Regina, Seattle in WHL final ... Pats last won in 1980 . . . T-Birds chasing first championship

F Brett Breitkreuz (Kelowna, Edmonton, Vancouver, 2006-10) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, in 50 games, he had 17 goals and 16 assists. . . . 

F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) has signed a two-year contract with Riessersee Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had 28 goals and 17 assists in 45 games with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2).

———

Pats Announce WHL Championship Series Schedule. Details here: https://t.co/3F0n6auZTm#WHLPlayoffs #REGvsLET pic.twitter.com/krrKToSEFT

— #JoinTheRegiment (@WHLPats) May 1, 2017

The WHL’s championship final will feature the Regina Pats, who won the Eastern Conference title, versus the Seattle Thunderbirds, the champions of the Western Conference for a second straight season. . . . The Pats have two WHL championships to their credit — 1974, when they also won the Memorial Cup, and 1980. Regina last was in the WHL final in 1984. . . . The Thunderbirds have twice been to the final — 1997 and 2016 — but have yet to win it all. . . . The WHL final will feature a 2-3-2 format, opening with games in Regina on Friday and Saturday. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich points out that seven of the last eight Western Conference champions have come from the U.S. Division, but only one of those — the 2012-13 Portland Winterhawks — won the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . This marks the first time either Regina or Seattle has been to back-to-back championship finals. . . . The Thunderbirds may open the final without F Keegan Kolesar, who was ejected from last night’s game in Kelowna with a checking-from-behind major at 16:08 of the first period. He plays on what arguably is the WHL’s top forward line, alongside F Ryan Gropp and F Mathew Barzal. . . . The championship final will be televised by Shaw. The WHL on Shaw will end a 13-season run with the final game of the series.

——

A Sunday night note from Hartley Miller of 94.3 The Goat in Prince George updates the home-ice numbers to this date in the WHL and NHL playoffs.

In the first round of the WHL playoffs, home teams were 22-22. That was 13-10 in the second round, then 6-6 in the third round, with the visiting team wrapping up both conference finals on Sunday.

After three rounds, then, the home team is 41-38.

In the NHL, the home team was 19-23 in the first round, and is 4-6 in the second round. Through 52 NHL games, then, the home team is 23-29.

As Miller put it: “Just more examples of home ice not being as large an advantage in hockey as many might believe.”

——

The Erie Otters won the OHL’s Western Conference title on Sunday, beating the host Owen Sound Attack, 7-2, to take the series, 4-2. The Otters, under head coach Kris Knoblauch, a former WHL player and coach, will meet the Mississauga Steelheads in the championship final. That series is to open on Thursday in Erie. . . . 

In the QMJHL, the Saint John Sea Dogs and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada will meet in the championship final. That series is scheduled to open Friday in Saint John.

——

If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.

———

John Depourcq will be back for a sixth season as head coach of the junior B Summerland Steam of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. The team made the announcement on Sunday. . . . Mike Rigby, the director of player development and assistant GM for five seasons, has been named general manager. . . . Tim Hogg, the voice of the Steam, has more right here.

———

Congrats @SeattleTbirds, #BackToBack Western Conference Champions!  #WinTheCup pic.twitter.com/HaWOc0xS4Z

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 1, 2017

———

SUNDAY’S GAMES:

12

WHL WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS#BackToBack #WinTheCup #SEAvsKEL #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/WwYiI78Eby

— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) May 1, 2017

At Kelowna, the Seattle Thunderbirds won the Western Conference championship with a 3-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . Seattle won the series, 4-2, to advance to the WHL final for a second straight season. A

CARL STANKOWSKI

year ago, the Thunderbirds lost to the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games. . . . Last night, the Rockets got off to a 1-0 lead at 15:57 of the first period when F Nolan Foote (2) scored a PP goal. . . . Seattle D Austin Strand (4) tied it at 4:56 of the second period. . . . Seattle went ahead at 9:30 when F Alexander True (8) scored his third goal in two games. this one came via the PP. . . . The game included a rarity in the second period when the Rockets had a goal disallowed because the puck struck referee Steve Papp on its way into the net. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf put the puck in the Seattle net from a scrum, but Papp, in the area as he tried to track the puck, had the misfortune of having an arm get in the way. The veteran official immediately waved off the goal. . . . On the next shift, the Thunderbirds got insurance from F Mathew Barzal (5) at 15:14. . . . F Donovan Neuls had two assists for Seattle, with Barzal adding one. Barzal now is riding a 10-game point streak. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski stopped 17 shots as he ran his record to 12-2 in these playoffs. He moved into the starting role as the playoffs began when Rylan Toth, the team’s No. 1 goaltender through the regular season, was taken out by an undisclosed injury. . . . The Rockets got 19 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Seattle was 1-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-7. . . . The Thunderbirds lost F Keegan Kolesar at 16:08 of the first period when he was ejected with a checking-from-behind major for a hit on Kelowna D Devante Stephens, who didn’t return. The Rockets held a 1-0 lead at the time, but weren’t able to add to the lead on the five-minute PP, something that no doubt provided Seattle with some motivation. . . . The Rockets already were without D James Hilsendager, who was scratched with an undisclosed injury for a second straight game. As well, D Braydyn Chizen, who was injured in the second round, didn’t play a game in the conference final. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear, with a soft cast on his left hand, took the pregame warmup for a second straight game, but was scratched for a third consecutive game. . . . F Dillon Hamaliuk, a 16-year-old from Red Deer, made his playoff debut with the Thunderbirds. A sixth-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder had one goal in 17 early-season games with Seattle. He had finished up with the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Oil Kings before rejoining Seattle. . . . Announced attendance: 5,846. . . . Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story from the Thunderbirds’ perspective right here. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story right here.

——

Regina Pats have had two three-game winning streaks in the playoffs after trailing in a series.

— Rob Vanstone (@robvanstone) May 1, 2017

At Lethbridge, the Regina Pats won the Eastern Conference championship with a 7-4 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Regina won the series, 4-2, and now will meet the Seattle Thunderbirds for the Ed

SERGEY ZBOROVSKIY

Chynoweth Cup. . . . Last night, the Pats erased 3-0 and 4-2 deficits, winning the game by scoring its last five goals. . . . The Hurricanes led 3-0 before the first period was nine minutes old. . . . F Egor Babenko (10) got it started at 1:43, with F Jordy Bellerive (7), on a PP, at 6:56, and F Ryan Vandervlis (8), also on a PP, at 8:02, upping the lead to 3-0. . . . The Pats cut the deficit to one on goals from F Robbie Holmes (2), at 8:25, and D Josh Mahura (4), at 10:46. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (11) scored on a PP, at 1:05 of the second period, to give the host team a 4-2 lead. . . . It was all Regina after that. . . . F Filip Ahl (4), on a PP, got the Pats to within a goal, at 15:47, and F Nick Henry (4) tied it at 17:20. . . . The Pats took the lead for the first time when F Jeff de Wit (4) scored at 8:41 of the third period. . . . F Austin Wagner (14) added insurance at 9:41, and F Wyatt Sloboshan (4) got the empty-netter at 19:19. . . . It says something about the Pats’ depth that they scored seven goals and their top two scorers, Adam Brooks and Sam Steel, combined for one assist, that by Brooks. . . . D Sergey Zborovskiy and Sloboshan each had two assists, with Ahl, de Wit and Mahura each adding one. Zborovskiy also was plus-5. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of F Zak Zborosky and D Brennan Menell, with Babenko adding one to his goal. . . . This game feature the rarity of one player being awarded two penalty shots during the same stoppage of play. . . . With Regina leading 6-4 with 69 seconds left in the third period, Hurricanes F Tyler Wong was awarded a penalty shot because Pats D Connor Hobbs was ruled to have knocked the net off its moorings. Wong didn’t score on the attempt, but was given a redo when Regina G Tyler Brown knocked the net off during the penalty shot. On the second attempt, Wong missed the net. . . . Brown finished with 24 saves, 20 fewer than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . The Hurricanes were 3-3 on the PP; the Pats were 1-3. . . . The Hurricanes scratched, among others, F Matt Alfaro, who missed the entire series, and F Ryan Bowen. Lethbridge also was without F Josh Tarzwell, who scored his first playoff goal in Game 5 and left shortly after with and undisclosed injury. . . . Regina continues to play without F Jake Leschyshyn and D Dawson Davidson, both of whom have long-term injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 5,098. . . . Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald has a game story right here. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.

——

MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.

——

FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Seattle at Regina, 7 p.m.

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

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

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

LUKE PIERCE

The Kootenay Ice has dipped into the junior A ranks for the seventh head coach in its history.
Luke Pierce 31, was named head coach on Tuesday and signed a three-year contract. He replaces Ryan McGill, whose contract won’t be renewed after it expires on June 30. (That was McGill’s second stint as head coach; counting him twice makes Pierce No. 7.)
Pierce, who is from Merritt, B.C., has been the GM/head coach of the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials since November 2009. He put up a 168-111-21 record there and had the team in the playoffs in each of the six seasons.
Meanwhile, assistant coach Jay Henderson has said he won’t be returning to the Ice. His contract also expires on June 30.
Of the WHL’s 22 teams, 20 now have head coaches. Pierce is the only one of those 20 head guys to have moved into the WHL directly from junior A.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants are the only two teams presently without a head coach.
Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more on the Ice’s hire right here, including a neat piece on how Pierce’s name was brought to the attention of general manager Jeff Chynoweth.
———

The Oshawa Generals clinched a berth in the Memorial Cup final with a 2-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday night. . . . The Generals won’t play again until Sunday’s final. . . . Oshawa improved to 3-0 with the victory, each of them by one goal, while the Rockets slipped to 1-2. . . . The host Quebec Remparts (1-1) and the Rimouski Oceanic (0-2) are scheduled to meet tonight. The Oceanic won the QMJHL title by beating the Remparts in double OT in Game 7. . . . If Quebec wins tonight, the Remparts and Rockets will play in the semifinal game on Friday. A Rimouski win tonight likely puts the Oceanic and Remparts into a tiebreaker on Thursday. The Rockets likely would avoid the tiebreaker on goal differential. . . . Last night, all three goals came in the second period. . . . Oshawa F Cole Cassels (4:15) and F Tobias Lindberg (17:16) gave the Generals a 2-0 lead. . . . F Gage Quinney scored for Kelowna at 18:11. . . . Quinney leads the tournament with four goals, one more than Lindberg. F Nick Merkley and F Leon Draisaitl of the Rockets also have three. . . . Merkley and Oshawa F Michael Dal Colle lead in points, each with five. . . . Oshawa G Ken Appleby stopped 20 shots, seven fewer than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-3 on the PP; Oshawa’s PP unit never got on the ice. . . . Kelowna had a glorious opportunity to tie the game, and maybe win it, when the Generals were given two minor penalties 1:01 apart late in the third period. Only three penalties were called in the entire game. F Dakota Mermis went off for kneeing at 15:36 of the third, and Cassels was called for delay to game at 16:37. The Rockets were all around Appleby and had numerous scoring chances, but they weren’t able to get the equalizer. . . . Draisaitl was 16-for-29 in the faceoff circle; Cassels was 15-for-30.
——
Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday, May 22: Kelowna 3 vs. Quebec 4 (9,497)
Saturday, May 23: Rimouski 3 vs. Oshawa 4 (8,409)
Sunday, May 24: Quebec 4 vs. Oshawa 5 (OT) (10,970)
Monday, May 25: Rimouski 3 vs. Kelowna 7 (6,981)
Tuesday, May 26: Oshawa 2 vs. Kelowna 1 (7,002)
Wednesday: Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Championship game, 7 p.m.
———


The latest alleged victim of former WHL coach Graham James went to the police in September 2013, one month after telling his family of his experiences. Since then, he has been in close contact with Todd Holt, who was sexually abused by James while both were with the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Dean Pritchard of the Calgary Sun has more right here.
——
The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired G Evan Johnson, 19, from the Portland Winterhawks for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . The Winterhawks got Johnson from the Calgary Hitmen in January. He got into only four games with Portland, going 1-0-2, 3.97, .880. . . . Johnson, from Winnipeg, finished the season 6-3-4, 3.13, .890. . . . The top two goaltenders on the Tigers’ depth chart now are Johnson and Nick Schneider, who turns 18 on July 21. . . . Schneider played in 27 games this season, going 15-7-1, 2.82, .898. . . . Portland’s starter is Adin Hill, 19, who was 31-11-1, 2.81, .921 this season. . . . Michael Bullion, an 18-year-old from Anchorage, likely is No. 2 on the depth chart. He got into four games this season, going 2-2-0, 3.22, .900, but spent most of the season with the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild.
——
Veteran F Ben Duperreault won’t be back with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Duperreault, who turns 18 on July 18, had one goal and four assists in 34 games this season, after putting up 18 points, six of them goals, in 65 games in 2013-14. Duperreault, who is from Wilcox, Sask., was dropped by the Warriors prior to the bantam draft.
———

Steve Konowalchuk got fined $700 for ripping refs. Rockets got $500, I guess $200 is the price you pay for doing it in the press...

— Andy Eide (@AndyEide) May 26, 2015

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

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Brett Breitkreuz (Kelowna, Edmonton, Vancouver, 2006-10) signed a one-year contract with Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). He had three goals in 35 games with Cologne (Germany, DEL) and seven assists in 12 games while on loan to Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga) this season.
———

Ken Dryden, the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, spent the early part of this week in Calgary talking brain injuries. . . . “This is an ongoing problem,” he told Natalie Stechyson of the Calgary Herald. “This is not a run of bad luck, and so now it’s about finding ways of dealing with it as an ongoing problem. This is the most significant issue facing sports right now.” . . . Dryden also said: “I think that decades from now, people will look back on us and in sports they’ll say ‘how could you not have gotten it? How did you not understand that there would be these kinds of consequences?’ ” . . . Stechyson’s story is right here.
Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press was at the U of Calgary as Dryden led a discussion on brain injuries in sport. Her story is right here.
———
There really wasn’t anything new in the report that surfaced Monday about the WHL wanting to put a franchise in Nanaimo. That is old news. Even before the Victoria Royals moved from Chilliwack where they were the Bruins (remember them?), the WHL was talking about wanting to have a team in Nanaimo. There was a time when the WHL’s pooh-bahs said they wouldn’t put just one team on Vancouver Island, that it had to be two teams. . . . Well, now they’ve got one team there and they badly want another one, simply to alleviate some of the travel logistics.
But, as mentioned, there’s nothing new in what transpired Monday because there isn’t a WHL-ready arena in Nanaimo.
Once again, though, reports are suggesting relocation and the Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos are in the list of usual suspects. Ho-hum! That just isn’t going to happen. You are free to talk about relocating franchises all you want, but don’t even think about Prince Albert, Swift Current, Lethbridge or Moose Jaw.
Those are the WHL’s four community-owned teams – they actually are owned by local shareholders – and they aren’t going anywhere.
———
The ownership group of the Trenton Titans has pulled the franchise out of the ECHL. It looks like poor attendance was a major factor, but is sounds like the owners are hoping to resurrect the franchise after a year away. . . . The Titans were affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. . . . According to a statement from the ECHL, all Titans players signed to ECHL contracts, except those owed as future considerations, are unrestricted free agents. . . . Jenna Pizzi of the Times of Trenton has the story right here.
———

The AHL’s Chicago Wolves have signed a three-year affiliation deal with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. . . . The Wolves had been hooked up with the Vancouver Canucks, while the Blues owned the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen. However, the Blues have sold the Peoria franchise to the Canucks. . . . Speculation was that Vancouver would end up with its AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C. But the Calgary Flames have said they will continue to operate the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The Red Deer Rebels and assistant coach Bryce Thoma have parted company “after a mutually agreed upon decision,” according to a news release. . . . Thoma played four seasons (1999-2003) with the Rebels and was part of their 2001 Memorial Cup-winning team. He also played for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies while earning a commerce degree. . . . He had been on the Rebels’ coaching staff since 2008. . . .

The ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers announced Tuesday that Ryan Mougenel, the general manager and head coach, won’t be back for another season. He had been with Las Vegas for four seasons.
———



The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Calgary leads series 2-1; Game 4 tonight in Calgary; all games on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland leads series, 2-1; Game 4 tonight in Kamloops.)
———
TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored five second-period goals and beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . F Trevor Cheek got Edmonton on the board at 6:29 of the first, via a PP. . . . F Greg Chase scored for Calgary just 24 seconds into the second period and the Hitmen went on to build a 5-1 lead. . . . Calgary had 12 players with at least one point, but only F Calder Brooks with two. He had a goal and an assist. . . . Calgary was 2-for-8 on the PP; Edmonton was 2-for-5. . . . Hitmen G Chris Driedger stopped 27 shots; Edmonton starter Laurent Brossoit didn’t finish. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart left in the third period with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Hitmen were without F Jake Virtanen, who was suspended for two games earlier in the day. That was for a knee-on-knee hit on Edmonton D Cody Corbett in Game 2. The Oil Kings have said Corbett will miss at least two games. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers reunited the line of Tim Bozon, Colin Smith and JC Lipon, and then beat the Winterhawks, 5-1. . . . Bozon had two goals and two assists. . . . Smith had a goal and two assists. . . . Lipon had one assist. . . . The Blazers got 35 saves from G Cole Cheveldave, who was especially good in the first period. He finished with 35 saves. . . . Portland got the game’s first goal, from F Ty Rattie on an early 5-on-3, but didn’t score again. . . . Rattie leads the WHL with 14 goals this spring. This one was the 44th goal of his playoff career, leaving three shy of former Medicine Hat Tigers F Mark Pederson, who holds the WHL career record. . . . Rattie also has 85 career playoff points, one shy of former Calgary Hitmen F Brad Moran, who is third on the list.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (19):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (6):
None
———






From Portland freelance writer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “I thought Kamloops could certainly win the game, but I don’t think I’ve seen Portland outplayed that thoroughly in 85 games this season.”
———
From Paul Buker (@Pnbuker) of The Oregonian: “It's Cheveldave's night. He was probably sick and tired of reading about Carruth, so I guess he was entitled”


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

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Dan Russell isn’t sure what the future holds.
What he does know is that he’ll be a free agent when his contract at Vancouver radio station CKNW runs out on Aug. 31.
“I have absolutely no plans,” said Russell, prior to Wednesday’s WHL playoff game between the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers at Interior Savings Centre. “I have a commitment to finish out my contract at CKNW.”
Tom Plasteras, CKNW’s program director, revealed in mid-March that Russell’s contract won’t be renewed.
For now, Russell continues as the host of Sportstalk, the station’s nightly three-hour show that is heard throughout B.C. He has been behind that microphone for 21 of the past 22 years.
These days, Russell also is doing the play-by-play of WHL games for Shaw TV.
When the WHL season is over, he said, “I’ll focus on the next step. Who knows? I may have to re-invent myself and, if that’s the case, I’m looking forward to it.”
Russell, 52, is married with three children.
“The youngest is six,” he said, “so I’m too young for retirement.”
He also admitted to feeling some excitement over the uncertainty.
“I don’t know where it’s going to take me,” he said.
Russell admitted he would prefer to stay on the Lower Mainland but that he isn’t opposed to leaving the area.
“If the right opportunity comes along . . .,” he said.
———
On April 6, 1996, F Jarome Iginla scored at 13:23 of OT to give the host Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans.
On April 9, 2013, F JC Lipon scored at 3:43 of OT to give the Blazers a 5-4 victory over the visiting Rockets.
In between those two games, the Blazers lost seven consecutive OT games on home ice. (Interestingly, the Blazers lost each of the series in which they were beaten in OT at home.)
On March 29, 1998, F Jarrett Smith got the winner in a 4-3 victory by the Prince George Cougars.
On May 5, 1999, F Jordan Krestanovich scored in triple OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 4-3 victory.
On March 30, 2005, F Dale Mahovsky scored at 1:25 as the Kootenay Ice won, 3-2.
On March 23 and 24, 2007, the Cougars won in OT, thanks to goals from F Nick Drazenovic and F Devin Setoguchi.
On March 24, 2009, F Cody Almond gave the Rockets a 3-2 OT victory.
On March 23, 2010, F Brett Breitkreuz scored in OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory.
Over that same time period, the Blazers were 4-6 in OT games on the road.
———
Goaltender Dustin Butler, who holds the Blazers’ single-season shutout record, made his NHL debut last night with the Vancouver Canucks.
The 25-year-old Butler, who has played five seasons with the U of Calgary Dinos, was on the bench in support of starter Roberto Luongo after Cory Schneider became ill.
Butler, who is from Calgary, set the Blazers’ single-season shutout record with seven in 2006-07.
———
Former Blazers F C.J. Stretch has joined the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons for the second time this season.
Stretch, 23, put up 62 points in 60 regular-season games with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign, then added five points, all goals, in four first-round playoff games.
Earlier this season, he had six points in 10 games with the Barons.
The Reign is between series, having swept the Utah Grizzlies in a first-round series. Stretch set a franchise single-game record with four goals in a 7-2 victory in Game 2.
The Reign, which finished off the Grizzlies on Saturday, won’t play again until April 19, so Stretch may well be back by then.

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

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Brett Breitkreuz (Kelowna, Edmonton, Vancouver, 2006-10) signed a one-year contract extension with Kölner Haie (Germany, DEL). He has three goals and five assists in 29 games for Cologne this season. . . .
F Ivan Dornic (Portland, 2003-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with AaB Aalborg (Denmark, AL-Bank Ligaen). He had nine goals and seven assists in 25 games with Metallurg Zhlobin (Belarus, Extraliga) this season. . . .
F Patrik Valcak (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 2003-04) was released by Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had one goal and seven assists in 18 games for Nitra. Valcak began the season with Trinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), where he was pointless in eight games.
———
JUST NOTES:
F Chris Wilkie, a fourth-round selection by the Victoria Royals in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft, has committed to the U of North Dakota. Wilkie, 15, has 37 points in 14 regular-season games with the Omaha Jr. Lancers program. According to a Lancers news release, he leads “all three PHL divisions (18U, 16U, 14U) in scoring . . . and has quickly become one of the best young prospects the PHL has seen in its three-year history.” . . . That would be the North American Prospects Hockey League. . . . Wilkie is coming off a five-game, 23-point performance in a weekend PHL event in Dallas. . . . Wilkie’s father, David, coaches the Lancers. David also is a former WHL defenceman (Seattle, Kamloops, Regina, 1991-94) who was a first-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL’s 1992 draft. . . . Carlos Sosa and Darcy Tucker of Turning Point Sports Management are the Wilkie family’s advisors. . . . Interestingly, David Wilkie was Sosa’s first client to be a first-round selection in the NHL draft. Wilkie also introduced Sosa to Tucker, then a forward with the Kamloops Blazers. Wilkie recommended that Sosa take on Tucker as a client, which is what happened. Sosa and Tucker have since partnered in TPSM.
———
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have named F Brody Sutter as their captain, replacing F Cam Braes, 20, who was traded Monday to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Sutter, 20, was named captain just two days after his name was being bandied about in trade talks. . . . Sutter, a seventh-round selection of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2011 NHL draft, is the 21st captain in franchise history. . . . He is the son of former WHL/NHL F Duane Sutter.
———
F Brett Connolly, whose WHL rights went from the Prince George Cougars to the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday, was in action with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. Connolly, 19, played nine minutes 43 seconds over 15 shifts as the Lightning lost 5-2 to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. . . . He played nine minutes 42 seconds of even strength, with one second of PP time. . . . Hello, Steve, this is Bob Tory calling.
———
F Patrick Holland of the Tri-City Americans got through the WHL trade deadline without having to pack up and move. But two days later he was involved in an NHL trade. On Thursday night, the Calgary Flames dealt Holland, F Rene Bourque and a 2013 second-round draft pick to the Montreal Canadiens for F Mike Cammalleri, G Karri Ramo and a 2012 fifth-round draft pick. . . . A seventh-round selection by the Flames in the NHL’s 2010 draft, Holland has 56 points in 39 games with the Americans this season. He is ninth in the WHL scoring race. Holland, 19, has yet to sign an NHL contract. . . . Later in the evening, Holland tweeted: “Guess it's time to thank my parents for putting me in 9 years of french immersion. Hoping I can please the @CanadiensMTL fans someday.”
———
The Vancouver Giants are checking out F Austin Fyten, 20. Fyten underwent major knee surgery after suffering an injury during a Sept. 8 exhibition game with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Fyten became a free agent on Tuesday when the Hurricanes dropped him at Tuesday’s trade deadline. According to Ewen, Fyten is “slated to come to town early next week to meet with Giants doctors, who will assess what rehab it may take for him to return this season.” The Giants are thinking perhaps they can get him into the lineup late in March or early in April. . . . Fyten, a second-round selection the 2006 bantam draft, had 177 points, including 55 goals, and 287 penalty minutes in 193 games with Lethbridge. Last season, in 52 games, he had 54 points, including 24 goals, and 103 penalties.
———
There is going to be some emotion at an upcoming Portland Winterhawks game with former player and coach Brent Peterson in the house. He plans on attending a game or two early in February.
Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has more right here.
———
The Saskatoon Blades are expected to start G Alex Moodie, 16, again tonight as they play the Broncos in Swift Current. Moodie was to have been sent back to the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. But the Blades lost G Andrey Makarov to a concussion so ended up keeping Moodie. All he did was go into Brandon and blank the Wheat Kings 2-0 on Wednesday night. That made him, according to Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, the first 16-year-old goaltender in franchise history to post a shutout. . . . Once Makarov gets a clean bill of health, which could come early next week, Moodie will be going back to the Wild. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more on the Blades’ goaltending situation right here.
———
THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Medicine Hat, F Dylan Wruck scored two goals and set up another to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . Edmonton also got two goals from F Rhett Rachinski, with F Tyler Maxwell scoring once and drawing two helpers. . . . F Emerson Etem got his 35th of the season for the Tigers. . . . Emerson scored the game’s first goal, at which point he had scored Medicine Hat’s last four goals. . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz, who is stuck on 99 victories, left after two periods. He gave up five goals on 30 shots. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart (undisclosed) was scratched. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson made his Edmonton debut. He had one assist.
———

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