THE MacBETH REPORT:
F David Hruska (Red Deer, 1995-96) signed a one-year contract extension with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 22 goals and 17 assists in 49 games with Chomutov this season.
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Something extra from The MacBeth Report:
Game 5 of Finland’s Sm-Liiga final, Ässät Pori at Tappara Tampere. Series is tied 2-2 and has been a"homer" series. Each team trade goals in the second period and that is how it ends in regulation, 1-1. Shots were 34-28 Ässät in regulation.


Apparently, Ässät was just getting started with the shooting gallery.
The first overtime period is scoreless with Ässät getting two power-plays and Tappara one, but Ässät decided to crank it up as the shots were 20-4 Ässät.
In the second overtime, Tappara had two power-play opportunities but was unable to connect on either one, so we head into the third overtime period.

Tappara got a few more shots on goal in the second overtime but was still outshot 21-11 by Ässät. Ässät got a power-play early in the third overtime. Tappara killed it off, but Ässät scored at 8:59, just
six seconds after the power-play ended, to win the game and take a 3-2 lead home to Pori for Wednesday's Game 6.
The shots in the third OT were 11-5 Ässät. Total shots on goal in the 49 minutes of OT were 52-20 Ässät; 86-48 Assat for the game.
The Tappara goalie making the 84 saves was former Lethbridge Hurricanes G Juha Metsola (2007-09).
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Former WHL coach Curtis Hunt helped Canada win gold at the world men’s sledge hockey championship in Goyang, South Korea, last week. And he had a “fantastic” time doing it. . . . Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post has that story right here.
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The Victoria Times Colonist and Nanaimo Daily News are reporting that WHL commissioner Ron Robison addressed “an in-camera meeting of Nanaimo city council Monday.” . . . Graham Lee, who owns the WHL’s Victoria Royals and whose company, RG Properties, manages Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria and Prospera Place in Kelowna, and Ken Wagner, one of the owners of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, also were in the meeting. . . . After the session, Robison told the newspapers: “It is up to Nanaimo council to see if it wants to proceed. We left it for them to determine.” . . . According to the Times Colonist, “Robison said the WHL would not expand but that an existing team would be relocated to Nanaimo. He did not specify which team that could be.” . . . The problem of course, is the lack of a WHL-calibre facility in Nanaimo. It is no secret that this is a case of ‘Build It and They Will Come’ — if Nanaimo had a 5,000-seat arena, it already would have a WHL franchise.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Brampton Beast, a Central league team that will begin operations next season, has hired Mark DeSantis as its head coach. . . . DeSantis spent this season as head coach of the Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional  League. . . . DeSantis, who was honoured as the SPHL’s coach of the year this season, is from Brampton. . . .

Barry Wolff is the new head coach of the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. Wolff spent this season has head coach of the junior B Fernie Ghostriders of the Kootenay International Junior League. He was the KIJHL’s coach of the year after going 35-13-1-3. . . . He also has coached in the BCHL, with the now-defunct Quesnel Millionaires and Surrey Eagles. . . . With Coquitlam, Wolff replaces Jon Calvano, who was dropped after the season despite having a year left on his contract.
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The Eastern Conference final resumes in Calgary tonight with the Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings even at 1-1. . . . The Hitmen almost certainly will be without F Jake Virtanen. The first overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft was hit was one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions for a hit on Edmonton D Cody Corbett at 5:43 of the second period in Game 2 on Friday. Corbett didn’t return to the game after the hit. . . . Corbett is expected to miss at least Games 3 and 4. . . . The Oil Kings are expected to get D Dysin May bacvk into the linup tonight. . . . Virtanen has six points, two of them goals, in 12 playoff games this spring.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 tonight in Calgary; all games on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland leads series, 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Kamloops.)
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (19):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (6):
None


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THE MacBETH (aka ONDREJ) REPORT:
F Ondrej Fiala (Everett, Saskatoon, 2005-08) signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had two goals and two assists in 18 games with Chomutov (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) and 13 goals and 10 assists in 23 games on loan to Kadan (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) this season. . . .
F Ondrej Roman (Spokane, 2006-09) signed a one-year contract with Vitkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals and five assists in 40 games split between the Texas Stars (AHL) and San Antonio Rampage (AHL) and three goals and five assists in nine games with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) and Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) this season.
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F Miles Koules announced via Twitter on Saturday that he will play next season in the WHL: “Made my decision to play for the Medicine Hat Tigers next season.”
The Tigers acquired his rights from the Everett Silvertips on Jan. 10. The Tigers gave up F Reid Petryk, who is heading into his 19-year-old season, and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in the exchange, so presumably that pick will move to Everett.
Koules, who will turn 18 on June 25, had given a verbal commitment in June 2010 to attend the U of North Dakota for the 2012-13 season.
According to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald: “A source close to the forward from California told the Herald that he left in order to get more ice time and games.”
Koules is the son of Oren Koules, a former WHL player who also is a former Tampa Bay Lightning co-owner. For more on Oren, check out imdb.com.
Miles has played the last two season in the U.S. National Team Development Program. Prior to that, he played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn.
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North Dakota also is hoping to land D Seth Jones, 17, whose WHL rights were moved last week from Everett to the Portland Winterhawks.
It is generally believed that Jones now is trying to choose between UND and the Winterhawks.
Jones, the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones who now is an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets, revealed via Twitter on Saturday that he is visiting Portland this weekend.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Barry Wolff is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Fernie Ghostriders of the Kootenay International junior league. Wolff takes over from Will Verner, who stepped down after five seasons with the Ghostriders. Wolff actually is returning to Fernie, where he spent three seasons (2001-04) as GM and head coach of the Ghostriders in the AWHL and NAHL. Wolff also has extensive experience in the BCHL.
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Here are the dates for the WHL’s championship final (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 4: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 6: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8: at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Thursday, May 10: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton,6 p.m.


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It would seem the Kelowna Rockets can forget about F Zemgus Girgensons, a 17-year-old Latvian whom they selected in the 2011 CHL import draft.
He played last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, is there again this season, and doesn’t sound as though he is the least bit interested in playing in the WHL.
“You know, first of all I don’t see my future in the CHL,” Girgensons told Ryan Clark of the Fargo, N.D., Forum on the weekend. “I talked with other CHL teams that were interested in me. I thought about the Q (the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and the Quebec Remparts, but (Kelowna) drafted me and didn’t say anything to me about it. After that, I felt they disrespected me a little bit. They pushed it a little bit onto my adviser and I don’t think he really liked it.”
For more on this story, check out Clark’s blog Slightly Chilled over there on the right.
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The Prince Albert Raiders assigned F T.J. Constant, 18, to the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. He had a goal and five penalty minutes in 15 games with the Raiders. . . . The Raiders, who made a coaching change on Friday, also have added Dave Manson, who was part of the 1985 Memorial Cup-championship team, to their coaching staff. Manson, who played for the Raiders (1983-86) before going on to a terrific NHL career, lives in Prince Albert where he operates a business. Manson was an assistant coach with the Raiders from 2002-09. . . . He will work alongside head coach Steve Young, who was promoted Friday when Bruno Campese, who remains as general manager, stepped aside. . . . Craig Bedard also is on staff as an assistant coach.
Drew Wilson has more right here on the guy they call Charlie.
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The Minnesota Wild has returned F Brett Bulmer to the Kelowna Rockets. Bulmer had three assists and six penalty minutes in nine games with the NHL team. Bulmer was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. That would have been his 10th game, meaning the first year of his three-year contract would have kicked in.
Bulmer’s return leaves three WHLers — F Nino Niederreiter and F Ryan Johansen of the Portland Winterhawks and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels — in the NHL.
Niederreiter, 19, has yet to play with the New York Islanders because of a groin injury, although he is back skating.
Johansen, 19, is with the Columbus Blue Jackets; in fact, he has played nine games with them, scoring two goals, both game-winners, and drawing two assists. The word out of Columbus on Monday was that there may be an announcement today regarding Johansen’s immediate future.
The Edmonton Oilers said late last week that they will be keeping Nugent-Hopkins, 18, while F Brett Connolly, 19, has stuck with the Tampa Bay Lightning and won't be returning to the Prince George Cougars, at least not for a while.
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THE COACHING GAME: The AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons have fired general manager and head coach Dan Price. The Dragons go into this week at 5-14-2, good for seventh place in the eight-team South Division. . . . On Monday, the Dragons announced that Barry Wolff is the new GM and head coach. Wolff most recently was associate head coach and assistant GM with the BCHL’s Langley Chiefs.
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JUST NOTES: F Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants has drawn a two-game suspension for a penalty he incurred on Friday in Prince George. What was a checking-to-the-head major was turned into a boarding major before he was suspended. He has one game left to serve. . . . F Blake Gal of the Spokane Chiefs will watch for three games after he took a boarding major in a game against the host Tri-City Americans on Saturday. . . . As well, F Austin Carroll of the Victoria Royals got a two-game suspension under supplemental discipline for something he did against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday. . . . F Cody Beach of the Moose Jaw Warriors is the WHL’s player of the week. He had eight points, four of them goals, in three games last week. . . . Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 1.00, .966 last week. . . . Vancouver, with F Matt Bellerive, F Scott Cooke, F Anthony Ast and D Blake Orban all out with undisclosed injuries, has brought in F Logan Harland, 16, from the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs. He had two points in six games with the Pontiacs.
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If you are a fan of hockey movies, there is some good news — nay, great news _ for you. The movie Face-Off is being released on DVD on Nov. 15.
Dave Shoalts of The Globe and Mail has more right here.
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If you are into rankings, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports posts weekly CHL rankings that have some bite to them and make for a good read. Check out this week’s Buzzing The Net rankings right here. If you’re a fan of the Spokane Chiefs, you will love them.
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Take a few minutes out of your day and watch this video. It involves a Vancouver sportscaster who won quite a prize in a lottery draw. The draw was made on a set at the TV station where he works. But he wasn’t there at the time. No, Barry Deley was shopping for groceries when he got the call from a fellow sportscaster. Enjoy!
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has a question, via Twitter:
“With the upper body/lower body injury thing, shouldn't it be a checking to the upper body penalty, rather than a checking to the head?”
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And now for today’s good read . . . we bring you a piece by Jim Diamond at examiner.com. It has to do with former WHL referee Mike Hasenfratz, who will work a Thursday night game between the host Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hasenfratz, who really is one of the good guys, hasn’t been working for a while and Diamond has his story right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
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