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F Waltteri Hopponen (Everett, 2013-14) has signed a one-year contract with Espoo United (Finland, Mestis). This season, with HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland SM-Liiga), he had one assist in 21 games. On loan to LeKi Lempäälä (Finland, Mestis), he had six goals and eight assists in 23 games.
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There was never any chance that F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds would be suspended after he took a minor penalty for kneeing in OT during Game 2 of the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup on Saturday in Regina.
During a scrum, Kolesar issued a post-whistle knee to Pats D Connor Hobbs. The Pats scored on the ensuing PP, to record a 4-3 victory and tie the series, 1-1.
Hobbs went down after the knee struck him, but wasn’t injured.
“A team cannot request supplemental discipline for a minor penalty unless there’s an injury that will keep the player out of at least one game,” Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. Doerksen looks after discipline for the WHL.
Had Kolesar been slapped with a major and game misconduct, Doerksen would have given the play an automatic review.
Interestingly, Kolesar missed Game 1 of the championship series as he served a one-game suspension handed down after he took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct in the last game of the Western Conference final with the Kelowna Rockets.
Harder’s story is right here.
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GM Joe Sakic on Denver radio : “There’s going to be a lot of turnover,” said Sakic. “We’re going to get some younger guys in here."— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) May 9, 2017
The Regina Pats are to be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup. As such, they have at least some hope of luring F Tyson Jost into their lineup for the 2017-18 WHL season.
Jost played this season at the U of North Dakota, then finished up with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, which had taken him 10th overall in the 2016 NHL draft.
Jost, who turned 19 on March 14, had 35 points, including 16 goals, in 33 games at UND, then added one goal in six NHL games. He also played for Canada at the World Junior Championship, putting up a goal and three assists in seven games.
The Pats acquired Jost’s rights from the Everett Silvertips, who had selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft.
However, judging from the above quote from Joe Sakic, the Avalanche’s GM, it could be that Jost is ticketed for the NHL team next season.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed D Jack Sander, 17, of Beaumont, Alta., to a WHL contract. Sander played the past two seasons with the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Oil Kings. This season, he had three goals and eight assists in 34 regular-season games, then added two goals and five assists in 14 playoff games. The Cougars got a good look at him during the recent Telus Cup national championship in Prince George, where he had a goal and an assist in five games.
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The Everett Silvertips announced Tuesday that they have signed Bil La Forge, their director of player personnel, to a “multi-year contract extension.” Jesse Gelenyse of the Everett Herald reports that it is a two-year extension. . . . La Forge, who turned 43 on Tuesday, has completed three seasons as Everett’s director of player personnel. From Edmonton, he signed on with the organization as a scout in 2008 and was promoted to head scout for the 2011-12 season. In the WHL, he also has worked with the Tri-City Americans and Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . La Forge’s late father, Bill, did a turn as head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and also coached the WHL’s Regina Pats and Kamloops Junior Oilers.
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F Colby McAuley, who played out his junior eligibility with the Prince George Cougars this season, has signed a two-year contract with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. . . . The Barracuda is the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. . . . In 191 regular-season games with the Cougars, McAuley had 44 goals and 52 assists. This season, he had 26 goals and 29 assists, both single-season highs, in 68 games. . . . After the season, he signed an ATO with the Barracuda and recorded two assists in four games.
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Mike Fraser, the Writing Scout, completed his 12th season as a WHL scout with the end of Thursday’s bantam draft. In this week’s column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal, Fraser lets us in on a scout’s feelings as another long season draws to its conclusion. That column is right here.
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In the QMJHL, the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs beat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, 2-0, on Tuesday night and now lead the championship series, 3-0. They’ll play Game 4 in Blainville-Boisbriand tonight. . . . G Callum Booth earned the shutout with 22 saves. F Samuel Dove-McFalls (5) scored both goals, the first at 12:28 of the second period and the second at 19:44 of the third. . . . Announced attendance was 3,500. . . . The OHL final also resumes tonight. The visiting Erie Otters hold a 2-1 lead over the Mississauga Steelheads.
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Sam Waterfield is the new head coach of the junior B Saanich Braves of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. Cook replaces Brad Cook, who remains with the organization as vice-president of hockey operations. Waterfield is a former Braves defenceman who has been attending NAIT in Edmonton. . . . Mackenzie Valentine, who also played for the Braves, will be staying on as an assistant coach. . . . This season, the Braves finished second in the five-team South Division, at 29-15-1-3. In the playoffs, they dropped a first-round series to the third-place Kerry Park Islanders in six games.
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Former WHL/NHL F Mike Sillinger has joined the staff of the Okanagan Hockey Academy as a skills coach. Sillinger, 45, worked with the Edmonton Oilers as their director of player development (2008-15), and also has been an assistant coach with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians (2013-17).
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Amy, Lukas, and I: thrilled to add a 4th pair of shoes.— Mike Benton (@Benton_Mike) May 10, 2017
Proud to announce Baby Benton #2 is on the way.
Due date: 11/28! pic.twitter.com/WyJ3llY2WL
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
Thunderbirds are being asked "what went wrong?"-style questions right now. It's pretty simple. They faced a goalie who stole a game.— Rob Vanstone (@robvanstone) May 10, 2017
At Kent, Wash., the Regina Pats, with some terrific play from G Tyler Brown, held off a late Seattle power play to beat the Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Regina now leads the championship final for the Ed Chynoweth
Cup, 2-1, with Game 3 scheduled for Kent tonight. . . . All three games have been decided by one goal. In Regina, Seattle won Game 1, 2-1, in OT, with Regina taking Game 2, 4-3, in OT. . . . Last night, Regina F Austin Wagner was hit with a cross-checking minor at 18:33 of the third period. Seattle pulled G Carl Stankowski for the extra attacker, giving the hosts a 6-on-4 advantage. . . . However, Brown, who finished with 35 saves, held the fort. . . . Stankowski stopped 25 shots. That included stopping Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s scoring champion, on a penalty shot at 12:45 of the third period. Steel decked to the backhand, but Stankowski stayed with him to make the save. . . . The winning goal came from F Robbie Holmes (3), who scored off the rush from the left wing. He had two goals in 54 regular-season games. . . . The first period featured five PPs and four goals, three of them coming with the man advantage. . . . D Connor Hobbs (6) got Regina on the scoreboard first, pounding home a slapshot while on the PP, at 3:27. . . . The Thunderbirds tied it at 7:18, on a PP, with F Alexander True (10) scoring off a pass from F Mathew Barzal, who now has a 13-game playoff point streak. . . . The Pats went back out front at 7:33, on another PP, as D Chase Harrison scored his first goal of these
playoffs on a wrist shot through traffic. At that point, eight of the 13 goals scored in the series had come from defencemen. . . . Seattle tied it at 14:48 as F Sami Moilanen (5) scored the only even-strength goal of the period, this one coming off a rebound. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Seattle was 1-4. . . . Seattle’s chances on its final PP weren’t helped when Barzal was hit with an embellishment minor, with Regina F Wyatt Sloboshan taking a hooking minor on the same play. . . . Seattle head coach Steve Konowalchuk didn’t like that call one bit, telling reporters: “If a guy throws his hands up and loses his stick, it’s a sure sign of penalty.” . . . True’s 10th goal of these playoffs set a single-playoff franchise record, breaking the mark set by F Torrey DiRoberto in 1997. (Stick tap to TBird Tidbits). . . . Regina scratches: F Adam Brooks, D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, all with injuries, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Announced attendance: 6,178. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here. . . . Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.
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| TYLER BROWN |
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| ROBBIE HOLMES |
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME (all times local):
Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Regina leads, 2-1)
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
No Game Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):
Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.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.
Hunt, D Tye Hand, D Luke Fenske and D Colby Williams all have been out with “upper-body injuries.” Each of the players is believed to be concussed, with Hunt and Williams both out with their second concussions of this season. . . . The Pats have gone over the 300-game mark for man-games lost to injury and illness.
The Everett Silvertips have signed head scout Bil La Forge through the 2014-15 season. La Forge is in his fifth season with Everett and his second as the organizations’s head scout. La Forge, 38, also has worked for the Tri-City Americans and Lethbridge Hurricanes. La Forge, who is from Edmonton, is the son of the late Bill La Forge, who was a well-known junior hockey coach and coached in the WHL with the Regina Pats, Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans.
In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin scored three times and added two assists as the Tri-City Americans got past the Kootenay Ice, 6-4. . . . The victory was the 40th of the season for the Americans, the seventh straight season in which they have done that. That equals the WHL record that is shared by the Kamloops Blazers (1989-96) and Regina Pats (1979-86). . . . The Americans are the only franchise to accomplished it with all seven seasons coming since the institution of the bantam draft. . . . “It’s a pretty special night,” Tri-City GM Bob Tory told me, “considering all the injuries this season. I am very proud of my players and our program.” . . . In reference to Tory, head coach Jim Hiller told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald: “I’m pretty happy for the guy who has done more work than anyone to make it happen.” . . . F Tyler Fraser made his WHL debut with the Americans, the ninth affiliated player to get into their lineup this season. . . . The Ice held a 3-2 lead halfway through the game. . . . Rankin, who got his 30th goal into an empty net, tied the score at 10:13 of the second and F Mitch Messier broke the tie 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Rankin scored at 14:56, before F Jaedon Descheneau got his 25th goal at 18:42. . . . Descheneau also had two assists. . . . Tr-City got a goal and two assists from each of Rankin’s linemates, Brian Williams and F Parker Bowles. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski, who set a single-season franchise record with his 58th appearance on March 1, played in his 61st game. The previous record had been shared by Clayton Pool (1998-99), Jeff Glass (2003-04) and Nathan Lieuwen (2011-12). . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley stopped 33 shots in running his record to 8-2-0. . . . The Americans remain fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Ice is eighth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and six ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who have five games left. . . .
In Kamloops, F Cole Linaker broke a 2-2 tie at 9:15 of the third period to give the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Linaker has two goals this season. He scored his first on one on Dec. 30 in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . The Blazers, who had won their previous four games, led 2-0 at 6:09 of the first period but didn’t score again. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford scored his 20th goal and it was his 350th career point, leaving him sixth in franchise history. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell, who sat out a game after suffering a leg injury in Kamloops on Sunday, scored his 37th goal. . . . Kamloops continues to be without F Matt Needham, who hasn’t played since Feb. 15. . . . The Rockets can wrap up first place in the B.C. Division with a regulation-time victory over the Blazers tonight in Kelowna. . . . The Rockets, with 100 points, hold a five-point leave and Kamloops has three games remaining. . . . 
In Victoria, F Jack Walker broke a 3-3 tie at 4:26 of the third period as the Royals dropped the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . The Royals had lost their previous 11 games. . . . Walker’s eighth goal of the season came off an assist from his older brother, Ben. . . . F Brandon Magee got his 30th goal for Victoria when he scored shorthanded at 7:36 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer, a Minnesota high school star playing in his third WHL game, scored his first goal at 17:00 of the second period, pulling his side into a 3-3 tie. . . . Giants F Cain Franson had his 28th goal and two assists. . . . Victoria got two goals and an assist from Steven Hodges. He’s got 27 goals. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Eastern Conference and appear headed to a first-round matchup with Kamloops. . . .
In Brandon, F Henrik Samuelsson and F Stephane Legault scored in the circus as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . With the victory, Edmonton clinched its second straight Eastern Conference pennant. . . . Samuelsson was back after serving a two-game WHL suspension. . . . Legault had a goal, his 12th, and an assist in regulation time. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored with 36.7 seconds left in the third period to force OT. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 43 shots. . . . Edmonton has won five straight; Brandon has lost seven of eight. . . . The Oil Kings, who have four games remaining, have 48 victories, two shy of the franchise’s single-season record. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle, a 15-year-old who left the Minnesota high school ranks and joined the Wheat Kings earlier in the week, wasn’t in the lineup. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls scored two shorthanded goals and added an assist as the Blades dropped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . Nicholls has 44 goals. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first four goals. . . . F Boston Leier scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 17. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov turned aside 40 shots. . . . The Blades will win the East Division pennant and are one point behind the Calgary Hitmen, who are second in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference. The teams are reseeded by points after the first round. . . .
In Moose Jaw, Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored two first-period goals and the Broncos beat the Warriors, 2-1. . . . Lowry’s second goal, at 15:58, was his 200th career point. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 17 shots in his 22nd consecutive start. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen turned aside 25 shots. . . . 
In Regina, the Pats scored six times in the second period and dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-2. . . . F Lane Scheidl scored twice for Regina, giving him 37. . . . Regina F Mogan Klimchuk scored his 35th goal. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 28 shots. . . . Although he didn’t play last night, the Pats have added D Sean Whelan to their roster. He had been with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers and their season is over. . . . The Raiders, who have lost four in a row, can finish no higher than fifth in the Eastern Conference. They now are three points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Regina, which won’t make the playoffs, has won four of five. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Tyson Ness scored twice to help the Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Rhyse Dieno scored his 27th goal for the Rebels. . . . Ness has 17 goals. . . . F Brady Ramsay scored his 12th goal of the season for Lethbridge. He last scored on Jan. 1. He went 23 games between goals. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Graham Hood, their captain, who drew a two-game suspension for a hit on D Devan Fafard of the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday night. . . . The Rebels, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference, will have home-ice advantage in the first round. They have three games remaining and are five points Calgary, which has yet to play five games. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 2-0 deficit and beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-3. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia scored three times and added an assist for the Chiefs. Bertaggia, who completed the hat trick into an empty, net, has 26 goals. . . . Everett F Brayden Low scored his first WHL goal in his 44th game. The 18-year-old from Richmond, B.C., has played in 39 games this season. He played five games with the Portland Winterhawks over the previous two seasons. . . . Everett held 2-0 and 3-2 leads. . . . Bertaggia tied it at 17:51 of the second and broke the tie at 6”30 of the third on the PP. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored twice, giving him 23. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, a point behind Tri-City. . . . Everett is eighth, three points behind Seattle and four ahead of Everett. . . . Seattle and Everett each has four games remaining; Prince George has six games left. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Jake Mykitiuk scored in the circus to give the Prince George Cougars a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . D Taylor Green got his second goal of the season for Seattle, via the PP, at 15:30 of the first. . . . Cougars F Troy Bourke tied it with his 14th at 4:42 of the second. . . . Mykitiuk scored in the fifth round of the shootout. . . . The Thunderbirds are seventh in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Everett.
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