The Prince Albert Raiders were to have played host to the Regina Pats on Saturday night. But blizzard-like conditions put an end to those plans. . . . A decision was made in mid-afternoon to postpone the game due to the inclement weather conditions. It will be rescheduled. . . . The Pats and Raiders aren’t scheduled to meet again until the final weekend of the regular season (March 20 and 21) when they are to go home-and-home. . . . The Raiders are scheduled to play in Brandon today, with face-off at 4 p.m. Seriously!
And then there is the bizarre scheduling to which the Victoria Royals find themselves subjected. The Royals dropped a 7-3 decision to the Royals in Kelowna on Friday night. Victoria then played last night in Kamloops where they beat the Blazers, 5-2. . . . The Royals left Kamloops immediately after the game and headed for Kent, Wash., where they are to face the Seattle Thunderbirds today at 5:05 p.m. . . . That’s three games in three different cities in fewer than 48 hours. . . . On top of that, the Royals have to get home to play an afternoon game — it’s a noon start — against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday. . . . It all adds up to four games in about 90 hours. . . . Gee, I wonder if the Royals will practise on Monday or if head coach Dave Lowry will tell them to enjoy a day away from the rink?
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There was an interesting note involving the first goal of a game in the notes for Saturday’s game that had the Victoria Royals in Kamloops to play the Blazers. . . . It seems that the Royals scored first in only 15 of their first 39 games. They went 18-18-3 in those games. . . . Since then, they have scored first in 10 of 16 games. They are 12-3-1 in those games. . . . Obviously, the first goal of game can be rather important. . . . Of course, they didn't score first Saturday night in Kamloops, but ended up winning, 5-2.
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There was good news for Brandon Wheat Kings’ fans on Saturday morning. Bruce Luebke, the play-by-play voice of the Wheaties, tweeted that the team has “confirmed that all of their home playoff games will be played at Westman Communications Group Place.” . . . In past seasons, the Wheat Kings have been forced to find another home in the first round because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair takes over the building. . . . This year’s Royal runs from March 30 through April 4. The Wheat Kings apparently will be able to schedule first-round games around that. . . .
F Rodney Southam of the Kelowna Rockets drew a two-game suspension for incurring his fourth game misconduct of the season on Friday against the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . The Rockets were fined $1,000 “for second occasion of a player instigating fight in last five minutes of game.” Southam instigated a fight late in Friday’s game.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES
B.C. DIVISION: Kamloops lost at home, while Prince George and Vancouver won on the road. . . . Vancouver went to bed in third place, with the other two tied, just one point back. . . . Vancouver has 15 games remaining, Kamloops 14 and Prince George 13. . . . Kamloops and Prince George are five points behind Tri-City, which holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Kelowna won at home and now holds a four-point lead over idle Brandon atop the overall standings.U.S. DIVISION: Everett picked up a loser point and now leads the division by eight points over idle Portland. . . . Seattle won and trails second-place Portland by three points. Each has 16 games remaining.
EAST DIVISION: Swift Current’s home-ice victory lifted the third-place Broncos 11 points clear of Moose Jaw and Prince Albert. Moose Jaw lost on the road and Prince Albert was snowed out. . . . Moose Jaw and Prince Albert are eight points behind idle Edmonton, which holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Second-place Calgary went into Medicine Hat and won to pull to within four points of the first-place Tigers. . . . Calgary holds one game in hand. . . . Red Deer picked up a loser point and is six points behind Calgary.
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In Swift Current, F Cavin Leth scored twice to lead the Broncos to a 5-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Riley Whittingham gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with a PP goal seven seconds into the second period. He’s got 11 goals. . . . D Jordan Thomson pulled the Broncos even with his fourth goal just 18 seconds later. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen broke the tie with his fifth goal at 7:05. . . . Leth, who has five goals, and F Jake DeBrusk, who has 34, provided third-period insurance. . . . F Adam Helewka got his 30th goal for the Chiefs. . . . The Broncos (27-24-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Chiefs (27-25-4) went 3-3-0 on their East Division swing. They have lost 11 of their last 15 games but now go home for three in a row. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Chase Witala scored at 1:15 of OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . Witala, who also had an assist, has 28 goals. . . . F Jeff de Wit scored his third goal of the season for the home side at 12:37 of the first period. . . . F Kody McDonald pulled the Cougars even with his sixth goal at 4:14 of the second and F Zach Pochiro got his 13th, at 16:46, for a 2-1 lead. . . . Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell forced OT with his 17th goal, via the PP, at 2:54 of the third. . . . Prince George G Tavin Grant stopped 40 shots, 17 more than Red Deer’s Taz Burman. . . . Pochiro, who scored twice in a win in Medicine Hat on Friday, had an assist, too, while F Jansen Harkins had two of them. . . . The Cougars (23-32-4) are 2-0-1 in their last three and have points in five of six. . . . The Rebels (28-18-9) have lost four in a row. They lead the WHL in loser points. . . . 
In Lethbridge, F Giorgio Estaphan scored twice to help the Hurricanes to a 5-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Estephan’s first goal, on the PP, gave Lethbridge a 3-1 lead at 5:27 of the second period. . . . The Blades pulled even on F Mason McCarty’s second goal of the game, and fifth of the season, at 18:35, and F Nic Zajac’s eighth goal at 1:00 of the third period. . . . Estephan broke the tie with his 16th goal at 14:00. . . . Lethbridge D Kord Pankewicz scored his sixth goal, via the PP, and added an assist. . . . F Brett Stovin had two assists for the Blades, while McCarty also had an assist. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 32 shots, eight more than Saskatoon’s Nik Amundrud. . . . Lethbridge was 2-for-3 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-for-3. . . . F Lukas MacKenzie, a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft, made his debut with the Blades. He’s from Calgary and attends the EDGE School in his hometown. . . . Lethbridge (18-32-6) has won three in a row and is 6-1-1 in its last eight. . . . The Blades (16-36-3) are seven points behind Lethbridge in the race to avoid the WHL cellar. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, G Brendan Burke made 44 saves to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . F Adam Tambellini gave the Hitmen a 1-0 lead with his 39th goal at 5:39 of the first period, on a PP. . . . F Beck Malenstyn upped that to 2-0 with his seventh goal at 12:39 of the second. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford scored his WHL-leading 45th goal at 15:19 of the second. He has one more goal than Kelowna F Rourke Chartier. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer turned aside 25 shots. . . . Calgary was 1-for-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-for-5. . . . The Hitmen are 33-18-5 and have won 10 of their last 11. . . . The Tigers (36-18-3) have lost three in a row. . . .
Congrats on The Big 5-0 to @victoriaroyals bench boss @jungledave10 who made Cup Finals with both Panthers & Flames. pic.twitter.com/MSf0MenJ8d
— O-Pee-Chee Stars (@opeecheestars) February 15, 2015
In Kamloops, F Tyler Soy scored twice and set up another to lead the Victoria Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . F Matt Needham got the Blazers on the board first, scoring his 19th goal at 5:53 of the first period. . . . The Royals scored the nest four goals, with Soy getting two of them. He’s got 23 goals in his sophomore season. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll also scored twice, giving him 32. Soy, now with 52 points in 53 games, drew an assist on the second of those. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts, playing his 150th career regular-season game, had three assists. He now has 101 career points, including 80 assists. . . . F Cole Ully had two assists for Kamloops. He’s got 73 points in 55 games. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase had two assists. . . . The Royals lead the season series 4-2-1 (the Blazers are 3-3-1). Victoria will be back in Kamloops on Feb. 27 to conclude the series. . . . The Royals had an 18-4 edge in shots in the first period and led 42-32 at game’s end. . . . Victoria head coach Dave Lowry turned 50 on Saturday. He had 35 points, including 18 goals, in 79 games with the 2000-01 Calgary Flames. Kamloops head coach Don Hay was the Flames’ head coach for the first 68 games that season, before he was replaced by Greg Gilbert. . . . The Royals (31-21-4) are a comfortable second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Blazers (22-30-6) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Kelowna, G Jake Morrissey stopped 28 shots to help the Rockets to a 6-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . It was Morrissey’s first career shutout. . . . F Tyson Baillie and F Leon Draisaitl each had two goals and two assists. . . . Baillie reached the 200-point plateau for his career. He has 202 points, including 92 goals, in 244 games. . . . Baillie, who has 34 goals, had been out since Feb. 7 thanks to a headshot from Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield, who sat out Game 3 of a four-game suspension last night. . . . Draisaitl has 27 points, including nine goals, in 17 games since joining the Rockets from the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . D Riley Stadel and F Dillon Dube each had two assists. . . . The Rockets (44-9-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Warriors (22-30-4) are eight points out of a playoff spot with 16 games remaining. . . .
In Everett, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the only two goals of the shootout as they beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal forced OT with his 11th goal at 19:35 of the third period. . . . F Scott Eansor had given Seattle a 1-0 lead with his eighth goal, on the PP, at 9:08 of the first. . . . Everett took the lead on PP goals by F Patrick Bajkov, his 21st, at 8:42 of the second, and F Remi Laurencelle, his 18th, at 2:21 of the third. . . . Barzal and F Donovan Neuls had the shootout goals. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 25 shots through OT, one more than Everett’s Carter Hart. . . . Everett was 2-for-4 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-3. . . . The Thunderbirds (29-20-7) are 2-0-1 in their last three. . . . Everett (35-16-6) has points in its last four (2-0-2). . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., the Vancouver Giants moved back into third place in the B.C. Division with a 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Giants F Alex Baer scored his 12th goal just 47 seconds into the game and the visitors never were headed. . . . F Zack Jones got his 27th goal and F Carter Popoff his 23rd for Vancouver. . . . Baer and Jones each added an assist, too. . . . F Jakob Stukel had two assists for the winners, while F Jackson Houck scored his 18th goal and had an assist. . . . F Lucas Nickles got his 21st goal and had an assist for the Americans. . . . Vancouver now is 24-30-3, while the Americans, who have lost two in a row, are 26-28-3.———
SUNDAY’S GAMES
(all times local)Prince Albert at Brandon, 4 p.m.
Saskatoon vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 6 p.m.
Victoria vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
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MONDAY’S GAMES
(all times local)Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 2 p.m.
Brandon at Regina 2 p.m.
Prince George at Edmonton, 2 p.m.
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Chad Brownlee's new guitar is the coolest thing I've ever seen. pic.twitter.com/wOyW874Kdn
— Maximillian (@thapeppa_grinda) February 14, 2015
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Lucas Nickles scored twice to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over Kelowna, as the Rockets tasted defeat for the first time this season. . . . Nickles, who is from Salmon Arm, B.C., has six goals. . . . The Rockets now are 10-1-0. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 30 shots. . . . Americans F Beau McCue broke a 2-2 tie with his fifth goal 39 seconds into the third period. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson worked his 900th WHL game. He also has coached in Portland and Calgary. . . . The 8-4-0 Americans are atop the U.S. Division. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has a game story 
In Spokane, F Ivan Nikolishin scored at 2:59 of OT to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Chiefs F Keanu Yamamoto scored twice for Spokane, the second one at 16:52 of the third period forcing OT. . . . The Silvertips, at 6-0-3, are the only WHL team not to have lost in regulation time. . . . D Noah Juulsen had two assists for Everett. He has 11 points in nine games. Last season, he finished with 10 points in 59 outings. . . . F Dominic Zwerger had two assists for Spokane. . . . The Chiefs (4-2-3) have points in seven of nine games. . . . Everett has won its last two games in Spokane, the first of those on March 12, after losing 18 in a row. . . . These same teams will play Wednesday in Everett. . . . Chris Derrick of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has a game story 
In Kent, Wash., D Ryan Rehill scored with 13.3 seconds left in OT to give the Kamloops Blazers a 5-4 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar had forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 16:10 of the third period. . . . Rehill has five goals in 130 career regular-season games. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully set up four goals. . . . The Thunderbirds have played 11 games this season, with five of those going to OT. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots in earning his first WHL victory. . . . 
In Saskatoon, D Blake Orban and F Andrew Koep each scored twice as the Edmonton Oil Kings dumped the Blades, 6-4. . . . The Oil Kings have won four in a row. . . . The Blades had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . The 7-3-0 Oil Kings are off to their best start in modern franchise history. “I’m shocked by that, to be honest,” Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team's website. “We’ve had some pretty good team efforts. When we’ve been able to generate offence, it’s come from a variety of sources. With the exception of tonight, we’ve defended pretty hard, and that’s always going to be backbone for us." . . . The Oil Kings broke a 2-2 tie with four straight goals, three in the second period and one early in the third. . . . F Brett Pollock and D Ashton Sautner each had three assists for Edmonton. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson scored his second shorthanded goal in four games. . . . F Alex Forsberg had two goals for Saskatoon. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 25 shots, including beating F Garrett Armour on a second-period penalty shot with the Oil Kings leading 3-2. . . . Saskatoon was without F Nick Zajac (shoulder) and D Isaac Schacher (wrist), both of whom were injured on Friday. . . . The Blades ran a Pink The Rink promotion that included F Cory Millette wearing the captain's C in memory of his late father, Adrien, who died of cancer on Jan. 30, 2011. . . . Cory’s mother, Kim, took part in the ceremonial pre-game faceoff. Later in the evening, Kim won the 50/50 draw, so went home with $7,765 in her purse. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Calgary, F Chad Butcher's two goals led the Medine Hat Tigers to a 5-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . One night earlier, in Calgary, the Hitmen beat the Tigers, 2-1, in OT. . . . Last night, the Tigers, now 9-1-1, enjoyed a 34-18 edge in shots. . . . Butcher, 18, went into this season with eight goals in 101 career regular-season games. This season, he has 10 goals in 11 games. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-6 on the PP; the Hitmen PP unit never had an opportunity. . . . 
In Prince Albert, the Raiders snapped a five-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . D Josh Morrissey drew two assists for the Raiders, who outscored the visitors 4-1 in the third period. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored his seventh goal of the season for the Raiders. . . .
In Lethbridge, G Tyler Brown stopped 29 shots in his first WHL appearance to lead the Regina Pats to a 6-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Brown, from Winnipeg, joined the Pats a couple of weeks ago when Tyler Fuhr left the club for personal reasons. Brown normally backs up Daniel Wapple. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk scored his first goal of the season in his first game for Regina. He had returned from the camp of the NHL's Calgary Flames with a wrist injury. . . . F Connor Gay had a goal and two assists for Regina, which scored the game's last six goals. . . . Lethbridge D Nick Walters played in his 250th regular-season game, while it was No. 200 for F Zane Jones. . . . 
In Brandon, F Jayce Hawryluk scored four times to spark the Wheat Kings to a 10-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Hawryluk has nine goals on the season. . . . The Wheat Kings have a promotion with Smitty's, a local restaurant, that gives each fan in attendance a free breakfast if they scored seven goals in a home victory. . . . Brandon fans will be eating well, because the Wheat Kings beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos 8-3 on Friday night. . . . D Reid Duke added a goal and three assists for Brandon. . . . F Chase De Leo had two goals for Portland. . . . G Bolton Pouliot saw his first action with the Winterhawks since joining the team on Friday. He stopped 16 of 20 shots after coming on in relief of Brendan Burke with Brandon leading 6-2 late in the second period. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
this season on Nov. 28 for his role in what the league called “a series of violations” of its regulations. . . . Kariya, according to a news release, “will oversee the team’s in-game video scouting, helping the coaching staff make adjustments between periods. He will also assist with players’ skill development at practices.” . . . Veteran assistant coach Kyle Gustafson handled the video work for the last number of seasons, but moved to the bench when assistant GM/assistant coach Travis Green moved up following Johnston’s suspension. . . . Kariya, who is from Vancouver, played at the U of Maine before going on to a pro career that included 65 games with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. He played in Europe before retiring after the 2009-10 season. . . . Johnston was on the Canucks’ coaching staff when Kariya played there.
In Saskatoon, the Blades won their 18th straight game, beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-1. . . . The outcome also gave head coach Lorne Molleken his 600th WHL victory. He is only the second coach in WHL history to get there, behind Ken Hodge (742). . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls earned his 300th regular-season point when he drew an assist on the game’s first goal. He later scored his 41st goal of the season, into an empty net. . . . Blades F Nick Zajac scored his eighth goal, running his goal streak to four games. . . . In reference to Molleken’s 600th victory, Zajac told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “It’s special to see. It’s a great accomplishment for him. He can say he’s a big dog now.” . . . Brandon F Richard Nejezchleb (hand) was back in the lineup after not playing since Jan. 8. He scored Brandon’s lone goal at 17:38 of the third, on a PP. . . . The Blades next play Sunday when they meet the Warriors in Moose Jaw. Saskatoon has won five in a row from Moose Jaw during this 18-game streak. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Cory Millette scored twice to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Millette’s second goal, his 10th of the season, broke a 1-1 tie at 14:18 of the second period. . . . F Jaeden Descheneau scored his 22nd for the Ice. . . .
In Calgary, D Eetu Laurikainen stopped 36 shots as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Hitmen, 3-1. . . . F Adam Lowry of the Broncos broke a 1-1 tie withhis 431st goal at 17:20 of the first period. . . . All four goals were scoed in the first period. . . . D Dillon Heatherington had two assists for the winners. . . . The Hitmen had D Alex Roach back in the lineup after he missed five games with a shoulder injury. . . . 
In Regina, F Trent Ouellette scored at 4:44 of OT to give the Pats a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti scored his 30th goal to force OT at 13:21 of the third period. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 41 shots. . . . D Christos Zinis, who turned 16 on Thursday, made his WHL debut with the Warriors. He is from Broomfield, Colo., and was an eight-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds scored two first-period goals and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs scored his 23rd goal at 14:00 of the first and it stood up as the winner. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart got his 20th goal into an empty net. . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley stopped 28 shots in losing for the first time in his seven straight starts. . . . Seattle G Brandon Glover also stopped 28 shtos. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser played in his 312th consecutive game, breaking the WHL record that had been held by D Dwayne Newman (Brandon, Victoria, 1987-92). . . . 
In Prince George, F Colin Smith had two goals and an assist as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . Smith’s first goal was the 100th of his career; the second one was his 40th of the season. . . . Smith has 99 points this season. . . . The Blazers are five points shy of the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets, who hold one game in hand. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford tied the franchise record for career regular-season games played (341). He should break the record he now shares with F C.J. Stretch (2005-10) tonight when the Blazers meet the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . The Cougars took 87 of the game’s 164 penalty minutes, most of which came in the third period as things degenerated a bit. . . . 
In Victoria, F Mike Aviani scored at 3:38 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . Aviani has 29 goals this season. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton drew three assists. . . . Victoria V Logan Nelson forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 12th of the season, at 13:24 of the third. . . . D Brett Cote had three assists for the Royals. . . . The Royals, who have lost eight straight, had F Tyler Soy, 15, and D Isaac Schacher, 18, in their lineup. Soy was a first-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, while Schacher played for the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, whose season is over. . . . Victoria F Logan Fisher is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. He left a 5-4 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Carter Popoff scored at 1:06 of OT to give the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Giants used the game to celebrate Gordie Howe’s 85th birthday (he actually turns 85 on March 31). . . . Lethbridge F Sam Mckechnie scored his 26th goal at 7:28 of the third to force extra time. . . . The Hurricanes had trailed 3-1 after the first period. . . . F Russell Maxwell scored twice for Lethbridge, giving him 21. . . . Popoff has 13 goals. . . . The Giants had F Alec Baer, 15, in the lineup for the first time. The Minnesotan was awarded a penalty shot at 17:33 of the third period, with the score tied 4-4. Lethbridge G Ty Rimmer, who stopped 31 shots, thwarted him. . . . The Giants revealed that D Reid Zalitach’s season is over. He suffered a knee injury in Wednesday’s 5-3 victory in Kamloops. . . . 
In Everett, F Michael St. Croix had four assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings dropped the Silvertips, 7-1. . . . D Martin Gernat scored twice — he’s got three — for the Oil Kings, who went 3-2-0 on their U.S. Division swing. . . . Edmonton was 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . F Trevor Cheek had two goals, giving him 29, and an assist for Edmonton. . . . D Griffin Reinhart added his seventh goal and two assists for Edmonton.
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