Showing posts with label Aleksi Heponiemi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aleksi Heponiemi. Show all posts

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Ice close to new ownership? . . . Mumps not finished with WHL yet . . . Hitmen grab last playoff spot




F Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10) has signed a two-year contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had a team-high 30 goals, along with 15 assists, in 54 games. . . .
F Brandon Kozun (Calgary, 2006-10) has signed a one-year extension with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Russia, KHL). He led the team in scoring this season, with 56 points, 23 of them goals, in 59 games. Kozun was named the KHL’s forward of the week three times in the regular season and once during the playoffs.
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 Guy Flaming, the host of The PipeCast and the analyst on Edmonton Oil Kings broadcasts, tweeted Friday evening that the Kootenay Ice franchise was “very close” to being sold to “the local group in Cranbrook.”
That group is believed to include Colin Sinclair, a former Ice captain who has a business degree and an MBA. Among other things, he is the controller and co-founder of Spartan Scaffolding Ltd., a Cranbrook-based business.
A native of Brooks, Alta., Sinclair, 35, played five seasons (1998-2003) with the Ice. He attended the U of New Brunswick for four years, before going on to a brief professional career.
When news of this group first surfaced early this season, it was believed to also included two former WHL/NHL defencemen — Robyn Regehr and Rhett Warrener. Regehr spent three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers; Warrener played three seasons with the Saskatoon Blades. Regehr and Warrener were teammates with the NHL’s Calgary Flames from 2003-08.
The Ice played its final home game last night, losing 6-1 to the Calgary Hitmen before 2,139 fans. According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Ice averaged 1,754 fans per game this season. Last season, that figure was 1,957, down from 2,239 in 2014-15.
The WHL had hoped to have the Ice under new ownership and relocated to Nanaimo in time to start the 2017-18 season. But any hopes of that happening were dashed a week ago when Nanaimo voters resoundingly defeated a referendum by which the city asked for the OK to borrow $80 million in order to build an events centre that would include an arena. The WHL had gone so far as to enter into a memorandum of understanding through which it guaranteed a franchise to Nanaimo, along with a 20-year lease.
The Chynoweth family has been trying to sell the Ice since at least 2012.
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It seems the mumps virus isn’t through with the WHL just yet.
A source familiar with the situation told Taking Note on Friday night that G Jordan Papirny of the Swift Current Broncos has the WHL’s latest confirmed case of mumps.
JORDAN PAPIRNY
Papirny, 20, hasn’t played since March 7. He wasn’t in uniform again last night as the Broncos posted a 2-1 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.
Papirny, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings in January, has 119 career victories, which may be one shy of the WHL record for regular-season victories by a goaltender. Unofficially, that record is shared by Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver Giants, 2004-09) and Corey Hirsch (Kamloops Blazers, 1988-92).
The Broncos close out their regular season tonight in Moose Jaw.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Thunderbirds haven’t yet released results of tests involving F Mathew Barzal. He took the warmup prior to March 10 game against the visiting Everett Silvertips but was feeling ill and went to the dressing room before the game started. He now has missed three games.
The Thunderbirds are scheduled to entertain the Portland Winterhawks tonight in Kent, Wash.
At the same time, the Edmonton Oil Kings have cancelled their traditional post-game autograph session that was to be held after Sunday’s game against the Red Deer Rebels. That move comes despite it being the last game of the Oil Kings’ season. They won’t be in the playoffs.
“Due to the number of recent cases of outbreaks of mumps in Canada and the United States, our organization is continuing to commit to refraining from any direct interaction with fans,” reads a news release from the Oil Kings. “While there is still an extremely low risk of spectators contracting the virus, our main concern is for the health and welfare of our fans and players.
“While we appreciate this is the final game of the season, with there being more cases as of late it unfortunately became necessary to cancel this event for the protection of the fans and players. While our team staff and players have shown no symptoms of the virus, confirmed cases within our league and other leagues have been reported as recently as this week.”
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Ron Toigo, the majority owner of the Vancouver Giants, said Friday that the decision to move the franchise from the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver to the Langley Events Centre “was very good . . . the
RON TOIGO
team was not.”
Speaking on Vancouver radio station TSN 1040, Toigo added that “we identified we need to really build for the future and made that decision before the trading deadline. At the trading deadline, we went all-in.
“It’s been rough for the guys since then, but overall I think the (season) was successful for being at Langley. The building’s certainly going through a transition on how to manage events of this size. They’re certainly light years ahead of where they were at the beginning of the (season) and I think next (season) will even be that much better. We enjoy being there. We enjoy the ambience there, the fan interaction . . . it’s a lot of fun to be there, even the way the team’s been playing.”
The Giants were 16-23-3 at the Jan. 10 trade deadline. Since then, they are 4-21-3. 
The LEC seats 5,276, a figure that includes 24 suites. According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Giants go into their final home game averaging 3,831 fans per game. They will miss the playoffs for a third straight season and for the fourth time in five seasons.
Still, Toigo said, the response at the ticket office has been great.
“We’ve basically been sold out for the season,” he said, “even though there’s been a lot of no-shows. It’s been standing room only for the last couple months even with the way the team’s been playing.
“When we start winning, and we’ll be a lot better next (season), it’s going to be a lot of fun to be there.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed D Koletrane Wilson to a WHL contract. Wilson, 17, was a fourth-round selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. A native of Edmonton, Wilson, 17, played this season with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders, putting up one goal and 10 assists in 45 games. . . . The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is the younger brother of former WHL F Klarc Wilson (Brandon, Edmonton, Prince George, 2009-14).
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The WHL has honoured Herman Elfring, a longtime member of the Lethridge Hurricanes’ board of directors, with a 2016-17 Distinguished Service Award. Elfring was on the Hurricanes’ board for 23 seasons, including 21 (1994-2016) as governor. He also spent 10 years on the WHL’s finance committee. . . . Elfring retired as governor prior to this season.
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While two B.C.-based junior hockey teams — the WHL’s Kootenay Ice and the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers — have For Sale tags hanging from them, the junior B Port Moody Panthers have been sold.
The Panthers, who play in the Pacific Junior Hockey League, have been sold by a group led by Dennis Obcena and Frank Iantorno to a new ownership groups. Partners in the new group prefer to remain anonymous.
The transfer of ownership has been approved by the nine other PJHL governors.
The Panthers’ new owners have already brought in a new general manager, with Peter Zerbinos taking over from Obcena.
Zerbinos isn’t a stranger to the PJHL, having spent eight seasons with the Delta Ice Hawks, six as director of hockey operations and two as general manager. Under Obcena, the Ice Hawks won the PJHL title in 2012 and also reached the championship final in 2010.
This season, the Panthers finished 16-27-0-1, leaving them fifth in the five-team Tom Shaw Conference. They didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
The 2017-18 season with be the Panthers’ 12th in Port Moody.
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If the playoffs began today . . . 
Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Calgary
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Everett vs. Victoria
Prince George vs. Tri-City
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Seattle vs. Portland
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, F Jesse Gabrielle scored two goals to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 3-1 victory over
JESSE GABRIELLE
the Blazers. . . . The teams will meet again tonight in Prince George, with the Cougars (45-21-5), who have won three in a row, needing one point to clinch first place in the B.C. Division. They go into the game with a two-point lead over the Kelowna Rockets, who will finish up against the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. If the Cougars and Rockets end up tied for first place, Kelowna will win it on the third tiebreaker. Each will have 45 victories and they split the season series, 4-4-0. The Rockets will end on having a better goals-for minus goals-against ratio. . . . The Blazers (41-24-6) have won their previous three games. They will meet the second-place finisher in the first round of playoffs. . . . Last night, the Cougars, who dominated the neutral zone and forced an untold number of turnovers, scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Kody McDonald scored his 17th goal at 18:08 of the first period. . . . Gabrielle, who has 35 goals, scored at 3:47 and 7:36 of the second period, with F Nikita Popugaev getting the primary assist on both goals. . . . F Nic Holowko (7) scored for Kamloops at 9:37 of the second. . . . The Cougars got two assists from D Josh Anderson. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 24 shots to earn his 100th career regular-season victory. . . . The Blazers got 35 stops from G Connor Ingram. . . . Prince George was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 4,973.
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At Kelowna, F Kole Lind had a goal and three assists to help the Rockets to a 7-0 victory over the
KOLE LIND
Vancouver Giants. . . . The Rockets (44-22-5) are second in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Prince George Cougars. If the Cougars lost at home to the Kamloops Blazers tonight and Kelowna beats Vancouver in Langley, B.C., the Rockets will finish atop the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (43-23-5) have lost two in a row. . . . Kelowna is 6-1-0 in the season series. In winning the last four games, the Rockets have posted three shutouts and outscored the Giants 26-1. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 21 shots to record his second shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . The Giants got 31 saves from G David Tendeck. . . . F Reid Gardiner gave the Rockets a 1-0 lead with his 17th goal just 52 seconds into the game. . . . F Nolan Foote upped it to 2-0 with No. 18, on a PP, at 12:15. . . . F Rod Southam added two goals, giving him 19, with F Kyle Topping (14), D James Hilsendager (6) and Lind (29) also scoring. . . . F Nick Merkley and F Calvin Thurkauf each had two assists, with Gardiner and Foote each picking up one. . . . Kelowna was 3-8 on the PP; Vancouver never got even one opportunity. . . . The Giants took 52 of the game’s 78 penalty minutes. . . . Announced attendance: 5,438.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Beck Malenstyn scored three times, sparking the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-1 victory
BECK MALENSTYN
over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Hitmen (29-32-10) clinched the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card playoff spot with the victory and will meet the Regina Pats in the first round. . . . The Ice (14-45-12) has lost nine in a row (0-7-2). . . . Calgary took control with three goals in a span of 1:48 early in the second period. . . . F Jake Kryski scored his 20th goal at 4:16. . . . F Tyler Mrkonjic (8) made it 2-0 at 5:12. . . . Malenstyn upped it to 3-0 at 6:04. . . . F Max Patterson (8) scored for the Ice, on a PP, at 15:03. . . . Calgary put it away with three third-period goals. Malenstyn scored at 3:59. F Matteo Gennaro got No. 43, on a PP, at 5:15. Malenstyn completed the hat trick with his 32nd goal, shorthanded, at 11:59. . . . D Jake Bean had three assists for Calgary, with Kryski and Gennaro adding one each. . . . Calgary G Cody Porter stopped 20 shots. . . . G Payton Lee turned aside 32 shots for Kootenay. Lee, 20, is from Cranbrook so was playing the final game of his WHL career at home. . . . Kootenay was 1-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-5. . . . D Sam Huston and F Keenan Taphorn, both out with shoulder injuries, were among the Ice’s scratches. Taphorn was injured on Tuesday during a 3-2 OT loss to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. In the second period, with the Ice on the long change, Edmonton G Josh Dechaine was headed to the bench on a delayed penalty when he collided with Taphorn, who obviously got the worst of it. . . . Announced attendance: 2,139.
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At Lethbridge, F James Hamblin scored two goals as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated to a 5-1 victory over
JAMES HAMBLIN
the Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F John Dahlstrom (30) got it started with a PP goal at 12:52 of the first period. . . . Hamblin scored at 18:30. . . . F Chad Butcher made it 3-0 with his 27th goal at 3:30 of the second period. . . . F Ryan Bowen (11) got Lethbridge’s goal, shorthanded, at 7:33 of the second period. . . . Medicine Hat got that one back when F Mark Rassell (35) counted at 9:31. . . . Hamblin’s 21st goal closed out the scoring at 12:08 of the third period. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko had three assists for the winners, while Butcher had one. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 32 shots for the Tigers. They were without G Nick Schneider (personal), so had Duncan McGovern backing up Bullion. . . . Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News later tweeted that Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ GM/head coach, had “confirmed that Schneider has gone home for medical reasons but is (expected) to return for playoffs.” . . . The Hurricanes got 37 stops from G Stuart Skinner. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-8. . . . The Tigers lost F Matt Bradley to a spearing major and game misconduct at 19:56 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes continue to play without F Matt Alfaro and F Zak Zborosky. . . . The Tigers (50-20-1) have won at least 50 games for the fourth time in franchise history. . . . The Hurricanes (44-20-7) will finish second in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,203.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored two goals and added two assists, while F Sam Steel scored his 50th goal, as the Pats beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-1. . . . Steel, who leads the WHL with 131 points,
BRAYDON BUZIAK
became the league’s third 50-goal man. . . . Brooks, who won the scoring title with 120 points last season, has 127 points, including a WHL-leading 85 assists. . . . Regina scored the game’s first three goals. . . . Brooks got it started just 34 seconds into the game. . . . Steel got No. 50, on a PP, at 8:29 of the first period. . . . F Braydon Buziak (11) made it 3-0 with a shorthanded goal at 6:23 of the second period. . . . D Daniel Bukac (2) scored for Brandon at 9:05. . . . F Austin Wagner (29), who also had two assists, Brooks and F Filip Ahl (27) added second-period goals for Regina, with F Wyatt Sloboshan finishing the scoring with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 16:15 of the third period. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs had two assists, while Ahl had one. . . . G Tyler Brown record the victory with 21 saves, eight fewer than Brandon’s Travis Child. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick left in the first period favouring a knee, but returned for the second period. . . . Brandon later lost F Reid Duke with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Wheat Kings were without D Kale Clague and F Tanner Kaspick, with undisclosed injuries, D Garrett Sambrook (ill) and F Tyler Coulter (suspended). . . . The Pats (51-12-8) have won seven in a row. They will finish atop the overall standings and open the playoffs against the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Bruce Luebke, the former longtime radio voice of the Wheat Kings, tweeted that Brandon (31-30-10) finished the season with nine road victories, its lowest such total since 1991-92. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484. . . . That was Regina’s 14th sellout of the season. The Pats set a franchise record with an average attendance of 5,456. The previous record (5,095) was set in 2007-08.
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At Saskatoon, G Logan Flodell turned aside 36 shots in leading the Blades to a 5-3 victory over the
CHASE WOUTERS
Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Despite the victory, the Blades (28-24-9) will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. They haven’t qualified since being the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup tournament. . . . The Raiders (20-44-7) won’t be in the playoffs, either. . . . F Cavin Leth (23) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 8:13 of the first period, but the Blades responded with the next four goals. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, scored his 31st goal at 13:49 in his final home game. . . . F Braylon Shmyr (35) scored on a PP at 2:05 of the second period to give Saskatoon the lead. . . . F Michael Farren (8) made it 3-1 at 6:21 and F Gage Ramsay (9) scored shorthanded at 10:21. . . . The Raiders made it interesting with third-period goals from F Parker Kelly (21), shorthanded, at 4:53, and F Spencer Moe (6), at 8:39. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Paterson (17) put it away with an empty-netter at 19:59. . . . F Chase Wouters had three assists for Saskatoon, with Shmyr getting one. . . . G Nic Sanders started for the Raiders and allowed three goals on 14 shots in 26:21. Ian Scott finished up by stopping 10 of 11 shots in 31:27. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 10,030. . . . Darren Steinke, the wandering blogger, was in attendance and filed an emotional piece that is right here.
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At Swift Current, F Aleksi Heponiemi broke a 1-1 tie at 17:35 of the third period as the Broncos beat the
ALEKSI HEPONIEMI
Moose Jaw Warriors, 2-1. . . . These teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs. They also will play again tonight in Moose Jaw. . . . The Broncos (39-22-10) will finish third in the East Division, while the Warriors (41-21-9), who are 0-4-1 in their last five games, in second spot. . . . D Matt Sozanski gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with his third goal at 8:09 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it on F Glenn Gawdin’s 26th goal, at 5:58 of the second period. . . . Heponiemi won it with his 28th goal. . . . F Ryley Lindgren had two assists for the Broncos. . . . G Taz Burman earned the victory with 34 saves. . . . The Warriors got 21 stops from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Broncos had F Logan Barlage, who turned 16 on Jan. 12, in their lineup. Barlage, from Humboldt, Sask., was the fourth-overall pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He was pointless in two earlier games with the Broncos. With the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, he had 76 points, including 37 goals, in 44 games this season. . . . D Josh Brook was among Moose Jaw’s scratches, while the Broncos were without, among others, G Jordan Papirny (ill), D Colby Sissons, F Kaden Elder and D Max Lajoie. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Morgan Geekie scored his second goal of the game 28 seconds into OT to give
MORGAN GEEKIE
the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The victory lifted the Americans (39-28-3), who had lost their previous five games, into the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Victoria Royals. Tri-City is fourth in the U.S. Division, one point behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Chiefs (26-33-11) have lost eight in a row (0-7-1). . . . Geekie, who has 34 goals, gave the Americans a 4-3 lead at 15:13 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs tied it as F Kailer Yamamoto, who had three goals, counted at 18:58 and again at 19:24. He’s got 42 goals. . . . F Vladislav Lukin, back after missing eight games with an undisclosed injury, got his 25th goal at 19:35 of the first period to give Tri-City a 1-0 lead. . . . Yamamoto tied it at 16:52 of the second. . . . Yes, the teams combined for six third-period goals. . . . Tri-City D Dylan Coghlan (14) scored at 0:22 and F Tyler Sandhu (22) gave the home side a 3-2 lead at 7:31. . . . F Hudson Elynuik had Spokane’s other goal, his 28th, on a pp, at 12:28. . . . D Jordan Topping had two assists for the Americans, with Coghlan, Geekie and Lukin each getting one. . . . Elynuik, D Ty Smith and F Keanu Yamamoto had two assists each for the Chiefs. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 32 shots for the Americans. . . . The Chiefs got 27 stops out of G Jayden Sittler. . . . Spokane was 2-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-4. . . . The Americans also had F Max James back from a three-game absence. . . . Announced attendance: 4,579.
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At Victoria, F Matt Fonteyne scored two goals to help the Everett Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the
MATT FONTEYNE
Royals. . . . The Silvertips (43-16-11) moved back into first place in the Western Conference standings, one point ahead of the idle Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Royals (37-28-6) have lost six in a row (0-5-1) and slipped a spot into the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . F Jack Walker’s 30th goal, on a PP, gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 5:56 of the first period. . . . The visitors took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Kevin Davis (9), on a PP, at 8:24, and Fonteyne, at 11:44. . . . Walker scored again, 22 seconds into the second period, to get the Royals even. That was his 100th career regular-season goal. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (18) restored the Everett lead at 1:32 and Fonteyne’s 19th goal added insurance at 2:59. . . . Everett got two assists from each of F Dominic Zwerger and F Patrick Bajkov. . . . D Scott Walford had two assists for Victoria. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 25 shots for Everett, while Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse turned aside 18. . . . Each team was 1-3 on the PP. . . . F Tyler Soy returned to Victoria’s lineup after missing 13 games with an undisclosed injury, while head coach Dave Lowry was back behind the bench after sitting out three games with the mumps. With assistant coach Dan Price running the bench, the Royals went 0-2-1. . . . Victoria D Mitchell Prowse also was back after recovering from the mumps. . . . D Ryan Gagnon set a Royals franchise record for career regular-season games played, with No. 319. That is one more than F Brandon Magee (Chilliwack/Victoria, 2009-15). . . . Announced attendance: 7,006.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 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.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Portland, 5 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON

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Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Warriors, Wheaties split doubleheader ... Pats win ninth straight game . . . 'Cane train rolls through Red Deer


The Everett Silvertips open a six-game East Division swing against the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday night. The Silvertips left Everett on Tuesday morning and arrived in Brandon late last night. . . . Mike Benton, their play-by-play man, is blogging on a daily basis and you can read it all right here.
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History was made in Brandon on Wednesday night as the Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors played a doubleheader of sorts, completing a game that was suspended by fog on Sept. 24 and then playing a regularly scheduled game.
It was only fitting that both games went to OT — Moose Jaw won the suspended game, 4-3, and Brandon took the nightcap, 4-3 — because all six games in the season series have needed extra time. Each team is 3-0-3, meaning each team has nine of a maximum 12 points — yes, both teams have gone home happy from every single game.
The Wheat Kings are the WHL’s defending champions and that Sept. 24 game was their home-opener. However, with humidity in Brandon as high as 100 per cent that day, there were issues with fog in Westman Communications Group Place. As a result, the game was suspended with 5:37 to play in the second period and the Warriors holding a 2-1 lead.
Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun wrote in Wednesday’s newspaper:
“In one of the weirder stat lines you’ll ever find, (Jordan) Papirny of the Swift Current Broncos was Brandon’s starting goalie on Sept 24. He gave up two goals, to Brayden Watts of the Vancouver Giants and Nikita Popugaev of the Prince George Cougars.
“Both teams will have six players potentially in the lineup who didn’t play in the first game. Of the 26 players that Moose Jaw listed on its roster on Sept. 24, eight are gone, while Brandon has parted ways with seven of the 27 it had listed.”
The suspended game started at 6 p.m. They completed the second period, took a two-minute break and played the third.
F Jayden Halbgewachs, the WHL’s leading sniper, scored No. 41 on a PP at 18:48 of the third period to tie the game 3-3 and force OT.
F Thomas Foster, who when the game started on Sept. 24 was a member of the Vancouver Giants, won it for Moose Jaw with his 14th goal at 3:37 of OT. Foster had drawn the secondary assist on Halbgewachs’ goal.
When the suspended game resumed, Brandon F Stelio Mattheos, who scored earlier in game (on Sept. 24), scored his 19th goal to tie the game 2-2. Brandon D Dmitry Osipov, who was teammates with Foster in Vancouver on Sept. 24, gave the Wheat Kings a 3-2 lead with his third goal at 7:07 of the third period.
Zach Sawchenko was in goal for Moose Jaw yesterday and earned the victory with 14 saves on 16 shots. Interestingly, Brody Willms had started on Sept. 24 and had stopped 22 of 23 shots.
The Wheat Kings had started Jordan Papirny in goal on Sept. 24, and he was beaten twice on 24 shots. However, he now is with the Swift Current Broncos. Logan Thompson ended up with the loss after being beaten twice on nine shots.
Interestingly, the WHL, without providing an explanation, ruled before the game that no matter what happened Papirny wouldn’t be the losing goaltender.
“While Papirny was the goaltender of record for the Wheat Kings at the time the game was suspended,” the WHL said in a news release, “whomever starts tonight for Brandon will become the goaltender of record — be that Travis Child or Logan Thompson — regardless of the outcome.”
In other words, had Moose Jaw gone on to a 2-1 victory, Thompson would have been the losing goaltender despite not having given up a goal. Why? Because it’s the Dub, I guess.
To top things off, Popugaev, who was playing for the Cougars in Prince George last night, was named the third star in Brandon’s Fog Bowl.
In the nightcap, Brandon F Nolan Patrick scored twice, including the winner just 37 seconds into OT.
Patrick, who has 11 goals, had given Brandon a 1-0 lead at 13:21 of the first period. Brandon F Rylan Bettens (3) upped that to 2-0 at 19:29.
Moose Jaw came back with the next three goals. F Justin Almeida got his seventh at 15:20 of the second period. D Jett Woo (4) tied it at 5:38 of the third period and Halbgewachs, with No. 42, gave the visitors the lead, at 13:11.
Mattheos tied it with his 20th at 18:36.
Brandon got three assists from D Kale Clague and two from F Tyler Coulter. For Moose Jaw, Woo added an assist to his goal.
The Wheat Kings got 31 saves from Thompson, while Sawchenko stopped 33 at the other end.
Each team was 0-2 on the PP.
Announced attendance was 5,187 for the opener and 4,143 for the nightcap.
Brandon, which has been hit by an outbreak of mumps, was without F Caiden Daley, F Reid Duke and F Cole Reinhardt, all of whom were on the WHL’s roster report as being ill as of Tuesday. Brandon head coach David Anning, who missed the previous two games due to illness, was back behind the bench.
Interestingly, referee Fraser Lawrence and linesman Kelsey Mahoney worked both games from start to finish. On Sept. 24, Kyle Scrivens was the other referee, with Tarrington Wyonzek on the lines. On Wednesday, Lawrence and Jeff Ingram were the referees, with Mahoney and Darrell Smurinski working the lines.
The Wheat Kings (26-20-7) hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. They are fourth in the East Division, five points behind the Swift Current Broncos.
The Warriors (32-15-8) are second in the East Division, 11 points behind the Regina Pats, who hold four games in hand, and eight ahead of the Broncos.

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The Portland Winterhawks are scheduled to meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Saturday. That game is to be televised, as was the one last Saturday in which the host Winterhawks won, 4-3 in a shootout. As you will be aware by now, the game ran long, going past a three-hour window, so the TV station left the game for a newscast and went to local news, despite the game being in OT.
A note from the Seattle Thunderbirds’ latest e-newsletter:
“The T-Birds and Tribune Broadcasting have partnered to broadcast eight games this season on This TV.
“The next game to be broadcast is on Feb. 11 at 7:05 p.m. in (Kent). This TV has addressed the issue from the end of the last T-Birds/Winterhawks broadcast on Feb. 8. This TV will be broadcasting the full game on Feb. 11, including overtime and shootout if they happen.”
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The Saskatoon Blades, with at least five forwards on the injury list, have brought in F Kirby Dach on an emergency basis. Dach, who turned 16 on Jan. 21, is expected to stay with the Blades for the remainder of the season, something that has been cleared through the WHL and Hockey Alberta. . . . Dach was the second overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He has one assist in four games with the Blades this season. . . . The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Dach has been with his hometown midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, putting up six goals and 20 assists in 22 games. . . . He is scheduled to practise with the Blades today (Thursday) and is expected to be in the lineup against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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CORRECTIONS:

There were two errors in a post that I put up here on Tuesday. I wrote that Vancouver Giants D Darian Skeoch, who is listed as being out indefinitely on the WHL’s roster report, was in the lineup Tuesday night in Prince George. He wasn’t. In fact, it appears that an ankle injury may have ended his season. . . . I also wrote that the Tri-City Americans had shut down D Tyler Jette because of a brain injury. I am told that isn’t the case, and that he was shut down with an “upper-body injury” that isn’t a brain injury. . . . Apologies all around.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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JUST NOTES:

Former WHL D Ryan Coghlan is the first player to commit to playing with the Vancouver Island University Mariners, a new team that is based in Nanaimo and will play in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League next season. . . . Coghlan, who is from Nanaimo, had 19 points, including seven goals, in 81 regular-season WHL games. He played 57 games with the Saskatoon Blades and 24 with the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . 
Former WHL/NHL D Marc Fistric has joined the Stony Plain Eagles of the Chinook Hockey League, a senior AAA team in contention for the Allan Cup. The Eagles’ roster also includes former NHL/WHL F Ryan Smyth. The Eagles are to open the playoffs on Saturday with Game 1 of a best-of-seven first-round series with the Innisfail Eagles. . . . 
So . . . you are at a bantam hockey tournament and you see a handful of men clutching a cup of coffee in one hand and a notebook in the other, and you wonder that they’re doing. Mike Fraser, a veteran WHL scout who now works for the Brandon Wheat Kings, details all that and more in his latest column for the Westman Journal. That piece is right here.
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Concussion Report
No one can recall Nick Bond taking a hit to the head, but the captain of the Springfield, Pa., High School hockey team left Sunday’s game with a headache. Moments later, he collapsed. Surgeons operated to relieve pressure on his brain but Bond, a senior, died Monday afternoon. . . . Michaelle Bond of philly.com has that story right here. . . . “Coaches and parents said that they did not see Bond take any blows to the head and that he did not tell anyone he had been hit,” Bond writes, “but he died from complications from blunt-impact head trauma, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office said Tuesday. The office ruled his death an accident.”
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You likely are aware that the NHL is embroiled in a lawsuit as it is being sued by a number of former players who claim the league hasn’t been upfront about the repercussions of concussions/brain injuries. The NHL has hired Dr. Rudy Castellani, a neuropathologist and director of the Western Michigan University Center for Neuropathology, as a medical expert, knowing full well that he denies the existence of CTE. . . . Rick Westhead, who is awfully busy these days as a senior correspondent with TSN, reports that Dr. Bennet Omalu, “the neuropathologist whose story was depicted in the movie Concussion, put himself in the midst of the NHL concussion lawsuit on Wednesday.” . . . Dr. Omalu has written a letter to a lawyer representing former players and that letter has been field in U.S. district court in Minneapolis. . . . This is starting to get really interesting and you can bet that the WHL, which continues to allow teenagers to fight during games, is watching closely. . . . Westhead’s story is right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S OTHER GAMES:

At Calgary, G Tyler Brown earned the shutout while F Sam Steel and D Connor Hobbs each had four
TYLER BROWN
points as the Regina Pats beat the Hitmen, 4-0. . . . Brown, who earned an assist on the winning goal, stopped 28 shots in recording his third shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 9:30 of the first period. . . . The Pats took control with two PP goals 1:51 apart late in the first, with F Nick Henry getting No. 25, at 18:03, and Steel scored his 39th at 19:54. . . . Hobbs’ 23rd goal, on a another PP, rounded out the scoring at 12:04. . . . Hobbs had three assists, with Steel getting two. . . . The Hitmen got 26 saves from G Trevor Martin. . . . Regina was 3-5 on the PP; Calgary was 0-6. . . . Steel leads the WHL with 96 points, six more than teammate Adam Brooks, who had one assist. . . . The Pats (38-6-7) have won nine in a row. They lead the overall standings by five points over the Prince George Cougars, who have played six fewer games. . . . The Hitmen (19-25-9) have lost two straight and are one point out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,116.
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At Edmonton, F Aleksi Heponiemi snapped a 2-2 tie at 2:47 of the third period as the Swift Current
ALEKSI HEPONIEMI
Broncos beat the Oil Kings, 3-2, handing the home team its 15th consecutive loss. . . . The Broncos went 3-7 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 2-6. . . . F Kaden Elder gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 12th goal, at 7:58 of the second period. . . . D Conner McDonald (4) tied it, at 13:49. . . . The Broncos went back out front at 17:12 when F Tyler Steenbergen scored his 40th goal of the season. That is second in the WHL, to F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who has 42. . . . Edmonton tied it again when F Artyom Baltruk scored his third goal 59 seconds into the third period. . . . F Ryley Lindgren had two assists for the winners, with Heponiemi and Steenbergen getting one apiece. . . . G Jordan Papirny earned the victory with 23 saves, three fewer than Edmonton’s Patrick Dea. . . . The Oil Kings lost D Will Warm to a charging major and game misconduct at 12:52 of the second period. That was for a hit on F Lane Pederson. . . . Edmonton took 52 of the 91 penalty minutes handed out in this one. . . . The Broncos (28-17-8) have won three in a row. They are third in the East Division, five points ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Oil Kings (18-32-4) are eight points out of the playoffs. . . . Announced attendance: 6,220.
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At Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 33 shots, 15 of them in the first period, to lead the Blazers to a 6-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . That was Ingram’s third shutout this season and the 10th of his
RUDOLFS BALCERS
career. . . . Ingram is 20-9-3 this season, the third season in a row he has won at least 20 games. . . . Ingram picked up the secondary assist on the game’s last goal. That was his first career assist and came in his 146th game. . . . The Blazers got a goal and two assists from F Rudolfs Balcers, who is from Latvia. He leads all freshmen in goals, with five more than F Nick Henry of the Regina Pats. . . . D Nolan Kneen (2) scored the game’s first goal, at 17:05 of the first period. . . . F Garrett Pilon’s 14th goal made it 2-0 at 14:11 of the second period and F Collin Shirley (22) upped it to 3-0 just 40 seconds later. . . . D Ondrej Vala (8), Balcers and F Erik Miller (4) added third-period goals. . . . Pilon also had an assist. . . . Kelowna got 27 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Kamloops was 1-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-3. . . . F Quinn Benjafield (ill) was among Kamloops’ scratches. . . . The Blazers have beaten the Rockets eight straight times in Kamloops. . . . Kamloops (33-18-5) has points in three straight (2-0-1) and is 7-2-2 in its past 11 outings. The Blazers are second in the B.C. Division, seven points behind the Prince George Cougars and seven ahead of the Rockets and Victoria Royals. . . . Kelowna (30-20-4) had won its past three games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,255.
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At Medicine Hat, F Mason Shaw ran his point streak to 15 games with a goal and assist, leading the
MASON SHAW
Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Shaw has 78 points, including 21 goals, in 54 games. He has 20 points, 12 of them assists, in his past 15 games. . . . That is the third-longest point streak in the WHL this season, behind the 22-game effort turned in by F Adam Brooks of the Regina Pats and a 16-game from Regina D Chase Harrison. . . . F Tim Vanstone (8) gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at 7:06 of the first period. . . . Shaw tied it, on a PP, at 5:09 of the second period. . . . Tigers D Jordan Henderson (4) broke the tie at 16:14 and F Zach Fischer’s 27th goal upped the lead to 3-1 at 4:06 of the third. . . . The Raiders got back to within one when F D-Jay Jerome scored his sixth goal at 17:34. . . . G Michael Bullion turned aside 25 shots for the Tigers. . . . At the other end, Ian Scott stopped 36 shots. . . . The Tigers were 1-5 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-2. . . . Medicine Hat (38-16-1) has won two in a row. The Tigers lead the Central Division by six points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Prince Albert (13-37-5) has lost two straight. The Raiders had won their previous four road games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,974.
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At Prince George, F Johnny Wesley scored in the sixth round of a shootout as the Vancouver Giants
JOHNNY WESLEY
ended an eight-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . The first two shooters in the skills competition — Vancouver’s Ty Ronning and Prince George’s Nikita Popugaev — each scored, but that was it until Round 6. . . . The Cougars took a 1-0 lead when F Jackson Leppard, a first-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, scored his first WHL goal at 9:14 of the second period. It came in his 29th career game, 27 of them this season. . . . Ronning tied it with his 21st goal just 30 seconds later. . . . The Giants took a 2-1 lead when Wesley got his eighth goal, on a PP, at 11:37. . . . Prince George F Jared Bethune (16) forced OT when he scored at 13:32 of the third period. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck was the game’s first star, with 38 stops. . . . Ty Edmonds stopped 23 shots for the Cougars. . . . Vancouver was 1-3 on the PP; Prince George was 1-4. . . . The Cougars, who beat the visiting Giants 4-1 on Tuesday, again were without D Brendan Guhle and F Jansen Harkins, both of whom have undisclosed injuries. . . . The Giants (18-32-5) had been 0-6-2 in their previous eight games. . . . The Cougars (37-16-4) are 1-0-1 in their past two games. They remain second in the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 2,503.
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At Red Deer, D Brennan Menell scored once and added two assists to help the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 7-3 victory over the Rebels. . . . Menell, a 19-year-old from Woodbury, Minn., has 51 points, including
BRENNAN MENELL
11 goals, in 52 games this season. Last season, with the Vancouver Giants, he finished with seven goals and 46 assists in 69 games. . . . He has points in 17 of 19 games since the Christmas break, scoring five goals and earning 22 assists in that stretch. . . . F Dawson Martin (7) gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead at 7:53 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Zane Franklin (5) at 10:23 and F Zak Zborosky (33) at 1:25 of the second period. . . . The Rebels tied it on F Austin Glover’s 17th goal at 3:46. . . . The Hurricanes responded with the game’s next four goals, all on the PP. . . . Menell started it at 10:20 and F Egor Babenko (18) added one at 14:44. F Tyler Wong, playing in his 299th regular-season game, scoed his 39th goal at 7:18 of the third period, and D Calen Addison (6) counted at 17:34. . . . Red Deer got its last goal from F Lane Zablocki (17), at 18:35, and F Jadon Joseph (3) replied for Lethbridge at 19:30. . . . Lethbridge got two assists from F Giorgio Estephan and one each from Wong, Zborosky, Babenko and Franklin. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 25 shots for Lethbridge in running his record to 27-13-5. . . . Red Deer starter Lasse Pedersen was beaten five times on 30 shots in 49:09. Riley Lamb finished up with eight saves on 10 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 4-7 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-3. . . . The Hurricanes (32-15-7) now have points in 14 straight games (12-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Rebels (23-23-8) have lost two straight. They are third in the Central Division, seven points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Announced attendance: 4,025. . . . Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com has a game story right here. Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach, wasn’t pleased.
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At Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 4-3 third-period deficit with three straight goals en route to a 6-5 victory
ELI ZUMMACK
over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F Skyler McKenzie’s 34th goal gave the Winterhawks a 4-3 lead at 3:21 of the third period. . . . Spokane F Jaret Anderson-Dolan tied it with his 29th goal, at 7:05 of the third period. A first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, Anderson-Dolan has 56 points in 53 games. He has seven goals in his past five games. . . . F Eli Zummack gave the Chiefs a 5-4 lead with No. 8 at 10:04 and D Tyson Helgesen (8) made it 6-4 at 11:04. . . . The Winterhawks got back to within a goal when F Alex Overhardt counted his 13th goal, on a PP, at 18:07. . . . The Winterhawks had taken a 1-0 lead on F Colton Veloso’s 16th goal, at 4:53 of the first period, only to have the Chiefs tie it on F Ethan McIndoe’s 12th goal, at 8:57. . . . Overhardt sent the visitors back out front at 11:00, only to have F Alex Mowbray tie it with his second goal of the season, shorthanded, at 17:46. . . . The Chiefs took a 3-2 lead on F Hayden Ostir’s sixth goal, at 12:46 of the second period, with the Winterhawks pulling even when D Brendan De Jong got No. 8 at 16:11. . . . Zummack and F Kailer Yamamoto each had two assists for the Chiefs, with Ostir adding one. . . . The Winterhawks got two assists from each of D Caleb Jones and F Ryan Hughes, with De Jong getting one. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill blocked 35 shots, two fewer than Portland’s Cole Kehler. . . . Portland was 2-7 on the PP; Spokane was 0-1. . . . The Chiefs (22-23-8) are nine points behind Portland (29-22-3), which holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. Portland had won its previous seven games. It is four points behind the third-place Tri-City Americans. . . . Announced attendance: 3,162.
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At Victoria, D Ethan Bear broke a 4-4 tie at 7:15 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Royals, 5-4. . . . Seattle had won 3-1 in Victoria on Tuesday night. . . . Bear’s 19th goal, which tied last
ETHAN BEAR
season’s career high, came via the PP, with F Mathew Barzal and F Ryan Gropp assisting. Barzal and Gropp each had four points, the former setting up four goals and the latter scoring once and adding three helpers. . . . The Thunderbirds took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Keegan Kolesar, on a PP, at 3:55, and D Austin Strand (6), at 6:47. . . . D Ralph Jarratt’s second goal got the Royals on the scoreboard at 15:33, but Gropp, who has 19 goals, got that one back, on a PP, at 18:56. . . . Kolesar’s 14th goal, at 8:10 of the second period, sent Seattle to a 4-1 lead. . . . The Royals accounted for the next three goals, the first two on second-period PPs. . . . F Tyler Soy (25) scored at 10:57 and F Matt Phillips got his 38th at 13:03. . . . F Jared Dmytriw tied it with his 10th goal at 2:04 of the third period. . . . Gropp is riding a 10-game point streak, with eight goals and 12 assists over that stretch. He had four goals and three assists in the two-game sweep in Victoria. . . . Barzal has 45 points, including 38 assists, in 27 games this season. He had six assists in the two victories. . . . The Royals got three assists from F Dante Hannoun, while Phillips and Soy each had one. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth turned back 19 shots in winning his 27th game, two off Victoria G Griffen Outhouse, who leads the league. Outhouse finished with 23 saves. . . . The Thunderbirds were 3-5 on the PP; the Royals were 2-6. . . . Seattle F Elijah Brown left Tuesday’s game with an apparent leg injury, but was back in the lineup for this one. . . . The Thunderbirds (33-15-5) have points in 10 straight (9-0-1). They have closed to within a point of the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips, who have a game in hand and are scheduled to open a six-game East Division swing in Brandon on Friday. . . . The Royals (30-21-4) have lost two in a row. They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for third in the B.C. Division. . . . Announced attendance: 2,965, although there were far fewer than that in the building due to inclement weather. Prior to the game, the Royals announced that all fans who had tickets, whether they were in attendance or not, are eligible to exchange them for ducats to one of two weekend games. The Kamloops Blazers are scheduled to play in Victoria on Friday and Saturday.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Everett at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Regina at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Paddock cracking whip in Regina . . . Tigers' defence hurting . . . Seattle on five-game roll


F Zdeněk Bahenský (Saskatoon, 2004-06) has been released from a tryout contract with Mladá Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) that was signed on Jan. 10. He didn’t appear in a game for Mladá Boleslav. This season, he had two goals and nine assists in 22 games with Nové Zámky (Slovakia, Extraliga) when he was released on Dec. 31. . . . 
F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) has been released by Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga). He had nine goals and 21 assists in 23 games.
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 John Paddock, the general manager and head coach of the Regina Pats, had seen enough. Although it was riding high atop the CHL rankings, Paddock knew that the ship was leaking. 
That was before Friday evening, when the Pats jumped out to 4-0 and 5-1 first-period leads over the Tri-City Americans, before watching it all fall apart as the visitors stormed back for a 6-5 victory.
Paddock, tired of undisciplined play and bad penalties, reacted Saturday by scratching D Connor Hobbs and F Filip Ahl before a game against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders.
How’d that work?
Well, the Raiders scored the game’s first four goals, all in the first period, at which point the Pats had been outscored 9-0 over a stretch of 61 minutes 27 seconds and all on home ice.
On Saturday, it took two goals from F Adam Brooks, one with nine seconds left to play in regulation time and the other in OT, to give Regina a 7-6 victory.
The Pats travelled to Prince Albert for a Sunday game, giving Paddock lots of time to ponder what has been happening. He put Ahl and Hobbs back into the lineup, but took out F Austin Wagner and the Pats responded with a 5-1 victory. Hobbs responded to his benching with two goals and an assist.
The Pats, who have been the No. 1 team in the CHL rankings, likely will lose their spot this week because of their performance in those two home games. It will be interesting to see how they respond.
They have some time to practise before entertaining the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday and visiting the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers don’t play again until Wednesday when they visit the Saskatoon Blades.
Already without D David Quenneville, who hasn’t played since Jan. 3 when he suffered a broken fibula
while blocking a shot, they now have lost D Ty Schultz. He left in the first period of Friday’s 7-3 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Yes, he ended up with a broken fibula after blocking a shot.
When he was injured, Quenneville, an 18-year-old from Edmonton, had 48 points, 20 of them goals, in 38 games.
Schultz, a 19-year-old from New Westminster, B.C., was having a career season offensively, with 21 points, 18 of them assists, in 44 games when he went down. He has equalled his career high in goals (3) and surpassed the 14 assists he recorded in 2014-15.
If things really do come in threes, that should be it for the Tigers and broken  feet from blocked shots. Last season, the Tigers lost F Steve Owre on Dec. 1 when he ended up with a broken ankle after being hit by a Quenneville shot. Owre, who had 24 points in 24 games when he was injured, didn’t play again until Jan. 25. He finished with 52 points, including 20 goals, in 55 games.
With Quenneville and Schultz out and the WHL trade deadline having passed us by, what happens with Medicine Hat now?
Well, the Tigers’ acquisition of D Jordan Henderson, 19, from the Saskatoon Blades on Jan. 5 for a fifth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft looms large. Henderson’s experience will be key to helping the Tigers through this rough spot.
As well, veteran Clayton Kirichenko, 20, will no doubt be asked to shoulder more of the load. He already is having a banner season, with career highs in assists (32) and points (37).
Latvian freshman Kristians Rubins, who turned 19 on Dec. 11, is also sure to be asked for more. He’s 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, and was with Latvia at the World Junior Championship, so wanting more from him shouldn’t be much of a reach.
Quenneville isn’t expected back for at least a month, and Schultz, depending on what the X-rays showed, could be gone at least that long.
Really, though, there’s no reason for panic in The Hat. After all, the Tigers are 30-13-1 and leading the Central Division by six points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes and 14 over the third-place Red Deer Rebels.
For a while, at least, the Tigers will be playing with house money.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, F Matteo Gennaro completed his first career hat trick at 1:44 of OT to give the Hitmen a 6-5
MATTEO GENNARO
victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Calgary held a 5-3 lead in the third period but had to go to OT to win it. . . . D Igor Merezhko (2) gave Lethbridge the lead at 6:59 of the first period, only to have Calgary D Micheal Zipp (4) tie it 35 seconds later. . . . F Tyler Wong put the visitors back out front with No. 32 at 2:48 of the second period. . . . Calgary then scored three straight, with F Luke Coleman counting his eighth at 6:05 of the second, Gennaro getting his first of the game at 11:14, and D Brady Reagan (3) scoring at 13:29. . . . Wong’s 33rd got Lethbridge to within one at 1:11 of the third period, but Gennaro that one back at 7:14. . . . Lethbridge forced extra time as F Alec Baer (8) scored a PP goal at 8:10 and D Calen Addison got his sixth at 11:16. . . . Gennaro won it with his 22nd goal of the season. His first hat trick came in his 241st game. . . . Calgary got two assists from F Andrei Grishakov, while Zipp added one to his goal. . . . F Giorgio Estephan drew two assists for Lethbridge, with Wong and Baer each getting one. . . . The Hitmen got 16 saves from G Trevor Martin. . . . Lethbridge starter Stuart Skinner made 28 saves, while Ryan Gilchrist stopped the only shot he faced in a 56-second appearance in the third period. . . . Lethbridge was 1-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Hitmen (16-20-6) are two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings and Saskatoon Blades, who are tied for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. . . . Lethbridge (24-15-7), which was playing its third game in three nights, has points in six straight (4-0-2) and is third in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigerrs. . . . Announced attendance: 7,083.
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At Prince Albert, F Sam Steel had a goal and two assists to help the Regina Pats to a 5-1 victory over the
MAX PADDOCK
Raiders. . . . Steel is the WHL’s leading scorer, with 76 points, one more than teammate Adam Brooks, who had one assist. . . . D Connor Hobbs, who had been a healthy scratch on Saturday when the Pats beat the visiting Raiders 7-6 in OT, scored twice and added an assist. . . . Steel got the Pats started with his 32nd goal, at 7:19 of the first period. . . . Raiders F Spencer Moe (5) tied it at 7:06 of the second period. . . . Regina scored the next four goals. . . . F Filip Ahl, who had joined Hobbs as a healthy scratch on Saturday, got No. 20 at 10:24, with Hobbs giving Regina a 3-1 lead at 13:14. . . . Hobbs, who has 19 goals, scored again at 9:03 of the third period and F Dawson Leedahl, who also had an assist, closed it out with his 19th goal just eight seconds later. . . . Ahl is the Pats’ fourth 20-goal man this season, and they have three others each with 19. . . . The single-season record for most 20-goal scorers is 12 (Medicine Hat Tigers, 1985-86; Portland Winterhawks, 1980-81). . . . Regina G Max Paddock, 16, stopped 33 shots in his second career start. He is 3-0-0, 1.89, .938 in three appearances this season. . . . G Ian Scott turned aside 34 shots for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert was 0-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-4. . . . Both teams were playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. Regina went 2-1-0; the Raiders were 0-2-1. . . . Regina (29-5-7) has won two straight. . . . Prince Albert (8-33-5) has lost 10 in a row (0-7-3). . . . Announced attendance: 1,958.
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At Kent Wash., D Ethan Bear set up three goals as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Spokane Chiefs, 6-4. . . . Bear, who has seven points over his past three games, has 37 points, including 25 assists, in 39
ETHAN BEAR
games. . . . The Thunderbirds controlled this one with two three-goal bursts. . . . They took a 3-0 lead on goals from D Austin Strand (2), on a PP, at 6:10 of the first period; D Jarret Tyskza (5), at 9:31; and F Sami Moilanen (13), at 4:59 of the second. . . . The Chiefs got to within a goal when F Hayden Ostir (4) and F Kailer Yamamoto, on a PP, scored at 10:22 and 13:13 of the second. . . . But Seattle responded to that with the next three goals to put it away. . . . F Alexander True counted, on a PP, at 16:14 of the second period. F Ryan Gropp got his 11th at 4:25 of the third, and True added his 13th, on another PP, at 12:39. . . . The Chiefs got the game’s last two goals, from F Ondrej Najman (2), at 14:32, and Yamamoto, at 19:07. He’s got 28 goals. . . . F Mathew Barzal and F Nolan Volcan had two assists each for Seattle, with Moilanen adding one. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan and F Keanu Yamamoto each had two assists for the Chiefs. . . . D Turner Ottenbreit of the Thunderbirds recorded one assist and now has a career-high 17 points in 41 games. Last season, he finished with 16 in 69. . . . G Rylan Toth earned the victory with 29 saves, five more than Spokane’s Jayden Sittler. . . . Seattle was 3-3 on the PP; Spokane was 1-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (23-14-4) have won five in a row and are third in the U.S. Division, nine points behind the Tri-City Americans but with seven games in hand. . . . The Chiefs (18-20-7), who were playing their third game in as many days, are two points out of a wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,003.
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At Swift Current, F Aleksi Heponiemi scored the only goal of a three-round shootout as the Broncos beat
ALEKSI HEPONIEMI
the Red Deer Rebels, 5-4. . . . Heponiemi had scored his 16th goal, at 3:42 of the first period, to give the home boys a 1-0 lead. From that point on, the teams alternated goals. . . . F Austin Glover pulled Red Deer into a tie at 7:19. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen’s 34th goal, on a PP, gave the Broncos a 2-1 lead at 9:27. . . . Glover’s 15th goal tied it 2-2, at 12:06 of the second period. . . . F Kaden Elder (9) put Swift Current back out front, at 17:20. . . . Red Deer F Michael Spacek tied it, again, at 5:30, only to have the Broncos go ahead when D Colby Sissons (6) scored, at 9:00. . . . Spacek forced OT with his 19th goal, at 17:45. . . . Heponiemi also added an assist. A freshman from Finland who turned 18 on Jan. 9, he now has 54 points, including 38 assists, in 46 games. . . . G Jordan Papirny got the victory with 33 saves. . . . Red Deer G Riley Lamb also made 33 saves. . . . Swift Current was 1-2 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . The Broncos (25-13-8) finished a stretch of three games in as many days at 1-1-1. They are third in the East Division, one point behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Rebels (20-18-7) are a comfortable third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 1,845.
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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Kelowna at Everett, 2:05 p.m. (Martin Luther King Day)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:45 PM
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