F Milan Jurik (Prince Albert, 2006-07) has signed a one-year extension with Mulhouse (France, Division 1). This season, in 23 games, he had nine goals and 12 assists. . . .
F Michal Pšurný (Medicine Hat, Kootenay, 2005-06) has signed a one-year contract with Mulhouse (France, Division 1). This season, with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier), he had 19 goals and 34 assists in 41 games.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
Tyler Coulter scores 51 secs into OT. @bdnwheatkings down Calgary 3-2 to take 2-0 lead in @TheWHL East Final. #bdnmb pic.twitter.com/BpuGMMpyAm
— Bruce Luebke (@wheatkingsvoice) April 26, 2015
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For whatever reason, there was recent speculation that Mike Johnston, the former GM and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, was on the hot seat as his first season as head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins wound down. Well, Pittsburgh was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the New York Rangers on Friday night, and the Penguins quickly gave Johnston a vote of confidence. . . . Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more right here.
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The U.S. beat Canada 7-2 in one semifinal game at the IIHF U-18 World championship in Zug, Switzerland, on Saturday. . . . Canada, which finished third a year ago, will play Switzerland for bronze today, while the U.S. will meet Finland in the championship game. . . . F Auston Matthews, whose WHL rights belong to the Everett Silvertips, had two goals for the U.S. Boston University F Jack Eichel, who is expected to be the second overall selection in the NHL’s 2015 draft in June, had 10 points, including five goals, in seven games at this tournament last season. Matthews has 14 points, eight of them goals, in six games this time around.
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The Telus Cup, for Canada’s midget AAA championship, will be decided today when the Grenadiers de Châteauguay meet the Toronto Young Nationals in the final in Riviere-du-Loup, Que. . . . Interestingly, the Grenadiers’ head coach is Steve Hartley, the son of Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley, who is busy with the Stanley Cup playoffs these days. Steve is in his first season with the Grendadiers. He was an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads when they won the 2013 Memorial Cup. . . . F Owen Sillinger of the Regina Pat Canadians, who lost out in a semifinal, was the tournament’s leading scorer, top forward and MVP. He is the son of former NHLer/WHLer Mike Sillinger.
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Almost two years have gone by since Jordan Chartier of Saskatoon, who had yet to see his 24th birthday, jumped out of a speeding vehicle and died. Chartier’s family, along with friends, including Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, are helping a mental-health program called the Neural Health Project that has been launched in Saskatoon. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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During his NHL career, Mike Peluso was an enforcer. As such, he suffered numerous concussions. . . . “At no time in my NHL career did anyone — a doctor, trainer, coach or league representative — ever tell me that I could be at risk for seizures or other long-term neurological diseases and disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s,” he writes in Saturday’s Globe and Mail. “I loved playing hockey, but wish someone had sat us all down to have an honest conversation about how our brains would feel years into the future.” . . . Peluso’s first-person piece is right here.
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Congrats @OBjorkstrand on player of the year! And a little #tbt of me getting 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct😂 pic.twitter.com/WXntXN0BCE
— Brendan Leipsic (@28LEIP) April 23, 2015
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Bowles, who leads the Americans in assists (31) and points (44), suffered an injury to his left shoulder during a 3-0 loss in Kamloops on Feb. 9. Cochrane, who is from Kamloops, was acquired from the Everett Silvertips at the trade deadline in January. He also has a shoulder injury. . . . As well, G Evan Sarthou has an undisclosed injury that may end his season. “We need more analysis by the doctors before we know for sure (on Sarthou),” Tri-City general manager Bob Tory told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “It would be nice to have two healthy goalies going into the playoffs. (Cochrane) was just starting to feel comfortable here, then he got hurt in the Medicine Hat game. It wasn’t a hard hit, but he was in an awkward position. It’s one of those years. It’s part of hockey and you have to fight through it. Hopefully the guys get hungry. They need to stick together and compete as a group.”
In Victoria, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . F Jack Rodewald got the Warriors rolling when he scored his 26th goal of the season 1:30 into the first period. . . . Former Victoria F Axel Blomqvist added his 22nd at 2:01, with Rodewald getting the lone assist, and F Tanner Eberle made it 3-0 with his 30th at 1:53 of the second. . . . The Royals twice got to within a goal but weren’t able to equalize. . . . Moose Jaw F Jiri Smejkal’s 10th goal, at 10:42 of the third, provided a 4-2 lead and stood as the winner. . . . Warriors F Brayden Point had two assists. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll had one assist and set the Victoria franchise record for most points in a single season. He’s got 68. F Brandon Magee set the previous record (67) last season. . . . The Chilliwack/Victoria franchise record (101) is held by F Mark Santorelli (2007-08). He won the WHL scoring title that season. . . . Victoria was without D Ryan Gagnon. He served a one-game suspension for having incurred his third game misconduct of the season against host Seattle on Sunday. . . . The Royals were playing their fourth game in 90 hours. . . . The Royals, who are second in the B.C. Division, are at home to the first-place Kelowna Rockets on Friday and Saturday. . . .Moose Jaw improved to 23-30-4, while Victoria slipped to 32-22-4. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Riley Sheen scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Scott Feser scored his 11th goal of the season for Red Deer at 3:23 of the second period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro tied it with his 10th goal, on a PP, at 16:42 of the second. . . . The Raiders shot first but failed to scored in the shootout, so Sheen’s second-round goal stood as the winner. . . . Rebels G Rylan Toth stopped 29 shots, three more than Prince Albert’s Rylan Parenteau. . . . The Rebels had Trevor Martin on the bench in support of Toth. Martin, who came over from the Saskatoon Blades in a January deal, has been with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. The Red Deer Advocate reports that Martin is expected to start tonight in Saskatoon. Taz Burman, who didn’t dress last night, is scheduled to be on the bench tonight. . . . The Rebels remain without F Conner Bleackley, their captain, who is out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Raiders continue to play without F Kris Schmidli, who is out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Rebels (29-18-9) are 3-4-3 in their last 10. . . . The Raiders (23-32-3) have lost two straight (1-0-1). . . . Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has a game story 
In Lethbridge, F Matt Alfaro scored two goals and set up another to help the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Alfaro, who equaled a single-game career high with three points, has nine goals. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s first two goals and took a 2-1 lead into the third period. The Ice put it away with three goals in the first 7:08 of the third. . . . F Tim Bozon tied a franchise record with a goal eight seconds into the third. D Steve McCarthy had set the record on Dec. 18, 1998, at Red Deer. . . . Bozon has 26 goals. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two assists for the Ice, with D Troy Murray scoring his third goal and adding an assist. . . . F Mike Winther had two goals for Lethbridge, giving him 11, and F Ryley Lindgren drew two assists. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 17 shots, 16 fewer than Jayden Sittler of the Hurricanes. . . . The Ice (29-27-2) has points in its last two (1-0-1) . . . The Hurricanes (18-33-6) are 6-4-0 in their last 10. . . . 
In Calgary, G Brendan Burke turned aside 29 shots to help the Hitmen to a 4-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Hitmen got two second-period goals, from F Connor Rankin, his 27th, at 6:54, and F Radel Fazleev, his 17th, at 10:30. . . . F Steve Owre got his 15th goal, on a PP, at 18:56. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini added insurance with his 40th goal 23 seconds into the third. . . . F Chase Lang hit an empty net for his 23rd goal at 18:31. . . . With G Marek Langhamer fighting the flu, G Nick Schneider made his second straight start for the Tigers. He stopped 23 shots. . . . The Tigers were without F Trevor Cox, the WHL’s scoring leader, for a second straight game. He was hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension for a boarding incident against visiting Calgary on Saturday. Calgary F Kenton Helgesen, the victim of that hit, didn’t play last night. . . . The Hitmen will play their next 11 games on the road as the Canadian men’s curling championship takes over their home building. . . . Calgary will play five games in the U.S. Division and then go into B.C. for three. . . . While Calgary has won 11 of 12, the Tigers have lost eight of 10. As a result, the Hitmen (34-18-5) have closed to within four points of the Central Division-leading Tigers (37-19-3). . . . The Hitmen went 3-3-0 in the season series; the Tigers finished 3-2-1.
In Kennewick, Wash., F Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and three assists as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Tri-City Americans, 5-1. . . . Bjorkstrand’s 40th goal, at 2:50 of the first period, gave Portland a 2-0 lead and stood up as the winner. . . . F Paul Bittner, who scored twice, had opened the scoring 27 seconds into the game. He’s got 24 goals. . . . F Nic Petan added his 11th goal and two assists for the Winterhawks. . . . F Tyler Sandhu scored his 13th goal for the Americans, getting it on the PP at 8:31 of the first. . . . Portland G Adin Hill made 24 saves in his 20th straight start. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie turned aside 45 shots. . . . The Americans, who revealed this week that F Parker Bowles and D Carter Cochrane won’t play again this season, lost D Brandon Carlo in the first period. He left after being struck in the head by a puck and didn’t return. . . . Also missing from Tri-City’s lineup was F Richard Nejezchleb (undisclosed injury). . . . Portland has won the first six games of the 10-game season series. . . . The Winterhawks (33-20-4) are 2-0-1 in their last three. . . . The Americans (26-29-3) have lost three in a row.
In Red Deer, F Chase Witala scored at 1:15 of OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . Witala, who also had an assist, has 28 goals. . . . F Jeff de Wit scored his third goal of the season for the home side at 12:37 of the first period. . . . F Kody McDonald pulled the Cougars even with his sixth goal at 4:14 of the second and F Zach Pochiro got his 13th, at 16:46, for a 2-1 lead. . . . Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell forced OT with his 17th goal, via the PP, at 2:54 of the third. . . . Prince George G Tavin Grant stopped 40 shots, 17 more than Red Deer’s Taz Burman. . . . Pochiro, who scored twice in a win in Medicine Hat on Friday, had an assist, too, while F Jansen Harkins had two of them. . . . The Cougars (23-32-4) are 2-0-1 in their last three and have points in five of six. . . . The Rebels (28-18-9) have lost four in a row. They lead the WHL in loser points. . . . 
In Kamloops, F Tyler Soy scored twice and set up another to lead the Victoria Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . F Matt Needham got the Blazers on the board first, scoring his 19th goal at 5:53 of the first period. . . . The Royals scored the nest four goals, with Soy getting two of them. He’s got 23 goals in his sophomore season. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll also scored twice, giving him 32. Soy, now with 52 points in 53 games, drew an assist on the second of those. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts, playing his 150th career regular-season game, had three assists. He now has 101 career points, including 80 assists. . . . F Cole Ully had two assists for Kamloops. He’s got 73 points in 55 games. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase had two assists. . . . The Royals lead the season series 4-2-1 (the Blazers are 3-3-1). Victoria will be back in Kamloops on Feb. 27 to conclude the series. . . . The Royals had an 18-4 edge in shots in the first period and led 42-32 at game’s end. . . . Victoria head coach Dave Lowry turned 50 on Saturday. He had 35 points, including 18 goals, in 79 games with the 2000-01 Calgary Flames. Kamloops head coach Don Hay was the Flames’ head coach for the first 68 games that season, before he was replaced by Greg Gilbert. . . . The Royals (31-21-4) are a comfortable second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Blazers (22-30-6) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Kelowna, G Jake Morrissey stopped 28 shots to help the Rockets to a 6-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . It was Morrissey’s first career shutout. . . . F Tyson Baillie and F Leon Draisaitl each had two goals and two assists. . . . Baillie reached the 200-point plateau for his career. He has 202 points, including 92 goals, in 244 games. . . . Baillie, who has 34 goals, had been out since Feb. 7 thanks to a headshot from Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield, who sat out Game 3 of a four-game suspension last night. . . . Draisaitl has 27 points, including nine goals, in 17 games since joining the Rockets from the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . D Riley Stadel and F Dillon Dube each had two assists. . . . The Rockets (44-9-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Warriors (22-30-4) are eight points out of a playoff spot with 16 games remaining. . . .
In Everett, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the only two goals of the shootout as they beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal forced OT with his 11th goal at 19:35 of the third period. . . . F Scott Eansor had given Seattle a 1-0 lead with his eighth goal, on the PP, at 9:08 of the first. . . . Everett took the lead on PP goals by F Patrick Bajkov, his 21st, at 8:42 of the second, and F Remi Laurencelle, his 18th, at 2:21 of the third. . . . Barzal and F Donovan Neuls had the shootout goals. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 25 shots through OT, one more than Everett’s Carter Hart. . . . Everett was 2-for-4 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-3. . . . The Thunderbirds (29-20-7) are 2-0-1 in their last three. . . . Everett (35-16-6) has points in its last four (2-0-2). . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., the Vancouver Giants moved back into third place in the B.C. Division with a 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Giants F Alex Baer scored his 12th goal just 47 seconds into the game and the visitors never were headed. . . . F Zack Jones got his 27th goal and F Carter Popoff his 23rd for Vancouver. . . . Baer and Jones each added an assist, too. . . . F Jakob Stukel had two assists for the winners, while F Jackson Houck scored his 18th goal and had an assist. . . . F Lucas Nickles got his 21st goal and had an assist for the Americans. . . . Vancouver now is 24-30-3, while the Americans, who have lost two in a row, are 26-28-3.
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