Showing posts with label Braylon Shmyr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Braylon Shmyr. Show all posts

Saturday, February 25, 2017

WHL teams working against mumps . . . Edmond sets P.G. record . . . Victoria d-man spins record, too




The WHL isn’t in lockdown mode, but it is into prevention in a big way as it hopes to avoid a full-blown outbreak of mumps.
The league issued a news release on Friday evening that began:
“The Western Hockey League was informed of confirmed cases of mumps within one of our member  clubs in early February. Since that time, the WHL has been working closely with its team services committee, all 22 WHL member clubs and their training staff members as well as the applicable health authorities to ensure proper steps are being taken to minimize the spread of the virus.”
To date, it has been confirmed that players and staff with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers have been diagnosed with mumps over the past couple of weeks. As well, Brent Sutter, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Red Deer Rebels, indicated on Thursday while discussing the mumps outbreak with rdnewsNOW that “they had a situation occur in Swift Current” with the Broncos.
You can bet that all WHL teams are working on prevention.
“All WHL clubs were also asked to review vaccination histories of players and team staff and strongly recommend vaccination if necessary,” the WHL news release continued. “The medical and training staff members of each WHL club and the WHL office are on alert for anyone displaying mumps symptoms, including officials, and isolating individuals as required.”
In Kamloops, Blazers athletic trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson, who worked his 1,500th game on Friday night, said he and his staff have been doing a lot of cleaning with bleach and are using their electrolysed washing system a lot more than they normally do. They also are making sure that water bottles are cleaned every day.
The WHL has asked teams to limit contact between players and fans, so teams are suspending minor hockey promotions and other appearances that might put players in close proximity to fans.
On Friday, for example, the Blazers, who were at home to the Kelowna Rockets, cancelled the pregame Timbits promotion that normally has a minor hockey player on the ice with them for the anthem. Security staff at the Sandman Centre also acted to limit post-game contact between players and fans in the arena’s lower reaches.
In Red Deer, the Rebels cancelled a post-game autograph session that would have have involved players and fans interacting.
The Rebels notified their fans via tweet: “There is currently a mumps outbreak and for player safety we cannot hold post-game autographs tonight.”
The Calgary Hitmen also cancelled a post-game autograph session last night.
This isn’t a problem affecting only the WHL. On Friday afternoon, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks revealed that one player, D Troy Stecher, has been diagnosed with mumps and at least four others are showing symptoms.
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Andy Eide of ESPN 710 Seattle posted a Seattle Thunderbirds notebook prior to Friday’s games that included some interesting info. . . . D Ethan Bear now holds the Thunderbirds record for career goals by a defenceman, but he isn’t likely to reach the points record that is held by Shea Theodore. . . . Meanwhile, head coach Steve Konowalchuk needs three victories to tie Don Nachbaur for second place on the franchise’s career list. Nachbaur, now the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, ran the Seattle bench from 1994-2000. . . . Eide’s complete notebook is right here.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Calgary, F Steve Owre scored twice and added an assist to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-4 victory over the Hitmen. . . . The Tigers took a 3-1 lead into the second period. . . . Calgary F Jakob
STEVE OWRE
Stukel gave his guys a 1-0 lead, on the PP, at 5:59 of the first period. . . . Owre tied it at 9:28 and D Brad Forrest’s second goal of the season gave the visitors the lead at 13:02. Owre, who assisted on Forrest’s goal, got No. 22 at 18:45 for a 3-1 lead. . . . Stukel’s 20th goal got the Hitmen to within a goal at 4:19 of the second period, but F Tyler Preziuso (4) got that one back at 4:51. . . . The Hitmen got back to within one when F Andrei Grishakov counted at 11:46. . . . The Tigers went ahead 5-3 as F Mason Shaw got his 24th at 17:02. . . . Grishakov closed the scoring with his ninth goal at 19:37 of the third period. . . . The Tigers got two assists from each of F Zach Fischer and F Chad Butcher. . . . Fischer wore No. 9 for the final time as the Tigers will retire it tonight in honour of the late Tom Lysiak. . . . Grishakov also had an assist, while F Matteo Gennaro had two of them. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean earned one assist, giving him 100 for his career. . . . The Tigers got 33 saves from G Nick Schneider, who earned his 31st victory. He has won his last nine starts against Calgary, six of them this season. . . . Calgary G Kyle Dumba stopped 25 shots. . . . Calgary was 1-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-2. . . . David Quenneville, one of the WHL’s highest-scoring defencemen, was back in the Tigers’ lineup. He had been out since Jan. 3 with a broken leg suffered while blocking a shot. When he was injured, he had 48 points, 20 of them goals, in 38 games. He was pointless and plus-2 last night. . . . The Tigers also had D Kristians Rubins and F Ryan Chyzowski back after their brushes with mumps, but F James Hamblin and D Jordan Henderson remained out. . . . Medicine Hat (43-18-1) is 6-0-0 against Calgary this season. The Tigers lead the Central Division by six points over Lethbridge. . . . The Hitmen (23-27-10) had points in their previous five games (4-0-1). They are tied with Saskatoon for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,031.
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At Everett, F Dominic Zwerger scored a goal and added three assists to lead the Silvertips to a 4-1
DOMINIC ZWERGER
victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . F Patrick Bajkov (24) gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 1:17 of the first period. . . . The Winterhawks tied it when F Joachim Blichfeld got No. 26, on a PP, at 15:08. . . . Zwerger broke the tie with his 24th goal, on a PP, at 17:50. . . . The Silvertips got insurance from D Jake Christiansen (5) at 14:20 of the second period. . . . D Noah Juulsen sealed the victory with his 12th goal at 11:59 of the third period. . . . F Matt Fonteyne had two assists for Everett, as did Bajkov. . . . G Carter Hart stopped 42 shots for Everett in posting his 79th career victory, 26 of them this season. He leads the WHL with a 1.93 GAA. . . . At the other end, Cole Kehler stopped 28 shots. . . . Everett was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-6. . . . F Matt Revel (collarbone), who last played on Dec. 10, was in Portland’s lineup. The Winterhawks acquired him off waivers from Kamloops in January as the Blazers got down to three 20-year-olds. . . . The Silvertips (37-12-10) have won six in a row. They lead the U.S. Division by three points over Seattle and hold two games in hand. . . . Portland (32-26-4) has lost four straight (0-3-1). It holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,513.
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At Kamloops, F Cole Lind scored once and added three assists as the Kelowna Rockets dropped the Blazers, 8-2. . . . The Rockets had dropped seven straight games in Kamloops. . . . F Garrett Pilon gave
KOLE LIND
the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 1:28 of the first period, but the Rockets scored the next eight goals, the first three of those coming in the first period. . . . F Rod Southam’s 14th goal got Kelowna even at 4:31 of the first and F Tomas Soustal (18) gave the visitors the lead at 13:48. . . . F Nick Merkley’s 21st goal made it 3-1 at 18:19. . . . Kelowna added two more goals in the second period — D Lucas Johansen got No. 6, Lind scored his 28th, on a PP, and F Dillon Dube notched No. 10. . . . In the third period, F Reid Gardiner added his eighth goal, shorthanded, and F Carsen Twarynski got his 13th. . . . F Luc Smith (10) had the Blazers’ second goal. . . . The Rockets got two assists from each of F Calvin Thurkauf and Twarynski, and one each from Merkley, Southam and Dube. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 23 shots to earn the victory. . . . Kamloops starter Connor Ingram allowed six goals on 26 shots in 28:30, with Dylan Ferguson finishing up, stopped 13 of 15 shots in 31:29. . . . Ingram went in riding back-to-back shutouts and a shutout streak of 178:07. That ended at 182:38. . . . The longest shutout streak in the WHL this season (193:48) belongs to Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Kelowna was 1-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . It was the first time the Blazers had given up at least eight goals since Jan. 22, 2016, when they lost 9-4 to the Cougars in Prince George. The last time Kamloops gave up eight goals at home? On Oct. 24, 2014, the Brandon Wheat Kings won 8-5 in Kamloops. . . . This was the final game of a season series that the Blazers won, 6-3-1. The Rockets finished 4-6-0. . . . Kamloops trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson worked his 1,500th WHL game. Robinson is in his 11th season with the Blazers. He also spent five seasons with each of the Swift Current Broncos and Vancouver Giants. . . . The Rockets (36-20-5) have points in seven straight (6-0-1) to get to within three points of the second-place Blazers in the B.C. Division. Kelowna has two games in hand. . . . The Blazers (37-20-6) had won their previous three games. They trail B.C. Division-leading Prince George by three points. . . . Kamloops climbed on to its bus after the game and headed for Everett and date tonight with the Silvertips. The Rockets, meanwhile, went south for games with the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight and Spokane Chiefs on Sunday. Yes, three games in three different cities in fewer than 48 hours. . . . Announced attendance: 4,661.
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At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes built up a 4-1 lead en route to a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings.
MATT ALFARO
. . . F Giorgio Estephan (27) got Lethbridge started at 1:16 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick tied it with his 16th goal, on a PP, at 5:37. . . . The Hurricanes scored the next three goals. . . . F Zak Zborosky (39) broke the tie at 7:13 of the first, with F Matt Alfaro making it 3-1 at 17:10. . . . Alfaro added his 20th goal of the season at 10:14 of the third period for a 4-1 edge. . . . The Wheat Kings made it interesting with third-period PP goals from F Ty Lewis (28), at 14:17, and F Tyler Coulter (25), at 17:28. . . . F Tyler Wong and D Brennan Menell had two assists each for the winners, while Zborosky added one. . . . Brandon got two assists from each of D Kale Clague and Lewis, with Patrick getting one. . . . G Stuart Skinner blocked 25 shots to earn the victory over Logan Thompson, who made 32 saves. . . . Brandon was 3-5 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-3. . . . Lethbridge (37-17-7) is second in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat with a game in hand. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-24-9) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are fourth in the East Division, five points behind Swift Current. Brandon is in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, nine points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 4,090.
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At Prince George, G Ty Edmonds set a franchise record for career victories as the Cougars beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-1. . . . Edmonds stopped 19 shots in earning his 27th victory of this season and No. 96 in his career with the Cougars. He had shared the record with Scott Myers (1996-2000). . . . F Jansen Harkins opened the scoring, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal at 3:38 of the first period. . . . F Nikita Popugaev made it 2-0 with No. 26 at 7:07. . . . The Cougars took a 3-0 lead at 12:44 of the second period as F Jesse Gabrielle scored his 27th goal, shorthanded. . . . The Oil Kings got their goal from F Trey Fix-Wolansky (21), on a PP, at 7:14 of the third period. He broke the Oil Kings’ record for goals by a freshman that had been held by F Curtis Lazar (2011-12). . . . D Josh Anderson (2) scored the Cougars’ final goal, at 7:35. . . . Harkins and Gabrielle added an assist each. . . . Edmonton G Josh Dechaine stopped 38 shots. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . The Cougars lost F Colby McAuley to a headshot major and game misconduct at 9:56 of the second period after a hit on Edmonton F Ty Gerla, who left and didn’t return. . . . Prince George D Brendan Guhle (ankle) remains week-to-week, while F Tanner Wishnowski, who was acquired from Spokane in January, is back skating. He has been out with a concussion since Nov. 19. . . . Prince George (39-19-5) had lost seven of nine and was 0-2-1 in its previous three games. It leads the B.C. Division by three points over Kamloops. . . . Edmonton (20-37-5) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . These teams will meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . Announced attendance: 4,040.
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At Red Deer, the Rebels got off to a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 6-4. . . . Red Deer
AUSTIN GLOVER
grabbed that lead with three goals in a span of 3:38 in the first period. . . . F Austin Pratt started it with No. 13 at 9:49. . . . F Cameron Hausinger added his seventh goal at 11:35. . . . F Austin Glover made it 3-0, shorthanded, at 13:27. . . . Ice D Cale Fleury’s ninth goal, on a PP, got his guys on the scoreboard at 13:53. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei got that one back with his 27th, on a PP, 48 seconds into the second period. . . . The Ice got to within a goal when D Kurtis Rutledge (3) scored at 18:55 of the second and F Fedor Rudakov got No. 5 at 8:46 of the third period. . . . The Rebels put it away with two quick goals, F Michael Spacek getting his 26th, on a PP, at 12:23 and Glover adding his 19th at 13:06. . . . F Colton Kroeker scored the Ice’s last goal, his 14th at 19:24. . . . Polei and F Akash Bains had two assists each for Red Deer, while Glover and Spacek had one apiece. . . . The Ice got two assists from each of F Vince Loschiavo and F Michael King. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 25 shots for the Rebels. . . . The Ice got 33 stops from G Jakob Walter. . . . Red Deer was 2-7 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-7. . . . The Rebels (25-27-10) have points in three straight games (2-0-1). They are third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Calgary. . . . The Ice (13-37-10) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,477.
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At Regina, F Sam Steel erupted for four goals and also had an assist to lead the Pats to a 7-0 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Steel, who leads the WHL scoring race, had gone eight games
SAM STEEL
without a goal. He now has 111 points, 10 more than teammate Adam Brooks, who won the scoring title last season. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown stopped 15 shots in earning his fourth shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. . . . Steel scored the game’s first three goals, the first two coming via the PP, at 2:39 and 10:14 of the second period. He completed the hat trick at 18:12. His fourth goal, No. 43 on the season, made it 6-0 at 8:38 of the third period. . . . Regina also got goals from F Jeff de Wit (8), F Nick Henry (30) and D Connor Hobbs (27). . . . Henry, who also had three assists, is the Pats’ fourth 30-goal man, while Hobbs leads all WHL defencemen in goals. . . . F Dawson Leedahl and Brooks each had two assists. . . . The shots were 51-15 and that’s a palindrome. . . . The Broncos started G Jordan Papirny, who surrendered five goals on 37 shots in 42:55. Taz Burman finished up, allowing two goals on 14 shots in 17:04. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-2. . . . Regina is 5-0-0 in the season series. . . . The Pats dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. They scratched F Jake Leschyshyn, who is done for the season with a knee injury, D Jonathan Smart and F Filip Ahl. . . . The Broncos had F Lane Pederson back in the lineup for the first time since Feb. 8, but he left at 2:01 of the second period with a charging major and game misconduct. Regina F Robbie Holmes, who took the hit, left with an apparent shoulder injury and didn't return. . . . The Pats also lost F Braydon Buziak to an undisclosed injury during the game. . . . Regina (44-9-7) has won three in a row and leads the overall standings by eight points over Medicine Hat with two games in hand. . . . Swift Current (30-19-10) had points in its previous two games (1-0-1). The Broncos are third in the East Division, 10 points behind Moose Jaw and five ahead of Brandon. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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At Saskatoon, the Blades snapped a five-game losing skid with a 3-1 victory over the Prince Albert
BRAYLON SHMYR
Raiders. . . . F Josh Paterson gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with his 14th goal, at 12:41 of the second period. . . . F Curtis Miske (16) pulled the Raiders even at 14:26. . . . Saskatoon broke the tie when F Braylon Shmyr got his 28th goal, on a PP, at 15:03. . . . D Libor Hajek added insurance with his fourth goal at 15:19 of the third period. . . . The Blades got two assists from F Jesse Shynkaruk, while Shmyr added one. . . . Saskatoon G Logan Flodell stopped 29 shots, while the Raiders’ Ian Scott turned aside 20. . . . Saskatoon was 1-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . The Blades have won four of the first five meetings between these teams this season. They will meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Saskatoon (24-29-8) had been 0-3-2 in its previous five games. It is tied with Calgary for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Raiders (16-40-6) had points in each of their past two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,541.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Austyn Playfair scored two goals and added two assists as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-3. . . . Playfair had one goal and one assist over his
AUSTYN PLAYFAIR
previous 19 games. He now has seven points, three of them goals, in 27 games. . . . The Americans took a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals from F Kyle Olson, who has 17, at 0:53 and 3:43 of the first period. . . . D Jarret Tyszka (6) scored for Seattle at 8:51, but the Americans took control with the next four goals. . . . Playfair got it started 27 seconds into the second period. . . . F Nolan Yaremko (8) gave the home side a 4-1 lead at 3:09 and F Keltie Jeri-Leon (2) upped it to 5-1 at 4:47. . . . F Brett Leason added another Tri-City goal, his seventh, at 8:06. . . . F Keegan Kolesar (20) and D Austin Strand (7) also scored for Seattle. . . . Playfair added his third goal of the season at 19:28 of the second period. . . . Yaremko, D Parker Wotherspoon and F Max James had two assists apiece for the Americans. . . . Tri-City G Rylan Parenteau stopped 36 shots. . . . G Carl Stankowski made his fourth appearance of the season with Seattle, but only his first since Oct. 14. He is one of three goaltenders on the team’s roster. . . . Stankowski left after giving up two goals on five shots in 3:43. Rylan Toth came on and was beaten four times on eight shots in 24:22. Stankowski went back in and finished up, stopping 15 of 16 shots in 31:53. . . . Seattle was 2-7 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-4. . . . The Americans again were without F Michael Rasmussen, who hasn’t played since Feb. 1. As well, F Vladislav Lukin is expected to be out for two weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Thunderbirds welcomed back F Nolan Volcan and F Keegan Kolesar back in the lineup. Volcan last played on Feb. 24, while Kolesar had missed one game. . . . The Americans (37-23-3) won their sixth straight game. They are third in the U.S. Division, four points behind Seattle and nine ahead of Portland. . . . The Thunderbirds (38-18-5) had won their previous two games. They are second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Everett. . . . Announced attendance: 5,318.
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At Langley, B.C., D Scott Walford tied a franchise record in leading the Victoria Royals to a 6-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Walford had a goal and three assists, his four points equaling the Royals
SCOTT WALFORD
record for points in a game by a defenceman. . . . Walford now shares the record with Chaz Reddekopp (2014-15), Joe Hicketts (2014-15), Travis Brown (2013-14 and 2014-15) and Brandon Manning (2009-10 and 2010-11). . . . Walford, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, has 23 points in 49 games this season. . . . The Royals also tied a franchise record for PP goals in one game, with five. The Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) went 5-13 in a 6-1 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Oct. 2, 2010. . . . F Vladimir Bobylev (6) gave the Royals a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 7:25 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Ty Ronning (23) tied it at 10:07 of the second period. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker followed with two PP goals, giving him 27, at 12:39 and 17:55. . . . The Giants cut the deficit to one as D Matt Barberis scored his ninth at 19:10. . . . The Royals restored the two-goal lead when F Matt Phillips scored No. 43 just 39 seconds into the third period. . . . F Johnny Wesley (9), on a PP, pulled the Giants back to within one at 9:10, but Victoria put it away with the next two goals, both on the PP, as F Dante Hannoun (20) scored at 12:36 and Walford counted his sixth at 16:04. . . . Vancouver F Calvin Spencer closed the scoring with his 13th goal, at 18:08. . . . Phillips, Hannoun, Bobylev and F Regan Nagy each had two assists, with Walker adding one. . . . The Giants got two assists apiece from F Brayden Watts and F James Malm, and one from Wesley. . . . The Royals got 23 saves from G Griffen Outhouse, who earned his 31st victory, one shy of the franchise single-season record set last season by Coleman Vollrath. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 41 shots for the Giants. . . . Victoria finished 5-6 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-4. . . . The Royals (33-23-5) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They are fourth in the B.C. Division, six points behind Kelowna. Victoria holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, three points ahead of Portland. . . . The Giants (19-37-5) now head to Victoria for games tonight and Sunday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,125.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kamloops at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:34 AM
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Monday, February 6, 2017

What is WHL franchise worth to Cranbook? ... Another injury for Giants ... Longest game set to resume



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 F Brett Bulmer (Kelowna, 2008-12) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL). He was released Friday by mutual agreement by Ilves Tampere (Finland, Liiga). He had two goals and three assists in 23 games. . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Esbjerg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 31 games with Herlev (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Herlev and Esbjerg reached an agreement (details unknown) allowing Knackstedt to change teams. . . .
D Kyle Cumiskey (Kelowna, 2003-06) has been released by Skellefteå (Sweden, SHL). He had a goal and two assists in 12 games. . . .
F Marcel Noebels (Seattle, Portland, 2010-12) has signed a five-year contract extension with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL). He hasn’t played a league game this season after tearing his left ACL in September in the last group stage game of the Champions Hockey League.
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Keith Powell of Kootenay Business has taken a look at what the economic impact of the Kootenay Ice might be on its home city of Cranbrook.
Powell concluded that the Ice’s departure, presumably to Nanaimo, would mean an increase in his taxes and those of other residents and business owners simply because the Ice’s home arena, Western Financial Place, no longer would have a major tenant.
“That’s why I believe the No.1 economic development, retention or enhancement initiative that the City of Cranbrook, the chamber of commerce and the business community at large must undertake is keeping the WHL franchise in Cranbrook,” Powell writes. “It is, in my mind, such a high priority that it should be the sole focus of the City’s economic development department – 24/7.”
Powell’s complete piece is right here.
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The biggest WHL-related story over the next month won’t have anything to do with happenings on the ice.
Rather, it will have to do with the future of the Kootenay Ice and the immediate future of the WHL and Nanaimo, a city of more than 90,000 people on Vancouver Island.
(The Nanaimo Regional District has a population of more than 135,000. Cranbrook’s population is around 20,000, with about 73,000 people within 150 km.)
What is especially interesting is that if the WHL is to leave Cranbrook, the home of the Ice, it won’t be back. However, if the WHL doesn’t get into Nanaimo this time, there always will be another opportunity, assuming a new arena gets built at some point in time.
There has been, and continues to be, ample speculation that the Ice could be playing out of Nanaimo as soon as next season.
Voters in Nanaimo are scheduled to go to the polls for a referendum on March 11. As noted here earlier, the question is:
“Are you in favour of the City of Nanaimo Council adopting Loan Authorization Bylaw 2017 No. 7237 which will authorize Council to borrow a sum not exceeding $80,000,000, repayable over a period of no more than 20 years, for the development and construction of an event centre that will include an ice arena and other related entertainment, cultural and recreation facilities?"
While city officials obviously are in favour of borrowing and building, the No side has organized and is working to gather support.
Merv Unger, a longtime journalist, a one-time World Wrestling Federation referee (that’s a story for another time) and a former Nanaimo city councillor, has a blog where he often offers commentary on the referendum and the lead-up to it. That blog is right here.
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A tip of the hat to the Saskatoon Blades for the transparency they have shown when releasing information regarding injuries suffered by D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr during a 4-2 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday.
Many people have seen the checks that resulted in the injuries, and it’s a good move by the Blades to update the conditions of the players, something that was done on Monday.
“Jake is fine and doing well,” according to the Blades. “He suffered a concussion and a laceration on his head. . . . He didn’t suffer neck or spinal injuries, and was not required to spend the night in the hospital.”
Kustra, who has a history with concussions, is in the protocol.
“Our main concern is his immediate and long term health,” the news release reads, “so obviously we aren’t prepared to make any statements on him returning to action just yet.”
As for Shmyr, he also is in concussion protocol.
“We aren’t prepared to make any statements or estimates on when he will play again as his health is the only concern right now,” the Blades said.
Saskatoon also lost F Lukus MacKenzie, a 17-year-old from Calgary, when he suffered a shoulder injury during fight with Red Deer F Evan Polei, who turns 21 on Feb. 19.
The Blades, who are one point out of a playoff spot, next play Friday when they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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The Vancouver Giants, having lost seven in a row (0-5-2), open a doubleheader in Prince George against the Cougars tonight (Tuesday). The Giants appear to have added another player — F Dawson Holt — to their injury list. Steve Ewen of Postmedia reports that Holt, who didn’t play in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the host Everett Silvertips, was to see a doctor on Monday. Holt missed 13 earlier games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Giants had seven players with injuries on last week’s WHL roster report, including F Tyler Benson (groin), D Darian Skeoch (ankle) and D Matt Barberis (undisclosed). . . . The Giants dressed only 17 skaters on Saturday, including D Bowen Byram, a 15-year-old who was the third-overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He now has played four games with Vancouver. . . . The Cougars, meanwhile, go into the two games still in first place in the B.C. Division, but they have lost two games and now lead the second-place Kamloops Blazers by six points, each team having 17 games remaining. The Cougars and Blazers will meet five times in those 17 games, with three of the games scheduled for Prince George.
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The longest game in WHL history will conclude (hopefully) on Wednesday in Brandon. You may recall that the Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors opened the regular season in Brandon, but the game was stopped in the second period because of fog that simply wouldn't take the hint and leave. . . . The Warriors were leading 2-1 when play was suspended at 14:23 of the second period. . . . F Brayden Watts had scored to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos tied it 31 seconds into the second period. . . . F Nikita Popugaev, now with the Prince George Cougars, gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 14:23 of the second period, which is when the game was halted. . . . On Wednesday, the suspended game will be completed, starting at 6 p.m. The regularly scheduled game is to start at 7:30 p.m.
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F Owen Sillinger of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees has committed to attend Bemidji State in Minnesota and play for the Beavers next season. Sillinger, the 19-year-old son of former WHL/NHL F Mike Sillinger, was a 10th-round selection by the Vancouver Giants in the 2012 bantam draft. Owen is in his second season with the Vees. . . . Earlier, he had committed to attending Arizona State and playing for the Sun Devils. . . . Owen’s younger brother, Cole, scored five goals and added three assists on Monday as his bantam AA Regina Aces scored a 13-1 victory over the Estevan TS&M Bruins. Cole, born in 2003, will turn 14 on May 16.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:36 PM
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Sunday, February 5, 2017

What a weekend that was in the WHL . . . hits, a line brawl and, yes, a Heidi moment!


Sheesh! A guy takes a night off from blogging — it was Super Bowl Eve and an annual non-football social engagement beckoned — and everything was going on in the WHL.
There were two crumpling checks in a game in Saskatoon. The WHL had its very own Heidi moment in Portland. There was a line brawl in Lethbridge where they were honouring the 1996-97 Hurricanes. And a whole lot more . . . 
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First, let’s take a look at the two hits that occurred in the third period of the Blades’ 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels.
The first occurred at 9:19 when F Cam Hausinger of the Rebels drilled Saskatoon D Jake Kustra into the end boards, which had absolutely no give to them, something that only exacerbated the situation.


CAMERON HAUSINGER
JAKE KUSTRA
Kustra, who missed time earlier this season with a concussion, ended up on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. After taking some stitches to his head, he was released. When I inquired Sunday as to whether Kustra was OK, or as OK as might be expected, a Blades spokesperson responded: “Yes.” Obviously, he has a concussion.
Watching the video, as Kustra gets the puck and turns, he looks up. In that split second, he looks like a deer in the headlights as he realizes Hausinger’s intent, which is to put him into the cheap seats. Kustra stumbles and is almost horizontal when contact is made with his head. Because of the stumble, it would have been all but impossible for Hausinger not to make contact with the head.
Hausinger, who was acquired from the Blades on Nov. 25, was given a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct. I would suggest that a charging major and game misconduct would have been more indicative of what happened.
Still, Hausinger’s body language as he skates hard and directly at Kustra leaves no doubt as to his intent. When I see hits like these, I always wonder why another player has the desire to hit an opponent as hard as is humanly possible. Is it because for his entire hockey career he has been coached to finish his check? Is this what finishing a check looks like? If it is, is this what we want in the game? If the No. 1 objective is to gain possession of the puck, what is wrong with angle/pin, man, puck?


After the game, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s owner, general manager and head coach, pointed a finger at Kustra.
“You feel terrible if the kid got hurt,” Sutter told Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com, “but he put himself in that position to allow himself to be injured. He had control of the puck, went to pass it out and fell forward. Hausinger glided towards him, he never took a stride.
“Those are the types of calls that are frustrating from a coach’s standpoint. A major penalty shouldn’t be called because someone was hurt on the play.”
Sutter referenced a play from the Rebels’ 6-3 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday. That one involved Rebels D Carson Sass.
“Sass got knocked out of the game with a check that was much, much worse that than and it was a two-minute minor penalty,” Sutter said. “I don’t like seeing anyone get hurt, but how do you blame a player for finishing a check when the other player stumbles.”
Sass was in Red Deer’s lineup on Saturday in Saskatoon.
While I am all for free speech, especially in these times when blandness rules, I’m thinking that had Sutter had more time to distance himself from what obviously was an emotional situation — there was plenty of conversation between the two benches and some vitriol directed towards the on-ice officials — he may have chosen fewer and different words to express himself.


That brings us to Red Deer D Colton Bobyk’s thundering hit on Saskatoon F Braylon Shmyr, who had a goal and an assist in the Blades victory. This hit came with 30 seconds left in the third period of a 4-2 game.


Shmyr, who leads the Blades in goals (27) and assists (22), has the puck as he drives to his right and then cuts towards the centre line. As he looks down to find the puck, Bobyk steps up and drills him. It truly is a Scott Stevens-Eric Lindros type of moment.
Is it a clean check? Does Bobyk’s right elbow come up and make contact with Shmyr’s chin/jaw area? If it is a clean hit, are these the kinds of hits we want in the game, hits that leave an unsuspecting player in a heap on the ice? How much onus is on the puck carrier as he cuts through the neutral zone? This is a debate that will rage on and on.
Bobyk wasn’t penalized for the hit and, as I understand it, the Blades aren’t likely to ask for supplemental discipline.
You have to understand, too, that the Blades just might be a little sensitive to damaging hits.
On Friday, with 1:33 left in a 5-2 loss to the visiting Regina Pats, Saskatoon D Mark Rubinchik was hit from behind by F Jeff de Wit.


On Saturday, the WHL handed de Wit one of those TBD suspensions. Fortunately, Rubinchik wasn’t injured — in fact, he had two assists in Saturday’s loss — so I wouldn’t expect de Wit to get a lengthy suspension. But, sooner or later, the WHL is going to have stop handing out charitable suspensions because hits like these really are creeping back into the game.
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Perhaps lost in all of this is the impact these injuries could have on the Blades drive to make the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2013.
It’s safe to assume that D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr both are concussed, with no timetable set for their returns.
F Lukus MacKenzie was injured during a second-period fight with Red Deer F Evan Polei. MacKenzie won’t be back anytime soon.
F Cam Hebig, a 69-point man last season, has yet to play this season.
F Mason McCarty, who has 23 points, including 14 goals, in 26 games, has been out for 11 weeks.
F Markson Bechtold, who was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs in December, was injured in his third game with the Blades and hasn’t played since.
Hebig, McCarty and Bechtold all are listed as being out week-to-week. There are only six weeks left in the WHL’s regular season.
The Blades (21-26-6) have 19 games left in their regular season. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, but are just one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen.
The Blades next are scheduled to play Friday when they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors with the Brandon Wheat Kings coming to town on Saturday.
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Darren Steinke, who now lives in Saskatoon after covering the Tigers for the Medicine Hat News for a few winters, was at the game between the Red Deer Rebels and Blades. Later, he blogged about it. His piece is right here.
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That brings us to the WHL’s very own Heidi moment.
On Nov 17, 1968, the host Oakland Raiders were up against the New York Jets in an NFL game. The Raiders struck for a pair of touchdowns in the last minute of the fourth quarter to escape with a 43-32 victory.
However, NBC-TV ended its coverage on the East Coast, choosing to show the movie Heidi, instead. That meant a large portion of its audience didn’t see the comeback.
On Saturday, the WHL game that had the Seattle Thunderbirds in Portland to play the Winterhawks was shown on TV in both markets.
One viewer emailed with this explanation:
“The game goes into OT and two minutes into OT the announcer says ‘we have to be off the air at 10 p.m., and the telecast just drops off . . . goes to the scheduled programming at 10 p.m., leaving fans like myself to rush to the computer to listen to the end of the game.
“Yes . . . this really did happen in the year 2017 . . . LOL!”
Jess Rubenstein, the prospect editor for Blueshirt Bulletin, was working the game and posted this on Facebook:
“Congrats to the CW 32 for having hockey's version of the Heidi Bowl tonight. They left the broadcast of the Winterhawks game at 10 PM while the GAME WAS STILL GOING ON.
“Don't they have engineers watching their broadcasts to avoid screw ups like this? One of the most exciting games the Winterhawks played this season and their viewers missed out on the ending.
“They owe their viewers a major apology.”
Oh well, at least the TV station didn’t go to Heidi. Instead, it was time for the news.
BTW, the Winterhawks won the game when F Alex Overhardt scored the only goal of a seven-round shootout. Portland has won seven in a row; Seattle had a seven-game winning streak end.
In fairness to the TV station involved, the game was 15 minutes late in starting, due to a glass problem. There also was a promotion involving mascots that ran long. In the end, the game didn’t end until 10:14 p.m.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes spent the weekend honouring the team that won the WHL championship in the spring of 1997.
The Hurricanes put a cap on the celebration with a 3-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. F Tyler Wong gave the home boys a 1-0 lead with his 38th goal at 10:02 of the first period. The Hurricanes, with G Stuart Skinner making 31 stops, nursed that until wrapping it up with two empty-net goals.
The Warriors took 52 of the game’s 92 penalty minutes, with 74 of those coming in the last 19 seconds of the third period. Referees Clayton Hall and Derek Zalaski doled out 10 fighting majors at 19:41, then added two more when Moose Jaw D Jett Wood and Lethbridge F Jordy Bellerive scrapped at the final buzzer. 
Even if there aren’t any suspensions out of this mess, you can bet there will be some ch-ch-ching going into the WHL’s coffers.
Lost in all the commotion is that the Hurricanes have points in 13 straight games (11-0-2).
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A FEW OTHER WEEKEND NOTES: 

G Carter Hart put up his WHL-leading seventh shutout in a 1-0 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
TURNER OTTENBREIT
That is a single-season high for Hart, who now has 17 career shutouts. Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald pointed out that Silvertips F Connor Dewar missed the first game of his WHL career. He had played in 132 straight regular-season and playoff games. . . . In Portland, D Turner Ottenbreit of the Seattle Thunderbirds played in his 200th regular-season game. Ottenbreit was selected by the Saskatoon Blades with the second-last player selected in the 2012 bantam draft; in fact, he was the last 1997-born player taken in that draft. . . . The Winterhawks took D Blake Heinrich, a 1995-born player, with the draft’s final selection. He played 132 games with Portland over two seasons. . . . The host Winterhawks beat the Thunderbirds, 4-3 in a shootout. That was Portland’s fourth game in five nights — the Winterhawks won them all. . . . Portland F Alex Overhardt, who scored the shootout winner on Saturday, was taken five selections before Ottenbreit. Overhardt was playing in his 184th game. . . .   
The Kelowna Rockets beat the host Prince George Cougars, 5-1, giving them a weekend sweep. The Rockets had won, 3-2, on Friday. The Rockets are healthy for about the first time this season. They got two goals from each of Nick Merkley and Reid Gardiner, as they proved that they definitely are a contender for at least a B.C. Division title. . . . Gardiner has 12 points, including six goals, in nine games since joining the Rockets from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. . . . In Regina, the Pats ran their winning streak to eight games with a 7-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. The visitors may have known they were in for a tough night when F Colton Kehler took an unsportsmanlike conduct minor before the game started. Yes, the Pats scored on the PP. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers escaped from Spokane with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. Kamloops G Connor
CONNOR INGRAM
Ingram made 30 saves as the Blazers went 3-2-2 in a stretch of seven straight away from home. Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 15:39 of the third period with his guys down a goal. . . . At game’s end, Kamloops head coach Don Hay had 710 regular-season victories, with Spokane’s Don Nachbaur at 686. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen of the Swift Current Broncos continued his terrific season with two goals in a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. He’s got 39 goals, one off the league lead held by Moose Jaw F Jayden Halbgewachs. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Matt Bradley had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers snuck past the Tri-City Americans, 6-5. Bradley’s 25th goal gave the visitors a 6-4 lead at 19:29 of the third period. That goal turned into the winner when Tri-City F Vladislav Lukin got No. 24 at 19:56. . . . On their way home from the Spokane, the Tigers had to stop in Cranbrook and wait for the Crowsnest Pass to open after it, like a lot of B.C. and southern Alberta, was hit by a huge snowfall. The Tigers are hoping to leave Cranbrook today (Monday) around noon. . . . The host Victoria Royals beat the Calgary Hitmen, 4-1, as G Griffen Outhouse stopped 30 shots in winning for a WHL-leading 29th time. Outhouse is 47-19-7 in 75 appearances over two seasons. The Royals have won four in a row.
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Back in the day, when I was in my second go-round at the Brandon Sun and covering the Wheat Kings, one of the players I most enjoyed watching and chatting with was Kelly Glowa, who once enjoyed a 10-point game. . . . These days, he’s a husband with three beautiful daughters. He’s 53 and still playing hockey, now with the Boissevain Border Kings of the Tigers Hills Hockey League. . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun has more on Glowa right here.
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Duncan Krier was living a life of virtual anonymity as an account manager with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks until his name surfaced at the Super Bowl in Houston. When Atlanta Falcons centre Alex Mack, who is a great offensive lineman, was asked to name the greatest high school football player he has seen, he came up with “Duncan Krier.” . . . Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times then came up with this piece right here. Yes, it’s well worth your time.
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Meanwhile, in Victoria, the WHL team there changed head coaches for the FOURTH time this season. Oh wait! That was in 1990.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:52 PM
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Saturday, November 26, 2016

Blazers waive d-man ... Rebels acquire forward from Blades ... Tigers' win streak at eight

The Kamloops Blazers have placed D Shaun Dosanjh on 20-year-old waivers. The Blazers had to make a move because D Dallas Valentine, 20, returned Friday after missing 19 games with an elbow injury. . . . Dosanjh started the season with the Prince George Cougars, but lost out in the 20-year-old game there, too. . . . In 18 games with the Blazers, he had a goal and three assists. . . . “I thought Shaun was really good for us,” Kamloops head coach Don Hay said. “He’s a real good person. He worked hard here and he really helped our young guys. . . . We’ve had a couple of teams call about him.” . . . The Blazers’ other 20-year-olds are F Collin Shirley and F Matt Revel.
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Cameron Hausinger, 17, from the Saskatoon Blades for two bantam draft picks — a seventh-rounder in 2017 and a fifth-rounder in 2018. . . . Hausinger, from Anchorage, has three assists in 20 games with the Blades this season. In 78 career games, he has six goals and eight assists. . . . Hausinger was a seventh-round selection by the Blades in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . He made his Rebels’ debut last night by scoring two goals against the visiting Kootenay Ice.
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The Prince George Cougars have dropped two defencemen from their roster. Jonas Harkins, who will turn 16 on Dec. 26, will play for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League, while Cole Moberg, 16, will join that league’s Vancouver Northwest Giants. . . . Harkins was a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He was pointless in one game with Prince George. He already has played 10 games with the major midget team, also going pointless. Harkins is the son of Prince George general manager Todd Harkins and a younger brother of Cougars F Jansen Harkins. . . . Moberg had one goal in three games with Prince George. Earlier in the season, he had five goals and two assists in eight games with the Giants. . . . The Cougars now are carrying 24 players, including 15 forwards and seven defencemen.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, the Moose Jaw Warriors built up a 4-1 second-period lead and hung on to beat the Hitmen, 5-
JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS
4. . . . D Vladislav Yeryomenko scored his first goal, on a PP, to give Calgary a 1-0 lead at 8:22 of the first period. . . . The Warriors took control with four goals in 6:53 in the middle part of the second period. . . . F Brayden Burke (5) scored his first goal with Moose Jaw since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 5:37. F Nikita Popugaev got his 18th goal at 8:39. F Brett Howden, back after a 10-game absence, scored his 10th at 10:06. F Jayden Halbgewachs made it 4-1 at 12:20. . . . Calgary F Carsen Twarynski (7) scored shorthanded, at 17:34 to cut the deficit to 4-2. . . . Halbgewachs, who has 17 goals, counted again at 1:46 of the third. . . . The Hitmen made it a one-goal game when F Jakob Stukel (6), on a PP, at 9:35 and F Andrew Fyten (2), at 12:44, found the range. . . . Moose Jaw got three assists from F Tanner Jeannot, while Howden and F Noah Gregor had two apiece. Popugaev, Burke and Halbgewachs added one each. . . . F Jordy Stallard had two assists for Calgary, with Stukel and Fyten getting one each. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 36 shots for the Warriors, while Calgary’s Cody Porter turned aside 16. . . . The Hitmen were 2-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-2. . . . The Warriors now are 14-5-4, while Calgary (8-11-2) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 9,945, the largest crowd for the Hitmen this season.
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At Everett, F Matt Fonteyne broke a 2-2 tie with a PP goal at 13:51 of the second period and the
MATT FONTEYNE
Silvertips went on to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . F Connor Dewar (2) gave Everett a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 4:35 of the first period and D Lucas Skrumeda (2) made it 2-0 at 8:46. . . . The Oil Kings pulled even on goals from F Lane Bauer, his 13th, at 6:25 of the second period and F Branden Klatt (3), on a PP, at 11:34. . . . F Davis Koch assisted on both Edmonton goals. . . . Fonteyne’s sixth goal stood up as the winner. . . . Everett got insurance from F Orrin Centazzo (3) at 14:25 of the second and F Bradly Goethals (1), on a PP, at 6:21 of the third period. . . . D Noah Juulsen and F Brian King each had two assists for the winners. . . . G Mario Petit blocked 23 shots for Everett, while G Patrick Dea stopped 22 for Edmonton. . . . Everett was 2-6 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-7. . . . The Silvertips (17-3-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Oil Kings (10-13-2) have lost three in a row. . . . Everett head coach Kevin Constantine was given the ol’ heave-ho at 17:51 of the third period. Ch-ch-ching! . . . Announced attendance: 4,178.
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At Kamloops, F Adam Brooks had a goal and two assists but it was the goaltenders who stole the show as the Regina Pats beat the Blazers, 3-0. . . . G Tyler Brown earned the shutout with 37 saves. Brown,
TYLER BROWN
who is 10-2-2 this season, has one shutout this season and three in his career. He gave up three goals in the first period of a 5-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday — the other two goals were empty-netters — so has gone five periods without allowing a score. . . . At the other end, Connor Ingram blocked 32 shots. Fred Brathwaite, Hockey Canada’s goaltending consultant, was in the house watching Ingram again. . . . “Our goaltender was good,” Kamloops head coach Don Hay said. “Their’s was really good.” . . . Regina F Austin Wagner used his speed to get to a loose puck and ended up scoring the first goal, his 11th, at 17:05 of the second period. His shot from the high slot through traffic got through without Ingram seeing it. . . . Wagner was the best skater on the ice and would have had at least three goals if not for Ingram’s catching mitt. . . . Brooks (9) and D Sergey Zborovskiy (3) later scored empty-net goals. . . . Brooks, the WHL’s reigning scoring champion, has at least one point in the 16 games in which he has played this season. He has 36 points, including 27 assists. . . . Regina D Chad Harrison had his 16-game point streak come to an end. . . . FYI: F Jeremy Bracco of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers is riding a 21-game point streak. . . . Regina was 0-1 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-8. . . . F Sam Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, was among Regina’s scratches. He suffered a shoulder injury during a 5-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday night. That means that Steel’s appearance in Kamloops as a 16-year-old two seasons ago is likely to have been his only game there. A first-round selection by the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL’s 2016 draft, you can bet he won’t be back in the WHL for his 20-year-old season (2018-19), which is when the Pats next would visit Kamloops. . . . The Blazers had D Dallas Valentine, 20, back after he missed 19 games with an elbow injury. . . . The Pats (17-2-3) are 2-2-0 in a B.C. Division tour that concludes tonight against the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Blazers (14-12-1) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,653.
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At Lethbridge, F Jordy Bellerive broke a 3-3 tie at 18:27 of the third period to give the Hurricanes a 4-3
JORDY BELLERIVE
victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hurricanes actually led 3-1 before the game was 13 minutes old. . . . F Colton Kroeker (3) and F Ryley Lindgren (10) scored for the Hurricanes at 2:42 and 5:38 of the first period, with F Tyler Steenbergen getting his 19th for the Broncos at 10:01. . . . F Egor Babenko (6) restored the home team’s two-goal lead at 12:30. . . . Swift Current F Ryan Graham pulled his guys even with goals at 19:30 of the first and 4:21 of the second. . . . He’s got five goals and four assists in three games with Swift Current since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Bellerive won it with his sixth goal. . . . Lethbridge got two assists from Kord Pankewicz, a defenceman by trade who played up front in this one, while Bellerive and Lindgren each had one. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner made 22 saves. . . . Broncos starter Travis Child was beaten three times on 18 shots in 12:30. Taz Burman came on in relief and stopped 24 of 25. That included stopping Babenko on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Broncos were 2-4 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 1-7. . . . Lethbridge (10-11-3) has won three in a row. . . . The Broncos (13-8-6) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,389.
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At Portland, F Skyler McKenzie scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Victoria
SKYLER McKENZIE
Royals. . . . McKenzie has 31 points, including 15 goals, in 25 games. In his first two seasons, he totalled 41 points, including 12 goals, in 133 games. . . . McKenzie broke a 1-1 tie with his first goal, at 18:49 of the first period, then added an empty-netter 1t 19:59 of the third. . . . F Matt Phillips scored his 16th goal of the season for the Royals. . . . F Colton Veloso (6) gave Portland a 3-1 edge with a PP goal 59 seconds into the second period. . . . The Royals got to within one when F Regan Nagy (6) got a PP marker at 13:40 of the third. . . . F Keegan Iverson had two assists for Portland. He has 30 points, including 20 assists, in 23 games. Last season, he finished with 29 points, 18 of them assists, in 55 games. . . . F Spencer Gerth, acquired by Victoria from the Everett Silvertips earlier in the week, made his Royals debut and picked up an assist. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 33 shots to earn the victory. . . . Victoria got 39 saves from Griffen Outhouse. . . . Victoria was 1-6 on the PP; Portland was 1-7. . . . The Winterhawks lost D Keoni Teixeira at 1:47 of the third period with a major for checking to the head and a game misconduct. . . . The Winterhawks (12-12-1) are 4-0-1 in their past five games. . . . The Royals now are 14-10-2. . . . Announced attendance: 5,305.
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At Prince Albert, F Max Gerlach scored once and added two assists to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a
MAX GERLACH
7-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Tigers (19-5-1) have won eight in a row. . . . The Raiders (5-18-1) have dropped seven straight. . . . The Raiders scored the game’s first three goals, taking control as F Mark Rassell (15) made it 2-0 while shorthanded 25 seconds into the second period, and then going ahead 3-0 on a PP goal from F Steve Owre (6) at 4:00. . . . Gerlach has 15 goals. . . . F Matt Bradley added a goal (14) and an assist for the visitors, while D David Quenneville had two assists. . . . G Duncan McGovern turned aside 22 shots for the Tigers, losing his shutout bid to F Cole Fonstad at 4:30 of the second period. . . . G Nic Sanders started for the Raiders and gave up five goals on 17 shots. Ian Scott played the final 24:54, stopping 12 of 14. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 2,289.
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At Red Deer, F Brandon Hagel scored three teams as the Rebels dumped the Kootenay Ice, 9-2. . . . The
BRANDON HAGEL
Ice had beaten the visiting Rebels 6-5 in a shootout on Wednesday night. . . . Hagel has 12 goals. He opened the scoring at 11:49 of the first period, made it 3-0 at 7:49 of the second and completed the hat trick at 9:01 of the third. . . . F Cam Hausinger, acquired earlier in the day by the Rebels from the Saskatoon Blades, scored his first two goals of the season. . . . D Colton Bobyk and F Michael Spacek each had two assists for Red Deer, with D Jared Freadrich and F Jordan Roy each picking up a goal and an assist. Each has two goals this season. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 27 shots for the winners. . . . Kootenay starter Payton Lee gave up eight goals on 42 shots. Jakob Walter came on in relief to stop seven of eight. . . . Red Deer was 1-6 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . The Rebels (12-10-4) are 2-0-1 in their last three games. . . . The Ice now is 5-14-6. . . . The Rebels were without F Evan Polei, who served a one-game suspension after taking a charging major on Wednesday in Cranbrook. . . . Announced attendance: 4,500.
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At Saskatoon, F Braylon Shmyr scored two goals as the Blades skated to a 3-2 victory over his former
BRAYLON SHMYR
club, the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Shmyr was dealt to the Blades on Jan. 4, along with D Colton Waltz, for D Mitchell Wheaton, D Schael Higson and a second-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Shmyr, who has nine goals, gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk upped the lead to 2-0 with his seventh goal at 7:10 of the second period. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it on second-period goals from F Tyler Coulter (10) at 7:43 and D Schael Higson (2) at 16:49. . . . The game appeared headed to OT when Shmyr won it at 19:18 of the third period. . . . Shynkaruk assisted on the winner. . . . G Logan Flodell earned the victory with a 31-save performance. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson turned aside 25 shots. . . . Brandon was 0-1 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-2. . . . The Blades (10-15-1) had lost their previous four games. . . . The Wheat Kings (12-9-3), who beat the visiting Blades twice last weekend, have lost two in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings swept a doubleheader from the visiting Blades last weekend — 8-1 and 6-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,929.
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At Spokane, F Jaret Anderson-Dolan and F Hudson Elynuik each scored three goals and F Keanu
KEANU YAMAMOTO
Yamamoto drew six assists to help the Chiefs to a 10-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The record for most assists in one game *(8) was set by F Brian Sakic of the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 3, 1990, in a 19-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Elynuik also had two assists, while Anderson-Dolan had one. . . . Elynuik, who has nine goals, gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 5:08 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Ty Ronning (8) tied the score at 7:42. . . . F Hayden Ostir scored his third goal at 15:45, giving Spokane a 2-1 lead and the Chiefs were off to the races. . . . D Tyson Helgesen and D Dalton Hamaliuk had two assists each for Spokane. . . . The Chiefs remain without injured F Kailer Yamamoto. . . . G Jayden Sittler made 22 saves for Spokane. . . . Vancouver starter David Tendeck allowed four goals on 12 shots in 22:52. Ryan Kubic came on to stop 11 of 17. . . . Spokane was 5-7 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Chiefs (10-8-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Giants (10-16-0) have lost four straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,867.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Mathew Barzal drew three assists as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the host Tri-
MATHEW BARZAL
City Americans, 5-2. . . . The Thunderbirds took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Nolan Volcan (10) just 43 seconds in and F Sami Moilanen (6) at 19:00. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (10) pulled the Americans to within a goal at 1:14 of the second period, but Seattle got that one back just 1:23 later when D Ethan Bear scored his sixth goal. . . . Tri-City D Juuso Valimaki’s 10th goal, at 10:48, made it a one-goal game again. . . . Seattle put it away with two third-period goals, from F Keegan Kolesar, who got his first goal at 12;32, and F Ryan Gropp, who scored his fourth, on a PP, at 16:57. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Scott Eansor, while Bear and Volcan each had one. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu had an assist to run his point streak to 11 games. . . . G Matt Berlin got the victory with 23 saves. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 26 shots for the Americans. . . . Each team was 1-4 on the PP. . . . Seattle (12-9-2) is third in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Americans with three games in hand. . . . The Americans (15-9-2) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,691.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Prince George at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Swift Current vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Edmonton at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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