Hockey and smokeless tobacco. . . . Desjardins to Canucks?

D Cody Carlson (Medicine Hat, Regina, Prince George, 2006-12) has signed a one-year contract with Peiting (Germany, Oberliga). Last season, with Strasbourg (France, Ligue Magnus), he had 18 points, including four goals, in 22 games. . . .
F Jakub Langhammer (Spokane, 2002-04) has signed a one-year contract with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had six points, four of them goals, in 33 games. On loan to Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had five points, including four goals, in 10 games.
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Tony Gwynn, one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball History, died this week at the age of 54.
He had fought a long battle with cancer, something he blamed on a smokeless tobacco habit.
Of course, chewing tobacco -- or using smokeless tobacco or snus -- has long been popular in baseball circles, although in recent years there has been a serious movement away from it.
However, because it has over the years been so associated with baseball, you might not see it as a hockey problem.
Well, you’d be wrong.
Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote a story in December that should be mandatory reading for all parents of junior hockey players or aspiring junior hockey players. (Turner’s story, headlined Hockey’s Disgusting Little Habit, is right here.)
In that story, Turner reported that half the players in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League were regular users. So were 40 per cent of the U of Manitoba Bisons and 40 per cent of the Transcona Railer Express of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League.
This is rather startling when one considers the damage that can be done by this habit. If you don’t believe it, just go to Google and find a story or two about Tony Gwynn, a terrific baseball player, and an even better human being, who is gone far too soon.
Yes, there are users in the WHL, too. I don’t know what the percentage is, but if it’s 50 per cent in the MJHL, it would seem to be a safe bet that it’s in double figures in the WHL.
The WHL came out against all tobacco products a few years ago, and its rule against such products is posted in all dressing rooms. It reads:
“The WHL does not permit the use of tobacco products (including chewing tobacco) at any WHL events. This includes all practices, game situations and travel to and from games.”
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Adam Proteau of The Hockey News also has written about hockey and its smokeless tobacco problem. That column is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The game of musical chairs NHL style took another turn on Friday with the news that Willie Desjardins turned down an offer to become head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Matthew Sekeres of Vancouver radio station Team 1040 AM tweeted Friday afternoon: "Was just told Desjardins spurned #Pens b/c offer was for 2 years only, no authority to hire own assts. Now expected to be hired by #Canucks."
There was immediate speculation that should the Vancouver Canucks hire Desjardins, he might be interested in having Mike Johnston, the GM/head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, as an assistant coach.
However, I’m thinking that Johnston won’t leave the Winterhawks for anything less than an NHL head-coaching position, not when you consider the freedom that he gets to run the Portland on-ice operation. Johnston has taken the Winterhawks to four-straight WHL finals and you know that owner Bill Gallacher is looking after his guy.
Then again . . . would you rather fly charter or ride a bus?
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Jeff Brown, a former NHL defenceman, is the new head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. Brown had been general manager and head coach of the Indiana Ice, who are the USHL champions for 2013-14. . . . Brown played 747 NHL regular-season games over 13 seasons. That followed four seasons with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. . . . Brown takes over from Chris Byrne, who had been GM and head coach. Byrne left to scout for the Los Angeles Kings. . . . Pat Higgins, the assistant GM, has since been promoted to GM.
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The Central league’s Denver Cutthroats have signed Brad Smyth as their director of hockey operations and head coach. He had been working as the team’s general manager and assistant coach. . . . Derek Armstrong, who was the head coach last season, now is the Cutthroats’ president and general manager. . . . The Cutthroats reached the CHL final last season for the first time in franchise history.
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Roy Sommer will be back for another season as head coach of the Worcester Sharks, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. He is preparing for his 19th season in the Sharks organization, his 17th as the head coach of the NHL team’s top developmental club. . . . David Cunniff won’t return for a 13th season as an assistant or associate coach with San Jose’s top developmental team. . . . According to a Worcester news release: “Charlie Townsend will return for a second season as the Worcester Sharks’ video coaching assistant, while development coaches Mike Ricci, Bryan Marchment, Corey Schwab, and Dirk Graham will all have a continued presence in Worcester during the 2014-15 season.”
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The Kelowna Rockets have placed F Marcus Mitchell on their protected list. Mitchell is a 1998-born player from Kelowna who played last season with the Midget Elite 15 team at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna. He had 34 points, including 11 goals, in 37 games. . . . The Portland Winterhawks have added F Ezekiel (Zeke) Estrada, 16, to their protected list. A native of Homer, Alaska, Estrada headed south at the age of 10 to pursue a career in hockey. He played last season with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings midget AAA team, putting up 46 points, including 25 goals, in 18 games. . . . Mitchell and Estrada are being  advised by EA Sports Management. . . .

D Matt Thomas, 19, isn’t likely to be back with the Kamloops Blazers, who have dropped him from their protected list. Thomas, from Calgary, has seven assists in 132 career regular-season games. He had four assists in 55 games after being acquired last season from the Kootenay Ice. The Ice acquired F Tim Bozon and D Landon Cross, both 19 at the time, from the Blazers for Thomas, F Collin Shirley, 17, a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick and a fifth-round pick in 2015. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes are expected to announce a new deal with a local radio station at a Monday afternoon news conference. The Hurricanes and 94.1 CJOC didn’t renew their contract after last season. . . . F Luke Bertolucci, 19, of the Edmonton Oil Kings was involved in a BCHL trade on Friday. His junior A rights, along with future considerations, went from Salmon Arm to the Merritt Centennials, with the Silverbacks getting F Logan Mick, 19. Mick is the son of Troy Mick, the Silverbacks’ governor, president and GM. Logan spent last season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
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#WHL Giants talking with former #Canuck Tim Hunter about coach job, but also with ex-Americans boss Jim Hiller now as well. #Staytuned
— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) June 20, 2014

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Kiel McLeod (Kelowna, 1997-2003) signed a one-year contract with Frisk Asker (Norway, GET-Ligaen). He had 18 goals and 13 assists in 26 games for the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season.
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D Cody Carlson (Medicine Hat, Regina, Prince George, 2007-12) revealed via his Twitter account on Sunday that he has decided to attend the U of Calgary and play for the Dinos. Carlson, from Victoria, played out his major junior eligibility last season with the Prince George Cougars. He had 39 points in 72 games. . . . In 305 regular-season games, Carlson had 135 points, including 25 goals.
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The Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class on Saturday in Swift Current. That first class included 10 players (Sid Abel, Doug Bentley, Max Bentley, Johnny Bower, Glenn Hall, Gordie Howe, Elmer Lach, Metro Prystai, Fred Sasakamoose and Bryan Trottier), one official (Dennis Pottage), five builders (Ed Chynoweth, Bill Hunter, Gordon Juckes, Athol Murray and Darryl Seaman), one grassroots contributor (Bill Ford) and five teams (1955-64 Semans Wheat Kings, 1974 Regina Pats, 1982-83 U of Saskatchewan Huskies, 1984-85 Prince Albert Raiders and 1988-89 Swift Current Broncos). . . . The Hall of Fame is to be located in the Credit Union iplex, with displays expected to be open to the public in late August or early September. . . . Some folks were given a sneak peek on the weekend. Here’s what Trottier told the Southwest Booster: “One word, spectacular. I think they totally overwhelmed me and I think they are overwhelming a lot of people that are going in there. Everyone is saying it is a great, great job. I think it is unique in style, too, with all the hockey sticks hanging around. They did a great job with the displays. The lighting in there is really special. A lot of people will hopefully come through and really enjoy it for a lot of years."

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Kudos to the WHL for putting a link from its website to DubNation, the online magazine that is loaded with WHL-related information. . . . It’s produced by Doyle Potenteau of Kelowna, a veteran hockey writer who follows the Rockets for the Daily Courier. . . . If you haven’t checked out the March edition, get on over to whl.ca and give it a look.
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D Cody Carlson of the Prince George Cougars has signed an ATO with the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. The team announced the signing Tuesday morning. Carlson had 39 points in 72 in his final season of junior eligibility. . . . G Damien Ketlo, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, stopped 27 shots to record his first pro shutout and was the game’s first star last night as the ECHL’s Colorago Eagles, who play out of Loveland, beat the visiting Ontario Reign, 3-0. . . . F Spencer Asuchak of the Cougars made his pro debut in that game. Asuchak, 20, had two shots on goal.
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The Spokane Chiefs confirmed Tuesday morning that D Brenden Kichton has had surgery to repair a broken jaw suffered Friday in Game 1 of their series with the Vancouver Giants. Kitchton was struck in the face by puck early in the third period. He has undergone surgery and is awaiting medical clearance to travel to his family’s home in Spruce Grove, Alta. . . . Kitchton is a first team Western Conference all-star and the conference’s defenceman of the year.
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Another hockey career has come to a sudden end because of concussions. Matt Eagles, the captain of the St. Thomas University Tommies men’s hockey team, has had to walk away from the game. That story is right here. St. Thomas U is in Fredericton, N.B.
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail has written an interesting piece about the impact that concussions may have on the NHL playoffs.
“More and more,” he writes, “you get the sense that the 2012 NHL playoffs may well be The Concussion Games, a two-month marathon that could twist and turn on how many times players in (Daniel) Sedin’s category get clocked in the head and are forced out of a team’s lineup.”
That complete column is right here.
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If you read anything today, make it this piece right here. It’s columnist Dave Kindred remembering the legendary Furman Bisher, who left us earlier this month.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers fired head coach Regg Simon on Tuesday. He promptly told Mark Emmert of t he Des Moines Register that it was “one of the happiest days of my life, and I’m glad it happened now rather than later.” . . . Simon is the fourth coach to be fired in the 16-team USHL this season. . . . The Buccaneers are 20-27-4 and in danger of missing the playoffs. . . . A replacement should be named today.
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)
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Let’s get this out of the way early. . . . The Spokane Chiefs came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Portland Winter Hawks in the spring of 1996. That is the only time in WHL history a team has done that. . . . There are six playoff games scheduled for tonight and the Saskatoon Blades, Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals all are down 3-0. . . .
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In Winnipeg, F Mark Stone had a goal and an assist to lead the Wheat Kings to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Wheat Kings, the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed, hold a 3-1 series lead over the No. 3 Hitmen and can wrap up the series in Winnipeg on Thursday night. . . . Game 6, if needed, would be played in Calgary on Sunday. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock also had a goal and an assist. . . . The Wheat Kings are playing their first-round home games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has taken over Westman Place in Brandon. . . . F Cody Sylvester, Calgary’s captain, returned after missing the first two games with an undisclosed injury. The Hitmen remain without F Victor Rask (leg). . . . Calgary G Brandon Glover came in for Chris Driedger with the Wheat Kings leading 3-0 at 1:53 of the second. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 32 shots. . . . Attendance was 3,563, 15 fewer than attended Game 3. . . .

In Saskatoon, Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored all of his club’s goals as the Tigers beat the Blades 3-2 in overtime. . . . This was the first overtime game of this season’s playoffs and it ended at 9:42 as Etem scored his sixth goal of the series. . . . Etem has scored or assisted on the Tigers’ last 10 goals. He leads all playoff scorers, with 10 points, and is tied with Portland F Ty Rattie, each with six goals. . . . The Tigers hold a 3-0 edge and can wrap it up tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Blades F Matej Stransky forced OT with his first goal at 16:52 of the third. . . . F Michael Burns scored Saskatoon’s first goal. He was playing his first game after missing seven with a concussion. . . . Tigers F Dylan Bredo drew two assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 32 goals, one fewer than Saskatoon’s Andrej Makarov. . . .

In Regina, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored five first-period goals and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Pats. . . . The Warriors take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight in Regina. . . . Moose Jaw D Joel Edmundson scored 23 seconds into the first period and F Quinton Howden made it 2-0 just 27 seconds later. . . . Howden also had two assists. . . . F James Henry had two assists for the Warriors. . . . F Lane Scheidl got his first two goals of the series for Regina. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach served a one-game suspension for making derogatory comments to the Regina bench in Game 2. . . . Moose Jaw D Travis Brown sat out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Regina F Andrew Rieder left during his first shift with an apparent shoulder injury. He missed the last 16 games of the regular season with a shoulder problem. . . .

In Kelowna, F Sven Baertschi and F Ty Rattie each had two goals and two assists as the Winterhawks doubled the Rockets, 6-3. . . . Portland leads 3-0 and can finish it in Kelowna on Thursday. . . . Rattie and Baertschi have nine points apiece in the series. Rattie is tied for the WHL lead in goals, with six, while Baertschi and teammate Marcel Noebels are tied for the WHL lead, with seven assists. . . . Noebels had three assists last night. . . . Rattie and Baertschi each was plus-4. . . . Portland ended it with two empty-netters. . . . Rattie broke a 2-2 tie at 19:19 of the second period and Baertschi gave the visitors a 4-2 lead at 3:55 of the third. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 38 shots, two fewer than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . . D Damon Severson had two goals for Kelowna, but finished minus-5. . . . The last time Kelowna has been swept? That hasn’t happened since 1994 when the franchise was in Tacoma, Wash., and lost four straight to Portland. . . . The Winterhawks had F Brendan Leipsic back in their lineup after he missed the first two games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Portland D William Wrenn, who was kneed by Kelowna F Brett Bulmer in Game 2, also played. Bulmer, who was given a kneeing major on that play, served the first game of a ‘tbd’ suspension. . . .

In Spokane, D Corbin Baldwin gave the Chiefs a 3-1 lead at 15:56 of the third period and they hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Giants lead the series 2-1 going into Game 4 tonight in Spokane. . . . The Chiefs got first-period goals from D Reid Gow and F Blake Gal. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson cut into that lead with his fourth goal of the series at 3:48 of the second. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher got his team’s second goal at 17:30 of the third. . . . The Chiefs turned to Eric Willians in goal after going with Mac Engel in the first two games. Williams made 26 saves, one more than Vancouver’s Adam Morrison. . . . Giants F Jordan Martinook wasn’t able to beat Williams on a penalty shot with 5:48 left in the third period and the Chiefs leading 2-1. . . . Vancouver added F Anthony Ast to its lineup and scratched F Alex Kuvaev. . . . The Chiefs were without D Brenden Kichton (broken jaw). . . .

In Everett, G Ty Rimmer stopped 23 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-0 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Americans hold a 3-0 series lead and can end it tonight in Everett. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin, the WHL scoring champ, scored his first two goals of the series as he ran his point streak to 26 games. . . . He scored the game’s first goal at 1:41 of the second period. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland, who led the WHL in assists during the regular season, took a clipping major and game misconduct at 13:28 of the first period. . . . There was only one minor penalty called in the game, that an elbowing infraction by Everett F J.T. Barnett. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 27 shots. . . . The Silvertips were without F Ryan Harrison and F Manraj Hayer, both of whom were serving suspensions. Harrison is eligible to return tonight; Hayer’s suspenskon was ‘tbd’ . . . The Americans were without D Drydn Dow (broken arm), who was hurt on the check by Hayer. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan left in the second period with a leg injury. . . .

In Victoria, the Kamloops Blazers scored six second-period goals and went on to a 7-5 victory over the Royals. . . . Kamloops holds a 3-0 lead and can win the series tonight in Victoria. . . . The Blazers haven’t won a playoff series since the spring of 1999 when they beat the Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference final. . . . The Royals got three goals from F Jamie Crooks, the first playoff hat trick in Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria franchise history. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham broke a 4-4 tie with his first playoff goal, a shorthanded effort, at 17:26 of the second period. . . . Blazers F J.C. Lipon stretched the lead to 6-4 with a PP goal at 18:48 of the second. Lipon also had two assists, his third straight game with two helpers. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists. . . . Kamloops has scored 18 goals in this series, 14 of them in second periods. . . . The Blazers were 3-6 on the PP and also scored two shorthanded goals. . . . Victoria was 0-4 on the PP. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 18 shots, while the Victoria duo of Jared Rathjen and Keith Hamilton combined for 26 saves. Rathjen started and left after Needham’s goal. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber, the team captain, suffered a skate cut to one of his legs and spent the night in hospital. He is to be re-examined and re-evaluated today but isn’t expected to play tonight. . . . According to Mike Walker of CHEK-TV, the teams also combined to hit seven goalposts.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tyler Vanscourt, Vancouver.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Kiefer McNaughton, Vancouver.

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THE MATCHUPS
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Brandon (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Saskatoon (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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The WHL playoffs open tonight with the Brandon Wheat Kings in Calgary to meet the Hitmen. The other seven series will begin Friday night.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds came out of the WHL’s draft lottery with the first pick on Wednesday.
The lottery involved the six non-playoff teams and when it was over, the WHL released this first-round order:
1. Seattle Thunderbirds
2. Prince Albert Raiders
3. Prince George Cougars
4. Lethbridge Hurricanes
5. Swift Current Broncos
6. Red Deer Rebels
7. Everett Silvertips
8. Victoria Royals
9. Kelowna Rockets
10. Kootenay Ice
11. Regina Pats
12. Brandon Wheat Kings
13. Saskatoon Blades
14. Spokane Chiefs
15. Vancouver Giants
16. Medicine Hat Tigers
17. Calgary Hitmen
18. Moose Jaw Warriors
19. Kamloops Blazers
20. Portland Winterhawks
21. Tri-City Americans
22. Edmonton Oil Kings
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The first-round order as released by the WHL doesn't include the four picks that have been traded. Here, courtesy of Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts At Large, is the first round including trades:
1. Seattle
2. Prince Albert
3. Prince George
4. Lethbridge
5. Swift Current
6. Red Deer
7. Everett
8. Victoria
9. Kelowna
10. Kootenay
11. Prince George (from Regina in Marincin/Blidstrand deal, Jan. 10/12)
12. Brandon
13. Victoria (from Brandon in Kevin Sundher deal, Jan. 9/12; Brandon had acquired the selection from Saskatoon in Brayden Schenn deal, Jan. 10/11)
14. Spokane
15. Vancouver
16. Medicine Hat
17. Calgary
18. Lethbridge (from Moose Jaw in Cam Braes deal, Jan. 9/12)
19. Kamloops
20. Seattle (from Portland in Marcel Noebels deal, Jan. 10/12)
21. Tri-City
22. Edmonton
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The bantam draft is scheduled to be held on May 3.
Keep in mind that the order for the other rounds reverts to the reverse order of the final regular-season standings.
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The WHL also announced some of its Eastern Division individual award winners and its first and second all-star teams. For those, check out the WHL’s website.
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Earlier in the week, I reported here that D Cody Carlson of the Prince George Cougars was headed to the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. . . . I was told last night that Carlson and Prince George G Drew Owsley, both of whom completed their junior eligibility this season, are headed for the Central league’s Missouri Mavericks. . . . Meanwhile, F Spencer Asuchak, who was the Cougars’ third 20-year-old this season, apparently may be headed for the ECHL’s Ontario Reign.
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F John Persson of the Red Deer Rebels made his AHL debut last night with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who lost 3-0 to the host Binghamton Senators. Persson had four shots on goal, all in the first period. . . . Persson, a 19-year-old from Mora, Sweden, was selected by the New York Islanders in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2011 draft.
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F Justin Maylan, who played out his eligibility with the Prince Albert Raiders, has signed a tryout deal with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Maylan is an undrafted free agent. He is joined in Portland by D Harrison Ruopp of the Raiders, who was a third-round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2011 draft.
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The Kamloops Blazers have announced the signings of two players, including the son of Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Shaun Clouston.
D Connor Clouston was a third-round selection in the 2011 WHL bantam draft. He had nine points and 90 penalty minutes in 29 games with the midget AAA Medicine Hat Tigers.
F Brayden Gelsinger, 16, ws listed by the Blazers in September. He had 42 points, including 22 goals, in 41 games with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
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There is an interesting line in a story written by Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist that appears in today’s paper and on the newspaper’s website.
Dheensaw, who has covered the Royals all season, noted that F Brandon Magee “appeared in good spirits as he leaned on the glass and offered playful encouragement to his teammates during practice Wednesday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.”
Three paragraphs later, Dheensaw writes:
“The Royals prohibit media from interviewing injured players.”
What we do know is that Magee was injured in the third period of the Royals’ final regular-season game and isn’t expected to play in their first-round series against the Kamloops Blazers.
The Royals may also be without F Robin Soudek and D Zach Habscheid, both of whom missed late-season games with injuries.
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There can be no doubting that the best coaching matchup of the first round is in the series between the Spokane Chiefs and Vancouver Giants.
The two head coaches have combined for 1,073 WHL coaching victories – Don Hay of the Giants is No. 2 on the alltime list, with 556, while Spokane’s Don Nachbaur is sixth, at 517.
Nachbaur has been the WHL’s coach of the year three times, once each with Seattle, Tri-City and Spokane. You know he would trade those for Hay’s three Memorial Cup championships.
According to a Chiefs’ news release: Despite the two having coached against each other for the better part of the last 20-years, “they have met in the WHL playoffs just once – a 3-1 series win in the 1999 Western Conference semi-finals for Hay's Tri-City Americans over Nachbaur's Seattle Thunderbirds.”
The series opens Friday in Vancouver.

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It was open season on the WHL’s referees on two separate occasions not that long ago on a radio station that is headquartered in a city that is home to a WHL franchise.
It all began when the team’s general manager appeared on a postgame show and was, shall we say, a wee bit critical of the officiating.
This GM mostly was concerned about what he repeatedly referred to as “inconsistencies.”
“It gets to a point where enough is enough,” he said following the game. “We certainly will call the league, if they don’t call me first. . . . Enough is enough. When is it going to stop?”
The GM was adamant that team officials want the referees to “call it for both teams . . . up straight and honest.”
“We haven’t bitched and complained all year long,” he continued, “but . . . the noncalls . . . a call (was made) on (one of our players) and seconds earlier the same call could have been made on (one of the other team’s players). All we want to see is consistency. Start from the very first whistle and make sure it happens for 60 minutes.”
Referring to that particular game, the GM said, the referees did a “fantastic job” for the first two periods. “They let us play. All of a sudden . . . (one of our guys) takes a penalty that wasn’t called for 40 minutes.
“It’s frustrating for players and coaches. . . . It certainly has to be messaged out.”
The radio station’s postgame show originates in a lounge with fans in attendance. The GM’s observations were greeted by a rousing ovation.
Three nights later, the GM’s complaints were aired again on the same radio station.
The GM mustn’t have heard from the WHL office because his name has yet to appear on the discipline page on the WHL website.
Which only can mean that the WHL doesn’t have ears everywhere.
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THE MATCHUPS
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Brandon (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Saskatoon (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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So . . . you’re wondering which first-round series Shaw TV is going to show. . . . I haven’t been able to find a release or anything making that announcement but have been told the first two games of the series between the Kamloops Blazers and Victoria Royals will be shown. . . . Games 1 and 2 are scheduled for Kamloops on Friday and Saturday nights. Game time both nights from the Interior Savings Centre will be 7 o’clock.
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F Taylor Vause, the captain of the Swift Current Broncos, joined the AHL’s Texas Stars in time to play in their game against the visiting Abbotsford Heat last night. Wearing No. 19, he was pointless with one shot on goal as the Stars dropped a 5-2 decision. . . . The Stars are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. . . . Vause, 20, had 83 points in 72 games in his final season with the Broncos.
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DEPT. OF JUSTICE: F Henrik Samuelsson will sit out the Edmonton Oil Kings’ first two playoff games. He drew a two-game suspension for a clipping major and game misconduct he incurred on Saturday in Red Deer. . . . F Campbell Elynuik of the Prince George Cougars was hit with a three-game suspension after taking a cross-checking major and game misconduct in Kamloops on Friday. Elynuik sat out Saturday’s regular-season finale, so won’t be eligible to play again until the third game of next season.
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G Damien Ketlo of the Lethbridge Hurricanes completed his WHL eligibility with the end of the season and now is joining the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. . . . He went 20-24, 3.60, .902 this season.
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D Cody Carlson, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Prince George Cougars, will be joining the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. He had 39 points in 72 games this season.
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The Edmonton Oilers have signed G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers to a three-year NHL contract. Bunz, who turned 20 on Feb. 11, was a fifth-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft.
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G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds will be joining the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters this week. He was a second-round selection by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL’s 2010 draft. The Monsters are the Avs’ AHL affiliate.
Pickard has a lot of fans in U.S. Division cities and beyond. Here’s a note from a fan who was at Sunday’s game in Portland where the Thunderbirds, with Pickard in net, absorbed an 8-2 loss:
“With around five minutes to go in Portland (on Sunday), losing 8-2, (goaltender Brendan) Burke for Portland at the other end made a series of huge saves.
As play was stopped, Calvin slapped his stick on the ice a couple of times and held it up high towards the opposing goaltender.”
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Those rumours about the OHL’s Erie Otters moving to Hamilton? Forget them. The Otters have signed a two-year lease to stay at Tullio Arena.
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With the Brandon Wheat Kings having to play their first-round home games in Winnipeg, you’re wondering if the WHL would be a good fit there. Kelly McCrimmon, the owner of the Wheat Kings, thinks the answer is yes. Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun has more right here.
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Erik Brady of USA TODAY has a story right here on some goofy parents. It is parents like these who give them all a bad name.
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Joe Fitzgerald of the Boston Herald has more on goofy parents. That column is right here.
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Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes right here about his friend Furman Bisher, a legendary sports columnist who died on the weekend. Bisher knew Ty Cobb and interviewed ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson.
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And if you’re looking for a chuckle, check out this piece right here from Matthew Hansen of the Omaha World-Herald. It’s about an 11-year-old who got in a spot of trouble when he organized an NCAA basketball pool at his school.


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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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F Brock Nixon, who played in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers and Calgary Hitmen, scored a shorthanded goal in OT to give the U of Calgary Dinos a best-of-three series sweep over the host U of Manitoba Bisons in a Canada West playoff series. . . . It was a shocker because the Bisons had gone 20-5-3 in the regular season, their best record since 1970-71. . . . Nixon is from Russell, Man. His goal at 6:39 of OT gave the Dinos a 4-3 victory. . . . Nixon also set up a goal by F Reid Jorgensen, Calgary’s captain, who also is a product of the Blazers. . . .
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In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees made it 40 straight victories with a 5-1 triumph over the visiting Chilliwack Chiefs. . . . The Vees are at home to the Trail Smoke Eaters on Tuesday. . . .
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Jim Matheson’s Hockey World, from the pages of the Edmonton Journal, is right here. Look for mentions of Brendan Shinnimin, Matt Kassian and Brenden Dillon among others.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(If you’re on Twitter, follow @WHLFacts for lots of facts and numbers.)
In Portland, F Sven Baertschi struck four times, including twice while shorthanded, to lead the Winterhawks to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Baertschi’s game got him back on a two-points-per-game pace. He now has 92 points, including 31 goals, in 46 games. . . . It was his first four-goal game in the WHL and his second hat trick this season. It also was the 10th three-goal game by a Portland player this season. . . . F Ty Rattie added a goal, his 53rd, and an assist. He and Baertschi each was plus-4. . . . F Burke Gallimore scored his 20th goal for Seattle. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow had three assists. . . . The Winterhawks, who are 12-0-1 in their last 13 outings, now have a three-point lead atop the WHL’s overall standings and the Western Conference. The Tri-City Americans, Kamloops Blazers and Edmonton Oil Kings all are three points back. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Justin Kirsch had a goal and two assists to lead the Warriors to a 6-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Kirsch, who scored his 19th goal, now has 102 career points in 150 games. . . . The Warriors, who have won 14 in a row at home, scored the game’s first six goals. . . . D Joel Edmundson scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him three this season. . . . The Hurricanes took 52 of 96 penalty minutes. . . . The Warriors, who have won four in a row, have clinched at least a tie for top spot in the East Division. . . .

In Regina, F Chandler Stephenson scored three goals to lead the Pats to an amazing 6-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Pats scored six third-period goals, the first five in a span of 6:49, to erase a 4-0 deficit. . . . The Wheat Kings led 4-0 with 17 minutes to play in the third period. . . . F Dyson Stevenson tied it at 4-4 at 10:06 and Stephenson broke the tie with his 20th just 10 seconds later. He later added an empty-netter to complete his first WHL hat trick. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had four assists. . . . Regina F Lane Scheidl got his 25th goal and added two helpers. . . . Regina D Luke Fenske scored his first goal of the season. . . . F Brenden Walker had a goal, his 26th, and an assist. . . . The Wheat Kings were again without F Kevin Sundher. He missed six games with a concussion, before returning to play in Friday’s 6-2 victory over visiting Lethbridge. . . . The Pats moved past Brandon and into a tie for sixth with Saskatoon in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Wheat Kings. Brandon has six games remaining; the other two have yet to play seven. . . .

In Edmonton, F Kristians Pelss scored at 17:12 of the third period to give the Oil Kings a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . His 24th goal gave the Oil Kings their fourth straight victory. . . . F Michael St. Croix, who had 27 goals last season, got his 40th for Edmonton at 3:37 of the second period. . . . Swift Current D Richard Nedomlel tied it on a PP at 5:26 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 18 shots, 14 fewer than Swift Current’s Jon Groenheyde. . . . The Oil Kings, who have won four straight, lead the Central Division by eight points over the idle Medicine Hat Tigers, who have six games left. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Brock Montgomery’s 20th goal gave the Kootenay Ice a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Cody Sylvester gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 23rd at 4:00 of the second. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart tied it with his 27th at 12:59 of the second. . . . Montgomery broke the tie at 2:23 of the third. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 24 shots, three more than Calgary’s Chris Driedger. . . . The Hitmen had D Jaynen Rissling back after he missed 15 games with a knee injury. . . . The Ice is fifth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Calgary and three ahead of Saskatoon and Regina. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 4-1. . . . The Rebels were able to dress only 16 skaters, including midget AAA forwards Connor Bleackley and Dexter Bricker. . . . F Chad Robinson got Red Deer into a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal at 5:52 of the second. . . . Rebels captain Adam Kambeitz got the winner, his 15th goal of the season, at 4:24 of thet third on a PP. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 35 shots, including a first-period penalty shot by F Charles Inglis to preserve what was a 1-0 Blades lead. . . . The Blades killed off 22 straight opposition power plays over five games before Kambeitz’s goal. . . . Saskatoon is 0-5-1 in its last six road games. The Blades are on the road for six because the Tim Hortons Brier, aka the Canadian men’s curling championship, is in Saskatoon through next Sunday. . . . Saskatoon, 2-6-2 in its last 10, is tied for sixth with Regina in the Eastern Conference. . . . Despite the injuries, the Rebels won’t go away. They are eight points out of a playoff spot with seven games left. . . .

In Prince George, D Cody Carlson’s PP goal in OT gave the Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Carlson got his ninth goal just 18 seconds in OT. The Chiefs had been called for too many men at 19:45 of the third. . . . The Cougars had lost seven in a row. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley stopped 34 shots. . . . Spokane D Corbin Baldwin had forced OT with his sixth goal at 12:28 of the second. . . . F Troy Bourke had three assists for the Cougars, while Reid Jackson drew two helpers. . . . The Cougars were 3-5 on the PP. . . . The Cougars were without F Dalton Siwak, D Dan Gibb, F John Odgers, D Shane Pilling and F Alex Forsberg, all out with injuries. . . . The loser point guarantees the Chiefs of at least a fifth-place finish in the Western Conference. . . . The Chiefs are fourth at the moment, two points ahead of Vancouver. Each team has seven games remaining. . . .

In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 30 shots as the Silvertips stunned the Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . The Silvertips had lost five in a row to the Americans. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist broke a 1-1 tie at 1:03 of the second period. . . . F Josh Birkholz followed with his 28th goal, at 18:27, and F Manraj Hayer got his second 1:17 after that. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin scored his 53rd for the Americans. . . .  Tri-City F Patrick Holland reached 100 points with an assist on his side’s first goal. . . . From Dan Mulhausen of the Americans: “With an assist, Patrick Holland became the third member of the Americans to reach the 100-point mark this season, joining teammates Brendan Shinnimin and Adam Hughesman. Tri-City did not have any player score 100+ points in a season since 2001-02. It marks the first time since 1991-92 (Terry Degner, Brian Sakic and Vladimir Vujtek), and the fourth time ever, that an Americans’ roster has featured three 100-point scorers in the same season.” . . . Everett D Ryan Murray drew an assist for his 100th career point. It came in his 161st game. . . . The Americans now are second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Portland. . . . The Silvertips, who have won two in a row, are eighth in the Western Conference, and now are three points ahead of Seattle. . . . The Silvertips, with the fewest victories in the WHL, have triumphs over Portland and Tri-City in the last week. . . .

In Victoria, G Jared Rathjen stopped 29 shots to help the Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Rathjen was making his sixth straight start. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher scored his 40th goal at 17:28 of the second to get his side to within one, at 3-2. . . . Victoria F Ben Walker restored the two-goal lead with his eighth just 29 seconds later. . . . Victoria D Hayden Rintoul got his 16th into an empty net at 18:55 of the third. . . . The same teams meet again today with the first faceoff scheduled for 1:05 p.m. . . . Victoria is seventh in the Western Conference, a point ahead of Everett and four up on Seattle. . . . The Giants are fifth, two ponts behind Spokane. . . .

In Kelowna, F Zach Franko’s goal at 2:31 of overtime gave the Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Rockets beat the Blazers 6-3 in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Last night, the Blazers scored the game’s first two goals, with the Rockets getting the next three. . . . Kamloops D Austin Madaisky forged a 3-3 tie at 17:56 of the second period on the PP. It was his 13th goal, 11 of which have come via the PP. . . . F Brett Bulmer, who had two goals Friday, had a goal, his 32nd, and two assists for Kelowna. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick scored to run his point streak to eight games. . . . The Blazers wrapped up first place in the B.C. Division when Vancouver lost in Victoria. That game ended a few minutes before the one in Kelowna. . . . That means they will at worst be the Western Conference’s second seed when the playoffs begin.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F James Yakubowski, Lethbridge.
F Dominik Uher, Spokane.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Ryley Miller, Brandon.
F Carter Rigby, Kelowna.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES
Saskatoon at Edmonton
Prince Albert at Regina
Tri-City at Portland
Vancouver at Victoria
NOTES: Tri-City holds a 5-4-0 edge in the season series with Portland as they prepare for the final game. The Americans won the first five, the Winterhawks the last four, including a 6-4 victory in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday. . . . Seattle visits Prince George for games Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Garry Davidson, the new general manager of the Everett Silvertips.
(Everett Silvertips photo)

ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Right off the WHL’s Facebook page comes this question from Doug Schneider: “What really happened with the Chilliwack franchise?”
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Darryl Boyle (Brandon, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract extension with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). He has six goals and 14 assists in 44 games for the Panther this season.
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There has been an interesting development in the WHL’s decision not to admit to players being sidelined with concussions or post-concussion syndrome.
The Kelowna Rockets are admitting that F Colton Sissons, their captain, has a concussion. In discussing his club’s injuries prior to last night’s game against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings, Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska told Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier:
“Potentially, we might have Cody Chikie back, but Colton is out with a concussion. The frustrating part of it is the league is fully aware of Colton having a concussion and yet the player in Kamloops is still playing, so there’s no suspension.
“They talk about head shots and wanting to clean it up, but there we go with another situation.”
Apparently, Sissons was injured in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the visiting Blazers on Saturday.
What is interesting about this is that Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ owner, president and governor, is the chairman of the WHL’s board of governors. He will have played a role in the WHL’s decision prior to this season to clam up about concussions.
Which makes one wonder why the Rockets now are admitting that their captain is out with a concussion?
Sissons didn’t play Tuesday in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. Potenteau reports that Sissons will be out for “one month-plus.”
Sissons was one of seven regulars out of the lineup on Tuesday. He joined D Mitchell Chapman (undisclosed), Filip Vasko (knee), Chikie (undisclosed), F Spencer Main (concussion), F Jessey Astles (undisclosed) and Brett Lyon (WHL suspension). Astles also is believed to have a concussion. Chikie played last night against Edmonton.
Potenteau reported that “according to Kelowna, it leads the league in lost man-games, having hit 300 on Tuesday night.”
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As expected, the Everett Silvertips introduced Garry Davidson as the second general manager in the franchise’s history on Wednesday.
Davidson, 60, had been the Portland Winterhawks’ director of player personnel, having signed on there before the 2008-09 season following the purchase of the franchise by Bill Gallacher. Davidson and Mike Johnston, the GM and head coach of the Winterhawks, are products of Brandon University’s now-defunct hockey program.
It will be interesting to watch Davidson, who is an astute judge of young talent, operate as a general manager in WHL circles. After all, WHL folks don’t think very highly of him, thanks to his many seasons in the BCHL where he proved to be a consistent recruiter of talent against the WHL. In fact, there are a number of WHL people who shake their heads and wonder how it is that he is even working in their league.
Davidson’s philosophy? Here’s what he told a news conference in Everett yesterday: “We're going to put together a team with lots of speed and lots of skill and one that plays an uptempo game. I think it's fan appealing and I think it's a way you can win hockey games.”
A three-time, BCHL coach of the year, Davidson was the owner, GM and head coach of the Salmon Arm SilverBacks. He also worked as GM/head coach in Nanaimo, Penticton, Trail and Victoria.
Having known Davidson since the early 1970s when the likes of him and Andy Murray (the hockey coach, not the tennis player) were hockey/football players at Brandon University, I would recommend that other WHL general managers not under-estimate him. If they do, he will pick their bones clean.
The Silvertips didn’t announce the length of Davidson’s contract, only that it is “multi-year.” I would bet on five years, which seems to be the going thing these days.
The connection between the Silvertips and Davidson is Gary Gelinas, the franchise’s president and governor. They both were owners in the BCHL at the same time.
Davidson takes over from Doug Soetaert, who was in the last season of his contract when he was fired on Feb. 2. It is interesting that Gelinas told a news conference in Everett on Wednesday that he had targeted Davidson before having fired Soetaert.
Gelinas also implied that head coach Mark Ferner, who is in his first season with the Silvertips, won’t be going anywhere. Gelinas said one of the requirements in hiring Davidson was that he had to accept Ferner as the head coach.
The Garry Davidson era started yesterday but on the ice it gets underway on Friday when the Silvertips play host to — you guessed it! — the Winterhawks.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Dominic Turgeon, the son of former NHLer Pierre Turgeon.
Dominic was a third-round selection, 64th overall, in the 2011 bantam draft.
This season, Turgeon, who is said to be a superb skater, is with the U16 AAA Colorado Thunderbirds, who play in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. In 35 games, he has put up 37 points, including 23 goals.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that the Regina Pats have had two bantam draft picks opt to go the NCAA route, both of them with Ivy League schools. . . . D Alec McCrea, a 10th-round pick in the 2010 draft, is playing with the NAHL’s Janesville Jets and has committed to Harvard. . . . D Nolan De Jong, who was taken in the seventh round in 2010, is with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. He has committed to Cornell.
As well, Harder reports, two of the Pats’ list players, both defencemen, also are planning on going to school.
Harder writes that those two skaters are “Brady Skjei, 17, a highly touted NHL prospect who’s planning to attend the University of Minnesota, and Rhett Holland, an 18-year-old with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers who has a scholarship offer from Michigan State.”
However, you can expect the Pats to be active in continuing to recruit those four players.
“Despite those commitments, it doesn’t necessarily mean the door to Regina is closed,” Harder writes. “The controversial exodus of NCAA players to the major-junior ranks has been well publicized, as is the NCAA’s desire to prevent CHL teams from raiding its talent.
“Right or wrong, the Pats would be foolish to not take advantage of the current system and step up their efforts to lure high-end American prospects, especially now that the team has more to offer as it builds momentum toward establishing a winning culture under the guidance of Lang and head coach Pat Conacher.
“In the past, those kind of players would elude Regina and fall in the laps of teams like the Vancouver Giants, Calgary Hitmen and Portland Winterhawks.
“Maybe now it’s the Pats’ turn.”
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It has been quite a couple of months for the Maschmeyer family of Bruderheim, Alta. . . . Bronson, 20, is a defenceman with the Kamloops Blazers. He is having the best season of his career as the team enjoys success the franchise hasn’t seen in more than 10 years. . . . Emerance, a 17-year-old goaltender with the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats, was the starter as Canada’s U-18 women’s team won the 2012 world championship in the Czech Republic early in January. . . . And now there is word that Brock, a 19-year-old defenceman with the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons, has committed to the Northern Michigan U Wildcats. This season, he has 42 points in 57 games with the Oil Barons. . . . Walt Kyle, who once did a turn as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, is the head coach at NMU.
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Catherine Litt of the Kamloops Daily News continues to search for the origin of the Go Vees Go cap that apparently was worn by waitresses at Warwick’s Commodore Café in Penticton back in the day.
Check right here for the latest on this story.
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Scott McDonald, the head coach of the women’s hockey team at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has pleaded not guilty to a third-degree assault charge after an incident in a rec hockey league game.
There is more on this situation right here.
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The Seattle Times is reporting that a news conference will be held in that city today to outline details of a potential new arena that could be home to NBA and NHL teams. It’s worth nothing that there isn’t a lot of NHL mention here, but you have to think it would be a natural. Anyway, that story is right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
Firstly, I don’t know what’s going on, but there were nine games played and in four of them a grand total of 11 minor penalties were called. . . . Red Deer at Prince George: Two referees handed out four minors. . . . Brandon at Lethbridge: Two referees called three minors. . . . Regina at Medicine Hat: One referee called three minors. . . . Calgary at Victoria: Two referees found only one infraction worthy of a minor penalty. . . . On Tuesday night, I watched two referees “let the boys play” as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal did a marvellous job of biting his tongue after his club didn’t get even one power-play opportunity. . . . Last night, the Oil Kings were 4-for-6 with the man advantage in beating the Rockets 6-3 in Kelowna. . . .

In Kelowna, the Edmonton Oil Kings fell behind 2-0 in the first period and then roared back to beat the Rockets, 6-3. . . . F Zach Franko gave Kelowna a 2-0 lead, scoring on a penalty shot at 18:02 and on the PP at 18:38. . . . The Oil Kings then scored six straight goals, five of them in the second period and three of those on the PP. . . . Leading 2-1, the Rockets had two goals disallowed. On the second one, Kelowna F Brett Bulmer was penalized for goaltender interference. The Oil Kings scored on the PP and they were off to the races. . . . F Tyler Maxwell tied it with two, giving him 34, before F Michael St. Croix, F Rhett Rachinski and D Keegan Lowe found the range. . . . Franko completed his hat trick on the PP at 7:46 of the third. . . . Six of the game’s goals came via the PP, as Edmonton, which was 0-0 in a 3-2 loss in Kamloops on Tuesday, went 4-5 and Kelowna was 2-6. . . . Edmonton D Martin Gernat drew three assists. . . . The Oil Kings now are back within three points of the Blazers, who lead the overall standings. . . . The Oil Kings lead the Eastern Confernce standings by five points over the Moose Jaw Warriors and hold a nine-point edge over the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Central Division. . . . The Rockets, who are winless in five, complete a stretch of four games in five nights when they are home to the Calgary Hitmen on Friday and the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Kenton Miller scored three times as the Warriors erased a 2-0 deficit and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . Miller, 20, has 23 goals in 44 games with Moose Jaw after opening the season with three goals in 11 games with the Calgary Hitmen. His 26 goals are a career high. He had 32 points, including 12 goals, in 71 gams with the Spokane Chiefs in 2009-10. This season, in 55 games, he has 36 points. . . . F Cam Braes broke a 2-2 tie with his 33rd goal at 16:23 of the second. . . . Miller added insurance 47 seconds later and completed the hat trick at 14:18 of the third. . . . F Jesse Paradis, a former Warriors skater, opened the scoring with his 15th goal, and fourth shorthanded score, of the season for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon took 52 of 99 penalty minutes. There were five fighting majors handed out at 17:28 of the third period. . . . Might be ch-ch-ching time! . . . The Warriors now lead the East Division by nine points over the Blades. . . .

In Prince Albert, F Taylor Vause scored his 32nd goal of the season just 18 seconds into OT as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Raiders, 4-3. . . . The Broncos snapped a five-game losing streak. . . . Prince Albert forced OT with two third-period goals — F Mike Winther got his 28th goal at 7:11 and F Jesse Knowler got his first WHL score — it was his 45th game — at 16:18. . . . F Coda Gordon had two goals for the Broncos, giving the freshman sensation 23 scores. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde stopped 41 shots. . . . The Broncos are 15 points out of a playoff spot with 14 games to play. . . . The Raiders are 23 points out with 15 to play. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Brenden Walker scored the game’s first three goals and the Brandon Wheat Kings went on to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Walker, who had three assists in Tuesday’s 4-3 victory over the host Kootenay Ice, scored at 8:07 of the first and 0:21 and 11:21 of the second. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had two assists. He leads the WHL scoring race with 94 points. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 39 shots. . . . Due to injuries, Brandon was down to nine forwards and six defencemen for this one. F Jason Swyripa, who had played 136 consecutive games to begin his career, took the pregame warmup but then was scratched with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Wheat Kings now have won five of six and are eight points ahead of the ninth-place Red Deer Rebels in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Hurricanes are 18 points out of a playoff spot with 13 games left. . . .

At Medicine Hat, F Jordan Weal had a goal and an assist, leading the Regina Pats to a 3-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . Weal has 92 points, including 33 goals. He is two points off the WHL scoring lead. . . . Regina led 2-0 on goals from F Matt Marantz, his 11th, and D Martin Marincin, his eighth, midway through the second period. . . F Trevor Cox got the Tigers on the board at 14:31 of the second. . . . Weal wrapped it up with an empty-netter at 19:24 of the third. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 31 shots. . . . The Tigers started Kenny Cameron in goal, giving Tyler Bunz a rest after 25 consecutive starts. Cameron made 25 saves. . . . Regina is seventh in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Calgary Hitmen and three ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Medicine Hat is third, four points ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . .

In Prince George, D Cody Carlson broke a 1-1 tie at 9:50 of the third period as the Cougars beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-1. . . . Carlson has eight goals. . . . F Troy Bourke scored his 10th goal, an empty-netter at 19:39 of the third. He also assisted on Carlson’s winner. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 38 shots, 21 more than Red Deer’s Deven Dubyk. . . . With seven regulars out with injuries, the Rebels had F Scott Feser, D Kevin Pochuk and F Dexter Bricker, all recalls from midget AAA, in their lineup. . . . Feser player his eighth game of the season, Pochuk his fifth and Bricker his fourth. . . . Red Deer F Charles Inglis was pointless in his return to Prince George. The Cougars traded him to Red Deer after sending him home for being in violation of team rules. . . . The victory kept the Cougars in the playoff chase in the Western Conference. They are 10th, one point behind the Everett Silvertips and two behind the Victoria Royals, who hold down the last playoff spot. . . . The Cougars headed south right after the game. They have games in Victoria on Friday and Saturday. . . .

In Portland, G Mac Carruth won for the 35th time this season as the Winterhawks beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-3. . . . Carruth, who leads the WHL in W’s, now is tied with Brent Belecki (1997-98) for the franchise’s single-season record. . . . It also was Carruth’s 80th career win, one more than Belecki put up. Carruth now trails only Darrell May Sr., who earned 105 victories as a Portland goaltender. . . . At one point in the first period, the Winterhawks had a 15-1 edge in shots and were leading 2-0. . . . The period ended with the score tied 2-2 and the shots 25-7. . . . Portland F Marcel Noebels broke the 2-2 tie with his 14th goal at 5:06 of the second period and D Troy Rutkowski upped the lead to 4-2 at 14:28. . . . Portland F Brad Ross was credited with his 100th career goal when Tri-City D Zach Yuen scored an own goal, tipping a cross-ice Ross pass behind G Ty Rimmer. . . . Ross joins Perry Turnbull and Brendan Morrow in the Winterhawks’ 100-200-600 club. That would be 100 goals, 200 points and 600 penalty minutes. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi had a goal and two assists. He has 73 points, including 52 assists, in just 37 games. He has one more assist this season than he picked up in 66 games last season. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie drew two assists, as did D Derrick Pouliot. . . . Rattie and Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin, who scored his sixth shorthanded goal, each have 91 points, three off the scoring lead. . . . The victory lifted Portland, which has won four straight, into a tie with the Americans atop the U.S. Division standings. . . . Portland has won the last three meetings with Tri-City. . . . The Americans are 6-8-3 since having a 13-game winning streak snapped by Kamloops on Jan. 11. . . .

In Victoria, the Calgary Hitmen erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with four straight goals en route to beating the Royals, 5-3. . . . F Victor Rask pulled Calgary into a 2-2 tie at 13:40 of the first period, with his 24th goal, and F Trevor Cheek got his 20th, at 3:37 of the second, to give the visitors the lead. . . . F Danny Gayle’s 12th, at 5:17 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . The Hitmen snapped a four-game skid. . . .

In Spokane, F Jackson Houck broke a 1-1 tie at 9:35 of the third period as the Vancouver Giants got past the Chiefs, 2-1. . . . Houck has five goals. . . . F Liam Stewart scored his ninth to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 5:38 of the second. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson got his 23rd at 19:02 of the second. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison stopped 32 shots. . . . The home team had a 17-5 edge in shots in the third. . . . The victory lifted the Giants into fourth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Chiefs. Might this have been a first-round preview? . . . The Giants lost F Marek Tvrdon at 20:00 of the first period when he was hit with a match penalty for spearing. He will be hearing from the WHL office. . . . The victim was D Brendan Kichton, who was back for the second period.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Joey Baker, Portland.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Riley Guenther, Prince Albert.

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