Showing posts with label Cole Kehler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cole Kehler. Show all posts

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Doing some scattershooting ... Hunchak a Hall of Famer ... Gulutzan keys up Coaches Conference

Scattershoot

Prior to the first round of the NHL draft in Chicago on Friday, the NHL sequestered eight potential early selections and their families in a ‘green’ room, rather than have them in the stands with the commoners. It was a disaster. Russian F Klim Kostin and his family were left all alone for a long while before the St. Louis Blues took him with the last pick of the first round, 31st overall. . . . Here’s hoping the ‘green’ room was simply a one-and-done experiment.
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After LaVar Ball, the king of hype, said his son, Lonzo, would get the Los Angeles Lakers into the NBA playoffs in his first season with them, Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, wondered: “So is he buying them tickets?” . . . Upon hearing reports than Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors won’t exercise a US$28-million option and take $24 million instead, all aimed at allowing the team to keep Andre Iguodola, Hough asked: “How will he feed his family?”
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It always amazes me how anyone thinks they can pick the winners and losers from the NHL draft less than 24 hours after it concludes. Let’s check back in four or five years. OK?
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Headline at TheKicker.com: Umps go to video replay to see if they’re slowing game down too much.
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Judging by the empty seats at home-openers in Vancouver and Toronto this weekend, at least a couple of CFL teams have some work ahead of them to get bums back in the pews.
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About 24 hours before F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings was taken second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL draft, Bauer Hockey announced that it had signed him as an “official partner.” That means that Patrick will use Bauer gear in 2017-18. It’s worth noting that Bauer also suppled WHL skaters with equipment, so there won’t be a conflict should Philly return Patrick for another season of major junior.
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BTW, F Nico Hischier of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, who was taken first overall by the New Jersey Devils, has signed with CCM.
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After the U.S. Open golf tournament earlier this month, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando, Fla., Sentinel noted: “Erin Hills isn’t just playing easy, it’s more forgiving than the Tallahassee Police Department.”
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A tip of the cap to head coach Ryan McGill and his Owen Sound Attack for leading the CHL’s 60 teams by having six players selected in the weekend’s NHL draft. Yes, that’s a franchise record. . . . McGill, of course, is a former WHL player and coach. He also is the OHL’s reigning coach of the year.
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Donald Trump, the U.S. president, “has made travel more difficult to Americans,” notes Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong. “It will remain that way until a new Havana Trump Hotel and Golf Course opens.”
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The best response from a player to a question during the NHL draft came from Swedish D Erik Brannstrom, who was selected 15th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights. He admitted to never having been to Las Vegas, but added: “I’ve seen The Hangover. I’ve seen all three.”
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“Charles P. Thacker, a pioneer in early personal computing, died last week at age 74,” reports RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “Out of habit, doctors tried rebooting him.”
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Dave Hunchak, a former WHL coach, was among the inductees when the SJHL held its 2017 Hall of Fame induction dinner in Kindersley on Saturday evening.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Hunchak, 43, who was an assistant coach with the Klippers (1997-
DAVE HUNCHAK
2000) and the general manager and head coach for four seasons (2000-04). Under Hunchak, who is from Warman, Sask., the Klippers won SJHL championships in 2002 and 2004. In his playing days, he spent time with the Saskatoon Titans, who later morphed into the Klippers.
In the WHL, Hunchak spent three seasons (2004-07) as an assistant coach with the Swift Current Broncos, four seasons (2007-11) as the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, and two-plus seasons on the Kamloops Blazers’ staff. He leaves next month for his first season as an assistant coach with HC Banska Bystrica of the Slovak Extraliga.
Hunchak was inducted in the coach category, joining builder Terry Shea, a long-time Klippers executive; players Troy Schwab, Derek Dorsett and Chris Winkler, all from the Klippers; Kindersley native Devin Edgerton (Humboldt Broncos) and Greg Paslawski, a Kindersley native who played for the SJHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.
The 2003-04 Klippers, who reached the RBC Cup final with Hunchak as head coach, also were inducted.
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The CHL import draft is scheduled for Wednesday, starting at 8 a.m. PT. It is held via telephone. . . . The Kootenay Ice is scheduled to be the first WHL team to make a selection. That will be the third-overall pick, behind the OHL’s Barrie Colts and the QMJHL’s Moncton Screaming Eagles. . . . The order of selection is right here.
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Glen Gulutzan, the head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, is just one of the keynote speakers line up for The Coaches Conference that is scheduled to be held in Vancouver, July 14 and 15. . . . Gulutzan is preparing for his second season as the Flames’ head coach. . . . Also on tap as presenters are Mike Snee, the executive director at College Hockey Inc.; Jim Paek, the head coach of the South Korean national team; Craig Cunningham, who is heading into his first season as a pro scout with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes; and Ray Ferraro, the highly popular analyst with TSN. . . . Snee has been CHI’s executive director since Aug. 28, 2012; he also is on USA Hockey’s board of directors and USA Hockey’s junior council. . . . Paek also is the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association. South Korea will play host to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. . . . Cunningham had his playing career cut short last season when he suffered an on-ice cardiac event prior to an AHL game. He was the captain of the Tucson Roadrunners. . . . For more info on the conference, click right here.
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Some NHL teams have developing camps starting today (Monday). I’m not tracking invitees but stumbled on three undrafted WHLers with invitations — G Cole Kehler (Portland Winterhawks) will skate with the Winnipeg Jets; F Tanner Jeannot (Moose Jaw Warriors) will join the Washington Capitals; and F Jayden Halbgewachs, a 50-goal scorer with the Warriors last season, will be with the Vegas Golden Knights. . . . If you know of more invitees, email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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F Brian King of the Everett Silvertips was the valedictorian recently as Everett High School held its graduation ceremony. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a good piece right here on King, what he said and his off-ice accomplishments, including a 4.0 GPA, to this point.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:32 PM
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Monday, April 3, 2017

Ingram: That's just the way it is . . . Broncos take out Warriors . . . Winterhawks sideline Cougars


Let’s go back to Sunday night in Kamloops.
CONNOR INGRAM
It was 10 minutes into the third period and the hometown Blazers were trailing the Kelowna Rockets 2-0 in a game that Kamloops needed to win if it was to stay alive in these playoffs.
F Deven Sideroff of the Blazers parked himself in front of Kelowna G Michael Herringer, then got his raised stick on a point shot and deflected it into the net.
The call on the ice was a goal, so when it went to video review conclusive evidence showing Sideroff’s stick above the cross-bar when contact with the puck was made would have been needed to overturn it.
The replays shown on the big screen on the scoreclock certainly were inconclusive, so we have to assume that the video review official had a better quality picture or a different angle because the goal was disallowed. The Rockets went on to end the series, thanks to a 4-2 victory.

On Monday, the day after the night before, Blazers G Connor Ingram pretty much mirrored the feelings of the team and its fans when he told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week:
“When it’s a goal on the ice, you usually have to have pretty conclusive evidence to (overturn) it. Like I said (Sunday) night, when you play Kelowna, you’re not going to get that call.
“The commissioner is in the building. He’s up in that room. You know as soon as he goes up there, you’re not going to get it.
“It’s disappointing, but that’s what happens when you play those guys and, with who runs their team, they’re going to get those calls. That’s just the way it is.”
Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, was in the building and, apparently, visited the video review booth at the time of the Sideroff non-goal.
Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ owner, governor, president and general manager who is the WHL’s chairman of the board, also was in the house.
No, he didn’t visit the video review booth.
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The B.C. Division had four teams in the playoffs when the first round started. The Kelowna Rockets are the only one left standing. . . . Last night, the Portland Winterhawks eliminated the Prince George Cougars, who had finished atop the division, winning the franchise’s first pennant since it relocated from Victoria over the summer of 1994. . . . The second-place Rockets, of course, knocked the third-place Blazers from the post-season on Sunday. . . . Also on Sunday, the Everett Silvertips took out the fourth-place Victoria Royals, although it took five OT periods in what was the longest game in CHL history. The Royals had qualified for the playoffs in the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot.
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F Garrett Pilon of the Kamloops Blazers will be joining the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. The Capitals selected Pilon in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract last week. Pilon, whose Blazers were eliminated from the WHL playoffs on Sunday night, had 65 points, 20 of them goals, in 67 games this season. . . . Pilon will turn 19 on April 13, so will have to play next season with the Capitals or the Blazers; he isn’t eligible to start next season in Hershey.
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D Jake Bean of the Calgary Hitmen has joined the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina selected Bean with the 13th overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft. . . . Bean had 45 points, including 37 assists, in 43 regular-season games this season. He missed a good chunk of the early part of the season with a hand injury, returning in time to play for Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . Next season, Bean will be 19 and will have to play with the Hurricanes or be returned to the Hitmen.
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Three WHLers were among the first players added to the Canadian team that will play in the IIHF U-18 World Championship in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, April 13-23. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan of the Spokane Chiefs, F Stelio Mattheos of the Brandon Whet Kings and G Ian Scott of the Prince Albert Raiders are in Etobicoke, Ont., this week for a brief training camp before the team leaves for Slovakia on Wednesday, where it will play a pair of exhibition games. . . . As well, D Ty Smith of the Chiefs was invited to the training camp as an under-aged player in order to allow him to gain more international experience. . . . Canada will play Russia on Sunday in Bratislava and Switzerland on Monday in Piestany before opening the tournament against Latvia on April 13. . . . Steve Hamilton, the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, is an assistant coach with Canada.
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Neate Sager, who freelances junior hockey pieces for Sportsnet, takes a look right here at Sunday’s marathon between the Everett Silvertips and host Victoria Royals, and he does it by the numbers. He also takes a look at some other CHL goings-on.
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F Calvin Spencer of the Vancouver Giants has signed with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. He split this season between the Swift Current Broncos and the Giants, putting up 29 points, including 16 goals, in 66 games. Spencer, who turned 21 on Feb. 29, played four seasons in the WHL, the first two with the Seattle Thunderbirds. In 230 regular-season games, the native of Brooklyn Park, Minn., had 66 points, including 32 goals.
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The Red Deer Rebels will be without F Evan Polei for Game 7 against the host Lethbridge Hurricanes tonight (Tuesday). Polei has been given a TBD suspension after he incurred a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Lethbridge F Tanner Nagel in Game 5 on Sunday. . . . Meanwhile, Red Deer D Alex Alexeyev skated Monday for the first time since having knee surgery in early February. He won’t play tonight but you can bet his presence gave his teammates a lift. . . . After a 4-1 loss to the visiting Hurricanes on Sunday, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s owner, GM and head coach, told reporters: “You guys thought the Lethbridge Hurricanes were going to beat the Red Deer Rebels 4-0, because they had 20-some more points in the standings. “Our kids have played hard in this series. At the start of the series, if you’d have said we got to play to Game 7 against this team in their home building, we would take it.” . . . The conclusion of Game 7 will signal the end of the first round.
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BCHLThe BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers are staying put and, in fact, the future looks good with a move underway to turn the team into a community-owned franchise. At a news conference on Monday, it was revealed that the process has begun to form the Nanaimo Clippers Hockey Society. . . . Greg Sakaki of the Nanaimo News-Bulletin writes: “Keeping the Clippers in the Harbour City involved a group of individuals contributing at least $50,000 each to allow the society to purchase a portion of the hockey club. There was sufficient commitment to satisfy the current ownership group.” . . . Sakaki’s story is right here.
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The OHL’s Niagara IceDogs have signed head coach Dave Bell to a three-year extension. Bell just completed his first season as head coach, after spending three seasons on staff as an assistant coach. The IceDogs finished 23-35-10 this season, good for eighth spot in the 10-team Eastern Conference. They were swept from a first-round series by the Peterborough Petes.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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MONDAY GAMES:


At Portland, the Winterhawks, the Western Conference’s first wild-card team, beat the Prince George Cougars, 4-2, to advance to the second round of the WHL playoffs. . . . The Winterhawks won the
COLE KEHLER
series, 4-2. They had finished fourth in the U.S. Division, at 40-28-4. The Cougars won the B.C. Division pennant, at 45-21-6. . . . The Winterhawks next will face the Kelowna Rockets, who eliminated the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2, on Sunday night. This will be the fifth playoff meeting between these teams since 2011. . . . The Winterhawks and Rockets will get started in Kelowna on Friday night. . . . Last night, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first three goals, all in the second period. . . . F Colton Veloso (2) made it 1-0 at 5:35, with F Ryan Hughes (2) counting at 7:18 and F Alex Overhardt (1) upping the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 11:58. . . . The Cougars got on the scoreboard when F Kody McDonald (2) scored at 6:38 of the third period, seven seconds after the expiration of a PP. . . . The Winterhawks got that one back just 1:07 later as F Keegan Iverson got his third goal of the series. . . . F Colby McAuley (4) added a late PP goal for the Cougars, at 18:59. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 35 shots for the Winterhawks and was saluted as the game’s first star. . . . The Cougars got 38 stops from G Ty Edmonds. . . . Prince George was 1-2 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . Prince George had F Tanner Wishnowski back after he served a one-game suspension for becoming involved with a fan during Game 4 in Portland on Thursday. . . . The Cougars again were without F Brad Morrison, a 20-goal scorer who was unable to recover sufficiently from ankle woes to contribute. Morrison, who missed the last three games of the series, was injured in a fight on Feb. 24 and played in only two games after that. . . . Announced attendance: 4,211.
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At Moose Jaw, G Jordan Papirny stopped 39 shots to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos, who won three times in Moose Jaw, took the first-round series, 4-
JORDAN PAPIRNY
3, and will open the second round in Regina against the Pats on Thursday. . . . The Warriors had finished second in the East Division, five points ahead of the Broncos, who were 24 points behind the first-place Pats. . . . Last season, Papirny, now 20, backstopped the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Last night, he stopped 14 shots in the first period, 11 in the second and 14 in the third. . . . Papirny, who will turn 21 on Monday, went 2.02 and .947 in the seven games. He now has played in 56 playoff games, going 37-19, 2.77, .916. A year ago with Brandon, he went 16-5, 2.93, .897. . . . Last night, The Broncos took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Colby Sissons (2), at 4:30 of the first period, and F Tyler Steenbergen (6), on a PP, at 1:47 of the second. . . . F Justin Almeida (2) got the Warriors to within a goal at 7:49. . . . F Glenn Gawdin (3) restored Swift Current’s two-goal lead at 3:17 of the third period. . . . D Josh Brook (2) made things interesting when he scored for Moose Jaw at 14:59. . . . The Broncos got two assists from D Max Lajoie, with Steenbergen adding one to his goal. . . . Brook had an assist for the Warriors. You can bet he’ll be added to the Canadian U-18 team that will leave on Wednesday for the IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. . . . The Warriors got 27 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . The Broncos were 1-4 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 4,585.
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TUESDAY GAME (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 3-3)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:27 PM
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Saturday, April 1, 2017

Hurricanes, Warriors stay alive . . . Winterhawks put Cougars on ropes . . . Lowry: It was offside


D Sam Klassen (Saskatoon, 2006-10) has signed a one-year contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). Klassen didn’t play this season. Last season, with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL), he had a goal and six assists in 51 games.
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 The Lethbridge Hurricanes had F Giorgio Estephan, one of their top forwards, back in their lineup for Game 5 against the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday night, and he contributed a goal and two assists to a 5-3 victory. Estephan missed Games 3 and 4 after taking a high-stick to the face late in the second period of Game 2. . . . The Hurricanes also had D Calen Addison back after a one-game absence. The second-overall selection in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft, Addison had a fine freshman season, with 33 points, including 24 assists, in 63 games. . . . Addison and Estephan drew the assists on Lethbridge’s second goal last night.
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The Red Deer Rebels played Game 5 in Lethbridge without F Lane Zablocki, who has been hotter than a firecracker. He was suspended for one game after taking a double minor for checking from behind in Game 5 on Thursday. . . . Zablocki has five goals in the playoffs, which had him tied for the WHL lead with F Patrick Bajkov of the Everett Silvertips when Saturday’s games began.
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F Brad Morrison was scratched by the Prince George Cougars again on Saturday, so he missed Game 5 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks. Morrison returned from an ankle injury to score the first goal of Game 2, but was hurting in Game 3, so was scratched from Game 4 and again last night.
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The Cougars and Winterhawks will complete their second bus trip to Portland today where they will play Game 6 on Monday night. It will be interesting to see how many fans show up for this one. The NCAA’s Final Four championship game — featuring Spokane’s Gonzaga Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels — also is scheduled for Monday. The WHL game is to start at 7 p.m.; the men’s basketball game is to begin at 6 p.m. PT. . . . The Gonzaga roster includes two players from Portland — guards Silas Melson and Nigel Williams-Goss. . . . Williams-Goss actually is from Happy Valley, Ore., which is in the Portland metro area. . . . Of course, it could have been worse. North Carolina eliminated the Oregon Ducks last night.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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So . . . is a hockey player better off to test positive for mumps or to be found to have mononucleosis? Would he miss more games with the former or the latter? Asking for a friend.
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A note from Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier, as the Rockets prepare to visit Kamloops tonight for Game 6 with the Blazers: “The Rockets have not been impacted by the mumps to date, and are now avoiding the media as a precautionary measure. Some members of the Kelowna media were in contact with Keen earlier in the series.” . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, has missed two games after showing mumps symptoms and isn’t expected to be at Game 6.
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D Parker Wotherspoon of the Tri-City Americans left Saturday to join the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders. Wotherspoon, from Surrey, B.C., was a fourth-round selection by the Islanders in the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . Wotherspoon had 66 points, including 56 assists, in 69 games this season. He had one assist as the Americans were swept from the first round by the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Wotherspoon, who has signed with the Islanders, will turn 20 on Aug. 24, so is eligible to play one more WHL season. He also could play in the Islanders’ organization.
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Was it, or wasn’t it? F Eetu Tuulola scored in OT on Friday night, giving the Everett Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals and a 3-2 edge in that series. But did the winner come on a play that was offside at the Victoria blue line? . . . “It was 100 per cent offside . . . even the Everett players stopped skating,” Victoria head coach Dave Lowry told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times-Colonist. “It’s a judgment call. We’ll find a way to move on and refocus.”
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BTW, Lowry also had this to say: “Our guys play extremely hard and are frustrated by (Everett’s) hooking and cross-checking (not being called). And then they go down real easy.” . . . Everett had three PP opportunities to Victoria’s one in Game 5. . . . They’ll play Game 6 in Victoria this afternoon.
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If you have any interest at all in the concussion lawsuit filed by retired players against the NHL, you will want to read this piece right here by John Vogl of the Buffalo News. Things are getting uglier and nastier by the day, and Vogl has all the details.
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It’s Opening Day. Enjoy!
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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SATURDAY GAMES:


At Lethbridge, F Giorgio Estephan returned from a two-game absence to spark the Hurricanes to a 5-3
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Red Deer holds a 3-2 edge in the series and will play host to Game 6 today. . . . Estephan finished with a goal — he got an empty-netter at 19:34 of the third period — and two assists. . . . Lethbridge F Zak Zborosky (2) snapped a 3-3 tie at 2:28 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes thought they had scored the game’s first goal on a first-period breakaway by Zborosky. But the goal was negated when it was ruled that the net was off its moorings. . . . F Alec Baer (1) gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 13:58 of the first period. . . . Red Deer tied it when F Michael Spacek (3) counted, on a PP, at 4:20 of the second period. . . . The Hurricanes went back out front at 7:07 when F Zane Franklin (1) scored. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Hagel (5) got that one back, on a PP, at 10:25. . . . The Hurricanes regained the lead 11 seconds later on F Matt Alfaro’s first goal. . . . Hagel sent Red Deer back into another tie with his sixth goal, at 13:49. . . . Zborosky added an assist to his goal. . . . Red Deer got two assists from F Adam Musil. . . . With the teams tied 3-3 heading into the third period, it marked the first time in the series that Red Deer didn’t trail going into the third period. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 39 saves, three more than Red Deer’s Riley Lamb. . . . Red Deer was 2-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-3. . . . Announced attendance: 4,562.
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At Prince George, F Ryan Hughes snapped a 3-3 tie at 14:22 of the third period as the Portland Winterhawks, with 48 saves from G Cole Kehler, beat the Cougars, 5-3. . . . The Winterhawks took a 3-2
COLE KEHLER
lead in the series, with Game 6 scheduled for Monday in Portland. A seventh game, if needed, would be played in Prince George on Wednesday. . . . Hughes scored his first goal of the series just 59 seconds after F Colby McAuley (3) had pulled the Cougars into a 3-3 tie. . . . F Cody Glass (2) provided Portland with some insurance at 17:25. Glass, who turned 18 on Saturday, also had an assist. . . . F Jared Bethune (2) gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 1:09 of the first period. . . . The Winterhawks responded with the next three goals. . . . F Brad Ginnell (1) tied it at 4:28. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld scored the next two goals, his first two of the series, at 15:14 of the first and 2:45 of the third. . . . The Cougars closed to within a goal when F Brogan O’Brien (2) scored at 10:04. . . . D Shane Collins drew two assists for the Cougars. . . . The Winterhawks got a big game from Kehler, who faced 18, 15 and 18 shots by period. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 23 for the home side. . . . Portland was 1-2 on the PP; Prince George was 0-2. . . . The Cougars again scratched F Brad Morrison (ankle), while F Tyler Wishowski sat out a one-game suspension that, according to the WHL, was “for actions at Portland” on Thursday. Perhaps he didn’t tip a waitress. . . . Announced attendance: 5,822.
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At Swift Current, F Noah Gregor crawled out of the doghouse to score two goals and lead the Moose Jaw
NOAH GREGOR
Warriors to a 3-2 victory over the Broncos. . . . The Warriors evened the series, 3-3, with Game 7 scheduled for Moose Jaw on Monday. . . . Gregor had 51 points, including 27 goals, in 52 games this season, his second in the WHL. But he was pointless through five games in this series and, along with F Jayden Halbgewachs, took some heavy public criticism from head coach Tim Hunter after Game 4. . . . Halbgewachs was pointless in Game 5. . . . Gregor gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 5:24 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it when F Ryley Lindgren got his fifth goal of the series at 7:21. . . . Gregor broke the tie at 14:27, and F Justin Almeida (1) upped it to 3-1 at 13:52 of the second period. . . . The Broncos made things interesting when F Tyler Steenbergen got his fifth goal at 13:54 of the third period. . . . F Thomas Foster had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 41 shots for the Warriors, three more than the Broncos’ Jordan Papirny. . . . Swift Current was 0-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-3. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Red Deer, 5 p.m. (Red Deer leads, 3-2)
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 3-2)
Everett at Victoria, 2:05 p.m. (Everett leads, 3-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:39 PM
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Royals get two positive tests . . . Blazers' pick joining Vees . . . Pats clinch top spot



The Victoria Royals confirmed on Monday that head coach Dave Lowry and D Mitchell Prowse have tested positive for mumps. At the same time, D Ralph Jarratt was cleared.
The team made the announcement on its Facebook page.
Lowry and Prowse, who had been isolated from the team as it awaited the test results, are expected to rejoin the Royals this week in preparation for a weekend home-and-home series with the Everett Silvertips.
Jarratt, meanwhile, is shown on the WHL’s weekly roster report as being out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
According to the team’s statement, “no further members of the Royals organization have been infected by the virus. Both Lowry and Prowse have recovered from their mild symptoms and have cleared the contagious stage.”
Lowry missed a third straight game on Tuesday as the Royals dropped a 5-3 decision to the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. With Lowry missing, assistant coach Dan Price again ran the bench, with help from assistant Doug Bodger, who usually works only home games.
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It seems that the mumps outbreak also has touched the BCHL.
Taking Note has been told that a player with the Penticton Vees was diagnosed with mumps two weeks ago. He was quickly isolated and the viral disease doesn’t appear to have spread within the organization.
The player in question returned to practice this week.
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F Massimo Rizzo will be joining the BCHL’s Penticton Vees for the remainder of their playoff run that begins Friday against the Merritt Centennials.
MASSIMO RIZZO
Rizzo was a first-round selection, 15th overall, by the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. He played in three games with the Vees during the regular season.
Last season, Rizzo put up 137 points, including 60 goals, in 61 games with the Burnaby Winter Club’s Tier 1 bantam team. This season, with the BWC midget prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, he had 78 points, including 59 assists, in 43 games. Rizzo’s club will conclude its season this weekend, after which he will join the Vees.
Rizzo was pointless in his first three games with the Vees. Of course, F Tyson Jost didn’t get a point in his first three games with the Vees, either, when he was an AP in 2013-14 while playing for the major midget Okanagan Rockets.
Jost went on to enjoy 45- and 104-point seasons with the Vees before being the 10th overall selection by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL’s 2016 draft. Jost now is completing his freshman season at North Dakota.
The Hockey News, in its Future Watch issue, wrote: “. . . college coaches are swooning for him. Some say he’s better than Tyson Jost at the same age.”
Rizzo spent some time in mid-February on the U of Wisconsin campus in Madison. Maco Balkovec, his coach at BWC, was a Wisconsin defenceman for four seasons (1991-95).
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Conrad Mitchell, who was a seventh-round selection in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. From Thorsby, Alta., Mitchell played this season with the minor midget AAA Leduc Oil Kings, recording 35 points, 17 of them goals, in 35 games. 
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G Austin McGrath, 19, has committed to Cornell where he will play for the Big Red. McGrath, from Lloydminster, Alta., was a fourth-round selection by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. His WHL rights later ended up with the Edmonton Oil Kings, who dealt them to the Everett Silvertips on May 11 for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . McGrath played this season with the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet spent the past week hunting and gathering. The result is the latest edition of 30 Thoughts and it’s right here.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching

Aus-HLRob Daum, a former WHL coach, has been dropped by the Linz Black Wings of the Erste Bank 
Eishockey Liga after six seasons as their head coach. Daum, 59, was under contract with the Austrian club through 2017-18. . . . The Black Wings were eliminated from the Erste Banke playoffs on March 7. . . . Under Daum, the Black Wings won the EBEL championship in 2011-12, his first season with them. . . . With 237 victories during his time with Linz, Daum is No. 1 on the Erste Bank career list. He also was the league’s longest-serving coach. . . . “We are of the opinion that the club . . . needs a new direction after six years under the same coaching,” team president Peter Freunschlag said in a news release. . . . Daum coached in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes (1989-95).
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Dean Blais won’t be returning for a ninth season as head coach of the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Blais and the school’s athletic department made the announcement Tuesday. . . . Blais, 66, was 146-133-30 with the Mavericks, appeared in two NCAA tournaments and reached the Frozen Four on one occasion. This season, UNO was 17-17-5. . . . UNO’s season ended Sunday with a ?? OT loss to the Western Michigan Mustangs, after which Blais seemed to indicate that he would be returning. It would appear, however, that something changed between then and Tuesday morning. . . . During a 10-season (1994-2004) stint at North Dakota, Blais won two NCAA championships. . . . Adam Wodon of College Hockey News has a whole lot more right here.
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If the playoffs began today . . . 
Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Calgary
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Seattle vs. Tri-City
Prince George vs. Victoria
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Everett vs. Portland
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, the Swift Current Broncos broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of goals 53 seconds apart late in the second period en route to a 6-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Broncos started with a pair of first-
CONNER CHAULK
period PP goals, from D Artyom Minulin (8), at 11:31, and F Tyler Steenbergen, at 17:54. . . . Steenbergen leads the WHL with 51 goals. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it on two second-period goals, 37 seconds apart, from F Tanner Kaspick (19), at 0:26, and F Nolan Patrick (20), at 1:03. . . . F Riley Stotts (8) snapped the tie at 15:46 and F Lane Pederson (24) made it 4-2 at 16:39. . . . The Broncos went ahead 5-2 when F Glenn Gawdin (25) counted at 6:32 of the third period. . . . Brandon F Ty Lewis scored his 30th goal, at 7:32. . . . The Broncos ended the scoring as F Arthur Miller (7) struck on a PP, at 12:19. . . . The Broncos got three assists from F Conner Chaulk and two from F Ryley Lindgren, with Pederson, Steenbergen and Minulin each had one. . . . Lewis added an assist to his goal. . . . The Broncos got 24 saves from G Taz Burman. . . . G Jordan Papirny, who played the first four-plus seasons of his WHL career with Brandon, wasn't able to make the trip east due to illness. He now has sat out three straight games. . . . With Papirny out, the Broncos had Bailey Brkin on the bench. The 6-foot-4 Brkin, 17, is from Sherwood Park, Alta. He played this season with the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 36 shots. . . . Swift Current was 3-3 on the PP; Brandon was 0-2. . . . D Kale Clague was among Brandon’s scratches, while D Aiden Mucenski made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings. Mucenski, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, is from Calgary. He had 20 points, 19 of them assists, with the midget AAA Calgary Flames this season. . . . D Colton Sissons was among Swift Current scratches. . . . The Wheat Kings lost F Tyler Coulter to a charging major and game misconduct at 13:38 of the first period for a hit on Broncos F Kaden Elder. . . . The Broncos (38-21-10) have won three in a row. They also have won six straight on the road. Swift Current is third in the East Division, five points Moose Jaw with each team having three games remaining. They will wrap up the regular season with a home-and-home series on the weekend. . . . The Wheat Kings (30-29-10) have lost 12 of their past 15 games. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,009. . . . The Wheat Kings completed the roster of their 50th anniversary Dream Team with Ray Allison (1975-79), Bill Derlago (1974-78) and Brian Propp (1976-79) on the first line, with Brad McCrimmon (1976-79) and Ivan Provorov (2014-16) on the first defence pairing and Ron Hextall (1981-84) in goal.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Colton Kehler scored at 1:17 of OT to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 3-2 victory
COLTON KEHLER
over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Kehler has 17 goals this season. . . . This was Edmonton’s first victory since Feb. 15 when Kehler’s OT goal gave the Oil Kings a 3-2 victory over the visiting Ice. . . . F Brett Davis (18) gave the home side a 1-0 lead 51 seconds into the second period. . . . Edmonton tied it when F Tyson Gruninger scored his second goal of the season at 19:46. . . . The Ice went back in front on F Jake Elmer’s seventh goal, at 4:46 of the third period. . . . Edmonton forced OT when F Davis Koch scored No. 21 at 6:51. . . . Edmonton G Josh Dechaine blocked 20 shots. . . . The Ice got 32 saves from G Payton Lee. . . . Edmonton was 0-1 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-2. . . . The Oil Kings (21-43-6) have lost their previous 12 games (0-10-2). . . . The Ice (14-43-12) has lost seven in a row (0-5-2). . . . Neither of these teams will be in the playoffs. . . . Announced attendance: 1,672.
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At Medicine Hat, the Red Deer Rebels scored three shorthanded goals, two on the same penalty, en
BRANDON HAGEL
route to an 8-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . Red Deer, which clinched a playoff spot, broke it open with four goals, including two shorties, in a span of 2:15 in the third period. . . . The Tigers actually held a 2-1 lead halfway through the game, thanks to a pair of PP goals. . . . F Matt Bradley (34) gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 8:34 of the first period. . . . The Rebels tied it when F Lane Zablocki got his 27th goal, shorthanded, on a penalty shot, at 7:38 of the second period. . . . Medicine Hat went back out front at 7:53 as F Zach Fischer got his 34th goal. . . . F Brandon Hagel got the Rebels even, again, at 10:34 and F Jordan Roy’s third goal put the visitors in front at 17:25. . . . Hagel’s 27th goal, at 6:42 of the third period, started the Red Deer explosion. . . . F Austin Glover scored his 21st at 7:46, with F Evan Polei (32) and F Michael Spacek (29) scoring shorties at 8:37 and 8:57, respectively. . . . F Max Gerlach added a PP goal for the Tigers, at 9:25, before Roy scored again, at 13:12. . . . Red Deer got three assists from D Jared Freadrich and two each from F Matt Campese and Hagel, with Polei, Glover and Spacek adding one each. . . . Hagel’s four-point night made him a point-a-game guy, with 63 points in 62 games. . . . Gerlach and Bradley had assists for the Tigers. . . . G Lasse Petersen earned the victory with 37 saves. . . . The Tigers got 14 saves on 18 shots from starter Michael Bullion, in 51:02, while Nick Schneder allowed four goals on seven shots in 8:57. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . The Rebels (29-28-12) are 4-0-2 in their past six games. They are third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Calgary. . . . The Tigers (49-20-1) had won their previous three games. They will finish atop the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,089.
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At Moose Jaw, F Simon Stransky’s 20th goal at 1:29 of OT gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 3-2 victory
SIMON STRANSKY
over the Warriors. . . . D Max Martin’s eighth goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 4:13 of the first period. . . . The Warriors tied it on D Dmitri Zaitsev’s second goal, on a PP, at 14:15. . . . The next two goals came in the third period. . . . F Parker Kelly (20) gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead at 3:09. . . . The Warriors forced extra time when F Noah Gregor got No. 25, at 18:54, with G Zach Sawchenko on the bench for an extra attacker. . . . F Curtis Miske had two assists for Prince Albert, while Kelly had one. . . . The Raiders got a big night from G Nick Schneider with 41 saves. . . . At the other end, Sawchenko stopped 31 shots. . . . The game featured two penalty shots, neither of which was successful. F Cavin Leth of the Raiders came up empty at 8:08 of the first period, with F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Warriors coming up short at 17:36 of the second. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-1 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-3. . . . The Raiders improved to 20-43-7. . . . The Warriors (41-19-9) have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and remain second in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,013.
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At Regina, F Sam Steel and F Adam Brooks, the Pats’ big guns, combined for six points as the Pats beat
CONNOR HOBBS
the Saskatoon Blades, 5-4, to clinch first place in the WHL’s overall standings. . . . The Pats last finished atop the overall standings in the spring of 1974. That year, they went on to win the Memorial Cup at the Corral in Calgary. . . . Steel scored his 49th goal and added two assists, with Brooks chipping in three assists. . . . Steel leads the WHL with 127 points, seven more than Brooks, who won last season’s scoring title with 120 points. . . . Brooks leads the WHL in assists (81), three more than Steel. . . . The Blades, who are fighting for their playoff lives, took a 3-1 lead into the second period. . . . F Caleb Fantillo (5) gave Saskatoon a lead at 3:04 of the first period. . . . F Nick Henry (34) tied it with a PP goal at 5:38. . . . The Blades took a 3-1 lead on goals from F Dryden Michaud, his first WHL goal in his 27th game, at 16:23, and F Josh Paterson (16), at 16:51. . . . Regina F Jeff de Wit, celebrating his 19th birthday, got the Pats to within a goal with his ninth, at 3:43 of the second period. . . . Steel tied it at 13:37. . . . D Josh Mahura (17) gave Regina its first lead, at 18:16. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs, who also had an assist, scored his 29th goal, on a PP, at 15:22, for a 5-3 lead. Hobbs leads all WHL defencemen in goals and points (81). . . . Saskatoon made it interesting when F Michael Farren scored his seventh goal, on a PP, at 18:43. The Blades held a two-man advantage and then pulled G Logan Flodell for an extra attacker at the time. . . . Fantillo added an assist to his goal. . . . G Tyler Brown earned the victory with 22 saves. . . . Flodell stopped 30 shots. . . . Regina was 2-7 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-7. . . . The Pats (49-12-8) have won five in a row and have tied a franchise record with 49 victories. . . . The Blades (27-34-9) have lost three straight. They are three points out of a playoff spot and have just two games remaining. . . . Regina went 5-0-1 in the season series. . . . Announced attendance: 4,695.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Keegan Iverson ran his point streak to 10 games as he scored twice to help the
KEEGAN IVERSON
Portland Winterhawks to a 6-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Winterhawks (39-27-4) are third in the U.S. Division, three points clear of the Americans (38-28-3), who have lost five in a row. . . . Tri-City holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point behind Victoria. . . .  Iverson has put together seven two-point games in his past eight outings. In 53 games, he has 68 points, including 25 goals. . . . The Winterhawks took control with the game’s first four goals, three of them in the first period. . . . The first three goals came from F Skyler Mckenzie (42), Iverson, on a PP, and F Lane Gilliss (6). . . . F Jake Gricius (10) made it 4-0 at 6:49 of the second period. . . . F Kyle Olson scored Tri-City’s goal, his 20th, at 12:59 of the third period. . . . Iverson and F Brett Clayton (2) added late goals for Portland. . . . The Winterhawks got two assists from each of D Caleb Jones and F Ilijah Colina, with McKenzie adding one. . . . Portland G Cole Kehler turned aside 35 shots. . . . Tri-City got 31 stops from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . Portland was 1-2 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-6. . . . The Americans lost F Landon Fuller to a charging major and game misconduct at 9:41 of the first period. . . . Announced attendance: 3,092.
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At Langley, B.C., F James Malm scored two goals and added two assists to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 5-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Malm, who had two assists in 25 games last season, has 50
JAMES MALM
points, including 20 goals, in 66 games this season. . . . The Giants scored the game’s first two goals, from F Brayden Watts (7), at 3:03 of the first period, and Malm, at 9:48 of the second. . . . Victoria F Matt Phillips got his guys on the scoreboard at 9:58. . . . The Giants got that one back when D Jordan Wharrie got his fifth goal, on a PP, at 14:48. . . . The Royals cut the deficit to one when Phillips scored his 50th goal, on a penalty shot, at 1:16 of the third period. . . . The Giants went back up by two on F Ty Ronning’s 25th goal, at 2:39. . . . The Royals wouldn't go away, though, and F Blake Bargar cut the host’s lead to one with his sixth goal, at 7:06. . . . Malm iced it at 12:18. . . . Watts added two assists to his goal, with F Johnny Wesley and F Calvin Spencer also getting two assists apiece. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck earned the victory with 39 saves. . . . The Royals got 28 stops from G Griffen Outhouse. . . . Vancouver was 1-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . The Royals went 0-4-1 on a five-game road trip that included an introduction to mumps. Head coach Dave Lowry and defencemen Ralph Jarratt and Mitchell Prowse missed the last three games. . . . Victoria D Ryan Gagnon has tied the franchise record for career games played (318). F Brandon Magee played in 66 games with the Chilliwack Bruins and 252 with the Royals. Gagnon will break the record if he plays Friday against the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . F Jack Walker played in his 316th regular-season game with the Royals last night. . . . The Royals won eight of 10 games in the season series. . . . The Giants (20-43-6) had lost their previous eight games (0-7-1). . . . The Royals (37-27-6) have lost five in a row (0-4-1). They are in possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, a point ahead of Tri-City. . . . Announced attendance: 4,158.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Everett at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. (ppd., from March 8)
Calgary at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

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