Lots for MacBeth to report . . . Rockets lose forward indefinitely . . . Virtanen off to AHL

F Sebastian Svendsen (Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, 2009-12) has signed a one-year contract with Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, with Herlev (Denmark, Metal Ligaen), he had seven goals and two assists in 34 games. He was an alternate captain. . . .
D Tomáš Voráček (Prince Albert, 2007-09) has been assigned on loan by Libbers to Mladá Boleslav (both Czech Republic, Extraliga) for next season. This season, he had five assists in 39 games with Liberec. . . .
D Tomáš Andrlik (Prince Albert, Prince George, 2013-15) has signed a tryout contract with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Prince Albert and Prince George, he had four goals and four assists in 62 games. . . .
D Renat Mamashev (Moose Jaw, 2000-01) has signed a one-year contract with Sochi (Russia, KHL). This season, with Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL), he had two goals and 11 assists in 33 games. . . .
F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) has signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). This season, with the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite), he had a team-high 65 points, including 27 goals, in 60 games. . . .
F Kris Schmidli (Kelowna, Prince Albert, 2013-15) has signed a one-year contract with the GCK Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL B). This season, with Kelowna and Prince Albert, he had 12 goals and 22 assists in 50 games. . . .
F Kris Foucault (Swift Current, Kootenay, Calgary, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with the GCK Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL B). This season, with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had 22 goals and 25 assists in 54 games. He led the Capitals in goals, assists and points. . . .
F Lukáš Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07) has signed a one-year extension with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Landshut (Germany, DEL2), he had three assists in six games; and five goals and one assist in 25 games with Hradec Králové. . . .
F Cody Sylvester (Calgary, 2008-13) has signed a one-year extension with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). This season, with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), he had seven goals and 10 assists in 25 games. With Iserlohn, with whom he signed on Jan. 26, he had a goal and two assists in eight games.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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GOULBOURNE

The Kelowna Rockets will be without F Tyrell Goulbourne tonight when they meet the Winterhawks in Portland in Game 6 of the WHL’s Western Conference final. . . . Goulbourne, 21, underwent surgery after Game 5 on Friday night to repair damage to his left leg. He suffered a skate cut to his calf muscle in the second period after he initiated contact with Portland F Keegan Iverson. According to a tweet from the Rockets, their doctors “say it was successful surgery, he will make a full recovery. To be re-evaluated on week to week basis.” . . . The Rockets report that he is out indefinitely. . . . Goulbourne, who has signed with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, is the leader of Kelowna’s physical game. He had 45 points, 22 of them goals, in 62 regular-season games. In 12 playoff games, he has one goal and one assist.
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The Kelowna Rockets lead the Western Conference final 3-2 going into tonight’s game against the Winterhawks in Portland. The Winterhawks are trying to reach the WHL’s championship final for a fifth straight season. . . . Four of the first five games have been decided by one goal; the exception was Game 3, which was won 7-3 by host Portland.
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The WHL’s championship final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, will begin with games in Brandon on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets for those games will go on sale in Brandon on Monday morning. . . . The series will follow a 2-3-2 format. . . . The Wheat Kings last met the Kelowna Rockets in the final in the spring of 2005. The Rockets won that series in five games. . . . The last time Brandon and Portland met in the final, in 1998, the Winterhawks won, 4-0.
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Dave Anderson, who covered many a boxing match, has taken a look back at how things worked when he covered the big fights, and how things are now. In between, he tells some stories. This right here is good stuff.
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F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen is expected to report to the AHL’s Utica Comets on Monday. The Comets are the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, who selected Virtanen in the first round, sixth overall, of the 2014 NHL draft. The Comets, who are coached by former Portland Winterhawks assistant GM/assistant coach Travis Green, defeated the visiting Chicago Wolves 4-2 last night to take that best-of-five first-round series, 3-2.
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In the OHL, F Connor McDavid had a goal and four assists to lead the Erie Otters to a 7-3 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The Otters won the Western Conference final, 4-2. . . . The game was 2-2 in the second period when Soo F Hayden Verbeek was given a match penalty for slewfooting Erie G Devin Williams. The Otters scored twice on the PP. . . . McDavid has 42 points, including 19 goals, in 15 games in these playoffs. . . . The Oshawa Generals lead the Eastern Conference final 3-2 with Game 6 scheduled for today in North Bay.
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#WHA #Jets #Aeros #Nordiques up next on Pay Per View... Campbell versus Baxter $0.19 much better value. :)

— Scott Campbell (@NHL_Campbell) May 3, 2015

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Seattle goaltender retires . . . Giants goaltender hurt . . . Busy day for WHL Dept. of Discipline

F Cody Sylvester (Calgary, 2008-13) has signed for the rest of the season with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). This season, with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), he had seven goals and 10 assists in 25 games. He was an alternate captain with the Stingrays. . . .
D Lukáš Bohunický (Kootenay, 2005-07) has been released by the Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland, UK Elite) at his request. According to a club press release, Bohunický requested his release in order to return to Slovakia to attend to personal matters. He had a goal and 13 assists in 36 games.
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When the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks revealed Sunday that they had lost G Logan Flodell to Seattle, it was evident that something was going on with the Thunderbirds’ goaltending. What exactly that was became apparent Monday when the Thunderbirds announced that G Danny Mumaugh, 18, had chosen to retire. . . . Mumaugh, from Centennial, Colo., was in his third season in Seattle. He got into 18 games as a freshman and 35 games last season. This season, he had made only eight appearances as he backed up Taran Kozun, 20, who has been in 40 games. In 61 regular-season games, Mumaugh was 18-21-8, 3.76, .887, with one shutout. . . . “Danny came to us recently and told us he did not have the drive to keep playing,” Seattle general manager Russ Farwell said in a news release. “To have a player quit this soon after the (trade) deadline could have left us in a real bind. We are fortunate that Logan is able to join us. We appreciate the Nipawin Hawks working with us to allow Logan to join the team for the remainder of the season.” . . . Flodell, 17, was with the Thunderbirds through Nov. 1, playing in one game — a 3-1 loss to the Prince George Cougars on Oct. 17. In Nipawin, Flodell, who is from Regina, was 8-4-0, 2.44, .901 in 13 games. . . . Flodell was a third-round selection by Seattle in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The Thunderbirds next play on Wednesday when they are in Kamloops. Kozun, who was acquired from the Kamloops just more than a year ago, is 21-13-6, 2.36, .914 this season. . . . Thom Beuning, the radio voice of the Thunderbirds, has a good piece right here explaining the Mumaugh situation.
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The Vancouver Giants are expecting to be without G Payton Lee, 18, for up to 10 days, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. Lee was injured three goals into an 8-0 loss to the Hitmen in Calgary on Sunday, when he took a shot to the underside of his blocker. . . . That leaves the Giants with freshman Cody Porter, 17, as their starter for now. . . . Scott Bonner, the Giants’ general manager, also told Ewen that D Clayton Kirichenko should be back Friday when they play in Everett. Kirichenko hasn’t played since Nov. 26 thanks to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Giants go into Everett having lost seven of eight games.
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Head coach Tim Hunter of the Moose Jaw Warriors and three of his players went for the ride of a lifetime on Monday. "The G-forces that you go through when you are coming out of the loops is something that you can't really explain,” Hunter told the Moose Jaw Times-Herald after spending some time in the air with the Snowbirds. “I know that my stomach didn't handle it so well when we came out of it for the second time.” . . . The Times-Herald story is right here.
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F Oliver Bjorkstrand has 21 points in nine games since he returned from the 2015 WJC, where he played for his native Denmark. Bjorkstrand has 61 points in 37 games and is up to fifth place in the WHL scoring race.
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Is it cheating, or is it gamesmanship? In the wake of Deflategate, Arash Madani of Sportsnet, who has worked for CFL teams, explores the subject in an excellent piece that is right here.
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F Carter Arnson of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and F Colby McAuley of the Prince George Cougars both were suspended for five games on Monday after they became in a game-ending bout on Saturday in Lethbridge. McAuley already has missed one game. . . . The Cougars and Hurricanes each were fined $1,000 because of the incident. . . .
D Kyle Burroughs of the Medicine Hat Tigers was suspended for four games for a headshot major and game misconduct on Friday against visiting Prince George. He already has missed one game. That hit was on Cougars F Jari Erricson, who missed most of last season with a concussion. Erricson didn’t play Saturday in Lethbridge or Sunday in Cranbrook. . . . Medicine Hat D Ty Stanton has been suspended for one game for a headshot major and game misconduct that he incurred in Edmonton on Sunday. . . . Burroughs and Stanton won’t play tonight when the Tigers entertain the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers also will be without veteran D Tommy Vannelli, 19, who suffered a broken finger in Edmonton on Sunday. . . . In Edmonton, the Tigers were able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Still, they beat the Oil Kings 5-2.
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Days like today remind me just how beyond thankful I am for hockey bus drivers. Thanks to all of you who get us from A to B safely.
— Dan O'Connor (@DanOConnor_PG) January 27, 2015

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Dustin Friesen (Swift Current, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract extension with Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 12 goals and 20 assists in 47 games for the Pinguins this season. . . .

Linköping (Sweden, Elitserien) announced that it won’t offer contracts for next season to F Robin Figren (Calgary, Edmonton, 2006-08) and F Lee Goren (Saskatoon, 1995-96). Figren had nine goals and four assists in 55 games and Goren had two goals and four assists in 24 games for Linköping this season. Goren started the season with Pelicans Lahti (Finland, SM-Liiga), getting four goals and eight assists in 13 games before joining Linköping.
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There is a move afoot to build a downtown arena in Fort McMurray, Alta.
MyMcMurray.com has listed the names “of the four companies that have been shortlisted to build Fort McMurray’s proposed downtown arena.”
According to MyMcMurray.com, “One of those companies, Global Entertainment Corporation and Western Asset Management made a joint submission — it specifically says it could immediately negotiate the establishment of a WHL team in Fort McMurray.”
Global Entertainment has an operating subsidiary in International Coliseums Company (ICC). Its president is Rick Kozuback, a former WHL coach (Tri-City Americans, 1989-91).
According to its website, ICC “develops first class multi-purpose event centers for mid-sized cities.”
Also from ICC’s website: “Since 2003, ICC has developed 10 Event Centers; no other entity has done more than 1 in that time frame.”
According to MyMcMurray.com, Global has said the window to acquire an existing WHL franchise “will close soon if there are delays in starting the project.”
“What we do know is that there is an immediate opportunity to negotiate for a WHL franchise,” reads part of its submission, according to MyMcMurray.com.
All of this is most interesting indeed, if only because at least one WHL owner, within the last few years, looked into moving his franchise to Fort McMurray.
This owner went so far as to begin putting together a private partnership — one that included at least two prominent hockey people — that would have financed the building of an arena.
This owner has told me that the WHL office quickly informed him that the league, citing geographic reasons, wasn’t the least bit interested in having a franchise in Fort McMurray.
Fort McMurray is a 440-kilometre (274-mile) drive from Edmonton.
UPDATE: In the wee hours of this morning, Tyler King, the radio voice of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons, tweeted: “A defining moment in Fort McMurray’s history as (city) council approves expropriation for a downtown arena.”
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“Three days have been set aside in June to deal with six charges against Tom Gaglardi and his father, Robert, and one charge against the Gaglardi family business, Northland Properties Corporation,” writes Dale Bass of Kamloops This Week. "The charges stem from an incident last year on lakefront property Tom Gaglardi owns in Savona, where the Crown alleges the pair and their company contravened federal legislation by 'first clearing and then filling land, actions that resulted in the harmful alternation, disruption or destruction of fish habitat, the foreshore of Kamloops Lake.' "
Tom Gaglardi owns the NHL’s Dallas Stars and is the majority owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
That story is right here.
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F Hunter Shinkaruk of the Medicine Hat Tigers “is officially at his wits end about the officials,” writes Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News. . . . That story is right here. . . .
According to a source, Calgary Hitmen D Kenton Helgesen has undergone surgery to repair a broken finger that was injured in the first-round series against the Swift Current Broncos. He apparently won’t play again this season unless the Hitmen reach the Memorial Cup.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Tim Whitehead no longer is the head coach of the U of Maine Black Bears. The school announced Tuesday that Whitehead had been fired after 12 years as head coach. He had one year left on his contract, at $190,000. Maine was 11-19-8 overall this season, including 7-12-8 in Hockey East. The Black Bears were swept from a best-of-three quarterfinal by UMass Lowell. . . . Whitehead took over the Black Bears in 2001 after the death of Shawn Walsh. . . . Larry Mahoney of the Bangor Daily News has more right here.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Edmonton leads, 3-0; Game 4, tonight, in Medicine Hat)
Calgary (3) vs. Red Deer (4)
(Calgary leads, 3-1; Game 5, Thursday, in Calgary)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Spokane (4)
(Portland leads 3-0; Game 4, tonight, in Spokane)
Kelowna (2) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Kamloops leads 3-0; Game 4, tonight, in Kamloops; all games on Shaw TV)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Red Deer, F Cody Sylvester scored at 5:10 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . Sylvester, Calgary’s captain, has four goals in these playoffs. . . . “We call him Captain Clutch in the dressing room,” Calgary G Chris Driedger told reporters, “and he definitely lived up to his name.” . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen scored the game’s first goal and drew an assist on the winner. . . . The Hitmen have scored first in eight of their nine playoff games. . . . F Brooks Macek gave Calgary a 2-0 lead at 13:00 of the first. . . . Red Deer tied it on second-period PP goals by F Dominik Volek and F Conner Bleackley. . . . This was the fourth straight road game in which Calgary went to OT. . . . Driedger stopped 37 shots, nine more than Red Deer’s Patrik Bartosak. . . . Red Deer F Matt Bellerive has completed his two-game suspension for a kneeing major in Game 2. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Henrik Samuelsson gave the Edmonton Oil Kings an early 2-0 lead and they went on to beat the Tigers, 9-2. . . . Samuelsson scored at 1:39 and 12:25 of the first, the latter on the PP. . . . D Martin Gernat added another PP goal, just 2:10 later, and Edmonton was never caught. . . . F Michael St. Croix and Gernat had two goals each. . . . D Cody Corbett added a goal and two assists for the Oil Kings, who have outscored their opponents 40-7 in eight games. . . . Edmonton D David Musil who turned 20 on Tuesday, had two assists and was plus-4. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 25 shots. In these playoffs, he is 7-1, 0.85, .966. He has three shutouts in eight games. . . . Edmonton was 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . Last season, the Tigers swept the Saskatoon Blades from the first round and then were swept by the Moose Jaw Warriors. This season, the Tigers swept the Blades again, and now are down 0-3 to the Oil Kings. . . .

In Kamloops, F JC Lipon scored at 3:43 of OT to give the Blazers a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The teams combined for five goals in the first period and three in the second before playing a scoreless third. . . . Lipon, who leads all scorers with 19 points, is the only WHL player with at least a point in each of his team’s playoff games. . . . F Dylan Willick scored twice and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Blazers F Brendan Ranford had a goal and an assist, giving him six points in the three games of this series. . . . F JT Barnett, who hadn’t played since Game 1 of the first round, had two goals for Kelowna. . . . Rockets F Nick Merkley, 15, had two assists in a strong outing. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 33 shots. . . . Blazers F Kale Kessy scored his ninth goal of these playoffs. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen, a 32-goal man in the regular season, got his first goal in 10 playoff games. . . . The Blazers hadn’t won an OT game at home since April 6, 1996 when Jarome Iginla scored on the PP at 13:23 for a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Between then and now, the Blazers had lost seven straight OT decisions on home ice. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie sat out Game 2 of a two-game suspension. The Rockets’ leading playoff scorer is eligible to return for Game 4 tonight. . . .He was suspended for a hit on Kamloops F Colin Smith in Game 1. Smith (suspected concussion) and F Tim Bozon (hand) are both missing from the Blazers’ lineup. . . .

In Spokane, G Mac Carruth stopped 25 shots as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Chiefs, 3-1. . . . Carruth has a WHL-record 40 playoff victories. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored his WHL-leading 10th goal at 19:13 of the first. . . . F Nic Petan made it 2-0 at 8:01 of the second. . . . Spokane F Blake Gal scored at 16:24 of the second, on a PP. . . . Portland F Taylor Leier iced it with an empty-netter at 19:45 of the third. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 33 shots. . . . Paul Buker of The Oregonian was there and his story is right here.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (15):
None
CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (5):
None
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From Regan Bartel (@Reganrant), the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets: “Ok, now I know where I sit in the pecking order. @DanRussellCKNW gets premium parking at ISC. I’m asked to park three blocks away. #bigdog”


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Dmitri Uchaykin died on Sunday.
A player with HC Eris-Pavlodar in Kazakhstan’s top professional league, Uchaykin, 32, died of a cerebral hemorrhage after having taken a headshot during a game.
For some reason, this hasn’t received a whole lot of attention — certainly not the attention it is due — in the mainstream media. But Stu Hackel of SI.com has put together an excellent look at what happened, including two video links. That package is right here.
This incident is just more proof that the people who control hockey at all levels need to do everything in their power to get any and all contact with the head out of the game.
The death of a player in Kazakhstan, while a long way from North America, is proof that the time has come. It is time to penalize all contact to the head at all levels of hockey. And it is time to stop handing out inconsequential suspensions for deliberate headshots.
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JUST NOTES:
D Harrison Ruopp of the Prince Albert Raiders has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. Ruopp had 16 points and 132 penalty minutes in 65 games this season. Ruopp, who turned 20 on March 17, was selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the second round of the 2011 NHL draft. . . . The Penguins acquired the Zehner, Sask., native at the 2012 draft, along with a 2012 third-round pick, for D Zbynek Michalek.

Drew Wilson, the radio voice of the Raiders on CKBI, reports that Prince Albert F Leon Draisatl, who just completed his freshman WHL season, will play for his native Germany at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Sochi, Russia, April 18-28. . . . Draisatl, the Eastern Conference’s rookie of the year, told Wilson: "It's going to be another big tournament and as always our goal is not to play with the big guys (Canada, Russia and USA), it's just to avoid relegation." . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey will be playing for Canada. . . . Wilson has more right here.

G Laurent Brossoit of the Edmonton Oil Kings has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames. A sixth-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft, Brossoit put up 33 victories this season, along with a 2.25 GAA and a .917 save percentage. . . . He will lead the Oil Kings against the Medicine Hat Tigers in a second-round playoff series that opens tonight in Edmonton. . . .

F Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos has signed an ATO with the St. John’s IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Lowry, who turned 20 on March 29, was a third-round selection in the NHL’s 2011 draft. . . . He had 88 points, including 45 goals, in 72 games this season. Lowry’s father, Dave, is the head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Royals.

According to Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal, Oil Kings F T.J. Foster is back skating and could play during the second round. He has been out with a foot injury and hasn’t played since Feb. 9.


If you’re on the sofa tonight, you should know that Game 2 between the visiting Red Deer Rebels and Calgary Hitmen will be televised by Sportsnet. . . . There’ll be Davis Cup tennis from Vancouver on Sportsnet One, followed by the WHL game. The other Sportsnet channels will show the baseball game between the host Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, with the hockey game on when it ends.

Some interesting numbers going into the series between the Spokane Chiefs and Portland Winterhawks. . . . In the regular-season series, Spokane G Eric Williams was 2-5, 4.34, .884, while Portland G Mac Carruth was 6-1, 2.11, .937. . . . Carruth, by the way, has 37 career playoff victories, one fewer than Cam Ward, who won 38 games with the Red Deer Rebels (2001-04).
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Game 1, tonight, in Edmonton)
Calgary (3) vs. Red Deer (4)
(Calgary leads series, 1-0; Game 2, tonight, in Calgary)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Spokane (4)
(Game 1, tonight, in Portland, Veterans Memorial Coliseum)
Kelowna (2) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Game 1, Saturday, in Kelowna)
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Calgary, F Brady Brassart scored three times and F Cody Sylvester had three assists as the Hitmen opened with a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . It was the second playoff hat trick of Brassart’s WHL career, both of them coming this spring. He had three goals on March 21 when the Hitmen opened with a 6-5 OT victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hitmen scored four goals on Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak in the game’s first half; in the first round, the Prince Albert Raiders beat Bartosak five times in four games. . . . Calgary was 2-for-5 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-for-3.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (12):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (4):
None
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From WHLFacts (@WHLFacts): “Apr. 4, 2001 — 12 years ago today, Billy Thompson saved 34 of 37 and Derek Boogaard scored the OT winner as @PGCougars defeated Portland 4-3”
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One more from WHL Facts: “1 — FYI, Boogaard’s OT winner for Prince George was the only playoff goal he scored in his hockey career (WHL, ECHL, AHL, NHL)”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
The Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL) announced that they won’t re-sign six players to contracts for next season, including D Nick Ross (Regina, Kamloops, Vancouver, 2004-09). Ross started the season with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), getting one goal and three assists in nine games, before signing with Augsburg, where he had two goals and seven assists in 24 games.
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Another day and another logo similar to the one used by the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
This time a poster to this blog lets us know that the “Central Plains Capitals of the Manitoba Midget AAA League and Female Midget AAA team both use the Capitals logo as well.”
Here’s their logo . . .



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The fog has lifted for Brian Roberts, who is working to get back to what he once was — the Baltimore Orioles’ starting second baseman. He has gone through two concussions but it appears that he is fine now. If you are suffering with post-concussion syndrome or know someone who is, read this piece right here. It’s written by Ken Rosenthal of foxsports.com and it will show you what a long, long road recovery can be.
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JUST NOTES:
The Portland Winterhawks set a franchise playoff record when they allowed just 11 shots in beating the visiting Everett Silvertips 4-1 in Game 2 on Saturday. In the 2005 playoffs, the Winterhawks limited Everett to 14 shots in a game, although the Silvertips won that one, 3-0. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski now has played in a franchise record 58 playoff games, one more than F Ty Rattie. Going into these playoffs, Rutkowski had been tied with former Winterhawks D Joe Morrow. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth has played in 56 postseason games. . . . If you missed it, Morrow was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, going to the Dallas Stars in a deal that had former Winterhawks F Brendan Morrow go the other way. No, the two aren’t related. . . .

The WHL has suspended Saskatoon Blades F Jessey Astles for two games for his hit on Medicine Hat Tigers F Matt Staples in Game 1 of that series. Astles sat out Game 2 and will miss Game 3 tonight in Medicine Hat. . . . Staples is believed to have suffered a concussion. . . .
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Blades F Erik Benoit, 19, won’t play in the series. Benoit is expected to be out for up to two weeks. . . . “Benoit hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury March 15 in Prince Albert,” Nugent-Bowman reports. “He has been seen around Credit Union Centre with a brace on his left knee.” . . .

Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald reports that the Americans will have D Mitch Topping and F Tyson Dallman available tonight as they resume their series with the Spokane Chiefs. The Americans, down 2-0, will play host to the next two games — and three, if necessary — in the series. . . . Topping hasn’t played since March 8 and has missed nine games. Dallman has been out since Feb. 22. . . . The Americans have lost their last seven games, four of them to the Chiefs. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings will again be without F T.J. Foster, who missed the first two games of their series with the Kootenay Ice, with an undisclosed injury. He didn’t make the trip to Cranbrook for Games 3 and 4. . . .
The Oil Kings drilled a bull elk on their way to Cranbrook for tonight’s third game of their series with the Kootenay Ice. “The elk is deceased,” writes columnist Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun. “The bus is disabled.”
Jones’ column is right here.
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The WHL’s first-round situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 tonight in Cranbrook)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Medicine Hat)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary leads 2-1; Game 4 tonight in Swift Current)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Prince Albert)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 on Wednesday in Everett)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Seattle leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Kent, Wash.)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Victoria, Bear Mountain Arena)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane leads 2-0; Game 3 tonight in Kennewick, Wash.)
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Swift Current, F Colby Cave’s second goal of the game, at 10:14 of OT, gave the Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Swift Current tonight. . . . Calgary F Cody Sylvester, who scored twice, forced OT with a goal with 33.2 seconds left in the third period. Sylvester scored with the goaltender on the bench for the extra attacker. The Broncos had two chances to clear the zone before Sylvester scored. Swift Current D Reece Scarlett, who drew an assist on each of his side’s first two goals, was off for delay of game — yes, it was for clearing the puck over the glass — at the time. . . . F Adam Lowry had Swift Current’s other goal and also had two assists. . . . Sylvester and Lowry have three goals each in the three games. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 43 shots, 17 of them in the first period. . . . G Chris Driedger of the Hitmen turned aside 39 shots. . . . This was the Broncos’ first home playoff game since the spring of 2009. The Broncos didn’t qualify in either of the last two seasons and in 2010 were bumped from their home arena by the world women’s curling championship.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (5):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (2):
None
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From Swift Current D Reece Scarlett (@reecescartlett7): “What a roller coaster of emotions. Still trying to take a deep breath . . . #whyweplay”


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