Showing posts with label Calvin Thurkauf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calvin Thurkauf. Show all posts

Friday, April 7, 2017

Barzal's return sparks T-Birds ... Pats tie series ... Tigers, Rockets win, too



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 Continuing with the report from Finland that started here yesterday . . .
Well, Game 6 went to double OT. Vantaa won 2-1, scoring with three seconds left in the second OT. The TuTo goalie got a major for "abuse of officials" plus a double game misconduct, one for "throwing a stick or object" and the second for "abuse of officials" at the end of the game. The winning goal was a power-play goal, so that may account for the "abuse of officials,” etc. . . . Vantaa wins the series 4-2 and plays SaPKo Savonlinna in the final.
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D Mark Rubinchik of the Saskatoon is on the roster of the team that will represent Russia at the IIHF U-18 World Championship in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, next week. Rubinchik played for Russia at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial last summer. With the Blades, he had 23 assists in 63 games. . . . The Blades also will be represented as equipment manager Chad Scharff has been named to that role with Team Canada. . . . Russia opens the IIHF tournament against Sweden on April 13.
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F Jansen Harkins of the Prince George Cougars has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets, who selected him in the second round of the 2015 NHL draft. Harkins has joined the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL affiliate, and will spend the remainder of the season there. Harkins put up 242 points, including 75 goals, in 275 regular-season games over four seasons with the Cougars. He is Prince George’s all-time leader in assists (167) and points.
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F Reid Duke of the Brandon Wheat Kings has signed a PTO with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and will finish this season with them. Earlier, Duke, 21, signed an NHL contract with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who apparently are working on a deal to purchase an AHL franchise but haven’t yet announced it. This season, Duke had 71 points, 37 of them goals, in 59 games with the Wheat Kings.
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MORE ON THE MOVE: D Ondrej Vala of the Kamloops Blazers has joined the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Vala just completed his second WHL season. Vala, who will turn 19 on April 13, signed a three-year entry-level deal with Dallas in September. From Slovakia, he wasn’t selected in the NHL draft. . . . F Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals will finish the season with the AHL’s Stockton Heat, which is affiliated with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. The Flames selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . F Michael Spacek of the Red Deer Rebels has signed an ATO with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The parent Winnipeg Jets selected him in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. He has yet to sign an NHL contract.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:





At Everett, F Mathew Barzal scored the game’s first goal and drew an assist on the winner in his first
MATHEW BARZAL
game in a month as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for tonight in Everett. . . . Barzal, the Western Conference’s most outstanding player, last played on March 7. Originally, he was thought to have been out with the mumps, but the Thunderbirds never did release the results of his tests and it all turned into speculation that he had mononucleosis. . . . Barzal opened the scoring on a PP, at 2:07 of the second period, getting his own rebound and beating G Carter Hart. . . . Everett tied it on F Eetu Tuulola’s third goal, at 17:53. . . . Seattle went ahead 2-1 when F Tyler Adams (1) scored at 5:31 of the third period. . . . That set the stage for something of a wild finish. . . . With G Carter Hart on the bench for an extra attacker, Everett D Aaron Irving scored on a point shot through traffic at 18:22. . . . The Thunderbirds broke the tie 39 seconds later as F Donovan Neuls (4) scored on the rebound of a Barzal shot. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Alexander True, with Neuls adding one to his goal. . . . G Carl Stankowski ran his playoff record to 5-0 with 21 saves, nine fewer than Hart. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . Barzal now has played in 34 WHL playoff games. He has put up 42 points, including 11 goals. . . . Seattle remained without F Ryan Gropp and G Rylan Toth. Gropp was injured in Game 2 of a first-round series with the Tri-City Americans. Toth hasn’t played since March 11. . . . Everett F Devon Skoleski played for the first time since March 19. . . . Announced attendance: 4,588.
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At Kelowna, the Rockets scored three goals in 95 seconds en route to a 4-2 victory over the Portland
CALVIN THURKAUF
Winterhawks. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Kelowna tonight. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf (1) opened the scoring at 3:42 of the second period. . . . F Kole Lind (2) made it 2-0 at 4:32, and F Reid Gardiner’s sixth goal upped that to 3-0 at 5:17. . . . The Rockets completed a four-goal second-period as F Dillon Dube (5) scored on a PP, at 16:08. . . . Portland got on the scoreboard when F Brad Ginnell (2) scored at 10:50 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass (3) scored Portland’s second goal, on a PP with G Cole Kehler on the bench for an extra attacker, at 17:34. . . . Portland received another PP after that one and came close to scoring, with F Skyler McKenzie being stoned by G Michael Herringer and F Joachim Blichfeld hitting a post. . . . Thurkauf also had two assists, for a three-point outing, with Gardiner and Lind adding an assist each. . . . Herringer finished with 27 saves, while Kehler blocked 50 shots. . . . The Rockets had a 43-12 edge in shots — and that 4-0 lead — after two periods. . . . Kelowna was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . The Rockets’ penalty killers have allowed two goals in 37 opportunities in seven playoff games. . . . Announced attendance: 5,002.
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At Regina, the Pats scored the game’s last five goals as they beat the Swift Current Broncos, 6-2. . . .
AUSTIN WAGNER
The series is tied, 1-1, with Game 3 set for Monday in Swift Current. It will be televised by Sportsnet. . . . The Broncos had won the opener, 1-0 in OT, on Thursday night in Regina. . . . In Game 1, the Pats received only one PP opportunity. In Game 2, Regina was 2-10 with the man advantage and the Broncos, who were 2-5, know they can’t win by taking that many trips to the penalty box. . . . D Jonathan Smart (1) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 9:36 of the first period. . . . The Broncos went ahead 2-1 on first-period PP goals from D Max Lajoie (1), at 12:35, and F Tyler Steenbergen (7), at 16:18. . . . The Pats tied it 43 seconds into the second period as D Connor Hobbs (2) counted on a PP. . . . The home team went ahead at 6:08 as F Nick Henry (2) also scored on the PP. . . . F Austin Wagner (5) added insurance at 14:28. . . . Regina F Robbie Holmes (1) and Wagner (6), into an empty net, added third-period goals. . . . Regina got two assists from F Sam Steel, with Henry and Hobbs adding one each. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for the Broncos, with Steenbergen getting one. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 15 shots for the Pats, while the Broncos’ Jordan Papirny turned aside 34. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks, who totalled 250 points in 139 regular-season games over the last two seasons, left in the first period with an apparent left knee injury. He got bumped a couple of times in the neutral zone, went down and was slow leaving the ice. He came on the ice a few minutes later, test it and left for the dressing room. . . . The Pats scratched F Filip Ahl, but it isn't known if he was ill or injured. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.


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At Medicine Hat, G Michael Bullion stopped 16 shots in recording his first playoff shutout as the Tigers
MICHAEL BULLION
beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-0. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Medicine Hat tonight. . . . Shaw TV is covering this series in its entirety. . . . The Tigers have played five games in these playoffs, and won all of them. Bullion is 5-0, 1.80, .926. . . . F Steve Owre scored a goal, his second of the playoffs, and added two assists. . . . The Tigers went up 1-0 when F John Dahlstrom scored at 15:23 of the first period. . . . Medicine Hat took control with second-period goals from F Chad Butcher (2), at 5:42, and Owre, at 17:25. . . . F Zach Fischer (4) got the game’s last goal, at 15:01 of the third period. . . . Fischer and Butcher each had one assist, too. . . . Lethbridge took the game’s only four minor penalties. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-0 on the PP. . . . The Hurricanes got 33 saves from G Stuart Skinner. . . . D Brad Forrest remains out of the Tigers’ lineup with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 4,580.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 1-0)
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 1-0)
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Medicine Hat leads, 1-0)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:17 PM
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Thursday, March 2, 2017

Priestner not going anywhere ... Giants to stage special night ... Sideroff ties WHL record


The Saskatoon Blades are losing money and they just might miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. However, owner Mike Priestner says they aren’t going anywhere, nor is he interested in selling them. “I’m a thousand per cent patient,” he told Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix in a story that is right here. . . . Priestner wouldn’t talk about the lawsuit that is making its way through the legal system asking that teams pay minimum wage and other benefits to players — there is a WHL directive instructing teams not to discuss it — but he does talk about wins and losses, profits and losses, and more.
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A tip of the cap to the Vancouver Giants for going the extra mile to promote organ donor awareness.
The Giants are teaming up with Don Cherry, his family and the Kidney Foundation of Canada to hold Don Cherry Night on March 14 when the Giants play host to the Victoria Royals at the Langley Events Centre.
From a Giants news release:
“The Giants will wear special Don Cherry jerseys for the game as part of a national effort to increase both awareness and organ transplant rates by 50 per cent over five years. Canada has fallen to 23rd in the world in terms of organ donation rates, and approximately 4,500 Canadians are waiting for an organ with about 80 per cent of those needing a kidney. This is a cause that hits close to home for the Cherry family.”
Don Cherry said: “When I was coaching the Boston Bruins, my son Tim had a transplant. Lucky for him, his sister, Cindy, gave him a kidney. We’re promoting organ transplants here, you can do your job, do your part, and step up to the plate.”
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D Jacob Bernard-Docker, a fifth-round selection by the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft, has committed to attend the U of North Dakota and play for the Fighting Hawks starting in 2019-20. From Canmore, Alta., Bernard-Docker has 20 points, including seven goals, in 52 games with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers.
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The MJHL’s OCN Blizzard will be around for a while longer, after all. The Opaskwayak Cree Nation had announced that the Blizzard would be suspending operations before another season arrives. On Wednesday, however, the Blizzard announced that it has been saved. From a news release: “The Opaskwayak Cree Nation Chief and Council announced they’ve passed a motion to allow the OCN Blizzard Jr. A hockey club the opportunity to self-sustain in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for the 2017-18 season, upon MJHL approval.” . . . The complete news release is right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Giorgio Estephan scored 46 seconds into OT as the Lethbridge Hurricanes beat the Wheat
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
Kings, 3-2. . . . The Wheat Kings didn’t touch the puck in extra time before Estephan won it with his 28th goal of the season. . . . F Ryan Vandervlis gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 13:24 of the first period. . . . The Wheat Kings went ahead 2-1 on goals from F Tyler Coulter (27), at 19:20, and F Nolan Patrick (17), at 9:17 of the second period. . . . F Alec Baer’s 13th goal of the season, at 14:37 of the second, tied it. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of D Brennan Menell and D Calen Addison. Baer added an assist to his goal. . . . Coulter also had an assist. . . . The Hurricanes got 32 saves from G Stuart Skinner. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 36 shots for the home side. . . . Lethbridge was 1-6 on the PP; Brandon was 0-2. . . . The Hurricanes (40-17-7) have won four in a row. They remain second in the Central Division, four points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-26-10) have dropped six in a row (0-4-2). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,177.
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At Edmonton, F Colton Kroeker and F Vince Loschiavo each had a goal and two assists to help the
VINCE LOSCHIAVO
Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . The Ice took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Cale Fleury (11), on a PP, at 3:55 of the first period and Loschiavo (24) at 5:15. . . . F Davis Koch scored his 20th goal, at 8:30, to get the Oil Kings to within a goal. . . . The Ice took control on second-period goals from D Dallas Hines (4), on a PP, at 1:48, and Kroeker (16), at 19:04. . . . D Conner McDonald scored his seventh goal, getting the Oil Kings to within two, at 17:18 of the third period. . . . F Brett Davis (17) iced it for the Ice with an empty-netter at 18:38. . . . G Payton Lee stopped 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 25 shots. . . . Kootenay was 2-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-3. . . . The Ice (14-38-10) had lost its previous three games. . . . The Oil Kings (20-39-5) have lost seven in a row (0-6-1). . . . Announced attendance: 6,671.
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At Everett, F Kailer Yamamoto was in on each Spokane goal as the Chiefs beat the Silvertips, 4-1. . . . Yamamoto scored Spokane’s second goal, his 36th, and drew assists on the other three. A Spokane
KAILER YAMAMOTO
native who is expected to be a first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft. Yamamoto has 81 points in 55 games this season. In 180 career games, he has 209 points, including 78 goals. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 34th goal, on a PP, at 11:17 of the first period, gave Spokane a 1-0 lead. . . . Yamamoto made it 2-0 at 17:25 of the second period. . . . The Chiefs went up 3-0 on F Keanu Yamamoto’s 24th goal, on a PP, at 1:13 of the third period. . . . Everett got its goal from F Riley Sutter (17), on a PP, at 13:35. . . . Spokane F Riley Woods (11) put it away with an empty-netter at 17:34. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from F Hudson Elynuik, while Anderson-Dolan added one. . . . G Jayden Sittler earned the victory with 32 saves. . . . The Silvertips got 29 saves from Carter Hart. . . . Spokane was 2-6 on the PP; Everett was 1-5. . . . Mitch Love, an Everett assistant coach, got the ol’ heave-ho 56 seconds into the third period. He did it up right, though, as he took a minor penalty before getting ejected and then another one on the way out. . . . The Chiefs (26-27-9) had lost their previous three games. They have 10 games remaining and are nine points away from a playoff spot. . . . The Silvertips (38-14-10) have lost two in a row. They are tied with Seattle for first place in the U.S. Division. Everett has two games in hand.. . . Announced attendance: 3,519.
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At Kamloops, F Deven Sideroff scored at 1:52 of OT to give the Blazers a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . All four games of the season series went to extra time, with each team going 2-0-2. . . . Kamloops won twice in OT; Seattle won once in OT and once in a shootout. . . . Kamloops G Connor
DEVEN SIDEROFF
Ingram made a right pad save on Sea F Donovan Neuls, who had gotten away from Sideroff to go in alone, moments before Sideroff went down the right side and scored the winner, his second goal of the game and 35th this season. It was his 10th game-winner, tying him for the WHL lead with F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Ingram got the lone assist on the winner, his third assist this season. Those assists have come in his past seven games after he went 146 games before getting No. 1. . . . Sideroff’s fifth OT goal this season ties the WHL’s single-season record. He now shares that mark with F Eric Fehr, who did it with the 2004-05 Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . If you’re wondering, F Brian Propp of the Wheat Kings holds the single-season record for game-winning goals (16), from 1978-79. . . . Kamloops took a 1-0 lead at 8:47 of the first period when F Garrett Pilon’s centring pass was deposited into the Seattle net by Thunderbirds F Ryan Gropp, a Kamloops native who, barring playoffs, was playing his last WHL game in his hometown. . . . Pilon has 18 goals. . . . The Blazers went up 2-0 at 9:41 when F Luc Smith scored No. 11. . . . Seattle tied it on a pair of Gropp goals, at 11:15 of the first and 18:11 of the second period. He’s got 31 goals. . . . F Keegan Kolesar gave Seattle a 3-2 lead at 3:22 of the third period. . . . Kamloops D Dallas Valentine (2) tied it at 5:30 and Sideroff put his guys out front at 10:02. . . . The Thunderbirds forced OT when Kolesar scored his 24th goal, with 12.4 seconds left on the clock and G Rylan Toth on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . The Blazers got two assists from each of F Rudolfs Balcers and F Quinn Benjafield, while Pilon added one. . . . F Mathew Barzal had three assists for Seattle, with Gropp picking up one. . . . Ingram finished with 31 saves, three more than Toth. . . . Seattle was 0-3 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . The Thunderbirds were without D Jarret Tyszka, F Scott Eansor and D Ethan Bear, three top-end skaters who are sidelined with injuries. They had D Jake Lee, 15, from Sherwood Park, Alta., and F Ian Briscoe, 17, from Winnipeg, in the lineup. . . . The Blazers (38-21-6) had lost their previous two games. With this victory, they clinched a playoff spot and moved to within three points of the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars. . . . The Thunderbirds (40-18-6) have points in three straight (2-0-1). The loser point allowed them to move into a tie with Everett atop the U.S. Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,560.
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At Kelowna, F Calvin Thurkauf scored two goals and set up another to lead the Rockets to a 5-1 victory
CALVIN THURKAUF
over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Thurkauf, who has 32 goals, gave the Rockets a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 4:27 of the second period. . . . F Kyle Topping (13) made it 2-0 at 9:53. . . . Thurkauf scored again at 11:08, for a 3-0 lead, and F Nick Merkley’s PP goal at 15:32 made it 4-0. . . . Merkley has 23 goals. . . . The Cougars got a goal from F Radovan Bondra, his 30th, at 1:04 of the third period. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube (13) closed out the scoring, on a PP, at 15:17. . . . The Rockets got two assists from each of F Reid Gardiner and D Cal Foote, with Dube adding one. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer turned aside 25 shots. . . . The Cougars got 32 stops from G Ty Edmonds. . . . The Rockets were 3-10 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-2. . . . Prince George was without F Colby McAuley (one-game suspension), D Brendan Guhle and F Brad Morrison, the latter two out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Rockets (38-21-5) have won two in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, a point behind Kamloops. . . . The Cougars (40-20-5) journeyed south for a single game. They now return home to face the Kamloops Blazers in a Friday-Saturday doubleheader. The Cougars lead the B.C. Division by three points over Kamloops, each with seven games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 5,121.
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At Moose Jaw, F Yan Khomenko broke a 3-3 tie at 9:36 of the third period as the Warriors edged the
YAN KHOMENKO
Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . Khomenko won it with his 14th goal of the season. . . . The Warriors led this one 3-0 early in the second period, only to have the visitors tie it in the third period. . . . The Warriors went up 3-0 on goals from F Brett Howden (34), at 5:29 of the first period, F Tanner Jeannot (17), at 13:08, and F Jayden Halbgewachs (45), at 5:29 of the second. . . . The Calgary comeback began when F Jake Kryski scored No. 17, at 9:14 of the second. . . . F Matteo Gennaro got his 38th at 1:54 of the third, and D Brady Reagan (6) tied it at 8:08. . . . D Matt Sozanski and D Josh Brook each had two assists for Moose Jaw, with Halbgewachs getting one. . . . The Warriors got a big game from G Zach Sawchenko, who stopped 33 shots. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin gave up two goals on 10 shots in the first period before leaving with an apparent ankle injury. Kyle Dumba finished up with 16 saves on 18 shots over 38:35. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-2. . . . The Warriors (39-17-8) have won seven in a row. They are second in the East Division, 10 points behind Regina and 12 ahead of Swift Current. . . . The Hitmen (24-29-10) have lost two straight. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Saskatoon. . . . Announced attendance: 2,843.
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At Prince Albert, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s last three goals, including one in OT from F
STEVE OWRE
Steve Owre, to beat the Raiders, 6-5. . . . F D-Jay Jerome’s eighth goal, at 5:56 of the third period, had given Prince Albert a 5-3 lead. . . . F John Dahlstrom got the Tigers to within a goal with his 25th, at 9:14, and F Mark Rassell tied it, on a PP, at 14:04. He’s got 32 goals. . . . Owre won it with his 23rd goal of the season. . . . The Tigers opened the scoring when F Mason Shaw (26) counted at 6:42 of the first period. . . . The Raiders took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Curtis Miske (18), on a PP, at 7:56, and F Cavin Leth (20), at 5:19 of the second period. . . . Rassell tied it while shorthanded at 14:39. . . . Goals from Leth, at 1:19 of the third period, and F Parker Kelly (14), at 4:01, gave the home side a 4-2 lead. . . . The Tigers cut into that when F Matt Bradley got No. 30, at 5:13. . . . Bradley, Owre and Shaw each had one assist. . . . Miske had two assists for the Raiders, with Kelly getting one. . . . G Michael Bullion earned the victory with 36 stops. . . . The Raiders started G Ian Scott, who gave up four goals on 30 shots in 50:23. Nic Sanders finished up, allowing two goals on 11 shots in 10:08. . . . Each team was 1-3 on the PP. . . . Medicine Hat (45-18-1) has won three straight. The Tigers lead the Central Division by four points over Lethbridge. . . . The Raiders (17-40-7) were eliminated from the playoff picture with the loss. . . . Announced attendance: 2,005.
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At Langley, B.C., F Keegan Iverson and F Jake Gricius had two goals each as the Portland Winterhawks
KEEGAN IVERSON
unleashed a 55-shot attack in a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Iverson, who has 20 goals, scored a pair of PP goals, giving his guys a 1-0 lead at 8:23 of the first period and putting them ahead 3-0 at 15:51 of the second. . . . In between, Gricius scored his eighth goal. . . . D Matt Barberis (10) scored for Vancouver, on a PP, at 2:47 of the third period. . . . F Matt Revel (8) scored his first goal for the Winterhawks, an empty-netter, at 18:10. Revel started the season with the Kamloops Blazers but suffered a collarbone injury in December. The Winterhawks picked him up on 20-year-old waivers in January. . . . Gricius got Portland’s last goal at 19:02. . . . The Winterhawks got two assists from D Caleb Jones. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 17 shots for Portland. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic blocked 51 shots. . . . The Winterhawks were 3-5 on the PP; the Giants were 1-3. . . . Portland (33-26-4) had lost its previous four games (0-3-1). The Winterhawks are in the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, five points behind Victoria. . . . Vancouver (19-40-5) has lost four straight. . . . The Giants and Winterhawks will meet in Portland on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . Announced attendance: 3,113.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Kelowna at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Regina 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:09 AM
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Monday, February 13, 2017

Kehler blanks former team . . . Season over for two skaters . . . Fans paint ice in P.G.

G Michael Garnett (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1999-2002) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Bern (Switzerland, NL A). This season, with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he was 3.15 and .903 in 17 games.
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Cole Kehler says he never doubted his abilities, but admits there were times when he wondered if he would get another opportunity to play in the WHL.
Kehler, a 19-year-old from Altona, Man., was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the sixth round of the
COLE KEHLER
2012 bantam draft. On Monday afternoon, he recorded his first career shutout, stopping 41 shots to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-0 victory over the host Blazers.
When the 2014-15 WHL season began, Kehler and Connor Ingram were the Blazers goaltenders. When they returned from the Christmas break, Ingram took over the starting job and refused to give it up; in fact, he has played lights out since then.
Kehler, meanwhile, had a poor exhibition season in the autumn of 2015 and ended up going to the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials in order to get some playing time.
“I don’t think I doubted myself,” he said, “but I maybe doubted whether I’d get another opportunity (in the WHL).”
Well, he played well enough in Merritt that the Winterhawks, looking to replace the graduating Adin Hill, who had played in 65 games last season, acquired Kehler from the Blazers for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.
Since then, he has played well enough in Portland — “He’s been good for us,” said GM/head coach Mike Johnston — that the Winterhawks were able to deal Michael Bullion to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Jan. 1 for a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. At that point, Portland brought in Shane Farkas, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, to back up Kehler.
“It was pretty fun,” Kehler said after Monday’s game, adding that the first shutout was special “no matter who it’s against.”
Kehler had played in Kamloops earlier this season, losing 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 20. He struggled with rebound control that night, something that wasn’t a problem yesterday.
Kehler said he has been working on that part of his game — “There’s always something to work on” is how he put it — and admitted that he had been nervous on Jan. 20. That was his first game against his former team and he said he felt “tighter.”
That certainly wasn’t the case on Monday as he earned Portland’s first shutout this season and the team’s first since Oct. 25, 2015, when Hill turned aside 45 shots in a 5-0 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings.

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F Jake Leschyshyn of the Regina Pats won’t play again this season, thanks to a knee injury suffered during a game against the host Saskatoon Blades on Feb. 3. . . . He is scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn ACL. . . . Leschyshyn, 17, had 17 goals and 23 assists in 47 games when he was injured and had played in the Top Prospects Game. . . . He is projected as a possible late first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft. . . . Regina’s acquisition of F Wyatt Sloboshan from the Spokane Chiefs in January now looks rather prescient. Sloboshan, who turned 20 on Jan. 24, had 44 points, including 19 goals, in 66 games with the Blades last season. They dealt him to the Spokane Chiefs in December, but he chose not to return there after the Christmas break. On Jan. 2, the Pats acquired Sloboshan and a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft from the Chiefs for F Rykr Cole and F Riley Woods. . . . Sloboshan, who had four goals and 12 assists in 30 games with the Blades, has four goals and four assists in 18 games with Regina. In his past four games, he has had a three-point game and a two-pointer. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on this story right here.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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F Ryan Graham of the Swift Current Broncos has had his WHL career ended by a knee injury. The 20-year-old Graham hasn’t played since Jan. 22. Graham was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 20 for a second-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2018. . . . Graham,  put up 12 goals and 11 assists in 21 games with the Broncos. From Calgary, Graham was a fifth-round pick by the Blades in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In 269 regular-season games, he had 72 goals and 68 assists. . . . Graham will stay with the Broncos through the end of the season and get his introduction to the coaching game.
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The WHL has suspended two players — they both are TBD — because of incidents during the Kamloops Blazers’ 3-1 victory over the host Victoria Royals on Saturday night. . . . F Jared Dmytriw of the Royals was suspended for a headshot major and game misconduct at 17:19 of the third period. He hit F Deven Sideroff of the Blazers, who is in concussion protocol and was scratched from their game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Monday afternoon. . . . Kamloops D Ondrej Vala has been suspended under supplemental discipline. Vala took a cross-checking penalty for a hit on Victoria F Tyler Soy at 16:55 of the first period. Soy didn’t return from the hit.
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Fans in Prince George were invited on to the CN Centre ice surface after the Spokane Chiefs had beaten the Cougars, 4-3, on Monday afternoon. As fans ventured onto the ice, they were given paint brushes and cups of ice, and were then allowed to paint the ice. There were volunteers on the ice to show fans exactly where they would be allowed to paint. For example, stay away from the faceoff circles, goal creases, and the blue and red lines. . . . Andy Beesley, the Cougars’ vice-president of business, told Greg Fry of 250 News in Prince George, that arena staff would be sealing the ice and then building new ice over top of the art work. . . . As part of the painting package, fans taking part were  presented an opportunity to purchase half-price tickets for a game tonight (Tuesday) between the Chiefs and Cougars on the freshly painted ice. “Overall,” Beesley told Fry, “I think the players are going to get a great deal of fun out of playing on something so unique.”
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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.
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Coaching

 The SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers have fired head coach Kevin Hasselberg, who was in his first season there. The Ice Flyers were 15-15-5 and in seventh place in the 10-team league when the move was made on Monday. Pensacola is expected to announce a new head coach today (Tuesday). . . . From Brooks, Alta., Hasselberg headed south after spending the previous five seasons as general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, G Cole Kehler stopped 41 shots as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Blazers, 4-0. . . . The Winterhawks acquired Kehler from the Blazers on July 19, giving up a conditional seventh-round pick
KEEGAN IVERSON
in the 2018 bantam draft in return. . . . Kehler stopped 18 shots in the third period as the Blazers fought to get back into the game. . . . Portland had surrendered 26 shots in its previous games, going 3-1-1 in the process. . . . D Keoni Texeira’s 10th goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 12:07 of the first period. . . . F Keegan Iverson, playing his first game since Jan. 13, scored No. 15, on a PP, at 4:02 of the second period. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld, who also had an assist, added insurance at 18:52. He’s got goals in three straight games. . . . F Evan Weinger put it away with his 17th, into an empty net, at 19:47 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass and D Henri Jokiharju each had two assists. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 34 shots in suffering his first regulation-time loss since Nov. 25. He had been 9-0-3 since then. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-1 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-2. . . . Kamloops head coach Don Hay turned 63 on Monday, but didn’t have to celebrate about, at least not in terms of his hockey team. . . . The Blazers were without F Deven Sideroff (concussion protocol), a 31-goal man, and D Ondrej Vala (WHL suspension), who has goals in three of his past four games. . . . The Winterhawks welcomed back Iverson, who slid right into the right wing on their top line alongside Glass and Skyler MacKenzie. . . . Iverson, 20, has 47 points, including 32 assists, in 40 games. . . . Portland won the season series, 3-0-1. The Blazers went 1-3-0. . . . The Winterhawks (31-23-3) remain fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind the Tri-City Americans and eight ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. Portland holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers (34-19-6) had points in each of their previous five games (3-0-2). They are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Prince George Cougars and four ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 5,605, on Faith, Family and Jermaine Loewen Bobblehead Day.
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At Kelowna, the Rockets overcame a 3-2 deficit with four goals in the second-half of the third period to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-3. . . . Kelowna held an 18-9 edge in shots in the decisive third period,
NICK MERKLEY
after being outshot 16-7 in the second. . . . The Thunderbirds, who have been hit by the injury bug were playing their fifth game in seven days. They went 4-1-0 in that stretch. . . . . They will make it six games in eight nights when they entertain the Red Deer Rebels tonight (Tuesday). . . . F Calvin Thurkauf gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 2:16 of the first period, with Seattle equalizing as D Ethan Bear scored No. 22 at 12:08. . . . The home side went back out front at 13:35 as F Leif Mattson got his sixth goal. . . . The Thunderbirds moved into a 3-2 lead on goals from F Keegan Kolesar (17), at 15:44 of the first, and F Ryan Gropp (23), at 5:10 of the second period. . . . Gropp has goals in seven straight games and points in 13 in a row. . . . Thurkauf’s 27th goal tied it at 12:04 of the third period and F Reid Gardiner sent the home boys into the lead with his seventh goal, at 12:28. . . . The Rockets got insurance from F Carsen Twarynski (11), at 17:52, and F Nick Merkley (17), at 18:19. . . . Merkley also had two assists, as did D Devante Stephens. Gardiner added one to his goal. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Mathew Barzal and Bear, with Gropp getting one. . . . G Michael Herringer turned aside 31 shots to earn the victory over G Matt Berlin, who stopped 26 shots. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-3. . . . The Thunderbirds signed F Cody Savey on Monday and he made his WHL debut in this one. Savey, 15, is from Campbell River, B.C. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder, a list player, has 26 points, including 12 goals, in 26 games with the West Vancouver Academy elite 15s. . . . The Rockets (33-20-4) have won three straight games. They are third in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Thunderbirds (35-16-5) had been 11-0-1 in their past 12 games. They lead the U.S. Division by one point over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 5,563.
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At Prince George, the Spokane Chiefs struck for the game’s last three goals — all via the PP — and beat the Cougars, 4-3. . . . F Hudson Elynuik reached a career high with his 20th goal to get the Chiefs to
KEANU YAMAMOTO
within one, at 3-2, at 5:59 of the second period. He had 19 goals last season. . . . The Chiefs pulled even when F Keanu Yamamoto (22) scored at 1:32 of the third period. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 31st goal, at 11:20 of the third period, snapped the tie. . . . Yamamoto drew assists on Spokane’s second and fourth goals. He has tied his career single-season high in goals — he had 22 last season — and now has 99 career assists. . . . D Tate Olson (7) had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 6:30 of the first period. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto, who also had an assist to reach the 200-point mark for his career, tied it with No. 32 at 11:54. . . . The Cougars took a 3-1 lead on first-period goals from F Radovan Bondra (27), at 14:27, and F Jansen Harkins (17), at 16:56. . . . Anderson-Dolan and Elynuik added an assist each, while Bondra and Harkins had one each for the Cougars. . . . The Chiefs got 39 stops from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 28 for the Cougars. . . . Spokane was 3-10 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . F Brad Morrison was among Prince George’s scratches, as was D Brendan Guhle (ankle), who hasn’t played side Jan. 29. . . . It’s worth noting that the Chiefs played at home on Wednesday, in Portland on Friday and at home on Saturday, then rode the bus to Prince George for Monday’s game. They play there again tonight (Tuesday), their fifth game in seven days. . . . The Chiefs (24-23-9) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Cougars (37-17-4) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). They remain atop the B.C. Division, four points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 4,442.
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At Langley, B.C., the Tri-City Americans broke a 2-2 tie with two late second-period goals and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . F Riley Sawchuk gave the Americans a 3-2 lead with his second
RILEY SAWCHUK
goal, at 15:57, and F Parker AuCoin upped it to 4-2 with No. 18, at 18:56. . . . F Owen Hardy pulled the Giants to within a goal with his fourth at 1:24 of the third period. . . . The Americans got insurance from F Jordan Topping, who scored his 17th at 8:48. . . . Tri-City had taken a 1-0 lead on F Morgan Geekie’s 30th goal, on a PP, at 4:18 of the first period. . . . F Jordan Borstmayer (5) tied it at 10:11, snapping Vancouver’s scoring drought at 158:34. . . . The Americans went back out front on D Dylan Coghlan’s 10th goal, at 18:35. . . . Vancouver tied it when F Brendan Semchuk, who also had an assist, got his eighth goal, on a PP, at 19:11. . . . F Tyler Sandhu had two assists for the winners, with Topping and Geekie adding one each. . . . G Rylan Parenteau earned the victory with 18 saves. . . . At the other end, G Ryan Kubic turned aside 35 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-6. . . . Americans F Michael Rasmussen missed his fourth straight game. They hope to have him in the lineup on Wednesday against the visiting Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Americans (32-23-3) snapped a three-game skid. They are third in the U.S. Division, two points ahead of Portland. . . The Giants (18-35-5) have lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,145.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Brandon at Moose Jaw, 8 p.m.
Spokane at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Everett at Regina, 7 p.m.
Red Deer vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:06 PM
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Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Scout no fan of shootout ... 'Cane train rolls through Red Deer ... Pats get past Warriors


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 F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had nine goals and 21 assists in 24 games with Füchse Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga). He was released on Jan. 14. . . .
F Jiří Smejkal (Moose Jaw, Kamloops, 2014-16) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had three goals and an assist in 26 games with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL).
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ECHLF Casey Pierro-Zabotel, a former WHL scoring champion, had two assists for the Colorado Eagles in a 5-2 ECHL victory over the visiting Anchorage Aces on Wednesday night. The first of those assists was Pierro-Zabotel’s 400th career regular-season ECHL point. In 451 games, he has 123 goals and 278 assists. He also has played with the Wheeling Nailers, Cincinnati Cyclones, Bakersfield Condors, Gwinnett Gladiators, Florida Everblades and Allen Americans. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, 28, won the WHL’s 2008-09 scoring title when he put up 115 points in 72 games with the Vancouver Giants.
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Mike Fraser has a good rant in the Westman Journal this week. Fraser scouts for the Brandon Wheat Kings so sees more minor hockey games than is good for his health. (Most of his tweets include a photo featuring a Wheat Kings leather folder and a cuppa Starbucks.) Anyway, he has seen enough of, you guess it, the shootout and says it’s time for it go the way of the dodo bird. That piece is right here.
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Is F Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins bad news for the NHL? Will Steve Yzerman move G Ben Bishop out of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s dressing room? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman looks at those issues and more in his weekly 30 Thoughts right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with two PP goals and went on to dump the Calgary Hitmen, 8-2. . . . The Hitmen took a 1-0 lead on F Beck Malenstyn’s 22nd goal at 10:40. . . . At
DILLON DUBE
11:41, Calgary lost F Mark Kastelic with a charging major and game misconduct at 11:41 of the first period. . . . F Kole Lind, who took that hit, left the game but returned and finished with three assists. . . . The hosts scored two PP goals during the major penalty — F Dillon Dube (7) scored at 12:15 and F Calvin Thurkauf (23) at 14:12. . . . F Nick Merkley made it 3-1 with his 13th goal, at 19:21. . . . Calgary got to within a goal when F Luke Coleman got his 11th just 20 seconds into the second period. . . . Kelowna closed it out with the game’s last five goals. . . . Dube, Merkley and Thurkauf each had two goals and two assists. Dube’s NHL rights are owned by the Calgary Flames, who own the Hitmen. . . . F Nolan Foote (11) and D Devante Stephens (9) also scored for Kelowna. . . . D Cal Foote had two assists for Kelowna, with Stephens adding one. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 25 shots for the Rockets. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin allowed seven goals on 32 shots in 32:24. Kyle Dumba finished up with eight saves on nine shots in 27:35. . . . Kelowna was 3-4 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Rockets (28-19-4) had lost their previous two games. They are fourth in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Hitmen (18-13-9) have lost two in a row. They remain one point out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,018.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Max Gerlach scored two goals and added an assist as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 6-2. . . . Gerlach, a sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas, has 47 points,
MAX GERLACH
including 29 goals, in 52 games. Last season, Gerlach finished with 45 points, including 30 goals, in 72 games. . . . On Tuesday night, The Tigers had scored the game’s last three goals in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Ice. Last night, Medicine Hat accounted for the final four goals. . . . Gerlach, at 1:22 of the first period, and F Mark Rassell (23), at 8:56 of the second, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . Kootenay tied it on goals from F Brett Davis (15), on a PP, at 17:16 of the second and F Vince Loschiavo (19), at 1:40 of the third. . . . Tigers F James Hamblin broke the tie with his 13th goal at 4:47. . . . F Matt Bradley (22) added insurance at 12:44. . . . Gerlach and F Gary Haden (5) added goals and 13:21 and 13:40. . . . Hamblin and D Kristians Rubins had two assists each for Medicine Hat. . . . Loschiavo also had an assist. . . . G Michael Bullion blocked 23 shots to earn the victory over Payton Lee, who stopped 35 shots. . . . The Ice was 1-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-1. . . . Medicine Hat (36-15-1) has won five in a row and is third in the overall standings, four points behind the Regina Pats and two in arrears of the Prince George Cougars. . . . Kootenay (12-33-8) has lost its past three games as it searches for its 13th victory, one more than it won all of last season. . . . Announced attendance: 1,526.
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At Portland, F Evan Weinger broke a 2-2 tie at 17:09 of the second period and the Winterhawks went on to a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Weinger, a 19-year-old from El Segundo, Calif., has 33
EVAN WEINGER
points, including 16 goals, in 51 games this season. Last season, his second with Portland, he finished with 10 goals and 15 assists in 63 games. . . . F Collin Shirley (21) gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 6:49 of the second period. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie tied it with his 32nd goal at 9:37. . . . F Luc Smith (9) put the Blazers back into the lead, on a PP, at 13:58. . . . The Winterhawks tied it on F Jake Gricius’s fifth goal, at 15:21. . . . After Weinger scored, D Caleb Jones added insurance with his fifth goal at 13:39 of the third period. . . . The Winterhawks got two assists from F Cody Glass, with McKenzie adding one. . . . F Quinn Benjafield had two assists for Kamloops. . . . G Shane Farkas stopped 25 shots in his third start in eight days. He is 3-0-0 in those starts. . . . Kamloops got 34 saves from G Dylan Ferguson. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-4. . . . The Winterhawks (27-21-3) have won five straight. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Blazers (31-18-4) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). They are 1-1-1 on a five-game trip into the U.S. Division. Kamloops is second in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . This was the third meeting between these teams in the past 13 days. The host Blazers won 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 20, with the Winterhawks posting a 6-4 victory in Portland four days later. . . . Announced attendance: 5,101.
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At Red Deer, F Giorgio Estephan had two goals, including the OT winner, and an assist to lead the
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . One night earlier, Estephan had the only goal of a shootout as the Hurricanes beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Last night, he won it with his 26th goal just 46 seconds into OT. . . . D Brennan Menell picked up one of his two assists on the winner. . . . Estephan and Menell had assisted on F Tyler Wong’s 37th goal, at 17:34 of the third period, that forced OT. . . . Estephan had given the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 8:18 of the first period. . . . Red Deer took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Jared Freadrich (4), on a PP, at 7:52 of the second period, and F Brandon Hagel (21), at 11:47 of the third. . . . F Michael Spacek assessed on both Red Deer goals. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 34 saves, four more than Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Red Deer was 0-3 on the PP; Lethbridge’s PP unit didn’t get an opportunity. . . . The Hurricanes (30-15-7) have points in 12 straight games (10-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and 15 in front of the Rebels. . . . The Rebels (22-21-8) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 4,131.
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At Regina, D Connor Hobbs scored with 23.7 seconds left to give the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Hobbs leads WHL defencemen in goals, with 21, one more than David Quenneville of
CONNOR HOBBS
the Medicine Hat Tigers, who is on the shelf with a broken leg. . . . The Pats never trailed in this game, as Moose Jaw three times tied the score. . . . F Austin Wagner gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 10:49 of the first period, with Warriors F Tanner Jeannot tying it at 10:28 of the second period. . . . Regina F Robbie Holmes (2) put the Pats back out front at 14:44. . . . F Brett Howden (26) tied it at 17:51. . . . The Pats regained the lead at 8:38 of the third period when F Nick Henry got his 22nd goal. . . . Jeannot, with his 14th goal, tied it at 14:02. . . . F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring leader, had assists on the Pats’ last two goals to reach 90 points in 42 games. . . . Wagner and Holmes had an assist each. . . . Howden also had an assist. . . . The Pats got 30 saves from G Tyler Brown. At the other end, Zach Sawchenko stopped 27 shots. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-4. . . . The Pats scratched F Dawson Leedahl (personal) and F Jeff de Wit (ill). . . . The Pats (35-6-7) have won six in a row and are back on top of the overall standings, two points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . . Moose Jaw (30-14-7) has lost two straight and now trails the Pats by 10 points in the East Division. . . . Shortly after the game, the Pats announced that their Saturday game against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings is sold out. . . . Announced attendance: 5,402.
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen’s two goals helped the Broncos to a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton
TYLER STEENBERGEN
Oil Kings. . . . Steenbergen, who has 37 goals, broke a 1-1 tie, on a PP, at 15:10 of the second period. He added insurance at 19:38 of the second. . . . D Max Lajoie drew an assist on each of those goals. . . . F Brett Kemp gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 6:51 of the first period. . . . Broncos F Kaden Elder (11) tied it at 1:16 of the second. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi, who also had an assist, got the Broncos’ last goal, into an empty net, at 19:48 of the third. He’s got 20 goals. . . . Steenbergen is one goal behind F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who holds the league lead despite not having scored in his past eight games. F Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals and F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes also have 37 goals. . . . Swift Current G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots, while Edmonton’s Patrick Dea blocked 38. . . . Edmonton was 1-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 1-6. . . . The Broncos (26-17-8) snapped a four-game losing skid. They are third in the East Division, seven points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors and six ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Oil Kings (18-29-4) now have lost 12 in a row and are six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 1,717.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Kyle Olson had a goal and three assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . A 17-year-old from Calgary, Olson has 45 points, 14 of them goals,
KYLE OLSON
in 54 games. Last season, as a freshman, he had three goals and seven assists in 19 games. . . . The Americans grabbed a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game when D Juuso Valimaki scored his 14th goal. . . . Tri-City scored the next four goals as they grabbed a 4-0 lead late in the second period. . . . F Morgan Geekie got No. 28 at 18:40 of the first period, with Olson, at 15:06 of the second period, and F Vladislav Lukin (22), who also had an assist, counting at 17:42. . . . D Jake Christiansen got his fourth goal for Everett, at 17:57. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (9) scored Tri-City’s final goal, on a PP, at 7:24 of the third period. . . . Geekie also had two assists. He went into the season with 13 goals and 15 assist in 76 games. This season, he has 67 points, including 39 assists, in 54 games. . . . The Americans got 27 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . Everett started Carter Hart, but he left after giveng up two goals on seven shots in the first period. Mario Petit finished up with 18 saves on 21 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-3 and now hasn’t scored in its last 23 opportunities. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu, the team captain, played in his 300th regular-season game. He also has played with Everett and the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Silvertips are in a stretch that has them playing seven games in nine nights. Seriously. It began with three games in fewer than 48 hours last weekend. This was the second of four games in five nights. . . . Tri-City (31-20-3) is back in second spot in the U.S. Division, a point ahead of Seattle, but the Thunderbirds hold five games in hand. . . . The Silvertips (30-10-10) have lost six in a row (0-4-2). They are four points ahead of Tri-City and Everett has four games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 2,732.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Moose Jaw vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Calgary vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:07 PM
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