Braes hot for UNB . . . Moving day in AHL, OHL . . . Hitchcock wins; Bechard snaps

At least four schools, some of them likely in California, are close to deciding whether to add NCAA Division 1 hockey to their athletic departments. A report in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Thursday indicated that a number of schools would love to emulate the success of the Penn State Nittany Lions, a program in contention for the Big 10 title in only its third season of existence. As well, Arizona State is preparing to ice a Division 1 team. . . . Jason Gonzalez of the Star Tribune has more right here. . . . The WHL, of course, recruits heavily in California, and having Division 1 teams in the state would no doubt make things a bit more difficult. Keep in mind that there haven’t been any Division 1 teams west of the Rocky Mountains.
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The Guelph Gryphons and UNB Varsity Reds advanced on the first day of play at the CIS men’s hockey championship in Halifax. . . . F Cam Braes (Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, 2007-12) scored four times to lead the No. 2 Varsity Reds to a 6-2 victory over the No. 7 Windsor Lancers. Braes, from Shawnigan Lake, B.C., tied a CIS record for most goals in a national championship tournament game. “I pride myself on being a playoff performer when the chips are down. I always want to elevate my game,” Braes said. . . . In the day’s other game, the No. 3 Gryphons dumped the No. 6 Calgary Dinos, 3-1. F Teal Burns (Portland, Vancouver, Prince Albert, Everett, 2009-2012) and F Seth Swenson (Portland, Seattle, Lethbridge) had goals for Guelph. Calgary got its goal from F Chris Collins (Chilliwack, Saskatoon, 2007-2012). . . . Today, the host StFX X-Men, the eighth seed, meet the No. 1 Alberta Golden Bears, the defending champions, and the No. 4 UQTR Patriots meet the No. 5 Acadia Axemen.
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It was moving day on Thursday as three teams — two in the AHL and one in the OHL — announced that they will have new homes next season. . . . The NHL’s Winnipeg Jets made it official — they are moving the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps from Newfoundland to the MTS Centre in Winnipeg where they likely will play as the Manitoba Moos. . . . The Montreal Canadiens then revealed that their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, will be moving to St. John’s. They will play as the IceCaps. In another couple of years, the franchise is likely to end up in Laval, Que., where a new arena is being built. . . . In the OHL, the board of governors announced that it had approved the sale of the Belleville Bulls, who will be moving to Hamilton and will be renamed the Bullodgs. . . . Michael Andlauer sold the Bulldogs to the Canadiens, then purchased Belleville’s OHL franchise. . . . The OHL hasn’t been in Hamilton since the Dukes played there (1989-91).
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Ken Hitchcock, the head coach of the St. Louis Blues, became the fourth head coach in NHL history with 700 career victories last night. When the Blues beat the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 in a shootout, Hitchcock joined Scotty Bowman (1,244), Al Arbour (782) and Joel Quenneville (745) as members of the 700 club.
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Jerome Bechard, the head coach of the SPHL’s Columbus Cottonmouths, got a little excited in the first period of a game last night. How excited? Well, Bechard (Moose Jaw, 1986-89) actually ended up on the ice. . . . There’s video right here.
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Ch-ch-ching! Peter Anholt, the general manager and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has been fined $500 after he was hit with a game misconduct late in a 4-1 loss to the host Kootenay Ice on Tuesday night. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings, with 49 victories, are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight. They may get D Kale Clague back from an undisclosed injury. He played three games since Oct. 28. . . . F Nolan Patrick has missed 10 games and is skating, but hasn’t been cleared for contact. . . . F Reid Duke and F Quinton Lisoway remain week-to-week. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets continue to show that three of their top players aren’t about to come off the injury list in a day or two. The Rockets, who go home-and-home with the Kamloops Blazers this weekend, show F Rourke Chartier and F Justin Kirkland as being week-to-week, while D Josh Morrissey is out for two to three weeks. That would indicate that the Rockets are hoping to have them, along with F Gage Quinney and D Mitch Wheaton, ready for the start of playoffs. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have won 40 games for a sixth straight season. That ties a franchise record set from 1978-83. . . .
F Dawson Holt has joined the Vancouver Giants and could play at some point this weekend. Holt, 16, was a first-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He was free to join the Giants once his team, the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts, had its season end. . . .
F Taylor Crunk of the Victoria Royals has been charged with assault causing bodily harm after an incident that occurred at a New Year’s Eve party. . . . The Victoria Times Colonist has more right here. . . .
Regina Pats F Sam Steel isn’t expected to play this weekend after suffering a leg injury on Tuesday during a game in Prince Albert. The Pats play in Moose Jaw tonight and then are at home to the Warriors on Saturday. . . . While Steel may not play until the playoffs, Regina F Austin Wagner (concussion) is likely to return this weekend after missing eight games. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors expect to have F Jaimen Yakubowski in the lineup when they play host to the Regina Pats tonight. He has missed six games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more on the Warriors right here. . . .
F Cameron Hausinger, a 17-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, says the Saskatoon Blades are very much on his radar, especially after he wasn’t one of the 50 players invited to the U.S. National Team Development Camp. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here. ———

THE COACHING GAME:

The junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League are looking for a general manager and head coach. The Posse announced earlier this month that they wouldn’t be extending the contract of GM/head coach Bill Rotheisler. . . . He had been in that position since June 27, 2013. . . . This season, the Posse went 22-24-3-2 and finished fourth in the Okanagan Division. It then lost a first-round best-of-seven series to the Osoyoos Coyotes in five games.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (5 games remaining) — Will finish atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1995-96. They will play the conference’s second wild-card team in first round. . . . Tied with Kelowna (5) for first place overall. . . . At home to Saskatoon tonight.
2. Regina (5) clinched second in division. Will meet third-place team in first round. . . . Goes home-and-home with Moose Jaw this weekend. They’re in Moose Jaw tonight and in Regina on Saturday.
3. Swift Current (5) has lost seven in a row. Leads Moose Jaw by two points and Prince Albert six. . . . In Prince Albert tonight then play host to the Raiders on Saturday.
4. Moose Jaw (5) remains two points behind Swift Current. . . . At home to Regina tonight and in Regina on Saturday.
5. Prince Albert (6) has won four in a row to get within four points of Moose Jaw and six of Swift Current. . . . Entertains Swift Current tonight and then visits Swift Current on Saturday. . . . Completes its first three-in-three of the season in Medicine Hat on Sunday.
6. Saskatoon (4) is in Brandon tonight.
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CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Medicine Hat (6) is tied with Calgary atop the division. Medicine Hat has more victories (41-40) at the moment. . . . Tigers meet the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook tonight.
2. Calgary (6) has two games left in a franchise-record 11-game road trip. . . . Plays in Red Deer tonight and Lethbridge on Saturday.
3. Red Deer (5) is three points off the pace. . . . At home to Calgary tonight.
4. Kootenay (5) holds down the conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of Edmonton. . . . At home to Medicine Hat tonight.
5. Edmonton (4) is in the second wild-card spot, one point behind Kootenay. . . . In Lethbridge tonight.
6. Lethbridge (6) is at home to Edmonton tonight.
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B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (5) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and will play the second wild-card team in the first round. . . . Tied with Brandon for first place in the overall standings. . . . In Kamloops tonight. The Blazers visit Kelowna on Saturday.
2. Victoria (5) will finish second and meet the division’s third-place team in the first round. . . . In Vancouver tonight then goes home to face the Giants Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Seriously!
3. Prince George (5) is third, two points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Will visit Tri-City tonight and Portland on Saturday.
4. Kamloops (5) trails Prince George by two points. . . . Will meet Prince George three times in the next while — March 18 and 20 in Prince George, and March 21 in Kamloops. . . . The Blazers are tied with Tri-City (6) for the conference’s second wild-card berth. . . . At home to Kelowna tonight and in Kelowna on Saturday. The Blazers have lost 18 straight regular-season games to the Rockets.
5. Vancouver (5) has lost seven straight and is four points behind Kamloops and Tri-City. . . . Plays host to Victoria tonight, then it’s off to Victoria for games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
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U.S. DIVISION:
1. Everett (5) leads the division by two points over Portland (7) but Portland has a higher winning percentage — .654-.649. . . . Into Kent, Wash., to meet Seattle tonight.
2. Portland (7) is on a 9-0-2 roll and just two points out of first place. It has seven games left, three with Spokane. The first of those is in Spokane tonight.
3. Seattle (6) trails Portland by 10 points. . . . At home to Everett tonight.
4. Spokane (7) is in the first wild-card spot, seven points behind Seattle and nine ahead of Tri-City (6). . . . At home to Portland tonight.
5. Tri-City (6) is tied with Kamloops for the second wild-card spot, four points ahead of Vancouver. . . . Entertains Prince George tonight.
(NOTE: If two teams tie for a conference’s last playoff spot, those teams will have a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. So . . . if Kamloops and Tri-City were to end up tied for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, a play-in game would be held. At the moment, Tri-City has more victories — 28-26.)
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IF THE WHL PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City/Kamloops
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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THURSDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled
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FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Prince George vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Calgary at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Portland, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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“@funnyordie: Sorry, Cody. But there's no crying in baseball. #FerrellTakesTheField pic.twitter.com/gxgXKMb475” - 😢......
— Cody Decker (@Decker6) March 13, 2015

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The first time I saw Chad Lang, then the general manager of the Moose Jaw Warriors, he was in the press box in the arena in Kamloops. I thought he was one of that night’s scratches from the Moose Jaw lineup. Today, he is the general manager of the Regina Pats. Andrew Matte of the Regina Leader-Post has Lang’s interesting story right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
The Edmonton Oil Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors have advanced to the Eastern Conference final. The Oil Kings go in having won all eight of their playoff games, while the Warriors are 4-1. . . . They’ll begin with games in Edmonton on April 20 and 22. . . .

In Brandon, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 6-0. . . . Edmonton swept the Eastern Conference semifinal, running its playoff record this spring to 8-0. . . . The Oil Kings now have won 19 straight games. . . . The Wheat Kings scratched their top two forwards, Mark Stone and Michael Ferland. Stone has whiplash, while Ferland has a broken finger. Neither finished Game 3 on Tuesday night. . . . With those two out, F Daniel Asham an d F Tim McGauley made their playoff debuts. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 24 shots for his second shutout of these playoffs. . . . Edmonton got two goals from D Martin Gernat, who was celebrating his 19th birthday. . . . Edmonton F T.J. Foster had a goal and two assists. He and Gernat each finished plus-4. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck left the game in the third period with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock is expected to heard for Czech Republic where he will play for Canada at the IIHF U-18 world championship. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Brayden Point continued to pen an amazing story as his PP goal in overtime gave the Moose Jaw Warriors a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Tigers won the Eastern Conference semifinal, 4-0. . . . Point, the 14th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, has eight points, including five goals, in nine playoff games. He leads the WHL with three game-winners — two of them in OT — in the playoffs. This one came on the PP at 8:50 of OT. . . . D James Bettauer scored twice in the first period as the Tigers got out front 3-1 with three PP goals. . . . Moose Jaw F Kenton Miller scored on a PP at 3:08 of the second and F Sam Fioretti forced OT when he scored at 15:51 of the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Cam Braes had two assists as he ran his point streak to nine games. . . . The Tigers were 3-6 on the PP; the Warriors went 2-4. . . . Medicine Hat scratched D Alex Theriau, while the Warriors remain without D Morgan Rielly (knee). . . .

In Spokane, the Tri-City Americans scored the game’s first two goals and went on to a 2-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Americans take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 in Spokane on Friday. . . . Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday in Kennewick, Wash. . . . F Nathan MacMaster scored his first goal at 9:20 of the first period and F Brendan Shinnimin added his fifth at 14:56. . . . Shinnimin, who won the WHL scoring race, has at least one point in each of his last 30 games. . . . Spokane F Steven Kuhn scored at 12:16 of the third period. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 24 shots, three fewer than Spokane’s Eric Williams. . . . The Chiefs won the opener 3-2 in OT; the Americans have won the last two, both 2-1. . . .  The Americans have won their last four games in Spokane. . . . Spokane F Marek Kalus sat out his second straight game. He has an upper-body injury and may not play again in the series. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 5-4. . . . The Winterhawks, who lead the series 3-1, led 4-0 at 10:58 of the first period. . . . Game 5 is to be played in Portland’s Rose Garden on Saturday. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick broke a 4-4 tie with a PP goal at 7:37 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford had a goal and two assists, including a faceoff win that led to Willick’s winner. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie left the game 12 minutes into the first period after taking a heavy hit from Kamloops F J.C. Lipon. He was favouring his back as he left the bench and went to the dressing room. He never did return to the game. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan gave up four goals on eight shots but then stopped the last 23 shots he faced. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth turned aside 29 shots. . . . Kamloops was 2-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . After the game, the Portland coaching staff was contemplating asking the WHL office for supplemental discipline for two checks delivered by Kamloops players. Check my game story elsewhere on this blog for more details.

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Think about this for a moment or two . . .
There were 18,890 fans at Rogers Place in Vancouver on Friday night as the Canucks beat the Dallas Stars, 5-2.
There were 7,044 fans at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre to watch the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat beat the Chicago Wolves, 4-3 in overtime. The Wolves, of course, are affiliated with the Canucks.
Meanwhile, there were 6,328 fans at Pacific Coliseum and they saw the Spokane Chiefs beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-1, in Game 5 of their first-round WHL playoff series.
Add it up and that’s 32,262 fans in attendance at three hockey games on B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
In the meantime, there is an arena situated between Vancouver and Abbotsford that seats almost 5,000 seats. In fact, you may remember that Prospera Centre in Chilliwack used to be home to a WHL franchise.
Now what if that franchise was competitive enough that it could forge a rivalry with the Vancouver Giants? What if an established team with a solid track record on and off the ice was to relocate?
What if . . .?
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The AJHL’s St. Albert Steel notified the city on Wednedsay that it has filed a request to the league in the hopes of relocating to Whitecourt. AJHL officials held a conference call regarding the situation on Friday afternoon. . . . Whitecourt is 175 kilometres northwest of St. Albert, which is just northwest of Edmonton. . . . Glenn Cook of the St. Albert Leader reports “the AJHL has struck a committee of six governors, which will convene in Edmonton on Friday, April 6, to address the situation. Both the Steel and the City will have a chance to make a presentation to that committee.” . . . Greg Parks is the owner/GM/head coach of the Steel.
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The Minnesota Wild announced Friday that Everett Silvertips D Josh Caron and Kelowna Rockets F Brett Bulmer will join the AHL’s Houston Aeros. . . . Caron signed with Wild as a free agent prior to the 2010-11 season. Bulmer started this season with the Wild before he was returned to the Rockets.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, open a Twitter account, if you haven’t already, and follow @WHLFacts)

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors outshot the Regina Pats 14-0 in the first as they scored four times en route to a 5-2 victory. . . . The Warriors won the series 4-1, winning four in a row after losing the opener, and now will meet the Medicine Hat Tigers in Round 2. . . . That series will open Friday in Moose Jaw. The first three playoff games in Mosaic Place were sell outs (4,714). . . . That leaves the Edmonton Oil Kings and Brandon Wheat Kings to go at it in the Eastern Conference’s other semifinal. That series will begin in Edmonton on Friday. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch scored 16 seconds into the game and the Warriors were away to the races. . . . F Cam Braes and F James Henry, the two 20-year-olds acquired by the Warriors at the trade deadline, each had two points. Braes drew two assists; Henry had a goal, his second of the series, and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point, who turned 16 on March 12, had his third goal of the series. His first two were game-winners. . . . The Warriors, who use five forwards on their first PP unit, were 8-for-27 with the man advantage. Regina was 2-for-16. . . . The Pats were without G Matt Hewitt (broken wrist), D Brandon Davidson (separated shoulder), F Andrew Rieder (shoulder) and F Dyson Stevenson (one-game suspension). . . . D Morgan Rielly (knee) remains among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . With Hewitt out, the Pats brought in Tanner Burgardt, the 115th pick in the 2010 bantam draft, to back up Adam Beukeboom. Burgardt ws 20-2-1 with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos this season. . . . The Pats also had D Nathan Zimbaluk in the lineup. He played 15 games with the Pats earlier in the season, before being assigned to the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. . . . After the game, the head coaches — Regina’s Pat Conacher and Moose Jaw’s Mike Stothers — didn’t shake hands. “My reaction to that is the same reaction I had when they sat guys out in the regular season. I have no reaction to it," Stothers told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. "I just keep marching ahead and focus on my team and make sure we conduct ourselves professionally.” . . . For his part, Conacher said he couldn’t find Stothers. “I looked for Mike and he walked off the bench so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Conacher told Harder. “I’m not going to chase him down the hallway.” . . .

In Vancouver, F Mitch Holmberg scored twice as the Spokane Chiefs bet the Giants, 5-1. . . . The Chiefs dropped the first two games in this series but now hold a 3-2 edge. This now is the only first-round series that has yet to be decided. Game 6 is Sunday in Spokane. . . . . This was the first time in the series that a visiting team won. . . . F Liam Stewart, at 7:20 of the first period, and F Darren Kramer, at 1:09 of the second, gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. . . . F Brendan Gallagher got Vancouver into it with his fifth of the series at 15:06 of the second, on the PP. . . . The Chiefs put it away with three in the third, the last two just 23 seconds part. Holmberg got his side’s third and fourth goals, giving him five in the series, with F Blake Gal getting the last one. . . . The start of the game was delayed almost 20 minutes by a broken pane of glass in the warmup. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province was paying particular attention in the warmup and tweeted about Kramer chatting up Vancouver F Cain Franson, and then exchanging howdy-dos with D Blake Orban and D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen. . . . Kramer finished the game by being assessed a minor penalty for “leaving penalty box” at 20:00 of the third period. . . . Referees Chris Crich and Trevor Hanson handed out 22 minor penalties. . . . The Giants were 1-6 on the PP; the Chiefs were 1-4. . . . Spokane F Mike Aviani came up empty on a third-period penalty shot with the Chiefs leading 3-1. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams, who has started each of the last three games, stopped 23 shots, four more than Vancouver’s Adam Morrison. . . . The Giants added F Brodyn Nielsen to their lineup while scratching Russian F Alex Kuvaev, who hasn’t scored in 26 games. Nielsen, 18, had one goal in 14 reguar-season games with the Giants. He spent the season with the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.

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Another day, another upset coach throwing things.
This time, it’s Benoit Groulx of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, who is rather upset that there wasn’t a penalty for what he felt was a kneeing incident.
It’s obvious that Groulx hasn’t yet been to the Marlin Murray school of cleaning up the bench, but he does get good distance in the garbage can toss.
With a tip of the cap to Jérôme Bérubé.
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The Vancouver Giants took a couple of hits Tuesday with the news that D David Musil and F Nathan Burns won’t play again this season. . . . Musil, who has had wrist problems for a couple of months, was found to have a broken scaphoid and was to have surgery yesterday. Musil played major minutes for the Giants and was a key part of their penalty kill. He was a second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2011 NHL draft. . . . Burns, who has 34 points in 55 games, was injured in the third period of a 5-4 OT victory over the visiting Victoria Royals on Sunday. He has been diagnosed with a sprained knee. . . . The Giants also are without F Anthony Ast (high ankle sprain) and F Austin Vetterl (foot), neither of whom is likely to play again this season. . . . Vancouver did get the news that F Austin Fyten, 20, has been given medical clearance to practise with contact. Fyten had knee surgery prior to the start of the season and has yet to play.
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The Portland Winterhawks have added D Ben Betker, 17, to their roster. A native of Cranbrook, Betker spent this season with the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. He put up 18 points in 59 games and had 52 penalty minutes.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
A couple of notes: After last night’s games, all Eastern Conference teams have two games remaining. . . . The Prince George Cougars were not eliminated from playoff contention last night. They still can tie for the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff. Should two teams tie for a conference’s final playoff spot, they would play a sudden-death game, with the winner advancing. . . .

In Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors got two goals in the circus and beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . F Cam Braes and F Eric Arnold, who scored his 13th goal in regulation, scored in the shootout for Moose Jaw. . . . Brandon got one shootout goal from F Mark Stone. . . . The Wheat Kings got their regulation-time goals from D Ryan Pulock, his 19th, and D Eric Roy, with 6.2 seconds left in the third period. . . . Stone had two assists. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 44 shots, 15 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Wheat Kings took the game’s only two minor penalties. . . . The Warriors scratched second-year F Jordan Wyton, 18, after he suffered a broken hand in practice on Tuesday. . . . The victory allowed Moose Jaw to clinch home-ice advantage through two rounds of playoffs. . . . The Wheat Kings remain eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Saskatoon and Kootenay. . .

In Calgary, the Lethbridge Hurricanes scored the game’s first two goals and went on to surprise the Hitmen, 5-2. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski, at 2:10, and F Russell Maxwell, at 5:19, on a PP, put the Hurricanes out front early and they never trailed. . . . Lethbridge F Graham Hood, playing his 250th career game, got his 15th goal this season. . . . F Juraj Bezuch drew two assists for Lethbridge. . . . G Damien Ketlo stopped 37 shots for the Hurricanes. . . . The loss kept the Hitmen from moving into a tie with idle Medicine Hat for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Hitmen, who can finish no lower than fourth, remain two points back. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal scored twice to help the Pats to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Weal got his 40th of the season on a PP with two seconds left in the first period and later added an empty-netter. . . . Regina F Matt Marantz had two assists. . . . D Sawyer Lange, a 17-year-old from Prince Albert, scored his first WHL goal in his 56th game this season. . . . The victory moved Regina into fifth, a point ahead of Saskatoon and Kootenay. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Kristians Pelss scored at 3:55 of OT to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The goal was the 27th of the season for Pelss and gave Edmonton its ninth straight victory. . . . D Jagger Dirk gave the Ice a 4-3 lead with a shorthanded goal at 10:21 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Tristan Sieben tied it at 10:52 on a PP. . . . Ice D Spencer Wand, a 16-year-old from Saskatoon, scored his first WHL goal in his 50th game. . . . The loser point lifted the Ice into a sixth-place tie with idle Saskatoon. . . . The Oil Kings moved into first place in the overall standings, one point ahead of idle Tri-City. Each team has two games remaining, meaning Edmonton finishes first if it wins out. . . .

In Victoria, F Stephen Hodges broke a 3-3 tie at 13:14 of the third period to give the Royals a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The visitors hit three posts after Hodges’ goal. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel tied the game 3-3 with his 17th goal at 2:36 of the third. . . . Hodges has 21 goals this season. . . . Portland led 2-1 after the first period, but Victoria took a 3-2 led into the third. . . . Victoria G Keith Hamilton stopped 32 shots, including 12 of 13 in the third when his side was outshot 13-2. The Royals acquired Hamilton from Portland prior to the start of the season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 15 shots. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored his 55th goal, while F Jamie Crooks got his 36th for Victoria. . . . Victoria continues with F Robin Soudek, who has an undisclosed injury. . . . The Winterhawks remain without F Sven Baertschi, who remains on emergency recall with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . The victory lifted the Royals into seventh in the Western Conference, a point ahead of Everett and three ahead of idle Seattle, which has three games left. . . . The Winterhawks, with two left, are two behind Tri-City and three behind Edmonton. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets broke a 1-1 tie with three straight goals and beat the Everett Silvertips 4-2. . . . F Tyson Baillie broke a 1-1 tie at 18:10 of the first period, getting his ninth goal on a PP, and F Shane McColgan and F Cody Chikie scored in the third period as the Rockets pulled away. . . . McColgan and Chikie both have 18 goals. . . . The Rockets were 2-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . Kelowna F Brett Bulmer scored his 33rd goal. . . . The Rockets, already without veteran D Mitchell Chapman due to injury, lost D Myles Bell (leg) in the first period and D Madison Bowey (upper body) in the second. . . . The Rockets will finish sixth in the Western Conference. . . . The Silvertips slid back a spot and now are eighth, two points ahead of Seattle. Everett has two games remaining. Seattle will finish with three games in three nights, starting Friday in Spokane. . . .

In Spokane, D Reid Gow broke a 4-4 tie at 19:13 of the third period as the Chiefs beat the Kamloops Blazers, 6-4. . . . Gow has two goals this season. . . . Spokane F Dominik Uher iced it with his 33rd into an empty net. . . . D Brendan Kichton had two goals, giving him 16, and an assist for Spokane. . . . F Tim Bozon scored twice for Kamloops, giving him 35 in his freshman season. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave left after the first period due to illness. He stopped eight of nine shots. Cam Lanigan replaced him and turned aside 14 of 18 shots. . . . The Blazers have added G Taran Kozun, 17, to their roster. He spent the season with the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber missed his fourth straight game with a leg injury. . . . The victory lifted Spokane back into a fourth-place tie with Vancouver. Each team has two games remaining. Should they end up in a tie, Vancouver would finish fourth as it would have more victories. . . . The loss means the Blazers can’t finish first overall and will go into the first round as the second seed because they are B.C. Division champions.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Cole Wedman, Spokane.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Chase Souto, Kamloops.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Kootenay (7)
Medicine Hat (3) vs. Saskatoon (6)
Calgary (4) vs. Regina (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Victoria (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TODAY’S GAMES:
None.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
Calgary at Kootenay
Moose Jaw at Prince Albert
Brandon at Regina
Saskatoon at Swift Current
Edmonton at Medicine Hat
Lethbridge at Red Deer
Prince George at Kamloops
Seattle at Spokane
Everett at Tri-City
Portland at Victoria
Kelowna at Vancouver

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Damien Cox of the Toronto Star:
“Well, whether you look at the NHL or the OHL or any league that currently only penalizes fighters with five-minute major penalties, there’s absolutely no correlation between winning and teams that fight a lot or teams that don’t, no evidence that scrappin’ squads win or lose more than teams that don’t.
“It’s just irrelevant, really. Irrelevant and pointlessly dangerous.
“Again, it’s one thing for professionals to do it, quite another for teenagers getting paid less than $100 a week to trade blows for the amusement of the paying public.
“That’s sick.”
His complete column is right here.
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The WHL, if you were wondering, is on pace for an 800-fight season.
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John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal offers up his take on the debate -- to fight or not to fight -- right here.
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Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times writes right here about Spokane Chiefs F Liam Stewart, the son of you know who and you know who. The big news here is that Liam’s father and a few other family members apparently are planning on attending a game or two in Spokane in the immediate future.
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The Phoenix Coyotes have signed F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans to a three-year entry-level NHL contract. Shinnimin, an undrafted free agent, attended the Coyotes’ camp prior to this season. . . . In the last few days, Shinnimin has been named the WHL player of the week and player of the month, and the CHL player of the week and player of the month. That came after he put up an amazing 43 points in 14 February games. Shinnimin, who turned 21 on Jan. 7, is from Winnipeg and is represented by Mark MacKay, a former WHL rookie of the year.
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Russ Parker, the owner of the Regina Pats since 1995, is one of the latest members of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a builder in the sports of baseball and hockey. He has a long-time love affair with baseball, going back to before he managed the Alberta Dodgers in the mid-1960s. He later owned professional teams in Calgary. . . . In fact, if pushed, Parker, a native of Moosomin, Sask., would surely admit that baseball is his first love; yes, even over hockey.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
(If you’re on Twitter, follow @WHLFacts for lots of facts and numbers.)
In Prince Albert, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored two late goals and beat the Raiders, 4-3. . . . F Cam Braes tied the game at 13:45 of the third, with his 38th score, and F Torrin White won it with his 10th at 15:21. . . . Braes had two goals, while F James Henry had a goal, his 15th, and two assists. Braes and Henry, both 20, were acquired by the Warriors at the trade deadline. . . . Raiders F Chance Braid, a 17-year-old from Chauvin, Alta., opened the scoring with his first point in 54 games. . . . F Justin Maylan drew three assists for the Raiders, while F Anthony Bardaro had a goal, his 31st, and two helpers. . . . Moose Jaw has won three in a row. . . . The Warriors, who lead the East Division, are four points behind the idle Edmonton Oil Kings, who lead the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Brandon, F Brenden Walker scored twice to help the Wheat Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia had three assists for Brandon, while F Michael Ferland had two. . . . Brandon scored the game’s first three goals and the last three. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Kevin Sundher and F Jason Swyripa back from injuries. . . . Brandon D Ayrton Nikkel had one assist and was plus-4. . . . Brandon is 7-0-1 in its last eight and has moved into seventh in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Saskatoon Blades and one ahead of the Regina Pats. . . .

In Calgary, F Cody Sylvester scored his second goal of the game at 3:46 of OT to give the Hitmen a 4-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Blades held a 3-1 lead halfway through the third period. . . . Sylvester scored at 10:18 and F Victor Rask tied it, with his 30th, at 14:01. . . . Sylvester won it with his 22nd goal of the season. . . . F Jimmy Bubnick got his 30th goal for Calgary. . . . F Matej Stransky got his 35th for Saskatoon. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger came on after Saskatoon’s third goal. He stopped all six shots he faced and got the victory. . . . The Hitmen, with three straight victories, clinched a playoff spot. They are fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Medicine Hat and five ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Blades are sixth, a point behind Kootenay and a point ahead of Brandon. . . .

In Red Deer, G Jon Groenheyde stopped 45 shots to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 4-0 victory over the Rebels. . . . It was his second 4-0 shutout over the Rebels this season. . . . That is the most saves by a goaltender in recording a shutout this season. There have been 58 shutouts in the WHL this season. . . . Groenheyde has two shutouts this season and two in his career. . . . The Broncos have put up two shutouts this season; the Rebels have been blanked five times. . . . F Brad Hoban had a goal, his 19th, and two assists. . . . F Josh Derko’s eighth goal, at 6:42 of the first, stood up as the winner. . . . The Broncos were 2-2 on the PP. . . . F Taylor Vause scored his 35th goal of the season. . . . The Broncos swept the four-game season series. . . . The Rebels, with eight regulars on the shelf with injuries, are nine points out of a playoff spot with eight games left. . . .

In Kamloops, F Brett Bulmer and F Shane McColgan each had two goals to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 6-3 victory over the Blazers. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 43 shots in picking up his 20th victory. . . . The Blazers held a 46-18 edge in shots, including 22-5 in the third. . . . Bulmer, with his 30th, and McColgan, with his 16th, got the Rockets going with goals 49 seconds apart early in the first period. . . . F Zach Franko had three assists for the Rockets, who clinched a playoff spot with the victory. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape, playing his first game since suffering a shoulder injury on Oct. 10, scored the Blazers’ last goal, his third of the season. . . . These teams will play tonight in Kelowna with the Blazers needing one point to clinch the B.C. Division pennant. . . . Kelowna clinched a playoff spot and will finish sixth in the Western Conference. The Rockets will face the second-place team from the U.S. Division, either the Portland Winterhawks or Tri-City Americans, in the first round. . . .

In Prince George, the Spokane Chiefs scored the game’s last four goals as they beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 17 shots, 17 fewer than Prince George’s Drew Owsley. . . . Spokane F Darren Kramer scored his 20th goal. . . . With the victory, the Chiefs, who have won three in a row, moved into fourth place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Vancouver Giants. Those two teams are headed for a first-round clash, with the Chiefs now holding home-ice advantage. Each team has eight games remaining. . . . The Cougars have dropped seven in a row. They are five points out of a playoff spot with eight games left. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Taylor Leier scored the game’s last two goals as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Tri-City Americans, 6-4. . . . The Winterhawks, who have won four in a row from the Americans and 10 of their last 11 overall, took a 4-2 lead in the second period, only to have the Americans tie it on goals by F Adam Hughesman, his 39th, at 12:28 and D Zach Yuen, his 11th, at 15:42. . . . Leier, who has 11 goals, scored at 3:23 of the third to break a 4-4 tie. He added an empty-netter at 19:44. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had one assist for the Americans, who had won their previous seven games. . . . F Oliver Gabriel drew three assists for Portland, while F Brad Ross had two goals, giving him 38, and a helper. . . . F Justin Feser scored twice for the Americans, giving him 34. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 22 shots in winning his WHL-leading 40th game. . . . Tri-City’s Ty Rimmer turned aside 33. . . . The teams will meet Sunday in Portland. . . . With the victory, the Winterhawks moved into first place in the overall standings, one point ahead of the Americans, two up on Kamloops and three ahead of Edmonton. . . . Portland is 11-0-1 in its last 12 games. . . . Attendance was 6,121, the second-largest crowd in the Americans’ history in the Toyota Center. . . .

In Vancouver, the Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 3-1 first-period deficit and beat the Giants, 6-4. . . . Tigers D James Bettauer forged a 4-4 tie with his 20th goal, on a PP, just 35 seconds into the third period. . . . Tigers F Boston Leier broke the tie with his 13th at 5:11 and F Emerson Etem got his WHL-leading 54th goal at 5:45. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison gave up six goals on 19 shots, including three on four shots in the third period, before being hooked. . . . The Tigers were 3-7 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-8. . . . The Tigers went 3-0 on a short but long trip that took them to Prince George and Vancouver. . . . The Giants will catch a ferry to Victoria this morning where they will play the Royals tonight and again Sunday at 1 p.m. . . . Vancouver F Austin Vetterl (leg) was injured in practice this week and the team says he will be out four weeks. . . . Pro cheerleader Cameron Hughes, who was in Kamloops on Friday night, is due in Victoria tonight. . . . The Tigers were playing their 3,000th regular-season game, which means the legendary Bob Ridley, the Tigers’ radio voice, was calling his 2,999th game. . . . Ridley will get to No. 3,000 on Wednesday when the Kootenay Ice visits Medicine Hat. . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Calgary. . . . The Giants slipped a point behind fourth-place Spokane in the Western Conference. . . .

In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 25 shots to help the Everett Silvertips to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Simpson has one shutout this season and five in his career. . . . It was the sixth time this season that Seattle has been blanked. . . . F Josh Birkholz had a goal, his 27th, and an assist, as did F Reid Petryk, who has 15 goals. . . . D Ryan Murray scored his ninth goal. . . . Seattle took 50 of 76 penalty minutes. . . . The Silvertips were 1-8 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-5. . . . The victory lifted Everett past Seattle and into eighth place in the Western Conference. . . . The Silvertips are a point ahead of Seattle and one behind the seventh-place Victoria Royals. . . . Interestingly, the Silvertips are in possession of a playoff spot despite having the fewest victories (18) of any team in the league. They do have nine loser points, though.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Jesse Forsberg, Prince George.
F Mitch Elliot, Seattle.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
———
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Swift Current at Edmonton
Calgary at Kootenay
Lethbridge at Moose Jaw
Saskatoon at Red Deer
Brandon at Regina
Tri-City at Everett
Kamloops at Kelowna
Seattle at Portland
Spokane at Prince George
Vancouver at Victoria
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
The WHL has awards to honour executives and head coaches, referees and marketing people and on and on. So, Mr. Commissioner, why aren’t there awards to honour the league’s hardest-working people, the assistant coaches, the trainers/athletic therapists and the equipment managers?

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Paul Deniset (Kamloops, Swift Current, Vancouver, Prince Albert, 1989-2002) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). He had 18 goals and 20 assists in 21 games for Amiens (France, Ligue Magnus) last season.
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Monday in the Western Hockey League:
EDMONTON OIL KINGS—Traded F Cam Reid, 20, to Portland Winterhawks for 2012 eight-round bantam draft pick.
LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES–Traded F Cam Braes, 20, to Moose Jaw Warriors for a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick and a 2013 second-round bantam draft pick.
MOOSE JAW WARRIORS–Traded D Tyler Vanscourt, 19, to Vancouver Giants for a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
TRI-CITY AMERICANS–Traded D Riley Guenther, 17, to Prince Albert Raiders for a 2013 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
VANCOUVER GIANTS–Traded F Levi Bews, 17, to Swift Current for a 2012 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
VICTORIA ROYALS—Traded F Kevin Sundher, 19, to Brandon Wheat Kings for D Jordan Fransoo, 18, F Dakota Conroy, 17, and a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick.
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DRAFT TRACKER (since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 13
Players: 23
Bantam draft picks: 13
Deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 3 p.m. MT
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The Brandon Wheat Kings added F Kevin Sundher, 19, from the Victoria Royals but it cost them a 2012 first-round bantam draft pick, as well as D Jordan Fransoo, 18, and F Dakota Conroy, 17. . . . Sundher, a third-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2010 NHL draft, has 64 points in 40 games this season, leaving him seventh in the WHL scoring race. . . . From Surrey, B.C., Sundher was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft, taken by the Chilliwack Bruins. He goes to Brandon with 240 points in 254 career regular-season games. He is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and is second in games played. . . . “It’s been a crazy day,” Sundher said in a Wheat Kings news release. “The (Royals were) just heading out for the prairies and I was pulled off the bus and told about the trade. I play to win and I'm looking forward to joining a team that has a chance to go far." . . . Fransoo, a seventh-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL draft, is in his sophomore season. From North Battleford, Sask., he has 11 points in 41 games this season. A good skater with a big shot, he was a fifth-round bantam pick by Brandon in 2008. . . . Conroy, a third-round bantam draft pick in 2009, Conroy has eight points in 37 games this season. He is from Edmonton and is projected as a top-six forward in time. . . . The Wheat Kings hope to have Sundher in their lineup Wednesday against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Interestingly, the Royals are scheduled to play in Brandon on Saturday.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors picked up a top-six forward with the acquisition of F Cam Braes, who turns 21 on Thursday, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. But it cost them a first-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft and a second-rounder in 2013. That may seem like a steep price to pay for a player who is in his final season of eligibility. But obviously the Warriors felt they needed at least one more forward — a first-line centre — in order to keep up with the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Braes, from Shawnigan Lake, B.C., was the Hurricanes’ captain. He has 203 points, including 99 goals, in 320 regular-season games with Lethbridge. This season, he has 45 points, 24 of them goals, in 44 games. . . . He was a third-round selection in the 2006 bantam draft. . . . Only Shane Peacock (336) played more games in a Hurricanes’ uniform than Braes.
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The Prince Albert Raiders acquired D Riley Guenther, 17, from the Tri-City Americans for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Guenther, from Calgary, had one assist and six penalty minutes in 10 games with the Americans. He played last season with the midget AAA Calgary Northstars. . . . The Americans selected him in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft.
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The Vancouver Giants acquired D Tyler Vanscourt, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick that originally belonged to the Prince George Cougars. He had a goal and three assists in 14 games with Moose Jaw after being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. All told, he has 21 points in 40 games this season. . . . Vanscourt is from Corona, Calif., and was a seventh-round selection of the Kootenay Ice in the 2007 bantam draft.
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The Swift Current Broncos acquired F Levi Bews, 17, from the Vancouver Giants for a 2012 sixth-round bantam draft pick. . . . Earlier this season, Bews went from the Saskatoon Blades to the Giants in a four-player deal. . . . He was a second-round pick, 42nd overall, by the Blades in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Giants had assigned him last week to the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. . . . In 38 WHL games this season, he has nine points, three of them goals. . . . Bews is from Longview, Alta.
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The Portland Winterhawks have dealt a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick to the Edmonton Oil Kings for the rights to F Cam Reid, 20, who is with the St. Cloud State Huskies. . . . A sophomore, Reid has 15 points, including six goals, in 22 games this season. Last season, in 37 games, he had 29 points, eight of them goals, in 37 games. . . . The Nashville Predators selected Reid, who is from Delta, B.C., in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL draft. . . . Before heading to St. Cloud State, Reid played 167 BCHL games with the Victoria Grizzlies and Westside Warriors, putting up 138 points. . . . Reid’s WHL rights originally belonged to the Vancouver Giants, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2006 bantam draft. The Giants sent him to Edmonton in lieu of the Oil Kings selecting a player off their roster in the expansion draft prior to the 2007-08 season. . . . Reid’s arrival in Portland — and he is leaving school — will leave Portland with four 20-year-olds, meaning one of D William Wrenn, F Oliver Gabriel or F Dillon Wagner will have to go. Or it could be that Gabriel, who suffered a shoulder injury on Dec. 30 and hasn’t play since then, could be headed to the long-term injury list.
Reid told Mick Hatten of the St. Cloud, Minn., Times that he got a call from Portland on Sunday night, telling him he had 24 hours to make a decision to stay or join the Winterhawks.
“They offered to have me play center on the first line with their top two players,” Reid said. “I talked it over with my parents, and it was something I couldn’t pass up or say no to.”
That being the case, Reid will join Ty Rattie, the WHL’s scoring leader, and Sven Bartschi on Portland’s top line.
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JUST NOTES:
Regina Pats D Brandon Underwood, who hasn’t played since Dec. 4 when he broke a bone in a foot while blocking a shot, has been cleared to skate again. He still is a week or two from getting back in the lineup. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Alex Schoenborn, 16, who is from Minot, N.D. He is expected to finish the season with the Omaha Jr. Lancers, an under-16 AAA team that plays in the North American Prospects league. He has 27 points in 13 games with the Lancers. . . . The Lancers are coached by David Wilkie (Seattle, Kamloops, Regina, 1999-94). . . .
Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has spoken with D Jesse Pauls, 19, who retired from the Victoria Royals last week. That story is right here. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will play host to the Kelowna Rockets twice this week, on Wednesday and Friday. The Winterhawks go into the series having won their last 14 home games, two shy of the franchise record that was set in 1993-94. . . .
Don Nachbaur, the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, is on the verge of becoming the sixth coach in WHL history to win 500 games. Nachbaur is at 499 going into two straight games with the Everett Silvertips. They’ll play in Spokane on Wednesday and in Everett on Friday. . . . Ken Hodge (742), Ernie McLean (548), Pat Ginnell (518), Lorne Molleken (543) and Don Hay (541) also have more than 500 victories. . . . Nachbaur also has served as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds (202 victories) and Tri-City Americans (229). He has three times been named winner of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as coach of the year, once with each team.
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An interesting observation from columnist Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun, following the move by Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins to submarine Canucks defenceman Sami Salo in a game on Saturday:
“It’s a curious thing, but a current listing of NHL villains will turn up several members of Canada’s world junior squads over the past 15 years or so, which may reveal an unflattering pattern to the way Hockey Canada carefully constructs its rosters. Though some confined their borderline sociopathic behaviour primarily to their junior days, these Team Canada alumni/incendiary devices include Matt Cooke (1998), Raffi Torres (2001), Jordin Tootoo (2003), Steve Downie (2006-07), Brad Marchand (2007-08) — how’s that for a start to the all-cheap-shot-team? — and, more recently, Patrice Cormier (2009-10) and Zack Kassian (2011).
“Cooke, mind you, has renounced his evil ways and joined the choirboys, and Cormier and Kassian haven’t really got their pro careers properly warmed up yet.”
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Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., was in Winnipeg on the weekend and Arctic Ice Hockey was able to get an interview. Perhaps the battle between College Hockey Inc. and the CHL is heating up again. That complete interview is right here.


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The Swift Current Broncos have assigned F Trevor Cameron, 19, to a yet-to-be-named junior A team. Cameron, from Mission, B.C., has five points in 20 games this season. . . . Last season, Cameron had 11 points in 33 games.
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Medicine Hat, G Tyler Bunz, dropped earlier in the day by Canada’s national junior team, stopped 33 shots as the Tigers beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-2. . . . Bunz now has 94 regular-season victories and is tied with Mark Fitzpatrick for third on the Tigers’ career list. . . . D James Bettauer had a goal, his 14th, and two assists for the Tigers. . . . F Emerson Etem got his 30th goal of the season for the Tigers and also added an assist. . . . Etem has 61 points, four behind Brandon Wheat Kings F Mark Stone, who is with the Canadian junior team. . . . Of course, Etem will be joining the U.S. national junior team. . . . The Tigers had D Patrik Parkkonen and F Boston Leier back from injuries. Each had an assist. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Graham Hood scored 21 seconds into OT to give the Hurricanes a 6-5 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Hood scored twice in the game, giving him six this season. . . . Lethbridge F Cam Braes forced OT with his third goal of the game with 25 seconds left in the third period. . . . Braes has 19 goals. . . . The Hitmen trailed 4-2 when they struck for three third-period goals to take the lead. . . . Calgary F Cody Sylvester broke a 4-4 tie at 15:13, only to have Braes tie it 4:22 later. . . . Calgary F Victor Rask had three assists. He will play for Sweden in the World Junior Championship. . . .

In Regina, D Colten Martin scored at 2:33 of overtime to give the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Pats. . . . The goal was Martin’s first of the season. A 17-year-old freshman from Arlington, Texas, he has six points in 31 games. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored a PP goal at 19:27 of the the third period to force extra time. . . . The Rockets are 1-2-1 on their East Division swing. . . . F Brett Bulmer opened the scoring for Kelowna just 21 seconds into the game. He got to Regina and played after being released by Canada’s national junior team in the morning. . . .

In Edmonton, F Michael St. Croix had a goal and three assists as the Oil Kings ran their winning streak to 10 games with a 6-3 victory over the Victoria Royials. . . . F Dylan Wruck had two goals and F Tyler Maxwell had a goal and an assist as both ran their point streaks to 12 games. . . . Edmonton was 2-for-2 on the power play. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Aspen Sterzer scored twice to help the Kamloops Blazers to a 6-3 victory over the Blades. . . . Sterzer, a freshman from Canal Flats, B.C., went into the game with two goals in 25 games this season. . . . He scored his second shorthanded goal and second game-winner at 10:28 of the second period to give Kamloops a 4-2 lead. . . . F Tim Bozon had one goal  for Kamloops. He has five on the first four games of the Blazers’ East Division tour. They are 2-2-0 on the trip. . . . The Blazers also got a goal from F Logan McVeigh, who is from Kenaston, 75 kilometres south of Saskatoon. . . . The Blades got the game’s first goal from Ryan Graham, a 15-year-old from Calgary who was a fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Kamloops F J.C. Lipon had an eight-game point streak halted.

In Spokane, F Steven Kuhn scored at 4:14 of OT to give the Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips, who saw their losing streak reach 10. . . . Everett F Kohl Bauml forged a 2-2 tie at 12:25 of the third period. . . . According to the online scoresheet, Spokane enjoyed a 47-16 edge in shots, including 18-1 in the second period. . . . The Chiefs are 5-0 against the Silvertips. The teams meet again Friday in Everett.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Mason Geertsen, Edmonton.
F Locke Muller, Red Deer.
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Like a lot of people, Ed Willes, today a sports columnist with the Vancouver Province, wonders how he missed seeing what was going on with Graham James and young hockey players, in particular Sheldon Kennedy.
Willes writes about that today and it’s right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades remembered an old friend with a donation to the StarPhoenix’ Sporting Christmas. Thanks to Jack Brodsky, Lorne Molleken and the Blades for keeping alive the memory, the smiles and the laughter of a good friend.
That story is right here.
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Wednesday’s tweet of the night, from Moose Jaw Warriors D Kendall McFaull:
“Thanks to the @MJWARRIORS for our unreal christmas presents, customized blackberry playbooks! #soexcited #unreal”
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And then there was this . . .

CHARLES INGLIS

Only time will tell whether F Charles Inglis has completely worn out his welcome in the WHL.
Inglis, 19, was sent home by the Cougars on Saturday.
“Broke team rules,” Cougars general manager Dallas Thompson wrote in a text message to me Sunday afternoon. “Sent home to await a trade.”
“Team and league rules,” noted Cougars head coach Dean Clark. “Doesn’t get it.”
The latest transgression occurred in Kamloops, following a 5-4 loss to the Blazers on Friday night. On Saturday, Inglis was on a plane out of Kelowna.
And that’s too bad.
Inglis is a young man from Winnipeg who has personality and talent. He also carries with him enough baggage to get him to the planet Saturn and back.
Inglis leaves the Cougars with 16 points in 16 games. And, for what it’s worth, he is plus-6 on a team that struggles to score and has allowed 27 more goals than it has scored.
The Cougars got Inglis from the Saskatoon Blades — yes, he wore out his welcome there, too — and he put up 60 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games last season.
He also has been to a pair of NHL camps, both as free agents. He was with the Phoenix Coyotes prior to 2010-11 and the San Jose Sharks prior to this season.
Having chatted with Inglis on occasion — he was in the press box in Kamloops serving a 10-game WHL suspension at one point this season — I can tell you that he’s personable, talkative, intelligent and aware.
He also can play the game. Every time I have seen him, there have been three or four shifts when he has shown that he could be one of the WHL’s top three or four forwards. Consistency, however, has been a problem.
But until he shows a proclivity to play and live within the rules, it won’t matter.
With Inglis in the lineup, the Cougars lost 5-4 in Kamloops on Friday night. Without him, the Cougars beat the Rockets 3-2 in Kelowna on Saturday.
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JUST NOTES: Interesting that the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage put together a forward line Saturday night that comprised Michal Repik, Wacey Rabbit and James Wright, all of whom played for the Vancouver Giants when they won the 2007 Memorial Cup. On Saturday, the game’s first goal was Repik from Rabbit and Wright, and the Rampage, playing at home, went on to a 2-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Barons. . . . Wright was playing his first game with the Rampage after being traded by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning dealt him to the Florida Panthers on Friday night. . . . There are three ex-Giants on the Oklahoma City roster — F Gilbert Brule, F Tristan Grant and F Milan Kytnar. . . .
F Byron Froese (Everett, Red Deer, 2008-11) is back with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. He started the season there, went pointless in 11 games, and was assigned to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. He had a goal and an assist in three games with the Walleye and was moved back to Rockford by the parent Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. . . .
F Tyler Giebel, who scored a goal Saturday in his debut with the Red Deer Rebels, has chosen to return to the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. Giebel had played eight games this season with the Everett Silvertips before being released. . . . You may have seen the wedding photos out of Portland on Saturday night. You also may have read where I wondered what might have happened had the Winterhawks been shut out in that particular game. I heard from a fan who heard an interview in which someone indicated that had Portland not scored in the first two periods, the wedding would have taken place in the second intermission.
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In Calgary, F Curtis Valk scored twice as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Hitmen, 2-1. . . . F Calder Brooks, a 17-year-old freshman from Emerald Park, Sask., scored the Teddy Bear goal. . . . Valk has eight goals. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem drew two assists and now has 58 points, three shy of F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who leads the WHL scoring race. . . . Etem now has 203 career points, including 110 goals, in 168 regular-season games. . . . Medicine Hat had lost three in a row. . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 37 shots. . . . According to Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald: “The announced 25,303 bears collected on Sunday was the second-most in franchise history, behind the world record amount (26,919) set back in 2007 . . . Since 2003, the Hitmen have collected 186,613 bears for charities.”

In Brandon, G Matt Hewitt stopped 33 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 2-0 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . It was Hewitt’s first career WHL shutout. He is a 19-year-old sophomore from New Westminster, B.C. This was his 57th WHL appearance, all with Regina. . . . The shutout was the first this season suffered by Brandon, the WHL’s highest-scoring team. . . . The Pats had lost nine straight games in Brandon, dating back to Dec. 27, 2008. . . . The game featured in an intriguing second-period scrap between Regina F Dominik Volek and Brandon F Alessio Bertaggia. Volek, 17, is from the Czech Republic; Bertaggia, 17, is from Switzerland. It was the first fight for each player. . . . Volek scored the game’s first goal, his seventh, at 9:27 of the first. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal got his 14th late in the second. . . . The Pats have won two straight. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, who leads the WHL scoring race, was held pointless for the third time this season. . . . Regina D Brandon Underwood left in the second period after blocking a shot, but head coach Pat Conacher told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that the veteran should be fine. . . .

In Swift Current, F Adam Lowry broke a 1-1 tie at 9:59 of the third period as the Broncos held on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde stopped 32 shots. . . . The Ice finished up a nine-game road trip 6-3-0. with three straight losses. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had an assist to extend his points streak to nine games. . . . Each of the players who scored — Graham Black also scored for the Broncos, with Jesse Ismond counting for the Ice — now has 11 goals. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings struck for five PP goals as they whipped the Saskatoon Blades, 8-3. . . . The Oil Kings, who scored six second-period goals, scored three PP goals after Saskatoon F Jake Trask was tossed with a major for checking to the head of Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart. . . . When Trask left late in the second period, the Oil Kings had a 4-2 lead. . . . F Michael St. Croix had two goals and two assists for Edmonton, with F T.J. Foster and F Tyler Maxwell each picking up a goal and two assists. . . . St. Croix has 19 points, including 10 goals, in his last seven games. . . . Edmonton has won six in a row. . . . Saskatoon was without F Josh Nicholls, a 20-goal man. He was injured Saturday in a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. . . .

In Lethbridge, G Liam Liston stopped 38 shots to help the Hurricanes to a 1-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Liston, who came over from the Brandon Wheat Kings in a trade earlier this season, posted his first shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . F Cam Braes scored the game’s only goal, on a PP, at 12:02 of the third period. He has 14 goals. . . . The Hurricanes have won four in a row. . . . The game featured three penalty shots. Neither F Mitch Holmberg nor F Mike Aviani was able to beat Liston. At the other end, Lethbridge F Jamal Watson couldn’t score on G Mac Engel, who finished with 17 saves. . . . The Chiefs went 2-2-1 on a five-game dip into the Central Division. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored three PP goals for a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-1. . . . The Raiders were 3-for-9 on the PP as the Warriors took 61 of the 98 penalty minutes handed out by referee Trent Knorr. . . . F Mark McNeill had two assists for the Raiders, who got a goal and an assist from F Mike Winther. . . . Moose Jaw G Spencer Tremblay, in a rare start, stopped 46 shots. . . . The Warriors wre without D Dallas Ehrhardt (ill) for a second straight game.
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John Branch has written a three-part series on the life, career and death of Derek Boogaard for The New York Times. The second part is right here, and it is heavy, heavy stuff.
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