Everett assistant heads to France ... Gardiner, Brooks OT heroes as Rockets, Pats even series

Brennan Sonne, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips, has signed as the head coach of Angers, a professional team in France. The Dukes of Angers play in the Ligue Magnus.

Sonne’s move was first reported by Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald on his blog.

Former Everett coaches Kevin Constantine and Jay Varady are both former Angers coaches and,

BRENNAN SONNE

according to a release on Angers’ website, both recommended Sonne for the position.

Sonne spent the past three seasons coaching with Constantine, who was told on Tuesday that his contract as the Silvertips’ head coach won’t be renewed. Sonne played parts of three seasons with the Silvertips while Constantine and Varady were on the team’s coaching staff.

Constantine was the head coach in Angers in 2010-11. Varady was the head coach there for two seasons (2011-12), before moving to Sioux City where he is the director of hockey operations and head coach of the USHL’s Musketeers. He recently was honoured as that league’s coach of the year.

Sonne had been on the Silvertips’ coaching staff since Aug. 18, 2014. From Maple Ridge, B.C., he played parts of three seasons (2005-08), totalling 106 games, with the Silvertips. He also played with the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings before spend three seasons with the UBC Thunderbirds.

Sonne began his coaching career at the Meco Hockey Academy in Hong Kong.

In Angers, Sonne replaces Jean-Francois Jodoin, who cited family reasons when he left the club following this season.

Sonne’s contract with the Silvertips was to expire on May 31.

As things now rest in Everett, assistant coach Mitch Love and goaltender coach Shane Clifford remain under contract through the end of May. The future of both men with the organization may well depend on the new head coach, whomever that might be.

General manager Garry Davidson has said that he won’t be concentrating on hiring a new head coach until after the May 4 bantam draft.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

.@reidgardiner19 🔥🔥🔥 OT hero in Game 2. #SEAvsKEL #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/OF5BuFkU5f

— #WHLPlayoffs (@TheWHL) April 23, 2017

At Kent, Wash., F Reid Gardiner added to his WHL-leading goal total by scoring in OT to give the Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Western Conference final is tied 1-

REID GARDINER

1. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Kelowna on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . The Thunderbirds had won 5-4 on Friday, scoring the winner, on a PP, with 11. 2 seconds left in the third period. Seattle now is 9-1 in these playoffs. . . . Last night, Gardiner scored twice, running his playoff total to 15 in 13 games. He won it at 4:56 of OT. . . . Seattle erased 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to force extra time. . . . Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, reported that Gardiner’s first goal of the game, his 13th, set a Kelowna franchise record for goals in a playoff season. The previous record was set by F Jamie Benn in 2009. . . . The Rockets took a 2-0 lead into the second period on goals from F Nick Merkley (4), at 12:52, and Gardiner, shorthanded, at 19:59. . . . D Ethan Bear (5) got Seattle on the scoreboard with a PP goal at 3:12 of the second period. . . . F Kole Lind (5) restored Kelowna’s two-goal lead, on a PP, at 19:34. . . . The Thunderbirds pulled even on third-period goals from F Keegan Kolesar (7), on a PP, at 1:43, and F Donovan Neuls (6), at 9:06. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf had a big night for the Rockets, with four assists. . . . F Mathew Barzal drew two assists for Seattle, with Neuls, Bear and Kolesar each getting one. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski blocked 28 shots, 14 of them in the third period, as he lost for the first time in 10 playoff starts. . . . Seattle was 2-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-6. . . . D Cal Foote was back in Kelowna’s lineup after serving a three-game suspension. . . . Gardiner leads all scorers with 27 points, five more than F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Gardiner’s 15 goals are three more than Regina Pats F Austin Wagner. . . . Announced attendance: 5,050.

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.@MapleLeafs prospect & @WHLPats captain @adambrooks77 is the OT hero in Game 2! #REGvsLET #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/QUeTK0v1jM

— #WHLPlayoffs (@TheWHL) April 23, 2017

At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored at 17:05 of OT to give the Pats a 3-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Eastern Conference final is tied 1-1 as it heads for Lethbridge and games on

ADAM BROOKS

Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . The Hurricanes had won, 3-1 with an empty-net goal, on Friday. . . . Brooks (knee) was injured in Game 2 of the previous series, sat out two games, then dressed for the last three but never got on the ice. He had an assist in Friday’s opener against Lethbridge, but this was his first goal since the second game of a first-round sweep over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Brooks has four goals in these playoffs and three of them have been game-winners. . . . The Pats held a 2-0 lead in the third period, only to have Lethbridge force OT with two late goals. . . . F Jeff de Wit (2) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 9:44 of the first period. . . . F Austin Wagner upped that to 2-0 with his 12th goal, shorthanded, at 7:21 of the third. . . . The Hurricanes tied it on goals 33 seconds apart from F Zane Franklin (2), at 9:21, and F Jordy Bellerive (6), at 9:54. . . . The Pats got two assists from D Sergey Zborovskiy. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 29 shots. . . . At the other end, Stuart Skinner blocked 48, including 13 in OT. . . . Regina held a 14-3 edge in shots in the first period. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . D Calen Addison returned to Lethbridge’s lineup, but F Matt Alfaro remains sidelined. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.

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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):

Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)

Regina at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)

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Constantine's second run over in Everett . . . Silvertips won't renew head coach's contract

The Everett Silvertips will raise two banners into the rafters at XFINITY Arena when the 2017-18 regular-season opens.

However, Kevin Constantine, the head coach who was behind the bench as the team finished atop the Western Conference and U.S. Division, won’t be there.

Kevin Constantine no longer is the head coach
of the WHL's Everett Silvertips.
(Photo: Everett Silvertips)

The Silvertips announced Tuesday that they won’t be renewing his contract when it expires on May 31.

“They just told me they weren’t going to rehire me,” Constantine told Jesse Gelenyse of the Everett Herald. “There wasn’t any discussion of (why). It was just ‘You’re not being rehired.’ It was a very short conversation.”

The futures of assistant coaches Mitch Love and Brennan Sonne, and goaltending coach Shane Clifford, weren’t addressed yesterday. Their contracts also are up on May 31.

Garry Davidson, the Silvertips’ general manager, said in a news release that the organization now will focus on the May 4 WHL bantam draft, then will look at hiring a head coach.

The Silvertips are owned by The Monarch Corporation, a private investment company that is headquartered in Medicine Hat and is under the control of Bill Yuill, its chairman and CEO.

The Silvertips just completed their 14th season in the WHL. Constantine has been the head coach for eight of those (2003-07, 2013-17).

The Silvertips have never missed the WHL playoffs; they also have two 100-point regular seasons to their credit, both of them under Constantine.

This season, they finished 44-16-12, for 100 points. They took out the Victoria Royals in a six-game first-round series, then were swept by the Seattle Thunderbirds. A year ago, Seattle won a second-round series from Everett in five games. In the spring of 2014, Everett lost a first-round series to Seattle in five games.

Constantine’s Everett teams always have had strong defensive games — this season, the Silvertips allowed 169 goals, the best in the WHL by 29 goals. However, their offence — 229 goals — was 15th.

It is believed that Everett management would like to see its team play a more wide-open game in the hopes of improving attendance.

Davidson left the Portland Winterhawks — he was their director of player personnel — to take over as Everett’s general manager on Feb. 15, 2012. He hired Constantine in time for the 2013-14 season.

It is evident that there were philosophical differences between Constantine and Davidson.

“I think I said when I came here we were at the opposite end of the spectrum,” Davidson told Gelenyse, “so that hasn’t changed. I hoped we would grow more together (but) I don’t think we ever did very much.”

Despite finishing atop the Western Conference, the Silvertips experience the lowest regular-season average attendance (4,865) in their 14 seasons. They play out of the 8,149-seat XFINITY Arena.

Their average attendance peaked at 6,460 in 2006-07, but has been under 5,000 in three of the past four seasons.

In looking for a coach who likes an up-tempo game you wonder if the Silvertips might consider Kyle Gustafson, who has been on the coaching staff of the Portland Winterhawks for 12 seasons, 10 as an assistant coach and two as associate coach. He has spent the brunt of that time working alongside general manager/head coach Mike Johnston, who loves that kind of game.

Having worked with the Winterhawks and with being in the same division, Davidson will be quite familiar with Gustafson’s work.

As a WHL head coach, Constantine, a 58-year-old native of International Falls, Minn., has 326 regular-season victories, good for 21st spot on the all-time list.

Constantine also has bead-coaching experience in the NHL, with the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.

There now are two WHL teams without head coaches.

The Spokane Chiefs announced on March 30 that Don Nachbaur, the third-winningest head coach in WHL history, was being relieved of his duties. Nachbaur had one year left on his contract.

Gelenyse’s complete story is right here.

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Oceanic forces MC tiebreaker . . . Nickolet does draft preview up right . . . New deal for Everett coach

G Brett Jaeger (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Saskatoon, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven (Germany, DEL2), he had a 3.07 GAA in 15 games. Jaeger has dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
G Mark Guggenberger (Portland, Swift Current, Kelowna, 2007-10) signed a one-year contract with the Perth Thunder (Australia, AIHL). This season, with the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL), he was 3.46 and .893 in 23 games. He also got into two games with the Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL), going 1.95 and .905. . . . Guggenberger signed with Perth in December but the club just announced it. He also will work with youth goalies in Western Australia. . . . At present, Perth is in first place in the AIHL with a 6-1-0-1 record.
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The QMJHL-champion Rimouski Oceanic and the host Quebec Remparts will meet in a Memorial Cup tiebreaker tonight. . . . On Wednesday night, the Oceanic dropped the Remparts 4-0, setting up tonight’s tiebreaker, with the winner

moving into Friday’s semifinal against the WHL-champion Kelowna Rockets. . . . The OHL-champion Oshawa Generals (3-0) have advanced to Sunday’s final. . . . The other three teams all finished 1-2 — it was the first time that three teams have done that — but the Rockets moved into the semifinal based on a tiebreaking formula. . . . Oceanic G Philippe Desrosiers stopped 27 shots for last night’s shutout. . . . Quebec G Zach Fucale allowed four goals on 25 shots before being lifted for Callum Booth, who stopped 17 shots over 27:20. Still, you know that Fucale will start for the Remparts tonight. . . . Rimouski F Justin Samson, in the lineup for an ailing Anthony DeLuca, got the game’s first goal, scoring one second after the expiration of an Oceanic PP, at 14:36 of the first period. . . . Oceanic F Michael Joly finished with a goal and four assists. He now has a tournament-high six points. . . . Rimouski was 2-for-6 on the PP; Quebec was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 10,277. . . . Rimouski was without DeLuca, a 44-goal man in the regular season, due to illness. . . . The Remparts, who never seemed in the last game of the round-robin, lost F Anthony Duclair (shoulder) and F Jérome Verrier (leg) with injuries in the third period. It isn’t known if they will be available tonight. . . . Rimouski has won its last six games at the Pepsi Colisée.
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Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday, May 22: Kelowna 3 vs. Quebec 4 (9,497)
Saturday, May 23: Rimouski 3 vs. Oshawa 4 (8,409)
Sunday, May 24: Quebec 4 vs. Oshawa 5 (OT) (10,970)
Monday, May 25: Rimouski 3 vs. Kelowna 7 (6,981)
Tuesday, May 26: Oshawa 2 vs. Kelowna 1 (7,002)
Wednesday, May 27: Quebec 0 vs. Rimouski 4 (10,277)
Thursday (tiebreaker): Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Championship game, 7 p.m.
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The Kelowna Rockets drew a $500 fine on the weekend after someone in their organization was critical of the referees in Game 1 of the Memorial Cup in Quebec City. The guilty party wasn’t identified, so I asked readers of this blog who they thought it may have been.
All told, there were 117 voters, with general manager Bruce Hamilton getting the most votes (63). Among the five options presented in the poll, Ogopogo came in second (27), followed by play-by-play man Regan Bartel (12), head coach Dan Lambert (9), F Leon Draisaitl (6).
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There isn’t a more devoted observer of the WHL than Cody Nickolet, and he has released the fruit of his labours -- his final WHL rankings of players eligible for the 2015 NHL draft. It is more than 75,000 words in length, so there is a lot of detail. You should check it out right here.
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The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday that Vaughn Karpan, 53, has been named director of professional scouting. Karpan, a veteran scout, played for the Brandon Wheat Kings (1979-80) and is from The Pas, Man. He is preparing for his 11th season with the Canadiens, the past five as a pro scout. Karpan also spent 13 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes.
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Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that the Kootenay Ice may go to camp with seven 20-year-olds on hand. But that won’t include F Ryan Chynoweth or D Lenny Hackman. Chynoweth, the son of Ice general manager Jeff Chynoweth, is expected to play junior A, while Hackman apparently is headed to school. . . . Rocca’s story is right here.
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Pat Micheletti, the second-leading scorer in the history of the U of Minnesota Gophers, underwent a kidney transplant on Wednesday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His new kidney came from his brother, Jerry. . . . Michael Russo of the Minnesota StarTribune has more right here.
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F Owen Sillinger, the son of former WHL/NHL F Mike Sillinger, will play next season with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. This season, Owen played with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He had 64 points, including 25 goals, in 42 games. . . . Sillinger, who will turn 18 on Sept. 23, was selected by the Vancouver Giants in the 10th round of the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft.
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The Manchester Monarchs, under former Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mike Stothers, are headed to the AHL final. The Monarchs completed a sweep of the Hartford WolfPack on Wednesday night, winning 3-1 in Hartford. . . . The Monarchs are affiliated with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings; the WolfPack is with the New York Rangers. . . . The Monarchs will meet either the Utica Comets (Vancouver Canucks) or Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings) in the final. That series is 1-1 heading into Game 3 tonight in Grand Rapids.
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The Allen Americans and South Carolina Stingrays will play for the ECHL championship. . . . The Americans beat the visiting Ontario Reign 3-1 in Game 7 of their semifinal series last night, while the Stingrays beat the host Toledo Walleye 1-0 in triple OT of their Game 7. . . . The Americans became the fifth team in ECHL history to win a series after trailing 3-1. . . . The final is scheduled to open Sunday in Allen, Texas.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Everett Silvertips have signed assistant coach Brennan Sonne to a contract extension through 2015-16. That will be Sonne’s second season on the coaching staff, alongside head coach Kevin Constantine and fellow assistant Mitch Love. . . . Sonne, 28, worked with the forwards and on skill development this season. . . . From Maple Ridge, B.C., Sonne played parts of three seasons with the Silvertips, and also played with the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings.
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The B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League’s Selkirk Saints are in need a head coach as Alex Evin is off to the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs as an assistant coach and goaltender coach. Evin guided the Saints to the BCIHL championship this season, his first as head coach. . . . Bob Hall of the Nelson Daily has more right here.
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Check out this young fellow’s favourite book . . .

Pre K #Grad #BigAce pic.twitter.com/J5r3vuzYnb

— George (@Big_G_09) May 27, 2015

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Do Silvertips belong with big boys? . . . Reinhart to play Russians. Again

F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) has been released by Sterzing/Vipiteno (Italy, Serie A) by mutual agreement. He had two goals and a team-high 12 assists in 15 games. Last season, with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany, DEL2), he had 61 points, including 24 goals, in 50 games.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province sent out a couple of tweets on Monday afternoon:
“Talked to NHL scout last night who insists that Everett is right there with the Kelownas and the Brandons of #WHL upper echelon.
“Scout said Everett opponents are lucky to get seven or eight shots in a period, but Silvertips also get after it offensively, too.”
Ever since watching the Silvertips beat the host Kamloops Blazers 4-1 on Wednesday night, I have been thinking pretty much the same thing.
The Blazers were without two of their top offensive threats in Cole Ully and Jake Kryski, but still had their moments as they outshot the visitors, 31-29. But, other than a few loose patches in the second period, the Silvertips were in control, especially after scoring two goals six seconds apart to take a 4-1 lead early in the third period.
I was most impressed with Everett’s discipline, especially when it came to playing the man with the puck. It’s obvious that the Everett coaching staff -- head coach Kevin Constantine and assistants Mitch Love and Brennan Sonne -- have put an emphasis on separating the man from the puck, as opposed to trying to put the puck carrier into the fourth row of the seats.
There are some coaches who talk about the defensive game in terms of “angle, man, puck.” In other words, when you are closing on a puck carrier, you get the right angle, you play the man and you separate him from the puck.
However, far more teams focus on “finishing your check,” with the subhead being “as hard as you can.”
The Silvertips are by far the least penalized team in the WHL and it’s no wonder. They aren’t running at people; therefore, they don’t find themselves out of position as much as other teams, or facing as many odd-man rushes as some other teams.
The Everett players also are able, for the most part, to keep their sticks down, using them to play the puck, rather than hacking and whacking. Playing in this fashion also presents the referees with far fewer opportunities to call penalties.
At this level, when it comes to officiating, the bottom line is this -- some teams give the referees far more opportunities to call penalties than others. The Silvertips, it seems, are determined not to give them any opportunities at all.
And that’s just what happened Saturday when the Silvertips beat the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-0. For the first time in franchise history -- the Silvertips entered the WHL for the 2003-04 season -- the Silvertips weren’t assessed even one minor penalty.
The Silvertips go into this week having been given 103 penalty minutes in 14 games. The Prince Albert Raiders (184 in 17), Edmonton Oil Kings (190 in 17), Medicine Hat Tigers (208 in 15) and Kelowna Rockets (212 in 16) are next on the list of least-penalized teams.
One thing is for sure . . . if the Silvertips maintain this style of play into the spring, they will be a feared opponent in the playoffs.
Austin Lotz gives them first-class goaltending, while Kevin Davis, the 11th overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, is growing into a star-calibre defenceman. He and Cole MacDonald are being used as the shut-down pair and both have enough offensive flair to get the transition game going after a turnover.
And don’t forget the presence of Russian F Nikita Scherbak, who had 78 points, including 35 goals, with a poor Saskatoon Blades team last season. He has 17 points, seven of them goals, in 11 games this season and gives Everett an exciting game-breaker who is able to bring fans out of their seats and score from anywhere in the offensive zone.
The Silvertips go into this week at 10-1-3, six points behind the Rockets (14-1-1), who have played two more games. The Wheat Kings (14-3-1) are back home after going 6-1-0 on a road swing that took them through the B.C. Division.
Everett is at home to the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday, while the Rockets entertain the Victoria Royals. Brandon next plays Friday when Saskatoon comes calling.
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The Swift Current Broncos have released F Luca Leone, 18. He was pointless in seven games this season. . . . Over the previous two seasons, the Vancouver native had four goals and seven assists in 70 games with the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Broncos had acquired Leone and a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft from the Giants in May for D Bobby Zinkan. . . . The Giants released Zinkan earlier this season.
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The Kootenay Ice could have F Tim Bozon and F Sam Reinhart back in its lineup when it plays the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night. Bozon, 20, has been out with an undisclosed injury, while Reinhart, 19, has yet to play since being returned by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Reinhart, who played in nine games with Buffalo, was the second overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . . Reinhart also has been added to the WHL team that will play a touring Russian side in the annual Subway Super Series. He will be the WHL team’s captain as he takes part in the series for a third straight season. . . . The games will be played in Saskatoon on Nov. 10 and Brandon on Nov. 11. . . . While Bozon and Reinhart should return to the Ice on Friday, D Tanner Faith is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.
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The Montreal Canadiens have all but taken the fighting aspect out of their game. Sean Gordon of The Globe and Mail looks into why that has happened. That story is right here.
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Mike Toth, who once played goal for the AJHL’s Drumheller Falcons, is a sportscaster whom I quite enjoyed when he had a national audience. I really felt that he knew his audience and what it wanted -- news and highlights with some shtick, but not standup, and some editorializing. These days, he’s got his fingers in a few things, including a blog. In an entry that was posted on Friday, he takes a look at Rogers’ ad campaign that features Mark Messier. That essay is right here. . . . Here’s hoping Toth’s next target is Toyota and the drum-banging mom.
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Regina Pats F Dryden Hunt has been suspended for two games for a high hit on Saskatoon Blades D Adam Henry on Friday night. Hunt sat out a Saturday game and won’t play Friday against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . .
In other disciplinary measures, Calgary F Chase Lang drew three games under supplemental discipline for something that happened during a game in Moose Jaw on Saturday; Portland Winterhawks D Anton Cederholm was given a one-game suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in a game against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday; and Prince George Cougars F Chase Witala got a two-game suspension for a cross-checking major and game misconduct in a Sunday game against the visiting Kamloops Blazers. . . .
Congrats to Chris Mast, who loves to photograph hockey as much, or more, than anyone. The CHL is into a promotional deal with Post Cereal that includes having player photos on cereal boxes and trading cards inside. Some of the photos used were taken by Mast, who can be found at Everett Silvertips games. . . . He says that he took the photos of Portland Winterhawks F Nic Petan and Calgary Hitmen F Jake Virtanen that you will find on boxes, and the shots of Petan and Brandon Wheat Kings F Jayce Hawryluk that were used for the cards. . . . If you want a taste of Mast’s work, visit mast images.com.

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Just a note for @TheWHL and others... #alternatenotassistants #petpeeve pic.twitter.com/GosVkZJG2V
— Bruce Luebke (@wheatkingsvoice) November 3, 2014

Everett, Regina add to coaching staffs . . . Caldwell looks at 20s

Chris Mast (@MastImages) is as good as any hockey photographer you will find,
and judging by some photos he tweeted Monday night from a workout
involving the Everett Silvertips, he already is in midseason form. At top, veteran
goaltender Austin Lotz really gets down and spread out to make a save. Above,
that's Logan Aasman going top shelp and drilling the water bottle.
(Photos: Chris Mast, mastimages.com)

Things are progressing nicely as we prepare for the 2014 Kidney Walk in Kamloops on Sunday.
Dorothy’s Team will be at Riverside Park to register shortly after 10 a.m., with the 2.5-kilometre walk to begin at 11.
Dorothy walked 2.5 km on Saturday for the first time in a long while and she handled it easily. She will continue to prepare with another walk this morning, weather permitting. There is a road on the south side of the South Thompson River with paved shoulders where we have measured 2.5 km, so it is perfect for our needs.
If you are new to this site, Dorothy, my wife of 42 years, underwent a kidney transplant on Sept. 23. From the beginning, she has said she wants to give back to the Kidney Foundation, so this is the start.
If you are a regular here, you will know that the friend who gave up a kidney through the Living Donor Paired Exchange program so that Dorothy could get one doesn’t want her name used, so I refer to her as Joan. Anyway, she and Dorothy were chatting last night and Joan wanted to know what time we would be walking on Sunday. It seems that he and her husband will provide support by walking 2.5 km at the same time as we are, albeit in a different city.
Is that neat, or what?
If you would like to sponsor Dorothy, you are able to do so right here. Once on that website, just click on Sponsor a Participant. (As I write this, she has been sponsored to the tune of $1,915, a lot of which has come from the hockey crowd, including fans, teams and scouts.)
Thank you all very much.
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With WHL training camps set to open, Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts At Large apparently didn’t sleep Sunday night as he tried to figure out what the 20-year-old picture looks like. . . . His astute thoughts and observations are right here.
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The Everett Silvertips gained an assistant coach on Monday, but lost their trainer. . . . Brennan Sonne, a former Silvertips forward (2005-08), has signed on as an assistant coach to work alongside head coach Kevin Constantine, assistant coach Mitch Love and goaltending coach Shane Clifford. Sonne, 27, worked last season as the head coach of Meco Hockey Academy in Hong Kong. . . . Meanwhile, the Silvertips have lost trainer Marc Paquet to the NHL's Calgary Flames. He has been named head trainer of the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Flames, who play out of Glens Falls, N.Y. Paquet, 27, had been with the Silvertips for three seasons.
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Corey St. Laurent is leaving the Victoria Royals and is moving into the WHL office in Calgary. He will begin his new duties on Sept. 2. With the Royals, he has been the manager of communications and hockey operations co-ordinator for two years. With the WHL, he will be the senior manager, communications. . . . In the WHL office, he takes over from Jeff Hubert.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Monday that the Regina Pats are expected to announce today that “Darrin McKechnie has agreed to join his former team as an assistant coach.” . . . McKechnie, 47, will work part-time with the Pats, as he also has a full-time position in the Regina Police Service. . . . With the Pats, McKechnie, who played two seasons with the Pats (1986-88), will work with head coach John Paddock and assistant Dave Struch. . . . Rob Muntain, the Pats’ goaltending coach, also is with the RPS. . . . Paddock arrived in Regina on Monday.


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