D James Bettauer (Chilliwack, Prince Albert, Medicine Hat, 2008-09, 2010-12) has signed one-year extension with Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). This season, with Augsburg, he had nine goals and 17 assists in 50 games. The contract contains a summer opt-out clause should Bettauer sign a North American contract. Bettauer has dual Canadian-German citizenship.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
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Condolences to former Portland Winterhawks head coach Mike Johnston on the death of his mother. Johnston is in his first season as head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
From a Penguins’ news release:
“Sheila Margaret (Mickey) Johnston . . . passed away Friday in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She was 81.
“Funeral services will be held Tuesday.
“Mike will coach both games this weekend, then travel to Nova Scotia for the funeral.”
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Former Brandon Wheat Kings D Don Dietrich has been to the top of the world — well, kind of — and back, and he loved every minute of it. There’s more right here from the Winnipeg Free Press.
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Tim Hunter, the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, has been named head coach of the Canadian U-18 team that will play in the IIHF World championship that runs April 16-26 in Lucerne and Zug, Switzerland. . . . Hunter, 54, has just completed his first season with the Warriors. A former NHL player and NHL assistant coach, he will be making his first appearance behind a Team Canada bench. . . . His assistant coaches will be Ian Herbers, a former WHLer who is the head coach of the CIS-champion U of Alberta Golden Bears, and Louis Robitaille, an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs.
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“As a former NHL player, Sheldon Kennedy spent eight years skating for three teams, but his true life’s work has been focused on being a champion for millions of abuse survivors,” reads a news release issued by the University of Guelph on Friday. “It is because of his ability to stand up in the face of adversity and create positive change that the University of Guelph and College of Business and Economics will recognize him with the Lincoln Alexander Outstanding Leader Award on May 27.” . . . The complete news release is right here.
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Rudy Poeschek, a former NHLer who played in the WHL with the Kamloops Jr. Oilers/Blazers (1983-87) has been charged with assault, driving while prohibited and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. . . . Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week has more right here.
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Fight in the first. Puck in the face in the second #hockey pic.twitter.com/g9eRIoW6gt
— Ryan Olsen (@rolsen94) March 28, 2015
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In Regina, D Ty Stanton scored two second-period goals and the Medicine Hat Tigers went on to a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Stanton, who has nine goals, scored at 2:13 and 8:31. . . . Regina F Ty Cooper got his 24th goal at 18:31 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 27 shots, 11 fewer than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-for-7 on the PP; the Pats were 0-for-4. . . . The Tigers (38-21-3) had lost their previous three games. They are second in the Central Division, two points behind Calgary. . . . The Pats (33-20-8) had been 3-0-1 in their last four. They will finish second in the East Division. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Brayden Point scored his 28th goal for the Warriors as they got past the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . The Warriors had a 19-3 edge in shots after one period but had only a 1-0 lead. Here’s a tweet from the Moose Jaw Times-Herald’s Matthew Gourlie on those three shots: “One shot was two feet over the net and another was by Dallas Valentine on his own net.” . . . D Dustin Perillat scored his eighth goal for Moose jaw at 6:23 of the first period. . . . Point made it 2-0 at 2:42 of the second on a PP. . . . Saskatoon F Ryan Graham scored his 17th goal at 4:50 of the third to get his guys within one. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald got the empty-netter at 19:37. He’s got 29 goals. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 21 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm turned aside 37 shots. . . . Saskatoon F Cameron Hebig came up short on a third-period penalty shot with his side down 2-1. . . . F Axel Blomqvist (groin) was among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski left in the second period favouring his left arm and didn’t return. . . . The Warriors (25-31-5) are seven points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . . Saskatoon (18-40-4) is the first team to 40 losses this season. . . . 
In Brandon, the Kootenay Ice outscored the Wheat Kings 2-1 in the shootout to post a 3-2 victory. . . . It was the Ice’s third straight shootout game. It has won two of those games. . . . F Rihards Bukarts gave Brandon a 1-0 lead in the second round of the shootout. Ice F Matt Alfaro tied it in the third round and F Jaedon Descheneau won it in the fourth round. . . . The loser point, combined with a Regina loss at home, allowed Brandon to clinch first place in the East Division. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart opened the scoring with his 17th goal, on a PP, at 8:14 of the second period. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk tied it with his 22nd at 19:22. . . . Alfaro got his 10th at 10:42 of the third for a 2-1 Ice lead. . . . Bukharts forced OT with his 28th goal at 16:33. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley picked up an assist on Bukarts’ goal to run his point streak to 18 games. He’s got 37 points, 25 of them assists, over that stretch. . . . The Ice was 1-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-for-1. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, making his 12th straight start, stopped 35 shots. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin turned aside 32. . . . The Wheat Kings had G Alex Moodie back on the bench. He missed 11 games with a concussion. . . . Brandon still is without F Nolan Patrick, F Reid Duke and D Kale Clague with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Ice (33-27-3) has points in seven straight (5-0-2). It holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, seven points ahead of Edmonton. At the same time, the Ice is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind Red Deer. . . . Brandon (45-10-7) had won its previous two games. It is three points behind Kelowna, which leads the overall standings. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Brooks Maxwell scored twice to help the Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Maxwell’s second goal, his 19th of the season, gave the Rebels a 4-1 lead at 12:18 of the second. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser had broken a 1-1 tie with his 12th goal, on a PP, at 5:09 of the second. . . . F Luke Coleman, who joined the Raiders this week from the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, scored his first WHL goal at 13:50 of the second and D Jesse Lees got them to within one with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 6:03 of the third. . . . Rebels F Riley Sheen provided insurance with his 18th goal, an empty-netter, at 19:53. . . . The Rebels were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 2-for-4. . . . F Jayden Hart, a 22-goal man, was back in the Raiders’ lineup after not having played since Jan. 30. . . . Red Deer (32-20-9) has won two in a row. It is third in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Raiders (24-34-3) have lost two straight and now are 11 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . .
In Kamloops, F Matt Needham broke a 2-2 tie at 16:21 of the third period and the Blazers went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 4-2. . . . Blazers F Logan McVeigh gave his side a 2-1 lead with his seventh goal at 4:28 of the third. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee scored his 18th just 33 seconds later. . . . Needham got his 21st goal when he redirected a point shot by D Brady Gaudet, who scored twice, giving him four, and added an assist. Gaudet’s second goal was an empty-netter. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 38 shots, while Blazers G Connor Ingram made 12 saves. . . . The Blazers outshot the Royals 13-6, 14-4 and 15-4 by period. . . . The Blazers lost F Deven Sideroff with an apparent right wrist injury. He left for the dressing room at 7:47 of the third period after taking a check in to the end boards in the Victoria zone. He plays the right side on the Blazers’ top line with Needham and LW Cole Ully. Sideroff, a freshman from Summerland, B.C., has 40 points, including 16 goals, in 58 games. . . . The Blazers (23-33-6) had lost their previous four games. They are fifth in the B.C. Division, three points behind Vancouver and two behind Prince George. Vancouver is in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals (33-25-4) have lost two straight. They will finish second in the B.C. Division. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Garret Hughson stopped 28 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-0. . . . Hughson has three career shutouts. . . . D Jason Fram had three assists. . . . F Jackson Playfair’s 10th goal, at 13:11 of the first period, on a PP, stood up as the winner. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 33rd goal in the second period; he also had an assist. . . . Tri-City F Austyn Playfair wasn’t able to beat Hughson on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Spokane was 2-for-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-5. . . . Americans G Nick Sanders stopped 21 shots. . . . Tri-City had D Brandon Carlo back in the lineup. He sat out a few games after taking a puck to the head. . . . The Chiefs (29-27-4) have won two straight. They hold the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, five points up on the Americans. . . . The Americans (27-32-3) have lost three in a row. . . . 
In Vancouver, G Michael Herringer turned aside 29 shots to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-0 victory over the Giants. . . . Herringer has two career shutouts. . . . F Gage Quinney scored once and drew two assists. . . . Quinney, who has 15 goals, was in on Kelowna’s first three goals, drawing the primary assist on each of the first two and scoring the third. . . . F Leon Draisaitl scored his 13th goal for the Rockets, on a first-period PP. He’s got goals in four straight games. . . . The Rockets had F Alexander Uryga, 16, in their lineup. A list player from North Vancouver, Uryga has been with the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack. . . . Vancouver is without F Dalton Sward (hand) indefinitely and he is team captain. In his absence, the ‘C’ is being worn by D Mason Geertsen. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle was in the lineup for the first time since undergoing an appendectomy early in February. He was backing up Michael Herringer. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . The Rockets (48-10-4) have reached 100 points for a third straight season. . . . The Giants (26-32-3) are third in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Prince George and three up on Kamloops. . . . 
In Everett, F Carson Stadnyk had two goals and an assist as the Silvertips dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 7-2. . . . Everett took a 2-0 lead on early first-period goals by F Derek Leedahl, his 12th, at 0:34 and Stadnyk at 3:29, via the PP. . . . F Adam Tambellini got Calgary to within one at 16:09. . . . F Matt Fonteyne restored Everett’s two-goal lead with his fifth goal at 11:58 of the second. . . . Tambellini got his 44th goal, shorthanded, at 15:50 to leave Calgary trailing 3-2. . . . Everett scored the next four goals, two of them coming in the second period. . . . Stadnyk scored the game’s final goal, giving him 25. . . . F Nikita Scherbak got No. 26 for Everett and F Kohl Bauml got his 29th. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin had three assists. . . . Silvertips G Carter Hart turned aside 41 shots. . . . Everett D Ben Betker was tossed at 4:23 of the third for a headshot on Calgary F Chase Lang. . . . D Kevin Davis (undisclosed injury) was among Everett’s scratches. . . . Everett (37-18-7) leads the U.S. Division by four points over Portland. . . . Calgary (38-19-5) had won nine straight on the road and six in a row overall. The Hitmen, who lead the Central Division by two points over Medicine Hat, had won four straight in the U.S Division. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Jansen Harkins scored 33 seconds into OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Harkins, who also had three assists, has 19 goals. . . . Cougars F Jordan Ross, an 18-year-old from Kronau, Sask., scored his first WHL goal, in his 21st game, at 17:57 of the second period to force OT. . . . Seattle held a 3-1 lead in the second period when Seattle D Evan Wardley was hit with a triple minor. Four seconds later, Seattle D Jerret Smith was hit with a delay-of-game minor. . . . Cougars F Zach Pochiro then scored PP goals 39 seconds apart to tie the game. . . . Seattle F Luke Osterman gave his side a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the season at 14:44 of the second. . . . Pochiro also had two assists, as did Cougars D Josh Connolly. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had two assists. . . . Prince George was 3-for-7 on the PP; Seattle was 2-for-6. . . . The Thunderbirds held a 20-3 edge in first-period shots but led only 1-0. . . . Seattle took 57 of the game’s 102 penalty minutes. . . . The Cougars (25-33-4) have won two in a row to get within a point of third-place Vancouver in the B.C. Division. . . . The Thunderbirds (31-23-7) have lost two straight. They are third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind Portland and eight ahead of Spokane.
In Lethbridge, the Brandon Wheat Kings moved into first place in the overall standings with a 7-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Wheat Kings are one point ahead of the idle Kelowna Rockets, who hold two games in hand and are at home to Prince George this afternoon. . . . The Wheat Kings scored four times in the game’s first 11 minutes to take control of this one. . . . F Rihards Bukarts scored twice, giving him 23, as Brandon completed a road trip with its fourth victory in five days. Brandon outscored its opponents 22-9 in the four games. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville scored his 15th goal and added an assist, while D Macoy Erkamps and F Reid Duke each had two assists against their former team. . . . Brandon F Tyler Coulter scored his 10th goal after going 22 games without a score. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley had an assist to run his point streak to 11 games. He’s got 22 points, including eight goals, in that stretch. . . . Wheaties D Mark Taraschuk was pointless but finished plus-4. . . . Lethbridge F Giorgio Estephan scored his 14th goal on a third-period PP and also had an assist. . . . The Wheat Kings held a 55-25 edge in shots. . . . Brandon was without D Ivan Provorov, who suffered an undisclosed injury early in the third period on Saturday night in Cranbrook. . . . The Wheat Kings already were without F John Quenneville (suspected concussion) and F Jayce Hawryluk (undisclosed injury). . . . The Wheat Kings (41-9-5) are 17-2-1 since coming back from the Christmas break. . . . The Hurricanes (15-32-6) had a three-game winning streak end. . . . 
In Saskatoon, the Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to eight games with a 5-2 victory over the Blades. . . . F Brett Stovin got the Blades on the board with his 22nd goal, on the PP, at 3:57 of the first period. . . . Calgary answered with three goals and took a 3-1 lead into the third period. . . . F Kenton Helgesen tied it with his 17th goal at 6:27 of the first. F Adam Tambellini scored his 38th, shorthanded, to give the Hitmen the lead at 8:06 of the second. D Michael Zipp upped the lead to 3-1 with his eighth goal at 18:25. . . . Zipp and D Keegan Kanzig, who scored his second goal and added an assist, each was plus-4. . . . Helgesen also had an assist, as did Stovin. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean drew an assist on his club’s fourth goal to set a franchise record for single-season points by a rookie defenceman (33). He was sharing the record with Matt Kinch (1996-97). . . . The Hitmen (31-17-5) are second in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat and three ahead of Red Deer. . . . The Blades (15-34-3) have lost three in a row. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Victoria, F Tyler Soy broke a scoreless tie in the third period as the Royals beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 1-0. . . . Soy, who has seven goals, scored at 3:19. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 34 shots. He has two shutouts this season and three in his career. . . . Raiders G Rylan Parenteau turned aside 24 shots. . . . The game marked the return to Victoria of Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. He coached the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) for two seasons and made the move to Victoria with the franchise where he ran the Royals for one season. . . . This was the second straight 1-0 setback for the Raiders, who lost by that identical score in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . The Royals (17-14-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Raiders (15-16-0) have lost two straight and are in Vancouver tonight in a game that will be televised by Shaw. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, the Swift Current Broncos clinched fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos, who have won four straight, swept a weekend series from Moose Jaw. . . . The victory lifted the Broncos past the Kootenay Ice and into fifth. . . . F Jay Merkley, with his 34th, and F Coda Gordon, with his 26th, gave the Broncos a 2-0 first-period lead. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald, who scored seven goals in 56 games for the Regina Pats last season, got his 28th in his 58th game with the Warriors at 19:42 of the first. . . . Broncos F Nathan Burns added insurance with his 27th goal at 17:46 of the third. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 29 shots. . . . According to a tweet from Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, Warriors D Jesse Forsberg “is going to join the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles for the end of their season.” . . . The Broncos (38-25-9) will meet the No. 4 Medicine Hat Tigers (43-24-4) in the first round. They’ll open Friday in Medicine Hat. . . . The Warriors (21-42-9) finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for a second straight season. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored a 7-4 victory over the Rebels to wrap up first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference for a third straight season. . . . The victory was Edmonton’s 50th of the season and tied a WHL record for consecutive 50-victory seasons (Kamloops, 1989-92). . . . The Oil Kings have won three in a row. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson and F Curtis Lazar each had two goals and two assists. Lazar has 41 goals; Samuelsson has 35. . . . Edmonton D Cody Corbett had a goal, his 17th, and three assists, while D Dysin Mayo had three helpers and F Edgars Kulda got his 30th goal. . . . The Oil Kings were 5-for-8 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-5. . . . Red Deer F Aspen Sterzer scored his 28th goal and added an assist. . . . The Oil Kings (50-18-3) will begin the first round at home against Prince Albert or Red Deer on Saturday night. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Prince Albert Raiders erased a 4-3 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Blades, 6-4. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders (35-32-5) into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. The Raiders are out of games; the Rebels play in Edmonton today and need a victory to force a one-game playoff for the conference’s final playoff spot. . . . Raiders F Jayden Hart scored twice, giving him 14, while F Collin Valcourt got his 28th goal and added two assists. . . . Raiders F Dakota Conroy tied the game with his 30th goal at 1:12 of the third, via the PP. . . . Hart gave the Raiders their first lead at 17:41. . . . Prince Albert F Leon Draisaitl scored his 38th goal and added an assist. . . . The Blades got two goals from F Chase Clayton, who finished with 12, and three assists from F Cory Millette. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback, the WHL’s highest-scoring freshman, got his 28th goal to end a nine-game drought. . . . The Blades (16-51-5) finished the season on a 12-game losing streak. . . . 
In Portland, G Brendan Burke earned the shutout and F Oliver Bjorkstrand reached the 50-goal plateau as the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-0. . . . Burke stopped 28 shots in recording his fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. . . . Bjorkstrand struck for three goals, getting No. 50 on the PP at 15:24 of the third period. It was his fourth hat trick this season. . . . The sophomore from Herning, Denmark, had 63 points, including 31 goals, last season. This season, he has 109 points in 68 games. . . . WHL Facts tweeted that Bjorkstrand scored 13 of his goals this season against Seattle. . . . Portland D Mathew Dumba scored his eighth goal and added three assists. . . . The Winterhawks were 3-for-7 on the PP as Seattle took 58 of the game’s 102 penalty minutes. . . . The Thunderbirds were without F Branden Troock, who drew a one-game suspension for a charging major he incurred on Friday night. . . . Portland (53-13-5) has won six in a row, while Seattle (40-25-6) has dropped three straight. . . . Portland, the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed, will open against the No. 7 Vancouver Giants in the Oregon city on Friday. . . . The Thunderbirds will go up against the Everett Silvertips in the first round with home-ice to be decided today. . . .
In Prince George, F Todd Fiddler scored four times and F Troy Bourke had a goal and three assists as the Cougars beat the Kamloops Blazers, 8-3, in the final game of the season for two non-playoff teams. . . . Fiddler finished with 50 goals, just the second player to do that since the franchise relocated from Victoria over the summer of 1994. . . . F Quinn Hancock scored 54 times in 1997-98. . . . Bourke, who turns 20 on March 30, finished the game with 236 career points, a record for the franchise since its move to Prince George. That broke the mark of 233 that had been held by F Eric Hunter (2002-07). . . . Bourke finished this season with 85 points, including 29 goals, in 69 games. . . . Cougars F Zach Pochiro had three assists, while D Sam Ruopp scored his fifth goal and added two assists. . . . F Cole Ully had two assists for Kamloops, which got 43 saves from G Bolton Pouliot. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff scored his second goal of the season 42 seconds into the third period to get his guys to within 4-3. The Cougars, who snapped a six-game losing streak, then scored four straight goals, with Fiddler getting No. 49 shorthanded and adding No. 50 at 15:50. After scoring two goals in 14 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Fiddler struck 48 times in 42 games with the Cougars. . . . He finished the season with 98 points. . . . This may well have been the Cougars’ final game under the ownership of Rick Brodsky, who has owned the franchise since purchasing the Victoria Cougars in 1994. He is negotiating the sale of the club with a local group. While a deal isn’t yet complete, it is believed to be inching forward. . . . The Cougars (27-37-8) finished ninth in the Western Conference. . . . The Blazers (14-53-5) wrapped up the poorest season in Kamloops franchise history. They went 4-24-1 after Guy Charron replaced Dave Hunchak as head coach. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Eric Comrie turned aside 18 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Comrie, 18, has four shutouts this season and nine in his career. . . . F Jesse Astles scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 14:24 of the first period. Four of those 11 goals came against the Chiefs. . . . Tri-City’s other two goals came via the PP, as F Parker Bowles got his 15th and Beau McCue added his 20th. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg was held pointless. He leads the WHL with 118 points, seven more than Portland F Nic Petan, who has one game remaining. . . . The Americans had lost five in a row (0-3-2) and went in 1-5-4 in their last 10. . . . Tri-City (29-32-10) finished eighth in the Western Conference, meaning it has a first-round date with the Kelowna Rockets. They open Saturday in Kelowna. . . . Spokane’s loss, combined with an Everett victory, left the Chiefs (40-26-6), who are out of games, in sixth spot in the conference. They open at Victoria on Saturday night.
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