Marquette left his mark . . . Rebels captain close to return . . . Warriors stay alive

Dale Marquette, a former WHL coach and player who died on the weekend, definitely left an impression.
“Sorry to hear about the passing of Dale Marquette,” Greg Hutchings wrote on Facebook. “I played one game with him and did not know him well. I remember him for being real good to me at WK training camps.”
Hutchings played three WHL seasons (Brandon, Lethbridge, 1988-91).
Marquette, 47, died of complications from diabetes. He played four seasons in the WHL (Lethbridge, 1984-86; Brandon, 1986-88). He had 103 points, including 51 goals, in 1987-88.
Marquette was head coach of the Prince George Cougars in 1995-96.
In 2000-01, he was the head coach of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires.
In an email, Aaron Wilbur, the managing director of The Coaches Site Ltd., wrote: “Was really sad to read about the passing of Dale Marquette. Dale gave me my break in coaching. He hired me to be his assistant in Quesnel when I was 20 years old and had zero experience. We ended up having the best season in franchise history that season. It was a fun ride. Have more stories from that season than the rest of my hockey career combined. . . . Dale was a good guy with a big heart.”

Sad to hear of the passing of former WHLer Dale Marquette… Played against him from' 85-87… Great competitor… Rest in peace.
— Brad Hornung (@Bradhornung) March 17, 2015

———
The Red Deer Rebels hope to have F Conner Bleackley, their captain, back for their last two regular-season games, a home-and-home series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Bleackley (groin) hasn’t played since Feb. 6 in Vancouver. He won’t play tonight in Calgary, meaning he will have missed 18 games. . . . “We’ve been really careful with how we’ve handled this just because of the type of injury it is,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He skated for 25 minutes (Monday) and today (Tuesday) we’ll try to get him to go longer. If that goes well then (Wednesday) he’ll skate on his own and on Thursday he can go full practice. If all goes well, then hopefully we can have him for the weekend. That’s our goal.”
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The Calgary Hitmen have added D Aaron Hyman, 16, and G Kyle Dumba to their roster for the remainder of the season. . . . The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Hyman was a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. From Calgary, he spent the last two seasons with the midget AAA Calgary Flames. . . . Dumba was a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The younger brother of Minnesota Wild D Matt Dumba, who played in the WHL with Red Deer and Portland, Kyle played this season at the Edge School in Calgary. He was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s top goaltender. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have added D Josh Brook to their roster for the rest of this season. Brook, from Roblin, Man., was the fourth overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 36 points, including nine goals, in 32 games with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, who play out of Wilcox, Sask.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (2 games remaining) won in Regina last night and now leads the overall standings by four points over Kelowna (3). The Wheaties last finished first overall in 1995-96. . . . The Wheat Kings will play the conference’s second wild-card team, likely Edmonton, in the first round. . . . In Moose Jaw on Friday.
2. Regina (2) will finish second in division. Will meet third-place team in first round. . . . At home to Prince Albert on Friday.
3. Swift Current (2) lost in Moose Jaw last night and now leads the Warriors by two points. . . . In Lethbridge on Friday night.
4. Moose Jaw (2) now is two points behind Swift Current. . . . Should the Broncos and Warriors end up tied, there would be a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. Swift Current has a 32-31 edge. . . . Moose Jaw entertains Brandon on Friday.
——
CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Calgary (3) completed a franchise-record 11-game road trip with a one-point lead over second-place Medicine Hat. . . . At home to Red Deer tonight.
2. Medicine Hat (3) trails Calgary by one point. Each team has 42 victories. . . . In Prince Albert tonight.
3. Red Deer (3) got to within one point of first place, but now is four points behind Medicine Hat and five in arrears of Calgary. . . . In Calgary tonight.
4. Kootenay (3) holds down the conference’s first wild-card spot, three points ahead of Edmonton. . . . In Lethbridge tonight.
5. Edmonton (2) is in the second wild-card spot, three points behind Kootenay. . . . At home to Red Deer on Friday.
——
B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (3) has clinched first place in the Western Conference. . . . Trails Brandon by four points in the race for first place in the overall standings. The first tiebreaker is victories and Brandon has the edge (52-51) at the moment. . . . At home to Seattle tonight.
2. Victoria (2) will finish second and meet the division’s third-place team in the first round. . . . At home to Everett on Friday.
3. Prince George (3) is two points ahead of Kamloops. . . . All three of its remaining games are against Kamloops, starting tonight and Friday in Prince George.
4. Kamloops (3) has two playoff options. It is two points behind third-place Prince George in the division and is tied with Tri-City (3) for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Will meet Prince George three times this week — tonight and Friday in Prince George, and Saturday in Kamloops.
5. Vancouver (2) has one victory in its last 10 games and is hanging on by a hangnail. It is four points out of the conference’s second wild-card spot but has only two games remaining, both against Kelowna. . . . At home to the Rockets on Friday.
——
U.S. DIVISION:
1. Everett (3) leads the division by two points over Portland. . . . In Victoria on Friday.
2. Portland (4) is two points off the pace with a game in hand. . . . In Spokane tonight as it closes with four games in five nights.
3. Seattle (3) trails Portland by nine points so won’t finish second. . . . Is seven points ahead of Spokane. . . . In Kelowna tonight.
4. Spokane (4) is seven points behind Seattle and has clinched at least the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland tonight.
5. Tri-City (3) is tied with Kamloops for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland on Friday.
(NOTE: If two teams tie for a conference’s last playoff spot, those teams will have a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. . . . That scenario could play out in the East Division. It also may happen in the B.C. Division and/or Western Conference. For example, should Tri-City and Kamloops end up tied for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, a play-in game will be played at the home of the team with the most victories. Tr-City leads, 29-27. . . . Should Prince George and Kamloops finish tied for third in the B.C. Division, the first tiebreaker is total victories. Prince George has a 29-27 edge. However, if one of those two teams would miss the playoffs in that situation, a play-in game would be held. . . . Clear as mud. Right?)
——

IF THE WHL PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
——
Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City/Kamloops
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Moose Jaw, F Torrin White broke a 1-1 tie at 2:17 of the second period and the Warriors went on to a 6-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Brett Howden scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 21, while D Tyler Brown had three assists and was plus-5. . . . White, who has 17 goals, also had two assists, while F Jesse Shynkaruk and F Jiri Smejkal each had a goal and an assist. D Austin Adam helped out with two assists. . . . Smejkal has 12 goals; Shynkaruk has nine. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point scored his 36th goal after undergoing concussion protocol following a first-period collision with teammate Tanner Jeannot. . . . F Jake DeBrusk got No. 39 for the Broncos. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko was sharp, with 41 saves. . . . F Tanner Eberle, listed as day-to-day on the injury report that was released earlier in the day, was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski didn’t play for the Warriors. . . . The Warriors (31-34-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Broncos (32-33-5) had won their previous two games. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here. . . .

The Regina Pats were the St. Pats last night as they wore special uniforms
for a St. Patrick's Day game with visiting Brandon.
(Terry Massey photo)

In Regina, F Nolan Patrick returned to Brandon’s lineup and scored twice, leading the Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Pats. (Actually, they were the St. Pats for one game only). . . . F Braden Christoffer opened the scoring, getting his 26th goal for the Pats just three minutes into the first period. . . . Patrick, who hadn’t played since Feb. 15, tied it at 6:41. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville broke the tie with his 27th goal at 5:03 of the second. . . . Patrick got his 28th goal at 5:39 of the third. . . . Former Pats F Morgan Klimchuk got his 33rd goal into an empty net at 18:13. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny made 24 saves, three fewer than Regina’s Tyler Brown. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-6. . . . The Wheat Kings (52-11-7) have won five in a row. . . . The Pats (37-23-10) are 2-1-1 in their last four games. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 3-3 tie with four third-period goals as they beat the Tri-City Americans, 7-3. . . . The Americans, trailing 3-1, tied the score with two shorthanded goals late in the second period. . . . F Beau McCue scored his 25th goal of the season at 16:10 and F Justin Gutierrez got No. 11 at 18:46. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs broke the tie with his 15th goal at 6:15 of the third and D Shea Theodore added his 12th, shorthanded, at 7:35. . . . Lipsbergs provided more insurance with a goal at 13:36. . . . Seattle also got three goals from F Scott Eansor. He scored twice in the first period, at 0:13 and 9:27, then filled his hat for the first time with an empty-netter at 15:09 of the third. he’s got 14 goals. . . . That was Seattle’s first three-goal game this season. . . . Eansor also had an assist, giving him his first four-point game. . . . F Nolan Volcan assisted on each of Eansor’s goals for his first three-point game. . . . F Mathew Barzal and F Calvin Spencer each had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Alexander True, listed as day-today on the injury report earlier in the day, returned to the Thunderbirds’ lineup. . . . Seattle (35-25-9) had lost its previous game. . . . The Americans (29-37-3) have lost two in a row.
——

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
——

THURSDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled.
——

FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Calgary vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
——

SATURDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
——

SUNDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Kootenay at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON
———

Scott Eansor becomes the first US-born @SeattleTbirds player to score a hat trick since Colin Jacobs (@Colin_Jacobs19) on 12/03/10 @ PG.
— TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) March 18, 2015

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Ownership transfers on tap today

F Lukáš Zeliska (Prince Albert, 2006-07) has signed a one-year extension with Bordeaux (France, Division 1). This season, he had 38 points, including 13 goals, in 26 games. . . .
G Eetu Laurikainen (Swift Current, 2012-14) has signed  a one-year-plus-option deal with the Espoo Blues (Finland, Liiga). This season with the Broncos, he was 2.90 and .914 in 54 games.
---
The WHL’s board of governors will meet today in Calgary and is expected to sign off on the transfer of two franchises -- the Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats -- to new ownership groups.
In both instances, the franchises being sold have been under the guidance of long-time owners, the Cougars by Rick Brodsky and the Pats by Diane and Russ Parker, and are being sold to groups, each of which appears to have at least five or six members.
In Prince George, I am told the local businessman Greg Pocock, the front man for the group, is in for 35 per cent, while NHL defencemen Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of whom are ex-Cougars, each will own 15 per cent. As yet unnamed partners will share the remaining 35 per cent, with one in for 20 per cent and two others each at 7.5 per cent. The Prince George Citizen has reported that “sources close to the deal say it is worth $7 million.”
In Regina, no one has yet said anything about who will own how much of the Pats. The Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group is led by Anthony Marquart and includes four other Regina-based businessmen in Todd Lumbard, who is a former Brandon Wheat Kings and Pats goaltender, Jason Drummond, and Gavin and Shaun Semple. The Regina Leader-Post has reported that “the price tag is believed to be in the neighbourhood of $7.5 million.”
Earlier this season, Jack, Bob and Debbie Brodsky, Rick’s siblings, sold the Saskatoon Blades to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner and his son, Colin. The Saskatoon StarPhoenix has reported that “a source close to the negotiations said the transaction is worth around $9 million.”
If the board of governors approves both transfers today, as it almost certainly will do, it will mean six of the WHL’s 22 teams will have changed hands since the summer of 2007.
None of them has had near the success of the Portland Winterhawks, who were purchased by Calgary-based businessman Bill Gallacher during the summer of 2008.
Prior to Gallacher stepping in, the Winterhawks were worse than abysmal -- they won 17 games in 2006-07 and 11 in 2007-08. The franchise was often thought to have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel.
In Lethbridge, where the Hurricanes have hit fallen upon hard times and haven‘t appeared in the playoffs since the spring of 2009, WHL commissioner Ron Robison admitted Monday that such challenges aren’t “isolated to Lethbridge.”
He told City Council that there have been times when he “was concerned” whether certain franchises were “going to make it or not.”
One of those franchises, he said, was Portland.
“The Portland one was a great example,” Robison told councillors. “It is privately owned. To the credit of the current ownership . . . (he) had to go in and invest heavily in order to turn that franchise around. Now it is arguably a model franchise within our league.”
It is interesting that Portland, which is into the WHL’s championship final for a fourth straight season, has had great success under Gallacher’s ownership, but no other franchise has tried to follow the plan that got the Winterhawks’ rolling.
While it was common knowledge late in the summer of 2008 that Gallacher was in the process of purchasing the franchise, the sale didn’t close until Oct. 23, well after the season had started. In the meantime, Gallacher, who is believed to have paid Cdn$7.5 million for the franchise, put together new business, management and coaching teams, that included president Doug Piper and general manager/head coach Mike Johnston.
When the deal closed, the new people moved in and the rest is history.
The Winterhawks went 19-48-5 in 2008-09, but followed that up with seasons in which they won 44, 50, 49, 57 and 54 games. Today, they are the WHL’s defending champions.
The Kamloops Blazers had gone from being community-owned to private ownership during the summer of 2007, a year before Portland changed hands. But the new owners in Kamloops chose to maintain the status quo.
So did the Victoria Royals, who were the Chilliwack Bruins until being sold during the summer of 2011.
After the sale, Kamloops struggled through four mediocre seasons before enjoying back-to-back 47-victory seasons and a trip to last season’s Western Conference final. However, the Blazers just completed the worst season in franchise history.
The Royals weren’t good in their first season in Victoria, but then underwent major changes, with Cam Hope coming on board as general manager and Dave Lowry as head coach. They won 35 games in 2012-13 and just completed a season in which they won 48 games and enjoyed the franchise’s first 100-point season.
The Blades’ new owners, meanwhile, maintained the status quo, then brought out the brooms after a 16-victory season. The Priestners have yet to hire a general manager or a coaching staff.
In Regina, no one has indicated what might happen with general manager Chad Lang or the coaching staff, although Marquart, the only one of the group who has spoken with the media, hasn’t even hinted at change.
In Prince George, Pocock hasn’t given any indication what might happen, but there is ample speculation that general manager Dallas Thompson won’t be back. No one from Pocock’s group is believed to have spoken with head coach Mark Holick or assistant coach Jason Becker.
“These things can get turned around but it (doesn’t) happen overnight. It was a process,” Robison told Lethbridge’s City Council. “The plan is the key. We’ve taken the success models, if you will, from other franchises and addressed that with the Hurricanes and have asked them to follow a very similar model to ultimately achieve the kind of success you’re looking for.”
It would seem that owners could do worse than follow the plan used by the model franchise that the Winterhawks have become.
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In his appearance before City Council in Lethbridge, WHL commissioner Ron Robison indicated that the process by which the WHL selects host cities for the Memorial Cup tournament may be in for a change.
This occurred after Robison was asked by Councillor Joe Mauro about the chances of Lethbridge ever being selected to play host to a Memorial Cup tournament.
Mauro pointed out that the city has “spent a whole pile of money” on the Enmax Centre.
“Our dream and our goal is to host the Memorial Cup,” Mauro said. “What I’m hearing out there is that we’ll never do it . . . the Memorial Cup will go to a privately-owned team before it’ll ever go to a community-owned team.
“Realistically, do we have a chance of hosting a MC in the near future?”
Robison’s reply:
“Maybe I can tell you a little bit more after our June (annual) meeting because we have some recommendations in front of our board of governors at that time which I think are going to change the course of our selection process for the Memorial Cup.
“I’m a believer that every community that meets the criteria that we have for hosting events of this magnitude should get that opportunity to host the event.
“Quite frankly, my view of it is that it is driven by the quality of the hockey program. It comes back to the hockey program because in order to generate excitement in the community you need a quality team. In the particular case of hosting the Memorial Cup, you need a team that is a championship-calibre team, first and foremost.
“Secondly, then you have to look at why have we gone to certain locations in recent years and why has the World Junior Championship moved to major markets like Toronto and Montreal? It’s because of economics, no question, and it’s because of provincial governments, quite frankly, stepping in and providing significant financial support for those events.
“If I have my way, it’s going to be a hockey-driven decision next time . . . not just the largest venue or the best economic offer that we have on the table.”
Robison pointed out that the Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in Alberta “for more than 40 years.”
“It’s too long in my opinion,” he said. “It’s something that is on our agenda for discussion.”
The Memorial Cup was last held in Alberta in 1974 when the Regina Pats won it in the Calgary Corral. The Red Deer Rebels were thought to be a favourite to play host to the 2013 tournament, but it ended up going to Saskatoon.
The WHL next will play host to the Memorial Cup in 2016. The Vancouver Giants, who were the host team in 2007, have indicated that they are building towards the 2015-16 season and are expected enter a bid.
The Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in a U.S. Division city since 1998 when it was in Spokane.
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1. The WHL bantam draft is scheduled for Thursday in Calgary. As usual, you won’t be able to read about it on this blog. Instead, you will want to spend the day with Alan Caldwell, over at Small Thoughts At Large. He assures me that he is ready with all the statistics and info you might want.

2. If you haven’t seen this right here, it’s worth a read. Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News reported on his blog that the Golden State Warriors had a plan to boycott Tuesday night’s NBA playoff game if commissioner Adam Silver had gone soft on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

3. I was told on Tuesday that Tyler Kuntz is soon to be named the new head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds men’s hockey team. Kuntz, who is from Regina, just completed his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Thunderbirds. . . . A defenceman during his playing days, Kuntz played five seasons at UBC. . . . He will succeed Milan Dragicevic, who was fired in March after 12 seasons as the team’s head coach.

4. For the first time in QMJHL history, both semifinal series went seven games, and both were decided last night. . . . The Val-d’Or Foreurs went into Halifax, where they had won the first two games, and beat the Mooseheads, the defending Memorial Cup champions, 3-2. Val-d’Or trailed 2-1 after the first period and won it with two second-period scores. F Maxime Presseault broke a 2-2 tie with his first goal at 13:59, while G Antoine Bibeau, who was acquired from the Charlottetown Islanders for a first-round draft pick (along with two other picks) in December, stopped 39 shots. . . . Meanwhile, in Baie-Comeau, the Drakkar rode two first-period goals to a 2-1 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Aramada, 2-1. . . . The final will open Friday in Val-d’Or. . . . Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has more on the two QMJHL games right here.

5. F Mike Baird of the North Bay Battalion has been hit with a 20-game suspension by the OHL for physical abuse of an official during a playoff game on April 10. . . . Baird, in his first OHL season, missed six games while under indefinite suspension and won’t play in the OHL final which opens Thursday with the Battalion in Guelph to play the Storm. . . . Baird, who turned 17 on March 25, had one assist and 27 penalty minutes in 28 regular-season games.

6. The NHL playoffs will feature three Game 7s tonight. I’m thinking there will be a lot of unanswered phone calls in homes across North American tonight and a lot of wives going shopping.

7. I’m thinking my friend Brad Hornung will be in front of a TV set tonight, because there isn’t a bigger hockey fan anywhere. It’s hard to believe that more than 27 years have passed us by since he was left a quadriplegic after an unfortunate incident during a WHL game in Regina. . . . The one thing that wasn’t damaged that evening was his spirit. . . . You owe it to yourself to read this story right here, by Austin M. Davis of the Regina Leader-Post.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
---
TUESDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Neate Sager (@neatebuzzthenet) of Yahoo! Sports: “Population of the cities of 6 teams left in #WHL, #OHL and #LHJMQ playoffs: 1.16 million; 600,000; 141,000; 64,000; 33,265; 28,789.”
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One more from Sager: “Both #LHJMQ cities could fit inside North Bay, those 3 fit inside Guelph; those 4 fit inside Portland & all 5 could fit inside Edmonton.”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:


F Jaroslav Svoboda (Kootenay, 1998-2000) was assigned on loan by Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL) to Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He has two goals and one assist in 25 games with Lev this season. . . .

F Dylan Stanley (Tri-City, 2000-05) transferred from Bozen (Italy, Serie A2) to Neumarkt/Egna (Italy, Serie A2). He had 29 goals and 27 assists in 32 games with Bozen this season. Stanley currently stands in third place in league scoring.
———
Former WHL G Jon Groenheyde stopped 66 shots on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as his St. Thomas Tommies dropped a 5-2 decision to the host Acadia Axemen in an Atlantic University Sport game. . . . Groenheyde allowed four goals on 70 shots, with Acadia’s last goal an empty-netter.
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A hockey fan looking for an interesting read can’t go wrong with Breakaway, Tal Pinchevsky’s look at the first hockey players to have escaped from behind the Iron Curtain and come to North America.
It is subtitled From behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL — the untold story of hockey’s great escapes, and really is missing only Steve McQueen and his motorcycle.
There are some amazing stories here about players leaving behind families and not knowing what might befall those families because of the defectors’ decisions. We’re also referring to all kinds of cloak-and-dagger stuff, including clandestine meetings in forests.
Scary stuff!
———
SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, Kootenay F Sam Reinhart broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal in the second period and the Ice went on to a 3-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Reinhart’s 25th goal ran his point streak to 13 games, the longest in the WHL at the moment. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau had his point streak ended at 12 games. . . . The Ice continued its march toward an Eastern Conference playoff spot. All but written off before Christmas, the Ice has closed to within one point of the Saskatoon Blades, who hold down the eighth and final playoff spot. . . . The Blades hold three games in hand. . . . The Pats have lost seven in a row and are eight points out of eighth. . . .

In Swift Current, G Justin Paulic stopped 32 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos had won seven in a row going into this one. . . . The Warriors have won two in a row after a 10-game losing skid. . . . Ch-ch-ching! The teams engaged in a multiple-fight situation at 19:52 of the third period. . . . The Broncos lost F Graham Black to an elbowing major and game misconduct at 18:51 of the third period. . . . By game’s end, the Broncos had taken 116 of 179 penalty minutes. . . . Warriors F Tanner Eberle scored the winning goal, his 10th goal this season. It came on a penalty shot at 6:24 of the third period. . . . Broncos F Adam Lowry had two assists. . . .

In Edmonton, F Curtis Lazar broke a 2-2 tie at 12:05 of the second period and the Oil Kings went on to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-2. . . . Lazar scored twice, giving him 23. . . . Brandon G Curtis Honey stopped 47 shots. With G Corbin Boes having suffered an undisclosed injury in a 2-1 OT victory in Edmonton on Friday, the Wheat Kings had Jordan Papirny on the bench backing up Honey. Papirny, from Edmonton, plays for the midget AAA South Side Athletic Club Athletics. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck had a goal, his 14th, and two assists, while F Henrik Samuelsson drew three helpers. . . . The Oil Kings have won four in a row and lead the Eastern Conference by seven points over the Calgary Hitmen, who have two games in hand. . . .

In Red Deer, F Rhyse Dieno forced OT and then won the game in the circus as the Rebels got past the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . The teams played through two scoreless periods and struck four times in 7:06 in the second half of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Rhyse Dieno forced OT with his 15th goal at 18:28 of the third period. . . . Dieno was the only one of six shooters to score in the shootout. . . . Lethbridge D Macoy Erkamps scored his fifth goal to open the scoring. He’s got eight points in his last three games. . . . Lethbridge G Ty Rimmer stopped 43 shots. . . .

In Prince George, G Mac Engel stopped 21 shots to help the Cougars to a 4-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The shutout was the first of the season for Engel. He has six shutouts in his career. . . . F Colin Jacobs scored twice, giving him 17. . . . F Jake Mykitiuk got his first of the season. . . . D Rinalds Rosinskis had three assists. . . . The victory was the first for Mark Holick as head coach of the Cougars. He worked his first game Friday as the Cougars dropped a 3-2 decision to the Silvertips. . . . Everett picked up five points on a four-game B.C. Division swing. . . . Judging by messages on Twitter early today, Brock Hirsche is leaving the Cougars. Hirsche, 20, had his season, and his WHL career, ended by shoulder problems before Christmas and had been helping with the coaching. . . .

In Victoria, F Brandon Magee scored two more goals as the Royals beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-1. . . . Magee, who has 25 goals, scored four times in a 6-4 victory over visiting Vancouver on Friday. . . . Victoria F Brandon Fushimi also scored last night, after getting two on Friday. . . . The two Brandons combined for nine goals in the two games. . . . The other goal went to F Jamie Crooks, who scored his 100th regular-season goal. . . . Victoria’s line of Magee, Alex Gogolev and Steve Hodges has 42 points in its last eight games. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson got his 20th goal. . . . The Royals were without D Tyler Stahl, their captain, after he took a headshot major in a 6-4 victory over the visiting Giants on Friday. . . . The Royals won their seventh straight game, setting a Chilliwack-Victoria franchise record. . . . The Giants have lost six in a row. . . .

In Spokane, F Curtis Valk broke a 3-3 tie at 7:54 of the third period as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Chiefs, 4-3. . . . Valk’s 29th goal came via the PP. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan stopped 55 shots, including 22 in the second and 20 in the third, and earned the lone assist on the winner. . . . F Todd Fiddler scored twice for the Chiefs, giving him a WHL-leading 35 goals. He also had an assist. . . . Fiddler tied a franchise record (fastest goal to open a period) when he scored eight seconds into the third. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets won their 21st straight home game, dropping the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-2. . . . Kelowna, which has won six straight, scored three times in the first period and led 6-0 midway through the third. . . . F Cody Fowlie scored twice for Kelowna, giving him 13, while F Tyson Baillie had a goal, his 17th, and two assists. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 18 shots to win his 20th straight start. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Oliver Bjorstand scored three times an G Brendan Burke got the shutout as the Winterhawks dropped the Tri-City Americans, 7-0. . . . It was Nuclear Night in Kennewick, but things didn’t go well for the home team which suffered its worst defeat of the season. . . . Burke, who is 15-4-1, stopped 25 shots in posting his third shutout this season. Portland has put up back-to-back blank jobs. . . . After the game, Burke tweeted: “It was great having my grandma @cbgrands and my grandpa in the stands tonight. Made the drive all the way from red deer #support #loveyou” . . . Bjorkstand, from Denmark, has 20 goals, the first freshman to that mark this season. This was his first hat trick. . . . F Chase De Leo had three assists, while F Nic Petan, the WHL’s leading scorer, had a goal, his 33rd, and an assist. . . . F Brendan Leipsic, who is second to Petan, had two goals, getting him to 32, and an assist. . . . Petan has 85 points, four more than Leipsic. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie picked up one assist, running his point streak to 13 games. He's got 19 points in 10 games since returning from the World Junior Championship. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser had his point streak end at 11 games. . . . The Winterhawks continue to be without D Derrick Pouliot, who has a high-ankle sprain.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Harrison Ruopp, Prince Albert

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Taylor Crunk, Victoria
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From former Regina Pats F Brad Hornung (@Bradhornung): “Wearing a pair of shoes since 1995 that still look brand-new. #quadadvantages”
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One more from @Bradhornung: “When a sold-out concert still has handicapped seats available. @quadadvantages”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Kris Russell (Medicine Hat, 2003-07) signed a lockout contract with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had six goals and six assists  in 55 games split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues last season. Russell is scheduled to arrive in Finland today and will make his debut either in tonight's game at HPK Hämeenlinna or in TPS' game at home on Saturday against HIFK Helsinki. The TPS press release ends with the club thanking two of their major sponsors for helping them sign Russell. . . .
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) has signed a contract until the end of November with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, Oberliga) after a  successful try-out. Rumpel, who started his try-out last weekend, had one assist in one game with Trnava (Slovakia, 1.Liga) to start the season. Last season, Rumpel had three assists in two games with Trnava before signing with Frederikshavn (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga), where he had seven goals and 12 assists in 30 games.
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Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, brought down the hammer on Wednesday afternoon.
Now we’ll see if the players are paying attention.
Kale Kessy, a forward with the Medicine Hat Tigers who turns 20 on Dec. 4, provided Doerksen with the opportunity in a game against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Kessy drew a major and game misconduct for a headshot on Lethbridge D Ryan Pilon, who is listed as being out indefinitely.
With Kessy already having served 14 games in suspensions from six separate incidents, Doerksen had a repeat offender with whom to deal. And he did just that, as he suspended Kessy, a fourth-round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2011 draft, for a dozen games.
Doerksen wrote in his reasons that “the checking to the head penalty was for an elbow to the head” and pointed out that “the opponent was injured on the play.”
Kessy met with Doerksen in the WHL’s Calgary office for 45 minutes before the decision was announced.
“I respect the league’s decision and what they have done,” Kessy told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News. “At the end of the day, they are the ones making the decisions. You just have to be responsible for your actions.”
Kessy will be eligible to return on Oct. 26 for a game in Calgary against the Hitmen.
Here’s the rest of Kessy’s rap sheet:
One game for a game misconduct at Lethbridge, March 10, 2012.
Four games for a checking-from-behind major at Red Deer, Nov. 26, 2011.
Five games for a checking-from-behind double minor at Victoria, Oct. 6, 2011.
One game for a checking-from-behind double minor vs. Brandon, March 26, 2011.
Two games for a checking-from-behind double minor vs. Lethbridge, Dec. 18, 2010.
One game for a boarding major vs. Seattle, Oct. 31, 2009.
If you were wondering, this is the longest suspension handed out by the WHL office since it hit Tri-City Americans F Brendan Shinnimin with 12 games for an ugly hit on Saskatoon Blades F Josh Nicholls on Oct. 6, 2010.
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In the same game as Kessy’s hit on Pilon, Lethbridge D Spencer Galbraith was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk.
The WHL has since changed that to a charging major for which there won’t be a suspension.
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The Vancouver Giants have acquired F Trevor Cheek, 20, from the Calgary Hitmen for two bantam draft picks — a fourth-rounder in 2013 and a fifth-rounder in 2014. . . . Cheek, from Vancouver, Wash., is into his third WHL season. He had 49 points, including 23 goals, and 75 penalty minutes with Calgary last season. . . . Cheek is expected to play Friday when the Giants entertain the Everett Silvertips. . . . The move gets each team to the maximum three 20-year-olds. Cheek joins D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen and D John Neibrandt in Vancouver. . . . The Hitmen have F Brooks Macek, F Cody Sylvester and D Spencer Humphries on their roster.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have picked up F Dakota Conroy, 18, from the Victoria Royals for a seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Conroy, an Edmonton native, was dealt to Victoria by the Brandon Wheat Kings last season in a swap that had F Kevin Sundher go the other way as the centrepiece. . . . Conroy had 10 points, including seven goals, in 30 games with the Royals after putting up eight points, four of them goals, in 37 games with Brandon.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have assigned F Ryley Lindgren, 16, to the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. Lindgren, from East St. Paul, Man., was a fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Brandon now is carrying 25 players, including eight defencemen and 15 forwards. . . .
James Shewaga of the Brandon Sun reports that the Wheat Kings “have sold 2,540 season tickets, down from last season’s total of 2,973.” . . .
The Kootenay Ice had a familiar face on the ice with them at practice on Wednesday. Tom Renney, who is from Cranbrook, was helping head coach Ryan McGill keep things moving. Renney is the associate coach with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, so has nothing but time on his hands these days. . . .
D Austin Adam, 17, of the Everett Silvertips is out for up to six weeks with a broken hand. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Adam “suffered a freak injury during practice Tuesday when his hand got caught in the partition between two panels of glass.” . . .
The AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm has acquired the rights to F Mike Forsyth, 20, from the Camrose Kodiaks for future considerations. Forsyth, who is from Calgary, had 15 points in 72 games with the Victoria Royals last season. . . . 
The Spokane hockey community is in mourning following the death Wednesday of Bob LaRue, the father of former WHL referee Dennis LaRue. Bob was a retired U.S. Air Force non-commissioned officer. In fact, Dennis, the oldest of five children, was born in Savannah, Ga., in the Hunter AFB hospital. Bob was a long-time supporter of the Spokane hockey community. . . .
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NOTES FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
F Brenden Walker, 20, of the Saskatoon Blades played in his 200th career regular-season game last night in Brandon. The Blades dropped a 9-6 decision to the Wheat Kings in what was Walker’s first game against his old team. He was dealt to Saskatoon in May. . . . You just know that both coaches, Brandon’s Dwayne Gylywoychuk and Saskatoon’s Lorne Molleken, were saying the same thing after this one: “We have a lot of things to work on.” . . . The Blades actually tied the game 6-6 when F Josh Nicholls scored at 6:46 of the third period while his guys were two-men short. . . . Late in the second period, Nicholls came up empty on a penalty shot against G Corbin Boes. . . .
G Tristan Jarry stopped 20 shots for his first WHL shutout as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Hurricanes 3-0 in Lethbridge. . . . G Ty Rimmer stopped 57 shots for the Hurricanes, who trailed just 1-0 after two periods, despite being outshot 43-14. . . . Jarry, who backs up Laurent Brossoit, was making his first appearance this season. He got into 14 games last season, going 8-2-1, 2.93, .894. . . .
F Morgan Klimchuk’s second goal of the game, at 2:09 of OT, gave the visiting Regina Pats a 4-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Broncos have played three games this season and have led 3-0 in each of them. However, they have lost two of those games, both in OT.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Brad Hornung (@Bradhornung): “Had a ‘brush with greatness’ today as I was cruising through Wascana Park. A chance meeting with NHL legend Mike Bossy.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
It seems that lightning has hit the outhouse in Invermere, B.C., where GM/head coach Marc Ward and assistant coach Jan Kascak have resigned from the junior B Columbia Valley Rockies of the Kootenay International Junior League. . . . The Rockies picked up seven points in 52 games last season under Ward, but are off to a 3-2-0-1 start (W-L-T-OTL) this season. . . . Ross Bidinger, the director of hockey operations, has taken over as GM/head coach, and there now are four assistant coaches – Kirk, Scott and Wade Dubielewicz and Dave Tomalty. . . . "We wish both (Ward) and (Kascak) well … but we have no reservations about what we've put into place over the last 24 hours,” Rockies vice-president Graeme Anderson told Steve Jessel of the Invermere Valley Echo. "I'm extremely confident that you're going to see the Rockies performing as well as they have done, and better."
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You may be aware that the family of the late Derek Boogaard has filed a lawsuit against the NHLPA. Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times writes that the lawsuit “could lead to some novel and tumultuous territory for the sport.” . . . Read this right here in its entirety and perhaps you will gain some understanding as to why some people like David Branch are moving to cut down on, if not completely eradicate, fighting in hockey.

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Please, let's end the craziness

Bob Clarke has become the voice of reason in the debate over headshots and ugly hits that is dominating conversation about the game of hockey.
Clarke, who went by Bobby when he was a whacking and hacking point machine with the Philadelphia Flyers (aka the Broad Street Bullies) back in the day, has been telling people that the puck has become irrelevant.
And he is correct.
Players today are more concerned with eliminating an opponent than they are with gaining possession of the puck. And, hey, if that opponent gets injured, well, gee, hockey is a physical game.
But there are times — hello there, Matt Cooke! — when you wonder if hockey isn’t on its way to becoming UFC on skates.
You watch as forward Daniel Paille of the Boston Bruins launches himself at Dallas Stars winger Raymond Sawada and you notice that the puck is right there, three or four feet in front of Sawada. However, Paille ignores it. That’s because the name of the game far too often is to try to separate the opposing player from his head rather than the puck.
And there is Cooke, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. One night he is initiating knee-to-knee contact with Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. A couple of nights later, he is launching himself at Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin.
(Remember when Cooke played for the Vancouver Canucks and everyone loved the Cooker? That doesn’t seem to be the case any more as the Twitterverse lit up with Cooke-related vitriol on Wednesday.)
We saw it right here in Kamloops on Friday night when defenceman Brandon Manning of the Chilliwack Bruins went in on the forecheck and hammered Blazers defenceman Austin Madaisky.
Manning had dumped the puck into Madaisky’s corner and, as the Kamloops defender turned, Manning streaked across the zone. Manning, completely ignoring the puck, initiated contact and that momentum spun Madaisky around, which meant he crashed awkwardly into the end boards, his back taking the brunt of the impact.
This wasn’t a case of one slug hammering another. Manning, 20, has signed a free-agent deal with the Flyers. In his three WHL seasons, the Prince George native has become known as an offensive defenceman who won’t shy away from the rough stuff.
Madaisky, 18, was a fifth-round selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2010 NHL draft and arguably has been the Blazers’ best defenceman.
That isn’t the case any longer, however, as Madaisky came out of that collision with a fractured C-7 vertebrae and won’t play again this season. He is fortunate that he still is able to walk.
Colin Campbell, who doles out discipline on behalf of Gary Bettman’s NHL, suspended Paille for four games. Coincidentally, Cooke also drew a four-game suspension.
Richard Doerksen, who is the WHL’s disciplinarian, handed Manning a seven-game suspension.
Men like Campbell and Doerksen are charged with a huge responsibility. They want to be fair and, at the same time, they want to make the punishment fit the crime.
That being the case, the time has come for them to lower the boom.
Four- and seven-game suspensions simply aren’t enough when one player shows such a lack of respect for another.
In the first eight days of February, the WHL played 35 games over five nights. According to the WHL’s online scoresheets, referees handed out 15 minor penalties and one major for checking from behind. That doesn’t count other incidents, such as charging or boarding, during which players — like Madaisky — were put at risk.
It is time, too, to stop categorizing these hits as headshots, hits from behind, etc. They all are dangerous hits and should be treated as such.
Brad Hornung, then a centre with the Regina Pats, was hit from behind on March 1, 1987. Left a quadriplegic, he has been in a wheelchair ever since that horrific night.
I was covering that game for the Regina Leader-Post and can tell you that the check by Moose Jaw Warriors forward Troy Edwards wasn’t anywhere near as violent or as frightening as much of what we see today. In fact, it was more of a nudge in the back than a hit from behind.
But heaven forbid anyone should have to go through what Hornung and Edwards did in the aftermath of that hit. Yes, there were two victims that night; they and their families both experienced their own versions of living hell.
But it is obvious today that the message isn’t getting through. There are far too many of these incidents and it’s only been through a stroke of luck that no one has been seriously injured. Although you can certainly make a case that Madaisky, who now is wearing a cervical collar, was seriously injured.
Earlier this season, Doerksen suspended Tri-City Americans forward Brendan Shinnimin for 12 games for an ugly hit on Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades. Nicholls was left with a concussion and missed only one game because the Blades were in a soft spot in their schedule.
Defenceman Wes Vannieuwenhuizen of the Vancouver Giants drew a seven-game sentence after he drilled Chilliwack forward Robin Soudek from behind on Nov. 11. A concussed Soudek sat out four games.
It would seem then that (a) Manning got off rather lightly, and (b) the message simply isn’t getting through to teams and players.
The onus then is on Doerksen to up the ante. Sooner or later, he is going to have to drop a 20-game bomb on someone, or perhaps end someone’s season.
Please, Mr. Doerksen, do it before more seasons end the way Austin Madaisky’s did.
Or worse.

(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. You are able to follow him at twitter.com/gdrinnan)