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

@ShelKenn did not disappoint! #celebritydanceoff pic.twitter.com/UZ0WaukeZe

— Respect Group (@RespectGroup) April 8, 2017

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Continuing with the report from Finland that started here yesterday . . .

Well, Game 6 went to double OT. Vantaa won 2-1, scoring with three seconds left in the second OT. The TuTo goalie got a major for "abuse of officials" plus a double game misconduct, one for "throwing a stick or object" and the second for "abuse of officials" at the end of the game. The winning goal was a power-play goal, so that may account for the "abuse of officials,” etc. . . . Vantaa wins the series 4-2 and plays SaPKo Savonlinna in the final.

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D Mark Rubinchik of the Saskatoon is on the roster of the team that will represent Russia at the IIHF U-18 World Championship in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, next week. Rubinchik played for Russia at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial last summer. With the Blades, he had 23 assists in 63 games. . . . The Blades also will be represented as equipment manager Chad Scharff has been named to that role with Team Canada. . . . Russia opens the IIHF tournament against Sweden on April 13.

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F Jansen Harkins of the Prince George Cougars has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets, who selected him in the second round of the 2015 NHL draft. Harkins has joined the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL affiliate, and will spend the remainder of the season there. Harkins put up 242 points, including 75 goals, in 275 regular-season games over four seasons with the Cougars. He is Prince George’s all-time leader in assists (167) and points.

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F Reid Duke of the Brandon Wheat Kings has signed a PTO with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and will finish this season with them. Earlier, Duke, 21, signed an NHL contract with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who apparently are working on a deal to purchase an AHL franchise but haven’t yet announced it. This season, Duke had 71 points, 37 of them goals, in 59 games with the Wheat Kings.

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MORE ON THE MOVE: D Ondrej Vala of the Kamloops Blazers has joined the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Vala just completed his second WHL season. Vala, who will turn 19 on April 13, signed a three-year entry-level deal with Dallas in September. From Slovakia, he wasn’t selected in the NHL draft. . . . F Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals will finish the season with the AHL’s Stockton Heat, which is affiliated with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. The Flames selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . F Michael Spacek of the Red Deer Rebels has signed an ATO with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The parent Winnipeg Jets selected him in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. He has yet to sign an NHL contract.

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So cool! Montreal legends Yvon Lambert, Guy Lafleur & Rejean Houle all in Pats jerseys.Thanks Shaun Semple for arranging. #JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/GwZ92LTnBs

— #JoinTheRegiment (@WHLPats) April 8, 2017

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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

Barzal had "no comment" regarding the rumors circulating while he was out.

— Tim Pigulski (@tpigulski) April 8, 2017

When asked if it was in fact the mumps, Barzal said 'no comment'

— Andy Eide (@AndyEide) April 8, 2017

At Everett, F Mathew Barzal scored the game’s first goal and drew an assist on the winner in his first

MATHEW BARZAL

game in a month as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for tonight in Everett. . . . Barzal, the Western Conference’s most outstanding player, last played on March 7. Originally, he was thought to have been out with the mumps, but the Thunderbirds never did release the results of his tests and it all turned into speculation that he had mononucleosis. . . . Barzal opened the scoring on a PP, at 2:07 of the second period, getting his own rebound and beating G Carter Hart. . . . Everett tied it on F Eetu Tuulola’s third goal, at 17:53. . . . Seattle went ahead 2-1 when F Tyler Adams (1) scored at 5:31 of the third period. . . . That set the stage for something of a wild finish. . . . With G Carter Hart on the bench for an extra attacker, Everett D Aaron Irving scored on a point shot through traffic at 18:22. . . . The Thunderbirds broke the tie 39 seconds later as F Donovan Neuls (4) scored on the rebound of a Barzal shot. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Alexander True, with Neuls adding one to his goal. . . . G Carl Stankowski ran his playoff record to 5-0 with 21 saves, nine fewer than Hart. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-2. . . . Barzal now has played in 34 WHL playoff games. He has put up 42 points, including 11 goals. . . . Seattle remained without F Ryan Gropp and G Rylan Toth. Gropp was injured in Game 2 of a first-round series with the Tri-City Americans. Toth hasn’t played since March 11. . . . Everett F Devon Skoleski played for the first time since March 19. . . . Announced attendance: 4,588.

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At Kelowna, the Rockets scored three goals in 95 seconds en route to a 4-2 victory over the Portland

CALVIN THURKAUF

Winterhawks. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Kelowna tonight. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf (1) opened the scoring at 3:42 of the second period. . . . F Kole Lind (2) made it 2-0 at 4:32, and F Reid Gardiner’s sixth goal upped that to 3-0 at 5:17. . . . The Rockets completed a four-goal second-period as F Dillon Dube (5) scored on a PP, at 16:08. . . . Portland got on the scoreboard when F Brad Ginnell (2) scored at 10:50 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass (3) scored Portland’s second goal, on a PP with G Cole Kehler on the bench for an extra attacker, at 17:34. . . . Portland received another PP after that one and came close to scoring, with F Skyler McKenzie being stoned by G Michael Herringer and F Joachim Blichfeld hitting a post. . . . Thurkauf also had two assists, for a three-point outing, with Gardiner and Lind adding an assist each. . . . Herringer finished with 27 saves, while Kehler blocked 50 shots. . . . The Rockets had a 43-12 edge in shots — and that 4-0 lead — after two periods. . . . Kelowna was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . The Rockets’ penalty killers have allowed two goals in 37 opportunities in seven playoff games. . . . Announced attendance: 5,002.

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#Regina #Pats winger @wagner2797 checks his teeth after taking a high stick in the month after scoring an empty-net goal. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/ENmqHABc5p

— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) April 8, 2017

At Regina, the Pats scored the game’s last five goals as they beat the Swift Current Broncos, 6-2. . . .

AUSTIN WAGNER

The series is tied, 1-1, with Game 3 set for Monday in Swift Current. It will be televised by Sportsnet. . . . The Broncos had won the opener, 1-0 in OT, on Thursday night in Regina. . . . In Game 1, the Pats received only one PP opportunity. In Game 2, Regina was 2-10 with the man advantage and the Broncos, who were 2-5, know they can’t win by taking that many trips to the penalty box. . . . D Jonathan Smart (1) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 9:36 of the first period. . . . The Broncos went ahead 2-1 on first-period PP goals from D Max Lajoie (1), at 12:35, and F Tyler Steenbergen (7), at 16:18. . . . The Pats tied it 43 seconds into the second period as D Connor Hobbs (2) counted on a PP. . . . The home team went ahead at 6:08 as F Nick Henry (2) also scored on the PP. . . . F Austin Wagner (5) added insurance at 14:28. . . . Regina F Robbie Holmes (1) and Wagner (6), into an empty net, added third-period goals. . . . Regina got two assists from F Sam Steel, with Henry and Hobbs adding one each. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for the Broncos, with Steenbergen getting one. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 15 shots for the Pats, while the Broncos’ Jordan Papirny turned aside 34. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks, who totalled 250 points in 139 regular-season games over the last two seasons, left in the first period with an apparent left knee injury. He got bumped a couple of times in the neutral zone, went down and was slow leaving the ice. He came on the ice a few minutes later, test it and left for the dressing room. . . . The Pats scratched F Filip Ahl, but it isn't known if he was ill or injured. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.

Pats won't disclose the nature of Adam Brooks injury, or a timeline for his return. I did see him walking around, good sign.

— Bianca Millions (@BiancaCTV) April 8, 2017

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What @PeterAnholt was really thinking during the 1st intermission. @WHLHurricanes #CaneTrain #AllAboard #YQL pic.twitter.com/XWRJa5iOa3

— Canes This Week (@CanesThisWeek) April 8, 2017

At Medicine Hat, G Michael Bullion stopped 16 shots in recording his first playoff shutout as the Tigers

MICHAEL BULLION

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

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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 1-0)

Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 1-0)

Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Medicine Hat leads, 1-0)

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Giants add grit, toughness . . . Scharff back in WHL . . . Uh Oh! Ex-WHL goaltender writes, sings

F Josh Green (Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Portland, 1993-98) signed a one-year contract with KooKoo Kouvola (Finland, Liiga). Last season, with Tappara Tampere (Finland, Liiga), he had nine goals and 15 assists in 48 games. He was an alternate captain.
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The Vancouver Giants have  claimed F Taylor Crunk, 20, off waivers from the Victoria Royals. Crunk, from San Jacinto, Calif., had 14 points, 10 of them goals, in 71 games with the Royals last season. In four seasons in Victoria, he has 43 points, including 21 goals, in 241 games. He will bring a lot of grit and toughness to the Vancouver lineup. The Giants were 7-27-2 on the road last season, the biggest reason they missed the playoffs. . . . Crunk’s acquisition also leaves the Giants with four 20-year-olds, the others being D Arvin Atwal, F Jackson Houck and F Carter Popoff. Each WHL team is allowed to have three on their roster after the mid-October cut-down date. D Mason Geertsen also is on the Giants’ roster but is expected to play in the Colorado Avalanche’s organization. . . . The Royals show six 20-year-olds on their roster, including G Justin Paulic and G Coleman Vollrath. Also in that group are forwards Greg Chase, who has signed with the Edmonton Oilers and could play in their organization, Logan Fisher, Alex Forsberg and Jack Palmer. . . . However, Palmer no longer is on the Royals’ roster, having cleared waivers earlier this summer, while Paulic is moving on after three seasons in the WHL. He is expected to attend the U of Manitoba and play for the Bisons.
Crunk still has to deal with a charge of assault causing bodily harm that was filed against him in March following a New Year’s Eve party in Saanich, B.C. . . . Crunk’s trial date has been set for Sept. 21 in Victoria.
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The Calgary Flames have signed D Oliver Kylington, 18, to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. The Flames selected him in the second round, 60th overall, in the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . He is from Stockholm and is under contract for two years with AIK, a Swedish professional team. . . . Kylington’s WHL rights belong to the Brandon Wheat Kings, who selected him last month in the CHL’s import draft. . . . As I understand it, if Kylington doesn’t make the Flames out of training camp, his first option is to return to AIK. If AIK declines — and who knows why that would happen? — the Flames would have the option of putting him with their AHL team — the Stockton Heat — or the Wheat Kings. . . . Interestingly, Kylington has been in Spain, training with D Johnny Oduya, who was an unrestricted free agent before signing a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. He had been with the Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks. . . You have to think Kylington and Oduya did some celebrating last night. . . . Here’s hoping they didn’t run with the bulls in Pamplona.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The AJHL’s Calgary Canucks announced Wednesday that Ryan Barrett, their director of hockey operations and head coach, “has been relieved of his duties.” . . . Barrett took over as head coach prior to the 2011-12 season. He replaced Don Phelps, who had been the team’s head coach since 1977. . . . Last season, the Canucks went 17-33-10 and finished last in the eight-team Viterra South Division. . . . If you’re interested, contact Pat Loyer, the Canucks’ new president, at 403-681-9625 or by email at phloyer@shaw.ca.
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Chad Scharff is back in the WHL, this time as the Saskatoon Blades’ equipment manager. . . . Scharff, 29, spent 11 seasons with the Vancouver Giants, where he played, scouted, worked as an assistant coach and also was the head equipment manager. He spent the past two-plus seasons with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as an assistant equipment manager. . . . With the Blades, he takes over from Graham (Spike) Watt, who now is with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
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Some goaltenders go on to pro, others — well, at least one — go on to write songs and be a lead singer. That would be James Priestner (Kamloops, Brandon, Prince George, 2007-11). He’s a writer and the lead singer with The Lunas. Give a listen right here to a tune titled Uh Oh.
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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price taking time out in #Kelowna to support Breakfast Club of Canada. pic.twitter.com/0HPcTfGhK8

— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) July 15, 2015

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The WHL trade deadline arrives Thursday afternoon at 4 o’clock in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 3 in Alberta and 2 in B.C.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have dealt F Jay Merkley, 17, to the Swift Current Broncos for F Josh Derko, 19, and a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Merkley, who waived a no-trade clause, had 22 points, including 14 goals, in 44 games with the Hurricanes this season. Last season, the Calgary native had 23 points, 12 of them goals, in 58 games as a freshman. He was the third overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Derko, from Sherwood Park, Alta., had 11 points and 68 penalty minutes in 31 games with the Broncos this season. A fifth-round pick by the Broncos in the 2008 bantam draft, Derko had 13 points and 100 penalty minutes in 63 games last season. In 143 career gams, all with the Broncos, he had 28 points and 201 penalty minutes.
Obviously, Lethbridge GM/head coach Rich Preston wanted to toughen up his forward ranks. He did that at the expense of giving up a talented young forward in Merkley.
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Mark Lamb, the Swift Current Broncos’ GM and head coach, sounds as though he has no interest in trading F Adam Lowry, 19, who has 56 points, including 27 goals, in 43 games.
"The prices are very steep,” Lamb told Shawn Mullin, who handles the team’s play-by-play duties. “He's one of the top players in the league. We want to surround him not have him leave town."
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The Calgary Hitmen have acquired D Jesse Zgraggen, 19, from the Victoria Royals for a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick. . . . Zgraggen, from Lethbridge, had seven points and 34 penalty minutes in 33 games with Victoria. He is in his third WHL season and has 22 points in 157 career games with Victoria and the Chilliwack Bruins.
I am told that the hottest commodity in the WHL as the deadline approaches may be depth defencemen. The acquisition of Zgraggen by Calgary would fall into this category.
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The WHL’s trade deadline arrives on Jan. 10. Here is a look at trades since the end of the WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium:
Jan. 1: Medicine Hat trades D Dylan Busenius, 19, F Jayden Hart, 18, and a 2014 sixth-round bantam drafat pick to Prince Albert for F Logan McVeigh, 18, D Zach Hodder, 19, F Connor Hobbs, 15, and a 2013 second-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 2: Vancouver trades F Kale Kessy, 20, to Kamloops for F Rob Trzonkowski, 18, and a 2015 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 3: Everett trades F Trent Lofthouse, 18, to Victoria for a 2014 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 3: Victoria trades G Jared Rathjen, 18, to Vancouver for a 2013 eighth-round bantam draft pick. Jan. 7: Victoria trades D Jesse Zgraggen, 19, to Calgary for a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 7: Lethbridge trades F Jay Merkley, 17, to Swift Current for F Josh Derko, 19, and a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick.

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F Matthew Gelinas, 17, has signed with the Tri-City Americans and may be in their lineup on Wednesday when they meet the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Gelinas is in his second season with the midget AAA Calgary Royals. He has 30 points, including 18 goals, in 24 games. Last season, he had 13 points in 34 games with the Royals. . . . Gelinas is the son of Martin Gelinas, a longtime NHL player who now is on the coaching staff of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . Matthew will return to the Royals after the Americans play the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday.
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The Spokane Chiefs have added F Adam Smith, 18, to their roster on a “tryout basis.” Smith is from Nanaimo. He is expected to play tonight against the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Smith has played 22 WHL games – 20 with the Swift Current Broncos in 2011-12 and two with the Portland Winterhawks in 2010-11. Portland selected him in the ninth round of the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Smith has split this season between the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals and the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Justin Greer, 15, to a WHL contract. Greer, from Edmonton, was a fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He is playing for the midget AAA CAC United Cycle team and has 15 points in 18 games. . . .
The Winterhawks, who won 12 straight games from Oct. 10 to Nov. 11, have won 10 in a row as they prepare for a Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheader against the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . Portland has won 29 of its last 31 games. . . . The Winterhawks lead the WHL’s overall standings by seven points over the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers, and lead the U.S. Division by 16 points over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Should Portland G Mac Carruth start on Tuesday, he’ll be gunning for the franchise record for career regular-season victories. He has 105 and is tied with Darrell May Sr., who ended his junior career in 1982. . . .
With players coming back from various international events, the Winterhawks have dropped D Eric Walker, 19, and D Linden Springer, 18, from their roster. Walker had one assist and 11 penalty minutes in 11 games, while Springer was pointless in three outings.
Walker (@WalkerFlocka4) tweeted last night: “@pdxwinterhawks thanks for the opportunity and experience these past couple weeks or so, top notch organization and I really enjoyed it all.”
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The Vancouver Giants have added D Arvin Atwal, 17, to their roster. He had been with junior B North Delta Devils of the Pacific International league. Atwal, 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, played five games with the Giants last season and two earlier this season. He has yet to record his first WHL point. . . . Atwal was selected in the eighth round of the 2010 bantam draft by the Prince Albert Raiders. The Giants acquired him and F Austin Connor from the Raiders for F Teal Burns and D Tyler Hart on Oct. 17, 2011. . . . The Giants added Atwal to their roster a day after losing D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, 20, with a hand injury after a shot block.
The Giants also announced yesterday that Chad Scharff, their head equipment manager, is leaving to join the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
Scharff is a former Giants player, scout and assistant coach.
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D Matt Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels will join the Minnesota Wild when NHL teams open their abbreviated camps this weekend. But the Wild apparently plans on returning him to the Rebels before the season opens.
“I talked to Minnesota (Monday) morning and Matt talked to them (Monday) afternoon,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He’ll be going in at the end of the week and will spend four or five days there and come back.
“It will be good for Matt, good for his development. The experience he’ll get will be beneficial.”
Dumba was the seventh overall selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft.
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The Saskatoon Blades hope to have F Nathan Burns back in their lineup against the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Friday. Burns, 19, was injured in a game against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Jan. 1. . . . The Blades also said Monday that D Kyle Schmidt, who has been out with an undisclosed injury since Nov. 24, will be returned to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars once he gets medical clearance.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings may have F Michael Ferland and F Alessio Bertaggia back in the lineup tonight when they play host to the Calgary Hitmen. Ferland has missed three games with an undisclosed injury, while Bertaggia played for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship.
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Two German DEL teams, the host Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of Nuremberg and the Eisbaren Berlin, played in the Stadion Nuremberg on Saturday. What’s the big deal? Well, that is a soccer stadium. An outdoor soccer stadium.

The teams drew 50,000 fans, including as many as 7,000 Eisbaren fans who made the 450-kilometre trek.

There is more right here, including a mention of former WHLer T.J. Mulock. No, I didn’t know that T.J. stands for Travis James.
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From former Medicine Hat Tigers G Tyler Bunz (@tylerbunz): “gotta admit i was shocked when a girl made me sign her "bunz" after the game saturday..cant say thats happened before #waitwhatdidyousay?”
Bunz now is with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder.
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From Prince George Cougars F Jarrett Fontaine (@JFontaine32): “@WHLFacts — 7 - the number of toe picks in practice by (@ZachPochiro13) today, currently leading the league in this category”


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Friday . . .

The Victoria ?????? could have an official nickname as soon as Monday, when the franchise has scheduled an announcement.
Of course, if you check out this piece by Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports, it would seem that hockey fans are about to meet the Victoria Royals. . . . Royals? . . . Hmmm! Wonder if the news conference will be held over tea at the Empress?
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The Enmax Centrium is in for some renovations that will hae 1,000 seats and 14 luxury boxes installed. All the better to play host to the Memorial Cup and other such events, you understand. Interestingly, the Centrium now features 18 luxury boxes and the waiting list is 50 parties long.
Paul Cowley of the Red Deer Advocate has more right here.
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Meanwhile, in Medicine Hat, there is concern that the proposed Reginal Event Centre may not get the necessary funding with a vote scheduled for Monday’s city councial meeting.
Amanda Stephenson of the Medicine Hat News has more right here.
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Dain Phillips, who played with the Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Broncos (1978-80), has died. Phillips, 51, was killed after being hit by a baseball bat during what the Kelowna Daily Courier reports was a “rumble between rival groups.” There’s more right here.
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Hockey Canada has invited 46 players, 13 of them from the WHL, to its national junior team summer development camp that is to run Aug. 3-7 in Edmonton and Fort McMurray.
The 2012 World Junior Championship is scheduled for Dec. 26 through Jan 5 in Calgary and Edmonton. Team Canada’s selection camp will be held in December, with a roster off 22 players selected.
The WHLers invited to the summer camp are G Tyler Bunz, Medicine Hat; D Joe Morrow, Portland; D Ryan Murray, Everett; D Mark Pysyk, Edmonton; D Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon; F Brett Connolly, Prince George; F Brendan Gallagher, Vancouver; F Patrick Holland, Tri-City; F Quinton Howden, Moose Jaw; F Ryan Johansen, Portland; F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Red Deer; F Ty Rattie, Portland; and, F Mark Stone, Brandon.
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Meanwhile, USA Hockey added goaltenders to its summer evaluation camp, with Mac Carruth of the Portland Winterhawks getting an invitation.
He’ll join two other WHLers — F Emerson Etem of Medicine Hat and F Shane McColgan of Kelowna — at the camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., Aug. 6-13. That camp will includes practices, intrasquad scrimmages and international games featuring Finland, Sweden, and the U.S.
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The U of Manitoba Bisons have added six players with WHL experience. . . . F Neal Prokop (Moose Jaw, Regina, Tri-City), F Matt Lowry (Medicine Hat, Brandon), D Darren Bestland (Brandon, Vancouver), D Travis Bobbee (Lethbridge, Portland, Swift Current, Seattle), D Tyler Schmidt (Tri-City) and F Brendan Rowinski (Calgary, Moose Jaw, Vancouver) all have agreed to join the Bisons. All, with the exception of Lowry, played in the WHL last season. Lowry had been the professional ranks before red-shirting last season in order to be eligible to play in 2011-12.
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A tweet from the Vancouver Giants on Friday:
“Happy Birthday to Giants former player/ current equipment manager Chad Scharff!”
Scharff also did a turn as an assistant coach under head coach Don Hay.
The Giants are in the market for an assistant coach and it’ll be a key hire because Hay will miss a month or so as he takes up his duties in December as head coach of Canada’s national junior team. . . . The Giants are believed to be down to a three-man shortlist as they search for that assistant.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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