If you aren’t aware, John Leake is the author of Cold a Long Time: An Alpine Mystery.
The book is the story of parents searching for the truth about what happened to their son.
Duncan MacPherson was a former Saskatoon Blades’ defenceman who was embarking on what he hoped would be a coaching career in Scotland when he chose to tour Europe for a bit.
He never made it to Scotland. His body later was found on an Austrian glacier.
In between MacPherson’s departure from Canada in the summer of 1989 and the discovery of his body there were 14 years and a whole lot of intrigue and incompetence.
Leake appeared on a live Twitter chat on Friday. Here are some of his comments . . .
This is the key question – were his injuries caused by a fall and ice movement or by something else connected with a human. . . .
The parents suspected some form of culpability, though they weren't sure if it was intentional. The crime is concealment. . . .
Duncan's body had sustained sharp force trauma to three of his limbs, and the amputated limbs were found with his body. . . .
It is important to understand that NO information was offered to the parents. They had to repeatedly ask for everything they got. . . .
Hinterhoelzl maintains he assumed that Duncan forgot his clothing in the ski school office. . . .
Dr. Rabl told the parents that – according to the radiologist – the CT scan indicated no signs of violence to the body. . . .
When the parents heard this from Rabl, they decided to have the body cremated. Later they became aware of the chopped up limbs. . . .
In 1989, Canadian External Affairs withheld information from the MacPhersons indicating that Duncan had died on the ski slope. . . .
The MacPhersons asked me to investigate and write a book about this case because it is so incredibly convoluted and confusing. . . .
The Canadian government has been ineffectual at best. . . .
It is impossible to explain what happened in any form of conversation. Only a comprehensive narrative can make it understandable. . . .
It would have been very easy to determine the cause and manner of Duncan's death if the authorities had WANTED to do so. . . .
Our only hope for getting some kind of justice for the MacPherson family is through public awareness of the story. . . .
So far, the MacPherson's efforts to obtain clarity and redress have been successfully blocked by Austrian authorities. . . .
The Innsbruck public officials who participated in this cover-up should be severely punished.
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If you haven’t already read Cold A Long Time, you should. If you can’t find it in a book store, check out this website.
But be forewarned . . . as you read this book, you will get angrier and angrier because as much as it is a book about a search for truth, it is a book about injustice.
There are some people out there who need to look in a mirror and then speak up about whatever it was that happened to Duncan MacPherson.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Taggart Desmet (seven games with Calgary, 2000-01) signed a one-year contract with Meran (Italy, Serie A2). He had 10 goals and 23 assists in 43 games with Valpellice (Italy, Serie A) last season.
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The Vancouver Giants had four goaltenders on their roster as they prepared to play an exhibition game against the Kamloops Blazers in Ladner, B.C., on Friday night. That list got whittled to three early in the day when Jackson Whistle, 17, was dealt to the Kelowna Rockets for a 2013 third-round bantam draft pick.
Whistle, who is from Kelowna, played the last half of the Giants’ 7-4 loss to the Blazers, giving up four goals on 16 shots.
Whistle got into 21 games with the Giants last season. He was 1-7-3 as a starter. Overall, he was 3.61, .873. In Kelowna, he will work as the backup to Jordon Cooke, 19, who takes over from the graduated Adam Brown.
Whistle was a fourth-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. There was time when he and Payton Lee, a second-round pick in 2011, were seen as the future of the Giants’ goaltending.
That obviously won’t happen, but Lee, 16, remains in camp, along with Liam Liston, 19, and Tyler Fuhr, 17.
Liston was acquired over the summer from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, while Fuhr, from Sherwood Park, Alta., perhaps has been the biggest surprise in camp. He’s a walk-on who has been terrific. He started Wednesday’s 7-4 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops and stopped 15 of 17 shots over the first half. The Giants gave up quite a few odd-man breaks and Fuhr kept them close. Whistle played the second half, giving up four goals on 16 shots.
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The Saskatoon Blades are down to three 20-year-olds after having released veteran F Chris Collins.
That move leaves the Blades with D Connor Dox, F Josh Nicholls and F Brendan Walker as the 20s.
Collins, from Calgary, was acquired from the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) during 2010-11. With the Blades, he had 67 points, including 25 goals, in 112 games. Last season, Collins put up 26 points in 56 games with the Blades. In his career, he has 108 points in 200 regular-season games.
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JUST NOTES: F Burke Gallimore (Spokane, Saskatoon, Seattle, 2006-12) has decided to attend the U of Alberta and play for the Golden Bears. Gallimore, who is from Edmonton, put up 198 points in 289 regular-season games. In four full seasons, he missed only four games. . . . The MJHL’s Dauphin Kings have traded F Neil Tarnasky, 20, to the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder for future considerations. He had seven points in 112 games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (2009-11). . . . F Jesse Mychan, 20, in his first game since severing an Achilles tendon in the first round of last spring’s playoffs, scored twice but his Tri-City Americans lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Seattle Thunderbirds in a Friday game at the Americans’ annual Red Lions Hotels tournament. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches for Friday’s home game against the Regina Pats were F Dominick Favreau (back), F Jayce Hawryluk (concussion), F Jens Meilleur (back) and D Ryley Miller (ill). The Wheat Kings beat the Pat, 5-3. . . . Regina was without F Dryden Hunt, who suffered a concussion in Regina’s 3-1 victory over visiting Brandon on Thursday night.
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The first paragraph of a Friday press release from the QMJHL:
“The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today announced that Michel Bergeron and Marc Lachapelle are the honorary co-presidents of the Ambassadors Club Golf Tournament. They will lead the honorary foursome at the Boucherville Golf Club this September 19th with Gilles Courteau, QMJHL Commissioner and Guy Darveau, President of the Ambassadors Club.”
That brought a real smile to my face. Bergeron, of course, is a veteran of hockey’s coaching wars, while Lachapelle, a legendary hockey writer, first covered the QMJHL in 1971.
The three of us came into the same orbit at the 1979 Memorial Cup that was held in Montreal and environs. Bergeron was the head coach of the QMJHL-champion Trois-Rivieres Draveurs. Lachapelle was covering the tournament for Le Journal de Montreal. I was there covering the WHL-champion Brandon Wheat Kings for the Brandon Sun.
And when I asked Bergeron a question in English, he chose to reply in French. In fact, I don’t recall him speaking English at all in post-game situations.
Thankfully, Lachapelle bailed me out by showing up at my hotel and offering his translation of the proceedings.
Which is just another reason why Lachapelle always will be remembered as one of the good ones.
Merci, mon ami!
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The tweet of the day comes from F Chase Witala (@chasewitala) of the Prince George Cougars: “Picking up a locker with @alexforsberg27 hopefully we don't have any flies living in there this year”
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The Vancouver Giants will have three — count ’em: one, two, three — radio play-by-play voices this season. They have signed on with Team 1040/1410 and will have their games called by Jeff Paterson, Blake Price and Alex Grebenyuk. . . . The Giants announced Friday that Paterson and Price will alternate in calling home games. It has been known for a while that Grebenyuk would do all the road games. Grebenyuk is the Giants’ new director of media relations and broadcasting. . . . Paterson called Kamloops Blazers came from 1994-99. He was the Blazers’ voice in 1994-95 when they won the Memorial Cup under head coach Don Hay, who now is the head coach of the Giants. . . . According to a Giants’ news release, “Bill Wilms will continue to serve as the primary colour commentator for both home and away broadcasts.” . . . Also according to that news release: “At this point, of the 72 regular-season Giants games, 33 will be broadcast on TEAM 1040, 37 will be broadcast on TEAM 1410, and two will be available online only (due to scheduling conflicts) at www.teamradio.ca The Giants' final broadcast schedule is subject to change.” . . . Dan Elliott, who handled play-by-play and media relations for the last two seasons for the Giants, and the club parted company after last season. He now is UBC Athletics’ manager, media relations.
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Congratulations to old friend Graham Tuer, who has a whole lot of friends in the hockey fraternity. He will be inducted into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 4.
Here’s how the Regina Leader-Post summed up Tuer’s accomplishments:
“Involved in hockey for 50-plus years . . . coached and/or managed hockey teams at every level of minor and junior hockey in Saskatchewan . . . member of Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League board since 1982 . . . helped create provincial hockey's development model in 2007 . . . involved in Western Prospects development camp – served as assistant general manager/director of player personnel with WHL's Regina Pats . . . manager of Regina Pat Canadians for national championship in 1987-88 . . . scouted for numerous WHL teams and NHL Central Scouting . . . Regina Pats ‘builder recognition’ in 2008 . . . WHL Distinguished Service Award in 2009-10 - SaskSport volunteer of the year in 2008 . . . Hockey Regina bantam AA tournament named in his honour in 2007.”
At the same time, the Pat Canadians also will be inducted.
Here’s the Leader-Post on the Pat Canadians:
“Finished atop SMAAAHL regular-season standings with 26-2-0 record . . . Tim Iannone, Len Nielsen, Brett Burlock, Brent Fedyk, Troy Volhoffer and Selmar Odelein placed first to sixth in league scoring . . . coached by Bill Liskowich and Barry Trapp . . . support staff of Stew MacDonald (manager), Ron Blerot (trainer), Todd Liskowich and Trevor Dillabough (assistant trainers) – other team members: Kelly Murphy, Darren Hector, Brad Obrigewitsch, Mike Brannen, Curtis Fayant, Frank Joo, Kevin Herom, Dean Shaw, Jim Ruhland, Brian Wilkie and Kenton Rein . . . beat Notre Dame in league final . . . advanced to 12-team Air Canada Cup in Ste. Foye, Que., where 3-2 record put them into playoffs . . . defeated Toronto Don Mills 4-3 in quarterfinal, Thunder Bay 6-2 in semifinal and Ste. Foye 5-4 in final, with Nielsen scoring at 18: 21 and 19: 22 of third period in come-from-behind victory.”
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F Juraj Bezuch, who played last season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, now is with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. He had been in camp with the Kitchener Rangers, but was swapped on Friday, along with a conditional 2013 sixth-round draft pick, for F Nick Czinder, 20, D Jeff Braithwaite, 20, and a 2014 seventh-round draft pick. . . . Braithwaite may not report as he has said he is going to focus on school. . . . Bezuch, from Slovakia, turns 19 on Dec. 20. He had 21 points in 67 games with Lethbridge last season but was released at season’s end. Kitchener selected him in the second round of the CHL‘s 2012 import draft. . . . Windsor immediately waived F Vlad Ionin, a Russian, who was the 15th pick in the 2012 import draft.

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The Wenatchee Wild won’t be joining the BCHL, at least not for the 2012-13 season. . . . The BCHL has denied the Wild’s request for entry, so the Wild has withdrawn its request for dormancy within the NAHL and owner Bill Stewart has said the team will play in that league next season. . . . The Wild is expected to continue its attempt to get into the BCHL, now aiming for the 2013-14 season. . . . The Wenatchee World reports: “The Wild has been pursuing a move to the BCHL for travel reasons. In the NAHL, its closest opponents are 920 miles away (Fresno, Calif., and Dawson Creek, B.C.), while all 16 BCHL teams are within 635 miles of Wenatchee.”
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The QMJHL has suspended Benoit Groulx, the head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques, for two games after he threw a few sticks and a garbage can during a game on Wednesday. . . . Groulx will miss his club’s last two regular-season games, both of them in Rouyn-Noranda against the Huskies.
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Winnipeg’s hockey community is mourning the death of Dave (The Wrecker) Hrechkosy. He died early this month from brain cancer. Doug Lunney of the Winnipeg Sun takes a look back right here.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Raiders, 4-1. . . . With the victory, the Warriors tied franchise records for victories (44) and points (96) set in 2005-06. The Warriors can break both those records tonight when the Raiders visit Moose Jaw. . . . F Brayden Point scored his first WHL goal for Moose Jaw. Point, the 14th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, was playing in his fourth game. . . . Moose Jaw F Cam Braes scored his 40th goal. . . . F James Henry was among the Warriors’ scratches. Head coach Mike Stothers told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that Henry was “attending to some personal issues.” Henry isn’t expected to play tonight either. . . . The Warriors have won three in a row. . . . The Warriors will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed but won’t know until tonight who will provide the first-round opposition. . . .

In Regina, F Michael Ferland scored twice to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Ferland has 47 goals, eight of which have been against the Pats. . . . He scored at 8:07 of the first and 8:28 of the second, the latter via the PP. . . . F Tanner Olstad scored for Regina, at 15:19 of the third. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had two assists. . . . Brandon is 5-2-0 against Regina this season. . . . The teams play again tonight in Brandon. . . . Brandon F Kevin Sundher (concussion) took the pregame skate and then was scratched. . . . With the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair moving into their home arena, the Wheat Kings will play first-round playoff games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. . . . The Wheat Kings are eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Regina and Kootenay. . .

In Swift Current, F Josh Nicholls had two goals and an assist to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 5-3 victory over the Broncos. . . . Nicholls has 30 goals. . . . F Taylor Vause and F Brad Hoban, both 20 years of age, scored in their final home games with the Broncos. Vause has 37 goals; Hoban has 20. Vause also had two assists. . . . F Matej Stransky had his 38th goal and two assists for the Blades. . . . It was Scratch City before this one. . . . The Broncos, who were playing their final home game, also scratched six players, although three of those were due to numbers. . . . The Blades were without six players, including D Tommy Stipancik, who has been plagued by concussion-related problems and now has mononucleosis, and backup goaltender Adam Todd, who is injured. D Dalton Thrower also remains out, along with D Matt Pufahl and F Michael Burns. Todd was hit in the head by a puck during practice on Thursday and is expected to sit for at least 10 days with a concussion. The Blades had G Patrick Johnson, an 18-year-old from Saskatoon, on the bench. He played in the SJHL with the Kindersley Klippers and Melfort Mustangs this season. . . . You’re wondering about G Alex Moodie, who played so well for the Blades in January. His midget AAA Winnipeg Wild opened the best-of-five Manitoba league final last night with a 4-1 victory over the Southwest Cougars in the Manitoba capital. Game 2 is Sunday in Souris, Man. . . . The Blades won their 40th game and are one point ahead of Regina and Kootenay. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Tigers, 4-2. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson broke a 1-1 tie at 14:47 of the first period. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 36 shots. . . . The Tigers welcomed back D Spenser Jensen, who hadn’t played since Feb. 18 due to an injury. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem got his WHL-leading 61st goal at 19:56 of the third. . . . The Oil Kings have won 10 in a row. . . . The Oil Kings can clinch first place in the overall standings with a victory in Red Deer tonight. . . . The Tigers were 0-8 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-2. . . .

In Red Deer, F Adam Kambeitz broke a 2-2 tie at 13:12 of the third period as the Rebels beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . Kambeitz has 18 goals. . . . The Rebels dressed 15 skaters, three under the maximum. . . . Red Deer G Bolton Pouliot stopped 34 shots. . . . Medicine Hat is tied for third with Calgary but the Hitmen have one more victory. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Calgary Hitmen erased a 4-0 first-period deficit and beat the Kootenay Ice 6-5 in OT. . . . D Spencer Humphries won it with a PP goal just 59 seconds into OT. . . . The Ice took a 5-3 lead into the last minute of the third period. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick got his 34th goal at 19:03 and F Greg Chase tied it with his sixth goal at 19:18. . . . Bubnick had two goals. . . . Calgary got three assists from each of F Alex Gogolev and F Brooks Macek. . . . F Joey Leach had a goal, his 12th, and two assists for the Ice. . . . Calgary was 3-7 on the PP; the Ice was 1-3. . . . The Ice now is tied with Regina for sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . . Calgary is tied with Medicine Hat for third. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored six third-period goals and beat the Prince George Cougars, 10-4. . . . The loss ended any chance the Cougars had of making the playoffs. . . . F Colin Smith scored three times for Kamloops. It was his first hat trick this season and the third of his career. He has 35 goals. . . . F Brandon Herrod had a goal and three assists for Kamloops, while linemates Jordan DePape had two goals and an assist, and Brendan Ranford added a goal and two helpers. . . . The Blazers were 3-5 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-3. . . . Cougars F Campbell Elynuik took a cross-checking major and game misconduct late in the third period and will be suspended for tonight’s rematch in Prince George. . . . The Blazers will be the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference but don’t yet know who they will play. . . .

In Spokane, F Burke Gallimore’s 100th career goal, at 15:51 of the third period, gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . With Gallimore driving to the net, a Colin Jacobs centring pass went off one of his skates and over Spokane G Eric Williams. Video review determined there wasn’t a kicking motion involved and the goal stood. . . . F Dylan Walchuk gave the Chiefs a 3-2 lead at 13:08 of the second period. . . . Seattle F Colin Jacobs tied it with 31 seconds left in the period. . . . F Marek Kalus scored his 20th goal for Spokane. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 36 shots. . . . The loss means the Chiefs will finish fifth in the Western Conference and meet the No. 4 Vancouver Giants in the first round. . . . The Thunderbirds, with two games remaining, are tied with Everett for eighth but can still finish seventh. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans clinched the Westerm Conference and U.S. Division pennants with a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . D Zach Yuen broke a 1-1 tie with his 12th goal at 15:35 of the third period. . . . F Adam Hughesman iced it with two late goals, giving him 50 on the season. . . . That gives the Americans two 50-goal men for the first time since 1994-95 (Daymond Langkow and Terry Ryan). . . . Hughesman also had an assist and now has 350 career points. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists as he ran his point streak to 22 games, matching the franchise record set by Colton Yellow Horn in 2007-08. . . . Shinnimin leads the WHL with 133 points, 14 more than Brandon F Mark Stone. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland drew one assist, running his assist streak to 19 games. . . . The Americans won their 50th game, the first CHL team to get there this season. It is the second time in franchise history the Americans have won 50; they also did it in 2007-08. . . . The Americans are one point behind Edmonton, which leads the overall standings. . . . Everett is tied for eighth with Seattle and the teams meet tonight in Kent, Wash. A Seattle victory clinches a playoff spot and eliminates Everett. . . . An Everett victory would mean Seattle would have to win in Portland on Sunday to force a sudden-death playoff game. If it comes to that, Everett would play Seattle in Kent on Tuesday. . . . If Seattle wins both its remaining game, it finishes seventh, with Victoria eighth. . . .

In Victoria, G Keith Hamilton stopped 37 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Royals had beaten the visiting Winterhawks 4-3 on Wednesday. . . . After the game, Portland D Derrick Pouliot tweeted: “Sick of Victoria.” . . . F Mike Forsyth broke a 1-1 tie at 5:40 of the third period. He has three goals this season. . . . F Jamie Crooks added insurance with his 37th at 7:28. . . . F Dakota Conroy had a goal, his 11th, and an assist for Victoria. . . . F Dominic Turgeon, the son of former NHLer Pierre Turgeon, made his WHL debut with the Winterhawks. . . . The Royals clinched a playoff spot. They will finish seventh or eighth in the Western Conference. . . . The Winterhawks will be the third seed in the Western Conference and will open at home to the No. 6 Kelowna Rockets on Friday. . . . Portland and Kelowna met in the second round last season, with the Winterhawks winning in six games. . . .

In Vancouver, F Jordan Martinook scored his third goal of the game, and 40th of the season, at 1:05 of OT to give the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Martinook, who also had an assist, at tied the game at 15:13 of the third on a PP. . . . F Marek Tvrdon had three assists for Vancouver. . . . Kelowna took a 3-1 lead into the third period. . . . F Brett Bulmer had a goal, his 34th, and two assists for Kelowna. . . . The Giants clinched home-ice advantage in their first-round series with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Rockets, the sixth seed in the Western Conference, will be in Portland to open a first-round series on Friday.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Matej Stransky, Saskatoon.
F Curtis Valk, Medicine Hat.
D Tanner Muth, Kootenay
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Justin Hickman, Seattle.
D Drydn Dowd, Tri-City.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Kootenay (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Regina (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Everett/Seattle (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Victoria (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TODAY’S GAMES:
Regina at Brandon
Kootenay at Calgary
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat
Prince Albert at Moose Jaw
Edmonton at Red Deer
Swift Current at Saskatoon
Vancouver at Kelowna
Kamloops at Prince George
Everett at Seattle
Spokane at Tri-City
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SUNDAY’S GAME
Seattle at Portland
(End of regular season)

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Friday . . .

Cam Tucker of the Abbotsford Times has the latest conjecture on what’s going on with Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Victoria and . . . That story is right here.
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F Jason Zucker of the U of Denver Pioneers has been named the WCHA’s rookie of the year after putting up 38 points, including 20 goals, 34 games this season. Zucker, who is from Las Vegas, was a second-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the NHL’s 2010 draft. . . . The Seattle Thunderbirds selected Zucker in the fourth round of the WHL’s 2007 bantam draft.
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The Prince George Cougars whipped the Giants 8-0 in Vancouver on Friday night and now are in sole possession of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . The Cougars are one point behind the seventh-place Everett Silvertips two points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers and three up on the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Cougars will meet the Thunderbirds tonight in Kent, Wash. . . . F Charles Inglis had three goals for the Cougars, while G Ty Rimmer stopped 16 shots for his fourth shutout of the season. . . . Inglis now has 32 goals. . . . The Giants, who can’t finish any higher than second in the B.C. Division, have lost five in a row, three times by shutout. They were without head coach Don Hay, who served a one-game suspension after his club was in it’s third line brawl of the season on Wednesday against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Giants play in Chilliwack tonight. . . .
In Everett, the Portland Winterhawks beat the Silvertips 6-3 to remain in first place in the Western Conference and the U.S. Division. . . . The Winterhawks, who are one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs, scored four goals in the first five minutes of the second period to erase a 2-1 deficit. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie was back in the lineup after sitting out four games with an injury. He had a goal and two assists. . . . G Keith Hamilton stopped 30 shots for Portland. . . . Everett has lost six in a row and is one point ahead of eighth-place Prince George. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter scored his 37^th goal of the season and running his goal-scoring streak to six games. . . . Portland and Spokane each has five games remaining. The Winterhawks play again in Everett tonight, while the Chiefs entertain the Kootenay Ice . . .
In Kamloops, the Kelowna Rockets beat the Blazers 5-1 to wrap up first place in the B.C. Division and the second seed in the Western Conference. . . . F Geordie Wudrick scored his 40^th goal for the Rockets, while F Gal Koren got his first. . . . The Blazers, who have three games to play, now are ninth, two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Kelowna. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Burke Gallimore’s PP goal at 1:31 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Thunderbirds, who have five games remaining, are 10^th in the Western Conference, one point behind Kamloops and three behind Prince George. . . . Gallimore, who has 32 goals, also had the OT winner Saturday in a 3-2 victory over visiting Everett. . . . The Bruins had a six-game winning streak snapped. . . . Bruins G Lucas Gore stopped 53 shots. . . . The loser point lifted the sixth-place Bruins three points clear of Everett. . . . Prince George visit’s the Thunderbirds tonight, while the Bruins go home to face Vancouver. . . .
In Spokane, F Tyler Johnson became the WHL’s first 50-goal scorer this season as the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . It was the fifth straight time Spokane has beaten Tri-City. . . . The loss ended any chance Tri-City had of successfully defending its U.S. Division title. . . . D Tyler Schmidt had Tri-City’s goal, giving him 162 career points. That is one more than the franchise record for career points by a defenceman, which had been held by Darrell Hay (1996-2000). . . . Johnson also had an assist and, with 109 points, trails WHL scoring leader Linden Vey of Medicine Hat by five points. . . . F Blake Gal and F Anthony Bardaro each got his 20^th goal for the Chiefs, giving them seven players with at least that many goals. . . . The franchise record is eight (1995-96) and the Chiefs have three players close to 20 -- F Dominik Uher has 19, while D Jared Cowen and F Matt Marantz each has 18. . . . The Americans are headed for a fourth-place finish in the conference, meaning they will have home-ice against the fifth-place finisher in the first round. . . . Tri-City is at home to Prince George on Sunday. . . . The Chiefs, who trail conference-leading Portland by a point, entertain Kootenay tonight. . . .
In Brandon, F Michael Ferland’s OT goal gave the Wheat Kings a 5-4 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The victory allowed Brandon to clinch a playoff spot. . . . The Wheat Kings are sixth, which is as high as they can finish, but they are just a point ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Blades have wrapped up first place overall. . . . The Blades had won five in a row. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock picked up an assist, for his 40^th point of the season. That is believed to be a Wheat Kings franchise record for a 16-year-old defenceman. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky scored a shorthanded goal, giving him one of those in three straight games. . . . Referees Brett Iverson and Sean Raphael handed out only four minor penalties, all to Saskatoon. . . . The Blades had hoped to head home immediately after the game, but inclement weather forced them to stay the night. They are at home to Edmonton tonight. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders are to travel to Brandon for a game tonight. . . .
In Calgary, the Lethbridge Hurricanes kept alive their playoff chances with a 3-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . D Derek Ryckman pulled Lethbridge into a 2-2 tie with his fifth goal at 9:34 of the third and F Brody Sutter, with his 15^th, won it at 11:40. . . . Lethbridge F Max Ross was tossed with a boarding major at 7:38 of the second period. . . . The Hurricanes are ninth, two points behind Prince Albert. Each team has four games remaining. . . . The Hurricanes will play at home to Medicine Hat tonight. . . . The Hitmen next play Sunday against visiting Red Deer. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Cody Eakin scored in regulation time and again in the shootout as his Kootenay Ice scored a 5-4 victory over his former team, the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Graham Black, who led the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in scoring this season with the Regina Pat Canadians, scored his first WHL goal for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current scored three times in the last 15 minutes to force OT, with Black tying it at 19:36 of the third. . . . The Ice is fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Broncos have been eliminated from the playoff picture. . . . Swift Current is in Red Deer tonight, while the Ice is in Spokane. . . .
In Medicine Hat, WHL scoring leader Linden Vey scored at 4:48 of OT to give the Tigers a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Vey finished with two goals, giving him 46, and 114 points. . . . He is striving to become the first Medicine Hat player to win a scoring title since Tom Lysiak in 1972-73. . . . The Tigers, who are in Lethbridge tonight, are two points behind the Central Division-leading Rebels. . . . The Rebels are at home to Swift Current tonight. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Raiders came from behind to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . Edmonton took a 2-1 lead into the second period, only to have F Mark McNeill tie it with his 29^th goal at 5:42 and freshman F Mike Winther get the eventual winner, his ninth goal this season, at 11:39. . . . The Raiders are eighth in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Edmonton and two up on Lethbridge. . . . The Raiders are in Brandon tonight, while Edmonton is in Saskatoon. . . .
In Regina, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . D Morgan Rielly tied the game on a PP at 1:10 of the third and F Sebastian Svendsen won it with his 26^th goal at 17:09. . . . The Warriors have won six of seven games with the Pats this season and have come from behind in five of those victories. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports: “Pats top prospect Morgan Klimchuk, the No. 5 pick in the 2010 bantam draft, made his home-ice debut but played just a few shifts. He took the spot of overage forward Colin Reddin, who was a healthy scratch.” . . . The teams meet again tonight in Moose Jaw as the Pats make their last visit to the Civic Centre (aka the Crushed Can). The Warriors will move into a new facility in time for next season. . . . The Warriors, who will finish fifth in the Eastern Conference, can officially eliminate the Pats from the playoff hunt with a victory tonight. Regina, which has four games left, is seven points behind Prince Albert, which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot.

Don Hay, the head coach of the Vancouver Giants, issued a broad apology Monday night after, his team had to use Kamloops Blazers training camp jerseys during a game in Kamloops on Saturday night. The Giants’ jerseys missed the bus to Kamloops on Saturday afternoon, so they wore black Kamloops jerseys that included a Blazers logo on the fronts.
“It’s embarrassing to our organization and we’re not happy about it,” Hay said in his weekly appearance with Dan Russell on SportsTalk, Vancouver radio station CKNW’s nightly show. “It’s not something that we’re very proud of . . . not taking our jerseys and not representing our organization.
“We made the best of it and we’re moving on.”
Hay, who is from Kamloops and is a former Blazers coach, did admit that he was OK with wearing the logo.
“Having spent 10 years there and growing up watching the Blazers . . . obviously, I was comfortable wearing that sweater more than any other team’s in the league,” Hay said.
Then he added: “It was something different and not something we’d like to do every game.”
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Robert Schnabel (Red Deer, 1997-99) has been loaned for the rest of this season to Chomutov (Czech Republic 1.Liga) by Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic Extraliga). He had one goal and four assists in 26 games for Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia Extraliga) earlier this season during a two-month stint as an injury replacement. Schnabel's Czech playing rights were held by Mlada Boleslav and a "loan exchange" was made between Mlada Boleslav and Chomutov, where Chomutov loaned F/D Jan Benda to Mlada Boleslav in exchange for Schnabel. Schnabel's loan to Chomutov will continue for next season should Chomutov win promotion to Extraliga.
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F Burke Gallimore of the Seattle Thunderbirds wore a microphone on Jan. 18 when they met the visiting Kamloops Blazers in Kent, Wash.
The clip that ended up on KCPQ-TV is right here.
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JUST NOTES: D Josh Morrissey, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, is scheduled to make his WHL debut Wednesday with the Prince Albert Raiders against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. Morrissey plays for the midget AAA Calgary Royals; he has 36 points in 26 games, leaving him 13^th overall in the AMHL scoring race. He played in the league’s all-star game last weekend in Fort Saskatchewan. . . . The Kootenay Ice has recalled G Mackenzie Skapski and F Levi Cable for its next five games. Skapski, a third-round pick in the 2009 draft, has a 4.27 GAA and a .894 save percentage with the junior B Ridge Meadows Flames. Cable, 16, has 45 points in 34 games with the midget AAA Yorkton, Sask., Harvest. . . . The Ice is without D Joey Leach and F Steele Boomer, both of whom will miss up to six weeks with ankle problems. . . . C Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs is the WHL’s player of the week. He recorded 10 points, including two goals, in four games to move to the top of the scoring race. He and F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers are tied for the lead, with 79 points. . . . Mark Segal of the Vancouver Giants is the WHL nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 3-0-0, 1.06, .953 last week. . . .
F Nino Niederreiter tied a Portland Winterhawks’ franchise record Sunday when he scored the OT winner to beat the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 6-5. That was Niederreiter’s fourth OT goal, pulling him even with F Todd Robinson (1994-95) and F Ken Yaremchuk (1980-83). Robinson played 317 regular-season games, while Yaremchuk was in 210. Niederreiter has played in 97 games. . . . Portland, by the way, is 26-0-0 when scoring four or more goals. . . . The Winterhawks have scheduled their annual Buckaroos Salute for Feb. 5 when they are playing the Tri-City Americans. Among the former Buckaroos players who will be in attendance are Jim Hay, Art Jones and Tom McVie.