Generals need OT to stay perfect . . . Rockets, Oceanic on tap today . . . No Draisaitl was Oilers call

D Zack FitzGerald (Seattle, 2001-05) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). This season, as a player-assistant coach with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite), he had two goals and 12 assists in 50 games.
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THE MEMORIAL CUP:

The Oshawa Generals clinched a Memorial Cup playoff berth on Sunday, beating the host Quebec Remparts 5-4 in OT before 10,970 fans. . . . The OHL-champion Generals are 2-0; the Remparts 1-1. . . . The Generals, who outshot the Remparts 50-25, forced OT with a goal late in the third period, then won it on D Stephen Desrocher’s goal at 18:07 of OT. His wrist shot glanced in off the crossbar. . . . The goal came off a faceoff win by F Cole Cassels, who had been on the bench for a bit trying to recover after blocking a shot. . . . All three games in this tournament have been decided by one goal. . . . Tonight, the WHL-champion Kelowna Rockets (0-1) meet the QMJHL-champion Rimouski Oceanic (0-1). . . . Quebec F Dmytro Timashov scored twice, his second goal, at 8:48 of the third period, giving the Remparts their first lead of the game, 4-3. . . . The Generals forced OT when F Tobias Lindberg scored on the PP at 17:51. Before that goal, Oshawa’s PP was 0-for-8 in the tournament. . . . Cassels finished minus-1 but he drew an assist on each of Oshawa’s last two goals. . . . Quebec G Zach Fucale stopped 45 shots, 24 more than Oshawa’s Ken Appleby. . . . The Remparts were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Generals were 1-for-4. . . .
Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier sets the stage for tonight’s game: “Without doubt, the Generals (2-0) will be rooting for the Oceanic (0-1) to defeat the Rockets (0-1) today. If Rimouski wins, Oshawa will
 advance to Sunday’s championship game, regardless if the Rockets beat the Generals on Tuesday. . . . Sunday’s game was the third consecutive one-goal contest to open the 2015 Memorial Cup. The last time a championship opened with three straight one-goal outcomes was 2008.”
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Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday, May 22: Kelowna 3 vs. Quebec 4 (9,497)
Saturday, May 23: Rimouski 3 vs. Oshawa 4 (8,409)
Sunday, May 24: Quebec 4 vs. Oshawa 5 (OT) (10,970)
Monday: Rimouski vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday: Oshawa vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Championship game, 7 p.m.
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Kinsey Millhone has nothing on Sunaya Sapurji, one of the junior hockey writers for Yahoo! Sports Canada.
When F Leon Draisaitl didn’t play for Germany in the 2015 World Junior Championship, Sapurji wanted to know whether that was his decision or one made by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, the team whose roster Draisaitl was on at the time.
(The Oilers later assigned Draisaitl to the WHL, but told the Prince Albert Raiders, with whom he had played in 2013-14, that they wanted him with the Kelowna Rockets. Draisaitl was dealt to the Rockets and was the WHL’s playoff MVP.)
Sapurji didn’t have any success finding an answer to her question during the tournament but she didn’t give up. On Sunday, she tweeted that she had gotten the answer from Draisaitl and that it was a decision made by the Oilers.
“That wasn’t really my decision, to be honest,” Draisaitl told reporters at the Memorial Cup. “It was the Oilers’ decision. I don’t want to comment too much on it. It’s their decision and I’m happy with whatever would have happened.”

Without Draisaitl in its lineup, Germany ended up being relegated.
“It’s never fun to see your country go down, especially your age-group,” Draisaitl said. “It’s kind of funny, all my best friends are on that team. I’ve played with all those guys for a number of years. It’s not easy to see something like that, so, obviously it’s disappointing. I would have loved to help them out a little bit at least. But at the same time, I played in the NHL, and that’s a kid’s dream. There’s nothing bad I have to say about that.”

@sunayas @SteveBurtch good for us germans to know. Some questioned his willingness to play for his country..

— Lukas B (@LkB94) May 24, 2015

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Jay Isbee, the governor of Washington, has signed a bill that makes players on the state’s four WHL teams amateur athletes. That exempts those teams from any minimum wage-related laws. However, Scott Sepich, writing for Yahoo! Sports Canada, reports right here that the story may not yet be over.
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F Andrew Johnson, who played out his junior eligibility this season with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors, has committed to the U of Saskatchewan and the Huskies for next season. Johnson, who is from Saskatoon, played with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Seattle Thunderbirds and Swift Current Broncos (2010-15). He was a second-round selection by the Warriors in the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft.
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Tyler Richards, a goaltender with the NLL’s Vancouver Stealth, is retiring at the age of 28. Why? Because he has had three concussions in the last five years, all from being hit in the head by shots. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has that story right here.
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A little rainy. But looks like there WILL be baseball today in KC. These are our seats. C'mon guys! Throw me a ball! pic.twitter.com/nyXXkogE0t

— Dan O'Connor (@DanOConnor_PG) May 24, 2015

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.

McVeigh's back with Blazers . . . Rockets a perfect 10!

F Martin Filo (Moose Jaw, 2007-09) has been released by Unia Oświęcim (Poland, Ekstraliga) by mutual agreement. He had yet to play this season. Last season, with Königsborner JEC Unna (Germany, Oberliga), he had 17 goals and 20 assists in 28 games.
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The Kamloops Blazers, with room on their roster for a third 20-year-old, have added F Logan McVeigh, who had been with the Regina Pats. . . . In getting down to three 20s, the Pats placed McVeigh on waivers and the Blazers claimed him. . . . McVeigh, from Kenaston, Sask., was a second-round pick by the Blazers in the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft. In 267 career games, he has 116 points, including 45 goals. . . . He also has played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . McVeigh’s arrival means the Blazers are carrying 25 players, including eight defencemen and 15 forwards. . . . He joins D Brady Gaudet and F Mike Winther, both also trade acquisitions, as the Blazers’ 20-year-olds. . . . McVeigh was in the lineup Friday night as the Blazers dropped a 3-0 decision to the Giants in Vancouver.
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F Andrew Johnson, 20, has joined the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors. Johnson, from Saskatoon, was dropped by the Swift Current Broncos as they got down to the 20-year-old limit of three on Wednesday. In 263 regular-season WHL games split between the Moose Jaw Warriors, Seattle Thunderbirds and Swift Current, he has 102 points, 44 of them goals.
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"Where are all the people who insisted that they would not attend another Regina Pats game until Russ Parker sold the WHL team?" writes Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. "The Pats, who are now owned by a group led by Anthony Marquart, have routinely played before sub-4,000 crowds." . . . After five home games, the Pats are averaging 3,716 fans.
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I have to admit to being more than a little surprised to find out about the work the Vancouver Canucks have been doing to grow the game of hockey in China. With support from the Canucks, Aaron Wilbur, the managing director of the Coaches Site, and Michael Butler, program co-ordinator for BC Hockey, took part in hockey shools in Shenzhen and Shangai, Aug. 10-19. Wilbur, in fact, has been travelling to China and spreading the word for three years now. . . . For more, including photos and video, check this out right here.
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The Swift Current Broncos have scheduled an interesting game for Nov. 15. It’s be the Bronco alumni against the Calgary Flames Alumni, with faceoff set for 2 p.m.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings broke a 3-3 tie with five goals in the last nine minutes of the third period and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 8-3, on Friday night. . . . D Ivan Provorov, a 17-year-old freshman from Yaroslavl, Russia, had two goals and an assist for the Wheat Kings. He's got 11 points, four of them goals, in his first 10 games. . . . F Duncan Campbell, who is from Brandon, scored twice for the Wheat Kings, giving him three goals in his first season. . . . The Broncos were without F Jay Merkley (undisclosed injury), who has seven goals to date. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Nic Petan drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 6-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . It was Portland's first game of a six-game East Division tour. . . . Petan was in the lineup after leaving Portland's previous game early, after a hit from Seattle D Evan Wardley that drew a seven-game suspension. Earlier Friday, Petan was named the Winterhawks' captain. . . . F Dominic Turgeon and F Oliver Bjorkstand each had two goals for Portland. Bjorkstrand, in his third season, has 181 points, including 87 goals, in 140 career regular-season games. . . . G Bolton Pouliot, picked up from Kamloops on Thursday, was on the Portland bench, backing up Brendan Burke. . . . Moose Jaw had been 5-0-1 in its last six games. . . . Warriors F Noah Gregor took a hit from Portland F Keegan Iverson early in the first period and left the game. He already has been ruled out of tonight's game in Swift Current. . . . D Blake Heinrich made his debut with the Winterhawks. He had been sidelined with a concussion. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored twice in the game's first 4:08 and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Edgars Kulda scored twice for Edmonton, getting the winner at 4:08 of the first and adding an empty-netter late in the third. . . . Edmonton has won three straight games. . . . Kulda has scored in each of the three victories. . . . The Raiders had F Tim Vanstone in the lineup after he had missed the first eight games with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Axel Blomqvist came back to bite his former team as he scored twice to help the Victoria Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Blomqvist, a 19-year-old Swede, was dealt to Victoria by Lethbridge last season. The Hurricanes acquired fourth- and eighth-round picks in the 2014 bantam draft in the deal. . . . Blomqvist, who has signed with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, has three goals in six games. He sat out a few games with a suspected concussion. . . . The Royals broke a 2-2 tie with goals from F Tyler Soy and Blomqvist just 37 seconds apart early in the third. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts had two assists. He has 13 points in 10 games, after putting up 24 in 36 games in an injury-shortened sophomore season. He had 24 points in 67 games as a freshman. . . . The Hurricanes, now 1-7-1, have lost five straight. . . . The Royals had fallen behind 2-0 in each of the first four games of this six-game road trip that ends tonight against the Kootenay Ice. They were able to come back and win two of those games. . . . In this one, Victoria scored the game’s first two goals, then the Hurricanes came back to tie it. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll had his eight-game goal streak snapped. . . . This was the Royals’ 12th game, meaning F Brandon Magee has served the 12-game suspension left over from a playoff game last season. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 34 shots as the Kootenay Ice beat the Regina Pats, 1-0. . . . The shutout was the first of Hoflin's career. . . . D Troy Murray scored the game's only goal, on a PP 33 seconds into the second period. Murray, the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets D Ryan Murray, is from White City, Sask., just a stone's throw east of Regina. The goal was the first of the sophomore's WHL career and came in his 73rd regular-season game. . . . Regina had a 34-16 edge in shots. . . . Kootenay F Jon Martin returned after missing three games with an undisclosed injury, but F Tim Bozon didn‘t make his return due to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Ice played with 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reported: "The Ice also went without defencemen Bryan Allbee and Dylan Overdyk, as well as forward Jared Legien. The trio missed Friday's game . . . due to team-imposed suspensions after violating team rules at Mount Baker High School earlier this week." . . . Rocca's game story is right here.

In Saskatoon, the Blades broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades have won three in a row, after opening the season with six straight losses. . . . F Alex Forsberg and F Sam McKechnie each had a goal and an assist for Saskatoon. . . . Forsberg's goal was a shorthanded marker and ended up as the winner. . . . Saskatoon F Nick Zajac left in the third period with an undisclosed injury -- he took a check from Red Deer F Evan Polei -- and is doubtful for tonight's game against visiting Edmonton. . . . After the game, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s GM and head coach, told the Red Deer Advocate: “Jeff (Rebels associate coach Truitt) said it best: ‘Right now we have a bunch of guys you’d like to take fishing, but they’re not going to battle like they need to.’ ” . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Adam Tambellini scored at 3:08 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . It was Tambellini's sixth goal of the season. . . . Medicine Hat had a 40-21 edge in shots. . . . Tigers F Chad Butcher scored his eighth goal, forging a 1-1 tie at 9:58 of the third. . . . F Greg Chase had two assists for Calgary. . . . These same teams will meet tonight in Calgary. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the visiting Prince George Cougars ran their winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 26 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Keegan Kolesar scored with less than one second remaining in the third period. . . . F Jansen Harkins had a goal, his third, and an assist for the Cougars, who got another goal from F Jari Erricson, his eighth. . . . Erricson, 20, missed all but three of last season’s games with a concussion. . . . F Jared Bethune was in the Cougars's lineup for the first time. Bethune, 17, left the USHL's Lincoln Stars to join the Cougars. According to Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen, Bethune “decided to make the jump to the WHL when he learned the Stars were about to trade him.” . . . Bethune drew an assist on the Cougars' second goal for his first WHL point. . . . The matchup between Seattle F Matt Barzal and Harkins drew 16 NHL scouts. . . .

In Spokane, the Kelowna Rockets ran their record to 10-0-0 with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . G Jake Morrissey stopped 26 shots to pick up his first career victory. He‘s the younger brother of Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey. . . . The Rockets erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals. . . . D Riley Stadel gave Kelowna a 2-1 lead with his sixth goal, on the PP, 32 seconds into the second period, and D Madison Bowey made it 3-2 just 59 seconds later. . . . The Rockets lost F Dillon Dube with an undisclosed injury. He may not play tonight against the host Tri-City Americans. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the host Tri-City Americans scored two shootout goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-4. . . . D Parker Wotherspoon and F Vladislav Lukin had the Americans' shootout goals, negating one by Everett F Ivan Nikolishin. . . . The Silvertips have lost twice in OT and once in a shootout but have yet to lose in regulation time (5-0-3). . . . Everett D Cole MacDonald scored on his 19th birthday. He has three goals in seven games after scoring twice in 63 outings last season and twice in 60 games as a freshman in 2012-13. . . . The Americans will be at home to the unbeaten Kelowna Rockets tonight. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson will work his 900th WHL game tonight. Williamson, 41, also has been head coach in Portland and Calgary. . . . Told that it would be No. 900, he told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald: “I didn’t know that. It just makes me feel old. For anyone, it’s a great league to be associated with. It’s a privilege. I’m just excited to still be able to go out and work with these players.” . . . According to Fowler, Williamson’s record is 433-378-36-20, with 31 ties. . . .

In Vancouver, G Payton Lee stopped 23 shots to help the Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . It was Lee's first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . The game marked the return to Vancouver of former head coach Don Hay. He spent 10 seasons with the Giants before leaving over the summer for Kamloops, where he again is head coach of the Blazers. . . . Vancouver D Dmitry Osipov scored the game's first goal, his first of the season, on a second-period PP. . . . F Tyler Benson got his third goal of the season on a third-period PP. . . . Former Prince George Cougars Brett Connolly, now with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was in the house. His brother, Josh, is a defenceman with the Blazers. The Lightning meets the Canucks in Vancouver tonight.

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"A" for effort "D" for spelling "A+ for Freudian slip #WHL #winnerhawks pic.twitter.com/O0Z2W1jbwu
— CellPhones&PlaneTix (@hawkeyblog) October 17, 2014

Hauf penalty rescinded . . . Virtanen closer to returning . . . Rockets stay perfect

The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline zipped past on Wednesday afternoon.
At the deadline, each team has to declare a maximum of three 20-year-olds, with excess players being placed on waivers.
On Wednesday, none of the players on waivers was claimed so any 20-year-olds not on rosters now are free agents.
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The Swift Current Broncos got down to the maximum three 20-year-olds by placing F Andrew Johnson and D Stephen Shmoorkoff on waivers. . . . That left the Broncos with F Carter Rigby, F Colby Cave and F Coda Gordon as their 1994-born players. . . . Johnson, from Saskatoon, got his walking papers on his 20th birthday. A second-round pick by Moose Jaw in the 2009 bantam draft, he also has played for the Warriors and Seattle Thunderbirds. In 262 regular-season games, he has 102 points, including 44 goals. . . . Shmoorkoff, from Edmonton, turned 20 on Sunday. He played the first 40 games of his WHL career with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 95 career games, he had seven points, including one goal.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted Tuesday night that F Gage Ramsay had left the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers and was bound for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. . . . On Wednesday morning, the Giants issued a news release stating that Ramsay “has been added to the club’s active roster.” . . . Ramsay, from Saskatoon, was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He turned 16 on Wednesday. Last season, with the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos, Ramsay had 45 points, 20 of them goals, in 35 games. This season, he had three points in three games with the Blazers. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Ramsay had left the Giants during their training camp in order to play midget hockey.
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Earlier, it was mentioned here that the Saskatoon Blades had posted the 1,600th victory in franchise history and that it came in game No. 3,507. . . . Les Lazaruk, the Blades’ long-time (that just means he’s getting old!) radio voice, checks in with some clarifying numbers:
“It was the 1,600th win in WHL franchise history. But the 3,507 games includes 116 games in the SJHL from 1964-66. The Blades’ WHL record in 3,391 WHL games is 1,600-1,522-202-38-29. Throw in the two SJHL seasons and it's 1,640-1,591-209-38-29.
“Also, the 18-game losing streak is a franchise record. The previous ‘high’ was 17 straight in the 2004 part of the seven-win 2003-04 season. Another franchise record was 13 consecutive home-ice losses snapped on Saturday. The previous home win was Jan. 25 vs. Swift Current . . . 3-2 on a MacKenzie Johnston overtime goal.”
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It’s good to see that Mark Ferner, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, is in mid-season form.
His club is 5-3-0-1 and preparing to meet the 8-1-0-0 Penticton Vees in Vernon on Friday and to visit the West Kelowna Warriors (5-4-0-0) on Saturday.
“We’ll be making sure our compete level is there for the weekend,” Ferner told Kevin Mitchell of the Vernon Morning Star. “There’s too much swinging away from the puck for my liking. Guys are sniffing offensively and they think if they get a point, it makes them a good hockey player. I told them . . . that winning is like deodorant; it just covers up the stink.”
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Former WHL D Travis Hamonic (Moose Jaw, Brandon, 2006-10) is making his mark in the NHL with the New York Islanders. He also is making a lot of young friends along the way as he befriends grief-stricken children. Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post has more right here.
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D Jason Fram, the captain of the Spokane Chiefs, addressed the crowd prior to a game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night. Fram, on behalf of his teammates, apologized for the inappropriate actions of a few teammates during the national anthem prior to Friday's game against visiting Seattle. . . . In that incident, players who were scratched from the lineup apparently made some inappropriate comments during the anthem. . . . Spokane general manager Tim Speltz addressed the issue prior to the Chiefs' 2-1 victory over the Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday. Speltz appeared on Spokane radio, explained what actions the team has taken and issued a broad apology.
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Elliotte Friedman has filed his latest version of 30 Thoughts and, as usual, it's a good read. Grab a cuppa and click right here. Fans of the Edmonton Oil Kings should be warned, though, that there is a mention here of F Curtis Lazar, who remains with the Ottawa Senators.
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D Jared Hauf of the Seattle Thunderbirds was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a first-period hit on Spokane F Liam Stewart during a Tuesday night game against the visiting Chiefs. On Wednesday, the WHL rescinded that penalty, meaning there won’t be a suspension. . . . The Kootenay Ice are giving fans a chance to double up on their pleasure. Each of the Ice’s five Tuesday night home games will feature 2-for-1 walk-up tickets, hot dogs, small popcorn and fountain drinks. The promotion begins with an Oct. 28 game against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. . . .

Former Everett Silvertips assistant/associate coach Jay Varady has been named head coach of the U.S. Junior Selects who will take part in the 2014 Junior A Challenge in Kindersley, Sask., Dec. 14-20. Varady, the director of hockey operations and head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, was the video coach with the U.S. team that won the 2010 World Junior Championship. He spent eight seasons (2003-11) with the Silvertips. . . .

Jim Benning, the general manager of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, told TSN 1040 on Wednesday that F Jake Virtanen, who had off-season shoulder surgery, might be cleared to play for the Calgary Hitmen in 10 days to two weeks. Virtanen, a first-round selection by the Canucks in the 2014 NHL draft, arrived in Vancouver yesterday and will be meeting with team doctors. . . . Virtanen had 71 points, including 45 goals, in 71 games with the Hitmen last season. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft. . . .

In Edmonton on Wednesday night, the Oil Kings scored the game's first three goals and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . F Edgars Kulda's second goal of the season, shorthanded at 3:30 of the second period, was the winner. F Brett Pollock scored Edmonton's first two goals. . . . F Austin Carroll scored for the Royals, running his goal-scoring streak to eight games. He has one goal in each game. . . .

In Swift Current, the Saskatoon Blades beat the Broncos 4-3, thanks to an eight-round shootout. . . . Broncos F Tanner LeSann forced OT with his second goal of the season at 16:59 of the third. . . . Saskatoon F Austin Adamson won it in the shootout. . . . The Blades were 3-for-4 on the PP as they won for the second straight game after opening with six losses. . . . F Jake DeBrusk had two goals, giving him seven, and an assist for the Broncos. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors opened up a 5-1 lead and hung on for a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders, who have lost four in a row. . . . F Jack Rodewald and F Brayden Point each had a goal and an assist for the winners, who are 5-0-1 in their last six. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs outshot Seattle 43-19 en route to a 4-1 victory over the Thunderbirds. . . . It was the third straight meeting between the teams. The Thunderbirds won the opener in OT, with the Chiefs taking the second one in a shootout. . . . F Liam Stewart scored twice for the Chiefs, giving him five goals this season. He also had an assist. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers gave the Kelowna Rockets all they could handle before falling 6-4, a decision that left the visitors with a 9-0-0 record as they head for Spokane and a Friday night date with the Chiefs. . . . F Nick Merkley drew three assists for the Rockets, giving him a WHL-leading 15. . . . His patience with the puck is something to watch. . . . The Blazers (6-4-1) got two goals from the always reliable Cole Ully. . . . Kelowna was 3-for-5 on the PP, and there's a lesson there. The Rockets will grind you down 5-on-5 and beat you with the league's best PP unit that now is 19-for-53, for 35.8 per cent. . . . I realize that plus-minus is a flawed statistic in a lot of ways, but it must mean something that Kelowna D Cole Martin is plus-119 in 151 regular-season games over the past two-plus seasons. . . . The three stars in the building were Merkley, Ully and Kelowna F Tyrell Goulborne, in that order. I went with Merkley, Ully and Kelowna F Austin Glover, a big body who grinds and had two goals.
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Can we all just accept the fact that regardless of the outcome of tonight's Rockets/Blazers game, all three stars will be from the Blazers?
— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) October 15, 2014

Winterhawks streak at 19; Cougars closer to playoff spot

Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times reports that “four more former NHL players have joined the concussion lawsuit against the league.” . . . Bernie Nicholls, Bob Bourne, Scott Parker and Bruce Bell now are part of the suit that was filed in November by nine other players. . . . Klein’s report is right here.
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Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen has more on the situation involving the minor hockey team from that city and the fallout from its appearance at a peewee tournament in Vernon, B.C. Ryan Arnold, the team’s head coach, has been suspended and the investigation continues. Clarke’s story is right here.
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JUST NOTES:
The Kootenay Ice played a game on Friday in which they didn’t incur even one penalty. I then wondered in this space if that previously had happened with a Ryan McGill-coached team. Turns out it did. Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, informs that it happened earlier this season. . . . On Oct. 13, the host Ice beat the Prince Albert Raiders 2-0 in a game in which referees Brett Montsion and Kyle Scrivens chose not to penalize either team.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Calgary (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Edmonton (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Everett (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Vancouver (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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SUNDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Portland at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Spokane, 5:05 p.m.
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MONDAY’S WHL GAMES:
None scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, G Daniel Wapple stopped 45 shots through OT and was near-perfect in the shootout as the Pats beat the Calgary Hitmen, 5-4. . . . The Hitmen tied the game with two third-period goals. They outshot the Pats 22-5 in that period. . . . F Brady Brassart, with his 31st goal, got the Hitmen to within one at 4:27 and F Jake Virtanen, with his 40th, tied it on a PP at 13:23. . . . The skills competition went nine rounds, with F Logan McVeigh and D Colby Williams, Regina’s last two shooters, both scoring. Only D Jaynen Rissling was able to score for Calgary. . . . The Hitmen had won their previous nine games. . . . Regina is 7-0-1 in its last eight at home. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk had two goals, giving him 25, for the Pats. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 26 shots. . . . The Pats (34-22-6) lead the East Division by six points over Swift Current, so are the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. . . . The loser point lifted the Hitmen (41-15-7) atop the Eastern Conference standings, a point ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who still hold three games in hand. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Victoria Royals got three assists from F Brandon Magee as they wrapped up a five-game East Division swing with a 6-3 victory over the Blades. . . . The Royals went 4-1-0 on the trip. . . . F Logan Nelson, with his 21st, and F Taylor Crunk, with his seventh, gave the Royals a 2-0 lead in the game’s first 1:03 and the Royals were never headed. . . . Nelson finished with two goals. . . . F Nikita Scherbak scored his 27th goal and added an assist for the Blades. . . . G Alex Moodie started for the Blades. He had been out since Jan. 18 with an injury. He left after two periods, having been beaten five times on 26 shots. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 17 shots. . . . The Royals (43-17-4) are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and appear headed to a third-place finish in the Western Conference. . . . The Blades (16-41-4) are 2-7-1 in their last 10. . . .

In Brandon, F Tim McGauley scored three times to lead the Wheat Kings to a 7-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Wheat Kings had lost eight in a row. . . . McGauley’s first WHL hat trick leaves him with 18 goals in 59 this season, one more than he scored in 66 games last season. He has 49 points; last season, he finished with 45. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle added two goals for Brandon, giving him 11, while D Ryan Pulock got his 20th goal and added two assists. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 41 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings (29-26-8) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Swift Current. . . . The Warriors (15-37-9) have lost five in a row. . . .

In Edmonton, the Vancouver Giants scored three first-period goals and went on to beat the Oil Kings, 5-1. . . . Vancouver won twice on a three-game trip into Alberta. . . . F Jackson Houck scored two PP goals for the Giants. He’s got 30 goals this season. . . . The Giants were 3-for-6 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-for-7. . . . With D Dalton Thrower and D Brett Kulak out, the Giants had D Ryely McKinstry play his second WHL game. He was a second-round selection in the 2013 banta draft. . . . Giants G Payton Lee turned aside 32 shots. . . . Vancouver (30-24-10) are sixth in the Western Conference, six points behind Spokane. . . . The Oil Kings (43-15-2) slipped to third in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Red Deer, the Swift Current Broncos struck for three third-period goals and beat the Rebels, 5-3. . . . The Rebels held a 3-1 lead late in the second period, only to have F Coda Gordon score at 19:27. . . . F Jay Merkley, with his 25th goal, pulled the Broncos even at 1:12 of the third and F Andrew Johnson gave them the lead, with his seventh, at 12:33. That was Johnson’s second goal of the game. . . . Gordon added his 22nd into an empty net at 19:45. . . . F Graham Black continued his superb season with the Broncos by drawing four assists. He has 80 points, 51 of them assists, in 59 games. . . . Swift Current D Julius Honka didn’t pick up a point, but finished at plus-4. . . . The Broncos went in having lost eight of 10, while the Rebels now have lost 11 of 13. . . . The Broncos (30-24-8) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, six points in back of Kootenay. . . . The Rebels (29-30-4) are tied with Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Kamloops Blazers scored two shootout goals and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Seattle F Alexander Delnov forced OT with his 25th goal, via the PP, at 5:01 of the second period. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk and F Matt Bellerive scored for Kamloops in the skills competition; F Branden Troock had scored for Seattle. . . . Kamloops G Cole Kehler stopped 33 shots in 57:57 of play. He came on at 7:03 of the first period with his side trailing, 1-0. Starter Bolton Pouliot had to leave after being involved in a goalmouth collision with Seattle F Russell Maxwell, who was steered in that direction by Kamloops D Sam Grist. . . . G Taran Kozun, appearing against his former team, turned aside 28 shots. . . . Kamloops is 6-21-1 on the road, with two of those victories in Kent. The Blazers won 7-1 there on New Year’s Eve. . . . At home, the Blazers beat the Thunderbirds 3-1 and then dropped a 3-2 decision. . . . Kamloops (13-44-5) is 2-8-0 in its last 10. . . . Seattle (37-19-6) is fourth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Spokane. . . . The Thunderbirds staged their 2014 Hockey Challenge on Saturday, with six charity games wrapped around their game with the Blazers. The late game featured Team Furness vs. Team Shea, and included former Seattle players Mark Parrish, Brendan Witt, Chris Wells, Jesse Wilson, Jamie Huscroft, Brett Duncan, Regan Mueller and Danny Lorenz. . . . Also featured were actors Michael Mantenuto, who played Jack O’Callahan in Miracle, and former pro hockey player/scout/executive-turned-actor Mike Butters. Interestingly, Mantenuto, according to a Thunderbirds news release, “is a Sergeant in the US Army with the 1st Special Forces Group stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash.” Butters, meanwhile, “is a character actor who has appeared in over 50 movies, including the Saw franchise and D2 – The Mighty Ducks, 100 commercials and 20 television shows.” . . . The Hockey Challenge, which began in 1998, is a fund-raiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Miles Koules scored twice and added an assist as the Tigers dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-3. . . . His first goal, 56 seconds into the game, came via a penalty shot. . . . Koules, the son of Oren Koules, who had a stint with the Tigers (1979-80), has 23 goals. Dad had 13 points, six of them goals, in 33 games with the Tigers. The next season, with the Spokane Flyers, Oren put up 73 points, including 28 goals, in 67 games. Miles, 19, has 45 points in 61 games as a sophmore. Last season, he had 40 points, 19 of them goals, in 69 games. . . . It’s worth noting that the Medicine Hat roster also includes F Blake Penner, whose father, Craig, played for the Tigers (1982-86) and F Gavin Broadhead, whose father, Curt, also played in The Hat (1977-81). As well, the Tigers have D Gabe Bast, 17, on their list. His father, Tom, played four seasons with the Tigers (1973-77). . . . Medicine Hat was 3-for-3 on the PP. . . . The Tigers (38-21-3) are the only team in the WHL not to have lost in a shootout. They are fourth in Eastern Conference, five points ahead of Kootenay. . . . Lethbridge (12-46-5) has lost five in a row. . . .

In Prince George, F Jansen Harkins broke a 1-1 tie at 8:26 of the third period as the Cougars got past the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . Cougars F Klarc Wilson got his 25th goal, on a PP, at 14:10 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, with his 20th, tied it at 18:49 of the second. . . . Prince George G Ty Edmonds stopped 42 shots, 16 in the third period. . . . G Jordon Cooke of the Rockets turned aside 23 shots. . . . Prince George F Todd Fiddler ran his point streak to 15 games with an assist on Harkins’ goal. . . . Kelowna D Damon Severson had a nine-game assist streak snapped. . . . The Rockets had beaten the Cougars 4-2 on Friday, giving them their franchise record 25th road victory of the season. The previous record had been set in 2003-04. That victory also allowed the Rockets to have back-to-back 100-point seasons for the first time in franchise history. . . . The Cougars (26-31-8) closed to within a point of Tri-City, which holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. The Americans hold three games in hand. . . . The Rockets (48-9-4) lead the overall standings. . . .

In Portland, F Chase De Leo had two goals and two assists as the Winterhawks ran their winning streak to 19 games with a 6-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . De Leo has 34 goals. . . . The Raiders scored the game’s first two goals and took a 2-1 lead into the second period. . . . Portland took control with four second-period goals. . . . Portland F Nic Petan scored twice, giving him 34, and running his point streak to 15 games. But he had his assist streak end at 14 games. . . . Petan leads the WHL points derby with 105 points, two more than Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg. . . . F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 42nd goal and added two assists for Portland. . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey scored his 22nd goal and added an assist, while F Dakota Conroy scored twice, giving him 26, and F Leon Draisaitl had three assists. . . . Portland (45-12-5) is five points behind Kelowna, which has a game in hand and leads the overall standings. . . . The Raiders (29-29-4) are tied with Red Deer for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Spokane, Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg scored the game’s first three goals and his mates road that to a 6-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Holmberg leads the WHL with 54 goals. . . . He scored at 10:17, 18:01 (pp) and 19:18 of the first period. . . . F Carter Proft added two goals for the Chiefs, giving him 10. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had one assist as he ran his point streak to 20 games and his assist streak to 13 games. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon notched his 30th goal of the season. . . . Ice D Jagger Dirk played in his 300th regular-season game, all with Kootenay. . . . The Ice has had a flu bug in its dressing room. F Luke Philp returned after sitting out one game, while D Landon Cross and D Landon Peel were scratched. . . . It all meant the Ice dressed 15 skaters, three under the maximum. . . . The Chiefs (35-21-6) are fifth in the Western Conference and appear likely to finish there. . . . The Ice (35-23-4) appears headed to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Josh Winquist and F Patrick Bakjov scored in the shootout to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . They were the only shooters Everett needed as only F Brian Williams could scored for the home side. . . . F Parker Bowles scored twice for the Americans, his second one, at 11:57 of the third period, forcing OT. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 39 shots through OT, 19 more than Everett’s Austin Lotz. . . . The Silvertips (30-23-8) have won their last two after a rocky stretch and are seventh in the Western Conference, two points behind Vancouver. . . . The Americans (27-28-7) are 2-6-2 in their last 10 and clinging to the conference’s last playoff spot, one point ahead of Prince George. The Americans have 10 games to play, three more than the Cougars.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “.939 - Stopping all 5 (Friday) night, @WHLKootenayICE Mackenzie Skapski (@Skaps29) has saved 46 of 49 shootout attempts over the last 2 seasons.”

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Warriors' Hall of Fame opens doors to trio

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Gord Baldwin (Medicine Hat, 2004-07) signed a two-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had three goals and 11 assists in 26 games with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) and five assists in 29 games with the Texas Stars (AHL). The Steelers press release says that Baldwin will attend University of Sheffield Business School while playing for the Steelers. . . .
F Keegan Dansereau (Calgary, Swift Current, 2003-09) signed a one-year contract with Olofström (Sweden, Division 1). He had 10 goals and seven assists in 23 games with Mörrum (Sweden, Division 1) last season.
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The Saskatoon Blades, the only franchise to have played every WHL season since the its inception in 1966-67, appears to be on the verge of being sold. Mike Priestner, an Edmonton-based auto dealer, apparently is the favourite to purchase the Blades. Priestner and Blades majority owner Jack Brodsky both told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that they are talking. . . . There’s more right here. . . . Yes, this is the same Mike Priestner who attempted to purchase the Kamloops Blazers in 2007.
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On Thursday evening, Nugent-Bowman tweeted: “Just talked to Mike Priestner. He said no deal to buy the Saskatoon Blades has been finalized. Status quo from yesterday. #spnews”
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The Swift Current Broncos have acquired F Connor Sanvido, who is to turn 20 on Sept. 26, and F Andrew Johnson, who will be 19 on Oct. 15, from the Seattle Thunderbirds for a fourth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Sanvido, from Maple Ridge, B.C., was the 14th overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He had 29 points, including 14 goals, in 72 games last season. In 184 games, he has 53 points, 26 of them goals. . . . Johnson, from Saskatoon, was acquired form the Moose Jaw Warriors at last season’s trade deadline for a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick . A second-round pick by the Warriors in the 2009 bantam draft, he had 23 points in 72 games last season. In 189 career games, he has 76 points, including 33 goals. . . . Sanvido’s arrival leaves the Broncos with what would appear to be four potential 20-year-olds, the others being G Eetu Laurikainen, F Graham Black and F Daniel Dale. . . . The Thunderbirds, meanwhile, are down to three – F Mitch Elliot, D Jesse Forsberg and F Seth Swenson.
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The Vancouver Giants have claimed F Tim Traber, 20, off waivers from the Victoria Royals. . . . Vancouver GM Scott Bonner told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that Traber is in Switzerland at the present time, so it has yet to be decided if he will report to the Giants. . . . The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Traber, who is from Quesnel, B.C., is a grinder. He has 32 points in 215 regular-season games, having played two seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) and two with the Royals. . . . At the moment, the Giants have F Cain Franson as their lone 20-year-old, although F Marek Tvrdon and D Dalton Thrower also are possibilities. Tvrdon has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, while Thrower has yet to sign with the Montreal Canadiens. . . . Victoria, meanwhile, has four 20-year-olds on its roster — D Jordan Fransoo, F Mitch Deacon, F Logan Nelson and F Ben Walker.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed F Zach Goberis, who was a fourth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. Goberis, from Arvada, Colo., had 40 points, including 17 goals, in 39 games with the Colorado Thunderbirds Tier 1 elite minor midget team last season. (A tip of the cap to Small Thoughts at Large for the stats.) . . . Goberis is represented by Turning Point Sports Management.
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Congrats to old friend Lyle Helland, who will be one of three people inducted into the Conexus Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame in Moose Jaw this year. . . . Also going into the hall will be former players Darryl Laplante and Lyle Odelein. . . . Helland, who will be inducted as a builder, was part of the original group that brought the franchise from Winnipeg in 1984. He has served on the team’s board of director and has been a season-ticket holder for 29 years. . . . Odelein (1985-88) had 163 points in 189 games. He is the third-highest scoring defenceman in Warriors history. . . . Laplante (1994-97) had 310 points, including 102 goals, in 212 games. . . . The Warriors will celebrate their Hall of Fame weekend, Oct. 17-19.
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“Last winter, Hockey Canada and Bauer Hockey Inc. commissioned an independent survey to better understand the challenges facing non hockey-playing families. The results were stunning,” writes Dan Ralph of The Canadian Press. “A whopping 90 per cent of the 875 families surveyed in Ontario and Nova Scotia kept their kids out of hockey because a) it wasn’t fun, b) it was too time consuming, c) of safety concerns, and d) of affordability. The good news is 73 per cent also said they’d consider putting their kids in the game in future while 40 per cent said they’d definitely consider it.”
That complete story is right here.
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Alex Rodriguez as a sympathetic figure? William C. Rhoden of The New York Times makes that case right here. Don’t laugh because Rhoden has a convincing argument.
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There are athletes and there are stars and there are super stars. And then there’s Roger Federer. If you don’t believe it, check out this story right here on the tennis star and a young lady who has fought a couple of rounds with the big C.


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This column appeared in Wednesday's Kamloops Daily News:

In the days before the WHL’s regular season opened, the league summoned its general managers and head coaches to Calgary for a meeting.
During said gabfest, there was much talk about the respect factor, or lack of same, between opposing players on the ice, about not hitting players who find themselves, for whatever reason, in vulnerable positions, about headshots and about hits from behind.
Guy Charron, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, put together a video presentation showing, among other things, players who were in vulnerable positions absorbing hits. He didn’t have to dig too deeply to find examples of players not protecting themselves and of some bad hits. He looked at one game and found instances of both on the first two shifts.
After the meeting, the coaches, who all are in agreement that these hits have to be removed from the game, returned home and immediately set about spreading the word.
Unfortunately, it seems to have fallen on some deaf ears.
In the regular season’s first 22 games, referees handed out 13 checking-from-behind minors and one major. There also were three minors and three majors for checks to the head.
There were other instances when what could have been checking-from-behind penalties were called boarding. There was a checking-from-behind incident in a Friday night game in Kamloops that was ignored by the officials.
And when the weekend was done, nine players were awaiting possible suspensions, each of them having been tossed from a game for one indiscretion or another.
These players included Mathew Dumba, a defenceman with the Red Deer Rebels who was a first-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the NHL’s 2012 draft, and forward Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks, a second-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2011 who is seen as a potential WHL scoring champ this season.
On Friday night, forward Andrew Johnson of the Moose Jaw Warriors won a game by scoring on a penalty shot in overtime. The next night, he was ejected with a major penalty for charging.
In Medicine Hat, Tigers forward Kale Kessy, who turns 20 in December, took out Lethbridge Hurricanes defenceman Ryan Pilon, who turns 16 next month. Pilon was the third pick in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. Kessy was given a major and game misconduct for the headshot; Pilon didn’t return to the game and may be out for a while.
“We lose one of the top young defencemen in the league to a headshot elbow,” Rich Preston, the Hurricanes’ general manager and head coach, told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News. “What are you going to do?
“You have to try and take that out of the game.”
Later in the same game, Lethbridge defenceman Spencer Galbraith dropped Medicine Hat forward Hunter Shinkaruk, who is likely to be an early selection in the NHL’s 2013 draft, with a headshot and was tossed from the proceedings.
“It is frustrating as a league and as a coach,” Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ GM/head coach, told Steinke. “We had a meeting in Calgary, the coaches and the GMs.
“It is just something that we have to keep stressing to the players. We have to have a little bit more respect for each other and stay away from those headshots and stay away from the dangerous plays.”
Charron, for his part, sounds at least a bit frustrated.
“It’s up to us as coaches,” Charron said. “There are no other people to blame. There are certain things about encouraging the physical play for our team. We always say we have to finish our checks. . . . I tell the players, ‘If you see his number and you hit a player you’re apt to get a penalty and perhaps injure a player.’
“Just tell your players, ‘I want you to be physical but if you hit a guy from behind expect to be penalized. Perhaps you will injure a player and then you’re going to be suspended.’ ”
Kamloops defenceman Tyler Hansen was hit with two checking-from-behind minors on Friday night. On Saturday, he took an inadvertent shot to the head and ended up being taken to hospital in an ambulance. The game is physical enough, then, without players drilling other players from behind.
“It’s my role to be physical and tough but there are rules in this league that protect guys,” Hansen said of the two penalties he took. “When you see those numbers you have to steer (the player) into the boards and rub him out; you can’t put all your weight into him and try to finish him.”
Charron added: “Our thing is to make the players aware. But it’s an intense game. I tell our players, ‘If you see the number, don’t hit him.’ We have to teach them how to play to avoid those injuries. We constantly say, ‘Now it’s one hand on your stick, stick on puck and ride them off.’
“We don’t want our players to be hurt. We understand that these things need to be addressed.”
As of Tuesday evening, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, had doled out 11 games in suspensions to six different players. There may be more to come, perhaps even today.
This is just like when you’re building a deck with hammer and nails and that first nail keeps bending. You can’t quit. You have to keep hammering away.

(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, gdrinnan.blogspot.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan.)

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