Showing posts with label Collin Shirley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Collin Shirley. Show all posts

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Booster Club does its part for Literacy Week ... Blazers, Hurricanes come through late ... Rebels' line explodes


Let’s start with a great story involving the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club. . . .
You may be aware that 43 members of the booster club made their way to Prince George for a mid-week doubleheader, then rode the bus to Kamloops for Friday night’s game and wrapped it up in Kelowna on Saturday night.
It seems they made a stop before arriving at Friday’s game in Kamloops.
It was Family Literacy Week in Kamloops and the organizing committee had partnered with Kamloops Honda on a book drive that they called Heap the Honda. New and gently used children’s books were being collected to be given to children on Jan. 25, which is ABC Family Literacy Day.
The book drive was ongoing at Friday’s game between the Blazers and Winterhawks.
As I understand it, the booster club got wind of this promotion before arriving at Friday’s game and club members were able to make their way to a book store, where they purchased children’s books that helped Heap the Honda when they arrived at the Sandman Centre.
The Blazers won the game, beating the Winterhawks, 4-3 in a shootout, but the children of Kamloops were the real winners, thanks to people like those in the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club.
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Five people with ties to the WHL are among the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2017.
Bob Bourne, the late Eddie Litzenberger, the late Stan Dunn, Graham Tuer and Ken Wheler will be honoured at the annual induction dinner in Battlefords on July 22.
Bourne played for the Saskatoon Blades (1971-74) before going on to an NHL career that included four Stanley Cup titles with the New York Islanders.
Litzenberger played three seasons (1949-52) with the Regina Pats, appearing in the 1950 Memorial Cup. During his pro career, he won four Stanley Cups and two Calder Cups.
Dunn was the head coach of the Weyburn Red Wings during their only season in the WHL. He later spent four seasons as the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos.
Tuer is a favourite among the hockey scouting fraternity and has been around WHL arenas for a year or two. A former assistant GM with the Regina Pats, he most recently has scouted for the Kelowna Rockets and the Pats.
Wheler was a long-time WHL referee.
Bourne, Litzenberger and Fiona Smith-Bell will be inducted as players, with Dunn and Tuer going in as builders.
The Northwest Hockey Development Association is to be inducted in the grassroots division, while two teams — the 1983-84 Wilkie Outlaws and 2000-01 Lloydminster Border Kings — also will be inducted.
The Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame is located in the iPlex, the home of the Swift Current Broncos.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Stelio Mattheos had a goal and three assists to lead the Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over
STELIO MATTHEOS
the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings scored four goals, three of them on the PP, in the game’s first half and took that 4-0 lead into the third period. . . . F Nolan Patrick opened the scoring at 10:03 of the first period and F Connor Gutenberg (10) made it 2-0 at 15:33, on a PP. . . . Mattheos’s 17th goal upped the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 2:25 of the second and F Reid Duke’s 26th goal, on another PP, made it 4-0 at 9:57. . . . The Tigers got a pair of third-period goals, both on the PP, from F Max Gerlach (25), at 7:43, and F Mason Shaw (15), at 11:01. . . . Patrick iced it with an empty-netter at 19:33. He’s got eight goals. . . . Mattheos, who is seen as a potential first-round pick in the NHL’s 2017 draft, has 38 points in 45 games. . . . F Ty Lewis had two assists for Brandon. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 41 shots for Brandon, nine more than Medicine Hat’s Nick Schneider. . . . Brandon was 3-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 2-7. . . . The Wheat Kings lost D Dmitry Osipov to a charging major and game misconduct at 9:00 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings (23-17-5) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and are seven points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos in the East Division. . . . The Tigers (31-15-1) lead the Central Division by four points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Announced attendance: 4,155.
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At Edmonton, the Prince Albert Raiders scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Oil
JORDY STALLARD
Kings, 5-2. . . . F Curtis Miske (9) got it started at 7:30 of the first period. . . . The Raiders took control with three goals in 1:30 in the second period. F Jordy Stallard (13) made it 2-0 at 8:51, with F Cavin Leth (12) scoring at 9:06 and F Cole Fonstad (8) at 10:21. . . . The Oil Kings got on the scoreboard when F Davis Koch got No. 12, at 1:02 of the third period. . . . Prince Albert got that one back as F Sean Montgomery got his 10th at 3:47. . . . F Ty Gerla got his fifth goal for Edmonton at 18:25. . . . Miske and Stallard each had an assist for the Raiders. . . . G Nic Sanders blocked 29 shots for the winners. . . . Edmonton starter Patrick Dea was beaten four times on 20 shots in 30:21, with Josh Dechaine coming on in relief to stop four of five shots in 29:39. . . . Edmonton was 0-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . Prince Albert (10-34-5) has won two in a row for the first time this season. . . . Edmonton (18-24-4) has lost seven straight and is four points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 10,647.
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At Kamloops, the Blazers tied the game with 52.3 seconds left in the third period and then scored 59 seconds into OT to beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-4. . . . Prince George led 4-2 after the second
COLLIN SHIRLEY
period. The Cougars went into the game with a 24-0-1 record when leading after two. . . . F Nic Holowko’s fourth goal got Kamloops to within one at 5:22 of the third period. . . . F Deven Sideroff tied it with his 27th goal and F Collin Shirley won it with his second goal of the game, and 20th of the season. . . . The visitors took a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old, with F Jesse Gabrielle (22) scoring, on a PP, at 3:29, and F Jansen Harkins (15) counting at 4:36. . . . F Lane Bauer cut the deficit in half with his 26th goal, his first with Kamloops since coming over from the Edmonton Oil Kings, on a PP, at 6:23. . . . Cougars D Brendan Guhle got that one back at 7:26, only to have Shirley score on a PP at 13:18. . . . Guhle’s second of the game, and 11th of the season, gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead at 13:18. . . . After the six-goal opening period, the teams played a scoreless second. . . . Sideroff, Bauer and F Rudolfs Balcers each had two assists. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of Gabrielle and Nikita Popugaev, with Harkins adding one. . . . Harkins now has 151 career assists, one shy of the Prince George record held by Troy Bourke. . . . The Blazers got 27 saves from G Connor Ingram, while Ty Edmonds turned aside 35 for the Cougars. . . . Kamloops was 2-4 on the PP; Prince George was 1-3. . . . The Blazers (29-16-3) have won four in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division, eight points behind the Cougars and three in front of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kamloops will play its next seven games on the road, six in the U.S. Division and one in Kelowna. . . . The Cougars (33-13-3) remain atop the overall standings, a point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. The Cougars have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,734.
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At Kelowna, F Kole Lind, who hadn’t scored in 10 games, had two goals and two assists to lead the
KOLE LIND
Rockets to a 4-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Lind, who has 22 goals, picked up a pair of PP markers, breaking a 1-1 tie at 11:07 of the second period and adding insurance at 3:00 of the third. . . . F Tomas Soustal (15) gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 4:53 of the opening period. . . . Portland tied it at 14:00 when F Joachim Blichfeld got No. 14 on a PP. . . . D Braydyn Chizen iced it with his third goal at 15:45 of the third period. Lind’s assist on that goal gave him 100 career points. . . . Soustal also had an assist. . . . The Rockets got 34 saves from G Michael Herringer, while Cole Kehler stopped 33 at the other end. . . . Kelowna was 2-6 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . Kelowna was again without F Reid Gardiner (undisclosed injury), F Dillon Dube (ill) and F Nolan Foote, who has missed eight straight games. . . . The Rockets (27-17-4) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). Kelowna is third in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Winterhawks (22-21-3), who were playing their fourth road game in five nights, have lost five in a row (0-3-2). They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,361.
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At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored late in the third period and again in OT, both goals coming via the
ZAK ZBOROSKY
PP, as they beat the Calgary Hitmen, 3-2. . . . F Tyler Wong’s 34th goal tied the game at 19:42 of the third period and F Zak Zborosky’s 31st goal won it at 3:21 of OT. . . . G Giorgio Estephan drew an assist on both goals. . . . F Alec Baer gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with his ninth goal — his sixth since arriving from the Vancouver Giants at the trade deadline — at 14:25 of the first period. . . . Calgary F Matteo Gennaro put his guys ahead with two quick goals in the second period. He scored on a PP at 1:58 and added No. 28 at 6:45. . . . Gennaro has goals in five straight games, having scored 10 times during that stretch. . . . G Stuart Skinner turned aside 31 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary G Trevor Martin stopped 21 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-7 on the PP; Calgary was 1-5. . . . F Matt Alfaro, acquired from the Kootenay Ice at the trade deadline, made his Hurricanes debut with one assist. Lethbridge was without F Egor Babenko and F Ryan Bowen. . . . The Hurricanes (26-15-7) have points in eight straight (6-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, four points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Hitmen (17-21-7) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). They are three points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,231.
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At Red Deer, F Lane Zablocki scored three times and added an assist and F Brandon Hagel had two
LANE ZABLOCKI
goals and four assists to lead the Rebels to a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Zablocki has six goals and two assists in seven games since coming over from the Regina Pats. . . . He opened the scoring at 3:56 of the first period. . . . Victoria D Scott Walford (2) tied it at 5:00. . . . Hagel’s PP goal, at 13:28, gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead. . . . Zablocki made it 3-1 at 12:48 of the second period. . . . The Royals got back to within one when F Tyler Soy scored his 20th goal, shorthanded, at 5:55. . . . Soy has scored at least 20 goals for three straight seasons. He had 28 in 2014-15 and 46 last season. . . . The Rebels put it away with the game’s last three goals. . . . F Adam Musil got his 17th at 10:20 of the third period. . . . Zablocki completed the hat trick at 11:10. . . . Hagel scored his second of the game, and 20th of the season, on a PP, at 15:38. . . . F Michael Spacek drew five assists for Red Deer. The line of Spacek, Hagel and Zablocki totalled 15 points. . . . The Rebels got 21 saves from G Lasse Petersen. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 38 shots for the Royals in what was his 21st consecutive game. That ties the Victoria/Chilliwack Bruins franchise record that had belonged to Lucas Gore (2010-11). . . . Red Deer was 2-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . Red Deer F Austin Glover played in his 200th regular-season WHL game. . . . The Rebels (21-20-7) had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They look to be headed to a third-place finish in the Central Division. . . . The Royals (26-19-4) had won four in a row. This was their third game in as many nights, after wins in Edmonton and Calgary. . . . Victoria is in possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. It is fourth in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 5,557.
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At Kent, Wash., F Mathew Barzal scored two goals and added an assist as the Seattle Thunderbirds
TURNER OTTENBREIT
dumped the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . This was the final Teddy Bear Game of this season and it was D Turner Ottenbreit who scored the goal, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead at 9:30 of the first period. . . . He was the sixth defenceman to score a TBG this season. . . . Ottenbreit has four goals. . . . Barzal made it 2-0, at 14:43. . . . Seattle went up 4-0 on goals from F Alexander True (14), at 8:03 of the second period, and Barzal, who has six goals, at 6:03 of the third. . . . F Calvin Spencer (11) scored for Vancouver at 7:45. . . . The Thunderbirds put it away on third-period goals from F Sami Moilanen (14), at 9:40, and F Luke Ormsby (4), at 11:36. . . . Seattle got three assists from F Ryan Gropp, while F Tyler Adams had two assists. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 15 shots for Seattle. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck turned aside 40 shots. . . . Seattle held a 33-9 edge in shots through two periods. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds (25-15-4) are comfortably in third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Giants (17-27-3) are 10 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,146.
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At Spokane, the Chiefs unleashed a 50-shot barrage en route to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . .
TYSON HELGESEN
F Eli Zummack gave Spokane a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 12:18 of the first period. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto made it 2-0 with his 29th goal at 5:56 of the second period. . . . The Ice got to within a goal when F Noah Philp (6) scored at 1:04 of the third period. . . . D Ty Smith’s third goal, on a PP, at 9:59, restored the two-goal lead. . . . F Ondrej Najman (4) provided some insurance for the Chiefs at 14:09 and D Tyson Helgesen (7) added more, at 16:27. . . . Ice F Kaeden Taphorn’s second goal, at 19:22, closed out the scoring. . . . Spokane got two assists from each of F Rykr Cole and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, with Helgesen adding one. . . . G Dawson Weatherill earned the victory with 22 saves, while Jakob Walter blocked 45 at the other end. . . . Spokane was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . .  F Peyton Krebs, the first overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft, played in his sixth game this season. Under ordinary circumstances, a 15-year-old is allowed to play five games in the WHL before his club team has its season end. The Ice, however, has been allowed to keep using Krebs due to the team’s injury situation. . . . The Chiefs (19-20-7) are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Ice (11-29-8) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 9,506.
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At Swift Current, D Connor Hobbs snapped a 5-5 tie at 15:30 of the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Broncos, 6-5. . . . Hobbs won it with his 20th goal of the season. He and David Quenneville of the
CONNOR HOBBS
Medicine Hat Tigers lead all defencemen in goals. Quenneville is out with a broken fibula. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (17) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 7:51 of the first period. . . . The Broncos replied with goals 41 seconds apart from F Riley Stotts (6) and F Aleksi Heponiemi (17). . . . Regina followed that with two goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second period. D Josh Mahura got his 10th goal — his first with Regina since being acquired from the Red Deer Rebels — at 15:04 and D Chase Harrison (6) scored on a PP at 19:47. . . . F Glenn Gawdin’s 17th goal pulled the Broncos into a tie, on a PP, at 7:31 of the second period. . . . F Sam Steel’s 34th goal sent Regina into a 4-3 lead, on a PP, at 14:25. . . . Heponiemi’s second goal, on a PP, tied it at 14:25 and Gawdin put the home side out front at 16:49. . . . The Pats tied it when F Dawson Leedahl counted No. 22, on a PP, at 13:59. . . . Regina got three assists from F Adam Brooks, with Hobbs and Steel adding one each. . . . Gawdin, D Max Lajoie, F Tyler Steenbergen and F Lane Pederson each had two assists for Swift Current, with Heponiemi getting one. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 23 shots for Regina. He was playing his first game since Nov. 20 and ran his record to 8-0-1. . . . G Jordan Papirny turned aside 29 shots for the Broncos. . . . Regina was 3-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 2-5. . . . Regina (30-6-7) is atop the East Division, four points in front of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . According to Kevin Shaw (@theblueliner), who knows such things, this is the third time that the Pats have had at least 30 victories in their first 43 games, the others being in 1980-81 (31) and 1983-84 (30). . . . The Broncos (25-15-8) have lost two in a row. They are third in the East Division, five points behind Moose Jaw. . . . Announced attendance: 2,177.
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At Kennewick, Wash., D Kevin Davis scored a pair of goals to help the Everett Silvertips to a 4-2 victory
KEVIN DAVIS
over the Tri-City Americans. . . . This season, Davis has six goals and 35 assists in 44 games. Over the previous two seasons, he totalled six goals and 35 assists in 133 games. . . . F Brandson Hein’s second goal gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 18:33 of the first period. . . . The Americans tied it at 19:48 of the second period when F Kyle Olson got his 12th goal. . . . Davis gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 11:51 of the third period. . . . F Vladislav Lukin pulled the Americans into a 2-2 tie at 13:23. . . . Davis broke the tie, on a PP, at 15:30 and F Connor Dewar added insurance, with a PP goal into an empty net, at 19:33. He’s got nine goals. . . . F Morgan Geekie had two assists for the Americans. . . . G Mario Petit stopped 22 shots for the Silvertips as he improved to 10-2-3. . . . Tri-City got 19 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . Everett was 2-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-2. . . . Tri-City lost F Jordan Topping to a charging major and game misconduct at 19:10 of the third period. . . . The Silvertips (30-6-8) have won two in a row. They lead the U.S. Division by seven points over the Americans. Everett also is second in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Americans (29-18-3) had won their previous seven games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,302.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Jan. 21: D Turner Ottenbreit, 9:30 1st period, Vancouver 1 vs. Seattle 6, at Kent, Wash.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.
Dec. 16: F Linden McCorrister, 17:47 1st period, Saskatoon 2 at Brandon 3 (SO).
Dec. 16: F James Malm, 3:34 1st period, Portland 4 vs. Vancouver 6, at Langley, B.C.
Dec. 17: F Braylon Shmyr, 2:13 2nd period, Brandon 3 at Saskatoon 2.
Dec. 17: F Eetu Tuulola, 19:29 2nd period, Portland 2 at Everett 4.
Dec. 17: F Eric Florchuk, 15:57 1st period, Vancouver 5 at Victoria 4 (OT).
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince Albert at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Brandon at Regina, 4 p.m.
Swift Current at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:22 AM
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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Big day for Shirleys . . . Ex-WHL tough guy dies at 56 . . . Americans run table in East Division


Yes, Craig Cunningham, who played in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants and Portland Winterhawks, was in attendance at an AHL game in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday night. It was the first game he has attended since suffering a heart attack during the pregame warmup on Nov 19. That is former Everett Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert, now the general manager of the Tucson Roadrunners, at the left.
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Collin Shirley was all smiles late Saturday night, and it wasn’t all because the Kamloops Blazers captain had scored once and added two assists in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
A lot of it was because his younger sister, Sophie, had been named the event’s top forward at the IIHF U-18 World Women’s Championship that concluded Saturday in Zlin, Czech Republic. Team USA beat Canada, 3-1, in the final.
Sophie, 17, finished the tournament with two goals and four assists in five games, tying with three others for the tournament scoring lead.
“She’s good,” Collin, 20, said. “She’s a really good skater and a skilled player. She’s really fast and skilled.”
With a laugh, he added: “It was tough to go home (to Saskatoon) at Christmas time and have her give it to me.”
It didn’t take any prodding to get Collin to admit that he’s awfully proud of his sister. His schedule only allowed him to take in part of one game during the U-18 tournament. But, as luck would have it, he picked the right one, Friday’s semifinal in which Sophie had two goals and an assist in a 6-2 victory over Sweden.
“When ever I get a chance to watch her it’s fun to see how far she’s come over the past two years,” he said. “It’s awesome.”
It’s worth noting that there’s another Shirley who’s a pretty fair player, too. That would be Grace, 15, who has 25 points, including 12 goals, in 20 games with the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.
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Boris Fistric, who won a Memorial Cup championship with Ernie McLean’s New Westminster Bruins died Friday night in an Edmonton hospital. He was 56.
BORIS FISTRIC
Fistric died of a brain hemorrhage after falling on steps at home and striking his head.
He had worked at Edmonton Exchanger for 32 years.
As per Fistric’s wishes, there won’t be a memorial service.
Fistric, an Edmonton native, played two-plus seasons with the Bruins, totalling 27 goals, 76 assists and 973 penalty minutes — he had seasons of 414 and 460 minutes — in 143 games.
He helped the Bruins to the 1978 WHL championship and Memorial Cup title. In the regular season, he had nine goals, 34 assists and 414 penalty minutes. In 21 playoff games, he had three goals and 16 assists, along with 142 penalty minutes.
He was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings early in 1979-80, where he had a goal, eight assists and 164 penalty minutes in 23 games.
Fistric, 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, was vastly under-rated as a passer, perhaps because his propensity for taking penalties over-shadowed that part of his game.
He was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of the NHL’s 1979 draft.
Fistric played two seasons with their IHL farm team, the Kalamazoo Wings, totalling 15 goals, 57 assists and 788 penalty minutes in 140 regular-season games. He added two assists and 109 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games.
He retired after the 1981-82 season.
Fistric’s son, Marc, played four seasons (2002-06) with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants before going on to a pro career that included 325 NHL games. A hard-hitting defenceman, Marc’s season was halted by back problems after the 2014-15 season.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, G Travis Child stopped 18 shots to earn a shutout in his first start with the Wheat Kings as
TRAVIS CHILD
they beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-0. . . . Child was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos at the trade deadline on Tuesday. . . . He has two shutouts this season, the first two of his career. . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the visiting Ice, 8-3, on Friday night. . . . F Ryan Bettens (2) opened the scoring at 12:31 of the first period, with F Connor Gutenberg (9) making it 2-0 at 7:57 of the second. . . . F Reid Duke (25) added another at 14:53, with D Daniel Bukac rounding out the scoring with his first WHL goal, on a PP, at 17:16 of the second. . . . D Kale Clague had two assists. . . . G Payton Lee turned aside 39 shots for the Ice. . . . Brandon was 1-6 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick went pointless in his second game back. . . . F Vince Loschiavo, who scored one of the Ice’s goals on Friday night, was scratched from this one. . . . Brandon (22-17-4) has won two in a row. The Wheat Kings hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, eight points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay (10-27-8) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,045.
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At Calgary, the Prince George Cougars scored three times in the third period and beat the Hitmen, 5-4. . .
TY EDMONDS
. Calgary took a 3-2 lead into the third. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins, who has 12 goals, scored at 7:20 and 12:54 to put his side oiut front, 4-3. . . . F Radovan Bondra upped that to 5-3 with his 21st goal at 17:24. . . . Calgary F Beck Malenstyn (18) got it back to within one at 18:39. . . . F Josh Maser (3) had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 2:10 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on F Mark Kastelic’s eighth goal, at 10:47. . . . Prince George went back out front when F Brad Morrison scored his 17th goal at 13:54. . . . The Hitmen took the lead on second-period goals from F Jakob Stukel (14), at 8:10, and D Jake Bean (3), on a PP, at 19:23. . . . Bondra also had two assists. . . . The Hitmen got three assists from D Vladislav Yeryomenko and one from Bean. . . . G Ty Edmonds blocked 47 shots for the Cougars in winning his 24th game this season. His 93 career victories are three off the franchise record held by Scott Myers. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 24 shots for Calgary. . . . Calgary was 1-5 on the PP; Prince George was 0-3 on the PP. . . . Prince George F Jesse Gabrielle was hit with a cross-checking major and game misconduct at the end of the third period. . . . The Cougars went 3-1-0 in playing four games in five nights in Alberta. . . . The Cougars scratched D Sam Ruopp and D Tate Olson, both with undisclosed injuries, and F Aaron Boyd (ill). . . . Prince George (31-12-2) has won three in a row and is atop the overall standings, one point ahead of Regina, although the Pats have five games in hand. . . . The Hitmen (15-20-6) had points in each of their previous two games (1-0-1). They are within four points of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,607.
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At Everett, F Keegan Kolesar’s goal at 4:44 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the
KEEGAN KOLESAR
Silvertips. . . . Kolesar has seven goals this season. . . . Seattle took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals from D Ethan Bear (12), at 8:22, and F Alexander True (11), at 8:46. . . . F Matthew Wedman drew the primary assist on each of those goals. . . . The Silvertips tied it on goals from F Connor Dewar (7), at 10:07, and F Eetu Tuulola (11), at 12:20. . . . Seattle went back out front at 15:32 of the third period when F Mathew Barzal scored his third goal of the season, beating Everett G Carter Hart through the legs. The two were teammates on Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . Everett forced OT when F Matt Fonteyne got No. 13 at 17:23. . . . Bear and Barzal also had an assist each. . . . Seattle got 28 saves from G Rylan Toth, while Hart stopped 34 at the other end. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-1 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-3. . . . Seattle (22-14-4) has won four in a row and is third in the U.S. Division, three points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Everett (27-5-8) has points in four straight (2-0-2). It leads the U.S. Division by three points over the Tri-City Americans. The Silvertips have eight games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 8,249, a sellout on Local Heroes Night.
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At Kamloops, line mates Collin Shirley and Lane Bauer combined for a goal and five assists as the Blazers doubled the Vancouver Giants, 6-3. . . . Shirley had a goal and two assists, while Bauer drew
JOE GATENBY
three helpers. Nick Chyzowski, the third member of that line, scored once. . . . The Blazers took a 3-0 first-period lead on goals from F Deven Sideroff (25), Chyzowski (13) and F Rudolfs Balcers (23). . . . F Brendan Semchuk, who is from Kamloops, scored his seventh for the Giants, at 3:59 of the second period. . . . The Blazers jumped back into control on two goals from D Joe Gatenby, at 15:59 of the second period and 3:22 of the third. The latter came via the PP. . . . Gatenby went into this season with five goals in 174 regular-season games, all with the Kelowna Rockets. He has five goals in 44 games with the Blazers, including the first two two-goal games of his career. . . . Vancouver opened the third period with goals from F Brayden Watts,  his fifth, and F Ty Ronning, his 18th, at 5:00 and 10:51. . . . Shirley iced it with a highlight-reel shorthanded score at 14:19. He’s got 18 goals. . . . Balcers and Sideroff added an assist each. . . . F James Malm had three assists for Vancouver, with Watts adding two to his goal. Ronning had one assist. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson, making his 15th straight start, stopped 25 shots. G Connor Ingram, who hasn’t played since being with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, should rejoin the Blazers before they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck stopped 28 shots. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Blazers (26-16-3) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (16-25-3) have lost five in a row. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson missed his sixth straight game with what was said on Jan. 4 to be a minor injury. . . . Announced attendance: 3,923.
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At Lethbridge, F Alec Baer scored two goals for the second time in three games to help the Hurricanes to a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Baer had three goals in 39 games with the Vancouver
ALEC BAER
Giants. He has four in three games since being dealt to Lethbridge. . . . The Oil Kings got three goals from F Colton Kehler, who has 14 scores. . . . Lethbridge scored the game’s first three goals, with Baer counting at 1:25 and D Brennan Riddle (4) at 16:00 of the first period, and F Tyler Wong getting No. 31, and the 250th point of his career, at 2:15 of the second. . . . Kehler got his first goal, on a PP, at 3:50. . . . Baer put the home boys up by three again, at 6:34. . . . Kehler answered that one, on a PP, at 19:14. . . . F Egor Babenko (15) scored for Lethbridge at 2:43 of the third period, but Edmonton F Trey Fix-Wolansky replied with his 12th, at 3:01. . . . Lethbridge F Giorgio Estephan’s 22nd goal, at 5:38, ended up being the winner. It also was his 200th career point. . . . The Oil Kings got close as Kehler completed the hat trick at 10:09 and D Conner McDonald (3) scored at 18:32. . . . Lethbridge F Zak Zborosky had two assists, with Wong and Babenko adding one each. . . . Edmonton got two assists from each of D Will Warm and F Davis Koch, with Fix-Wolansky getting one. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 29 shots for the Hurricanes, nine more than Edmonton’s Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 2-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-5. . . . D Matthew Robertson made his WHL debut with the Oil Kings. He was their first-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He was brought in from the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Lethbridge (24-15-6) has points in five straight (4-0-1) and is second in the Central Division. . . . Edmonton (18-22-4) has lost five in a row and now is tied with the Saskatoon Blades for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,577.
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At Portland, F JareT Anderson-Dolan scored two goals and set up another, and F Keanu Yamamoto had two goals as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Winterhawks, 6-5. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the host
JARET ANDERSON-DOLAN
Chiefs, 5-4, on Friday night. . . . Last night, F Riley Woods (8) gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 1:24 of the first period. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie tied it with his 27th goal at 1:55. . . . The Chiefs scored the next three goals, with Anderson-Dolan counting at 9:01, Yamamoto scoring at 9:55 and F Eli Zummack (3) scoring, on a PP, at 4:11 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks replied with three straight goals. F Alex Overhardt (6) scored on a PP at 5:36, with F Ryan Hughes (16) getting the Winterhawks to within one at 6:13 and McKenzie tying it at 8:26. . . . The Chiefs went up by two as Yamamoto got No. 18 at 11:57 and Anderson-Dolan scored his 22nd at 11:57 of the third. . . . (I wonder how often that happens? The same team scores back-to-back goals at the identical time in back-to-back periods.) . . . F Cody Glass (21) pulled Portland back to within a goal at 18:34. . . . Woods and Zummack each had an assist for Spokane. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld had two assists for Portland, with Glass and Overhardt each getting one. . . . The Chiefs got 38 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten three times on five shots in 9:55. Shane Farkas finished up in his WHL debut, allowing three goals on 20 shots in 48:04. Farkas, who turned 18 on Thursday, is from Penticton, B.C. . . . This was the fourth meeting of eight this season between these teams. Portland now is 3-1-0, while the Chiefs are 1-2-1. . . . Hughes has a goal in each of the four games. . . . F Keegan Iverson, the team captain, was among the Portland scratches after he didn’t finish Friday’s game due to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Chiefs (18-19-7) had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Winterhawks (22-19-1) are in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot but are just two points ahead of Spokane. . . . Announced attendance: 7,005. . . . F Matt Revel, acquired by the Winterhawks from the Kamloops Blazers at the trade deadline, is scheduled to travel to Portland on Jan. 22. Revel, 20, has been out since Dec. 10 with a collarbone injury that is expected to keep out until some time in February.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored the game’s last two goals to give the Pats a 7-6 OT victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Brooks tied the game with 8.6 seconds left to play and won it 18 seconds into
ADAM BROOKS
OT. The winner was the 100th goal of his career. . . . He finished with two goals, giving him 24, and an assist. . . . The Raiders actually led this one 4-0 after one period on two goals from F Carson Miller, who has seven, and singletons from F Curtis Miske (8) and F Jordy Stallard (10). Miller’s first goal and Stallard’s score came via the PP. . . . Regina got back into it with three straight second-period goals — F Bryan Lockner got his third, and second in two nights, while F Jeff de Wit got No, 5 and F Dawson Leedahl got his 18th. . . . F Parker Kelly’s shorthanded goal restored Prince Albert’s two-goal lead at 6:43 of the third period. He’s got seven goals. . . . Regina F Nick Henry’s 21st goal, on a PP, pulled the home boys back to within one, at 7:48. . . . Raiders F Spencer Moe (4) gave them a 6-4 lead at 10:08. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (17) scored for Regina at 12:09, setting the stage for Brooks’ heroics. . . . Regina got three assists from F Sam Steel, two from D Josh Mahura, and one from de Wit. . . . Steel and Brooks are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 73 points. . . . D Vojtech Budik had two assists for the Raiders, with Miller adding one for a three-point night. . . . G Kurtis Chapman, up from the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, made his first career WHL started for Regina and gave up four goals on 13 shots in 20 minutes. He was backed up by Max Paddock, who plays for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings. Paddock, a nephew to Regina GM/head coach John Paddock, came on in relief and posted his first WHL victory by stopping 13 of 15 shots. . . . The Pats are down to the third and fourth goaltenders on their depth chart. Starter Tyler Brown went out with an undisclosed injury during Friday’s 6-5 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans. Backup Jordan Hollett has been out with an ankle injury since before Christmas. . . . The Raiders got 29 saves from Nic Sanders. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 1-2. . . . When the Raiders went up 4-0, it meant that the Pats had given up nine straight goals. The Tri-City Americans had scored the game’s last five goals in a 6-5 victory in Regina on Friday. . . . D Connor Hobbs and F Filip Ahl were among Regina’s scratches. . . . The Raiders were without F Simon Stransky, who left Friday’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Red Deer Rebels after absorbing a third-period hit from D Brandon Schuldaus. . . . Regina (28-5-7) had lost its previous two games. It is second in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . Prince Albert (8-33-5) has lost nine in a row (0-6-3). . . . Announced attendance: 5,127.
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At Saskatoon, F Lukus MacKenzie’s shorthanded goal broke a 2-2 tie at 6:58 of the third period and the Blades went on to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . MacKenzie has six goals. . . . F Michael Farren’s fourth goal, on a PP, gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead at 3:37 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei then scored twice, giving him 19, at 7:04 and 15:08 of the second period, for a 2-1 lead. . . . The Blades tied it on F Gage Ramsay’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 2:18 of the third period. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk added insurance for the Blades, his 17th goal going into an empty net at 19:43. . . . Farren also had an assist. . . . F Adam Musil had two helpers for the Rebels. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 20 shots for the Blades, one more than Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Saskatoon was 2-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-1. . . . The Blades (17-22-6) have won two in a row and are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Rebels (20-18-6) had won their previous two games. They are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,173.
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At Swift Current, F Jordan Topping and F Morgan Geekie scored shootout goals to give Tri-City a 4-3
JORDAN TOPPING
victory over the Broncos, allowing the Americans to run the table on their East Division trip. . . . F Ryley Lindgren’s 15th goal, his first since coming over to the Broncos from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the week, opened the scoring 25 seconds into the game. . . . F Jordan Topping gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with goals at 9:39 of the first and 9:38 of the second. . . . F Glenn Gawdin (16) and F Tyler Steenbergen (33) put the Broncos back out front by scoring at 1:10 and 6:07 of the third. . . . Geekie’s 25th goal, at 15:04 of the third, on a PP, forced OT. . . . Topping scored in the second round of the circus, with Lindgren replying for the Broncos. Geekie’s third-round goal won it. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for Swift Current and Steenbergen added one to his goal. . . . Tri-City got 28 stops from G Rylan Parenteau, while Jordan Papirny stopped 29 at the other end. . . . Tri-City was 2-5 on the PP; Swift Current 0-6. . . . The Americans (28-17-3) have won six in a row. They are second in the U.S. Division, 11 points ahead of Seattle, which holds eight games in hand. . . . The Broncos (24-13-8) have lost two straight (0-1-1). They are third in the East Division, three points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Announced attendance: 2,080.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse stopped 36 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Moose Jaw
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
Warriors. . . . Outhouse turned aside 11 shots in the first period and 15 in the third as he posted his third shutout this season and the seventh of his career, which is in its second season. . . . Outhouse also won his 23rd game this season as he improved his career record to 41-18-7. . . . F Tyler Soy opened the scoring with his 18th goal, at 12:26 of the first period. . . . Victoria went up 2-0 when F Vladimir Bobylev (4) struck on a PP, at 2:26 of the second period. . . . F Matt Phillips got No. 28 at 19:35 of the second. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko stopped 27 shots. . . . The Royals were 1-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-5. . . . Victoria (23-18-4) had lost its previous three games. It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Moose Jaw (26-11-7) is 1-1-0 on its B.C. Division tour. The Warriors remain second in the East Division, four points behind the Regina Pats and three ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Announced attendance: 5,275.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.
Spokane vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Red Deer at Swift Current, 4 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:29 AM
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Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Blades stun Wheaties . . . Ferguson sharp for Blazers . . . Pats win battle of leaders

D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has signed for the rest of this season with České Budějovice (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Earlier this season, he had a goal and two assists in nine games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), and three assists in 11 games with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). . . .
F Roman Tománek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) has been loaned by mutual agreement by Banská Bystrica to Dukla Trenčín (both Slovakia, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had a goal and three assists in 17 games with Banská Bystrica.
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I have the same thought every year as the World Junior Championship gets rolling: Boy, there are some bad games in this tournament and we always forget about them in the excitement of its approach. . . . Turns out I’m not alone in such a thought. . . . Actually, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News goes a step or two further right here, where he wonders if the WJC has “jumped the shark.”
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Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press writes that it’s time for Hockey Canada to take the World Junior Championship back to where it belongs — cities that support major junior hockey. That piece is right here.
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F Josh Uhrich, who has played in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Saskatoon Blades and Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed with the Miramichi Timberwolves of the junior A Maritime Hockey League. . . . Uhrich, 20, put up 59 points, including 26 goals, in 264 regular-season WHL games. This season, with the junior B Saskatoon Quakers, he had 54 points, 21 of them goals, in 21 games. . . . His brother Brayden, 19, joined the Timberwolves last season, and put up 28 points, 15 of them goals, in 19 games. This season, he’s got 39 points, including 24 goals, in 29 games. . . . Brayden has played seven WHL games, all with the Blades. . . . The Uhrich boys are from Rosetown, Sask. . . . The Timberwolves (17-10-2) are tied with the Dieppe Commandos for first place in the six-team North Division.
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Mike Fraser, a veteran WHL scout who now works with the Brandon Wheat Kings, also writes a weekly column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. This week, Fraser, a former goaltender, takes a look at the pressure Canadian hockey fans place on the national junior team’s goaltenders. That piece is right here.
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Rob Vanstone is the sports columnist at the Regina Leader-Post. Tim Vanstone is the captain of the Prince Albert Raiders. They connected the other day following a game in Regina. Are they related? The results are right here.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet/Hockey Night in Canada filed his weekly 30 Thoughts on Tuesday and it’s right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, D Libor Hajek scored twice early in the third period as the Saskatoon Blades erased a 2-1
LIBOR HAJEK
deficit and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 4-2. . . . Hajek, who was cut by the Czech Republic team prior to the World Junior Championship, tied the score at 2:31 of the third period and gave the Blades the lead at 4:11. He’s got three goals this season. . . . Saskatoon F Jesse Shynkaruk (13) opened the scoring 31 seconds into the second period. . . . Brandon F Connor Gutenberg, back after a one-game absence, pulled his guys into a tie with his seventh goal, on a PP, at 2:56. . . . D Jordan Wharrie (3) gave the Wheat Kings a 2-1 lead at 7:00. . . . F Braylon Shmyr iced it for the Blades with an empty-netter at 19:42 of the third period. He’s got 21 goals, eight of them in his last six games. . . . Shmyr also had an assist. . . . The Blades got 25 stops from G Brock Hamm, while Brandon’s Jordan Papirny turned aside 38 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings were 1-5 on the PP; the Blades were 0-3. . . . The Blades are 2-3-1 in the season series. This was the fourth and final game in Brandon. . . . Saskatoon (15-20-6) is 2-0-2 in its past four games and has closed to within four points of a wild-card spot. . . . Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, reports that Saskatoon had been 0-7-1 in Brandon since last winning, 5-4 in OT, on Nov. 25, 2014. . . . Brandon (18-16-4) had won its previous three games and is tied with the Red Deer Rebels for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots. Red Deer also is tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for third in the Central Division. . . . F Nolan Patrick remains out of the Wheat Kings’ lineup. Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun reports: “Patrick is back in the Wheat City skating but no firm timetable has been set for his return.” . . . Announced attendance: 3,550.
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At Kamloops, G Dylan Ferguson stopped 36 shots to lead the Blazers to a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City
DYLAN FERGUSON
Americans. . . . Ferguson, 18, was making his 11th straight start with G Connor Ingram (Canada) at the World Junior Championship. There were a number of NHL scouts on hand, at least some of them there they had had limited viewing of Ferguson in the past. He has a late birthday to will be eligible for the 2018 NHL draft. . . . Ferguson, the WHL’s goaltender of the month for December, stopped 15 shots in the third period when the Americans tried hard to get back into the game. . . . Kamloops scored three times before the game was nine minutes old. . . . F Travis Walton got his fourth goal at 2:05, with F Collin Shirley (17) scoring at 3:39, and F Jermaine Loewen getting his fifth, on a PP, at 8:22. . . . F Michael Rasmussen (28) got the Americans on the scoreboard at 17:19. . . . Kamloops F Nick Chyzowski (11) stretched the lead at 6:30 of the second period. . . . F Jordan Topping (4) got the Americans back to within two at 9:32. . . . The Blazers got the empty-netter from F Deven Sideroff (24) at 19:26 of the third period, while shorthanded. . . . Shirley added two assists to his goal, while Chyzowski and Sideroff added one each. . . . Topping also had an assist. . . . Tri-City G Evan Sarthou stopped 19 shots. . . . Kamloops was 1-2 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-2. . . . Kamloops F Garrett Pilon was among the scratches. He’s out with an undisclosed injury, joining F Matt Revel. . . . Also missing from the Kamloops lineup were Ingram, F Rudolfs Balcers and D Ondrej Vala, all of whom are at the WJC. . . . This was the final game of the season series. The Blazers went 3-1-0, while the Americans were 1-2-1. . . . Kamloops (24-15-2) now is second in the B.C. Division, two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. They’ll play in Kamloops on Friday and in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . The Americans (22-17-3) had won their previous two games. The Americans are second in the U.S. Division. . . . Kamloops head coach Don Hay recorded his 699th regular-season victory. . . . Heather McVie-Gaunt, a Pittsburgh-based opera singer with ties to Kamloops, made her annual appearance and sang both anthems. That was the highlight of this night. . . . Announced attendance: 3,290.
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At Medicine Hat, the Regina Pats scored three times before the game was seven minutes old en route to
SAM STEEL
a 6-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . The game featured the leaders of the East and Central Divisions. . . . Regina (26-3-7) has points in six straight (5-0-1) and leads the overall standings by three points over the Prince George Cougars and Everett Silvertips. . . . The Tigers (27-12-1) have lost two in a row and trail Regina by four points. . . . Regina is 2-0-0 against Medicine Hat with two games left in the season series. . . . Regina F Sam Steel opened the scoring just 49 seconds into the game. F Jake Leschyshyn made it 2-0 with his 15th goal, at 4:44, and F Austin Wagner (19) added another at 6:18. . . . F Steve Owre got the Tigers on the scoreboard with his 11th goal, at 7:42 of the second period. . . . Regina responded with three more goals. . . . F Dawson Leedahl (16) counted on a PP at 8:54, D Connor Hobbs (16) scored at 10:59, and Steel got his 27th, on a PP, at 18:03. . . . Medicine Hat F Ryan Jevne (5) got the game’s last goal 41 seconds into the third period. . . . Steel also had an assist, while F Adam Brooks had two. They now are tied for the lead in the WHL scoring race, each with 65 points. . . . F Nick Henry added three assists for the Pats, while Leedahl had two and Hobbs one. . . . Owre also had an assist for the Tigers. . . . G Tyler Brown earned his 18th victory with 36 saves. . . . Medicine Hat starter Nick Schneider gave up three goals on five shots in 6:18. Michael Bullion, acquired Sunday from the Portland Winterhawks, stopped 25 of 28 shots in 53:41. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan, acquired by the Pats from the Spokane Chiefs on Monday, was pointless in his Regina debut. . . . Regina was 2-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-6. . . . Announced attendance: 3,329.
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At Prince Albert, F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Nikita Popugaev scored shootout goals to give the Moose
BRAYDEN BURKE
Jaw Warriors a 6-5 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Brayden Burke scored three goals and added an assist for the Warriors. He gave his side a 1-0 lead just 36 seconds into the game, made it 2-1, on a PP, at 8:46, and broke a 4-4 tie at 11:45 of the third period, on another PP. He’s got 10 goals. . . . F Luke Coleman (7) gave the Raiders a 3-2 at 10:41 of the first period. . . . The Warriors went on top 4-3 on goals from F Brett Howden (18), on a PP, at 9:47 of the second period and F Tanner Jeannot (12), at 13:37. . . . F Curtis Miske scored for the Raiders at 9:24. It was his first game after being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs. Miske drove from Spokane to Fernie, B.C., on Monday, then to Calgary on Tuesday, from where he flew into Saskatoon. . . . After Burke gave the Warriors a 5-4 lead, the Raiders forced OT when F Carson Miller scored his fifth goal, at 18:10. . . . Howden had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . Coleman and Miller each had an assist for the Raiders. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 31 shots to earn the victory, while Prince Albert’s Nic Sanders blocked 32. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-3. . . . The Warriors are 5-1-0 and the Raiders are 1-3-2 in the season series that has two games remaining. . . . Moose Jaw (22-9-7) has points in four straight (2-0-2) and is tied with the Swift Current Broncos for second in the East Division. . . . The Raiders (8-29-3) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,755. . . . Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW has a game story right here.
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At Swift Current, the Broncos scored the game’s last four goals to beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-4. . .
CALVIN SPENCER
. F Calvin Spencer gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:00 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes responded with four straight goals. . . . F Giorgio Estephan scored twice, at 4:39 and 15:27 of the first period, giving him 21 goals. . . . D Igor Merezhko’s first WHL goal, at 5:08 of the second, on a PP, gave the visitors a 3-1 lead. . . . F Tyler Wong, with his 26th, made it 4-1 at 7:13. . . . Broncos F Tyler Steenbergen began the comeback with No. 27, at 7:32. . . . D Max Lajoie got the Broncos to within one, at 4-3, with his seventh goal, at 13:42. . . . D Colby Sissons (5) tied it just 32 seconds later. . . . Spencer broke the tie with his ninth goal, on a PP, at 3:34 of the third period. . . . Steenbergen and Lajoie each added one assist. . . . F Colton Kroeker and D Brendan Menell had two assists each for the Hurricanes, while Estephan had one. . . . G Travis Child stopped 29 shots for the Broncos, nine fewer than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . The Hurricanes were 2-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 2-6. . . . D Artyom Minulin, who scored the OT goal in the Broncos’ 5-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday, was scratched. . . . The Broncos (22-11-7) have won three in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (20-14-5) had won their previous two games. They are second in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 1,669.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

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