With Internet problems in the press box at Interior Savings Centre, veteran
sportscaster Earl Seitz of Kamloops TV station CFJC had time to pose for
a photo with the gals from the station on Friday night. There's more from
Seitz further down in this report.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Johnny Boychuk (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 1999-2004) signed a lockout contract with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had five goals and ten assists in 77 games with Boston Bruins last season. . . .
F Kris Beech (Calgary, 1996-2001) was released by Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals and six assists in 21 games with Pardubice this season. . . .
F Evander Kane (Vancouver, 2006-09) was released from his lockout contract by Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). He had one goal and 47 PIM in 11 games with Minsk.
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Brent Sutter, the owner, president, general manager and, since Tuesday, interim head coach of the Red Deer Rebels continued to reshape his roster Friday. He released D Jan Bittner, a 19-year-old Czech who didn’t have a point in 14 games. . . . Sutter also released F Austin Ferguson, who was pointless in four games with the Rebels after having been acquired from the Kelowna Rockets. Ferguson, 17, is from Abbotsford, B.C.
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The Kamloops Blazers have acquired F Joey Kornelsen, 19, from the Calgary Hitmen for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Kornelsen, in his fourth WHL season, also played for the Moose Jaw Warriors. In 187 regular-season games, he has 62 points, including 24 goals. This season, he has four assists in 18 games. . . . With the Hitmen getting F Victor Rask back from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, Kornelsen may have had trouble getting playing time in Calgary. . . . The Blazers, meanwhile, are without two 20-year-old forwards. Dylan Willick (broken ankle) likely won’t play until after Christmas, while Jordan DePape (shoulder) continues to be evaluated by medical staff. . . . Kamloops associate coach Dave Hunchak coached Kornelsen while both were with the Warriors. Moose Jaw selected him with its first pick, 33rd overall, in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Alan Caldwell, over there at Small Thoughts At Large, notes that the Hitmen now hold 10 selections in the first six rounds of the 2013 bantam draft. As Caldwell tweeted: “Lots of trade bait there, if they want to make a move later.”
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Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun reports that D Martin Gernat is back in Edmonton, although he’s still a while from getting back into the Oil Kings’ lineup. Gernat, who watched his teammates practise on Friday, had shoulder surgery in the Czech Republic in September. If all goes well, Gernat could begin light skating in a couple of weeks. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Gernat had 55 points, including nine goals, as a freshman last season. The Edmonton Oilers selected him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2011 draft.
The Oil Kings return to action tonight as they play host to the Prince Albert Raiders. The Oil Kings will be without F Travis Ewanyk, who suffered a knee injury during Team WHL’s 1-0 Super Series shootout victory over a Russian side in Vancouver on Wednesday. He was to undergo an MRI on Friday and there already is speculation that he will be out for at least a month.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Victoria, G Patrik Polivka stopped 20 shots as the Royals beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-0. . . . It was Polivka’s first WHL shutout. . . . He had help as the Silvertips hit three posts. . . . It also was the Royals’ first shutout since the franchise relocated from Chilliwack prior to last season. . . . The big story, however, may have come in the second period when Everett D Ryan Murray left the game after taking a check from Victoria F Logan Nelson. There were reports that Murray was taken to hospital with what is believed to be an injury to his left arm or shoulder. . . . Murray, taken second overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2012 NHL draft, is one of the league’s top defencemen. If healthy, he will play for Canada’s national junior team and may be the captain. . . . F Jamie Crooks had two goals, giving him nine, and an assist for the Royals, who have won two in a row. . . . Everett F Manraj Hayer was back after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers got 14 points from their big line as they snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . RW JC Lipon had two goals and two assists, while C Colin Smith had a goal and four assists and LW Tim Bozon was two and two. . . . Lipon leads the WHL in goals (19) and points (48), while Smith leads in assists (31) and is second in points (47). . . . The three had combined for just seven points in the previous six games, five of which were losses. . . . Portland had its 12-game winning streak snapped and fell four points back of the WHL-leading Blazers. . . . F Brendan Leipsic had a goal and two assists for the Winterhawks, his seventh straight multi-point game. He is on a nine-game point streak. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford and Portland D Troy Rutkowski both played in their 300th regular-season games and each scored a goal. Each player is with his original team. . . . Kamloops D Sam Grist was pointless but finished plus-5. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth suffered his first loss in 10 decisions. He has given up 10 goals in his last four periods at Interior Savings Centre. That goes back to Game 6 of a second-round series last spring when the Blazers came back from a 5-2 deficit to win, 7-6. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Alex Delnov had two goals and an assist to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Delnov, who has eight goals, played for Russia in the Super Series-clinching victory over Team WHL on Thursday in Victoria. . . . Seattle F Robert Lipsbergs broke a 3-3 tie 15:57 of the third period. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 17. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored three times in the game’s first 7:30 and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes gave up four goals on 15 shots but last just one period. Curtis Honey came on to stop 17 of 18. . . . Kootenay G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 32 shots. . . . The teams meet in Cranbrook again tonight. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Logan McVeigh broke a 2-2 tie at 2:03 of the third period as the Prince Albert Raiders beat the Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders past the idle Calgary Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings, into first place in the Eastern Conference. . . . F Leon Draisaitl had two goals for the winners. . . . F Russell Maxwell got his 14th goal of the season, in his 24th game, for Lethbrige. Lst season, he finished with 15 goals in 72 games. . . . Draisaitl, a German freshman who turned 17 on Oct. 27, has 18 points, five of them goals, in 22 games. . . . The Raiders are 6-0-0 against Alberta teams this season. They play in Edmonton tonight. . . .

In Prince George, G Andrey Makarov stopped 42 shots to lead the Saskatoon Blades to a 4-0 victory over the Cougars. . . . One night earlier, Makarov backstopped a Russian team to a 5-2 victory over Team WHL in a Super Series game in Victoria. He also played in Wednesday’s 1-0 shootout loss to the WHL in Vancouver. . . . This was Makarov’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls got his 19th goal, one of the league lead held by Kamloops F JC Lipon. . . . Prince George F Caleb Belter drew a boarding major and game misconduct at 12:10 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon D Matthew Pufahl, who was hit by Belter, needed help getting off the ice and didn’t return to the game. . . . The Cougars lost D Rinalds Rosinskis, who left in the second period after blocking a shot with his left leg. . . . The Blades continue their B.C. swing in Vancouver on Sunday. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the Blades are expected to bring up F Nick Gomerich, 16, from the major midget North Island Silvertips for the game. . . .

In Vancouver, F Thomas Foster scored in the circus to give the Giants a 4-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Foster was the 13th shooter in a seven-round shootout. . . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk forced OT with his 12th goal at 19:06 of the third period. It came via the PP. . . . Pats F Lane Scheidl, who began his WHL career with the Giants, notched his 11th goal and added two assists. . . . F Kale Kessy scored twice for Vancouver, including a shorthanded score at 7:16 of the third period that gave his side  3-2 lead. . . . Regine D Kyle Burroughs, who is from Langley, B.C., scored his first goal of the season in front of family and friends. . . . The Giants have back-to-back victories for the first time this season. Ironically, both victories have come in shootouts, a part of the game that Vancouver head coach Don Hay doesn’t enjoy. . . . Vancouver remains without F Cain Franson, who is believed to have a concussion. He has missed eight games. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 3-2. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser won it with his 15th score this season at 14:44 of the third period. . . . Americans G Eric Comrie stopped a season-high 41 shots. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke returned from an undisclosed injury — speculation had him with a concussion incurred in a practice — to stop 19 shots. . . . The same teams meet in Kennewick again tonight.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Trevor Cheek, Vancouver
D Mirco Mueller, Everett
F Manraj Hayer, Everett

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, Vancouver
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Tri-City F Philip Tot (@totter19) with some advice for the ladies: “Women’s make up should come with a warning. Do not exceed entire bottle in one night. Know your limits #naturalbeauty #seriously”
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TWEET OF THE DAY II:
From Earl Seitz (@EarlCFJCsports), veteran Kamloops sportscaster: “We can put men on the moon, land rovers on Mars and fly drones to get the enemy. These days the enemy is the internet at the ISC #needdrone”
Oh, does he get my support on this one. It’s 2012 (almost 2013) and we have nothing but Internet grief, night after night, at Interior Savings Centre.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11), released last week by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), signed a one-year contract with Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga). He was pointless in six games with Liberec.
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In the past, I have written here about the relationship between the Tri-City Americans and Jessi Smith, a young superfan who has had more than her share of medical problems brought on by Down Syndrome. Along the way, these problems claimed her sight.
And through it all she has had an amazing relationship with Tri-City players. Oh, she also is a member of the Tri-City Hockey Booster Club.
Here is the latest, from teacher Dawn Johnson:
“As you may remember, I've written you for the last few years about Adam Hughesman and Kruise Reddick mini-putting with blindfolds to mimic Jessi's first attempt after losing her sight.
“Then last year, I was touched by Kruise texting Justin Feser to ensure that Jessi had a partner since Kruise had graduated, and Adam was at an NHL camp. Justin asked Mitch Topping to join him, and the two made sure that Jessi had a wonderful day.”
Which bring us to this year, Dawn writes.
“The dates of the event are picked with about a month's notice, and Jessi and her family were disappointed that they wouldn't be able to attend as they had scheduled their vacation at that time (it was held on Sept. 9). That just wasn't good enough for Justin and Mitch, so last weekend Justin and Mitch played a second time — four weeks later the two players went to Golf Universe and met Jessi there to ensure she was able to play a round with ‘her hockey boys.’
“I definitely think that Justin and Mitch deserve to be recognized for going above and beyond!”
This is a terrific story, one that just keeps on giving.
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D Seth Jones, who at this point is looked at as potentially one of the first two selections in the NHL’s 2013 draft, is doing just fine in the early going of his first season with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . “It has been pretty good,” Jones told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post after a 3-2 OT loss to the host Regina Pats on Tuesday. . . . At that point, Jones had two assists in eight games. . . . “My numbers aren’t really showing how good I think I’m playing right now,” Jones added. “I think I’m playing very solid. I’m moving the puck pretty well. I think my time with the puck has been exceptional. I obviously expected it to be a little tougher than what I came from. Now I’m really starting to get a feel for the level and the skillset in this league. Hopefully, I can produce a little bit more for my team but I think I’m playing pretty well right now.” . . . Jones had a goal and an assist in a 4-0 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon last night.
Harder’s complete story is right here.
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First, they assigned him; then they signed him.
The AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs assigned D Antoine Corbin, 20, to the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday morning. Later in the day, the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate announced that it had signed Corbin to a one-year AHL contract.
Corbin had been in Hamilton’s training camp on a free-agent tryout.
The Raiders had acquired Corbin from the Kelowna Rockets on Nov. 18, 2010, for a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
In 118 regular-season games with the Raiders, Corbin had 52 points, including 20 goals.
The Raiders are left with three 20-year-olds — D Davis Vandane, who was acquired last week from the Spokane Chiefs, F Anthony Bardaro, who came over from Spokane last season, and G Luke Siemens, an offseason acquisition from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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The Saskatoon Blades have placed D Connor Cox on waivers in order to get down to three 20-year-olds. Cox led Saskatoon defencemen in assists (38) and plus-minus (plus-26) last season. This season, he had three assists in seven games. . . . The Blades got Cox from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Nov. 11, 2010, for a second-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In 219 regular-season WHL games, Cox has 86 points. . . . The move leaves Saskatoon with F Adam Kambeitz, F Josh Nicholls and F Brenden Walker as its 20s. . . . The Blades also brought back D Kyle Schmidt, 19, who was in training camp with Saskatoon before being assigned to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars.
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The Kelowna Rockets have dealt F Austin Ferguson, 17, to the Red Deer Rebels for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Ferguson, from Abbotsford, B.C., has four points in 58 career regular-season games. He was a 10th-round pick by Kelowna in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . Ferguson had been one of 15 forwards on Kelowna’s roster. . . .
The legendary Bob Ridley (@BobRidley_CHAT) let his twitterverse know yesterday that the Medicine Hat Tigers continue to be without F Jayden Hart “due to an unspecified illness. Will be examined by specialists this week.” . . .
As mentioned here previously, G Tyler Fuhr of the Vancouver Giants is from Sherwood Park, Alta., but he isn’t related to Grant Fuhr, the former Edmonton Oilers goaltender. It seems, however, that the two have met. Earlier this summer, the younger Fuhr was headed to Palm Springs, Calif., to visit grandparents when he spotted Fuhr, the elder, in an airport. "I went over,” Tyler tells Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, “and said, ‘Hi,' and told him, 'My name is Tyler Fuhr and I'm a goalie, too.’ He laughed. I thought it was pretty cool."
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WEDNESDAY’S STUFF:
G Mac Carruth earned the shutout as the visiting Portland Winterhawks beat the Saskatoon Blades, 4-0. . . . Carruth, 20, made his first start of the season for Portland since returning from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. . . . G Cam Lanigan, 20, was scratched by Portland for a second straight game. . . . Carruth stopped 26 shots, including just one in the third period, in recording his fifth career shutout. . . . The Blades now have lost four in a row and been outscored 23-5 in the process. They are 0-4-0 at home. . . . Portland F Preston Kopeck scored his first two WHL goals 25 seconds apart to break a scoreless tie early in the second period. . . . Winterhawks D Seth Jones scored his first WHL goal. . . . Portland plays the red-hot Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday. . . . The Blades head out on the road for three in three nights. They’ll play Friday in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice, Saturday in Lethbridge and Sunday in Medicine Hat. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers ran their record to 6-0-1 with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers, leading 1-0 after one, took control in the second period, outshooting the Royals 17-0 and outscoring them 2-0. . . . D Sam Grist, acquired by Kamloops from the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday, wasn’t in the Blazers’ lineup. He is expected to play Friday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen (concussion), who hasn’t played since Sept. 22, also is expected in the lineup for that one. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings were excellent on the penalty kill as they doubled the host Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-2. . . . Edmonton successfully killed eight of nine Medicine Hat power plays, including four 5-on-3s. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit made 34 saves, showing that he is closer to regaining last season’s form. . . . D Keegan Lowe (foot) returned to Edmonton’s lineup after missing four games. . . .

F Mitch Holmberg scored twice to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-4 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . Holmberg leads the WHL with nine goals and has scored in each of his club’s six games. Last season, he had 27 goals in 66 games. . . . Kelowna’s Myles Bell, a defenceman who is playing on a forward line, had three assists. With 14 points, he shares the WHL scoring lead with Kamloops F JC Lipon. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke made his eighth straight start. . . . Kelowna F Carter Rigby (shoulder) left the game in the first period. . . . Spokane (5-1-0) has won three in a row. The Chiefs are in Kamloops on Friday. . . .

The Prince George Cougars were credited with only two assists as they scored a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . F Brett Roulston broke a 3-3 tie at 17:20 of the second period with his first WHL goal, an unassisted effort. . . . Kootenay D Joey Leach tied it at 2:49 of the third with his second goal of the game. . . . F Jari Erricson got the winner, unassisted, at 10:39. . . . The Cougars successfully killed off a major penalty to F Zach Pochiro for checking from behind shortly after Erricson’s goal. . . . The Ice held a 39-17 edge in shots. . . . The Cougars now are 5-1-1 as they head for Lethbridge and a Friday date with the Hurricanes.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Jeff Hubic, Kootenay
F Zach Pochiro, Prince George (major)
F Henrik Nyberg, Kelowna

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
D Griffin Reinhart (@GriffinReinharrt) of the Edmonton Oil Kings sometimes calls for questions from his Twitter followers. He was doing that yesterday afternoon.
“@RKENNY93: @GriffinReinhart who do you like more Sam or Max? Neither . I like my dog mojo the most.”
And a question from Sam Reinhart (@SamsonReinhart): “@GriffinReinhart I have a quick question for you. Are you this rude in person or am I mistaken by your tone over the screen?”
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For today’s good read, check out this piece right here by Bonnie D. Ford of espn.com.
She pretty much lays bare the myth of Lance Armstrong.


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Brady Gaudet of the Kamloops Blazers battles for the puck with Colton Heffley
of the Kelowna Rockets in exhibition action Friday at Interior Savings Centre.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell/Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers proved Friday night that they don’t like Ogopogo or Nessie the Loch Ness Monster or whatever that monstrosity is on the Kelowna Rockets’ logo.
The Blazers dropped a 3-2 WHL exhibition decision to Kelowna on Friday night at Interior Savings Centre, despite outshooting the Rockets, 45-21, including 30-12 over the final 40 minutes.
These teams will do it again tonight in Kelowna (3-0).
The Blazers (1-2) were hampered by two things last night — an inability to get pucks through traffic and, when they did, the ability to drill goaltender Jordon Cooke right in the chest.
They also were guilty of some tentative player in their zone, but first things first.
Yes, despite being credited with 45 shots, Kamloops had a lot of shots blocked by defenders or sticks or teammates. Like the shot by defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer that drilled winger Chase Souto in the back of a leg on an early third-period power play.
And when they did get through, Cooke, an 18-year-old from Leduc, Alta., was there.
“Good positioning,” offered Kelowna goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh, himself a member of the goaltenders’ union.
Cooke, who went the distance with veteran Adam Brown, 20, in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, took a 3-0 lead into the game’s last five minutes and was full marks for it.
“I thought Jordon was very good,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said. “If we get Adam back, which we are expecting we will, we feel like we have a good one-two punch . . . some teams don’t have a one. Either guy in there gives us a lot of confidence.”
With Cooke holding the fort, the Rockets got a goal in each period — Austin Ferguson, Tyson Baillie and Cody Chikie doing the damage — but were hanging on as the second period ended.
“The message I gave them was that we have to play hard right from the beginning,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said, “as we did maybe in the second period or the third when we were behind.”
Charron said he would like his team to “produce some offence early and have the other teams have to play catch-up hockey.”
The Blazers, however, saved their scoring for the final five minutes.
First, Cole Ully took a centring pass from J.C. Lipon and beat Cooke  at 15:18, then Ryan Hanes put in a rebound at 17:50.
“We started slow and by the time we started to go it was too late,” Hanes said. “We just couldn’t get there.”
Hanes had a glorious chance 14 minutes into the first period of what then was a scoreless game. He missed an open side and ended up seated against the end boards, with Cooke chirping at him.
“The puck totally rolled off the back of my stick,” Hanes said. “I think he told me to get out of the league or something.”
With numerous players at NHL camps, the Blazers went with 15 skaters, three under the maximum, while the Rockets dressed 16. The result was a game lacking in flow.
“I thought they played very hard and had a lot of energy,” Huska said of the Blazers. “That was a department I thought we were lacking in. It’s tough when you are down in numbers but it was the same for both teams.”
Charron felt he got good effort from his club but that “it was a bit sloppy at times but that’s understandable; there’s not a lot of cohesion there because a lot of players haven’t played together. The power play is the same thing. It’s different people and there’s no cohesion.”
The Blazers were 0-for-6 on the power play; the Rockets were 1-for-3.
The Blazers went the distance with goaltender Cole Cheveldave, 18, who finished with 18 saves. Of the three goals, he likely would want the third one back. Other than that one — a short-side stuff job by Chikie — he looked to be in control.
Charron said he plans to go with Cam Lanigan, 19, tonight. That might indicate the coaching staff is leaning toward keeping Lanigan and Cheveldave, especially with Taran Kozun, the third goaltender in camp, having played only 30 minutes.
Kelowna lost highly touted defenceman Madison Bowey with an apparent left knee injury after he took a knee from Kamloops left-winger Tim Bozon at 5:16 of the first period.
“He’s sore right now,” Huska said. “We’ll get him looked at (today).”
JUST NOTES: Among the Blazers scratches were C Logan McVeigh (concussion) and D Landon Cross (groin). . . . Kelowna D Mitchell Chapman sat out this one with a one-game WHL-issued suspension for fighting off the second-period faceoff in a game against the Victoria Royals last weekend. . . . Among the Kelowna scratches was F Max Adolph, who was limited by concussions to 36 games last season. The 19-year-old from Saskatoon may have suffered another one in a game last weekend. . . . The Blazers conclude their exhibition season by going home-and-home with the Prince George Cougars next week. They’ll play here on Wednesday and there on Friday. . . . The Blazers’ home-opener, against Prince George, is scheduled for Sept. 24.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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