The QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats have released one former WHL goaltender and added another. . . . Spencer Tremblay, an 18-year-old from Winnipeg who played with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season, was dropped after going 1-0-0, 4.42, .849. . . . The Wildcats now will take a look at Cole Holowenko, 19, who is from Penticton. Holowenko was released by the Everett Silvertips, who had acquired him from the Prince Albert Raiders. On Saturday, Holowenko served as an emergency backup with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Holowenko should be with Moncton tonight when they visit the Blainville-Broisbriand Armada.
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F Darren Kramer, who captained the Spokane Chiefs last season, has been moved by the NHL’s Ottawa Senators from the AHL-Binghamton Senators to the ECHL-Elmira Jackals. . . . Kramer scored his first pro goal last night as the Jackals dropped a 6-3 decision to the Florida Everblades. . . . Kramer led the WHL in fighting majors each of the last two seasons. Last season, he also had 40 points, including 22 goals. . . . He was a sixth-round selection by Ottawa in the 2011 NHL draft.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed G Logan Flodell, who was a third-round selection in the 2012 WHL bantam draft. Flodell, from Regina, plays for the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He also played for Team Saskatchewan at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup in Calgary last weekend. . . . The Thunderbirds now have signed three 2012 draft picks, the others being F Keegan Kolesar and D Ethan Bear. Kolesar was their second first-round pick; F Mathew Barzal, the first overall selection, has yet to sign. Bear was a second-round pick. . . . The Thunderbirds announced the Flodell signing before playing the Pats in Regina last night.
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The Kamloops Blazers will be without F Tim Bozon when they open a three-game swing into the U.S. Division on Friday night against the Spokane Chiefs. Bozon drew a one-game suspension for an altercation following the final buzzer on Wednesday night, when the Blazers dropped a 2-1 decision to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Bozon became involved with Edmonton D Keegan Lowe and ended up with a game misconduct after spitting at the Oil Kings player. . . . The league suspended Bozon on Wednesday. . . . Bozon, 18, is one-third of what was the WHL’s hottest line through 17 games. But in their last three games, Bozon, centre Colin Smith and right-winger JC Lipon haven’t managed even one point as the Blazers have gone 1-2-0. . . . Bozon will be eligible to return on Saturday when the Blazers meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash.
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The OHL has suspended D Chris Buonomo of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for 15 games for leaving his feet and delivering a headshot on F Connor Brown of the Ottawa 67’s on Friday. Brown wasn’t injured on the play. . . . Buonomo is eligible to return on Dec. 12.
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The Brooks Bandits set an AJHL record last night when they beat the host Drumheller Dragons, 2-0. . . . The Bandits are 19-0-0 and now hold the AJHL record for longest winning streak to open a season. . . . The Olds Grizzlies began 1993-94 with 18 straight victories. . . . The AJHL record for longest winning streak (21 games) is held by the 1987-88 Calgary Canucks.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
F Mark McNeill had a goal and three assists to lead the host Prince Albert Broncos to a 6-5 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Broncos led 4-3 halfway through the third period when the Raiders hit for three goals, with F Mike Winther in on all of them. He drew an assist on D Harrison Ruopp’s first goal of the season, at 10:21, then got his sixth and seventh at 13:10 and 18:47, the latter into an empty net. . . . F Colby Cave had three goals and an assist for the Broncos. Cave, who turns 18 on Dec. 26, is a sophomore from Battleford, Sask. He had six goals in 70 games last season. After last night’s effort, he has seven goals in 21 games this season . . . F Coda Gordon had three assists for the Broncos. . . .

G Matt Hewitt stopped 43 shots as the Regina Pats dumped the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2. . . . Regina got a goal and two assists from each of F Morgan Klimchuk and F Lane Scheidl. . . . Regina D Luke Fenske broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the season at 11:53 of the second. . . . Seattle D Jared Hauf, who took an interference major and game misconduct in a 5-3 loss in Brandon on Tuesday, wasn’t suspended and played in this one. . . . The Thunderbirds are 1-3-0 on a tour of the East Division. They play in Prince Albert on Friday and Saskatoon on Saturday. . . .

In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period and the Rockets beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . Chartier got his fifth goal at 3:04 of the final period. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle made his second straight start and stopped 25 shots. G Jordon Cooke hasn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury in practice last week. . . . Whistle, who was 1-7-0 with the Vancouver Giants last season, is 4-0 with the Rockets this season. . . . Edmonton D Stephen Shmoorkoff scored his first goal at 4:38 of the first period. That ended the Rockets’ shutout streak at 179:59, one second shy of three games. . . . The Rockets have won four in a row. . . . Kelowna F Henrik Nyberg scored his third goal of the season and first in 10 games. . . . The Oil Kings, who had beaten the Blazers 2-1 in Kamloops on Tuesday, held a lengthy team meeting after the loss. . . .

In Calgary, F Brooks Macek and F Greg Chase scored in the circus as the Hitmen edged the Moose Jaw Warriors, 2-1. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch shot first and scored. Macek tied it as Calgary’s first shooter. Chase, the sixth shooter, won it. . . . F Carter Hansen gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 1:51 of the second period and Calgary F Brendan Hurley tied it just 15 seconds later. . . . Hurley has three goals in seven games since joining the Hitmen from the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. . . . The Hitmen have won four straight. . . . There was a scary moment in the second period when Moose Jaw D Morgan Rielly, the fifth overall selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL’s 2012 draft, went knee-on-knee with Calgary D Darian Henry. The hit was to Rielly’s right knee, the same one that was surgically repaired last season. He was slow getting to his feet but returned to action and appeared to be OK. . . . The Warriors had F Colton McCarthy, in from the junior B Nelson, B.C., Leafs, in the lineup. McCarthy was born in Moose Jaw and grew up in Salmon Arm, B.C. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch was back after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Warriors remain without F Myles Warkentine, 16, who has sat out the last 12 games. He suffered an undisclosed injury when hit into the boards from behind by F Tim Vanstone of the Prince Albert Raiders on Oct. 13. Warkentine did return to practice earlier this week. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Sam Mckechnie’s 10th goal stood up as the winner as the Hurricanes dumped the Victoria Royals, 4-2. . . . Mckechnie broke a 2-2 tie at 15:12 of the third period and F Brady Ramsay added an empty-netter at 19:56. . . . I mentioned here yesterday that Victoria D Tyler Stahl was expected to return from injury tonight. It turns out he returned Saturday and played in a 6-2 loss to the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . The Hurricanes are 8-1-2 in their last 11 games, while the Royals have lost five in a row. . . . Lethbridge is 11-7-2 and G Ty Rimmer, who stopped 32 shots, has started all 20 games. . . .

In Everett, the Red Deer Rebels scored the game’s first two goals and went on to beat the Silvertips, 4-2. . . . Everett had gone seven periods without a goal when F Tyler Sandhu scored at 1:36 of the second period. . . . The Silvertips have lost seven in a row and have scored just 10 goals in those games. . . . The Rebels are 2-2-0 on a five-game swing that ends Friday in Kelowna.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Ty McLean, Regina
F Taylor Crunk, Victoria
D David Musil, Edmonton

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Tri-City Americans F Lukas Walter (@Lukaswalter9): “Nap time after a hard day of nailing and hammering #cooked”
Walter and his teammates did some volunteer work with Habitat For Humanity on Wednesday.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) was released by mutual agreement by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had four goals and seven assists in 14 games this season. . . .
F Ashton Rome (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, Kamloops, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He was pointless in five games this season with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL). Last season, Rome had 11 goals and nine assists in 66 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL). . . .
F Domenic Pittis (Lethbridge, 1991-94) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). He had 12 goals and 19 assists in 49 games with the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) last season. . . .
F Martin Hanzal (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a lockout contract with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had eight goals and 26 assists in 64 games with the Phoenix Coyotes last season.
F Scott Hartnell (Prince Albert, 1997-2000) has agreed to a lockout contract with KalPa Kuopio (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 37 goals and 30 assists in 82 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. Hartnell’s contract will become effective on Nov. 15 should the NHL lockout still be in effect. Hartnell is one of the owners of KalPa and would join Nashville F Craig Smith on the team. According to the local Kuopio newspaper Savon Sanomat, the agreements with both players are consistent with all NHL locked-out players currently playing in Finland. The players are drawing no salaries; the clubs are providing only travel expenses, local accommodations, and contract insurance premiums. The paper reports that the insurance premiums for Hartnell are about €40,000 per month (US$51,800) and about €10,000 per month (US$12,950) for Smith. . . .
If people are wondering about wages in normal situations in Europe, Swedish player agent Gunnar Svensson told Edmonton Journal reporter Jim Matheson that the three best-paying hockey leagues, in order, are the NHL, the KHL, and Sweden’s Elitserien. He went on to say that top salaries in Elitserien are around $500,000 US per season and the average is about $110,000 US.
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No longer will teams be able to go into the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland and try to run the Winterhawks out of the bandbox. Paul Buker of The Oregonian has the story right here about how the Coliseum now has an NHL-sized ice surface. . . . The first game on the new surface is scheduled for Sunday with the Tri-City Americans playing the Winterhawks.
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The Everett Silvertips have trimmed two 19-year-olds players from their roster. . . . G Cole Holowenko has returned home to await a move, while F Zach McPhee has left the club. . . . According to a news release, McPhee chose to leae “to pursue opportunities outside the major junior level.” . . . Holowenko was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders, but went 0-2-1, 6.41, .808 and was passed on the depth chart by Austin Lotz and Daniel Cotton. . . . McPhee, who came over from the Tri-City Americans in 2010-11, had 10 points in 49 games with Everett. This season, he was pointless in 11 games. . . .
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Veteran F Drew Czerwonka, 20, has chosen to leave the Kootenay Ice and retire. He had been the team’s captain since the start of last season. . . . In 227 games, Czerwonka, who is from Glenavon, Sask., had 112 points, including 48 goals, and 321 penalty minutes. . . . He was in his fifth season with the Ice, but injuries limited him to 40 games last season. He had four assists in eight games this season. . . . “More or less that he had lost the fire and it's been on his mind for about the past month,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Jeff Holick, the club’s radio voice. “He gave it a lot of thought. He's a very thorough young man and . . . I respect the decision.” . . . For more, check out Holick’s blog over there on the right.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Vancouver, the Giants ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals had won the first three games of the season series. . . . The Royals are in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals, who had won three in a row, didn’t get even one shot on goal in the first period, the second time this season they have been blanked in one period. It happened in Kamloops in the second period of a 5-2 loss on Oct. 10. . . . F Marek Tvrdon had three goals and an assist for the Giants. . . . Tvrdon, a 31-goal man last season, now has four this time around but he is on a seven-game point streak. . . . F Kale Kessy, 20, played in his first game with Vancouver. He was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers while in the midst of a 12-game WHL-issued suspension. . . . G Payton Lee, 16, made his second straight start for Vancouver, this time stopping 13 shots. . . . The Giants left on a road trip right after the game and, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Lee wasn’t on the bus. He has returned to the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, leaving the Giants with Liam Liston and Tyler Fuhr as their goaltenders. . . . The Giants were without F Cain Franson, who suffered an injury in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday. He may have been hurt on a play on which Brandon D Tyler Yaworski was given a headshot major. Yaworski was hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension on Friday morning. . . . Vancouver lost F Thomas Foster with an apparent shoulder injury in the first period. . . . The Giants play in Edmonton on Sunday. . . .

The Everett Silvertips won their fourth straight game, beating the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 6-5. . . . It was Everett’s first home victory of the season. The Silvertips, who entertain the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight, are 1-3-1 at home. . . . F Kohl Bauml had two goals for Everett. . . . D Ben Betker had a goal and an assist, both WHL firsts, for the Silvertips. . . . G Daniel Cotton stopped 29 saves in winning his fourth straight game. . . . The Chiefs trailed 6-2 before scoring the game’s last three goals. . . . According to a Spokane news release, “The Chiefs suffered a further blow when leading scorer Mitch Holmberg took a hit to the head midway through the first period and had to leave the contest.” There were no headshot penalties handed out, according to the online scoresheet. . . . Holmberg has 23 points, including 11 goals, in 14 games. . . .

F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists to help the host Kamloops Blazers to an 8-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Smith ran his season-opening point streak to 14 games as the Blazers ran their record to 13-0-1. . . . F JC Lipon, the WHL’s leading point man, had three assists. . . . Kamloops has won 11 straight games. . . . F Dylan Willick and F Tim Bozon had two goals each. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen had a goal and two assists. He was playing in his 199th regular-season game and this was his first three-point outing. . . . Bozon also had an assist, giving the Blazers’ big line a 10-point night. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape scored in his return from a shoulder injury that cost him six games. . . . The Wheat Kings are 2-3-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends tonight against the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers are at home tonight to Victoria. The Royals beat the Blazers 4-3 in a shootout on Sept. 28 and that is the lone blemish on Kamloops’ record. . . .

G Brandon Glover stopped 44 shots to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Glover stopped 17 shots in the third period when his mates scored twice to break a 1-1 tie. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between the teams. Last season, the Americans lost the first game and then won nine in a row from the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Robert Lipsbergs broke a 1-1 tie with his first WHL goal at 4:12 of the third period. . . . Tri-City had won its last four games in Seattle’s home rink in Kent, Wash. . . . After eight in a row on the road, the Americans are at home to the Spokane Chiefs tonight. . . .

F Colton Sissons scored twice to lead the visiting Kelowna Rockets to a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Sissons recorded his 50th career goal and 100th career point. . . . He’s got eight goals this season. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen came off a three-game suspension to score his club’s other goal. . . . The Rockets play in Edmonton tonight. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson played his first game of the season. He missed all of the exhibition season and 15 regular-season games with a concussion. . . . The Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen tonight. . . .

F Curtis Valk scored five times and set up another as the Medicine Hat Tigers whipped the host Calgary Hitmen, 10-1. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and four assists for the Tigers. . . . Valk, who has a WHL-leading 14 goals, scored three times in the second period as Medicine Hat took a 7-0 lead. . . . The Tigers scored four PP goals in 10 chances. . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored the games last three goals and beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . F Dakota Conroy scored his eighth goal since coming to Prince Albert in a swap with the Victoria Royals. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point pulled his side even with two second-period PP goals and F Sam Fioretti got the winner at 13:11 of the third. Fioretti has 12 goals. . . . F Justin Kirsch had three assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The Raiders have lost four of their last five home games. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone completed a four-game suspension. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes reached the .500 mark with a 6-1 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. . . . The Hurricanes are 7-7-1. . . . G Ty Rimmer, who has started all 15 Lethbridge games, stopped 28 shots. . . . Lethbridge held a 55-29 edge in shots, including 44-13 after two periods. . . . The Swift Current Broncos visit Lethbridge tonight. . . . 

First, the Kootenay Ice lost its captain, then it lost a hockey game. F Drew Czerwonka, 20, announced his retirement prior to the Ice dropping a 5-2 decision to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Ice was able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the limit. They also are down to two 20-year-olds and GM Jeff Chynoweth is actively looking for a third. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first goal, with the Broncos then scoring four in a row.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Elliott Peterson, Calgary (twice)
F Henrik Nyberg, Kelowna
D Tyler Bell, Kamloops
F Alex Gogolev, Victoria
F Connor Honey, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kamloops Blazers F Jordan DePape (@papskos17): “Congrats to my ex-roommate Kurtis Mucha on becoming the first goalie in Canada West hockey history to score a goal tonight. #he’scatching me”
Mucha stopped 18 shots as the U of Alberta Golden Bears scored a 7-1 victory over the host Lethbridge Pronghorns. . . . Mucha was credited with the game’s first goal at 12:40 of the first period when he was the last Alberta player to touch the puck before the Pronghorns scored an own goal with a delayed penalty about to be called on Alberta. 

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The Vancouver Giants will give G Payton Lee, 16, a second straight start tonight as they play host to the Victoria Royals. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that head coach Don Hay will start Lee, who stopped 25 shots in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday night. Lee has been playing with the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, while the Giants have been working with Liam Liston and Tyler Fuhr as their goaltenders. On Wednesday, Liston backed up and Fuhr was scratched. . . . Ewen also reports that F Cain Franson is being listed by the Giants as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Franson was the hittee on a late game play on which Brandon D Tyler Yaworski was given a checking-to-the-head major on Wednesday. Apparently, the penalty was originally given as a charge, but the officials huddled and changed it. . . . As of early this morning, Yaworski hadn’t been suspended by the WHL. The Wheat Kings are in Kamloops tonight. . . . Here’s Ewen on Franson’s injury: “Does Franson have a concussion? Good luck getting that out of the Giants. Hay hates the idea of concussions, hates the stigma that comes with them. He quite likely had the word surgically removed from his vocabulary. For what it’s worth, Franson did stay on the ice to finish the game.” . . . The Giants will have F Kale Kessy, 20, in the lineup for the first time tonight. Kessy was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers while serving his seventh WHL-issued suspension, this one a 12-gamer. That suspension has been served. . . . The Giants (2-9-0) have lost five straight games and have the WHL’s poorest record.
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In something of a scheduling quirk, the Moose Jaw Warriors are in Prince Albert where they will play the Raiders tonight and Saturday. . . . Dave Leaderhouse of the Prince Albert Daily Herald reports that the Raiders are expected to use D Shayne Gwinner and D Riley Guenther as forwards. . . . F Anthony Bardaro will miss both games as he has left the team for a family funeral. . . . F Tim Vanstone finishes up a four-game WHL suspension tonight. . . . F Reid Gardiner could miss up to three weeks with an undisclosed injury. He hasn’t played since Oct. 16. . . . The Raiders will get D Zach Hodder (shoulder) back tonight after an 11-game absence. . . .
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The Everett Silvertips have cleared up their goaltending situation, at least for now, by moving out Cole Holowenko, 19. Holowenko had been acquired from Prince Albert on Sept. 17, with the Raiders getting G Andy Desautels, 18, and D Evan Morden, 19, in return. . . . Holowenko went 0-2-1, 6.41, .808 with the Silvertips, who have chosen to go with sophomore Austin Lotz, 17, and Daniel Cotton, 18, who was acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds on Oct. 7 for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Cotton is turning into one of the really good stories in the WHL. After getting into  only 18 games over the last two seasons while backing up Calvin Pickard in Seattle, Cotton has gone 4-2-0, 2.45, .918 with Everett.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Los Angeles Times hockey writer Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen): “One phrase I haven't uttered during lockout: "Gee, I miss those sumo hockey intermission stunts."
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TWEET OF THE DAY II:
From Brock Sutherland (@brock_obama): “Thought this would be the year I'd finally crack the subway series roster. Oh well, there's still world j's to look forward too #showguy”
Sutherland, who played in the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Tri-City Americans and Calgary Hitmen, now is with the U of Manitoba Bisons. He’s 21 years of age.
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TWEET OF THE DAY III:
From TSN’s Dave Hodge (@TSNDaveHodge): “NHL withdraws latest proposal. Similarly, my dinner offer to Charlize Theron is off the table.”

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The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline arrives this afternoon.
Each WHL team has to declare a maximum of three such players by the deadline.
The Saskatoon Blades will have to make a move as they are carrying four 20s since acquiring F Adam Kambeitz from the Red Deer Rebels on Monday. The Blades also have D Connor Cox, F Josh Nicholls and F Brenden Walker on their roster.
The Portland Winterhawks also are carrying four 20s — G Cam Lanigan, G Mac Carruth, F Taylor Peters and D Troy Rutkowski. However, Carruth was just assigned to them by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, so the Winterhawks have 14 days from his arrival to get down to four 20s.
The Medicine Hat Tigers’ roster also includes four 20s — F Kale Kessy, F Elgin Pearce, D Derek Ryckman and D Alex Theriau. The situation here isn’t what it seems, however, as Theriau is on the injury list as he recovers from offseason hip surgery and, as you will read further on, Kessy, while under a WHL suspension, no longer is with the Tigers.
Two other teams — the Kamloops Blazers and Prince Albert Raiders — are keeping close tabs on a couple of AHL camps.
D Austin Madaisky has spent the last two-plus seasons with the Blazers. He has signed an NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets and is with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield, Mass., Falcons. He is one of 10 defencemen on their roster as Saturday’s season-opener approaches. The Blazers have three 20s on their roster in F Jordan DePape, F Brendan Ranford and F Dylan Willick.
At the same time, the Prince Albert Raiders are watching the camp of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs because D Antoine Corbin is there. If he returns to Prince Albert, the Raiders will have 14 days to make a move involving him, F Anthony Bardaro, D Davis Vandane or G Luke Siemens.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oil Kings are at the other end of the spectrum, with two 20s — F T.J. Foster and F Dylan Wruck.
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When F Jordan Messier woke up Tuesday, you can bet he was thinking about the Tri-City Americans’ approaching swing into the East Division.
It wasn’t long, however, before Messier had a head start.
The Americans, who will head east today, dealt Messier, 20, to the Moose Jaw Warriors yesterday, getting back a 2014 fourth-round bantam draft pick. He was packing his gear, while his former teammates were preparing to head east.
In six games this season, his fifth in the WHL, Messier has three points.
Messier, from Canmore, Alta., has 163 points in 270 regular-season games, all of them with the Americans. Tri-City selected him in the second round of the 2007 bantam draft.
He is expected to make his Moose Jaw debut on Saturday against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. The Americans, whose roster includes Jordan’s brother Marcus, 18, will play in Moose Jaw on Sunday.
Jordan met up with G Eric Comrie for lunch yesterday.
“I had a bite to eat with Eric and joked to let me slip one past him,” Messier told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “It will be good to see the boys so soon. I will definitely come out hard for that one.”
The deal leaves the Americans with three 20-year-olds — D Drydn Dowd, F Justin Feser and F Jesse Mychan.
To stay at three 20-year-olds, the Warriors promptly released F Austin Bourhis, who had one assist and 17 penalty minutes in four games this season. Bourhis, from Kipling, Sask., has split 117 regular-season games between the Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw.
The Warriors other 20-year-olds are F Justin Kirsch and D Kendall McFaull.
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The Everett Silvertips have traded F Ryan Chynoweth, 17, to the Tri-City Americans for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Chynoweth, the son of Kootenay Ice president/general manager Jeff Chynoweth, was the Silvertips’ first pick, going 24th overall, in the 2010 bantam draft.
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Ryan Chynoweth asked the Silvertips for a trade. Patterson also writes that the conditional pick “begins as a fifth-rounder, but could rise to as high as a third-rounder depending on how Chynoweth performs” in 2013-14.
Chynoweth, who was a healthy scratch for two weekend games, is pointless in four games this season. Last season, he had eight points, two of them goals, in 66 games.
If you’re wondering, there was no chance of his ending up with the Ice. Prior to the 2010 bantam draft, he told his father that he didn’t want to play at home. That holds true today.
“I never even pursued it,” Jeff Chynoweth told me via text yesterday. “It wouldn’t be fair to him or the team.”
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The Tri-City Americans were really busy yesterday, as they also dealt D Sam Grist, 19, to the Kamloops Blazers for a pair of bantam draft picks — a third-rounder in 2013 and a fifth-rounder in 2014. (For now, that fifth is the pick the Americans got from Everett for F Ryan Chynoweth. Of course, as noted, that pick could escalate to a third.)
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Grist is in his third WHL season. He has 15 points and 207 penalty minutes in 119 regular-season games.
“With the emergence of some of our younger defencemen like (Wil) Tomchuk and (Brodie) Clowes, who is close to returning to practice, we had to get our numbers down on defense,” Tri-City general manager Bob Tory said in a news release. “This move allows Sam to play on a good team, closer to home, while opening some ice time for our other players.”
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Following the Monday trade of F Adam Kambeitz, who was the team captain, the Red Deer Rebels have announced that F Turner Elson, 20, will wear the ‘C.’ Kambeitz, 20, was traded to the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Elson returned to the Rebels’ lineup last night in Swift Current after missing seven games with an undisclosed injury. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings are a finalist in the Small Business category of the 2012 Manitoba Business Awards, which are into the final stages. The Small Business division comprises those with fewer than 30 employees. . . . Brandon businesses were nominated by the Economic Development Brandon office and the Brandon Chamber of Commerce submitted the applications. . . . Winners will be announced on Oct. 18 at the annual awards gala in Winnipeg. . . .
The Everett Silvertips left on their East Division swing Tuesday and there were three goaltenders on the bus when it hit the highway. G Austin Lotz (groin) was injured Saturday and unable to play Sunday, but he is on the trip. Also on the trip are Cole Holowenko, who was sharing time with Lotz, and Daniel Cotton, who was acquired Sunday from  the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .
It seems that F Kale Kessy of the Medicine Hat Tigers is serving out his WHL suspension in the training camp of the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Kessy drew a 12-game suspension on Sept. 24 for a headshot major. Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News writes that “the Tigers quietly shipped off their fourth-most experienced player . . . two weeks ago. The only mention of the move from the team came in a note on their Oct. 2 injury report, found on the WHL’s website.” . . . Kessy, a fourth-round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2011 draft, isn’t eligible to return to the Tigers’ lineup until Oct. 26. . . . D Ryan Pilon of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who was the subject of Kessy hit, hasn’t played since Sept. 22. . . . Rooney also reports that the Tigers should have freshman D Ty Stanton (undisclosed upper body injury) in the lineup tonight when they play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings will be without F Stephane Legault for up to six weeks. He suffered a broken left foot when he blocked a shot by D Alex Roach during Sunday’s 6-5 OT loss to the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . The Oil Kings continue to be without D Keegan Lowe (knee), but he skated Tuesday. Lowe has missed four games. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades will honour former star Gerry Pinder on March 8 prior to a game against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. He will have his number (7) retired. Actually, the number already is retired – F Brent Ashton wore it. Other numbers retired by the Blades are F Bob Bourne’s 12, F Wendel Clark’s 22, F Bernie Federko’s 15 and F Brian Skrudland’s 10. . . . Pinder played for the Blades in the early days. In fact, he set the WHL record for most points in one game (10) and that’s a mark that has been equalled but not broken. He had six goals and four assists in a 17-5 victory over the visiting Calgary Buffaloes on March 12, 1967. . . . Pinder put up 221 points in 109 games with the Blades.
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TUESDAY’S ACTION:
Sophomore F Brooks Maxwell scored his first goal of the season, a PP score at 17:30 of the third period, to break a 2-2 tie and give the Red Deer Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Broncos in Swift Current. . . . The Broncos (3-1-4) lost for the first time in regulation time this season. . . . It was a battle of import goaltenders, with Red Deer’s Patrik Bartosak, a Czech, and the Broncos’ Eetu Laurikainen, a Finn, each stopping 29 shots. . . . The Rebels ended up 3-2-1 on an swing through the East Division. . . . The Rebels will be without sophomore D Kayle Doetzel (broken jaw) for up to six weeks. He was injured on Oct. 3 in a 5-3 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon. . . .

F Lane Scheidl scored in OT to give the host Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Scheidl’s fourth goal of the season came at 4:28 of extra time, just 28 seconds after the Pats had killed off a Portland PP. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt was huge with a 34-save effort. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 21 shots. G Mac Carruth, assigned to the team by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks after a stint in camp with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, was on the bench, leaving Cam Lanigan as a healthy scratch. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters forced OT with his first goal of the season at 16:55 of the third. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders continued to write the WHL’s best early-season success story as they ran their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. . . . The Raiders now are 7-0-1. . . . According to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts), the Raiders last won seven in a row in February/March of 1999. . . . D Sawyer Lange, a sophomore from Prince Albert, scored his third goal in eight games and it stood up as the winner. He had one goal in 58 games last season. . . . The Hurricanes actually opened the scoring when veteran F Russell Maxwell scored 21 seconds into the game. That was the first time in seven games this season that Lethbridge had scored the game’s first goal. . . . Prince Albert F Mike Winther, who hadn’t played since Sept. 28 because of a groin injury, scored his first goal of the season. . . . The Raiders went 4-0 on a swing that took them to Edmonton, Calgary, Cranbrook and Lethbridge.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Portland F Joey Baker

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
F Ryan Chynoweth (@RChynowethh) has a scoop: “Going to miss the boys so much :(. Excited for a new start in tri city's!”
Chynoweth’s tweet announced his trade from Everett to Tri-City well in advance of either team issuing a news release.

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The Kamloops Blazers assigned F Brock Balson, 19, to an undisclosed junior A team on Monday. Balson was a third-round selection by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2008 bantam draft. He joined the Blazers last season from the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks and had six points in 42 games with the Blazers. . . .
With the move, Kamloops is down to 25 players. That doesn’t include D Austin Madaisky, 20, who has been assigned by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets to the AHL’s Springfield Falcons. That leaves Kamloops with three 20-year-olds — F Brendan Ranford, F Dylan Willick and F Jordan DePape, who finished the exhibition season playing on the same line. . . .
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The Saskatoon Blades are down to 23 players after assigning D Kyle Schmidt, 19, to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars and G Patrick Johnson, 19, to the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. Schmidt, from Waldheim, Sask., was acquired last season from the Calgary Hitmen and had 12 points in 61 games with the Blades. Johnson, from Saskatoon, got into one game with the Blades last season. . . .
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have assigned F Darcy DeRoose, 17, to the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins and F Brayden Cuthbert, 18, to the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. Cuthbert is awaiting medical clearance after not having played since suffering a concussion on Jan. 22, 2011. . . .
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The Spokane Chiefs assigned F Markson Bechtold, 16, to the midget UFA Bisons, who play out of Strathmore, Alta. Bechtold was a third-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . .

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have trimmed G Jordan Papirny, 16, from their roster which means they will open the season with Corbin Boes, 19, and Curtis Honey, 18, as their goaltenders. . . . Papirny was a first-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Brandon also released F Dominic Favreau, 20, leaving it with three 20s – F Nick Buonassisi, D Ryley Miller and D Tyler Yaworski. . . . Favreau spent two seasons in Brandon after being acquired from the Regina Pats for D Mark Schneider. Last season, Favreau had 18 points in 42 games with Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings got down to 26 players by also assigning F Kailum Gervais, F Kyler Hehn, 17, and F Hunter Smith, 17. . . .
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The Vancouver Giants, with one victory in six exhibition games, made some significant moves on Monday, especially considering that they came four days before the start of the regular season.
Vancouver acquired F Tanner Moar, 18, and F Stewart Coyle, 17, from the Kelowna Rockets for a fourth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft and a sixth-round pick in 2015.
The Giants also picked up F Tristan Sieben, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a sixth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Sieben, from Edmonton, played 34 games with the Oil Kings last season, picking up 14 points.
Moar, from Canwood, Sask., had eight points in 65 games with Kelowna last season. At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, he brings some size to the Giants’ forward ranks, something that has been lacking of late.
Coyle, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, played last season with the junior B Sicamous Eagles of the Kootenay International league. He had five points in 22 games with the Eagles. In four exhibition game with the Rockets, he had three points. Coyle is from Sicamous.
The Giants now have 29 players on their roster, including injured F Arvin Atwal, so more moves are imminent.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have traded G Cole Holowenko, 19, to the Everett Silvertips for G Andy Desautels, 18, and D Evan Morden, 19.
Desautels, from White City, Sask., played last season with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers, going 3.64, .899 in 25 games. His arrival leaves the Raiders still with three goaltenders, the other two being Luke Siemens, 20, who was acquired over the summer from the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Rylan Parenteau, a 16-year-old from Saskatoon.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Morden, from Swan River, Man., is prepping for his third WHL season. He had 13 points and 92 penalty minutes in 114 games over the last two seasons.
Holowenko, from Penticton, B.C., was 13-26-2, 3.98, .890 in 47 games as a freshman with the Raiders last season.
The Silvertips then got down to two goaltenders by assigning 6-foot-7 Troy Trombley, 18, to the SHL’s Melville Millionaires. That leaves Holowenko and sophomore Austin Lotz, 17, to mind the twine in Everett.
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The Tri-City Americans got down to 27 players by dropping G Luke Lee-Knight, 19, F Dallin Wolf, 18, and F Dylan Schellenberg, 19. . . . Lee-Knight, from Calgary, played 22 games in the WHL last season, splitting them with the Spokane Chiefs and Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Lee-Knight’s departure means that freshman Brenden Fiebelkorn, 17, of Winnipeg will back up sophomore G Eric Comrie. . . . Wolf has been returned to the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International league. He had 14 points and 135 penalty minutes in 39 games there last season. . . . Schellenberg, from Drumheller, split last season between the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons and Camrose Kodiaks. . . . The Americans are carrying two goaltenders, nine defencemen and 16 forwards.
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It would seem that the Seattle Thunderbirds are down to three 20-year-olds — G Brandon Glover, F Luke Lockhart and F Brendan Rouse.
Deagle (@BraDeagle92) tweeted this on Monday: “Was fortunate to meet a lot of great people in Seattle made many new friends and a lot of new brothers! Going to miss it #thunderbeauties.”
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G Keith Hamilton, who has WHL experience with the Portland Winterhawks and Victoria Royals, has signed with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. . . . Hamilton, a 20-year-old from Kelowna, was 20-31-5, 4.10, .880 with Victoria last season. He was released by the Royals last week as they worked to get down to the maximum three 20-year-olds. . . . The signing of Hamilton was first reported by Parlons junior, a Quebec-based website.

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Brendan Shinnimin (24) of the Tri-City Americans may be the hottest player
in the entire hockey world with 10 points in his last two games. He has moved
into the lead in the WHL scoring race, too.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.co)

Kyle Woodlief’s Red Line Report was posted Friday by USA TODAY. In it, he wonders about the lack of skilled North American forwards eligible for the NHL’s 2012 draft. Boy, ain’t that the truth. You need only watch the number of junior teams playing chip and chase to wonder just what is going on with that. Park a player in the neutral zone -- and I mean park him. Have a defenceman rifle the puck in his direction. The forward, who is standing still, tips the puck into the offensive zone. And then the other team repeats the exercise.
Anyway, Woodlief’s latest rankings are right here.
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D Tommy Stipancik’s fourth concussion in three years caused him to miss nine game with the Saskatoon Blades. the 17-year-old Stipancik was back in the lineup last night against the visiting Kootenay Ice, albeit wearing a Reebok helmet that it’s hoped will help prevent future concussions. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix has that story right here.
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F Tim McGauley, 16, has joined the Brandon Wheat Kings for the remainder of this season. McGauley had 53 points, including 29 goals, with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, who play out of Wilcox, Sask. McGauley was a first-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2010 bantam draft. He was dealt to Brandon in the Brayden Schenn deal in January 2011.
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“Players are getting bigger, faster. Helmets are getting better, but it's more effective at protecting the skull than the brain inside. A high-speed impact jostles the brain, and a helmet won't stop it from slamming into the skull.”
That’s Gregg Doyel, a columnist at cbssports.com, and, no, he’s not writing about hockey. He’s writing about football and he is starting to wonder if we aren’t witnessing the beginning of the end . . . not of concussions, of football.
It’s a good read and it’s right here.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
(With a tip of the hat to @WHLFacts for some of the info that follows. If you are on Twitter and aren’t following, you should be.)
In Brandon, F Mark Stone and D Eric Roy scored in the circus to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Brad Hoban scored twice for the Broncos, his 17th of the season coming at 18:57 of the third to force OT. . . . Stone had given Brandon a 2-1 lead with his 39th score, on the PP, at 16:04 of the third. . . . Stone extended his point streak to 14 games; he has 30 points, including eight goals, over that stretch. . . . Stone’s streak of 13 straight games with at least one assist came to an end. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 37 shots, one fewer than Jon Groenheyde of the Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings were again without F Kevin Sundher and D Tyrel Seaman, both of whom are concussed. . . . Brandon holds the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot and is 10 points ahead of Red Deer and two behind Regina. . . . The Pats, who are just a point behind Saskatoon, are in Brandon tonight. . . .

In Prince Albert, G Cole Holowenko stopped 43 shots to help the Raiders to a 4-0 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Red Deer loss allowed the Edmonton Oil Kings to become the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot. . . . Holowenko has two shutouts in his career, both this season. . . . F Mike Winther’s 29th goal, at 13:38 of the first, stood up as the winner. . . . F Mark McNeill picked up his 27th goal, into an empty net, and added two assists, as did F Shane Danyluk. . . . The Rebels were able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal had two goals and two assists to lead the Pats to an 8-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Regina has won six of seven. . . . Weal, who has 37 goals, finished the game with 100 points. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk broke a 1-1 tie at 13:41 of the first period. . . . The Pats then added six more goals before the Warriors closed out the scoring. . . . Regina was 2-8 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-3. . . . F Chandler Stephenson added two goals for Regina, giving him 18, while D Martin Marincin drew three assists. . . . Regina F Brandon Davidson missed his second straight game with a sore neck. He is questionable for a game tonight in Brandon. . . . Moose Jaw F James Henry played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Regina F Lane Scheidl opened the scoring with a PP goal at 2:46 of the first. Scheidl, who has 24 goals, has a PP goal in each of his last three games. . . . The Warriors won the first three games in the season series with Regina; the Pats have won the last three. . . . Moose Jaw leads the East Division by eight points over Saskatoon. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Andrey Makarov, making his 14th straight start, stopped 38 shots to earn his first WHL shutout as the Blades beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-0. . . . F Brent Benson got the game-winner at 6:31 of the first on the PP. . . . F Matej Stransky got his 34th goal for the Blades and also added an assist. . . . Kootenay F Drew Czerwonka missed his fourth game with an undisclosed injury that could keep him out up to six weeks. . . . Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, tweeted that Kootenay D Luke Paulsen and D Jagger Dirk both left with injuries. . . . The Blades remain without D Duncan Siemens (concussion). . . . The Ice is one point behind the fourth-place Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference and one point ahead of the Blades. . . .

In Calgary, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Hitmen, 4-1. . . . The Oil Kings, who lead the Eastern Conference, clinched a playoff spot as they beat the Hitmen for the fifth time in six meetings. . . . Calgary had won four in a row. . . . F Kristians Pelss tied the game with his 23rd at 10:36 of the first and F Tristan Sieben broke the tie with his fourth at 4:57 of the second. . . . F T.J. Foster got an empty-netter, his 24th goal, at 18:50 of the third. . . . F Rhett Rachinski rounded it out with his 25th at 19:56. . . . F Travis Ewanyk, who had offseason shoulder surgery, played his first game this season for Edmonton. Last season, in 72 games, Ewanyk had 27 points and 126 penalty minutes. He was pointless last night. . . . The Hitmen dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Calgary is three points behind the third-place Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference and a point ahead of Kootenay. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Brady Ramsay scored three times to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Ramsay has 22 goals this season. He has two hat tricks. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s first four goals, with Ramsay getting two of them. . . . Lethbridge captain Brody Sutter got his 29th goal and added two assists. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo stopped 37 shots. . . . The Hurricanes were 3-6 on the PP; the Rockets went 2-3. . . . Lethbridge won’t make the playoffs, while the Rockets will finish sixth in the Western Conference. . . .

In Portland, F Sven Baertschi had a goal and two assists as the Winterhawks ran their winning streak to nine games with an 8-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . That got Baertschi back to his two points-a-game pace. He has 84 points in 42 games. . . . F Ty Rattie scored his 52nd goal of the season, the most for a Portland skater since F Lonny Bohonos had 62 in 1993-94. . . . Rattie now is tied with Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem for the WHL lead in goals. . . . When this one was over, Portland still had a bunch of point steaks going — F Oliver Gabriel, 13 games; Baertschi, 12; D Derrick Pouliot, nine; Rattie, eight; and, F Marcel Noebels, six. . . . The Winterhawks have scored 34 goals in their last four games. . . . Portland D William Wrenn, the team captain, was back after being out since Jan. 28 with an injury to his right hand. . . . The Winterhawks lead the U.S. Division by two points over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, three points behind Vancouver with two games in hand. . . .

In Prince George, G Jared Rathjen earned his first WHL victory as the Victoria Royals beat the Cougars, 4-2. . . . Rathjen, who is from Prince George, stopped 26 shots in improving his record to 1-5-1. . . . Victoria F Dakota Conroy broke a 1-1 tie at 11:30 of the second period with his ninth goal. . . . This was the first of eight in a row at home for the Cougars. . . . The teams meet there again tonight. . . . The Royals are seventh in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the idle Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Cougars are two points behind Seattle. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin scored three goals and set up another as the Tri-City Americans beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-2. . . . Shinnimin, who has 10 points in his last two games, moved into top spot in the WHL scoring race, with 106 points, including 47 goals. He also leads all of the CHL in points. . . . Shinnimin is one point ahead of Brandon F Mark Stone and two up on Portland F Ty Rattie. . . . In 11 February games, Shinnimin has 32 points, including six goals over his last two games. He has an eight-game goal streak going. . . . F Patrick Holland had three assists for the Americans. He has drawn assists on 15 of the Americans’ last 26 games. He also leads the WHL with 67 assists. . . . The Silvertips scored the game’s first two goals, with F Josh Birkholz and D Dominik Bittner getting PP goals in the first period. . . . Shinnimin tied it with a shorthanded goal at 2:16 of the third. . . . F Adam Hughesman broke the tie at 11:52 with his 36th. . . . Shinnimin iced it with an empty-netter. . . .G Eric Comrie stopped 20 shots in running his record to 18-5-2. . . . Everett F Ryan Harrison was back in the lineup after taking a slapshot in the throat from D Ryan Murray on Tuesday. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . Everett is ninth in the Western Conference, one point behind Seattle. . . .
 
In Vancouver, the Blazers scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Giants, 6-2. . . . The victory lifted the Blazers back into first place in the overall standings, one point ahead of the Portland Winterhawks, who had been there about half an hour because their game last night ended before the Blazers were done. . . . Kamloops got eight points from the line of, left to right, Tim Bozon, Colin Smith and J.C. Lipon. The latter two each had a goal and two assists, while Bozon had one of each. . . . Smith and Bozon have 31 goals apiece. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 34 shots in winning for the 30th time this season. . . . The Blazers scored the game’s first two goals, but the Giants tied it with goals 38 seconds part in the first minute of the second period. . . . D Bronson Maschmeyer, whom the Blazers acquired from Vancouver prior to the 2009-10 season, broke the tie with a PP goal at 14:47 of the second. . . . The Blazers won for the 20th time on the road, the first time the franchise has done that since 1995-96. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Kamloops and a Blazers victory will clinch the B.C. Division pennant. . . . The Giants now have lost three in a row.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Robin Soudek, Victoria.
F Reid Petryk, Everett (double minor).
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Jordan Martinook, Vancouver.
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Adam Wodon, the managing editor at collegehockeynews.com has written a lengthy piece right here on the state of NCAA hockey as he tries to explain what led to this week’s departure of Paul Kelly, who had been the executive director of College Hockey Inc., until he was forced out.
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The United States of Hockey has more on the Paul Kelly situation, with comments from Kelly, right here. You can bet the major junior leagues are loving all of this.
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And then there is this, a stunning read from Ken Dryden, who writes about the victims of sexual abuse. If you read just one thing today, this has to be it. The end of the story will knock you off your chair.
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Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun weighs in on Tom Jefferson and wonders why the police haven’t done more to investigate the abuses he faced. That piece is right here.