With thanks to Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier, here are some facts and figures leading into tonight’s game that has the Portland Winterhawks in Kelowna to play the Rockets (they’ll also play there Saturday):
1. The Winterhawks (43-8-3) are atop the overall standings, but coming off a 4-3 loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday. Portland also is atop the CHL’s weekly rankings.
2. The Rockets (40-11-4) are third in the overall standings. They dropped a 5-0 decision to the host Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday. The Rockets are fourth in the CHL rankings.
3. The Rockets have won 23 straight home games. The franchise record was set in 1992-93 when the team was based in Tacoma. . . . The 24-game streak is the second-longest in WHL history, behind only the 1993-94 Kamloops Blazers (29).
4. Portland has eliminated Kelowna from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
5. The Rockets have points in 19 of 20 games since the Christmas break. They have one regulation loss and two in OT over that span.
6. The Winterhawks have points in 17 of their last 19 games. They had an eight-game winning streak snapped Wednesday. They have two regulation losses and one in a shootout since Christmas.
7. The teams split two games played in Portland early in October, the Winterhawks winning 1-0 and the Rockets winning 4-3.
8. Portland has scored 245 goals this season; the Rockets are at 244.
Here’s what Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska told Fisher:
“I think it gets blown way out of proportion by the media. This is two of 72 (games in the regular-season schedule), and that's the reality of it.
"Over the course of the year, so far, I think we've proven ourselves to be a good hockey team and I don't necessarily think this is the be-all and end-all. But there are two very good hockey teams that are going to be playing a couple games here, and it should be entertaining to watch for the fans."
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It seems that the CHL is on the verge of changing some rules regarding its annual import draft. For years now, the draft has been driven by agents and that is something to which the CHL wants to put a stop. Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports has been on this story and her latest piece is right here.
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Chris Clark, an assistant coach with the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild, has been suspended until at least March 25 for his blind-man-on-the-ice routine on Jan. 26. Jon Frank of the Wenatchee World reports that Clark will be able to appy for reinstatement on March 25. . . . Bliss Littler, the Wild’s general manager and head coach, drew a five-game suspension. . . . Frank’s story is right here.

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, G Tristan Jarry made 23 saves as the Edmonton Oil Kings scored a 7-0 victory over the Pats. . . . Jarry has six shutouts this season and is tied for the WHL lead with Portland’s Mac Carruth and Andrey Makarov of Saskatoon. . . . Jarry now has put up four shutouts in his last six starts. . . . Edmonton has put up a shutout in 10 of its 56 games. . . . The Oil Kings have won 10 in a row and now lead the Eastern Conference by 13 points over the Calgary Hitmen. Edmonton also is second in the overall standings, four points behind Portland, which holds two gams in hand. . . . Edmonton got goals from seven different players, including D Martin Gernat, who scored his first this season. . . . D Cody Corbett had three assists. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix scored his 28th goal – it was his 18th PPG this season and that leads the WHL. It also allowed him to tie the franchise record he set last season. He also is on an 11-game points streak. . . . Edmonton was 4-for-7 on the PP; in two games against Regina, the Oil Kings were 9-for-14 with the man advantage. . . . Edmonton D Keegan Lowe scored his 13th goal of the season, establishing a single-season franchise record for goals by a defenceman. Griffin Reinhart scored 12 last season. . . . A note from Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “Prior to the game, the Pats and the Shooting Stars Foundation (Mike Sillinger and Jamie Heward) presented former captain Kyle Deck with a cheque for more than $20,000. The money was raised through the Pats’ alumni game/skills competition on Jan. 28. Deck is suffering from kidney disease and is in need of a transplant.” . . .

In Kamloops, G Cole Cheveldave stopped 20 shots as the Blazers beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-0. . . . Cheveldave has three shutouts this season and seven in his two-season career. . . . F Cole Ully had two goals and an assist, while D Marek Hrbas scored once and was plus-5. . . . The Blazers have won three in a row and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 outings. . . . Kamloops, which is third in the Western Conference, clinched a playoff spot with the victory.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Curtis Lazar, Edmonton
F Lane Scheidl, Regina
D Martin Gernat, Edmonton

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Calgary Hitmen D Jaynen Rissling (@riznasty09): “went for a walk in Seattle today and couldn’t help but wonder, what if a vampire attacked me.”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andrej Kudrna (Vancouver, Red Deer, 2008-11) was assigned to Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga) by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL) for the rest of this season. He has one goal in 13 games for Slovan and 10 goals and three assists in 18 games for Skalica this season. . . .


F Parker Stanfield (Prince George, Everett, 2007-11) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had six goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) this season. . . .


F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Zvolan (Slovakia, Extraliga) after obtaining his release from Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had six goals and 11 assists in 40 games with Most this season.


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The WHL’s pooh-bahs, no doubt somewhat played out from what has been a hectic schedule with lots of three-in-three and four-in-five stretches, are gathering in Las Vegas this weekend for two days of meetings that are to begin on Monday.
These aren’t shaping up as your normal run-of-the-mill, dog-days-of-February meetings, either.
No.
You may recall that it was in late November when the WHL hammered the Portland Winterhawks for what it called “a series of violations of WHL Regulations.”
The Winterhawks were banned from the first five rounds of the 2013 bantam draft, lost their first-round draft picks in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and had their general manager and head coach Mike Johnston suspended for the remainder of this season, including the playoffs. Oh, and the Winterhawks also were fined $200,000.
The Winterhawks have admitted to some violations but are of the opinion that the punishment far exceeds the crimes.
Apparently, there is no appeal process to decisions such as these within the WHL. But the Winterhawks, with owner Bill Gallacher planning to attend, are hoping to have their say in Las Vegas.
We will find out early next week, then, if this is one of those situations where what happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.
Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has more right here, including the fact that the Winterhawks have consulted legal counsel.
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While you’re waiting for that meeting to start, you may want to read this piece right here by Ken Goe of The Oregonian. It’s about Mike Johnston and a hospital visit he made more than a year ago. It’s interesting that very few people were aware of this until now.
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The WHL has posted a job opening for director, communications, the position presently filled by Cory Flett.
Here’s the job description:
“The WHL Director, Communications will be responsible to manage all aspects of the WHL Communications portfolio including media relations, the WHL website; social media platforms; WHL broadcast agreements and other media partnerships; WHL publications; WHL awards; the WHL results system and other special projects.”
All that for one person? Job must pay awfully well.
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If you look in on the Saskatoon Blades tonight — they are at home to the Swift Current Broncos — you will note that they are wearing new and different sweaters. Here’s how Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix described the sweaters as “featuring navy blue, royal blue and grey strips and a stylized ‘Blades’ logo where the ‘L’ is a hockey stick.” . . . These sweaters are the result of a contest in which fans were asked for design ideas. . . . Nugent-Bowman reports that there were 113 entries. Those were whittled down to five and then put to a fan vote. . . . The winning design is from Fabio Burà of Switzerland.
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Bliss Littler, the head coach of the NAHL’s Wentchee Wild, has drawn a five-game suspension and assistant coach Chris Clark is gone indefinitely. That is the fallout from Clark’s turn as a blindman during a recent game in Wenatchee.
Stephen Heisler of juniorhockey.com has more right here.

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An Associated Press story out of the Super Bowl in New Orleans begins like this:
“ It defies logic that there are now far more precautions taken to protect NFL players from head trauma than youth and high school football players, said several current or former NFL players speaking on behalf of a group advocating safer sports.”
That story is right here.
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Two former NFL players have undergone tests that “may have found a destructive protein called tau” in their brains.
What this means is that the science involving brains and concussions is progressing.
That story, written by CNN’s Stephanie Smith, is right here.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, F Lane Scheidl scored twice and added an assist to help the Regina Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Pats had lost eight straight. . . . Brandon has dropped four in a row. . . . Scheidl has 26 goals. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie at 17:28 of the third period. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk had both Brandon goals, giving him 13. . . . G Jordan Papirny, 16, the 22nd selection in the 2011 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings. They are without Corbin Boes (knee) and have been going with Curtis Honey. . . . Papirny stopped 21 shots and was returned to the midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Athletics after the game. . . .

In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly drew four assists as the Warriors doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers, 8-4. . . . The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, with F Curtis Valk scoring three times for the Tires, two of them on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw emerged with a 5-3 lead. . . . Valk has 32 goals. . . . Moose Jaw F Bryson Gore, who went into the game with 10 points, had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . The Warriors now have won four of five. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Andrey Markarov posted his WHL-leading sixth shutout as the Blades dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 6-0. . . . He has a franchise-record eight shutouts in his WHL career, having broken the record he had shared with Braden Holtby (2006-09). . . . Makarov made 42 saves as the Blades won their third in a row. He has allowed one goal in the three victories. . . . F Brenden Walker and F Nathan Burns each had two goals for Saskatoon. . . . The Hitmen are three games into a nine-game road swing. . . . F Brooks Macek of the Hitmen played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Blades F Josh Nicholls scored his 33rd goal, to give him 286 career points. He had bee tied with Saskatoon associate coach David Struch for 12th on the Blades’ alltime list. . . . Saskatoon F Shane McColgan picked up two assists, giving him 250 career points. . . .

In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 23 shots as the Oil Kings beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-0. . . . Brossoit has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . Edmonton has won seven in a row and leads the Eastern Conference standings by nine points over Calgary. . . . F Curtis Lazar scored the game’s first two goals, giving him 26. . . . The Oil Kings have won 13 of 15, blanking the opposition in six of those games. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes erased a 2-1 third-period deficit and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2. . . . Lethbridge F Sam Mckechnie scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at 11:24 of the third to tie the score. . . . F Russell Maxwell won it with his 19th goal at 17:09. . . . Mckechnie has 23 scores this season. . . .


In Kamloops, F Kale Kessy and F Colin Smith enjoyed five-point nights as the Blazers downed the Spokane Chiefs, 8-4. . . . Kessy had two goals and three assists in what was the first five-point game of his career. . . . Smith had a goal and four assists for his second five-point outing. . . . Smith also earned his 250th career point. . . . F Tim Bozon, the third member of that line, had two goals, giving him 31, and two assists. . . . F Mitch Holmberg had three goals for the Chiefs, giving him a career-high 30 on the season. He scored 27 last season. Holmberg also has a career-high in points (57), two more than he recorded last season. . . . Spokane D Jason Fram left the game at 8:45 of the second period. Unable to put weight on his left leg, he needed help getting off the ice and didn’t return. . . .

In Prince George, F Chase Witala scored three times to help the Cougars to a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Witala scored the Cougars’ first two goals, at which point he had scored his team’s previous five goals. . . . He has 14 goals this season, six of them in his last three games. . . . Cougars D Dallas Ehrhardt had a goal and two assists. . . . The Cougars were awarded two penalty shots in this one. F Colin Jacobs beat G Coleman Vollrath t 7:14 of the second period; F Jarrett Fontaine was foiled by G Patrik Polivka at 13:38 of the third. . . . The Royals were coming off a 6-1 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Thursday night. Not many teams play one night in Kelowna and the next night in Prince George. . . . The Cougars are without G Brett Zarowny (concussion), so had Ty Edmonds, 16, on the bench, backing up Mac Engel. Edmonds plays for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . .

In Vancouver, F Colton Sissons scored twice and G Jackson Whistle stopped 32 shots as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Giants, 5-1. . . . Sissons broke a 1-1 tie at 3:19 of the first period. . . . After scoring those three early goals, the teams didn’t score again until Sissons got his 20th of the season at 2:42 of the third period. . . . Whistle was acquired by the Rockets from Giants on Sept. 7 for a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Ty Rattie had a goal and three assists as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 5-3. . . . Portland D Shaun MacPherson broke a 2-2 tie with his first WHL goal at 6:55 of the second period and Rattie upped the lead to 4-2, on the PP, at 17:55. . . . Portland F Nic Petan, who leads the WHL in scoring, got his 36th goal, and two assists, while F Brendan Leipsic also had a goal, his 34th, and two helpers. . . . Rattie is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . Portland was 3-10 on the PP; Seattle was 0-3. . . . Petan leads the WHL in goals, assists (57) and points (93). He has five points more than Leipsic and eight more than Kamloops F Colin Smith. . . .

In Everett, the Tri-City Americans scored twice in the circus and beat the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . F Malte Strömwall gave the Americans a 1-0 lead just 23 seconds into the first period. . . . F Logan Aasman pulled Everett even at 4:25 of the third. . . . F Justin Feser and Strömwall scored shootout goals to win it. . . . With G Austin Lotz (foot) out, the Silvertips had Nik Amundrud, 15, on the bench in support of starter Daniel Cotton. Amundrud was a third-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He is playing with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon
F Greg Chase, Calgary
D Mathew Dumba, Red Deer
F Alexander Delnov, Seattle
F Justin Gutierrez, Tri-City

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Adam Lowry, Swift Current
F Ben Walker, Victoria
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Cody Fowlie (@Fowls11) of the Kelowna Rockets: “Just got a hug from Joe Sakic. I literally almost cried. #isthisreallife? #burnabyjoe #newbestbud”

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Josiah Anderson (Kelowna, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Bad Nauheim (Germany, Oberliga) after a successful two-week tryout. He was pointless in two games during the tryout. Anderson last played in 2009-10, when he had one goal and four assists in 49 games with the Hannover Indians (Germany, 2. Bundesliga).
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Chris Clark, the assistant coach with the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild, is all over the Internet after his Saturday night live performance.
Right here is a look at what Deadspin came up with, and make sure you check the comments.
Meanwhile, Chris Dilks, over at westerncollegehockeyblog.com, posted a link on his blog, too. If you visit there, you also will find a a link to what he refers to as “the greatest coach-on-the-ice moment ever.”
A cursory glance shows that Clark made it on sites belonging to USA Today, The Guardian, CBS Sports, diehardsports.com, ESPN, The Daily Mail and on and on.
And you just know that we’ll see this clip again and again when December arrives and the TV people are doing their year-in-review shows. Which means we’ll get to laugh all over again.
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D Ayrton Nikkel of the Everett Silvertips will be gone for up to two months after suffering ligament damage in a hand during a scrap with F Ryan Hanes of the host Prince George Cougars on Saturday. . . . Nikkel was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Jan. 10 trade deadline. . . . The Silvertips also are without veteran D Austin Adams (concussion). . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald also reports that Everett F Ryan Harrison suffered a concussion last week and won’t play tonight against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
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The WHL has suspended D Tyler Stahl, the captain of the Victoria Royals, for eight games. That comes after he took a headshot major in a 6-4 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants on Friday night. . . . This is Stahl’s third suspension this season. When it’s over, he will have sat out 16 games while under suspension. Earlier, he sat out six games for a headshot.
Stahl missed Saturday’s rematch with the Giants and won’t play tonight against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist reports that F Alex Gogolev, the reigning WHL and CHL player of the week, didn’t practise on Monday but that head coach Dave Lowry “quipped to reports that he may just be keeping his leading scorer ‘rested and fresh.’ ” . . . Victoria F Ben Walker (concussion) may return tonight after missing 11 games.
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There is some ch-ch-ching on the WHL’s disciplinary site, too. . . . Calgary GM Kelly Kisio got touched for $500 after exchanging post-game greetings with the on-ice officials following a 6-4 loss to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Friday. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos each tossed $500 into the pot for a line brawl that took place in Swift Current on Saturday night. The Warriors won that game, 5-2. . . . There could still be more coming, too, because there’s nothing there from Sunday’s game in which Lethbridge lost 7-1 to the Oil Kings in Edmonton. That one included a line brawl that featured battling goaltenders.
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Kamloops, the Blazers scored the game’s last three goals, all on the PP, and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 6-5. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith tied the game with 21.4 seconds left in the third period and F Chase Souto won it on a re-direction with 15 seconds left in OT. . . . Smith, F Brendan Ranford and F JC Lipon each had a goal and two assists for Kamloops. . . . F Myles Bell scored twice for the Rockets, who are 14-0-2 in their last 16 games. . . . It was Kelowna’s first appearance in Kamloops since Opening Night.
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From Swift Current Broncos F Denis Bosc (@DenisBosc): “Had the pleasure of getting yelled at today by legend himself #tiger Williams for not passing the puck hard enough #stillhas it”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Quinn Hancock (Tacoma/Kelowna, Calgary, Prince George, 1994-98) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Hannover Indians (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had 14 goals and 30 assists in 39 games with SønderjyskE Vojens (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga) last season.
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It was about 8 p.m. in the Pacific time zone when the news, accompanied by a video link, hit Twitter.
Within an hour, TSN was using it on SportsCentre.
By today, Chris Clark, an assistant coach with the NAHL’s Wenatchee, Wash., Wild will be an Internet sensation. The clip in which he stars is going viral. Bet on it.
The Wild dropped a 2-1 decision to the visiting Kenai River Brown Bears on Saturday night.
As Jon Frank of the Wenatchee World reports right here, the Wild lost head coach Bliss Littler and Clark to game misconducts.
“Dressed in a bow tie and sporting sunglasses,” Frank writes, “the assistant coach walked onto the ice using a hockey stick to imitate a walking stick as a means of commentating on the night’s officiating. The fans loved it — the officiating staff did not.”
I have a feeling even the men in stripes will laugh at this one. I also have a feeling that the Wild will be short an assistant coach for a few games in the immediate future.
But why do I wish I had been in the arena in Wenatchee on Saturday night?
You’re right. We just don’t see enough of this kind of spur-of-the-moment emotional display these days.
If you haven’t yet seen it, the video is right here.
And, hot damn, but it’s funny.
Chris Clark, thanks for the chuckles. I think you made your point, now enjoy the time off.
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The NHL’s Minnesota Wild have returned D Mathew Dumba, 18, to the Red Deer Rebels. Dumba, the seventh selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft, was with the Wild through the abbreviated training camp and four regular-season games. But he wasn’t dressed for even one game.
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Former NFL kicker Tom Dempsey, who once kicked a 63-yard field goal, is suffering from dementia. Why? Might the fact that he loved to hit people and sometimes served as the wedge-buster on the kickoff team have anything to do with it.
Brett Michael Dykes of The New York Times has that story right here.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, G Mack Shields earned his second shutout of the season as the Hitmen beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-0. . . . Shields stopped 16 shots. . . . The Hitmen had lost their previous two games. . . . The Hitmen went 4-0 against Brandon this season, outscoring the Wheaties, 26-6. . . . Up next for the Hitmen: A nine-game road trip. . . . Brandon G Curtis Honey faced 48 shots less than 24 hours after facing 52 in a 5-2 loss to the Oil Kings in Edmonton. . . . The game was scoreless until Calgary F Chase Lang scored his fourth goal on a shorthanded breakaway at 12:28 of the second period. . . . Sophomore F Calder Brooks, 18, played in his first game of the season with the Hitmen. After putting up 24 pints in 53 games last season, he underwent shoulder surgery and wasn’t cleared to return until recently. . . .

In Edmonton, F Henrik Samuelsson had a goal and three assists as the Oil Kings bounced the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 7-1. . . . It was t he second straight game in which Samuelsson had three assists. . . . In 51 games, Samuelsson has 61 points, including 26 goals. He has put up 10 points in his last four games. . . . Ch-ching! There was a multiple-fight situation at 17:54 of the third period, one that included both goaltenders, Laurent Brossoit of the Oil Kings and Ty Rimmer of the Hurricanes. . . . More ch-ching! Lethbridge GM/head coach Rich Preston got tossed during all of this. . . . “I didn't see the (goaltenders’) fight develop, I was having a discussion with Mr. Preston at the time," offered Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal. . . . Lethbridge took 113 of 186 penalty minutes. . . . The Oil Kings, who have won five in a row, got two goals from F Michael St. Croix and a goal and two assists from F Dylan Wruck. . . . The Oil Kings, with the WHL’s top PP unit, were 4-for-9 with the man advantage. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo, a 16-year-old from Victoria, scored his first WHL goal in his 34th game and it stood up as the winner. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Andrey Makarov stopped 27 shots as the Blades dumped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-0. . . . Makarov has five shutouts this season, which ties him for the WHL lead with Portland’s Mac Carruth and Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Makarov also has seven in his career, and is tied with Braden Holtby for th franchise record. . . . Saskatoon F Lukas Sutter ran his goal-scoring streak to five games with his 10th of the season. He has seven of those 10 goals since Jan. 1.
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From Tri-City Americans G Luke Lee-Knight (@LukeLeeknight): “It’s so annoying when my girlfriend interrupts me on the phone to ask if I am ‘over 18 and have a major credit card available?’ ”

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