Ice signs head coach . . . Generals beat Rockets . . . Tigers get goaltender from 'Hawks

F Brett Breitkreuz (Kelowna, Edmonton, Vancouver, 2006-10) signed a one-year contract with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL), he had four goals and four assists in 51 games. . . .
F Brandon Segal (Calgary, 1999-2004) signed a two-year contract with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL). This season, with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he had 10 goals and 15 assists in 54 games.
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LUKE PIERCE

The Kootenay Ice has dipped into the junior A ranks for the seventh head coach in its history.
Luke Pierce 31, was named head coach on Tuesday and signed a three-year contract. He replaces Ryan McGill, whose contract won’t be renewed after it expires on June 30. (That was McGill’s second stint as head coach; counting him twice makes Pierce No. 7.)
Pierce, who is from Merritt, B.C., has been the GM/head coach of the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials since November 2009. He put up a 168-111-21 record there and had the team in the playoffs in each of the six seasons.
Meanwhile, assistant coach Jay Henderson has said he won’t be returning to the Ice. His contract also expires on June 30.
Of the WHL’s 22 teams, 20 now have head coaches. Pierce is the only one of those 20 head guys to have moved into the WHL directly from junior A.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants are the only two teams presently without a head coach.
Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more on the Ice’s hire right here, including a neat piece on how Pierce’s name was brought to the attention of general manager Jeff Chynoweth.
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The Oshawa Generals clinched a berth in the Memorial Cup final with a 2-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday night. . . . The Generals won’t play again until Sunday’s final. . . . Oshawa improved to 3-0 with the victory, each of them by one goal, while the Rockets slipped to 1-2. . . . The host Quebec Remparts (1-1) and the Rimouski Oceanic (0-2) are scheduled to meet tonight. The Oceanic won the QMJHL title by beating the Remparts in double OT in Game 7. . . . If Quebec wins tonight, the Remparts and Rockets will play in the semifinal game on Friday. A Rimouski win tonight likely puts the Oceanic and Remparts into a tiebreaker on Thursday. The Rockets likely would avoid the tiebreaker on goal differential. . . . Last night, all three goals came in the second period. . . . Oshawa F Cole Cassels (4:15) and F Tobias Lindberg (17:16) gave the Generals a 2-0 lead. . . . F Gage Quinney scored for Kelowna at 18:11. . . . Quinney leads the tournament with four goals, one more than Lindberg. F Nick Merkley and F Leon Draisaitl of the Rockets also have three. . . . Merkley and Oshawa F Michael Dal Colle lead in points, each with five. . . . Oshawa G Ken Appleby stopped 20 shots, seven fewer than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-3 on the PP; Oshawa’s PP unit never got on the ice. . . . Kelowna had a glorious opportunity to tie the game, and maybe win it, when the Generals were given two minor penalties 1:01 apart late in the third period. Only three penalties were called in the entire game. F Dakota Mermis went off for kneeing at 15:36 of the third, and Cassels was called for delay to game at 16:37. The Rockets were all around Appleby and had numerous scoring chances, but they weren’t able to get the equalizer. . . . Draisaitl was 16-for-29 in the faceoff circle; Cassels was 15-for-30.
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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: Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Championship game, 7 p.m.
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The latest alleged victim of former WHL coach Graham James went to the police in September 2013, one month after telling his family of his experiences. Since then, he has been in close contact with Todd Holt, who was sexually abused by James while both were with the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Dean Pritchard of the Calgary Sun has more right here.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired G Evan Johnson, 19, from the Portland Winterhawks for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . The Winterhawks got Johnson from the Calgary Hitmen in January. He got into only four games with Portland, going 1-0-2, 3.97, .880. . . . Johnson, from Winnipeg, finished the season 6-3-4, 3.13, .890. . . . The top two goaltenders on the Tigers’ depth chart now are Johnson and Nick Schneider, who turns 18 on July 21. . . . Schneider played in 27 games this season, going 15-7-1, 2.82, .898. . . . Portland’s starter is Adin Hill, 19, who was 31-11-1, 2.81, .921 this season. . . . Michael Bullion, an 18-year-old from Anchorage, likely is No. 2 on the depth chart. He got into four games this season, going 2-2-0, 3.22, .900, but spent most of the season with the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild.
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Veteran F Ben Duperreault won’t be back with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Duperreault, who turns 18 on July 18, had one goal and four assists in 34 games this season, after putting up 18 points, six of them goals, in 65 games in 2013-14. Duperreault, who is from Wilcox, Sask., was dropped by the Warriors prior to the bantam draft.
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Steve Konowalchuk got fined $700 for ripping refs. Rockets got $500, I guess $200 is the price you pay for doing it in the press...

— Andy Eide (@AndyEide) May 26, 2015

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Winterhawks to introduce new man today . . . Three teams still looking

F Brandon Segal (Calgary, 1999-2004) has signed a two-year contract with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL). Last season, he had 44 points, 17 of them goals, in 63 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL).
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1. The Portland Winterhawks are scheduled to introduce Jamie Kompon as their new general manager and head coach at a news conference today. Mike Johnston, who had been GM/head coach since October 2008, will be on hand to do the introduction. Johnston now is the head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Kompon spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks. He has two Stanley Cup rings, from the 2012 Los Angeles Kings and the 2013 Blackhawks. . . . Tommy Gorman, the head coach of the Blackhawks and Montreal Maroons (1934-36), was the last person to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with different teams. . . . Almost a year ago, Cory Smith of the Niagara Falls Review wrote a neat story about Kompon taking the Stanley Cup to visit family. That story is right here.

2. With Portland having its head coach in place, that leaves three other WHL teams still in the hunt. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors are looking to replace Mike Stothers, who now is head coach of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs. . . . The Regina Pats need a head coach and two assistants after the franchise’s new owners fired Malcolm Cameron and lost two assistants to resignations. . . . The Vancouver Giants will replace Don Hay, who left after 10 seasons to return to Kamloops and coach the Blazers.

3. If you’ve lost track, here’s a look at WHL teams that have signed new head coaches for the upcoming season:
Calgary Hitmen (Mark French; replaces Mike Williamson, who was fired after last season).
Edmonton Oil Kings (Steve Hamilton; promoted to replace Derek Laxdal, now head coach of the AHL’s Texas Stars).
Kamloops Blazers (Don Hay; replaces interim head coach Guy Charron).
Kelowna Rockets (Dan Lambert; promoted to replace Ryan Huska, now head coach of the AHL’s Adirondack Flames).
Portland Winterhawks (Jamie Kompon; replaces Mike Johnston, now head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins).
Saskatoon Blades (Bob Woods; replaces David Struch, who was fired after last season).
Tri-City Americans (Mike Williamson; replaces Jim Hiller, whose contract wasn’t renewed after last season).

4. Germany 7, Brazil 1. . . . If you are old enough to remember the 1972 Summit Series, that is about all to which I can compare Tuesday’s World Cup result. At the World Cup, like in that 1972 Canada-Russia series, it wasn’t one team against another; it was country versus country. If you can remember the feeling in Canada when a nation realized that the Great Russian Bear had quite a hockey team, well, multiply that by 10 and you will know what it’s like in Brazil today. . . . Brazilians waited a long time to play host to this World Cup and no one, absolutely no one, anticipated the dream ending the way it did. . . . Of course, if you’re ESPN, you equate Brazil’s loss to LeBron and the Miami Heat losing the NBA final to the San Antonio Spurs. Seriously!

5. The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Matthew Wedman, an Edmontonian who was a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Last season, he had 72 points, including 32 goals, in 33 games with the Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club bantam AAA side. . . . His brother, Cole, 20, played three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs before being dealt to the Moose Jaw Warriors this offseason. Another brother, Dan, has played two seasons with the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs and has committed to Cornell.

6. NHL Central Scouting has released its “2014-15 Futures North American list.” Included on the list are 19 WHL players, including three members of the Seattle Thunderbirds. If you’re into such rankings, the complete list is right here.

7. The Russian Hockey Federation and the Russian Ministry of Sport are putting together a 10-team women’s hockey league. According to a report right here, each team will be allowed three foreign players “and the FHR is thinking about not allowing foreign goalkeepers starting from the 2015-16 season.” Gee, that sounds familiar. . . . Former NHLer Alexei Yashin, who is the general manager of the Russian national women’s team, will run this new league.

8. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News offers up his opinion right here on the latest move to unionize major junior hockey players. This, he writes, is good news for the players and bad news for the owner/operators.

9. With another move afoot to attempt to unionize major junior hockey players, Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News talked to a few players in an attempt to measure the level of interest. His column is right here, and it’s worth a read, if only for the line about players paying for Subway sandwiches with change.

10. Blaine Neufeld is the new head coach of the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, replacing Peter Schaefer, who had been general manager and head coach. Neufeld, a goaltender who played in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants (2004-07), is from Winkler, Man. He  had joined the Eagles in April as director of hockey operations. . . . Schaefer, who had a year left on his contract, will continue to work with the Eagles in a consulting role. Schaefer told Nick Greenizan of the Peace Arch News that he and the Eagles had agreed to a “mutual” parting of the ways. . . . Greenizan’s complete story is right here.
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F Mitch Barker, a 10th-round selection of the Spokane Chiefs in the 2011 bantam draft, says he will play next season with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Barker, who is from Kamloops, turns 18 on Oct. 12. He had four points in 24 games with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings last season. In 2012-13, he put up 39 points, 19 of them goals, in 48 games with the junior Kelowna Chiefs of the Kootenay International Junior League. . . . The AHL’s Manchester Monarchs have signed Chris Hajt as their new assistant coach. Hajt, 36, spent the last six seasons with the OHL’s Guelph Storm, most recently as assistant GM. He is the son of former NHL D Bill Hajt.
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Haven't seen anything so utterly helpless since Man shot Bambi's mother and he was alone in the forest.
— George Johnson (@GeorgejohnsonCH) July 8, 2014

Attention Brazil soccer writers: don't answer phone or e-mail. Editors calling with orders for 12-pt series on what's wrong with your game.
— David Shoalts (@dshoalts) July 8, 2014

Haven't seen defence this bad by Brazil since 13-4 Oilers rout NJ in 80s where Gretzky called NJ Mickey Mouse
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) July 8, 2014

Of all the sports, I didn't think id miss 3 goals in soccer while peeing
— Peter Holland (@PeterHolland13) July 8, 2014

If this were baseball, Germany would not be allowed to steal bases, according to the unwritten rules.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 8, 2014

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Defenceman Willie Mitchell of the Los Angeles Kings doesn’t like the word ‘concussion.’ He prefers ‘brain injury.’ And he has been there on more than one occasion. . . . Right here then is his description, in his own words, of what life is like when you are in the throes of such a brain injury.
Give that a read and then stop and think for a moment about how many hockey players had such injuries this season. And then ask yourself this: Are the people with the power doing all they can to prevent concussions?
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In Norfolk, Va., G Dustin Tokarski (Spokane, 2006-09) stopped 30 shots Saturday night as the Admirals beat the Toronto Marlies, 4-2, in Game 2 of the AHL final for the Calder Cup. . . . The Admirals hold a 2-0 lead with Game 3 in Toronto on Thursday. . . . The winner came from F Brandon Segal (Calgary, 1999-2004). He gave Norfolk a a 3-1 lead at 8:26 of the third period. D Keith Aulie (Brandon, 2005-09) picked started the play that led to Segal’s goal. . . . Aulie finished with two assists. . . . D Radko Gudas (Everett, 2009-10) had a strong outing for Norfolk. . . . F Greg Scott (Seattle, 2005-09) had five shots on goal for the Marlies, while F Colton Orr (Swift Current, Kamloops, Regina, 1998-2003) had three.
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By now you are aware that Johan Santana threw a no-hitter for the New York Mets on Friday night. It was the first no-hitter in Mets’ history, coming in the franchise’s 8,020th game.
For a great read, check out this column by Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post.
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Keith Olbermann — yes, that Keith Olbermann — is a huge baseball fan. And, yes, he has a blog. His take on Santana’s no-hitter is right here. Interestingly, Olbermann was at the game but he had to leave after two innings. It was the second time in his life that he left a no-hitter in the early innings.

F Max Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice made his AHL debut Sunday by scoring two goals as his Abbotsford Heat beat the visiting Toronto Marlies 5-4 in OT. . . . "My two wingers were making passes right on the tape, which in junior you don't always get," Reinhart told The Canadian Press. "The guys are a lot stronger (than in junior) but having said that if you find open space, your teammates are going to find you." . . . Reinhart scored off a rebound in the first period and then put home a low shot in the second period. . . . The Heat, which has won seven in a row, completed its regular season and will meet the Milwaukee Admirals in the first round of playoffs. . . . Heat G Leland Irving, a product of the Everett Silvertips, got the victory. He hadn’t played since March 30 as he missed five games while awaiting the birth of a daughter. . . . The Heat is the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames.
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G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is off to join the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. The parent Edmonton Oilers selected Bunz with the 121st pick of the 2010 NHL draft. . . . The Oil Barons drew the Houston Aeros in the first round of the playoffs.
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One final AHL note . . . The Norfolk Admirals take a 28-game winning streak into the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 4-2 victory over the host Adirondack Phantoms on Sunday. The Admirals finished with a 55-18-1-2 mark. . . . F Brandon Segal, a graduate of the Calgary Hitmen, had a goal and three assists for Norfolk, the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . The Admirals, who haven’t lost since Feb. 5, will meet the Manchester Monarchs in the first round of playoffs.

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