Winterhawks run at 14; Petan takes over scoring lead

Tieja MacLaughlin is free to return to Canada after agreeing to a plea agreement in a Kennewick, Wash., courtroom on Wednesday afternoon. Wayne Moore of castanet.net has that story right here.
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The Everett Silvertips announced Wednesday that they have signed G Carter Hart, an eighth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The announcement came a few days after Hart announced on his Twitter account that he had signed. . . . The Silvertips are expected to have Hart on the bench this weekend as they have suspended G Daniel Cotton and F Darcy DeRoose indefinitely for violating team rules. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald tweeted news of the suspensions yesterday afternoon. . . . According to a Silvertips news release, Hart “will serve as the club’s backup goaltender through a set of three games in three days this weekend.” . . . Hart has been playing for the Sherwood Park Squires of the Alberta minor midget league. From Sherwood Park, he is 13-3-3, 1.92, .937 with the Squires. . . . Everett is at home to the Vancouver Giants on Friday and the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday, before meeting the Chiefs in Spokane on Sunday.
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Former WHL D Nathan Dempsey (Regina, 1991-94) has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Dempsey, 40, is in St. John’s, Nfld., this week to take part in AHL All-Star Game festivities. Robin Short of the St. John’s Telegram has more right here.
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The Kamloops Blazers have added F Mitch Friesen, 17, to their lineup for three weekend games. Friesen, who started the season with the Blazers, has been with the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International junior league. . . . While D Connor Clouston is ready to return to the Kamloops lineup, the Blazers will be without F Tyson Ness and F Luke Harrison, both of whom have been shut down for the season, along with G Justin Myles (indefinite), F Chase Souto (1-2 weeks) and F Matt Needham (day-to-day). . . . The Blazers, who have lost 10 in a row, are at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Friday and the Prince George Cougars on Saturday, then visit the Vancouver Giants on Sunday.
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Hockey Winnipeg officials announced Wednesday that beginning next fall all parents of minor hockey players will have to take the Respect in Sport course that was designed by Wayne McNeil and former WHL star Sheldon Kennedy. . . . There’s more right here on the Winnipeg story. . . . Meanwhile, the program has been in place in Calgary for three years now, and the results are quite positive. There’s more on that story right here.
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The BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings have signed head coach Dave Dupas to a two-year contract extension that runs through 2015-16. The contract also includes a club option on 2016-17. . . . The Spruce Kings have qualified for the playoffs in each of his three seasons behind the bench. . . . As well, the Spruce Kings signed assistant coaches Colton Buffie and Jason Garneau to two-year extensions running through 2015-16.
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THURSDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
No games scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Saskatoon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Portland at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City at Seattle, 7:35 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, G Daniel Wapple stopped 27 shots to help the Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Ice had won six straight games. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski, who had won his last 10 starts, stopped 28 shots. . . . Regina F Dyson Stevenson gave his side a 3-1 lead with his 25th goal at 4:41 of the second. . . . Ice F Luke Philp got his 24th at 7:33 of the second but that was it for the visitors. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart ran his point streak to 15 games with an assist on his club’s first goal. . . . After that goal, Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, tweeted: “Reinhart ties team record with 8-game assist streak, done 5 times in Ice history, 3 times by Reinhart, 2nd time this season.” . . . The Pats (29-22-5) are tied for sixth with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference, but they are only one point behind the idle Swift Current Broncos, who lead the East Division. . . . The Ice is fifth in the conference, five points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Taylor Cooper scored 20 seconds into OT to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . It was the first meeting between these teams since the Nov. 16 deal in which Brandon landed D Ryan Pilon and F Colt Conrad in exchange for Cooper, D Nick Walters and D Tanner Browne. . . . Pilon, Walters and Cooper all played last night. . . . Cooper also had an assist and was plus-3. . . . The goal was Cooper’s 11th of the season. . . . Brandon F Quintin Lisoway forced OT with his seventh goal of the season at 15:44 of the third period. . . . F Richard Nejezchleb opened the scoring for Brandon, getting his 29th of the season via the PP, at 18:30 of the first. . . . Lethbridge went ahead on third-period goals from F Riley Sheen, his 15th, at 8:40 and F Brady Ramsay, his 13th, at 11:43. . . . Ramsay also had two assists. . . . Brandon was without F Rihards Bukarts (undisclosed injury) for a third straight game. . . . The Wheat Kings finished 0-2-1 on a three-games swing; they are 3-5-2 in their last 10 overall. . . . The Hurricanes (12-41-5) now have 29 points, leaving the Kamloops Blazers (11-41-5) alone in the WHL basement. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-22-7) are tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Red Deer, D Tyler Lewington drew three assists to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 27 shots. . . . Tigers F Curtis Valk needed 2:39 to run his point streak to 16 games, the longest in the WHL today. He drew an assist on F Dylan Bredo’s first-period PP goal. . . . Valk also scored a goal, his 31st. . . . F Anthony Ast also scored for the winners, giving him three in his last two games and five in seven. He‘s got 12 goals this season, seven in 15 games with the Tigers, who acquired him from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Medicine Hat has won five of its last six games. . . . The Tigers (34-20-3) are a comfortable fourth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Rebels (27-26-4) have lost seven in a row and are eighth in the conference, three points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .

In Edmonton, the Prince Albert Raiders built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Raiders G Cole Cheveldave stopped 39 shots, 21 more than Edmonton‘s Tristan Jarry. . . . Edmonton had won its previous 11 games. . . . F Collin Valcourt, playing in his 250th regular-season WHL game, scored twice for the Raiders, giving him 19. He also had an assist. . . . Raiders F Leon Draisaitl gave his guys a 4-1 lead with his 23rd goal, via the PP, at 3:56 of the third. . . . The Oil Kings made it close with two goals from F Henrik Samuelsson, who has 26 goals. Both goals came via the PP. . . . Prince Albert F Dakota Conroy scored his 21st goal and added two assist. . . . The Raiders were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 2-for-4. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Griffin Reinhart, who was ill. . . . The Raiders (26-27-3) are three points behind Red Deer, which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Oil Kings (40-14-1) lead the Eastern Conference by three points over the Calgary Hitmen. Edmonton holds two games in hand. . . .

In Victoria, D Jordan Fransoo scored at 2:26 of OT to give the Royals a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Fransoo has four goals this season. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges had forced OT with his 17th goal, on the PP, at 2:42 of the third. . . . That goal came just 1:23 after F Parker Bowles had given the visitors the lead, on the PP, with his fifth goal. . . . Tri-City, which got two assists from F Beau McCue, was 2-for-5 on the PP. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 37 shots, 12 more than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka was backing up Vollrath after missing five games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Royals ran an Olympic-themed promotion for this one. Because Canada had won 10 medals in Sochi, if you wore red to the game you could get $10 off a ticket. . . . Attendance was announced at 4,501. . . . The Royals (39-16-4) clinched a playoff spot with the victory. They are third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks. Victoria has won four in a row and is 9-0-2 in its last 11 games. . . . The Royals, who have won six in a row on the road, leave Thursday on an East Division swing. . . . Tri-City (27-24-6) is eighth in the conference, five points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . .

In Prince George, Portland F Nic Petan took over the lead in the WHL scoring race as the Winterhawks skated to a 6-4 victory over the Cougars. . . . Portland, which clinched a playoff spot with the victory, has won 14 straight games. It can tie the franchise’s single-season record with a victory in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Petan had a goal, his 30th, and two assists, giving him 95 points, two more than Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg. . . . Petan, who now has 251 points in 183 career regular-season games, also leads the WHL in assists, with 65. . . . As well, Petan has at least one assist in 10 straight games. . . . Petan shared last season’s WHL scoring title with teammate Brendan Leipsic, each with 120 points. . . . F Keegan Iverson added two goals for Portland, giving him 18. . . . F Troy Bourke scored twice and added an assist for the Cougars. He’s got 23 goals. . . . The Cougars took a 2-1 lead into the second period, only to have the Winterhawks scored three times to take control. Petan scored shorthanded just 33 seconds into the period. . . . The Winterhawks were without G Brendan Burke, who is ill. In his absence, Corbin Boes stopped 20 shots. . . . The Cougars scratched F Jari Erricson, F Alex Forsberg, D Peter Kosterman, F Brett Roulston, F David Soltes, F Chase Witala and G Brett Zarowny. . . . The Winter hawks (40-12-5), with points in each of their last 16 games, have won at least 40 games in five straight seasons now. They are second in the Western Conference, nine points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Cougars (24-28-7) are five points out of a playoff spot. . . .

In Spokane, F Cole Linaker scored his eighth goal of the season at 19:33 of the third period to give the Kelowna Rockets a 2-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Rockets nursed a 1-0 lead into the third period, thanks to a goal by F Myles Bell, his 38th, via the PP, at 14:47 of the first. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow tied it with his fifth goal at 1:02 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 29 shots, while Eric Williams of the Chiefs turned aside 32. . . . The Rockets (45-8-4) lead the overall standings by nine points over Portland. . . . The Chiefs (32-20-5) are fifth in the Western Conference, six points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds and six ahead of the Vancouver Giants.

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Blazers move into conference final

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
This time, there won’t be a comeback.
It wasn’t easy and it took overtime, but the Kamloops Blazers made certain of that.
The Blazers managed to shake off the Kelowna Rockets 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night at Interior Savings Centre, sweeping the visitors from the second round of the WHL playoffs.
Let the history books show that Kale Kessy’s second goal of the game and his 11th in 10 playoff games won this one.
With the Blazers on the power play — they were 3-for-11 with the man advantage, while the Rockets were, uhh, 0-for-1 — Kessy shook off a hit from Kelowna’s Ryan Olsen along the right boards and got to the net in time to redirect defenceman Joel Edmundson’s hard pass behind goaltender Jordan Cooke at 2:24.
The Blazers are into the Western Conference’s best-of-seven final for the first time since the spring of 1999, when they swept the Tri-City Americans before losing the championship final in five games to the Calgary Hitmen.
Kamloops will meet the Portland Winterhawks in the conference final, with the first games in Oregon on April 19 and 20. Yes, the Winterhawks, who completed a sweep of the Chiefs with a 5-0 victory in Spokane last night, and Blazers now will have eight days off.
The Rockets, meanwhile, will be off for a while longer than that.
The Rockets had fallen behind the Seattle Thunderbirds 0-3 in the first round, then had become the second team in WHL history to win the next four games and the series.
So you can bet the Rockets were grasping at that straw after a 5-4 overtime loss at ISC on Tuesday night left them in that 0-3 hole, again.
But this time there wouldn’t be a miracle. Almost. But not quite.
The Rockets, who were playing their sixth game in nine nights, did a lot of hanging around and hanging on last night. They took the game’s first six minor penalties, five of them in the first period. Although they gave up just one power-play goal, that to Kessy, they paid a steep price from their energy bank because they spent so much time defending and were forced to over-use their top guys.
Due to injuries, the Rockets had been trying to make do for the most part with five defencemen. By the end of the first period, the back-enders were almost on empty and the mistakes were mounting.
And the Blazers kept pushing. Hard. They held a 19-4 edge in shots after 20 minutes.
Still, the Rockets got some momentum eight minutes into the second period when they were given their first power-play opportunity. They didn’t score right then, but forward Tyson Baillie, back from a two-game suspension, pulled the visitors even at 12:48 when he beat goaltender Cole Cheveldave from 20 feet out in the slot.
By that point the Rockets were looking like they might make a game of it.
But that thought appeared to end when Kamloops forward JC Lipon, who scored the OT winner Tuesday and was dominant in this one, checked Olsen off the puck in the Blazers’ zone and turned around the play. Moments later, at 17:05, defenceman Marek Hrbas gave the Blazers a 2-1 lead.
And then, with 27.4 seconds left on the clock, centre Matt Needham scored off some good work by Cole Ully the Rockets really were in trouble.
But Kelowna survived three Kamloops power plays in the third period and got goals from J.T. Barnett and Cole Linaker to force overtime.
The Blazers, as they had done Tuesday, opened the overtime with energy and the result was that Kelowna defenceman Madison Bowey, in trying to clear the zone, inadvertently put the puck into the crowd. That, in today’s game, is a delay-of-game penalty.
The Blazers stormed to the attack on the PP, with Kessy beating Cooke on their seventh shot of extra time and their 45th shot of the game.
Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave stopped 22 shots and, as he did on Tuesday night, made at least half-a-dozen of the timely variety.
Early in this season, it was the Rockets who ended the Blazers’ franchise-record 14-game winning streak. Later, the Rockets skated past the Blazers and won the B.C. Division’s regular-season pennant.
But last night the Blazers sent the Rockets home for the summer and moved on to the conference final.
You know the Rockets would switch positions in a New York minute.
JUST NOTES: The attendance was 4,904. . . . Lipon had two assists and remains the only player in the WHL with at least one point in each of his team’s playoff games this season. . . . The Daily News Three Stars — 1. Kessy: Two goals in big game; 2. Cheveldave: Getting better each time out; 3. Linaker: Bright future. . . . The Blazers were without C Colin Smith for a third straight game. He suffered a suspected concussion early in the second period of Game 1. However, he is back skating and should be back for the start of the conference final. . . . Games 3 and 4 in the conference final will be at ISC on April 23 and 24. If necessary, Game 5 would be in Portland on April 26, Game 6 in Kamloops on April 28 and Game 7 in Portland on April 30. . . . Andy Clovechok, Mr. Hockey in these parts, celebrated his 90th birthday by attending last night’s game, with the lovely Molly, of course.

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The Regina Pats announced Friday that they have shut down four players for the remainder of the season. . . . F Dryden Hunt, D Tye Hand, D Luke Fenske and D Colby Williams all have been out with “upper-body injuries.” Each of the players is believed to be concussed, with Hunt and Williams both out with their second concussions of this season. . . . The Pats have gone over the 300-game mark for man-games lost to injury and illness.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on the injured players right here.
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You’ve never experienced a concussion and you’re wondering what it’s like. Click right here and read about all that Philadelphia Flyers D Chris Pronger has gone through since he left the game.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed head scout Bil La Forge through the 2014-15 season. La Forge is in his fifth season with Everett and his second as the organizations’s head scout. La Forge, 38, also has worked for the Tri-City Americans and Lethbridge Hurricanes. La Forge, who is from Edmonton, is the son of the late Bill La Forge, who was a well-known junior hockey coach and coached in the WHL with the Regina Pats, Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Trinity Western University won’t renew Dwayne Lowdermilk’s conract as head coach of the Spartans. Lowdermilk started as the head coach of the TWU Titans and helped the organization make the move from club to varsity team, something that included a name change. . . . For more information on the position, contact Carol Hofer, the assistant director of athletics/administration at hofer@twu.ca.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin scored three times and added two assists as the Tri-City Americans got past the Kootenay Ice, 6-4. . . . The victory was the 40th of the season for the Americans, the seventh straight season in which they have done that. That equals the WHL record that is shared by the Kamloops Blazers (1989-96) and Regina Pats (1979-86). . . . The Americans are the only franchise to accomplished it with all seven seasons coming since the institution of the bantam draft. . . . “It’s a pretty special night,” Tri-City GM Bob Tory told me, “considering all the injuries this season. I am very proud of my players and our program.” . . . In reference to Tory, head coach Jim Hiller told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald: “I’m pretty happy for the guy who has done more work than anyone to make it happen.” . . . F Tyler Fraser made his WHL debut with the Americans, the ninth affiliated player to get into their lineup this season. . . . The Ice held a 3-2 lead halfway through the game. . . . Rankin, who got his 30th goal into an empty net, tied the score at 10:13 of the second and F Mitch Messier broke the tie 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Rankin scored at 14:56, before F Jaedon Descheneau got his 25th goal at 18:42. . . . Descheneau also had two assists. . . . Tr-City got a goal and two assists from each of Rankin’s linemates, Brian Williams and F Parker Bowles. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski, who set a single-season franchise record with his 58th appearance on March 1, played in his 61st game. The previous record had been shared by Clayton Pool (1998-99), Jeff Glass (2003-04) and Nathan Lieuwen (2011-12). . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley stopped 33 shots in running his record to 8-2-0. . . . The Americans remain fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Ice is eighth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and six ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who have five games left. . . .

In Kamloops, F Cole Linaker broke a 2-2 tie at 9:15 of the third period to give the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Linaker has two goals this season. He scored his first on one on Dec. 30 in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . The Blazers, who had won their previous four games, led 2-0 at 6:09 of the first period but didn’t score again. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford scored his 20th goal and it was his 350th career point, leaving him sixth in franchise history. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell, who sat out a game after suffering a leg injury in Kamloops on Sunday, scored his 37th goal. . . . Kamloops continues to be without F Matt Needham, who hasn’t played since Feb. 15. . . . The Rockets can wrap up first place in the B.C. Division with a regulation-time victory over the Blazers tonight in Kelowna. . . . The Rockets, with 100 points, hold a five-point leave and Kamloops has three games remaining. . . .

In Victoria, F Jack Walker broke a 3-3 tie at 4:26 of the third period as the Royals dropped the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . The Royals had lost their previous 11 games. . . . Walker’s eighth goal of the season came off an assist from his older brother, Ben. . . . F Brandon Magee got his 30th goal for Victoria when he scored shorthanded at 7:36 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer, a Minnesota high school star playing in his third WHL game, scored his first goal at 17:00 of the second period, pulling his side into a 3-3 tie. . . . Giants F Cain Franson had his 28th goal and two assists. . . . Victoria got two goals and an assist from Steven Hodges. He’s got 27 goals. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Eastern Conference and appear headed to a first-round matchup with Kamloops. . . .

In Brandon, F Henrik Samuelsson and F Stephane Legault scored in the circus as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . With the victory, Edmonton clinched its second straight Eastern Conference pennant. . . . Samuelsson was back after serving a two-game WHL suspension. . . . Legault had a goal, his 12th, and an assist in regulation time. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored with 36.7 seconds left in the third period to force OT. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 43 shots. . . . Edmonton has won five straight; Brandon has lost seven of eight. . . . The Oil Kings, who have four games remaining, have 48 victories, two shy of the franchise’s single-season record. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle, a 15-year-old who left the Minnesota high school ranks and joined the Wheat Kings earlier in the week, wasn’t in the lineup. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls scored two shorthanded goals and added an assist as the Blades dropped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . Nicholls has 44 goals. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first four goals. . . . F Boston Leier scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 17. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov turned aside 40 shots. . . . The Blades will win the East Division pennant and are one point behind the Calgary Hitmen, who are second in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference. The teams are reseeded by points after the first round. . . .

In Moose Jaw, Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored two first-period goals and the Broncos beat the Warriors, 2-1. . . . Lowry’s second goal, at 15:58, was his 200th career point. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 17 shots in his 22nd consecutive start. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen turned aside 25 shots. . . .
Moose Jaw F Jordan Wyton didn’t return to the game after a first-period fight with Swift Current F Ryon Moser. . . . Wyton has been limited by injuries, including a concussion, to 32 games this season. . . . The Broncos are sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Prince Albert and two ahead of Medicine Hat. . . .

In Regina, the Pats scored six times in the second period and dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-2. . . . F Lane Scheidl scored twice for Regina, giving him 37. . . . Regina F Mogan Klimchuk scored his 35th goal. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 28 shots. . . . Although he didn’t play last night, the Pats have added D Sean Whelan to their roster. He had been with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers and their season is over. . . . The Raiders, who have lost four in a row, can finish no higher than fifth in the Eastern Conference. They now are three points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Regina, which won’t make the playoffs, has won four of five. . . .

In Red Deer, F Tyson Ness scored twice to help the Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Rhyse Dieno scored his 27th goal for the Rebels. . . . Ness has 17 goals. . . . F Brady Ramsay scored his 12th goal of the season for Lethbridge. He last scored on Jan. 1. He went 23 games between goals. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Graham Hood, their captain, who drew a two-game suspension for a hit on D Devan Fafard of the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday night. . . . The Rebels, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference, will have home-ice advantage in the first round. They have three games remaining and are five points Calgary, which has yet to play five games. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 2-0 deficit and beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-3. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia scored three times and added an assist for the Chiefs. Bertaggia, who completed the hat trick into an empty, net, has 26 goals. . . . Everett F Brayden Low scored his first WHL goal in his 44th game. The 18-year-old from Richmond, B.C., has played in 39 games this season. He played five games with the Portland Winterhawks over the previous two seasons. . . . Everett held 2-0 and 3-2 leads. . . . Bertaggia tied it at 17:51 of the second and broke the tie at 6”30 of the third on the PP. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored twice, giving him 23. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, a point behind Tri-City. . . . Everett is eighth, three points behind Seattle and four ahead of Everett. . . . Seattle and Everett each has four games remaining; Prince George has six games left. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Jake Mykitiuk scored in the circus to give the Prince George Cougars a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . D Taylor Green got his second goal of the season for Seattle, via the PP, at 15:30 of the first. . . . Cougars F Troy Bourke tied it with his 14th at 4:42 of the second. . . . Mykitiuk scored in the fifth round of the shootout. . . . The Thunderbirds are seventh in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Everett.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Mike Simpson, Lethbridge
F Brendan Ranford, Kamloops
F Jacob Cardiff, Spokane

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon
F Dawson Leedahl, Everett


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By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Cole Linaker looked like Ralphie after he found the Red Ryder BB gun in A Christmas Story.
And, really, who could blame him?
Linaker, who will turn 18 on Monday, broke a 2-2 third-period tie with his second WHL goal on Friday night and that gave the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers at Interior Savings Centre.
“I was just standing in front and I saw it pop out,” Linaker said. “I kind of grabbed it, turned and fired it . . . at first I didn’t even know it went in.”
As Linaker realized he had deposited a rebound behind Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave, at 9:15 of the third period, the look on his face went from shock to surprise to joy.
“I haven’t had too many this season,” the Edmontonian said, “so it was exciting to get that one, especially at that time of the game.
“That one was huge. You can tell by the atmosphere in the room . . . the boys are so happy and it’s great to see.”
Linaker’s goal just may prove to be the one that all but sews up the B.C. Division title. With the victory, the division-leading Rockets pulled five points — 100-95 — ahead of the Blazers. The Blazers have three games remaining, the Rockets four. And they’ll stage a rematch tonight in Kelowna.
Kamloops, which had won its previous four games, the last two by shutout, appears headed for a first-round matchup with the Victoria Royals, a series that would begin here with games on March 22 and 23.
Last season, the Blazers swept the Royals from the first round.
Last night, the Blazers actually led 2-0 before the game was much more than six minutes old. And the way the Blazers were shredding the Rockets’ defence — the home boys had two goals on seven shots at goaltender Jordon Cooke — it looked like it might be an easy night.
However, Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska called his timeout after winger JC Lipon gave the Blazers a two-goal lead, his goal coming 1:48 after centre Brendan Ranford had opened the scoring.
Linaker said that Huska told his crew “to stick to the game plan.”
“He said there was a lot of hockey left and that we just had to stick to the game plan and we’d be fine,” recalled Linaker, who was a sixth-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft.
As the second half of the first period wore on, the Rockets began to push back. And it paid off in the second period with a couple of ugly goals.
The first one, at 4:18, was credited to winger Myles Bell, who returned after sitting out one game with a leg injury suffered in a 3-0 loss to the host Blazers on Sunday.
“It went off me . . . off my butt,” said Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave, whose shutout streak was ended at 148:56 by that goal. “It went to Bell and as I was pushing over to greet the puck on that side it went off my hip and in.”
That was at 4:18 of the second period. At 11:06, the Rockets tied it on a goal that went to forward Tyson Baillie.
“It went off my blocker,” said Cheveldave, “off my head and then . . . someone got a stick on it.”
Baillie, who has 24 goals, Linaker and freshman Rourke Chartier, who has scored a dozen times, play on what would be the Rockets’ fourth line, meaning they accounted for two of their club’s goals.
“It was a good night for us,” Linaker said. “We’ve been buzzing. We just have to keep it going and keep working hard.”
“Their fourth line scored two of their three goals,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said. “That can’t happen. The supporting cast has to have the ability to do a better job.
“Tonight, their fourth line was the difference in the hockey game.”
The Rockets also won this game because of their discipline. In recent visits, they have been haunted by trips to the penalty box. In this one, they gave the Blazers only one power-play opportunity.
“The Blazers have such a great offence and we can’t give them chances like that,” Linaker said. “To give them power plays like we did, it hurts the team. Tonight, we were good. We didn’t take very many penalties.”
In fact, they didn’t take any until the third period was almost 14 minutes old.
“You have to draw penalties,” Charron said. “Drawing penalties has to come from hard work, determination on the puck, make it difficult for the opposition to defend against you. Our effort consistently that way wasn’t up to par.”
The Blazers also paid a price for the void created by the absence of injured centres Matt Needham and Joe Kornelsen. Without those two, neither of whom will play tonight either, Charron dressed eight defencemen and spotted two of them up front.
“We’re missing two guys at centre who would give me the ability to make some changes,” Charron said. “We didn’t have enough people to sustain and create anything. I leaned on a few guys to play a lot of hockey.”
JUST NOTES: The attendance was 5,651. . . . Linaker, who has played in 33 games this season, had played in 14 games since he last scored in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips on Dec. 30. . . . Ranford’s goal, his 20th of the season, gave him 350 career regular-season points, moving him out of a tie with Hnat Domenichelli for sixth place in franchise history. . . . The Daily News Three Stars — 1. Cooke: 32 saves for his 50th career victory; 2. Cheveldave: Solid; 3. Baillie: Around the puck. . . . The Blazers will conclude their regular-season schedule next weekend. The Prince George Cougars will play here Friday and the teams will journey north for a Saturday rematch. . . . Former Blazers D Victor Bartley made his NHL debut last night, playing 19:15 for the host Nashville Predators in a 6-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. . . . Former Blazers captain Chase Schaber was the game’s first star as he scored the winning goal in his ECHL debut with the host Idaho Steelheads. Schaber broke a 3-3 tie at 14:51 of the third period in a 5-3 victory over the Gwinnett Gladiators. F Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored twice for Gwinnett. Schaber signed with Idaho on Thursday, after playing with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

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