Rockets, Generals in Memorial Cup final . . . Hockey Canada honours Tuer . . . Campese back coaching

F Adam Hughesman (Tri-City, 2006-12) signed a one-year contract with Sterzing/Vipiteno (Italy, Serie A). This season, with the Reading Royals (ECHL), he had 23 goals and 44 assists in 69 ghames. He also had one goal in three games with the Manchester Monarchs (AHL). Hughesman led Reading in assists and was second in points. . . .
F Brad Ross (Portland, 2007-12) signed a one-year-plus-option contract with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). This season, he had four goals and four assists in 32 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and five goals and six assists in 32 games with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL). . . .
D Rod Sarich (Calgary, 1996-2002) signed a one-year extension with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). This season, he had three goals and seven assists in 60 games. Sarich has dual Canadian-UK citizenship. Next season will be his 10th season with Sheffield. He has played 507 games with the Steelers, fifth on their all-time list.
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The WHL-champion Kelowna Rockets advanced to the Memorial Cup final by thrashing the host Quebec Remparts 9-3 before 9,870 fans on Friday night. . . . The Remparts were playing their third game in three nights and it showed. This also was their final game in the historic Colisee, as they will move into the brand new Videotron Centre next season. . . . The Rockets and OHL-champion Oshawa Generals will play Sunday

evening for the major junior championship. . . . The Generals went 3-0 in the round-robin to earn a bye into the final. The Rockets were 1-2 in the round-robin, including a 2-1 loss to Oshawa on Tuesday. . . . The Generals haven’t played since that game. . . . The QMJHL, the host league, won’t be represented in the final. This will be the first time that has happened since 2009 when the final, in Rimouski, Que., featured the Rockets and the Windsor Spitfires. That was the Rockets’ last Memorial Cup appearance. The Spitfires won that one, 4-1. . . . Oshawa head coach DJ Smith was on Windsor’s coaching staff at the time. . . . Last night, the Rockets got two goals and two assists from F Justin Kirkland, with F Leon Draisaitl and D Josh Morrissey each getting a goal and two assists. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier scored twice. . . . F Adam Erne gave Quebec a 1-0 lead at 3:11 of the first period, with Kelowna F Chance Braid tying it at 9:51. . . . Kelowna took control with four second-period goals, the first three coming in a span of 3:49 in the first 4:06. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 20 shots, while Quebec’s Zach Fucale, who turned 20 on Thursday, turned aside 35. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-6 on the PP; the Remparts were 1-for-7. . . . The referees were Jonathan Alarie and Olivier Gouin, both from the QMJHL. In fact, they were the referees on Wednesday when the Remparts dropped a 4-0 decision to the Rimouski Oceanic. After that game, Quebec head coach Phillippe Boucher ripped the officiating and later was fined $10,000. . . . The Rockets were 51-for-82 on faceoffs, with Draisaitl going 16-for-26. . . . Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News has more on the game right here, and it included quite a trash-throwing incident involving the fans.
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Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday, May 22: Kelowna 3 vs. Quebec 4 (9,497)
Saturday, May 23: Rimouski 3 vs. Oshawa 4 (8,409)
Sunday, May 24: Quebec 4 vs. Oshawa 5 (OT) (10,970)
Monday, May 25: Rimouski 3 vs. Kelowna 7 (6,981)
Tuesday, May 26: Oshawa 2 vs. Kelowna 1 (7,002)
Wednesday, May 27: Quebec 0 vs. Rimouski 4 (10,277)
Thursday, May 28 (tiebreaker): Quebec 5 vs. Rimouski 2 (6,533)
Friday, May 29 (semifinal): Kelowna 9 vs. Quebec 3 (9,870)
Sunday (championship): Oshawa vs. Kelowna, 7 p.m.
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Luke Pierce, who signed with the Kootenay Ice earlier in the week, is the youngest head coach in the WHL, and it isn’t even close.
Keeping in mind that the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants have yet to sign head coaches, here’s a look at the ages of the league’s head guys, from youngest to oldest:
Luke Pierce, Kootenay Ice, 31
Steve Hamilton, Edmonton Oil Kings, 41
Mike Williamson, Tri-City Americans, 42
Steve Konowalchuk, Seattle Thunderbirds, 42
Mark French, Calgary Hitmen, 44
Dan Lambert, Kelowna Rockets, 45
Mark Holick, Prince George Cougars, 46
Shaun Clouston, Medicine Hat Tigers, 47
Bob Woods, Saskatoon Blades, 47
Jamie Kompon, Portland Winterhawks, 48
Dave Lowry, Victoria Royals, 50
Mark Lamb, Swift Current Broncos, 50
Marc Habscheid, Prince Albert Raiders, 52
Brent Sutter, Red Deer Rebels, 52
Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon Wheat Kings, 54
Tim Hunter, Moose Jaw Warriors, 54
Don Nachbaur, Spokane Chiefs, 56
Kevin Constantine, Everett Silvertips, 56
John Paddock, Regina Pats, 60
Don Hay, Kamloops Blazers, 61
——
Graham Tuer, one of the really good guys in the hockey world, received an Order of Merit for dedicated service to the sport during Hockey Canada’s Spring Congress in Toronto on Friday. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here. . . . It’s also worth mentioning that Brad Howard of Regina, a longtime on-ice official and someone who continues to be involved with officiating, was presented with Hockey Canada’s Officiating Award for his contributions to that aspect of the game.
——
The Moose Jaw Warriors are holding their prospects’ camp this weekend, and there are some familiar names on hand. . . . F Landon Quinney of Las Vegas, who has played in the Arizona Bobcats program, is the son of former Calgary Wranglers F Ken Quinney and the brother of Gage, a forward with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Also in camp, reports Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, is F Erik Middendorf, who was a fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. From Phoenix, he is the nephew of F Max Middendorf, who played in the QMJHL and NHL. . . . The Warriors have put some added emphasis on their American scouting of late. Former Lethbridge Hurricanes GM Bob Bartlett is Moose Jaw’s senior scout and manager of U.S. scouting and player development.
——
Here’s Jeb Lund, for Rolling Stone, on the biggest story in sports this year: “FIFA is so grandiosely historically corrupt that busting them for this, finally, feels like ignoring reports on Jeffrey Dahmer for years and then raiding his kitchen for health-code violations.” . . . This excellent piece is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Bruno Campese, the former general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders, has been named head coach of the Penticton, B.C.-based Okanagan Hockey Academy’s bantam prep team. . . . Campese, 51, spent eight seasons with the Raiders, beginning as head coach. He coached until 2011 and was the general manager from 2008-15. . . . Before joining the Raiders, Campese spent three seasons as director of hockey operations and head coach with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees.
——
Brian Wiebe tweeted Friday that the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials have promoted Joe Martin, their assistant general manager and assistant coach, to GM and head coach. He takes over from Luke Pierce, who signed on as the Kootenay Ice’s head coach earlier in the week. . . . Pierce had been with the Centennials for six seasons. . . . Martin has been with the Centennials since May 27, 2011. He had been GM/head coach of the junior B Creston Valley Thundercats of the Kootenay International Junior League. . . . Wiebe, by the way, has been named assistant GM of the junior B Port Moody Panthers. He already was their director of media and communications.
——
Fred Harbinson, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, has decided to stay put. Andy Baggot of the Wisconsin State Journal has reported that Mike Eaves, the head coach of the U of Wisconsin Badgers, offered Harbinson an assistant-coaching position. Harbinson told Baggot he had multiple conversations with Eaves and received a “very strong” offer. . . . Harbinson chose to remain in Penticton because “it’s better for me and my family to stay put.”
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Carson Focht, the seventh overall selection in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 150-pound Focht, from Regina, played with the Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Sask. He led the bantam league in scoring, with 70 points, including 39 goals, in 38 games. . . .
In the AHL, the host Grand Rapids Griffins earned a 3-2 OT victory over the Utica Comets before 8,967 fans on Friday night. That tied the Western Conference final 2-2 with Game 5 in Grand Rapids on Sunday. . . . F Andreas Athanasiou got the winner last night, at 5:05 of the first extra period. . . .
The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens no longer are affiliated with the ECHL’s Wheeling Thunder. Instead, Montreal’s ECHL affiliate will be the Brampton, Ont., Beast. . . . The Beast will play in the 5,000-seat Powerade Centre, the former home of the OHL’s Brampton Battalion.
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@sask_hockey Our own Graham Tuer and his granddaughter & #puckster @HockeyCanada awards gala. #hockeyproud pic.twitter.com/9gdl0Ykfnn

— Scott Frizzell (@ScottFrizz) May 29, 2015

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Blazers force Game 7

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
A curtain call?
This wasn’t Phantom of the Opera. This wasn’t The Lion King.
This was a hockey game. However, it wasn’t just any hockey game.
And when it ended, 5,080 fans stood inside Interior Savings Centre and roared and roared and roared some more. This was a crowd that didn’t want to leave.
After a few minutes of the crescendo, the Kamloops Blazers, who had just completed a heart-stopping 7-6 WHL playoff victory over the Portland Winterhawks, returned to the ice surface and saluted their fans.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the joint. And there will be hoarse voices in the city today.
“It was unbelieveable . . . it gave me shivers,” said Kamloops defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer, whose second goal of the game broke a 6-6 tie with 20.6 seconds left in the third period. “I’m so proud to be a Blazer and so proud that these fans came out. I’ve never had a feeling like that before. It was awesome.”
The Blazers trailed 5-2 going into the third period but, obviously, they had the Winterhawks right where they wanted them.
After all, the Blazers once trailed this series 0-3. Then, in Game 4, the home boys were down 4-0 halfway through the first period, only to come back and win, 5-4.
The Blazers then went into Portland and ran away with a 7-2 decision. Then came last night.
And now the teams will return to Portland and play Game 7, winner-take-all, in Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday night.
Only once in WHL history — the league’s first season was 1966-67 — has a team come back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7. The Spokane Chiefs did it in the spring of 1996, beating the visiting Winterhawks 4-3 in overtime in that deciding game.
So, yes, it does happen. And it may happen again tomorrow night because this Winterhawks team is starting to look as though it’s living in a house in Amityville.
If there was a key goal among the 13 scored in this one, it likely came off the stick of Kamloops defenceman Marek Hrbas. He pounded a slapshot past Portland goaltender Mac Carruth at 5:55 of the third period to cut the deficit to 5-3.
“I thought the Hrbas goal started it,” Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, said. “It gave them a little juice. They got to 5-3 and it gave them some energy.
“They earned a lot of what they got in the third period. They had us back on our heels a little bit . . . the momentum from the fans got them energized.”
Right-winger Jordan DePape pulled the Blazers within one when a centring pass appeared to deflect off a prone Troy Rutkowski, a Portland defenceman, in the crease. And the crowd roared at 8:49.
Just 11 seconds later, Portland defenceman Derrick Pouliot had the puck deep in his zone when he attempted to go d-to-d and disaster struck.
“It hit a crack in the boards, went back to them and out to the slot,” Johnston said. “That’s a little bit of a bad break.”
It was. Because it went right to Aspen Sterzer, who rifled the puck past Carruth for his first WHL playoff goal. And the roof about came off the joint.
Shortly after Sterzer’s goal, the officials signalled for the timeout that is held near the midway point of each period. Amazingly, the crowd rose as one and roared for the entire 90 seconds.
Centre Colin Smith put the Blazers out front, scoring off his own rebound from in tight, at 15:21. The crowd was on its feet one more time.
But the Winterhawks quieted the place just 26 seconds later when Cam Reid fired a shot from the slot past goaltender Cam Lanigan.
Of course, all that did was set the stage for Maschmeyer, who was the beneficiary of some terrific work by Brandon Herrod and Brendan Ranford, as they forced a turnover in the Winterhawks’ zone and got the puck to the point.
“I just put a slapshot through,” Maschmeyer said. “There was a lot of traffic at the net . . . blocker side. I just shot it and hoped for the best. We had 20 seconds left . . . they had their top line and we didn’t want to give anything up.
“We were in their zone so I figured I’m going to shot the puck. The guys did a great job in front of the net.”
Three of the Blazers’ goals came off similar plays.
“They’ve been getting some shots through from the point in the series,” Johnston said. “It seems like they’ve been finding the way through screens and it’s been a factor.”
Ranford had the Blazers’ other goal, that in the first period.
Brad Ross, with two, Pouliot, Oliver Gabriel and Brendan Leipsic also scored for the Winterhawks, who got 36 saves out of Carruth.
“It’s a characteristic of this hockey club,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said. “I’ve said it over and over again. They don’t want to give up. It’s something you build from Day 1 of training camp. It doesn’t matter if we miss people or not. Everybody shows up and plays hard. . . .
“I don’t know what else to say.”
Neither do 5,000 fans.
The other Western Conference semifinal also has gone to a Game 7. It, too, will be decided on Wednesday as the Spokane Chiefs visit the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash.
Should the Chiefs and Blazers both win, the conference final would open here on Friday night.
Do you believe in miracles?
JUST NOTES: Each team was 2-for-5 on the power play. . . . Lanigan stopped 24 shots. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. Maschmeyer: Two goals in big game; 2. F Dylan Willick, Kamloops: Just does it; 3. Pouliot: Goal and two assists from back end. . . . Herrod finished with three assists in a strong performance, while Ranford added two helpers to his goal. . . . Prior to the game, a moment of silence was held in memory of former Blazers president Colin Day, who died on Friday. . . . Earlier yesterday, Ranford was named the WHL’s player of the week. He had six points, including three goals, as the Blazers won two of three games last week. . . . Tonight in the QMJHL, the Halifax Mooseheads will play the Remparts in Quebec City in Game 7. The Remparts once led that series, 3-0.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Johannes Salmonsson (Spokane, 2005-06) signed a two-year contract with Linköping (Sweden, Elitserien). He had five goals and 13 assists in 41 games for AIK Stockholm (Sweden, Elitserien) this season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Salmon Arm SilverBacks will introduce Troy Mick as their general manager and head coach today. Owner Randy Williams also is bringing Mick on board as a business partner. . . . Mick has been working as the director of hockey operations and the under-18 boys coach at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna. . . . In Salmon Arm, Mick will take over from Colin O’Hara, who resigned a week ago as GM and head coach. O’Hara was there for two seasons. . . . Mick is a familiar figure in the interior of B.C., having coached the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers and the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies in recent seasons.
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The Portage Terriers won the MJHL championship on Tuesday night, beating the visiting Winnipeg Saints 2-1 to take the best-of-seven final in five games. . . . The Terriers have won the title four of the last five seasons, including each of the last two seasons. . . . Blake Spiller has been the head coach for all four championships. . . . The Terriers went 12-3 in the playoffs.
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I’m sorry, but are all Portland Winterhawks’ fans paranoid, or is it just a select few?
With Kamloops having scratched G Cole Cheveldave due to what obviously is a concussion, there are those people out there who actually believe the Blazers have done this simply to get Portland F Oliver Gabriel out of the lineup.
Seriously!
Here’s a sample of texts and tweets sent my way over the last couple of days:
“Does it actually make sense in your head that blazers would scratch their most needed player in exchange for a #5 forward?”
“They scratch Cheveldave to make it look good.”
“If you saw infraction you’d shake head at nonsense call.”
“What an absolute joke!”
People! People! People! Take a deep breath and climb down off the roof.
Cheveldave is the Blazers’ No. 1 goaltender. He was selected as a Western Conference second-team all-star. Were it not for the regular season turned in by F Tim Bozon, Cheveldave may well have been the Western Conference’s rookie of the year.
And you’re suggesting that the Blazers would put Cheveldave in the stands with an injury that is the figment of someone’s imagination!
Go back and take a look at the fuzzy video of the hit. Surely, you will at least admit that Cheveldave was the victim of a rather hard check. Surely, you also will admit that the hit sent Cheveldave flying. And, surely, you will admit that there is a least a slim chance, even while viewing it through your Rose City-coloured glasses, that Cheveldave may have been injured on the play.
To suggest that Cheveldave has been told to fake an injury, or that a doctor has been told to invent an injury, in an attempt to get Gabriel out of the Portland lineup is laughable.
Now . . . if we were talking about Ty Rattie or Sven Baertschi . . .
Seriously, ask yourself this. If you’re a Portland fan and one of the Blazers, say Brandon Herrod, had run over Mac Carruth like that, how sharp would you have the guillotine by now?
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
What is going on in the WHL? Five of the eight first-round series ended in the minimum four games; two others went five games.
Here we are into the second round and three of the four series stand at 3-0. Three road teams won last night to go up 3-0.
All of this follows a 2011 playoff season in which there were six sweeps, three five-game series and six six-game sets.

In Brandon, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Wheat Kings, 5-1. . . . The Oil King, who have won 18 straight games, including seven in the playoffs, lead this series 3-0 and can wrap it up tonight in Brandon. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock scored the game’s first goal, on a PP, at 10:48 of the first. . . . Edmonton scored two second-period goals, the eventual winner coming from F Curtis Lazar, his fourth playoff goal, at 14:21. . . . The visitors had a 19-2 edge in shots in the second period. . .  .The Oil Kings got two assists from F Henrik Samuelsson, who missed a couple of shifts after taking a heavy check from Brandon F Michael Ferland. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 25 shots, 12 fewer than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . Edmonton was 2-5 on the PP; Brandon was 1-3. . . . According to the Wheat Kings, F Mark Stone is questionable for Game 4 with an injury. He didn’t come out of the dressing room for the third period. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports: “Attendance was 3,651, the lowest turnout for a playoff game in Brandon since March 21, 2009 when 3,506 showed up for a first-round game against the Kootenay Ice.” . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Moose Jaw Warriors erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and beat the Tigers, 4-2. . . . Moose Jaw leads the series 3-0 with Game 4 in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk gave his side a 1-0 lead at 8:15 of the first. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point who turned 16 on March 12, got his fourth playoff goal in eight games at 1:49 of the second and D Kendall McFaull gave his guys the lead at 12:40. . . . Moose Jaw F Cam Braes had one assist to run his point streak to eight games. . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 48 shots, 24 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Tigers had F Emerson Etem back from a one-game suspension, but he was held off the scoresheet. . . . Moose Jaw D Morgan Rielly (knee) remains on the sideline. . . .

In Kamloops, F Brad Ross scored four times — even strength, power play, two shorthanded — to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Winterhawks, with a 3-0 lead, can finish the series tonight in Kamloops. . . . Ross scored four goals in 16 playoff games last spring. He now has seen in seven games in these playoffs. . . . The Winterhawks broke a 1-1 tie with two shorthanded goals 33 seconds apart early in the second period. . . . Ross now holds the franchise record for shorthanded goals (4) in one playoff season. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters drew three shorthanded assists. . . . @WHLFacts tweeted that Ross “has just become the first WHL player in at least 15 years to get 4 Shorthanded Goals in one playoff season.” . . . More from @WHLFacts: “Taylor Peters has become the first WHL player in at least 15 years with 4 Shorthanded Assists in one playoff season” . . . The Winterhawks also set a franchise record with three shorthanded goals in one playoff game. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 38 shots in running his record this spring to 7-0. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan turned aside 24 shots. . . . The Blazers are without G Cole Cheveldave (concussion). Portland F Oliver Gabriel was suspended for four games for the Game 1 hit on which Cheveldave was injured. Gabriel now has served two games of that suspension. . . . Attendance was 3,712, the third-smallest playoff crowd since the Blazers moved into what now is Interior Savings Centre for the 1992-93 season. The only smaller crowds came on March 25 and 26, 2008, when 2,895 and 2,570 fans showed up for Games 3 and 4 of a first-round sweep at the hands of the Tri-City Americans.

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Shorthanded 'Hawks bury Blazers

Portland forward Brad Ross (18) took a boarding minor for this
hit on Kamloops defenceman Brady Gaudet. Ross came back to
score four goals in Portland's 5-2 playoff victory.
(Photo by Keith Anderson / Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers, or at least Ryan Hanes, did a lot of talking in the pregame warmup on Tuesday night.
When the puck dropped, however, the Blazers weren’t able to walk the walk, especially when they were on the power play.
The Portland Winterhawks scored two shorthanded goals 33 seconds apart in the second period and went on to a 5-2 WHL playoff victory over the Blazers at Interior Savings Centre.
The end result is that the Winterhawks, who got four goals from Brad Ross, lead this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal 3-0 and can put it to bed tonight at ISC. Should the Blazers win, Game 5 would be played in Portland on Saturday.
Hanes, who plays on the Blazers’ fourth line, spent the entire pregame warmup skating along the centre-ice red line chirping at the Winterhawks, especially goaltender Mac Carruth.
If that was intended to get Carruth off his game, it didn’t work. He made 38 saves as he ran his record to 7-0 in these playoffs.
“He was doing his job,” Carruth said. “He was trying to get me off my game. It was just hockey talk. It’s his job.”
“All I heard from our guys,” added Portland general manager/head coach Mike Johnston, who didn’t watch the warmup, “was that he was standing at centre ice just chirping.”
Then, a chuckling Johnston added: “He didn’t take any reps with a line so we didn’t know what line he was on.”
Guy Charron, the Blazers’ head coach, also said he didn’t watch the warmup, but he felt Hanes was simply copying something he witnessed in Portland.
“That’s something they did in Portland,” Charron said, “and probably Ryan took it upon himself to do what they did. Two of their guys did it in Portland for both games, just stood there and talked to our players.
“He probably picked up on those two games and felt it’s our building so he’s going to do it to them.”
Whatever it was it didn’t bother Carruth at all. And it isn’t that Carruth was spectacular, it’s just that he was focused and did his job.
“He was really good tonight . . . really good,” Johnston said. “His positioning was really good and he didn’t get involved.”
The Blazers’ power play was another story.
It did score once in this game, but by that stage it was 0-for-17 in the series. It also got beat for three shorthanded goals, two of them 33 seconds apart with the game there for the taking.
“We don’t have to beat around the bush,” Charron said. “Special teams in this series have been very difficult for us. Overall, our penalty kill has been good. But tonight our power play gives up two shorthanded. It’s a big concern.
“It’s the same power play that finished sixth over the regular season. The personnel is there, but we need to make some adjustments. We need to get more (pucks) at the net. We need to cause traffic.”
The Blazers were in good shape as the first period ended. They had gotten a breakaway goal from Brendan Ranford at 15:53 that allowed them go into the break tied 1-1, Portland having gotten an early power-play goal from Ross.
Not only that . . . the home boys would start the second period with a two-man advantage for 1:17.
The Kamloops power play, however, has been drier than July and that didn’t change. The Blazers managed to get four shots on Carruth during that 5-on-3 but didn’t score.
Shortly after, Ross and teammate Cam Reid took penalties and the Blazers had more chances to take control. Instead, Portland’s Taylor Peters went to work and that resulted in shorthanded goals by Taylor Leier and Ross.
Just like that, it was 3-1 for the visitors, the crowd was pretty much out of it and the Winterhawks were on their way.
“He’s a real solid guy . . . solid player all-around,” Johnston said of Peters, a 19-year-old from Delta. “People don’t recognize him because he doesn’t get a lot of points but a lot of pro guys are starting to look at him as a real solid big horse of a guy.”
At the same time, Johnston wasn’t please with his club’s discipline.
“We weren’t very smart,” he said. “Little things, like giving a guy a wahck after a hit. In the playoffs, so far, I thought we’d done a great job but . . .”
The Blazers did get back to within a goal, at 3-2, when Colin Smith beat Carruth off a rebound on, yes, the power play.
But the Winterhawks came back just 48 seconds later, at 16:59 of the second, getting traffic to the net and Ross — who else? — put the puck past goaltender Cam Lanigan, who finished with 24 saves.
“We might be holding our sticks a little tight (on the PP) because it’s not really working right now,” Kamloops winger Jordan DePape said. “We did have chances, we did set it up, we did get some shots off it. But there are no excuses.
“We could work harder in the paint. In the playoffs you have to play in front of the net. Look at their (fourth) goal . . . them crashing the net. We can’t expect it to be pretty goals all the time . . . we have to bear down.”
Ross, the younger brother of former Blazers defenceman Nick Ross, rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal that also came with the Winterhawks shorthanded.
“We played a really good game,” said Ross, a truculent type whose NHL rights are held by the Toronto Maple Leafs. “We took some undisciplined penalties, including myself, but we had a great PK today. And we got the bounces we needed on the PK.”
Ross, who is coming off a 42-goal regular-season, said his performance in this one was a first.
“I’ve never had four goals . . . I don’t think so,” he said, after running his three-game total to six goals. “(Ty) Rattie did it last series and it was pretty impressive. Just to do it myself is pretty nice.”
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 3,712. . . . Portland finished 1-for-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-for-9. . . . Ross is one of five players in Winterhawks history to score four times in one playoff game, joining Rattie, Alfie Turcotte, Adam Deadmarsh and Max Kostovich. . . . The Winterhawks also set a franchise playoff record with three shorthanded goals in one game. . . . Ross has four shorthanded goals in these playoffs and that also is a franchise record. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel had his suspension set at four games by the WHL office yesterday. He will be eligible to play in Game 6 should this series get there. He was suspended for a late third-period hit in Game 1 that has taken Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave, a second-team conference all-star, out of the series with a suspected concussion. . . . Blazers captain Chase Schaber, whose season was ended by a skate cut to his left leg in the first-round victory over the Victoria Royals, is out and about on crutches. He was at the Kamloops bench during the warmup and took in the game from a corporate box. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. Ross: Four goals in a road playoff game; 2. Carruth: 7-0 in playoffs; 3. D Troy Rutkowski, Portland: Does everything but score.

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Tri-City goaltender Ty Rimmer and Spokane F Todd Fiddler appear to be
crawling for cover after a Friday night collision during a WHL playoff
game in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

Stephen Hume, a columnist with the Vancouver Sun, has written a piece expounding the theory that NHL arenas are unsafe workplaces.
“Researchers recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal a study examining seven seasons from 1997 to 2004. It identified 559 ‘concussions,’ ” he writes. “Headaches afflicted 71 per cent; dizziness 34 per cent; nausea 24 per cent; neck pain 23 per cent; blurred vision 22 per cent. One victim in five suffered amnesia and 18 per cent lost consciousness. This is brain damage. It can be permanent. It can be cumulative. It destroys lives.
“May I ask an impertinent question? When will authorities responsible for occupational health and safety turn their attention to the professional hockey rink, which, after all, is a workplace and therefore subject to regulation?”
Hume’s complete column is right here.
And while you’re reading it, ask yourself this question: If NHL workplaces are unsafe, what is the situation in junior hockey, where players get paid a pittance and don’t have a players’ association that presumably will protect their best interests?
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)

In Moose Jaw, D Joel Edmundson scored twice as the Warriors skated to a 2-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers in Game 1 of their second-round series. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Moose Jaw tonight. . . . The game took a bizarre twist at 3:37 of the first period when Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem, who led the WHL in regular-season goals, was ejected with a kneeing major and game misconduct for a knee-to-knee hit on Moose Jaw F Torrin White. White, a freshman and a stepson of Medicine Hat head coach Shaun Clouston, did come back but only for about a five-second shift. He would seem to be doubtful for tonight. . . . “I was going to finish my check and he moved out of the way and put himself in a vulnerable position. I didn’t expect him to move out of the way,” Etem told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “I’m one of the least-penalized players in the league. I haven’t got a game misconduct in my three years here so hopefully (the league) takes that into consideration.” . . . F Dylan Bredo, who plays on Etem’s line, got tossed 40 seconds into the second period with a major and game misconduct for a check to the head of F Sam Fioretti. . . . The Warriors weren’t able to score on either extended PP. . . . Edmundson scored at 8:11 of the second and 11:41 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk got his guys on the board with a PP goal at 19:06 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 41 shots, while Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens turned aside 16. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-3 on the PP but two of those totalled 10 minutes in duration. . . . The Tigers were 1-2. . . . With the game being televised by Shaw, it wasn’t a sellout at Mosaic Place. Attendance was announced at 4,598. The Warriors’ three first-round games with the Regina Pats all were sellouts (4,714). . . . The Warriors remain without D Morgan Rielly (knee) and D Travis Brown, who sat out the last three games of the series with Regina. . . . Medicine Hat is without F Kale Kessy, F Gavin Broadhead and F Jayden Hart. The team says they have upper-body injuries; all are thought to have concussions. . . . Medicine Hat F Chad Labelle left in the third period with an apparent shoulder injury.

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings built up a 2-0 lead and hung on for a 2-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in that series tonight in Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings now have won 16 straight games, including five in a row in the playoffs. . . . Edmonton F Kristians Pelss scored at 9:08 of the first period and F Dylan Wruck upped it to 2-0 at 3:45 of the second via the PP. . . . Brandon D Brodie Melnychuk, in the playoffs for a fifth straight season, got the visitors on the board at 8:23 of the third. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 28 shots, 17 fewer than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Rene Hunter back in the lineup after he missed 11 games with an inury. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Mitch Holmberg scored at 1:06 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the host Tri-City Americans. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Kennewick. . . . Holmberg, who scored off a 3-on-1 rush following a neutral zone turnover, has a team-leading seven goals this playoff season. . . . It should be no surprise that these teams ended up in OT. That has happened in nine of the last 14 (and 12 of 17) playoff games between these teams. . . . Holmberg, who was plus-3, has two OT goals this playoff season, having scored the winner in a 3-2 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants in Game 4 of that first-round series. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 30 shots as he won his fifth straight game. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had a goal and an assist for Tri-City. He has at least one point in 28 straight games. . . . He scored at 8:05 of the first period on a PP. . . . The Chiefs took the lead on goals by F Mike Aviani, at 16:22 of the second, and F Darren Kramer, at 2:39 of the third. . . . F Mason Wilgosh pulled Tri-City into a 2-2 tie at 14:34 of the third. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 35 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-7 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-3. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored four third-period goals and beat the Kamloops Blazers, 5-3. . . . Game 2 is tonight in Portland. . . . The Winterhawks erased a 3-1deficit with three goals in a 5:45 span in the third period. . . . F Sven Baertschi scored at 9:02, with F Ty Rattie tying it at 10:09 and F Brad Ross getting the eventual winner on the PP at 14:47. . . . Ross later added an empty-netter. . . . Rattie had two goals and two assists. He leads the WHL with 17 points, including 12 goals, in only five games. . . . Baertschi had a goal and three assists. . . . F Marcel Noebels, the third member of that line, had two assists. He has 10 points, all assists, in five games. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 41 shots. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth won his fifth straight game with 26 stops.

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THE MATCHUPS
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Brandon (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Victoria (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Stefan Ulmer (Spokane, 2007-10) has signed a three-year contract extension with Lugano (Switzerland, NL A). He had one goal and eight assists in 44 games with Lugano this season. The contract extension runs through the 2014-2015 season.
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F Brad Ross of the Portland Winterhawks has signed a three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who selected him in the second round of the NHL’s 2010 draft. Ross had career highs in goals (42) and points (82) this season. He has 245 points, including 109 goals, in 270 games with the Winterhawks. . . . There are four other players on the Portland roster who have NHL contracts — F Sven Baertschi (Calgary), F Oliver Gabriel (Columbus), D Joe Morrow (Pittsburgh) and F Marcel Noebels (Philadelphia).
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G Jon Groenheyde, who concluded his WHL career this season with the Swift Current Broncos, has signed on with the Central league’s Allen Americans. They are coached by former WHLer Dwight Mullins.
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They’ve got a pretty good deal going on in Saskatoon these days where they are choosing some all-time Blades all-star teams.
It’s all the brainchild of the host committee for the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
Fans may visit a website and select the Team of the Millennium (200-present) by April 14. After that, fans will have the opportunity to vote for Teams of the Decade  from the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s.
The poll now is open right here.
Cast a ballot and get entered to win game tickets to the 2013 Memorial Cup.
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F Mark McNeill and D Harrison Ruopp of the Prince Albert Raiders will finish up their seasons with AHL teams. . . . McNeill, a first-round selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2011 draft, will join the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, who are six points out of a playoff spot with 12 games left to play. . . . Ruopp, a third-round pick by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2011 draft, is off to join the Portland Pirates, who are two points out of a playoff spot.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will open against the Hitmen in Calgary on Thursday, with Game 2 there on Friday. With the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair having taken over Westman Communications Group Place, the teams will play Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on March 25, 27 and 29. . . . The Wheat Kings are 10-4-0 at the MTS Centre; however, in playoff games, they are 3-3. . . . Over the years, the arrival of the Winter Fair has meant the Wheat Kings have played 22 playoff games in Winnipeg. They also played 16 at the Winnipeg Arena, where they were 11-5. . . . Calgary took three of four from the Wheat Kings this season.
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Lorne Molleken, the GM/head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, has told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that he expects to have D Dalton Thrower, F Michael Burns and F Chris Collins back for their opener against the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Friday. . . . Thrower and Burns have been out with injuries, while Collins missed three games due to personal reasons.

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THE COACHING GAME:
Former WHLer Victor Gervais is stepping down as general manager/assistant coach of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Gervais spent five seasons with the Grizzles who are owned by Len Barrie. Barrie also is the head coach, although he hasn’t been behind the bench for a couple of months. The Victoria Times Colonist reports that Barrie is expected to promote assistant coach Rob Doyle to GM and head coach.
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Marlin Murray, the GM/head coach of the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings, drew a 12-game suspension for his epic rant and stick-throwing episode from Thursday night’s playoff game against the Winnipeg Saints at the St. James Civic Centre. . . . The Kings also were fined an undisclosed amount. . . . If you haven’t seen Murray in action, the video is right here. He did get his 12 game’s worth.
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Bob Young of the Seattle Times takes a look right here at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., and its financial situation. The ShoWare Centre is home to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(If you’re on Twitter, you should be following @WHLFacts)

In Brandon, G Corbin Boes made 34 saves to help the Wheat Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Wheat Kings clinched a playoff spot for the 12th straight season and the 19th time in the last 20 years. . . . D Eric Roy, with his 10th, at 16:56 of the first period and F Michael Ferland, with his 45th, at 0:55 of the second, gave Brandon a 2-0 lead. . . . Both Brandon goals came via the PP and F Brenden Walker assisted on both. . . . F Lukas Sutter got his 28th for the Blades at 5:19 of the second. Sutter had four goals all of last season. . . . The Blades won the season series, 5-3-0. . . . Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ GM/head coach, tells Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that D Dalton Thrower and F Michael Burns are week-to-week. Both were injured in a 2-0 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert on Wednesday. . . . Saskatoon D Matt Pufahl (broken ankle) hasn’t played since Jan. 28 but may return Friday against Swift Current. . . . The Stanley Cup was in the house and country music start Paul Brandt paid his respects. Brandt is to perform in Brandon tonight. . . . Brandon F Tyrel Seaman (concussion) returned after missing 40 of the team’s last 41 games. . . . The Wheat Kings closed to within a point of the Blades, who are seventh in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Blades, in turn, are one point behind Regina and Kootenay, who are tied for fifth. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Justin Kirsch scored at 2:31 of OT to give the Warriors a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Kirsch has 20 goals on the season. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach forged a 2-2 tie at 5:50 of the third period. . . . Beach also assisted on F Cam Braes’s 39th goal. . . . Regina, having clinched a playoff spot one night earlier, chose to make healthy scratches out of F Jordan Weal, their leading scorer, along with F Lane Scheidl and D Martin Marincin. . . . The Warriors have won 15 in a row at home and have at least a point in each of their last 20 games at Mosaic Place. . . . Regina G Adam Beukeboom stopped 38 shots, 20 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Warriors will be the Eastern Conference’s second seed when the playoffs begin. . . . Regina is tied for fifth with Kootenay. . . .

In Swift Current, F Graham Black scored twice, including once on a penalty shot, as the Broncos beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-3. . . . The Broncos erased a 3-1 deficit with Black’s penalty shot goal, at 15:57 of the second, and three goals in 5:06 early in the third. . . . Black also had an assist and was plus-4. . . . Prince Albert F Mark McNeill scored his 30th goal. . . . Raiders F Justin Maylan had a goal, his 25th, and an assist. . . . Broncos freshman F Coda Gordon scored his 29th goal into an empty net. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde stopped 34 shots, four more than Prince Albert’s Luke Lee-Knight. . . . Neither of these teams will be in the playoffs. . . .

In Edmonton, D Cody Corbett scored twice as the Oil Kings skated to a 7-4 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Edmonton erased a 2-0 deficit with three goals in 2:26 midway through the second period. . . . Edmonton F T.J. Foster broke a 3-3 tie with his 29th goal at 2:51 of the third period. . . . Corbett has six goals this season. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk picked up one assist but it was a big one — the 100th of this career. He was playing in his 240th regular-season game. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix reached the 100-point plateau with his 42nd goal and an assist. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba had a goal, his 20th, and two assists. . . . Edmonton has won eight in a row. . . . Red Deer took 89 of 156 minutes in penalties handed out by referees Adam Byblow and Fraser Lawrence. . . . Although the online scoresheet doesn’t reflect it, a story right here refers to “a flurry of fights” at 12:33 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck left the game at that point with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . Edmonton is scheduled to play in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . “I didn’t like some of the stuff that went on after the whistles,” Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal told Chris O’Leary of edmontonjournal.com. “It was very cheap and very unprofessional. We picked up an injury from it and that’s going to hurt us down the stretch here. But we’ve got guys we can put in the lineup. We have to go in (to Red Deer) next Saturday night. What comes around, goes around.” . . . Edmonton was 3-9 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-7. . . . Attendance was 16,651. . . . The Oil Kings moved past the idle Tri-City Americans and into first place in the overall standings. Edmonton is a point ahead of Portland and two up on the Americans. . . . The Rebels were eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the evening, when Brandon won. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Emerson Etem scored twice, getting his 60th into an empty net, as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Hurricanes, 3-1. . . . Etem is the first WHLer to 60 since F Layne Ulmer did it with the Swift Current Broncos in 2000-01. . . . The Tigers have won five in a row on the road. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 27 shots. . . . Bob Ridley, the legendary voice of the Tigers, called his 3,000th regular-season game. @WHLFacts points out that Ridley will call his 4,000th game when the Tigers play their 61st game in the 2025-26 season. . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Calgary. Medicine Hat can finish no higher than third. . . .

In Kamloops, the Vancouver Giants scored three third-period goals and beat the Blazers, 3-2. . . . F Marek Tvrdon scored twice for the Giants, giving him 27. . . . Vancouver F Nathan Burns broke a 2-2 tie at 12:35 of the third. He has 12 goals, six of them in eight games against the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 0-4 on the PP, including a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:39. . . . Vancouver was without F Cain Franson, a 26-goal scorer, who is expected to play today against the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . The Giants remain tied for fourth with Spokane in the Western Conference. They will meet in the playoffs but have yet to decide home-ice advantage. . . .The Blazers are three points behind Portland and two in back of Tri-City in the chase for top spot in the Western Conference. . . .

In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 26 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 3-0 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Simpson has two shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . F Cody Fowlie scored twice for Everett, giving him 12. He opened the scoring at 3:19 of the first and closed it at 5:05 of the third, the latter on the PP. . . . In between, F Josh Winquist got his 18th while killing a penalty at 1:23 of the third. . . . The victory allowed the Silvertips to move past the Royals into seventh place in the Western Conference. Everett is a point ahead of Victoria, with the Royals four points ahead of Seattle and Prince George. . . .

In Kelowna, F Troy Bourke scored twice and added an assist as the Prince George Cougars edged the Rockets, 3-2. . . . Bourke, who has 16 goals, gave his side a 2-0 lead on the PP at 15:42 of the third and then added an empty-netter. . . . F Spencer Asuchak and F Caleb Belter each had two assists for the Cougars. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley, who went over 10,000 minutes player for his career, stopped 19 shots. . . . He lost his shutout when D Myles Bell scored his 15th at 16:01 of the third. . . . The Rockets will finish sixth in the Western Conference. . . . The Cougars, with four games left, are four points out of a playoff spot. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks scored three times in the game’s first 2:52 and went on to an 11-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland F Nic Petan picked up four goals for his first WHL hat trick. He’s got 13 goals this season. . . . Portland F Brad Ross added three goals, giving him 42, and an assist. . . . Portland players have enjoyed 12 hat tricks this season. . . . Portland also got four assists from F Ty Rattie, two goals and two assists from F Cam Reid and a goal and two assists from F Brendan Leipsic, who was plus-5. . . . Seattle’s Calvin Pickard, who gave up 10 goals on 52 shots, broke the WHL record for career minutes played by a goaltender. . . . Pickard has played 13,721 minutes over 236 games. The record had been held by Kurtis Mucha, who played 13,708 minutes with Portland and Kamloops (2005-10). . . . The Winterhawks moved into first in the Western Conference, a point ahead of idle Tri-City and three ahead of Kamloops. Portland is second in the overall standings, a point behind Edmonton. . . .

In Spokane, F Colin Valcourt’s 16th goal of the season broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Darren Kramer scored his 21st goal at 13:38 of the third period to forge a 2-2 tie. . . . Valcourt scored at 14:07. . . . Spokane D Brendan Kitchton had two assists, giving him 135 in his career. He moved passed Jared Spurgeon and into fourth on the Chiefs’ career list among defencemen. . . . The Chiefs have four games left and remain tied with Vancouver for fourth in the Western Conference. Vancouver has three games to play. . . . Should they end up tied, the first tiebreaker is victories, and the Giants hold a 38-36 edge at the moment.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Darren Dietz, Saskatoon.
F Brody Sutter, Lethbridge.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES
Red Deer at Calgary
Victoria at Vancouver
Everett at Seattle
Prince George at Tri-City
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In the BCHL on Saturday, the Penticton Vees completed their regular season with a 5-2 loss to the Spruce Kings in Prince George. The loss snapped Penticton’s 42-game winning streak.

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