Enjoying the company of local hockey legend Graham Tuer at today's @reginavics game @WHLPats pic.twitter.com/PSQs0PMoFZ— Jeff DeDekker (@ThePloughboy) October 23, 2016
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| MIKE WILLIAMSON (Photo: Tri-City Americans) |
Mike Williamson, the head coach of the Tri-City Americans, became the seventh member of the WHL’s 500 Club on Sunday.
Williamson posted his 500th regular-season coaching victory when the Americans beat the Vancouver Giants 5-4 in Langley, B.C.
The seven head coaches who have recorded at least 500 regular-season victories:
1. Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland), 742
x-2. Don Hay (Kamloops, Tri-City, Vancouver) 682
x-3. Don Nachbaur (Seattle, Tri-City, Spokane) 668
4. Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina) 626
5. Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster) 548
6. Pat Ginnell (Flin Flon, Victoria, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, New Westminster) 518
x-7. Mike Williamson (Portland, Calgary, Tri-City) 500
(x — active.)
Interestingly, Williamson played for the Portland Winterhawks when Hodge was the head coach. Williamson also began his coaching career in Portland as an assistant with Hodge.
There are two other active WHL head coaches with more than 400 victories.
Brent Sutter of the Red Deer Rebels has 418, with Marc Habscheid of the Prince Albert Raiders at 407.
Sutter got No. 418 on Saturday night, with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Raiders, to break a tie with Doug Sauter and move into 12th place on the all-time list. Next up for Sutter is Bob Lowes, at 453.
Habscheid is 16th on the all-time list, four victories behind Marcel Comeau.
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The air in Cranbrook is said to be abuzz with rumours involving the impending sale of the Kootenay Ice.
However, a source familiar with the situation indicates that it’s all abuzz about nothing.
The one thing that hasn’t changed: The Ice, which is owned by the Chynoweth family, remains
There has been recent buzz that an offer was received from True North Sports and Entertainment (TNSE), which owns the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg’s MTS Centre and the MTS Iceplex, which is an arena with four ice surfaces that often serves as a practice facility for the two teams.
However, TNSE has denied making a recent offer. Furthermore, Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Taking Note on Sunday that he hasn’t spoken with anyone from TNSE “about (our) team in over two years.”
Meanwhile, a group with local ties is believed to have expressed at least some interest, but isn’t thought to be anywhere close to purchasing the franchise.
The group apparently includes former Ice captain Colin Sinclair. He is a native of Brooks, Alta., who played five seasons with the Ice (1998-2003) and now makes his home in Cranbrook. Sinclair went on to attend the U of New Brunswick for four years, before playing three years of pro hockey, two of them in Norway. Along the way, he earned a business degree and an MBA. In Cranbrook, he is the controller and co-founder of Spartan Scaffolding.
The group also is said to include two former NHL defencemen — Robyn Regehr and Rhett Warrener — both of whom played in the WHL.
Regehr, 36, played three seasons (1996-99) with the Kamloops Blazers. He went on to play 1,090 regular-season games in the NHL, making stops with the Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings. He retired after the 2014-15 season.
Warrener, 40, spent three seasons (1992-95) with the Saskatoon Blades before going on to a professional career that included 714 NHL games split between the Florida Panthers, Buffalo and the Calgary Flames.
Regehr signed contracts valued at more than US$30 million during his NHL career; Warrener’s figure was around $18 million.
The two were teammates in Calgary from 2003-08.
According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Ice has drawn 10,622 fans to six home games this season. That leaves it last in the 22-team league in attendance, with an average of 1,770. The Ice and Swift Current Broncos (1,942) are the only teams averaging under 2,000 fans per game in the early going.
Last season, the Ice finished with an average attendance of 1,957, the poorest in the league. That was down from 2,239 in 2014-15.
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As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post points out, lease-related disputes between the Regina Pats and their landlord date back, at least, to 1986. That one was over a $1 parking fee that was institute by the Agridome landlord and, ultimately, led to the sale of the franchise. . . . In the latest chapter of what just might become a soap opera-type show, Michael Fougere, the major of Regina, tells Harder that his office won’t intervene in a dispute between the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL) and the Pats’ owners, even though it could end up costing his city a chance to host the 2018 Memorial Cup. . . . Oh, and Regina is holding a civic election on Wednesday. . . . Harder’s latest story is right here.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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When will @CityofRegina realize its not @WHLPats Pinders, Knight-Hicke-Gusway, Parkers or Queen City Sports Issues deep rooted in REAL Mgmt!— Brent Parker (@Patguy65) October 23, 2016
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
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| IAN SCOTT |
At Calgary, the Prince Albert Raiders scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Hitmen, who held a 34-15 edge in shots on goal. . . . F Adam Kadlec’s first goal gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at 8:57 of the first period and F Simon Stransky’s seventh goal upped that to 2-0 at 11:40. . . . F Luke Coleman’s third goal, at 6:28 of the second period, would prove to be the winner. . . . Calgary made it interesting on goals from F Taylor Sanheim, his first of the season, at 16:43 of the second period, and F Carsen Twarynski, his second, at 7:19 of the third. . . . Calgary F Andrei Grishakov had two assists. . . . The Raiders got 32 saves from G Ian Scott, a Calgary native, while Cody Porter of the Hitmen stopped 12 shots. . . . The Hitmen were 0-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-5. . . . Prince Albert (4-7-1) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). . . . Calgary (3-5-1) now has lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . The Hitmen remain without injured D Jake Bean. . . . Announced attendance: 5,328.
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At Langley, B.C., the Tri-City Americans erased a 2-1 deficit with four second-period goals en route
to a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Tri-City, which was playing its third game in less than 48 hours, got 36 saves from G Beck Warm. . . . F Radovan Bondra’s eighth goal gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 4:19 of the first period. . . . Tri-City F Parker AuCoin tied it with his third goal, at 6:35. . . . Vancouver went back out front when F Tyler Benson scored 23 seconds into the second period. . . . The Americans then scored four times in 10:07. F Carson Focht got his first goal at 4:25, with D Parker Wotherspoon and D Dylan Coghlan scoring PP goals, at 7:21 and 10:23. . . . F Kyle Olson gave the visitors a 5-2 lead at 14:32. . . . Vancouver F James Malm got his guys to within two, on a PP, at 11:19 of the third period and F Johnny Wesley made it a one-goal game at 14:12. . . . AuCoin, Coghlan and Olson added an assist apiece. . . . F Thomas Foster, F Alec Baer and Bondra had two assists each for Vancouver. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 14 of 19 shots for the Giants, with David Tendeck coming on in relief to stop all nine shots he faced in 24:22. . . . Tri-City was 2-7 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-4. . . . The Americans (7-5-1) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Giants slipped to 6-9-0. . . . Announced attendance: 3,720.
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| BECK WARM |
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.
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In Regina, D Ty Stanton scored two second-period goals and the Medicine Hat Tigers went on to a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Stanton, who has nine goals, scored at 2:13 and 8:31. . . . Regina F Ty Cooper got his 24th goal at 18:31 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 27 shots, 11 fewer than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-for-7 on the PP; the Pats were 0-for-4. . . . The Tigers (38-21-3) had lost their previous three games. They are second in the Central Division, two points behind Calgary. . . . The Pats (33-20-8) had been 3-0-1 in their last four. They will finish second in the East Division. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Brayden Point scored his 28th goal for the Warriors as they got past the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . The Warriors had a 19-3 edge in shots after one period but had only a 1-0 lead. Here’s a tweet from the Moose Jaw Times-Herald’s Matthew Gourlie on those three shots: “One shot was two feet over the net and another was by Dallas Valentine on his own net.” . . . D Dustin Perillat scored his eighth goal for Moose jaw at 6:23 of the first period. . . . Point made it 2-0 at 2:42 of the second on a PP. . . . Saskatoon F Ryan Graham scored his 17th goal at 4:50 of the third to get his guys within one. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald got the empty-netter at 19:37. He’s got 29 goals. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 21 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm turned aside 37 shots. . . . Saskatoon F Cameron Hebig came up short on a third-period penalty shot with his side down 2-1. . . . F Axel Blomqvist (groin) was among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski left in the second period favouring his left arm and didn’t return. . . . The Warriors (25-31-5) are seven points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . . Saskatoon (18-40-4) is the first team to 40 losses this season. . . . 
In Brandon, the Kootenay Ice outscored the Wheat Kings 2-1 in the shootout to post a 3-2 victory. . . . It was the Ice’s third straight shootout game. It has won two of those games. . . . F Rihards Bukarts gave Brandon a 1-0 lead in the second round of the shootout. Ice F Matt Alfaro tied it in the third round and F Jaedon Descheneau won it in the fourth round. . . . The loser point, combined with a Regina loss at home, allowed Brandon to clinch first place in the East Division. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart opened the scoring with his 17th goal, on a PP, at 8:14 of the second period. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk tied it with his 22nd at 19:22. . . . Alfaro got his 10th at 10:42 of the third for a 2-1 Ice lead. . . . Bukharts forced OT with his 28th goal at 16:33. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley picked up an assist on Bukarts’ goal to run his point streak to 18 games. He’s got 37 points, 25 of them assists, over that stretch. . . . The Ice was 1-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-for-1. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, making his 12th straight start, stopped 35 shots. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin turned aside 32. . . . The Wheat Kings had G Alex Moodie back on the bench. He missed 11 games with a concussion. . . . Brandon still is without F Nolan Patrick, F Reid Duke and D Kale Clague with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Ice (33-27-3) has points in seven straight (5-0-2). It holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, seven points ahead of Edmonton. At the same time, the Ice is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind Red Deer. . . . Brandon (45-10-7) had won its previous two games. It is three points behind Kelowna, which leads the overall standings. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Brooks Maxwell scored twice to help the Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Maxwell’s second goal, his 19th of the season, gave the Rebels a 4-1 lead at 12:18 of the second. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser had broken a 1-1 tie with his 12th goal, on a PP, at 5:09 of the second. . . . F Luke Coleman, who joined the Raiders this week from the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, scored his first WHL goal at 13:50 of the second and D Jesse Lees got them to within one with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 6:03 of the third. . . . Rebels F Riley Sheen provided insurance with his 18th goal, an empty-netter, at 19:53. . . . The Rebels were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 2-for-4. . . . F Jayden Hart, a 22-goal man, was back in the Raiders’ lineup after not having played since Jan. 30. . . . Red Deer (32-20-9) has won two in a row. It is third in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Raiders (24-34-3) have lost two straight and now are 11 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . .
In Kamloops, F Matt Needham broke a 2-2 tie at 16:21 of the third period and the Blazers went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 4-2. . . . Blazers F Logan McVeigh gave his side a 2-1 lead with his seventh goal at 4:28 of the third. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee scored his 18th just 33 seconds later. . . . Needham got his 21st goal when he redirected a point shot by D Brady Gaudet, who scored twice, giving him four, and added an assist. Gaudet’s second goal was an empty-netter. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 38 shots, while Blazers G Connor Ingram made 12 saves. . . . The Blazers outshot the Royals 13-6, 14-4 and 15-4 by period. . . . The Blazers lost F Deven Sideroff with an apparent right wrist injury. He left for the dressing room at 7:47 of the third period after taking a check in to the end boards in the Victoria zone. He plays the right side on the Blazers’ top line with Needham and LW Cole Ully. Sideroff, a freshman from Summerland, B.C., has 40 points, including 16 goals, in 58 games. . . . The Blazers (23-33-6) had lost their previous four games. They are fifth in the B.C. Division, three points behind Vancouver and two behind Prince George. Vancouver is in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals (33-25-4) have lost two straight. They will finish second in the B.C. Division. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Garret Hughson stopped 28 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-0. . . . Hughson has three career shutouts. . . . D Jason Fram had three assists. . . . F Jackson Playfair’s 10th goal, at 13:11 of the first period, on a PP, stood up as the winner. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 33rd goal in the second period; he also had an assist. . . . Tri-City F Austyn Playfair wasn’t able to beat Hughson on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Spokane was 2-for-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-5. . . . Americans G Nick Sanders stopped 21 shots. . . . Tri-City had D Brandon Carlo back in the lineup. He sat out a few games after taking a puck to the head. . . . The Chiefs (29-27-4) have won two straight. They hold the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, five points up on the Americans. . . . The Americans (27-32-3) have lost three in a row. . . . 
In Vancouver, G Michael Herringer turned aside 29 shots to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-0 victory over the Giants. . . . Herringer has two career shutouts. . . . F Gage Quinney scored once and drew two assists. . . . Quinney, who has 15 goals, was in on Kelowna’s first three goals, drawing the primary assist on each of the first two and scoring the third. . . . F Leon Draisaitl scored his 13th goal for the Rockets, on a first-period PP. He’s got goals in four straight games. . . . The Rockets had F Alexander Uryga, 16, in their lineup. A list player from North Vancouver, Uryga has been with the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack. . . . Vancouver is without F Dalton Sward (hand) indefinitely and he is team captain. In his absence, the ‘C’ is being worn by D Mason Geertsen. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle was in the lineup for the first time since undergoing an appendectomy early in February. He was backing up Michael Herringer. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . The Rockets (48-10-4) have reached 100 points for a third straight season. . . . The Giants (26-32-3) are third in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Prince George and three up on Kamloops. . . . 
In Everett, F Carson Stadnyk had two goals and an assist as the Silvertips dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 7-2. . . . Everett took a 2-0 lead on early first-period goals by F Derek Leedahl, his 12th, at 0:34 and Stadnyk at 3:29, via the PP. . . . F Adam Tambellini got Calgary to within one at 16:09. . . . F Matt Fonteyne restored Everett’s two-goal lead with his fifth goal at 11:58 of the second. . . . Tambellini got his 44th goal, shorthanded, at 15:50 to leave Calgary trailing 3-2. . . . Everett scored the next four goals, two of them coming in the second period. . . . Stadnyk scored the game’s final goal, giving him 25. . . . F Nikita Scherbak got No. 26 for Everett and F Kohl Bauml got his 29th. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin had three assists. . . . Silvertips G Carter Hart turned aside 41 shots. . . . Everett D Ben Betker was tossed at 4:23 of the third for a headshot on Calgary F Chase Lang. . . . D Kevin Davis (undisclosed injury) was among Everett’s scratches. . . . Everett (37-18-7) leads the U.S. Division by four points over Portland. . . . Calgary (38-19-5) had won nine straight on the road and six in a row overall. The Hitmen, who lead the Central Division by two points over Medicine Hat, had won four straight in the U.S Division. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Jansen Harkins scored 33 seconds into OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Harkins, who also had three assists, has 19 goals. . . . Cougars F Jordan Ross, an 18-year-old from Kronau, Sask., scored his first WHL goal, in his 21st game, at 17:57 of the second period to force OT. . . . Seattle held a 3-1 lead in the second period when Seattle D Evan Wardley was hit with a triple minor. Four seconds later, Seattle D Jerret Smith was hit with a delay-of-game minor. . . . Cougars F Zach Pochiro then scored PP goals 39 seconds apart to tie the game. . . . Seattle F Luke Osterman gave his side a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the season at 14:44 of the second. . . . Pochiro also had two assists, as did Cougars D Josh Connolly. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had two assists. . . . Prince George was 3-for-7 on the PP; Seattle was 2-for-6. . . . The Thunderbirds held a 20-3 edge in first-period shots but led only 1-0. . . . Seattle took 57 of the game’s 102 penalty minutes. . . . The Cougars (25-33-4) have won two in a row to get within a point of third-place Vancouver in the B.C. Division. . . . The Thunderbirds (31-23-7) have lost two straight. They are third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind Portland and eight ahead of Spokane.
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