Ferguson writing great story . . . Silvertips make moves . . . Patrick's return is nigh

F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) has been released by Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL). He had three goals and three assists in 31 games.

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Dylan Ferguson hasn’t received a lot of attention during a WHL career that is in its second season.

But he has written one of the 2016-17 regular-season’s best stories over the past month.

Ferguson, an 18-year-old from Lantzville, B.C., is expected to make his 14th consecutive start for the

DYLAN FERGUSON

Kamloops Blazers tonight (Friday) when they entertain the Everett Silvertips. With starter Connor Ingram enjoying some downtime after playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship, Ferguson also is expected to start Saturday against the visiting Vancouver Giants.

Last season, Ferguson had 11 starts among his 16 appearances as he went 4-10-0, 4.13, .875.

This season, before Ingram left to join Team Canada, Ferguson had started only six games and hadn’t played at all between Nov. 18 and Dec. 10. Prior to this stretch, Ferguson had never started more than two games in a row.

Kamloops head coach Don Hay admits that the Blazers really didn’t know what they had in Ferguson before Ingram left. Ferguson began his run with six straight starts on a pre-Christmas swing through the Central Division.

“We were all wondering how he would respond with the opportunity, and I don’t think anybody thought the response would be what he’s done and where it’s at,” Hay said. “It’s really nice to see because he’s worked so hard behind Connor and competed so hard in practice. When (Ferguson) got his opportunity he’s gotten better and better.”

The Blazers went 4-1-1 on that road trip as Ferguson allowed only 14 goals. That was enough to bring out the NHL scouts when play resumed after Christmas, and the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Ferguson hasn’t disappointed.

Since Christmas, he is 4-2-1. Overall, he is 11-6-2, 2.74, .922.

He also has backstopped the Blazers into the heart of the B.C. Division race. The Blazers (25-15-3) are tied for second with the Kelowna Rockets (25-15-3), with both teams seven points behind the Prince George Cougars (29-12-2), but just three games back in the loss column.

Not bad for an eight-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft.

So . . . how will Hay handle the goaltending situation when Ingram returns next week?

“Connor is No. 1 and Dylan is No. 2,” Hay said. “But we’ll definitely get some more (time for Ferguson) . . . we’ll pick some games and they’re both going to play.”

——

The Everett Silvertips made two roster moves on Thursday, returning D Gianni Fairbrother, 16, to the B.C. Major Midget League’s Vancouver Northwest Giants and G Dorrin Luding to that league’s Valley

West Hawks.

Fairbrother, a fourth-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft, is pointless in three games with the Silvertips this season.

Luding made the last five saves in a 5-0 shutout over the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday night. He made his WHL debut with 7:24 left in the third period and ended up sharing the shutout with Mario Petit.

The two moves would seem to indicate that D Noah Juulsen and G Carter Hart are back with the Silvertips for the first time since playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship.

The Silvertips, who also were without D Aaron Irving and D Lucas Skrumeda on Wednesday, are scheduled to visit the Kamloops Blazers tonight (Friday). No, the game won’t feature Hart against his Team Canada goaltending partner, Connor Ingram. That’s because Ingram was given the week off and has been at home in Imperial, Sask.

——

D Chaz Reddekopp had an 11-game point streak snapped on Wednesday when his Victoria Royals dropped a 4-3 decision to the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Still he set a franchise record for longest point steak by a defenceman, breaking the mark of eight games that had been shared by Travis Brown (Victoria, 2015-16) and Brandon Manning (Chilliwack Bruins, 2010-11). You will recall that the Royals once were the Bruins, right? . . . The Rockets and Royals meet again tonight in Victoria.

——

After deadline moves, @WHLGiants now have 12 BC natives on their roster as well as 11 players aged 17 or under.

— Brendan Batchelor (@Batchelor1040) January 13, 2017

F Tyler Ho is set to make his WHL debut tonight as the Vancouver Giants play host to the Moose Jaw Warriors at the Langley, B.C., Events Centre. . . . Ho, 16, was acquired from the Prince George Cougars in a deadline deal that had F Radovan Bondra go north. . . . Ho, from North Vancouver, was a third-round pick by the Cougars in the 2015 bantam draft after putting up 87 points, including 30 goals, in 64 games with the North Shore Winter Club’s top bantam team. . . . This season, he has 35 points, 14 of them goals, in 26 games with the major midget Valley West Hawks.

——

F Nolan Patrick, the consensus No. 1 pick for the NHL’s 2017 draft, is scheduled to return to the Brandon Wheat Kings’ lineup tonight for the first time since Oct. 11.

NOLAN PATRICK

Patrick has played only six games this season, and has nine points, including four goals. He has maintained that No. 1 position because of what he accomplished in his first two WHL seasons.

The son of former WHL/NHL F Steve Patrick, and the nephew of former NHL D James Patrick, Nolan had 56 points, including 30 goals, as a freshman in 2014-15. Last season, he put up 102 points, 41 of them goals, in 72 games. He then added 30 points, including 13 goals, in 21 games as the Wheat Kings won the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Patrick was named the WHL’s playoff MVP.

However, he was injured during the playoffs and, although he played through the final game, he underwent surgery in July for a sports hernia. He missed training camp but started the season, only to be shut down shortly thereafter.

The Wheat Kings have never explained why Patrick hasn’t played. Bob McKenzie of TSN reported this week that Patrick “had to shut it down when his other groin started to bother him.”

The Wheat Kings (20-17-4) go into this weekend in fourth place in the East Division, 11 points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos. Brandon holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, four points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Brandon is at home to the Kootenay Ice tonight and Saturday.

The Wheat Kings likely will be without F Reid Duke, at least for the first game of the doubleheader. Duke was tossed from Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Tri-City Americans with a kneeing major and game misconduct.

———

Somebody forgot about the Gretzkys. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/tnwdQoS2Un

— Tony Androckitis (@TonyAndrock) January 13, 2017

——

THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

——

FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kootenay at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Everett at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Prince George at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Tri-City at Regina, 7 p.m.

Moose Jaw vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

Kelowna at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Don Nachbaur, the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, shares a moment with
forward Mason Wilgosh, the captain of the Tri-City Americans, after
Wednesday's playoff game in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Taylor (Medicine Hat, Red Deer, 1999-2000, 2003-04) signed a one-year contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 19 goals and 23 assists in 44 games for Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) this season. Villach head coach and ex-Winnipeg Jets F Hannu Järvenpää: "Justin is a very valuable player. He is an excellent centre but also plays the wing very well. He knows how to get the puck into dangerous positions in front of the net and gets there himself, too." . . .
F Carsen Germyn (Kelowna, Red Deer, 1998-2003) signed a one-year contract extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 14 goals and 25 assists in 49 games for the Tigers this season. Tigers GM Jason Durham: "Carson generally had an extremely strong season and his plus/minus of +16 was outstanding. It is highly gratifying that Carsen will return, despite lucrative offers from other teams."
———
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada tops his weekly piece with some interesting thoughts on the NFL, the NHL and concussion-related litigation. It is right here.
———
Ellen Etchingham at Backhand Shelf offers up her take right here on what is happening in the NHL these days, and it’s well worth a read.
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Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal takes a look at the Moose Jaw Warriors and their ownership situation right here. They are one of the last community-owned teams left in the WHL.
———
D Brandon Manning, a product of the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?), is among the players recalled by the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers from the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Norm Johnston, a former head coach of the Regina Pats, will be returning for a fifth season as head coach the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians.
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TWEET OF THE NIGHT:
From Drew Owsley, who played this season with the Prince George Cougars: “Philly, I’m a free agent . . . #justsayin.”
———




WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
The WHL’s conference finals will feature the top two teams from each. . . . In the Western Conference, the Tri-City Americans will be at home Friday night to the Portland Winterhawks. Both teams advanced with sitrring Game 7 victories on Wednesday night. . . . In the Eastern Conference, it’ll be the Edmonton Oil Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors meeting in the Alberta capital on Friday night. . . . Tri-City, Edmonton and Moose Jaw all won division titles. . . . The other division winner, the Kamloops Blazers, lost 2-0 in Portland last night.

In Portland, G Mac Carruth stopped 32 shots to lead the Winterhawks to a 2-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Carruth has two shutouts in these playoffs and three in his career. . . . F Marcel Noebels scored from the slot at 1:10 of the first period. . . . F Brendan Leipsic added insurance, finishing off a 2-on-1 with F Cam Reid, at 9:49 of the third. . . . The Blazers had lost the first three games of the series before roaring back to force a seventh game. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan stopped 37 shots. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave, who suffered a concussion late in Game 1, didn’t play again in the series. He was back in uniform for this one, but only in a backup role. . . . The Winterhawks had won their first seven playoff games before losing three in a row to the Blazers. . . . A note from @WHLFacts: After Game 6 having the most combined goals in the playoffs (13), Game 7 between Portland & Kamloops had the fewest goals in this post season.” . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin, who won the WHL’s regular-

Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin reacts after
scoring the game-winner.
(Photo by Doug Love / Tri-City Americans)

season scoring title, broke a 202 tie 15:42 of the third period as the Tri-City Americans edged the Spokane Chiefs, 3-2. . . . Shinnimin, who also had an assist, has at least a point in each of his last 34 games. . . . Tri-City F Malte Strömwall tied the score 2-2 at 14:38 of the third period. . . . F Dominik Uher gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 18:48 of the first, on a PP. . . . F Brian Williams tied it at 5:03 of the second. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg gave his guys a 2-1 lead with his 11th goal of the playoffs at 5:47 of the third. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 17 shots. At the other end, Eric Williams, making his 11th straight start, turned aside 45. . . . The Americans had a 29-9 edge in shots after two periods. . . . Spokane F Mike Aviani came up empty on a penalty shot at 16:59 of the first period. The game was scoreless at the time. . . . This was the 27th playoff victory with the Americans for head coach Jim Hiller, tying him with Don Nachbaur for the most in franchise history. Nachbaur, of course, now coaches the Chiefs. . . . Nachbaur has won a franchise-record six series. . . . The Americans are headed to the Western Conference final for the second time in three seasons and the third time in five years. . . . Shinnimin has 59 career playoff points, tying him with Daymond Langkow for the Tri-City franchise record.
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Here are a couple of interesting post-game tweets from Portland D Troy Rutkowski (@TRutter2):
“To any of our ‘fans’ who jumped off the bandwagon, don’t bother coming back. We don’t want you #pretenders great win boys! #allin.”
He followed that with:
“On the side to everyone who came out to support us tonight thank you. Best fans in the league #7thman #proudtobeahawk.”
———
Rutkowski also paid tribute to Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer, who played his final WHL game, with this tweet:
“Would like to acknowledge the great series and career @MashMellowMits had in the WHL. #classy guy #greatplayer #allthebesttoyou.”


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Troy Bourke of the Prince George Cougars, here getting tight coverage
from Patrick Holland (41) of the Tri-City Cougars, beat goaltender
Ty Rimmer twice on Tuesday night.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 20 goals and 26 assists in 47 games this season with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga).
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The NHL in Saskatoon? Why not?
Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun spent 10 days in Saskatoon covering the Tim Hortons Brier (aka the Canadian men’s curling championship) and takes an extensive look at Toontown and the NHL right here.
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A note from a WHL fan who lives in Sudbury, Ont.:

JESSE WALLIN

“Is there any precedent in the WHL in giving coach of the year honours to someone whose team never made the playoffs?
“Because I think Jesse Wallin really deserves it.
“I can't think of any coach who's managed to keep his team together with all the injuries he's had to endure.
“The Rebels have won road games in tough buildings on a regular basis with 14 or 15 skaters.
“I don't know if coaches or media vote on this, but it would make a
real statement about the integrity of this league if he got the plaque.”
Can’t argue with that!
And as if to empasize the point, the Rebels, who won’t make the playoffs, went into Medicine Hat and beat the Tigers 4-2 last night.
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F Dylan Wruck of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who suffered a shoulder injury in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels, won’t play until at least the start of playoffs. Head coach Derek Laxdal has told Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal: “He’s doing OK. . . . We’re hoping to have him back for Game 1 of the playoffs, but it’s a wait-and-see approach right now.” . . . The Oil Kings, who will finish atop the Eastern Conference, have three games remaining and are a point behind the Tri-City Americans, who lead the overall standings. Should the Oil Kings win out, they will finish first overall. The Oil Kings are on the road against the Kootenay Ice tonight, the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday and Red Deer on Saturday.
———
The Kelowna Rockets expect to have F Colton Sissons, their captain, back in their lineup on Friday night as they open a season-ending home-and-home series with the Vancouver Giants. They’ll play in Vancouver on Friday and in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . Sissons, who has been out with a concussion since Feb. 11, skated with contact on Tuesday. . . . Meanwhile, F Spencer Main, who also has been concussed, has skated, albeit without contact, and will see a doctor this week. Main hasn’t played since Oct. 23. . . . Neither will play tonight against the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that D Mitchell Chapman is likely to miss the Rockets’ last three regular-season games with an undisclosed injury. He should be ready to go when the playoffs open.
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If you think there’s a war going on with Brian Burke, the man who runs the Toronto Maple Leafs, and anyone in the media, well, forget it. It’s nothing. Howard Berger, who has been around the Leafs for a long time, has a piece right here that is all about the way it used to be . . . when Harold Ballard was around.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The QMJHL’s Baie Comeau Drakkar have fired head coach Mario Pouliot. The axe fell with three games left in the regular season and the Drakkar 2-7-1 in its last 10 games and tumbling from ninth to 14th place. Pouliot spent 114 games as the head coach, winning just 37. . . . General manager Steve Ahern has taken over as head coach.
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F Sven Baertschi of the Portland Winterhawks scored his second goal in three games with the NHL’s Calgary Flames last night. He got the game’s second goal in the Flames’ 3-2 victory over the visiting San Jose Sharks. . . . Former Chilliwack Bruins F Roman Horak drew an assist on Baertschi’s goal. . . . Interestingly, the Flames returned F Krys Kolanos to the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat after the game, while keeping Baertschi on emergency recall. Kolanos was a healthy scratch last night. . . . Baertschi played 20 shifts, including two in OT, totaling 14:06. . . . Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald has the details of Baertschi’s latest game right here.
In Tampa Bay, G Dustin Tokarski, a product of the Spokane Chiefs (2006-09), stopped 33 shots as the Lightning beat the Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins, 6-1. That was Tokarski’s first NHL victory. He was named the game’s second star. . . . This was his fifth appearance with Tampa Bay, three of which have come this season. This season, he is 1-1-0, 2.64, .906. . . .
I got a phone call on Tuesday from a fan of the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?), pointing out that I missed D Brandon Manning’s NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers last week. Manning played three games, finishing plus-2. He played 14:59, 14:01 and 13:57 against visiting Florida, in Toronto and in New Jersey, respectively. . . . With D Kimmo Timonen returning from injury and playing in last night’s 3-0 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils, Manning was a healthy scratch. But he took part in the morning skate and is still with the Flyers, at least as of last night.
———
TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Matej Stransky had a goal and four assists as the Blades beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 11-5. . . . The game was televised by Shaw and featured a third-period line brawl. . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey tied the game 5-5 on a PP just 37 seconds into the third period. . . . The Blades then scored six straight goals. . . . Stransky, 18, has 77 points, including 37 goals, in 68 games. Last season, he finished with 26 points, 14 of them goals, in 71 games. . . . Saskatoon got two goals from each of F Ryan Olsen, who has 15, Jake Trask, who has 22, and Travis McEvoy, who has six. . . . Prince Albert F Joey Santucci scored his first WHL goal while killing a penalty. Santucci, 17, is from Coquitlam, B.C. He was playing in his eighth game. . . . Saskatoon was 4-6 on the PP. . . . Referees Adam Byblow and Reagan Vetter gave the Raiders 86 of the game’s 165 penalty minutes. Ch-ch-ching! They handed out 85 minutes from a line dance at 14:37 of the third period. . . . Because of injuries, the Blades dressed only four defencemen. . . . The victory lifted the Blades one point ahead of Kootenay and Regina, into fifth in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Medicine Hat, D Alex Petrovic scored twice to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . Petrovic broke a 1-1 tie 39 seconds into the third period with PP goal. . . . F Tyson Ness upped the visitors’ lead to 3-1 with his 20th goal at 10:00. . . . Petrovic has 12 goals. . . . Medicine Hat D James Bettauer scored his 21st goal of the season. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 28 shots. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 31 shots but was unable to pick up his 40th victory of the season. . . . The Tigers had six players out with injuries; the Rebels, who had lost four in a row, scratched nine injured players. . . . Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, watched the game from the press box. “I wanted to take in the game from a little different perspective,” Wallin told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “You kind of remove the emotion a bit when you’re sitting up top, it’s a different point of evaluation.” . . . The Tigers remained third in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Calgary. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard kicked out 41 shots to lead the host Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Pickard stopped Spokane F Steve Kuhn on a first-period penalty shot with the game still scoreless. . . . F Connor Honey scored twice, giving him eight this season, and F Seth Swenson ran his goal streak to three games with his 10th. Swenson also drew two assists. . . . F Brendan Rouse also had two assists for Seattle. . . . All three Seattle goals came via the PP as it went 3-4 with the man advantage. . . . The Chiefs’ PP was 0-6. . . . A note from @WHLFacts: “It's now been 150 games since someone not named Calvin Pickard has won a @SeattleTbirds game.” . . . The Thunderbirds are ninth in the Western Conference but now are just one point behind the Victoria Royals. Seattle has three games remaining, while Victoria has two to play. . . . The Chiefs are fifth, two points behind Vancouver. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., D Jesse Forsberg scored at 1:02 of OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The goal was Forsberg’s fifth this season. . . . F Troy Bourke scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 18, while F Spencer Asuchak, who began his WHL career with the Americans, had his 16th goal and an assist. . . . Prince George also got two assists from F Caleb Belter. . . . The Cougars erased a 3-1 deficit and took a 4-3 lead on Bourke’s second goal at 12:42 of the second. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman forced OT with his 48th goal at 3:52 of the third. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley stopped 31 shots, 12 more than Tri-City’s Ty Rimmer. . . . Owsley has 98 career victories, 76 of them with the Americans, who dealt him to the Cougars for Rimmer over the summer. . . . Hughesman scored twice, giving him nine goals in his last five games, and added an assist. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin scored his 58th goal and added an assist. The WHL’s leading scorer ran his point streak to 21 games and is the first WHLer to 130 points since F Pavel Brendl put up 134 with the Calgary Hitmen in 1998-99. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland had two assists, meaning he has at least one assist in 18 straight games. . . . Holland also finished minus-4. . . . The Cougars kept their playoff hopes alive. With two games remaining, they are three points behind eighth-place Victoria. . . . The Americans lead the overall standings by one point over Edmonton and are two points ahead of Portland atop the Western Conference. . . . Edmonton has three games left, while Tri-City has two to play. So if the Oil Kings run the table they would finish first overall.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Jesse Forsberg, Prince George.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
———
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Medicine Hat (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Calgary (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
———
Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Victoria (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Everett (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
———
TODAY’S GAMES
Moose Jaw at Brandon
Lethbridge at Calgary
Edmonton at Kootenay
Prince Albert at Regina
Everett at Kelowna
Kamloops at Spokane
Portland at Victoria

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Madaisky: Suspension 'seems fair'

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The WHL has suspended defenceman Brandon Manning of the Chilliwack Bruins for seven games after his hit ended the season of Kamloops Blazers defenceman Austin Madaisky on Friday night.
Madaisky, 18, suffered a C-7 fracture (a fractured vertebrae) when he was spun by a hard-charging Manning, 20, and went back first into the boards during the third period of the Blazers’ 2-1 victory at Interior Savings Centre.
The extent of Madaisky’s injury was discovered when he was admitted to Royal Inland Hospital on Saturday morning. He later was fitted with an Aspen Cervical Collar and now is at his family’s home in Surrey.
Madaisky said Wednesday that the length of a suspension really didn’t matter to him.
“Not really,” he said, “but that seems fair. I don’t think he meant to hurt me but, at the same time, the league kind of needs to . . . make a statement. As much as he didn’t mean to hurt me it was still a dangerous hit.
“When there’s a dangerous hit resulting in an injury like a broken neck, I don’t think you can let him off with a two- or three-game suspension. They have to set an example.”
Earlier this week, Manning sent a text message to Madaisky, apologizing for the check.
“It was a nice gesture to reach out and apologize for the hit,” Madaisky said. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt me. I’m pretty good friends with some of the (Bruins) and they said he felt pretty sad after the hit.”
As for Madaisky, he said he is gradually getting used to the collar but still is in pain.
“I’m pretty sore,” he said. “I didn’t really sleep too much (Tuesday) night.
“But I’m OK. . . . I’m hanging out.”
Manning will be eligible to return Feb. 25 when the Bruins are scheduled to visit the Vancouver Giants. The Blazers are scheduled to play in Chilliwack on March 5, the last meeting of the season between the teams.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

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)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Austin Madaisky wasn’t aware how badly he was injured until he entered Royal Inland Hospital on Saturday morning.
The Kamloops Blazers defenceman had crumpled to the ice during a game the previous night and he was sore from the check, one that drove him back first into the boards at Interior Savings Centre.
Still, he never expected to be diagnosed with a fractured cervical vertebrae — a C-7 fracture — that has ended his season.
“Yeah, it’s over,” the 18-year-old Madaisky, who is from Surrey, said on Sunday. “It’s over.”
Madaisky admitted that hearing he had a fractured vertebrae was scary but that “you have to stay optimistic.”
As it turned out, his season ended when he was taken hard into the boards by Chilliwack Bruins defenceman Brandon Manning at 8:01 of the third period of what would be a 2-1 Kamloops victory. Manning was assessed a boarding major and game misconduct and has been suspended — length to be determined — by the WHL.
“I knew he was there,” said Madaisky of Manning, who had dumped the puck into the Kamloops zone and then raced in on the forecheck. “I didn’t know really exactly what he was going to do, whether he was going to try to hit me right away or rub me out. I just tried to kind of brace myself, I guess.
“It looked like we just got kind of tangled up and I got thrown backwards into the boards. I can’t even remember how I really went in.”
Madaisky, who had yet to watch a replay of the incident, said he doesn’t know what he could have done differently.
Earlier in that game, the Blazers had lost defenceman Brandon Underwood, a third-year player from Carlsbad, Calif., with a knee injury. He left at 3:30 of the first period, unable to put any weight on his left leg, and didn’t return. Underwood, 18, is believed to have suffered ligament damage and his season, too, may be over.
Thus, the Blazers had only five defencemen in the lineup Saturday when they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Bruins in Chilliwack.
Kamloops forward Bernhard Keil forged a 3-3 tie with his second goal of the season — his first came on Oct. 13 — at 2:30 of the third period. But the Bruins got the winner less than four minutes later when forward Brandon Magee beat goaltender Jeff Bosch for his eighth goal.
Ryan Howse scored twice for Chilliwack, giving him 35, and Roman Horak also scored in support of goaltender Lucas Gore, who turned aside 36 shots in posting his 20th victory of the season. Gore, who is from Kamloops, tied the single-season franchise record that he established last season.
The Blazers had taken a 2-0 lead into the second period on goals by Dylan Willick and Thomas Frazee.
The Blazers remain in sole possession of the 10-team Western Conferenceís eighth and final playoff spot, one point ahead of Chilliwack and two in front of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Meanwhile, Madaisky expects to be fitted with an Aspen Cervical Collar today, after which he plans on flying home with his father, Pat, who arrived Saturday.
“In terms of a mental state,” Austin said, “I think I’m doing pretty well. It’s going to heal . . . it’s just a matter of time. It’s another broken bone, obviously a little more serious being in the neck, but the doctor said it broke nicely so it should heal just fine.”
Madaisky also said he has been instructed not to “do anything unnecessary.” He also was told that, if all goes well, the injury will be 100 per cent healed in three months.
“So,” he said, “after a month or two I’ll be back doing regular things and will be back in the gym and skating.”
Madaisky, who was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen just over a year ago, was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft. He has heard from the Blue Jackets, who “want the doctor here to contact their doctor. Then they’ll decide what they want to do.”
In the meantime, Madaisky plans on following instructions.
“I’ll let it heal and then hit the physio,” he said.
JUST NOTES: Despite some nastiness in their previous two meetings, only eight minor penalties were called Saturday, four to each team. . . . The Blazers continue to be without F Chase Schaber, their captain, who now has missed 14 of the last 16 games with leg injuries. He may return Wednesday against visiting Seattle. . . . G Taran Kozun, 16, flew back to Prince Albert after Saturdayís game and has rejoined the midget AAA Mintos. He backed up Bosch for three games while Cam Lanigan (concussion) was out. Lanigan will undergo tests today to determine whether he will be able to dress for Wednesday’s game.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

The Kamloops Blazers might be without D Brandon Underwood (knee) and D Austin Madaisky (neck) for the remainder of the season. Both players were injured in a 2-1 victory over the visiting Chilliwack Blazers on Friday night. . . . Underwood left early in the first period and was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he was escorted to the dressing room. He is believed to have suffered ligament damage, but more will be known on Monday. . . . The Blazers are saying Madaisky suffered a fracture to his seventh cervical vertebrae. He was injured in the third period on a hit by Chilliwack D Brandon Manning, who dumped the puck into the Blazers zone and then raced in on the forecheck. He hit Madaisky, who went back first into the boards. Manning was given a boarding major and game misconduct; the WHL suspended him -- length to be determined -- on Saturday. . . . Underwood and Madaisky are veteran defencemen. Without them, Kamloops is down to five defencemen, including freshman Brady Gaudet, 16; veteran Josh Caron, who recently returned after missing 41 games with a broken collarbone; and, freshman Corey Fienhage, 20, who played a total of 51 games over the last three seasons with the USHL’s Indiana Ice and the NCAA’s North Dakota Fighting Sioux.
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DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE: Dave Hunchak, the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, has been fined $500 for throwing a water bottle onto the ice during the third period of an 8-1 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer on Friday night. . . . Chilliwack Bruins D Brandon Manning is on a TBD suspension for a boarding major and game misconduct during a 2-1 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday night. Manning hit Kamloops D Austin Madaisky in the third period. Madaisky left the game and didn’t report; he was scratched from Saturday’s rematch in Chilliwack. . . . Vancouver Giants D Darren Bestland also is on a TBD suspension for a charging major and game misconduct he incurred during Friday’s 4-3 shootout victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. . . .
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JUST NOTES: Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath left the Warriors’ 8-1 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer in the second period Friday and didn’t return. He apparently has a knee injury. . . . If you happen to be in Las Vegas and think you saw a familiar face or two, well, you just might be correct. The WHL’s board of governors and general managers are in the Nevada city for meetings on Monday and Tuesday. . . .
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James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail checks in on G James Reimer (Red Deer, 2005-08), who has taken the Maple Leafs and Toronto by storm. This, folks, is a neat story. Check it out right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, the Pats erased a 1-0 deficit with four first-period goals and went on to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-4. . . . F Tanner Olstad had two goals and an assist for Regina, while F Jordan Weal had a goal and two helpers. . . . The Pats lead the season series, 4-2. . . . Prince Albert G Jamie Tucker left the game in the first period after sustaining a cut to his blocker hand. He stopped all six shots he faced. Eric Williams replaced him and was beaten five times on 32 shots. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt turned aside 36 shots. . . . Regina took 65 of 122 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 4,097. . . . The victory lifted Regina to within two points of the ninth-place Raiders and within three of eighth-place Brandon in the Eastern Conference standings. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Jordan Peddle broke a 3-3 tie with two late goals and the Broncos beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-3. . . . Swift Current had lost its last eight games. . . . Peddle, who also had an assist, scored his seventh goal of the season at 16:47 of the third period and later added an empty-netter. . . . F Justin Dowling drew three assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current D Tanner Muth scored his first WHL goal on a second-period PP. The 17-year-old Calgarian was playing in his 75^th career game. It was his 27^th game of this season. . . . Attendance was 1,921. . . . The Broncos are seventh, one point ahead of Brandon and three behind Edmonton. . . .
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In Saskatoon, G Steven Stanford stopped 23 shots to lead the Blades to a 5-0 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . It was Stanford’s second shutout of the season and the fourth for the Blades. . . . Lethbridge has been blanked seven times, twice by Saskatoon. . . . F Brayden Schenn had a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight) for Saskatoon, which got two assists from each of F Marek Viedensky and D Darren Dietz. . . . Schenn’s scrap was with Lethbridge F Cam Braes in the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,791. . . . The Blades now hold a five-point lead atop the Eastern Conference and have two games in hand on the idle Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Hurricanes are tied for 10^th with Regina. . . .
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In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice got two goals from F Cody Eakin as it skated to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Eakin has 25 goals this season. . . . Ice D James Martin and F Matt Fraser each had a goal and an assist, while F Max Reinhart had two assists. . . . Eakin scored the Ice’s first two goals, the second coming shorthanded just seven seconds into the second period and breaking a 1-1 tie. . . . F Andrej Stastny had a goal, his sixth, and an assist for the Giants. . . . Attendance was 3,476, the largest crowd for a game in Cranbrook this season. . . . The Giants had won their last three games, all on the road. They don’t play again until Saturday when them meet the Kamloops Blazers in Whitehorse, Yukon. . . . The Giants remain the Western Conference’s second seed as they lead the B.C. Division by three points over Kelowna. . . . The Ice is eight points behind Red Deer. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers got 36 saves from G Tyler Bunz as they beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 4-1. . . . Tigers F Linden Vey, who leads the WHL scoring race with 84 points, was held to one assist. . . . Bunz lost his shutout bid when F Dylan Hood got his 24^th goal at 17:14 of the second period. . . . F Emerson Etem got his 29^th goal for the Tigers. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Warriors were without D Dylan McIlrath, who tweaked a knee in Friday’s 8-1 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . The victory lifted the fourth-place Tigers five points clear of the Warriors and kept them within one point of Kootenay. . . .
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In Chilliwack, the Bruins snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Blazers had beaten the Bruins 2-1 in Kamloops on Friday and 5-1 in Chilliwack the previous Saturday. . . . Kamloops took a 2-0 lead into the second period but the Bruins erased that with two quick goals by Ryan Howse. He got his 34^th goal 43 seconds into the period, then scored on the PP at 4:00. . . . Chilliwack F Roman Horak got his 22^nd goal just 24 seconds into the third period. . . . Bruins F Kevin Sundher had three assists. . . . Kamloops F Bernhard Keil scored his second goal of the season; it was his first goal since Oct. 13. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 36 shots. . . . The Blazers were without three injured veterans -- F Chase Schaber (leg), D Brandon Underwood (knee) and D Austin Madaisky (neck). . . . Attendance was 2,988. . . . This was an important victory for the Bruins, who are ninth in the Western Conference. They closed to within one point of the Blazers and hold four games in hand. . . . Next up for the Bruins are two games with Kelowna and two with Tri-City. . . .
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In Portland, the Winterhawks unleashed a 54-shot barrage as they beat the Tri-City Americans, 8-2. . . . F Craig Cunningham, F Ryan Johansen and D Tyler Wotherspoon each had a goal and two assists for Portland, with F Ty Rattie scoring twice. Rattie has 24 goals. . . . Portland led 3-0 before the game was 11 minutes old. . . . Portland was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-8. . . . The Americans took 74 of the game’s 128 penalty minutes in a game that took two hours 46 minutes to play. . . . Attendance was 7,145. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin had his point streak stopped at 21 games. He had 46 points during the streak, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . Portland was without F Brad Ross (concussion), who was injured Friday. . . . The Winterhawks lead the Western Conference and are five points ahead of Spokane, which is second in the U.S. Division. . . . The Americans slipped back to third, a point behind Spokane. . . .
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In Prince George, G Ty Rimmer stopped 23 shots to lead the Cougars to a 3-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Cougars had beaten the Rockets 4-2 on Friday night. . . . The Cougars went into the weekend having lost six in a row to Kelowna. . . . It was Rimmer’s third shutout of the season and the Cougars’ fifth. . . . The Rockets have been blanked four times. . . . F James Dobrowolski got his 15^th goal for the Cougars at 19:18 of the first period. F Taylor Stefishen later added his 16^th and F Troy Bourke got his 14^th. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown was lifted after Bourke’s goal at 6:03 of the second. Brown stopped 11 of 14 shots. Reliever Jordon Cooke came on to stop 27 shots. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-8 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 2,060. . . . Kelowna again was without F Mitchell Callahan (head), who was injured Wednedsay. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the conference, a point ahead of Everett, while Kelowna remains three points behind Vancouver. . . .
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In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 35 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Simpson lost his bid for a shutout when T.J. Foster scored his 20^th goal on a PP at 19:53 of the third period. . . . The Silvertips had killed off 29 opposition power plays in a row. . . . Simpson is 5-1-1 with a .956 save percentage over his last seven games. . . . Everett D Rasmus Rissanen scored his first goal of the season on a PP at 19:04 of the first period. A sophomore from Finland, Rissanen, 19, had four goals in 71 games last season. Last night, he played in his 50^th game of this season. . . . F Josh Winquist had two assists for Everett. . . . Attendance was 6,345. . . . The Oil Kings went 1-2-1 in their four-game swing into the U.S. Division. They didn‘t visit Spokane, a stop they made earlier in the season on a trip that took them, in order, to Prince George, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Spokane and Cranbrook. . . . Edmonton heads home in sixth place, three points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Everett is seventh in the Western Conference, one point behind Prince George and five ahead of Kamloops. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., F Mitch Holmberg scored two goals and added an assist to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-1 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Chiefs were 4-for-8 on the PP. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson got his WHL-leading 39^th goal and added two assists. He now has 86 points, one behind Medicine Hat F Linden Vey, who leads the WHL scoring race. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow and D Brenden Kichton each had two assists. . . . Chiefs G Mac Engel stopped 26 shots. F Luke Lockhart had Seattle’s goal, opening the scoring with a shorthanded marker at 5:04 of the first period. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 54 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,388. . . . The Chiefs moved past Tri-City and into second in the U.S. Division, five points behind Portland. . . . Seattle is 10^th, two points behind Kamloops, which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot. The Thunderbirds are in Kamloops on Wednesday.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Five minors:
Moose Jaw F Jesse Paradis
Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin
Tri-City D Sam Grist (two minors on two separate plays)
Spokane F Dominik Uher

By now, you may be aware that the San Jose Sharks had former WHL G Jordan White (Prince George, Portland, 2006-08) on their bench during a 2-1 shootout victory over the Canucks in Vancouver on Thursday night. White, who attends UBC and plays for the Thunderbirds, signed a one-game amateur tryout and backed up Antti Niemi after Antero Niittymaki suffered a groin injury. Matthew Sekeres of The Globe and Mail has a good piece right here on White and how his day went. . . . Note that the the Sharks have signed JP Anderson, 18, of the OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and he’ll backup Niemi tonight against the visiting Minnesota Wild.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Tyler Fiddler scored two goals to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Fiddler, who is from Prince Albert, was named the game’s first star. He has nine goals. . . . F Igor Revenko gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead in the first period, but the Hitmen scored the next six goals. . . . That included D Ben Wilson get his third of the season on a second-period penalty shot. . . . F Jonathan Parker scored his 28th of the season for the Raiders. . . . D Jaynen Rissling scored his fourth goal and was plus-4 for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 2,442. . . .
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In Swift Current, G Damien Ketlo stopped 47 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-0 victory over the Broncos. . . . The Pats have 17 victories this season; they are 6-0-0 against the Broncos. The teams will meet two more times, both in Swift Current. . . . Ketlo has two shutouts this season and two in his career. He is 5-0-0 with two shutouts against Swift Current. . . . F Jordan Weal had a goal, his 21st, and two assists. . . . F Lyndon Martell notched his fifth goal in 10 games and was plus-3. . . . Attendance was 2,509. . . .
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In Brandon, F Matt MacKay scored one goal and set up three others as the Wheat Kings dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-4. . . . MacKay, whose father Mark was born in Brandon, was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 5. This was his first goal with the Wheat Kings. . . . F Scott Glennie and F Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists for Brandon, while F Michael Ferland scored twice. . . . The Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals, with MacKay pulling them into a 4-4 tie just 19 seconds into the third period. . . . Stone got his 23rd on the PP at 7:58 and Ferland got the empty-netter. . . . F Brody Sutter had two goals and an assist for the Hurricanes, while F Cam Braes had a goal and two helpers and F Austin Fyten had two assists. . . . Lethbridge F Ryan Moser scored his first goal of the season in his 31st game. He now has seven in 96 career games. . . . Attendance was 3,683. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Antonin Honejsek scored twice and set up two others to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Honejsek has 20 goals this season. . . . Moose Jaw D Collin Bowman got the game’s first two goals, in the first period, giving him 10. . . . The Warriors took control with two PP goals in the first, by Bowman at 17:38 and F Joey Kornelsen, at 18:57. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 32 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,930. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, F Daulton Siwak broke a 3-3 tie at 8:00 of the third period and the Red Deer Rebels went on to beat the Tigers, 5-3. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson added insurance at 15:02. . . . Red Deer D Matt Dumba had two assists. . . . The Rebels, who won their 30th game, got a shorthanded goal from F Turner Elson, who was plus-3. . . . F Emerson Etem scored twice for the Tigers. He has 27. . . . The Rebels led 3-1 going into the third when Etem scored at 1:46 and F Wacey Hamilto got his 13th at 2:49. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Josh Aldrich of the Red Deer Advocate reports that the Rebels last won in Medicine Hat on Nov. 18, 2006. Red Deer had been 0-12-1 in The Hat since then. . . .
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In Kamloops, D Brandon Manning scored his 14th goal of the season on a PP in overtime to give the Chilliwack Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Manning loaded up from the middle point and fired a high shot past G Jeff Bosch just 21 seconds into extra time. . . . The Bruins forced OT on F Curt Gogol’s goal at 16:15 of the third period. . . . Chilliwack F Ryan Howse had a goal and an assist, and now holds the Bruins’ franchise record for career points. He has 184 career points, one more than Mark Santorelli (2006-08). . . . Attendance was 4,367. . . .
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In Spokane, the Chiefs broke a 3-3 tie with three third-period goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-2. . . . F Dominik Uher broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the game and 14th of the season on the PP at 6:57 of the third. . . . F Tyler Johnson added his WHL-leading 35th at 16:20, on another PP, and F Steve Kuhn iced it with a shorthanded empty-netter at 19:00. . . . The game was played indoors at Veterans Memorial Arena. Attendance was 5,523. . . . Johnson also had two assists, while Uher had one. . . . The Chiefs have won four in a row, including two straight over the Ice. The season series now is 2-2. . . . F Cody Eakin, acquired from the Swift Current Broncos for three players and five draft picks on Jan. 9, made his debut with the Ice and scored his 19th goal of the season. He had been out with a hand injury since the end of the World Junior Championship on Jan. 5. . . . The Chiefs are at home to the Kelowna Rockets tonight and it’s Jon Klemm Bobblehead Night. Klemm, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, is an assistant coach with the Chiefs. . . .
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In Vancouver, D Darren Bestland got the winner and G Mark Segal the shutout as the Giants beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Bestland, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 5, scored his sixth goal of the season at 3:35 of the second period on the PP. . . . Bestland has five points, including two goals, in seven games with the Giants. . . . Vancouver G Spencer Bennett had an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. He has 15 points in that stretch. . . . Segal stopped 30 shots for his fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. He also had four last season. . . . The Giants have won seven of 10 and now lead the B.C. Division by a point over the Kelowna Rockets and four over Prince George. . . . Attendance was 7,116. . . .
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In Everett, F Riley Boychuk’s goal at 4:11 of overtime gave the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Boychuk has 11 goals this season. . . . The Winterhawks, who won their 30th game, led 2-0 midway through the second period on goals by F Taylor Peters, his fourth, and D William Wrenn, his first. . . . Everett countered with second-period goals by Jari Erricson, his fifth, and F Clayton Cumiskey, his fifth. Cumiskey scored shorthanded at 18:17. . . . F Ty Rattie had two assists for Portland. . . . Attendance was 5,962. . . . Everett was without F Landon Ferraro, who has a sports hernia and is likely to have surgery. . . . With Ferraro gone, D Ryan Murray will serve as Everett’s captain. . . . If you’re in Portland, don’t forget that today’s game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds begins at 2 p.m. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., the Kelowna Rockets scored two shorthanded empty-net goals to seal a 6-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Zach Franko broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal, and 11th of the season, at 8:59 of the second on the PP and F Evan Bloodoff made it 4-2 with his 11th at 19:19. . . . Seattle F Colin Jacobs cut the deficit to one, with his 17th, at 14:28 of the third on the PP, but Kelowna D Tyson Barrie netted two empty-netters to ice it. . . . Barrie has eight goals this season. . . . Franko, 17, is riding a nine-game point streak. He has 11 points, including five goals, over that stretch. . . . On the season, he’s got 35 points, 11 of them goals, in 45 games. . . . Attendance was 4,730.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
TWO MINORS:
Swift Current D Kyle Verdino
Edmonton F Cameron Abney

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Taking Note on Twitter

Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Bruins fires the game's first
goal past Kamloops Blazers goaltender Jeff Bosch.
(Photo by Shane Kurki/Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

Standing at the middle point in overtime, his team on the power play, defenceman Brandon Manning’s experience told him something.
“When you’re 4-on-3 there’s going to be a lane to shoot,” said Manning, who shot and scored 21 seconds into OT to give the Chilliwack Bruins a 3-2 WHL victory over the Kamloops Blazers before 4,367 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
The Bruins were on the power play because Kamloops forward Dylan Willick had been fingered for hooking at 19:14 of the third period. With 54.5 seconds left in the period, the Blazers had lost a faceoff in their zone and Willick got  his stick tangled in the midsection of Chilliwack winger Robin Soudek.
Chilliwack then won it on the only shot of extra time, as Manning blasted the puck high and over goaltender Jeff Bosch.
“We had a set play set up,” said Manning, a 20-year-old native of Prince George who is in his third season with the Bruins. “They weren’t giving us much and they gave us a shot, so I took it.
“I’ve been known to shoot the puck so I just put it on net and it found a hole for me.”
Manning, who signed a three-year contract as a free agent with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers in late November, now has 14 goals.
The victory lifted the Bruins (21-20-3) into a tie for seventh in the Western Conference. They are even with the Blazers (21-25-3) and Seattle Thunderbirds (18-20-9), who lost 6-3 to the visiting Kelowna Rockets last night. The Bruins, who meet the visiting Prince George Cougars tonight and play the Giants in Vancouver on Sunday, hold five games in hand on the Blazers.
Kamloops, which is at home to the B.C. Division-leading Giants tonight, led this one 2-1 heading into the latter stages of the third period, thanks to winger JT Barnett’s ninth goal of the season.
He capitalized on some good work by centre Colin Smith in behind the Chilliwack net. Smith outworked a defenceman and threw the puck out front to a wide-open Barnett, who whipped a shot through goaltender Lucas Gore.
The lead stood up until 16:15 when thumper Curt Gogol knocked down an airborne puck in front of Bosch and whacked it home for his fifth of the season.
“The way the standings are, every point is pretty important,” said Smith, a 17-year-old sophomore who continues to look more and more comfortable. “There are certain games that you battle and it just doesn’t turn out for you.”
Make no mistake . . . this one was a battle. There wasn’t a whole lot of room out there for a lot of it.
“It was pretty tight out there,” Smith said. “It was one those games where you just had to keep sticking with it. Unfortunately, they regrouped at the end.”
Smith picked up one assist and now has 12 points over his last 13 games and 31 points in 49 games overall.
“I’m just trying to play,” said Smith, who was the seventh overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. “I’m just battling through the ups and downs. I’m starting to feel it might be headed in the right direction and I’m just trying to keep on getting better.
“I just want to keep playing every game hard and hopefully good things will happen.”
The teams went into the third period even at 1-1 after Ryan Howse scored his 31st of the season for Chilliwack in the first period and freshman centre Matt Needham replied with his third in the second period.
Howse, who also is from Prince George, finished with the goal and an assist on the winner, giving him 184 career points and the franchise’s career record, one more than Mark Santorelli (2006-08). A third-round selection by Calgary in the 2009 NHL draft, Howse signed with the Flames on Dec. 21.
“It’s great to see guys have success like that,” Manning said of his teammate. “Ryan’s been great for Chilliwack and to have some personal success and do something like that is great. Good for him.”
JUST NOTES: Referee Pat Smith gave each team five minors and a major, with the Bruins (Gogol) taking the lone misconduct. . . . The Bruins were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-for-4. . . . Bosch was sharp, making 26 saves. Chilliwack G Lucas Gore, who is from Kamloops, stopped 28 shots. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Manning — the Bruins’ leader on the back end; 2. Willick — no one works like he does; 3. Howse — first goal was an NHL shot. . . . Kamloops LW Brendan Ranford remains stalled at 30 goals. He hasn’t scored in 11 games and has just two in 16 outings.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) signed a contract with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). According to Kazakh news reports, Armstrong is in Prague waiting for his visa. He had two assists in two games with Utah Grizzles (ECHL) this season. . . .
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Hannover Indians (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) after a successful tryout. Blatny had two goals and four assists in his four-game trial with the Indians.
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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed D Brandon Manning of the Chilliwack Bruins to a three-year NHL contract. Manning, 20, was never selected in the NHL draft. According to CapGeek.com, the contract calls for AHL salaries of US$60,000, $60,000 and $65,000, with NHL salaries of $690,000, $715,000 and $740,000. . . . Manning received a $270,000 signing bonus payable in three $90,000 instalments. . . . He leads all WHL defencemen with 26 points, including 10 goals, in 20 games with the Bruins this season. A native of Prince George, he is in his third season with the Bruins. . . . Manning, the Bruins’ captain, attended training camp with the NHL’s New York Rangers.
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The New York Islanders recalled D Travis Hamonic, 20, from the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Tuesday. Hamonic (Moose Jaw, Brandon, 2006-10) has seven points in 19 games as an AHL freshman. He was a second-round pick by the Isles in the 2008 NHL draft. . . . It is anticipated that he will make his NHL debut tonight against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.
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Marc Fakler has been named GM and head coach of the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings, who will return to the NAHL next season. These days, he is the associate director of hockey operations/director of player advancement and bantam major head coach for the West Michigan Hounds AAA club. He has four years experience as an assistant coach at Western Michigan and two at Robert Morris.
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F Garth Murray (Regina, 1998-2002) has signed with the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. Murray, 28, played last season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat; in fact, he was the team captain. He had 31 points and 169 penalty minutes in 80 games. His pro career includes 355 AHL games and 116 in the NHL, with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers and Phoenix Coyotes. He was a third-round selection by the Rangers in the 2001 NHL draft.
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D Dylan McIlrath is back skating with the Moose Jaw Warriors. McIlrath, who was in New York last week for an MRI on an injured knee, took part in an optional skate Monday and returned to practice on Tuesday. He has a strained MCL and is listed as day-to-day. . . . The New York Rangers selected him 10th overall in the NHL’s 2010 draft. . . . The Warriors, who face the Raiders in Prince Albert tonight, will have F A.J. Johnson (mononucleosis) back tonight after missing eight games. . . . D Shayne Gwimmer, 16, will make his WHL debut with the Warriors. Gwinner, a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, was brought in from the midget AAA UFA Bisons, who are based in Strathmore, Alta. . . . The Chilliwack Bruins will be without D Jesse Pauls for up to four months. He had surgery after suffering a broken leg in Friday’s 4-3 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans. Pauls, who is from Chilliwack, had 14 points in 21 games. . . .
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SOME TUESDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
In Kamloops, F Dalibor Bortnak scored 54 seconds into OT to give the Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . F JT Barnett, who had gone 10 goals without a goal, had a goal and two assists for Kamloops. . . . F Matt Needham, the eighth pick in the 2010 bantam draft, scored his first WHL goal for Kamloops. It was his second WHL game. . . . The Pats are 1-0-2 on their B.C. Division swing. . . .
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In Red Deer, F Daulton Siwak had a goal and three assists as the Rebels beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-0. . . . G Darcy Kuemper stopped 28 shots in posting his WHL-leading fourth shutout of the season. He has 10 career blank jobs. . . . Siwak, a second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, went into the game with five points in 24 games. Last season, he totaled five points in 61 games. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, F Linden Vey had two goals and three assists to lead the Tigers to a 7-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Vey, with 17 points in his last five games, moved into top spot in the WHL scoring race. He now has 43 points, including 16 goals, and holds a two-point lead over F Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Tyler Pitlick added two goals for Medicine Hat, giving him 10. . . . Medicine Hat F Emersom Etem scored his 15th goal and added two assists. . . .
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In Calgary, F Jimmy Bubnick had two goals and an assist to help the Hitmen to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Edmonton. . . . Bubnick, in his fourth WHL season, has 151 career points. . . . The Hitmen had lost nine straight games at home. . . . Calgary has won two of three after losing 12 in a row. . . . Attendance was announced as 7,165. However, Dan Toth reported in the Calgary Herald that “only a couple of thousand fans braved the frigid weather.” . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Curtis Hamilton and D Duncan Siemens had a goal and two assists apiece to lead the Blades to a 6-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . D Stefan Elliott scored his eighth goal of the season and it was his sixth game-winner. . . . Elliott also was plus-5, while Swift Current F Cody Eakin and D Reece Scarlett each was minus-5. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls had two assists. . . . Hamilton, who switched from No. 9 to No. 13 prior to this season, scored his 13th goal. He had worn No. 9 through three seasons, but injuries limited him to 26 games last season. He now has 32 points in 23 games. . . . With F Marek Viedensky (concussion) sidelined, Saskatoon GM/head coach Lorne Molleken moved Jake Trask up between Hamilton and Nicholls. Trask, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers, responded with a goal and an assist. . . . Swift Current is without D Tanner Muth (collarbone), F Stepan Novotny (knee), F Brenden Sylvester (back), F Taylor Vause (hamstring) and F Dillon Wagner (knee).
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Medicine Hat F Ryan Harrison.

 

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

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Taking Note on Twitter