3) tied it at 2:28 of the second period and F Ryan Peckford (13) gave the home side a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 15:33. . . . F Dillon Dube’s third goal pulled the Rockets into a 2-2 tie at 8:32 of the third period. . . . F Matt Phillips scored No. 27 at 11:59, giving his guys a 3-2 lead. . . . The Rockets got three assists from F Kole Lind, with Dube and Foote adding one each. . . . Bobylev also had two assists for the Royals. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer stopped 19 shots, 13 fewer than Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse. . . . The Rockets were 1-4 on the PP; the Royals were 1-8. . . . Kelowna (25-15-3) has won two in a row and is tied with the idle Kamloops Blazers for second in the B.C. Division. . . . Victoria (22-17-4) has lost two straight and is five points behind Kamloops and Kelowna. . . . The teams will meet in Victoria again on Friday night. . . . Announced attendance: 3,783.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):


No Games Scheduled.
——

FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kootenay at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Everett at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Regina, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Kelowna at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:12 PM
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