Sentencing date set for Blazers' majority owner . . . Konowalchuk's wallet lightened . . . Rockets to be without coach

Tom Gaglardi, the owner of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and the majority owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, will be sentenced on federal environmental-related charges on Dec. 12. Gaglardi and his family’s company, Northland Properties, were convicted on charges of harmful alteration of a fish habitat. . . . Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week has more right here.
---
Steve Konowalchuk, the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, wasn’t happy with the officiating in a 2-1 OT loss to the host Everett Embellishers, er, Silvertips on Saturday night. Thom Beuning, the radio voice of the Thunderbirds, explains right here that the frustration has been building all season and that the explosion finally came. . . . On Monday, Konowalchuk was fined $750 by the WHL office.
---
Trevor Bast, the founder of Revive TRU Hockey, a group with the goal of bringing university hockey back to Kamloops, said Saturday the program could run on an annual budget of $90,000. “That was the approximate cost to run the team in 2013-14,” Bast, who lives in Victoria, said. “That number isn’t cast in stone but it’s a starting point.” . . . Bast’s group also is working on restructuring the cost to each potential player. “We are working with a couple of players and they suggest that a player fee of $1,800 is fair and manageable,” Bast said. Based on a 25-player roster, that would give the program $45,000 right off the bat. . . . “You could then say that hockey can exist at a CIS school, where the players pay $1,800 each and don’t receive any academic or athletic financial assistance, for an additional $45,000 per season,” Bast said. . . . At the same time, Bast has started up a petition aimed at reviving the program. That petition is right here. . . . For more information, contact Bast at revivetruhockey@gmail.com or Cam Weir, a TRU student and hockey player, at cweir19@yahoo.ca.
---
A lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis claims the NCAA and its Division 1 schools should be paying the federal minimum wage to student athletes. Unlike other pending lawsuits of this nature filed against the NCAA, this one includes each Division 1 school. . . . Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY has more right here.
---
Every newspaper editor should aspire to be Ben Bradlee, the legendary editor of the Washington Post, who died a week ago at the age of 93. If you click right here you will find a remarkable essay that he wrote dealing with lying and how it has become so popular in today’s culture.
---




F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice is on the limp. Bozon, 20, made his season debut by playing in two games on the weekend. But the Ice’s weekly report has him out again, day-to-day, with an undisclosed injury. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets head for Portland and two games with the Winterhawks this week, but the B.C. bunch won’t have head coach Dan Lambert behind the bench. He’s headed for the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, where he’ll be the head coach of one of three Canadian entries. In his absence, first-year assistant coaches Kris Mallette and Travis Crickard will run the Rockets for six games, including Thursday and Saturday in Portland. . . . The Rockets and Winterhawks met in last season’s Western Conference final, with Portland winning in five games. . . . On Sunday, the Winterhawks will play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings in a one-game rematch of last season’s championship final. The Oil Kings won that series in seven games and went on to win the Memorial Cup. . . .
The Winterhawks will be without F Alex Schoenborn, as he sits out a four-game suspension for a  headshot on F Reid Gardiner of the Prince Albert Raiders. See Monday’s Tweet of the Day for the visual evidence. . . . 
A news release from the Brandon Wheat Kings, who play the Royals in Victoria tonight, points out that their average attendance through six games is 4,018. Last season, the Wheat Kings averaged 3,529 through 36 games. “Brandon is a respectable 12th in league attendance and drawing better than six teams in larger locales -- Kamloops, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Prince George, Regina and Tri-City,” the news release reads. “Wheat Kings season-ticket sales are also ahead of pace, with 2,398 sold, up from last year's final tally of 2,357.” . . .
The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks recalled D Josh Manson from their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, on Monday. Manson, a sixth-round selection by the Ducks in the NHL’s 2011 draft, played two seasons at Northeastern U. He is the son of former NHL/WHL D Dave Manson, now an associate coach with the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have released F Jack McClelland, an 18-year-old from Wichita, Kansas. He was pointless in five games. . . . McClelland, who was born in Oshawa, Ont., is the son of former NHL F Kevin McClelland.
---

THE NUMBERS GAME:

The Prince George Cougars are the WHL’s most-penalized team, with 375 minutes. The least-penalized team? That would be the Everett Silvertips, a team accused by Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk of embellishing, with 99 minutes. The Cougars are taking 23.4 minutes per game, the Silvertips 8.25. . . . The Thunderbirds? A total of 212 minutes, for an average of 16.3. . . . Second to the Cougars in this dubious category are the Regina Pats, and they are 98 minutes behind in one fewer game. . . .
The team that leads the WHL in penalty minutes also has the poorest penalty killing, and that’s not a good combination. . . . The Cougars have been shorthanded a league-high 92 times and have given up 31 goals, 11 more than Regina. Swift Current has the league’s best PK unit (88.5 per cent) and has given up only seven goals. In four fewer games, Medicine Hat (88.2) has allowed only six PP goals. . . . I’m thinking the Cougars (8-8-0) are talking discipline these days. . . .
On the other side of the coin, the Cougars have had 78 PP opportunities (only the Medicine Hat Tigers, with 79, in three fewer games, have more), but are 19th in PP efficiency, at 14.1 per cent. . . . The Kelowna Rockets (24-for-73, 32.9) are first. . . . Everett is 11th (13-for-61, 21.3), with Seattle 13th (10-for-54, 18.5). . . . BTW, the Tigers are the only team in the league not to have scored a shorthanded goal. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings, with the third-ranked PK unit, and the Moose Jaw Warriors (20th) have four apiece.

Winterhawks back on even ground; meet the bus driving radio man

With apologies to Elliotte Friedman, here are 10 thoughts . . .
1. Via Twitter, Friedman, of Hockey Night in Canada, explained the Quenneville-Lucic discipline discrepancy, of US$25,000 vs. $5,000: “Comparing Quenneville's fine to Lucic: players have a CBA, coaches don't. That's the difference. Drives coaches crazy.”
2. How many fighting majors have been handed out through four days of Stanley Cup play? Two? Four? Six? Eight?
3. There have been two fighting majors through 13 games, going into Sunday’s play. . . . Obviously, this is more proof that fisticuffs aren’t needed if hockey is to be entertaining.
4. You watch Boston Bruins F Milan Lucic spear D Danny DeKeyser of the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks D Brent Seabrook drill F David Backes of the St. Louis Blues, and you wonder where the respect factor has gone? Shouldn’t the game be about taking the puck from an opponent, rather than putting an opponent out of the game?
5. If you’re a sporting fan, you have to admit that it’s neat to see some basketball fever in Toronto. And it is going to be interesting to see how much NBA commissioner Adam Silver lightens the wallet of Raptors GM Masai Ujiri for his “(Bleep) Brooklyn” comment on Saturday. . . . I’m thinking the fine will be closer to Quenneville country than to Lucic country.
6. If you weren’t aware, Brooklyn Nets small forward Andrei Kirilenko, who didn’t get off the bench on Saturay in Toronto, is preparing to open the first Hooters restaurant in Russia. The grand opening is scheduled for Moscow on April 28. As Sam Laird of mashable.com wrote, the restaurant “will include 40 flat-screen TVs for sports-watching, as well as a gift shop featuring the Hooters merchandise Russians don't yet know they need.” (BTW, AK-47’s wife turned to Instagram to question why Nets head coach Jason Kidd kept her husband on the bench. Ahh, you just gotta love social media.)
7. If you were wondering, the two fighting majors went to F Brandon Prust of the Montreal Canadiens and D Radko Gudas of the Tampa Bay Lightning. They scrapped at 2:56 of the second period in Game 2 on Friday night.
8. By the time the Portland Winterhawks and Kelowna Rockets get through with each other, you wonder how much the survivor will have left. After two games, this is shaping up as one of those epic series that people will talk about for a long time. (If you’ve Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston, who is your starting goaltender for Game 3?)
9. If the Saskatoon Blades haven’t handed a blank cheque to Mike Williamson, who was deposed as head coach of the Calgary Hitmen a couple of days ago, you have to assume it’s only because it’s a long weekend in Canada and their banker was at the lake getting his cabin ready for summer, which may only be two months away.
10. You realize, of course, that five OT goals have been scored in these Stanley Cup playoffs and that three have come from WHL grads. D Barret Jackman (Regina Pats, 1997-2001) and F Matt Calvert (Brandon Wheat Kings (2007-10) scored in extra time for the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. On Wednesday, F Dale Weise (Swift Current Broncos, 2005-08) scored an OT goal for the Montreal Canadiens.
---


 
If you read one thing today, make it this column by Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun. It’s all about the legendary Bob Ridley, the bus driving radio man who is the voice of the Medicine Hat Tigers. This is good stuff.
---
Joel Quenneville, the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, was fined US$25,000 for grabbing his man region as he expressed his disgust with the officiating in Game 1 of a playoff series against the St. Louis Blues the other night.
F Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins will be fined, perhaps $5,000, for a spear to the groin of Detroit Red Wings D Danny DeKeyser in Game 1 of their series on Friday evening.
Of course, the NHL is a bit confused.
Chris Peters of cbssports.com has more right here.
---
D Jaynen Rissling, who played out his eligibility with the Calgary Hitmen this season, had his NHL rights dealt by the Washington Capitals to the Nashville Predators on Saturday for a seventh-round pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . . Rissling, who played five seasons with the Hitmen, had 37 points, including eight goals, in 54 games this season. He was Calgary’s captain. . . . He was a seventh-round selection by Washington in the 2012 NHL draft.
---

THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton leads, 1-0)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 28: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
---
WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Series tied, 1-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland 5 at Kelowna 3 (6,341)
Tuesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 27: Kelowna at Portland, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
---

SATURDAY’S GAME:
In Kelowna, the Portland Winterhawks erased a 3-1 deficit with three quick second-period goals and went on to beat the Rockets, 5-3. . . . The Western Conference final is tied 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 scheduled for Portland on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Kelowna took a 2-0 lead into the second period, thanks to first-period PP goals from F Nick Merkley, at 12:05, and D Ryley Stadel, at 12:37. . . . Portland F Dominic Turgeon got his first playoff goal 24 seconds into the second period, but Kelowna D Madison Bowey got that one back, with his fifth, just 1:09 later. . . . The Winterhawks then struck three times in 2:10, with F Nic Petan getting it started on a PP at 9:54. F Oliver Bjorkstrand tied it with his 12th goal at 11:51, and F Brendan Leipsic gave his guys the lead, with his ninth goal, at 12:04. . . . F Alex Schoenborn provided Portland with some insurance at 8:45 of the third. . . . Petan also had two assists, while Portland D Derrick Pouliot had three assists. . . . Bjorkstrand and Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk lead the WHL, each with 12 goals. . . . With 8:54 left in the second period and Kelowna leading 3-2, Portland freelancer tweeted that the Winterhawks already had 26 shots “which are as many as it had in the entire game (Friday) night.” . . . Portland outshot its hosts 24-14 in the second period and had a 4-1 edge in goals. . . . Of course, Portland took a 4-3 lead into the third period on Friday, too, and ended up losing, 5-4. . . . Portland opened with Brendan Burke in goal. But he left at 1:33 of the second period, after giving up three goals on nine shots. Corbin Boes, a January acquisition from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, came on to stop all 15 shots he faced. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 48 shots. . . . The Rockets were outshot 17-4 in the third period. . . . The Rockets were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 1-for-7, with three of those coming in the game’s last seven minutes. . . . Which goaltender does Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston start in Game 3. Here’s a post-game tweet from Sepich (@SSepich): “Mike Johnston noncommittal about Burke or Boes right now, though he thought Burke was out of position on 2 goals and a change was needed.” . . . Johnston also told Sepich: “"We played our game tonight. When we're on, our puck movement is really crisp, really sharp. We were snapping it around good.” . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska told Sepich: “They were the better hockey club tonight. They were skating, when you stand around against them they'll do that to you.”
---







From Randy Sportak (@SUNRandySportak) of the Calgary Sun: “Hate when coaches say, ‘I didn't see it.’ Makes them just as culpable. Show some leadership and admit your player has to stop that crap.”
That was after Boston head coach Claude Julien said he hadn’t seen video of Bruins F Milan Lucic spearing Detroit Red Wings D Danny DeKeyser in the groin.
---
From Brad Ziemer (@BradZiemer) of the Vancouver Sun: “That cute Because it's the Cup #nhl marketing phrase takes on new meaning with Lucic incident.”
---
From Kevin Paul DuPont (@GlobeKPD) of the Boston Globe: “Lucic $5k fine for DeKeyser spear. Coach Q weeps.”
---
From Makenna (@Mak_Alberts24): “My sister got out of a speeding ticket by telling the officer we were on the way to the @pdxwinterhawks viewing party!”
---
From Dan Russell (@DanRussellST): “Never's worked for me!”

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Andrew Rieder, then of the Regina Pats, and two young fans — brothers
Styles (left) and Ty Acoose.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Vladimir Sicak (Medicine Hat, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) after his release by Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He has one assist in eight games with Pardubice this season. Last season, Sicak had three goals and 14 assists in 41 games with Pardubice. . . .
F Stanislav Balan (Portland, 2005-06) signed a one-year contract with HK Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had one goal and one assist in 16 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) before he was released. Balan then signed with SKP Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga) and scored 10 goals and 16 assists in 26 games. . . .
F Mikael Backlund (Kelowna, 2008-09) signed a lockout contract with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had four goals and seven assists in 41 games with the Calgary Flames last season. Västerås announced that Backlund will arrive in Sweden today and will be in their lineup for Tuesday's game against Leksand if all goes as planned. . . .
F Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) was released by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He was pointless in six games this season. . . .
F Tomas Netik (Medicine Hat, 2000-01) signed a one-year contract with Niftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL) after his release by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had three goals and three
assists in seven games with Liberec this season. Netik had 17 goals and 11 assists in 42 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) and one goal and one assist in 12 games on loan to Växjö (Sweden, Elitserien) last season. . . .
G Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver, 2004-09) signed a one-year contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had a 2.33 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 34 games with Worcester Sharks (AHL) last season.
———
It has become a rite of fall, like carving a Thanksgiving turkey or the falling of the leaves.
Another 20-year-old is sent packing and everyone says all the right things.
But in the end another 20-year-old is gone, cut by a WHL team simply because of a rule. He isn’t dropped because he isn’t good enough to play. He isn’t released because he isn’t a good person.
In this instance, the player is Andrew Rieder. He ws released by the Regina Pats on Friday because he’s 20 years of age.
Each WHL team is allowed to dress a maximum of three 20-year-olds per game. And each team must declare its 20-year-old players on Oct. 10, which is Wednesday.
The Pats on Friday said farewell and thanks for everything to Rieder, who from all reports is a player with terrific work ethic on and off the ice. Rieder, who is from Regina, has been rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery. He received medical clearance to return to action on Wednesday. Just 48 hours later, he was gone.
“He’s an ultimate Pat, really,” Regina head coach Pat Conacher told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post on Thursday, before the team had made its decision public. “He has been here his whole junior career. He has done so much for us on and off the ice. That’s the tough part.”
In a news release, GM Chad Lang offered: “This has been a very difficult decision to make as Andrew is everything we want our players to be. He has been a great ambassador of our hockey club in our community, a tremendous teammate and leader.”
The above photo was taken in January 2011 in the Rieder family home in Regina. Rieder’s mother had invited a couple of young fans over to meet her son.
“I can't begin to tell you how good he was with the boys — he asked them lots of questions, showed them some of his hockey keepsakes and even gave each of them an autographed stick,” offered the boys’ foster father. “From that day forward we became big Andrew Rieder fans.
“Perhaps the best part is that this wasn't a one-time deal. He always makes a point to say hi to the boys when he sees them at the rink (or even at a mall in Saskatoon). Andrew is a great kid and we'll definitely miss seeing him in a Pats jersey.”
Unfortunately for Rieder his only sin is that he is 20. So it’s thanks for everything and see ya.
Rieder had surgery May 11 on his left shoulder. His right shoulder also has caused him problems. So, really, the Pats didn’t have any choice as they kept D Colton Jobke, G Matt Hewitt and F Lane Scheidl.
Earlier, the Pats released F Tanner Olstad and traded D Brandon Underwood to the Red Deer Rebels. Both were victims of the 20-year-old game in Regina.
For years, I have felt the WHL needs to go to four or even five 20-year-olds. I even like the idea that was broached earlier this season — I think it was by Conacher, as a matter of fact — about giving teams five spots to share among 20-year-olds and imports. A team would be allowed to have a maximum of two imports, but if it only had one, it could go with four 20-year-olds. If a team didn’t have an import, it could have five 20s.
I just don’t understand how teams invest so much in some of these players, some of whom have been with the same organization for four years, and then cut them adrift simply because of the 20-yer-old rule.
But, as you may have guessed, it’s all about the money.
One WHL owner told me recently that the NHL wants the WHL developing the younger players (i.e. 16-year-olds) and not the 20s. In other words, a loosening of the 20-year-old rule likely would mean a tightening of the NHL’s purse strings.
And that isn’t something the WHL can afford to let happen.
———
The Spokane Chiefs have dealt D Davis Vandane, 20, to the Prince Albert Raiders for a conditional eighth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Vandane, from Yorkton, Sask., has 43 points in 123 regular-season games. Last season, he had 25 points in 68 games. . . . The gets the Chiefs down to three 20-year-olds — D Brenden Kichton, who is the team captain, F Blake Gal and F Dylan Walchuk. . . . The Raiders, meanwhile, now have four 20s on their roster, the others being G Luke Siemens, F Anthony Bardaro and D Antoine Corbin. However, Corbin remains in camp with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. Should Corbin be assigned to the Raiders, they would have two weeks after his arrival to get down to three 20-year-old players.
———
Later Friday, the Chiefs announced that G Mac Engel, 19, has been released “and is awaiting a trade to another WHL team.” . . . That leaves the Chiefs with Eric Williams, 19, and Garret Hughson, 17, as their two goaltenders. . . . Engel, who was entering his third season in Spokane, was 42-28-7 in 88 appearances with the Chiefs. Last season he was 28-19-4, 2.52, .909. . . . Spokane is carrying 25 players, including eight defencemen and 15 forwards.
———
As mentioned earlier, the Regina Pats got down to three 20-year-olds on Friday by releasing F Andrew Rieder, who has been working to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. Rieder, who is from Regina, played in 177 regular-season games with the Pats, putting up 51 points, including 25 goals. . . . Last season, he had 25 points, 13 of them goals, in 52 games. . . . The Pats are left with D Colton Jobke, G Matt Hewitt and F Lane Scheidl as their 20-year-old players.
———
A Friday tweet from Andrew Rieder (@Rieder28): “Want to thank everyone in the @WHLpats organization for the last 5 years couldn't have ask for more. I feel honored.”
———
The OHL’s Windsor Spitfires have waived Slovakian F Juraj Bezuch, who played last season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Bezuch was pointless in four games with the Spitfires, who have claimed Russian F Alex Khokhlachev and are hoping to be able to recruit the talented 19-year-old who is with the KHL’s Moscow Spartak. The Spitfires had dealt two 20-year-olds and a seventh-round 2014 OHL draft pick to get Bezuch from the Kitchener Rangers late in training camp. “It just didn’t work out,” Windsor head coach Bob Boughner told Jim Parker of the Windsor Star.
———
FRIDAY'S SCOREBOARD:
D Brendan Kichton had five points, including two goals, as the host Spokane Chiefs got past the Victoria Royals, 5-3. . . . It was the first five-point game of Kichton’s career. He had had one four-point game. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored twice, giving him seven goals in four games. . . .

LW Brendan Ranford, in his first game since being released by the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, had a goal and four assists as the Kamloops Blazers beat the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-2. . . . It was Ranford’s third five-point game of his WHL career. . . . The Blazers are playing their three 20-year-olds on one line. Ranford, C Dylan Willick (two goals and an assist) and RW Jordan DePape (one of each) combined for 10 points. . . . The Blazers’ other big line totalled eight points with RW JC Lipon putting up a goal and three assists, Tim Bozon getting a goal and two assists, and C Colin Smith scoring once. . . . Kamloops broke a 2-2 tie with five unanswered third-period goals. . . .

The Portland Winterhawks opened their six-game East Division swing with a 2-1 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . Portland G Cam Lanigan stopped 18 shots, while Brandon’s Corbin Boes turned aside 41. . . . Freshman F Alex Schoenborn broke a 1-1 tie at 12:15 of the second period with his first WHL goal. . . . Schoenborn, who turns 17 on Dec. 12, is from Minot, N.D., which isn’t that far south of Brandon, so you can bet he had some fans in the house. . . . With 30 minutes left until puck drop, scouts from at least 13 NHL teams had signed in for this one. They were there to watch Brandon D Ryan Pulock and Portland D Seth Jones. . . . Portland F Taylor Leier (abdominal tear) played for the first time this season. . . .

F Justin Feser had a goal and two assists as the host Tri-City Americans beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . G Ty Rimmer, who spent last season with the Americans, stopped 24 shots for the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge had a 17-7 edge in shots in the third period, but struggled to beat a superb Eric Comrie, who finished with 36 saves. . . . The Americans were without F Jesse Mychan, who hopes to return from an undisclosed injury when Tri-City opens an East Division swing on Oct. 13 in Brandon.

The Vancouver Giants scored three times in the game’s first 5:11 and went on to beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-1. . . . Vancouver G Tyler Fuhr stopped 20 shots and now has backstopped both his team’s victories. He’s expected to start again Sunday when the Victoria Royals are the visitors and will be playing their third game in three days. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer was gone after being beaten three times on eight shots. . . . Vancouver F Marek Tvrdon, who has yet to score, had two assists. . . . Among Vancouver’s scratches was D John Neibrandt, 20. . . .

F Chandler Stephenson’s goal with 15.4 seconds left in the third period gave the host Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . D Colton Jobke, named Regina’s captain earlier in the day, scored the game’s first goal. He was playing his first game since being assigned to the Pats by the AHL’s Houston Aeros. . . .

F Adam Lowry had two goals and two assists as the Swift Current Broncos went into Saskatoon and hammered the Blades, 10-1. . . . The Broncos were 5-5 on the power play. In the second period, the scored four PP goals on six shots. . . . Saskatoon is 0-3 at home. . . . “It was, to be honest with you, unbelievable,” Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ general manager and head coach, told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “We’ve hit rock bottom here and now it’s just a matter of starting all over again.” . . . The Blades are to be the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup. . . . Swift Current scored seven second-period goals and led 9-1 going into the third. . . . The Broncos are 2-0-4. . . . The Blades scratched veteran D Dalton Thrower. Why? Molleken told Nugent-Bowman that Thrower has been “playing by his own rules.” . . . F Ryan Graham, who has been out with back problems, was in the Blades’ lineup for the first time this season. . . . Swift Current F Graham Black (ill) sat this one out. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders, who have yet to lose in regulation time, went into Calgary and scored a 5-4 shootout victory over the Hitmen. . . . F Mark McNeill got the shootout winner. . . . The Raiders got a goal and two assists from D Josh Morrissey, who is from Calgary. . . . The Raiders were 3-7 on the PP, scoring twice while up two men. . . . Prince Albert now is 5-0-1. . . . The 3-0-2 Hitmen also haven’t yet been beaten in regulation time. . . . The Raiders have won all three of their road games this season; last season they didn’t win a third road game until Dec. 11. . . . Prince Albert continues to play without F Mike Winther (groin). . . . Interestingy, the Hitmen had only two minus players in the game, while the Raiders had eight, including three who were minus-3. . . . Calgary was 0-3 on the PP. . . . D Davis Vandane, acquired earlier in the day from Spokane, didn't play for the Raiders. . . .

The Prince George Cougars scored five first-period goals and beat the visiting Kelowna Rockets, 6-3. . . . The Cougars are 5-0-1. . . . F Zach Pochiro, an 18-year-old from Las Vegas, scored his first two WHL goals and added two assists and was plus-3 for the Cougars. . . . Pochiro played last season for the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats, a team that then had Cougars owner Rick Brodsky in its ownership group. . . . Pochiro got tossed as part of a two-fight situation at 19:31 of the third period. Up until then, only six minors had been assessed. . . . The Cougars are 4-0-1 and tied with Kamloops atop the Western Conference. Attendance last night was 1,907.
———
CHECKING FROM BEHIND COUNT:F Connor Chartier, Spokane
F Jaimen Yakubowski, Lethbridge
———
CHECKING TO THE HEAD COUNT:
None.
———
TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Edmonton Oil Kings assistant coach Steve Hamilton (@hamilton_steve): “There is no worse post-event interview than MMA winner. ‘Thank you Lord for allowing me to pummel and choke that man repeatedly’ #ironic?”
———
For today’s good read, we go to ESPN.com where Jeff MacGregor takes a look at New York’s relationship with Yankess shortstop Derek Jeter. It’s right here. Read closely and ask yourself if you could be reading about Wayne Gretzky near the end of his playing career.


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Paul Deniset (Kamloops, Swift Current, Vancouver, Prince Albert, 1989-2002) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). He had 18 goals and 20 assists in 21 games for Amiens (France, Ligue Magnus) last season.
———
Monday in the Western Hockey League:
EDMONTON OIL KINGS—Traded F Cam Reid, 20, to Portland Winterhawks for 2012 eight-round bantam draft pick.
LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES–Traded F Cam Braes, 20, to Moose Jaw Warriors for a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick and a 2013 second-round bantam draft pick.
MOOSE JAW WARRIORS–Traded D Tyler Vanscourt, 19, to Vancouver Giants for a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
TRI-CITY AMERICANS–Traded D Riley Guenther, 17, to Prince Albert Raiders for a 2013 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
VANCOUVER GIANTS–Traded F Levi Bews, 17, to Swift Current for a 2012 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
VICTORIA ROYALS—Traded F Kevin Sundher, 19, to Brandon Wheat Kings for D Jordan Fransoo, 18, F Dakota Conroy, 17, and a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick.
———
DRAFT TRACKER (since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 13
Players: 23
Bantam draft picks: 13
Deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 3 p.m. MT
———
The Brandon Wheat Kings added F Kevin Sundher, 19, from the Victoria Royals but it cost them a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick, as well as D Jordan Fransoo, 18, and F Dakota Conroy, 17. . . . Sundher, a third-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2010 NHL draft, has 64 points in 40 games this season, leaving him seventh in the WHL scoring race. . . . From Surrey, B.C., Sundher was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, taken by the Chilliwack Bruins. He goes to Brandon with 240 points in 254 career regular-season games. He is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and is second in games played. . . . “It’s been a crazy day,” Sundher said in a Wheat Kings news release. “The (Royals were) just heading out for the prairies and I was pulled off the bus and told about the trade. I play to win and I'm looking forward to joining a team that has a chance to go far." . . . Fransoo, a seventh-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL draft, is in his sophomore season. From North Battleford, Sask., he has 11 points in 41 games this season. A good skater with a big shot, he was a fifth-round bantam pick by Brandon in 2008. . . . Conroy, a third-round bantam draft pick in 2009, Conroy has eight points in 37 games this season. He is from Edmonton and is projected as a top-six forward in time. . . . The Wheat Kings hope to have Sundher in their lineup Wednesday against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Interestingly, the Royals are scheduled to play in Brandon on Saturday.
———
The Moose Jaw Warriors picked up a top-six forward with the acquisition of F Cam Braes, who turns 21 on Thursday, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. But it cost them a first-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft and a second-rounder in 2013. That may seem like a steep price to pay for a player who is in his final season of eligibility. But obviously the Warriors felt they needed at least one more forward — a first-line centre — in order to keep up with the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Braes, from Shawnigan Lake, B.C., was the Hurricanes’ captain. He has 203 points, including 99 goals, in 320 regular-season games with Lethbridge. This season, he has 45 points, 24 of them goals, in 44 games. . . . He was a third-round selection in the 2006 bantam draft. . . . Only Shane Peacock (336) played more games in a Hurricanes’ uniform than Braes.
———
The Prince Albert Raiders acquired D Riley Guenther, 17, from the Tri-City Americans for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Guenther, from Calgary, had one assist and six penalty minutes in 10 games with the Americans. He played last season with the midget AAA Calgary Northstars. . . . The Americans selected him in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft.
———
The Vancouver Giants acquired D Tyler Vanscourt, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick that originally belonged to the Prince George Cougars. He had a goal and three assists in 14 games with Moose Jaw after being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. All told, he has 21 points in 40 games this season. . . . Vanscourt is from Corona, Calif., and was a seventh-round selection of the Kootenay Ice in the 2007 bantam draft.
———
The Swift Current Broncos acquired F Levi Bews, 17, from the Vancouver Giants for a 2012 sixth-round bantam draft pick. . . . Earlier this season, Bews went from the Saskatoon Blades to the Giants in a four-player deal. . . . He was a second-round pick, 42nd overall, by the Blades in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Giants had assigned him last week to the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. . . . In 38 WHL games this season, he has nine points, three of them goals. . . . Bews is from Longview, Alta.
———
The Portland Winterhawks have dealt a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick to the Edmonton Oil Kings for the rights to F Cam Reid, 20, who is with the St. Cloud State Huskies. . . . A sophomore, Reid has 15 points, including six goals, in 22 games this season. Last season, in 37 games, he had 29 points, eight of them goals, in 37 games. . . . The Nashville Predators selected Reid, who is from Delta, B.C., in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL draft. . . . Before heading to St. Cloud State, Reid played 167 BCHL games with the Victoria Grizzlies and Westside Warriors, putting up 138 points. . . . Reid’s WHL rights originally belonged to the Vancouver Giants, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2006 bantam draft. The Giants sent him to Edmonton in lieu of the Oil Kings selecting a player off their roster in the expansion draft prior to the 2007-08 season. . . . Reid’s arrival in Portland — and he is leaving school — will leave Portland with four 20-year-olds, meaning one of D William Wrenn, F Oliver Gabriel or F Dillon Wagner will have to go. Or it could be that Gabriel, who suffered a shoulder injury on Dec. 30 and hasn’t play since then, could be headed to the long-term injury list.
Reid told Mick Hatten of the St. Cloud, Minn., Times that he got a call from Portland on Sunday night, telling him he had 24 hours to make a decision to stay or join the Winterhawks.
“They offered to have me play center on the first line with their top two players,” Reid said. “I talked it over with my parents, and it was something I couldn’t pass up or say no to.”
That being the case, Reid will join Ty Rattie, the WHL’s scoring leader, and Sven Bartschi on Portland’s top line.
———
JUST NOTES:
Regina Pats D Brandon Underwood, who hasn’t played since Dec. 4 when he broke a bone in a foot while blocking a shot, has been cleared to skate again. He still is a week or two from getting back in the lineup. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Alex Schoenborn, 16, who is from Minot, N.D. He is expected to finish the season with the Omaha Jr. Lancers, an under-16 AAA team that plays in the North American Prospects league. He has 27 points in 13 games with the Lancers. . . . The Lancers are coached by David Wilkie (Seattle, Kamloops, Regina, 1999-94). . . .
Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has spoken with D Jesse Pauls, 19, who retired from the Victoria Royals last week. That story is right here. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will play host to the Kelowna Rockets twice this week, on Wednesday and Friday. The Winterhawks go into the series having won their last 14 home games, two shy of the franchise record that was set in 1993-94. . . .
Don Nachbaur, the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, is on the verge of becoming the sixth coach in WHL history to win 500 games. Nachbaur is at 499 going into two straight games with the Everett Silvertips. They’ll play in Spokane on Wednesday and in Everett on Friday. . . . Ken Hodge (742), Ernie McLean (548), Pat Ginnell (518), Lorne Molleken (543) and Don Hay (541) also have more than 500 victories. . . . Nachbaur also has served as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds (202 victories) and Tri-City Americans (229). He has three times been named winner of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as coach of the year, once with each team.
———
An interesting observation from columnist Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun, following the move by Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins to submarine Canucks defenceman Sami Salo in a game on Saturday:
“It’s a curious thing, but a current listing of NHL villains will turn up several members of Canada’s world junior squads over the past 15 years or so, which may reveal an unflattering pattern to the way Hockey Canada carefully constructs its rosters. Though some confined their borderline sociopathic behaviour primarily to their junior days, these Team Canada alumni/incendiary devices include Matt Cooke (1998), Raffi Torres (2001), Jordin Tootoo (2003), Steve Downie (2006-07), Brad Marchand (2007-08) — how’s that for a start to the all-cheap-shot-team? — and, more recently, Patrice Cormier (2009-10) and Zack Kassian (2011).
“Cooke, mind you, has renounced his evil ways and joined the choirboys, and Cormier and Kassian haven’t really got their pro careers properly warmed up yet.”
———
Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., was in Winnipeg on the weekend and Arctic Ice Hockey was able to get an interview. Perhaps the battle between College Hockey Inc. and the CHL is heating up again. That complete interview is right here.


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

It was the third annual CH2M HILL Nuclear Night at the Toyota Center in
Kennewick, Wash., so Patrick Holland (41) and the Tri-City Americans wore
what the team calls "nuclear-inspired" sweaters. Those jerseys are available
via on-line auction right here. As you will see by reading Friday's report, Holland
is hotter than nuclear fusion these days.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Micki DuPont (Kamloops, 1996-2000) signed a three-year contract extension with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A). The extension runs through the 2014-15 season. DuPont has four goals and a league-leading 31 assists in 36 games for Kloten this season, good for seventh in league scoring.
———
It appears that the Portland Winterhawks are adding F Alex Schoenborn, a 16-year-old from Minot., N.D., to their roster. Ryan Clark of the Fargo, N.D., Forum noted Friday night that Schoenborn had confirmed the move on his Facebook page. . . . The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Schoenborn, who turned 16 on Dec. 12, had 45 points in 27 games for Minot High School last season. . . . This season, he was pointless in three games with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. He was the 12th overall selection in the USHL’s 2011 futures draft. . . . He is a list player with Portland. . . . Schoenborn also has played with the midget AAA Omaha Lancers this season, picking up 41 points and 118 penalty minutes in 26 games. In North American Prospects Hockeky League games, he has 11 points in six games.
———
Marlon Martens, the radio voice of the Victoria Royals, explains the Jesse Pauls situation on his blog.
After speaking with Pauls, Martens explained, “With a plate and nine screws in (a) leg after breaking both bones last (season) he’s been playing with ‘chronic pain’ as he put it, ‘and have decided to look after my health.’ ”
Pauls also told Martens: “It’s affected my game and haven’t been able to play up to my potential . . . it sucks knowing you’ve got more and can’t do it.”
———
G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is scheduled to appear in a St. Albert, Alta., court on March 5 after entering not guilty pleas to what the Medicine Hat News reports are “two drunk-driving related allegations.”
According to The News, Bunz, 19, was charged “after an incident in his hometown of St. Albert in May.”
Brad McEwen, the Tigers’ general manager, told The News that the team won’t comment on the situation.
The Edmonton Oilers selected Bunz with the 121st pick of the NHL’s 2010 draft.
———
In the BCHL on Friday night, the Penticton Vees won their 20th game in a row, beating the Chiefs 6-2 in Chilliwack. . . . The Vees will play the SilverBacks in Salmon Arm tonight.
———
WHL TRADE TRACKER (trades made since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 6
Players: 14
Draft picks: 5
———
In the OHL, the teams have moved 25 players and 29 draft picks since Jan. 1.
———
The Vancouver Giants have dealt D Luke Fenske, 18, to the Regina Pats for a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.
Fenske, from Penticton, has six assists and 40 penalty minutes in 31 games with the Giants this season. He played 30 games with them in 2009-10 and 55 last season. In 116 games, he has four goals and 17 assists. . . . He was selected by the Giants in the third round of the 2008 bantam draft. . . .
The Kootenay Ice has traded F Adam Rossignol, 18, to the Swift Current Broncos for D Tanner Muth, 18. . . . Rossignol, from Surrey, B.C., had 13 points in 39 games. He was a seventh-round pick by the Ice in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Muth, from Calgary, had four points in 38 games with the Broncos. He was selected 36th overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2008 bantam draft.
———
F Daniel Broussard of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s has been suspended for eight games for an anti-doping rule violation. The CHL and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport made the announcement on Friday. According to a news release, “The violation resulted from a urine sample collected during in-competition doping control in November 2011 which revealed the presence of methylhexaneamine, a prohibited stimulant.”
In a news release, CHL president David Branch stated that Broussard, who turns 21 on on Monday, and the 67’s were “extremely co-operative throughout the process.”
“We are completely satisfied,” Branch continued, “that the player used a supplement which he had purchased over the counter at a local retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a prohibited substance.”
Methylhexaneamine is on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List which is recognized by the CHL.
I said it last season and I’ll say it again . . . this automatic eight-game suspension for a first-time offender is ridiculous. Once again, we have a player who in no way was trying to cheat, but he has been labelled a drug cheat, just like the first-timers who were suspended last season.
Because of the number of major junior players using supplements, if the positive test turns out to be from inadvertent use and that can be proved, then why not issue a warning, and hand out an eight-game suspension for a second positive test?
A player makes a mistake like this and gets a longer suspension than some headshots and stickwork carry. And that’s just not right.
———
FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, the Raiders ran their home-ice winning streak to seven games as they dumped the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-1. . . . F Justin Maylan had a goal and two assists for the Raiders. . . . Maylan has 19 goals. . . . Prince Albert sophomore F Mike Winther had a goal, his 21st, and an assist. . . . F Logan McVeigh, acquired a week ago from Kamloops, had two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost three in a row and 10 of their last 15, meaning the next few days, leading up to the Jan. 10 trading deadline, will be interesting. . . . Brandon G Curtis Honey stopped 33 shots in his first start. . . . Raiders G Cole Holowenko turned aside 29 shots. . . . F Mark Stone had one assist for Brandon in his first game after playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship. It was his 200th regular-season game. . . . Swiss F Alessio Bertaggia, also back in the Brandon lineup after playing at the WJC, was held off the scoresheet. . . . The teams meet again tonight in P.A. . . .

In Regina, G Matt Hewitt stopped 33 shots to lead the Pats to a 3-0 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Hewitt has two shutouts this season. . . . The victory was Regina’s 23rd this season, which matches their total for all of last season. . . .  The Pats have won four in a row — they have at least a point in six straight — going into a rematch tonight in Saskatoon. . . . The Blades had won their last two games, scoring 17 goals in the process. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk’s 10th goal, at 13:2 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had a goal and an assist. He has 67 points, four off the league lead. . . . In the second period, Regina D Colton Jobke wound up and fired a shot . . . and the puck split in two. . . . Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, described it this way in a tweet: “OK, I've seen it all...Pats' Colton Jobke shoots puck and it breaks in two when it hits the back boards at the Brandt centre. Crazy!!” . . . G Andrey Makarov, who was so terrific for Russia in the WJC final on Thursday night, wasn’t with the Blades. He didn’t get into Saskatoon in time to make the trip south. . . .

In Lethbridge, D Daniel Johnston broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 6:30 of the third period as the Hurricanes beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-1. . . . Johnston has two goals this season. . . . F Emerson Etem got No. 31 for the Tigers in his first game back after playing for Team USA at the WJC. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo stopped 31 shots. . . .

In Red Deer, F Taylor Vause had a goal and two assists to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Broncos took a 3-0 lead early in the second period and then hung on behind 38 saves from G Jon Groenheyde. . . . Vause, who was reportedly feeling under the weather, has 23 goals. . . . He has 49 points in 41 games. Last season, in 62 games, Vause, 20, had career highs of 18 goals, 28 assists and 47 points. . . . The Broncos had lost six straight on the road. . . . Referee Derek Zalaski handed out only three minors, two to Red Deer. . . .

In Portland, F Brad Ross scored three times to lead the Winterhawks to a 3-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks have won 14 in a row at home. . . . Ross has 28 goals. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson set a single-game franchise record with 55 saves. The previous record (53) was held by Leland Irving from a game against the Spokane Chiefs four years ago. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 30 shots. Everett F Josh Birkholz was unsuccessful on a late second-period penalty shot with the score 1-1. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie, the WHL scoring leader, had two assists. He now has 71 points. . . . Everett D Ryan Murray was back from a stint with the Canadian team at the WJC. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi sat this one out. He played for Switzerland at the WJC and suffered a concussion. . . . Everett was without D Brennan Yadlowski, who sat out a one-game suspension for a match penalty he incurred on Wednesday night. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Patrick Holland had two goals and two assists, while F Adam Hughesman had two goals and an assist, as the Tri-City Americans beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-3. . . . The Americans have won 12 in a row. . . . Holland has three straight four-point games. On the season, he has 55 points in 38 games. . . . In fact, in his last six games, he has gone 3, 3, 1, 4, 4, 4. That’s 19 points over six games. . . . Since Dec. 2, Holland has 28 points in 12 games. He has been blanked once, has one oe-point game, three two-pointers and three three-pointers. . . . Interestingly, he went 2-2-0-2-3-0-3-3-1-4-4-4. . . . And we should mention that Holland turns 19 today. . . . Hughesman has 65 points, including 25 goals, in 38 games this season. He has 299 points in 304 career games. . . . The Americans led 5-0 when Holland got his first goal, his 16th, at 8:34 of the second. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 20 shots. He wasn’t able to stop F Colin Jacobs on a second-period penalty shot that put Seattle on the board. . . . Comrie is 13-3-0. . . . Seattle G Daniel Cotton stopped 38 shots in his fourth career start. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin added a goal and two helpers for the Americans, while F Brian Williams had three assists. . . . Seattle has lost 19 in a row at the Toyota Center. . . . This one drew 6,064 fans, the third-largest crowd in the facility’s history. . . . There was an interesting moment in this one. It came with the Americans leading 5-2. From Dan Mulhausen’s Americans news release: “Early into the third period, Seattle thought it had pulled to within two, but rookie Connor Honey had his goal erased following a video review of a shot by Holland.  Nearly a minute earlier, Holland had ripped a shot from the point that appeared to go in the net, but the puck hit the back boards and went into the far corner.  After Honey’s goal finally stopped the clock, the video goal judge determined that Holland’s shot in fact had gone through the net, negating the goal by Honey and putting Tri-City on top 6-2.” . . . Hey, when you’re hot, you’re hot! And when you’re not, you’re not. . . .

In Prince George, G Cole Cheveldave stopped 32 shots as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Cougars, 2-0. . . . Cheveldave, an 18-year-old freshman from Calgary, has three shutouts, all of them against the Cougars. He blanked them 5-0 on Sunday, which was the last game for both teams prior to last night. They will play again tonight in P.G. . . . Cheveldave is 19-5-3. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer got the winner at 1:01 of the second period. F Colin Smith added his 20th at 13:16 of the third. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 41 shots. . . . Kamloops D Marek Hrbas (Czech Republic) and Prince George D Martin Marincin (Slovakia) both played after performing at the WJC. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and went on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-2. . . . D Corbin Baldwin had a goal and an assist and was plus-4 for the Chiefs. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 24 shots, 11 fewer than Moose Jaw’s Spencer Tremblay. . . . The Warriors went 1-3-1 in their U.S. Division swing. They wrap up the road swing tonight against the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Chiefs are 6-0 against East Division teams. . . . F Dominik Uher, in his return from playing for the Czech Republic at the WJC, scored for the Chiefs. . . . Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur now has 497 WHL victories. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden rejoined his club after playing for Canada at the WJC. . . .

In Victoria, D Myles Bell had two goals and an assist to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-2 victory over the Royals. . . . Bell has seven goals this season. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 36 shots. . . . Bell broke a 2-2 tie at 1:04 of the third period. . . . The Royals hae lost eight in a row. . . . The teams play in Victoria again tonight.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Jamie Crooks, Victoria.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.