The Calgary Hitmen have released F Brendan Hurley, 19, apparently at his request. Hurley, from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., had 12 points in 31 games after joining the Hitmen from the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings in October.
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The Spokane Chiefs will be gunning for the franchise’s 1,000th victory when they meet the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday. . . . The Chiefs entered the WHL with a 6-3 loss to the host Blazers on Oct. 4, 1985. The Chiefs actually led that one 3-0 at 5:24 of the first period. . . . The Chiefs will play the 2,000th game in franchise history on Feb. 10 when the Victoria Royals pay a visit.
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Former WHL D Mike McBain (Red Deer, 1993-97) has been sentenced to four to 15 years in prison on Wednesday in Las Vegas for sexually assaulting a girl over a four-year period. . . . There’s more right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . The fourth annual Hockey Hooky game -- it began at 11:30 a.m. -- drew 9,975 fans. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci scored his second goal and added an assist. A 17-year-old from Montrose, B.C., he has five points in 32 games. . . . F Sam Reinhart scored his 26th goal for the Ice. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin, who turns 18 today, stopped 39 shots. . . .

In Brandon, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Wheat Kings, 5-1. . . . Saskatoon F Michael Ferland, who was acquired from Brandon at the trade deadline, broke a 1-1 tie at 2:10 of the second period. It was Ferland’s third goal of the season. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Messier was the only one of eight circus shooters to score as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Pats, 3-2. . . . The Warriors scored twice in the first period; the Pats got two in the second. . . . Regina D Stephen Hak tied it with his second goal in 36 games at 18:43 of the second. . . . The Pats now have lost eight in a row. . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants unloaded a 57-shot barrage as they dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-1. . . . F Jackson Houck scored twice for Vancouver, giving him 17, while F Brendan Rouse had a goal, his ninth, and two assists. . . . Vancouver D Arvin Atwal scored his first WHL goal and also earned his first assist. They came in his 16th game, 11 of which he has played this season. He also was plus-3. . . . Vancouver G Jared Rathjen stopped 22 shots, losing his shutout when F Mark McNeill scored his 20th goal, via the PP, at 6:08 of the third. . . . Raiders G Luke Siemens went the distance, stopping 52 shots. . . .

In Swift Current, F Ryon Moser scored at 19:59 of the third period – there was 0.8 left on the clock – to gave the Broncos a 5-4 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Adam Lowry led the Broncos with his 33rd goal and three assists. . . . Moser has 15 goals this season. . . . Broncos F Levi Bews, who hadn’t played since Dec. 30 because of a leg injury, scored his 15th goal in 39 games. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart scored his 20th and 21st goals to give the Hitmen a 3-2 lead early in the second. . . . Lowry tied it at 12:30 of the second and D Richard Nedomlel gave the home side a 4-3 lead at 2:33 of the third. . . . Calgary D Alex Roach, with his second of the night and 13th of the season, put his side out front at 4:23. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., Tri-City F Justin Feser had three assists as he played in his 300th consecutive regular-season game and the Americans beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . Feser is riding the second-longest such streak in WHL history. The record (311) is held by D Dwayne Newman (Brandon, Victoria, 1987-92). . . . Feser drew assists on each of his club’s first three goals. . . . Tri-City G Luke Lee-Knight stopped 42 shots. . . . F Chase Witala scored both of Prince George’s goals, giving him 11. . . . The Americans lost F Tyson Dallman to an interference major and game misconduct at 10:08 of the first period. Prince George G Brett Zarowny was injured on the play and had to leave the game. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks gave up the game’s first two goals then roared back to beat the Kamloops Blazers, 5-2. . . . Earlier in the day, the Winterhawks appeared at No. 1 in the CHL’s weekly rankings, having unseated the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads by putting up three straight shutouts. . . . Portland F Nic Petan, the WHL’s leading scorer, broke a 2-2 tie at 5:20 of the third period. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters, in his 300th game, added insurance with a shorthanded goal at 15:20. . . . Petan had a goal, his 35th, and an assist, and was plus-3. He leads the WHL in assists (55) and points (90), and is tied for the goal lead with F Todd Fiddler of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic is second in points (85), with Kamloops F Colin Smith third, at 80. . . . Leipsic had a goal, his 33rd, and two assists. . . . Smith scored his 34th goal to give Kamloops a 2-0 lead at 16:24 of the first. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored once, running his points streak to 15 games. . . . The Blazers lost D Joel Edmundson to a headshot major and game misconduct in the first period. Portland F Adam (Samuel) De Champlain, who was the victim, didn't return to the game and was watching in street clothes in the second period.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Trent Ouellette, Regina
F Chase De Leo, Portland

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Joel Edmundson, Kamloops (major)
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From former Prince George Cougars captain Brock Hirsche (@bigsexytweet10), whose career is over due to shoulder problems: “Starting a new chapter in my life. Thank you so much Prince George for letting me live out my dream of playing in the Western Hockey League”

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The rights to another 20-year-old goaltender are on the move within the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks having claimed veteran Cam Lanigan off waivers from the Kamloops Blazers.
The move was confirmed Wednesday night by Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks' general manager and head coach.
Lanigan, who had been acquired by Kamloops from the Edmonton Oil Kings for goaltender Jon Groenheyde during 2010-11, went into training camp in August with the opportunity to be the Blazers' starter. However, Cole Cheveldave, then 18, won the job and kept it until he suffered a concussion during a second-round series with the Winterhawks.
Cheveldave went down in Game 2 as the Blazers lost 4-1 to fall behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Lanigan stepped in as the starter and the series went seven games, with Portland winning the last game, 2-0.
Lanigan becomes the second 20-year-old goaltender on the Portland roster, along with Mac Carruth. However, Carruth has signed with the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and could play in their organization.
The Winterhawks would seem to be looking for a veteran goaltender to provide support until Brendan Burke, 17, the son of former NHL goaltender Sean Burke, is ready to take over as No. 1.
Assuming Lanigan reports to camp with the Winterhawks, he will find other competition in Jarrod Schamerhorn, a 17-year-old from Kelowna who played last season with the junior B Golden Rockets, and Brendan Jensen, a 19-year-old from La Granada, Calif. Jensen has played in 40 WHL games, all of them with the Vancouver Giants, who dealt his rights to Portland in January. Jensen played most of last season with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints.
The Blazers, meanwhile, will go to camp with Cheveldave, 19, and Taran Kozun, 18, as their top two goaltenders.
The Blazers began last season with Cheveldave, Lanigan and Kozun on their roster. Early in the season, Kozun was sent to the SJHL's Nipawin Hawks.
There now have been five 20-year-old goaltenders change teams this season. Earlier this week, the Brandon Wheat Kings dealt Brandon Anderson's WHL rights to the Everett Silvertips. Earlier, Luke Siemens moved from the Moose Jaw Warriors to the Prince Albert Raiders, Ty Rimmer went from the Tri-City Americans to Lethbridge, and Brandon Glover was traded by the Calgary Hitmen to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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The Portland Winterhawks are back on the radio, having signed a multi-year deal (specifics not revealed) with KPAM 860 AM. According to a news release, the station will broadcast all regular-season and playoff games live, with exceptions when the Winterhawks play day games. . . . The deal also includes a weekly hour-long show on Northwest Sports Tonight that will include the taking of phone calls. . . . The team will continue to operate its Winterhawks Radio Network at winterhawks.com. According to a news release, "The Winterhawks Radio Network will continue to broadcast all games, along with exclusive interviews, podcasts and shows for fans eager for more team-related content 24 hours a day, seven days a week." . . . Todd Vrooman will be the play-by-play voice of the Winterhawks on KPAM.
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F Brendan Hurley, 19, has signed with the MJHL's Dauphin Kings. Hurley has played with the Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers. He was with the Ice when it won the WHL championshp in 2010-11. Hurley was the 15th overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . In 173 games, he had 24 points and 278 penalty minutes. . . . The Tigers acquired Hurley from the Ice in January for a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
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Geoff Grimwood has been named head coach of the junior B South Island Royals, who play in the Vancouver Island junior league. The franchise, formerly the South Island Thundebirds, has been renamed under a partnership deal with the WHL's Victoria Royals. . . . For the last two seasons, Grimwood was an assistant coach with the BCHL's Powell River Kings. . . . Under terms of the agreement with the WHL team, Victoria GM Cameron Hope said in a news release that "Geoff will also have a role with the Victoria Royals as a member of head coach Dave Lowry's staff."
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The Prince Albert Raiders D Tyler Hart and F Austin Bourhis, both of whom are 20 years of age. . . . Hart, who was acquired from the Vancouver Giants in September, had six points and 96 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Raiders. . . . Bourhis had nine assists and 274 penalty minutes in 112 games over two seasons with the Raiders. . . . Both players have cleared WHL waivers and are free agents.
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Brad Priestlay, a former WHL player (Portland, Prince Storm George, 2000-04) , has been named head coach of the junior B Kamloops of the Kootenay International junior league. Priestlay takes over from Geoff Smith, who has moved on after one season as head coach. Smith has taken a new job that won't allow him the time to work as the team's head coach.

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Defenceman Brady Gaudet of the Kamloops Blazers takes a back-door pass
from centre Colin Smith and hammers it past goaltender Kent Simpson
of the host Everett Silvertips on Wednesday night. The goal, Gaudet's first
of the season, gave the Blazers a 3-0 lead and they went on to a
3-2 victory.
(Photo by Christopher Mast / mastimages.com)

Fighting in hockey gets onto the front page of The New York Times and a debate breaks out:
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Bob Boughner, the president and head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, doesn’t want to see fighting taken out of the game, at least not at the major junior level. “We’re on a very, very dangerous slope,” Boughner told Jim Parker of the Windsor Star. “We’re preparing guys for the next level and if you toughen the rules and get rid of it (fighting) in the game, it would have to coincide with the NHL and AHL. If they’re not doing it, then you’re putting kids (looking to go pro) in a tough situation.”
That story is right here.
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Meanwhile, Mark Hunter, the head coach of the OHL’s London Knights, tells Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press that he realizes fighting in the game is on its last legs. "If you're asking me if I think fighting will be taken out of the game, I think it will,” Hunter said. "I think the rule will be something like, you fight, you are thrown out of the game and suspended for another game." Hunter went so far as to acknowledge the dangers of fighting. "People get hurt," Hunter said. "They get in fights and get concussions and get hit in the head and that's something we can't have."
You are able to read that piece right here.
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And then there is Dan Bernstein, a senior columnist at CBSChicago. com, who says sooner or later a light will shine into the caves and fighting will be gone. You are able to read his opinion right here.
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Don Hay, the head coach of the Vancouver Giants, doesn’t want to see fighting prohibited in the WHL. But, he told Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun, he would be all for it were the NHL to do away with it. That story is right here.
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Kris Dielman, a veteran offensive lineman with the San Diego Chargers, is expected to announce his retirement today. Dielman has played nine seasons in the NFL, all with San Diego, and is a four-time Pro Bowler. He is retiring because of a series of concussions, the latest of which resulted in his having a seizure on a flight back to San Diego after a game against the New York Jets.
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And now we get to the serious part. . . .
A friend in Spokane pointed me in the direction of a lengthy piece titled The Way We Play The Game that is in the Feb. 27 issue of Sports Illustrated. It was written by Karen S. Schneider, who is a hockey mom. Her son, Cade, is 14 and plays in Minnesota. In fact, as Schneider writes, Cade “grew up sakting with (Jack Jablonski) on the lakes around our homes.”
This is a devastating read about a hockey mom’s view of the game and all that is around it.
Whatever you do, don’t miss this read.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
(With a tip of the hat to @WHLFacts for some of the info that follows. If you are on Twitter and aren’t following, you should be.)
In Regina, F Chad Robinson’s seventh goal of the season stood up as the winner as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Pats, 3-2. . . . Robinson’s goal at 4:27 of the third period gave the visitors a 3-1 lead. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal got his 39th, via the PP, at 6:20 of the third. He also had an assist. . . . F Tyson Ness had a goal, his 17th, and an assist for Red Deer. His goal came 56 seconds into the second period. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 20 shots. . . . Due to injuries, the Rebels dressed just 16 skaters, including two forwards — Connor Bleakley and Dexter Bricker — who spent the season playing midget AAA. . . . Regina had D Brandon Davidson back after a three-game absence due to a sore neck. But the Pats lost F Matt Marantz to a leg injury in the first period. . . . The Pats missed a chance to move past the idle Saskatoon Blades and into sixth in the Eastern Conference. Instead, they remain a point behind Saskatoon and one up on the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Rebels, with nine games left, are eight points behind Brandon which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Prince Albert, F Juraj Bezuch and F Phil Tot scored in the circus to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 4-3 shootout victory over the Raiders. . . . The Raiders forced OT on goals by F Anthony Bardaro, his 30th at 7:37 of the second, and F Justin Maylan, his 23rd, at 18:08 of the third. . . . Lethbridge G Liam Liston stopped 30 shots, seven fewer than Cole Holowenko of the Raiders. . . . Bardaro scored twice for the Raiders and also had an assist. . . . F Graham Hood scored the game’s first two goals for Lethbridge. He has 14 this season. . . . Neither team will make the playoffs, but the Hurricanes now are seven points ahead of the last-place Raiders. (By the way, it’s apples and oranges, but, with 46 points, the Raiders would be tied for seventh in the Western Conference.) . . .

In Calgary, F Victor Rask scored twice on the PP to help the Hitmen to a 5-4 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Calgary was 4-6 on the PP. . . . Rask, who has 29 goals, also had an assist as he ran his point streak to seven games. . . . Calgary got a goal and two assists from F Spencer Humphries. . . . The Hitmen have won in two in a row and six of seven. . . . Humphries, who has seven goals, gave the Hitmen a 5-2 lead with a PP score at 7:28 of the the third period. . . . .D Richard Nedomlel, with his ninth, and F Christian Magnus, with his seventh, got the Broncos to within. . . . Magnus had two goals in his first game since Feb. 10. . . . The Hitmen are fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and three ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s first three goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . F T.J. Foster opened the scoring at 9:09 of the second period. . . . F Tyler Maxwell got his 37th at 1:40 of the third and F Jordan Peddle added his 10th at 8:54. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit, who stopped 32 shots, lost his shutout at 17:45 when F Max Reinhart got his 27th on a PP. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix had one assist in his 200th game. . . . G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 24 shots for the Ice. . . . The Ice has added F Luke Philp to its roster for the remainder of the season. He played this season with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles, putting up 46 points, including 30 assists, in 48 games. He was a third-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . The Oil Kings lead the Western Conference by six points over the Moose Jaw Warriors. Edmonton is two points behind the Tri-City Americans, who lead the overall standings. . . .

In Prince George, F Brendan Hurley broke a 1-1 tie at 9:29 of the second period and the Medicine Hat Tigers went on to beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . The Tigers clinched a playoff spot with the victory. . . . Hurley has five goals this season. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored three times, giving him 45 this season. He scored five times in the Tigers’ two-game sweep of the Cougars. . . . Medicine Hat F Dylan Bredo had an assist and was plus-4. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 32 shots, seven fewer than Drew Owsley of the Cougars. . . . Among the Tigers’ scratches was F Rhyse Dieno. Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News reports that Dieno has a separated shoulder and will be out for more than a month. . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference and are second in the Central Division, eight points behind Edmonton. . . . The Cougars have lost six in a row and remain 10th in the Western Conference. Still, they are only four points out of a playoff spot. . . .

In Everett, D Brady Gaudet’s first goal of the season stood up as the winner as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . The Blazers built up a 3-0 lead on goals by F Matt Needham, his 12th, and F Brendan Ranford, his 37th, in the first period. . . . Gaudet got his goal on a PP at 7:55 of the second. . . . Everett got close on goals by F Reid Petryk, his 14th, and F Josh Winquist, his 14th, but couldn’t equalize. Winquist scored shorthanded at 19:23 of the third. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 28 shots in earning his 31st victory. . . . The Blazers lost F Ryan Hanes with a leg injury in the third period. . . . Kamloops went 4-0-0 against Everett this season and now is 14-2-1 against U.S. Division teams. . . . Kamloops moved back into a tie with Portland for second in the Western Conference, one point behind Tri-City. . . . The Blazers lead the B.C. Division by 16 points over the Vancouver Giants, who have nine games left. . . . Everett is one point behind the eighth-place Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Victoria, F Liam Stewart scored two shorthanded goals to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-1 victory over the Royals. . . . The Chiefs had beaten the Royals 4-2 on Tuesday. . . .. Stewart scored his third shorthanded goal of the season to give his side a 2-0 lead at 15:15 of the second. He added his team-high fourth at 9:46 of the third. . . . Only five players in the WHL have more than four SH goals. . . . Stewart has 14 goals overall. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist points out that Stewart’s father — rock star Rod Stewart — opened Victoria’s Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in 2005. . . . A tip of the cap to Tom Grainger, the man who plays the music in Victoria. Dheensaw reports that the music of choice after each of Liam’s goals was, yes, Maggie May. . . . The Chiefs broke open a scoreless game with three second-period goals. . . . F Steven Kuhn had three assists for Spokane. . . . Chiefs G Mac Engel stopped 24 shots, losing his shutout when F Steven Hodges got his 20th goal at 12:52 of the third. . . . Victoria G Jared Rathjen stopped 30 shots in making his fifth straight start. . . . Spokane D Brendan Kitchton had a goal and an assist and was plus-4. He was plus-7 in the two games. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, one point behind Vancouver. . . . The Royals remain seventh, two points ahead of Seattle.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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JUST NOTES:
The Syracuse Crunch’s stint as the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks will end after this season. The Crunch has declined an option on the agreement with the Ducks after just two seasons. . . . Former Kootenay Ice head coach Mark Hollick is on the Crunch’s coaching staff. He was the head coach last season and to start this season, but now is an associate coach under associate head coach Trent Yawney. . . . Seems like there might be more associates there than in the local Walmart outlet. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed Sue Johnson, their education adviser, to a three-year contract extension. . . . She has been with the Winterhawks for more than 20 years but has taken on an expanded role since retiring from Milwaukie High School prior to 2010-11. . . .
How many WHL head coaches would be willing to start a 16-year-old goaltender and ride him and ride him and ride him? That’s what I thought. Well, in the QMJHL, Zachary Fucale of the Halifax Mooseheads has played in 49 consecutive games, including five at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. And he has put up 28 victories for the Mooseheads, to break the QMJHL record for a freshman goaltender. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has his story right here.
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Patrick King, who keeps an eye on major junior hockey for sportsnet.ca, takes a look right here at the Tri-City Americans and their connection to Winnipeg. It all started when general manager Bob Tory was scouting Jonathan Toews.

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Taylor Vause of the Swift Current Broncos, with the sweater that he designed.
(Photo courtesy of Swift Current Broncos)

ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Mr. Commissioner, do you read all the comments left by fans on the WHL’s Facebook page?
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The Swift Current Broncos will wear themed sweaters on Saturday when the Regina Pats came calling.
The sweaters were designed by Broncos captain Taylor Vause, who obviously is rather talented when it comes to graphic design, and remembers the four Broncos who died when the team’s bus crashed on Dec. 30, 1986.
Leading up to Saturday night, the Broncos will auction off the game-worn jerseys with all proceeds going to the team’s education fund.
Fans will be able to bid online (www.scbroncos.com) or by phone (306-773-1509) leading up to the game, or in the lobby of the Credit Union iPlex during the game. The bidding will start at $150 for each jersey, with additional bids accepted in $10 increments.
A live auction is scheduled to be held after the game. That auction will involve sweaters worn by Vause, Andy Blanke, Coda Gordon and Graham Black.

All of which allows me to plug a book that is to be published by Dundurn Press in November.
Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos tells the story of the team that survived that horrific bus accident and went on to win the 1989 Memorial Cup championship with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Blades in Saskatoon.
Yes, I was involved in writing the book, along with Leesa Culp, who happened to witness the accident, and Bob Wilkie, a defenceman who was on that bus and who also was on the Memorial Cup-winning team.
You may pre-order the book from right here at amazon.ca or McNally Robinson.
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Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s minister of justice, delivered something of a wakeup call on Tuesday morning by handing out 25 games in suspensions to four players.
D Brennan Yadlowski of the Everett Silvertips will watch for 10 games after receiving a game misconduct on Friday in Portland. “The player’s off-ice actions following removal from game in the third period were unacceptable,” read Doerksen’s written reasons.
F Brendan Hurley of the Medicine Hat Tigers and F Brett Lyon of the Kelowna Rockets each drew a six-game sentence for hits that left opponents concussed.
Hurley hit D Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday. The Blades have said Siemens is likely to be out 10 days. “The player checked the opponent, who was in a vulnerable position, from behind,” Doerksen wrote. “The opponent was injured on the play. The player has received several checking from behind penalties this season.”
Lyon delivered a check to the head of Cougars F Jarrett Fontaine on Friday in Prince George. “Primary contact was made to the head of a vulnerable player,” Doerksen wrote. “This is the third suspension the player has received in the past three seasons for this type of hit.”
Lyon was suspended under supplemental discipline as there wasn’t a penalty on the play. Neither Lyon nor Fontaine played in Saturday’s rematch in Prince George.
Finally, F Kristians Pelss of the Edmonton Oil Kings was suspended for three games for a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct against the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Friday.
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So . . . let us try and piece together the Yadlowski suspension.
As stated above, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, wrote: “The player’s off-ice actions following removal from game in the third period were unacceptable.”
Yadlowski was given a major and game misconduct at 19:41 of the third period. That was after a fight with F Jason Trott, who received an instigating minor, fighting major and game misconduct.
So what happened after that? Well, it seems that Yadlowski may have gone somewhere he wasn’t welcome.
Scott Sepich, a freelancer who follows the Winterhawks, tweeted: “Yadlowski apparently tried to enter Portland's dressing room, upset with Portland's Jason Trott, with whom he had just fought.”
There may be some truth to that as Portland F Taylor Peters, again via Twitter, offered his services as tour guide.
"If the guy wants a tour of the room all he has to do is ask,” Peters tweeted.
There were other tweets, too:
From Portland D Troy Rutkowski: “@BigBadYads keep the ginger rage down a bit sir #deepbreaths #gingersdohavesouls”
Yadlowski, 20, responded with “not a fan of getting jumped #classless."
Rutkowski and Yadlowski, by the way, are pals from Edmonton.
The Silvertips played the Royals in Victoria last night and Everett head coach Mark Ferner confirmed before the game that Yadlowski, indeed, had made his way into Portland’s dressing room.
“It was silly,” Ferner told Travis Huntington, the radio voice of the Silvertips, on the pregame show. “The game was over . . . (late in the game we were) 4 on 4, they sent over a player who maybe got three or four shifts. . . . (Yadlowski) said the kid jumped him. Yads took his skates off and ended up going in their dressing room.”
In Portland’s Memorial Coliseum, the dressing rooms are on opposite sides with an expanse of concrete between them. Thus, Yadlowski had to take off his skates to make the trek. He must have been one upset dude.
Of course, as always seems to happen in these instances, Doerksen had the last word.
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JUST NOTES:
The WHL held meetings in Las Vegas on the weekend, it being Super Bowl weekend and the Las Vegas WHL franchise and that city’s hotels needing the help that might be generated from holding meetings there. . . . You are free to visit the Las Vegas Sun’s website for coverage of the meetings. . . . If you don’t find any coverage, it will be because the WHL believes in that old saying that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. . . .
The hits just keep coming for the Red Deer Rebels. They now have lost F Colten Mayor, 18, for up to four weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Mayor, in his third season, has 38 points, including 14 goals, in 52 games this season. . . . He is from St. Alberta, Alta. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will be without D William Wrenn, their captain, for another couple of weeks. He suffered a broken bone in his right hand during a Jan. 28 game in Seattle. He should be back in two to three weeks. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie, who continues to lead the scoring race, took a rap on the head in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the visiting Vancouver Giants and hasn’t played since. He is listed on the WHL injury report as being out for another week with an “upper-body” injury. . . .
In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees dumped the host Chilliwack Chiefs 7-0 on Tuesday night to run their winning streak to a league-record 30 games. That broke the record of 29 they had shared with the 1989-90 New Westminster Royals. . . .
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, F Michael St. Croix broke a 1-1 tie at 7:42 of the third period and the Oil Kings went on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . F Sam Reinhart scored the game’s first goal, his 23rd, at 11:36 of the first, via the PP. . . . His brother, Griffin, got that one back for Edmonton at 17:52 of the second. . . . St. Croix got his 34th on the PP. . . . F Rhett Rachinski put it away with an empty-netter at 19:16. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart (foot) returned from a five-game absence. That meant all three Reinhart brothers were in the game, Sam and Max with the Ice and Griffin with the Oil Kings. . . . Griffin holds bragging rights as the Oil Kings have won three of four meetings this season. . . . Sam, who isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2014, has 23 goals. He is trying to become the first 16-year-old with 30 goals since F Brett Connolly scored 30 for the Prince George Cougars in 2008-09. Connolly was the first to do it since F Patrick Marleau scored 32 for the Seattle Thunderbirds in 1995-96. . . . The game was a rare midweek morning affair, with a start time of 11:30 a.m. Attendance was announced as 8,850. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 32 shots, six more than Edmonton’s Laurent Brossoit. . . . The Oil Kings pulled into a tie with the Tri-City Americans for second place in the overall standings. Both teams are two points behind the Kamloops Blazers. The Americans visit Kamloops tonight. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Cole Grbavac broke a 3-3 tie at 8:10 of the third period and the Tigers went on to a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 40 shots, including 15 in the first period and 17 in the second. . . . Grbavac, the Tigers’ captain, has nine goals. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his WHL-leading 49th goal on a PP at 17:49 of the third. He has 49 goals in 48 games. . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference and now are three points ahead of the Hitmen. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-for-3 on the PP. . . .

In Victoria, the Everett Silvertips climbed out of the Western Conference basement with a 3-2 victory over the Royals. . . . The Silvertips are three points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the conference’s eighth and final playoff spot, and five behind the seventh-place Royals. . . . The Silvertips play in Victoria again tonight. . . . F Cody Fowlie, with his ninth goal, and D Dominik Bittner, with his third, gave Everett a 2-0 lead late in the second period. . . . Victoria F Ben Walker scored his seventh at 5:24 of the third, but Everett F Ryan Harrison, with his 14th, got that one back at 11:41. . . . F Brandon Mageen got the home team to within one with his 19th goal at 19:12 of the third on the PP. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 29 shots. . . . The Silvertips had F Carson Stadnyk, an eighth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft, in their lineup for the first time. Stadnyk, who turned 17 yesterday, has 55 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. . . . Everett was without D Brennan Yadlowski, who was suspended for 10 games earlier in the day. In his absence, D Josh Caron had an ‘A’ on his sweater. . . . The Royals were without D Zach Habscheid (ankle), who was injured while unloading the team bus on Sunday and may be out for a while. Marc Habscheid, the Royals’ GM/head coach and Zach’s father, told the Victoria Times Colonist that “it’s not good . . . it might be the season.” . . . Habscheid said he has only had two games all season when he has had a healthy corps of defencemen. . . . Victoria did welcome back D Tyler Stahl, who hadn’t played since the fourth game of the season. He took a headshot from then-Prince George Cougars F Charles Inglis on Oct. 1 and has been out with a concussion. Inglis drew a 10-game suspension for the hit; he now is with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Stahl didn’t finish, however, and now is looking at a suspension. He took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Jordyn Boyd at 4:11 of the second period.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Trent Lofthouse, Everett.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave: “I just dropped my laptop off the boat...its a dell, rolling in the deep.”

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