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D Colton Jobke (Kelowna, Regina, 2009-12) has signed a one-year extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He has three assists in 31 games.
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Up in the SaskTel Centre press box, @Bladesvoice calls his 1,700th game as the play-by-play voice of the @BladesHockey. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/rfb1wJ3uFD— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) January 19, 2017
When the Medicine Hat Tigers met the Blades in Saskatoon on Wednesday night, you might say there was some experience in the broadcast booth. . . . The Blades were celebrating game No. 1,700 by Les Lazaruk, their radio voice. . . . Bob Ridley, the legendary voice of the Tigers, was in the other booth and Darren Steinke, who used to work at the Medicine Hat News, points out that ‘Rids’ was calling game No. 3,745. . . . Those two gentlemen, who are two of hockey’s really good guys, have travelled a few miles to bring us all of those games, too.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds were to have met the Chiefs in Spokane on Wednesday night, but horrible travel conditions resulted in the game being postponed. It has been rescheduled for Tuesday Jan. 24, 7:05 p.m. . . . Seattle, which has won five straight, would have been playing its fourth game in five nights. Now the Thunderbirds next play Friday when they visit the Everett Silvertips. The Thunderbirds beat visiting Everett, 3-1, on Tuesday. . . . It was the third time in recent days that a game has had to be postponed. Inclement weather forced the Portland Winterhawks to move two games. The Everett Silvertips were to have visited on Jan. 7, but now will play there on Jan. 31. The Kamloops Blazers will play in Portland on Jan. 24, rather than Jan. 8.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tops his weekly 30 Thoughts with a few memories of Boris Fistric, a former WHL defenceman and tough hombre who died last week at the age of 56. . . . That is right here.
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JUST NOTES:
The Kamloops Blazers have changed the starting time for a Saturday, March 11 game against the Vancouver Giants. Originally scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., it now will start at 5 p.m. The reason? The Blazers have had some success at the gate with recent 5 o’clock starts. . . .
When Victoria blanked the host Vancouver Giants 3-0 on Tuesday night, G Griffen Outhouse tied the Royals’ franchise record for career shutouts, with eight. He shares the mark with Coleman Vollrath, The Victoria/Chilliwack franchise record is held by Lucas Gore, who put up 10 with the Bruins. . . .
The Worcester, Mass., Railers will begin play in the ECHL next season. The ECHL’s board of governors, meeting in Glens Falls, N.Y., during all-star festivities, unanimously approved full membership status for the franchise. Worcester had been granted a tentative franchise on Feb. 8. . . .
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.@mnwildfound unveils new 11-foot tall Herb Brooks statue in his famous pose outside of @HerbiesPark. pic.twitter.com/L6HQvw5uFc— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 19, 2017
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
At Calgary, F Matteo Gennaro scored three goals for a second straight game to lead the Hitmen to a 4-1
victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Gennaro, who has two career hat tricks in 242 regular-season games, has goals in eight of his past nine games. In that span, he has scored 14 times and added five assists. . . . This season, the 19-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., has 25 goals and 23 assists in 40 games. Last season, which he split between Calgary and the Prince Albert Raiders, he finished with career highs in goals (18), assists (25) and points (43). . . . F Jake Kryski (15) gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 5:44 of the first period. . . . Gennaro got the game’s next two goals, at 13:44 of the first and 14:36 of the second, the latter via the PP. . . . F Lane Zablock’s 12th goal got the visitors on the scoreboard at 4:15 of the third period. . . . Gennaro completed the scoring at 8:19. . . . D Jake Bean had two assists for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary G Trevor Martin stopped 22 shots, as did Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Calgary was 1-6 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-4. . . . The Hitmen (17-20-6) have won two in a row. They are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Rebels (20-19-7) have lost three straight (0-2-1) but remain a comfortable third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,324.
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| MATTEO GENNARO |
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At Kelowna, F Brayden Burke’s OT goal gave the Moose Jaw Warriors a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . .
Burke, who also had an assist, scored his 14th goal of the season on a wrist shot from the high slot at 3:05 of extra time. . . . The Warriors took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals from D Matt Sozanski, his second, at 2:30, and F Brett Howden, his 23rd, on a PP, at 14:39. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley’s 11th goal got his guys to within one, at 17:59. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf pulled the Rockets even with his 20th goal, at 4:16 of the third period. . . . D Lucas Johansen had two assists for Kelowna. . . . Sozanski added an assist to his goal. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 30 shots for Moose Jaw. . . . G Michael Herringer turned aside 25 shots for Kelowna. . . . The Warriors were 1-4 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-7. . . . F Reid Gardiner was among Kelowna’s scratches. He didn’t return to a Monday game in Everett after a collision with teammate Calvin Thurkauf. . . . The Warriors (27-12-7) had lost their previous two games. They remain second in the East Division, three points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. The Warriors are 2-2-0 on a five-game B.C. Division swing that wraps up Friday in Prince George. . . . The Rockets (26-16-4) have lost two in a row (0-1-1) and are third in the B.C. Division, one point behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Announced attendance: 5,271.
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| BRAYDEN BURKE |
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Peyton Krebs, the first pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, scored his first WHL goal and added three assists to spark the Kootenay Ice’s 6-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .
He finished with the winning goal and a pair of PP assists. . . . Krebs, who is to turn 16 on Jan. 26, is from Okotoks, Alta. He went into last night with two assists in three earlier games with the Ice, so he now has a goal and five helpers in four games. . . . Krebs was brought in because the Ice has five players out with injuries. He plays for the midget AAA UFA Bisons and has 29 points, including 12 goals, in 23 games. . . . The Raiders actually scored the game’s first two goals, with D Zack Hayes getting his first WHL score at 1:48 of the first period and F Adam Kadlec scoring his fourth at 3:04 of the second. . . . The Ice came back with three second-period goals. . . . F Brett Davis (9) scored, on a PP, at 3:58. . . . F Noah Philp’s fifth goal tied the score, at 7:24. . . . F Max Patterson put the Ice out front, at 16:59. . . . The Raiders tied the score on F Jordy Stallard’s 11th goal, at 2:40 of the third period. . . . Krebs scored what turned out to be the winner at 9:29. . . . The Ice went up by two when F Colton Kroeker (8) scored at 10:20. . . . Patterson’s second goal, and fifth of the season, was an empty-netter, on a PP, at 18:32. . . . The Ice got two assists from D Kurtis Rutledge, while Kroeker, Davis and Patterson added one apiece. . . . D Max Martin had two assists for the Raiders. . . . G Payton Lee stopped 40 shots for the Ice. . . . At the other end, Ian Scott turned aside 21. . . . Kootenay was 2-7 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-5. . . . The Ice (11-27-8) had lost its previous three games. It is 12 points out of a playoff spot and nine points up on the Raiders. . . . The Raiders (8-34-5) have lost 11 in a row (0-8-3). . . . Prince Albert is playing without F Simon Stransky, F Tim Vanstone and F Drew Warkentine, all with undisclosed injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 1,631.
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| PEYTON KREBS |
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Stuart Skinner's new profile pic: pic.twitter.com/2KcRidArbL— LethbridgeHurricanes (@WHLHurricanes) January 19, 2017
At Lethbridge, F Ryan Vandervlis broke a 1-1 tie with back-to-back goals and the Hurricanes went on to
beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-1. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (24) gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 14:28 of the first period. . . . F Conner Chaulk (6) pulled the Broncos into a tie, on a PP, at 7:10 of the second period. . . . Vandervlis, who has four goals, snapped the tie at 17:09 of the second and added insurance at 6:43 of the third period. . . . F Jordy Bellerive scored his 21st goal at 11:01 and F Zak Zborosky got his 30th at 15:57. . . . F Zane Franklin had two assists for the winners, with Zborosky adding one to his goal. . . . G Stuart Skinner blocked 41 shots to earn the victory over Jordan Papirny, who made 33 saves. . . . The Broncos were 1-3 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-2. . . . The Hurricanes won the season series, 3-1-0; the Broncos were1-2-1. . . . Lethbridge (25-15-7) has points in seven straight games (5-0-2). The Hurricanes are second in the Central Division, four points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Broncos (25-14-8) are 1-1-1 in their past three games. They are third in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,588.
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| RYAN VANDERVLIS |
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At Prince George, F Radovan Bondra and F Jansen Harkins scored in a shootout to give the Cougars a 6-5 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . One night earlier, the Cougars had erased a 3-1 deficit as
they beat the Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . Last night, the Winterhawks overcame 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 deficits to get to OT. . . . The Cougars got started early when F Brad Morrison, who also had two assists, scored his 19th goal just 10 seconds into the game. . . . Portland F Ryan Hughes, who has goals in five straight games, tied it at 3:07. . . . Harkins (14) put the Cougars back out front at 3:48. . . . Portland F Brad Ginnell tied it with his third goal, on a PP, at 6:43. . . . Prince George went back out front on F Brogan O’Brien’s eighth goal, 35 seconds into the second period. . . . Hughes tied it with his 19th goal, at 8:08. . . . Bondra gave the home team a 4-3 lead with his 23rd goal, at 13:43. . . . The Winterhawks pulled even when F Alex Overhardt (8) scored, on a PP, at 4:33 of the third period. . . . F Colby McAuley put the Cougars back in front with his 15th goal, on a PP, at 8:39. . . . F Jake Gricius scored his third goal, at 14:06, to force OT. . . . McAuley, O’Brien and Bondra each added an assist. . . . Portland got two assists from F Colton Veloso and one from Ginnell. . . . Morrison has goals in three straight games. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 36 shots for the Cougars, while Portland G Cole Kehler blocked 48 shots. . . . Portland was 2-5 on the PP; Prince George was 1-6. . . . The Cougars were without D Sam Ruopp (undisclosed injury) and F Jesse Gabrielle (Game 2 of three-game suspension). . . . Among Portland’s scratches were D Caleb Jones and F Cody Glass, both of whom were ill, and F Keegan Iverson (undisclosed injury). . . . Prince George (33-12-2) has won five in a row. The Cougars are atop the overall standings, three points ahead of the Regina Pats. . . . Portland (22-20-2) has lost three straight (0-2-1). The Winterhawks hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 2,707.
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| BRAD MORRISON |
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#MHTigers goalie Michael Bullion gives #Saskatoon #Blades right-winger Caleb Fantillo the business. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/4MfolZ9d3e— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) January 19, 2017
At Saskatoon, the Blades, with G Logan Flodell making 48 saves, jumped out to a 4-0 lead en route to a
5-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Saskatoon scored its first four goals in the span of 7:25 over two periods. . . . F Braylon Shmyr started it on a PP at 14:37 of the first period. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk followed at 16:32. . . . Shmyr scored his second of the game and 24th of the season at 19:11. . . . F Logan Christensen (9) made it 4-0 at 2:02 of the second period. . . . The Tigers cut the deficit in half on goals from D Kristians Rubins (3), on a PP, at 9:49, and F James Hamblin (11), on a penalty shot, at 10:15. . . . Earlier, at 14:19 of the first period, Medicine Hat F Steve Owre came up short on a penalty shot. . . . Shynkaruk got his second goal, and 19th of the season, on a PP, at 15:45 of the second period for a 5-2 Saskatoon lead. . . . Medicine Hat got its last goal from F Ryan Jevne (6) at 2:25 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon got two assists from F Josh Paterson, with Shmyr and Christensen adding one each. . . . G Michael Bullion turned aside 23 shots for the Tigers. . . . Saskatoon was 2-7 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-6. . . . The Blades (18-22-6) have won three in a row and are in sole possession of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot. . . . The Tigers (30-14-1) lead the Central Division by four points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Announced attendance: 2,608.
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| LOGAN FLODELL |
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THURSDAY’S GAME (all times local):
Victoria at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
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Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL) announced that they won’t re-sign eight players for next season, including D Mark Ardelan (Brandon, Vancouver, Prince Albert, 1999-2004). Ardelan had seven goals and 15 assists in 51 games this season for the Roosters.
D Darren Dietz of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. They selected him in the fifth round, 138th overall, of the 2011 NHL draft. Dietz put up 58 points, including 24 goals, in 72 games with the Blades this season. He led all WHL defenceman in goals.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Regina Pats D Colton Jobke will be joining the Houston Aeros, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Jobke, who has used up his junior eligibility, signed with the Wild prior to this season. . . . Harder also reports that free-agent F Lane Scheidl and his agent are perusing a number of offers from AHL teams.
In Everett, F Tyler Sandhu scored three times to lead the Silvertips to a 7-5 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Sandhu, who turned 17 on Jan. 7, finished with 19 goals. This was his first hat trick. . . . Everett F Joshua Winquist had three assists. . . . Everett led 5-1 after the first period. . . . F Matte Stromwall scored twice for Tri-City, giving him 21. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser had three assists to finish with 106 points, including 62 assists, in 72 games. Feser played all 72 games in each of his last four WHL seasons, to go with 68 games in his first season. . . . Feser finished with 353 points in 351 regular-season games. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan was hit with a charging major and game misconduct at 10:30 of the third period. . . . 
In Portland, F Taylor Peters and F Ty Rattie each had a goal and two assists as the Winterhawks beat the Spokane Chiefs, 6-1. . . . The Winterhawks didn’t dress F Brendan Leipsic or F Nic Petan, meaning they tied for the WHL scoring title, each with 120 points. This is the first tie since 1987-88 when Joe Sakic of the Swift Current Broncos and Theo Fleury of the Moose Jaw Warriors each finished with 160 points. Sakic was declared the winner on the basis of more goals, 78-68. . . . Leipsic led the WHL with 49 goals, while Petan scored 46. . . . Rattie finished third in the scoring race, with 110 points. . . . Petan led in assists (74). . . . The Winterhawks finished with a WHL-leading and franchise-record 57 victories. They also led the league in points (117), which also is a franchise record. And they were No. 1 on offence and defence. They set a franchise record by allowing just 169 goals. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth skated Sunday morning but didn’t dress last night. It’s believed he will be ready for Friday’s playoff opener. . . . The Winterhawks also scratched D Derrick Pouliot, while included in the Chiefs’ scratches were F Mitch Holmberg, F Alessio Bertaggia, F Mike Aviani, D Brenden Kichton and D Reid Gow. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstand scored his 31st goal, giving him the freshman goal-scoring title. He had been tied with Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs. . . . 
The Tri-City Americans, who are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight, have brought back F Matthew Gelinas and are planning on keeping the 17-year-old son of former NHLer Martin Gelinas for three games. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Gelinas, whose father now is on the coaching staff of the Calgary Flames, signed with the Americans earlier this month and played in games in Kamloops and Kelowna before returning to his club team, the midget AAA Calgary Royals. . . . G Troy Trombley, 18, has rejoined the Americans after returning to Melville, Sask., to pick up his car. He and Luke Lee-Knight, 19, are the goaltenders now, what with Eric Comrie done for the season with a hip problem. . . . According to Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald, Americans F Ryan Chynoweth (arm) is out, while F Malte Strömwall (ill) and F Marcus Messier (ill) are due back after sitting out one game.
The Regina Pats have lost D Colton Jobke, 20, to a knee injury that could keep him out of the lineup for a month. He was injured Saturday, in a 2-1 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . Jobke earlier missed 17 games with a skate cut to a hand. . . . The Pats are in Swift Current tonight and may get D Luke Fenske back. He was injured Saturday when he took a check from behind and ended up with back spasms. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post also reports that Pats D Dryden Hunt has received medical clearance and is skating, but won’t play on the weekend. He has missed 37 games with his second concussion this season.
Scott Niedermayer, who played three seasons as a defenceman with the Kamloops Blazers, will have his number (28) retired by the WHL team tonight at Interior Savings Centre. . . . Niedermayer put up 190 points in 156 regular-season games with the Blazers and was on the team that won the 1992 Memorial Cup. . . . It also was announced yesterday that Niedermayer is this season’s recipient of the WHL Alumni Achievement Award in the professional hockey category. WHL commissioner Ron Robison will present Niedermayer with the award as part of tonight’s festivities.
In Kelowna, F Carter Rigby had his second straight three-goal game as the Rockets dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 8-0. . . . Rigby also had two assists as the Rockets won their 20th straight home game. . . . The victory also lifted Kelowna to within four points of the Portland Winterhawks, who lead the WHL’s overall standings but have lost four in a row. . . . Kelowna got four assists from F J.T. Barnett and a goal and three helpers from F Colton Heffley. They are Rigby’s linemates. . . . Rigby and Heffley each finished plus-6; Seattle D Shea Theodore was minus-6. . . . The Rockets haven’t lost at home since Oct. 10 when they were beaten 6-4 by the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 18 shots in putting up his fourth shutout of the season and the fourth of his career. Cooke now is 26-8-2. . . . The same teams meet tonight in Kent, Wash.
D Doug Lynch (Red Deer, Spokane, 1998-2003) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) after his release by Frölunda Gothenburg (Sweden, Elitserien). He had two goals and two assists in 33 games with Frölunda this season. Lynch has spent the past three seasons and four of the last five with Red Bull.
The WHL, it seems, isn’t about to change anything. Asked on Sunday night if the WHL would move its trade deadline, an official with one WHL team quickly responded: “No.”
In Calgary, F Brady Brassart scored twice to lead the Hitmen to a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Brassart’s second goal, his 13th of the season, broke a 4-4 tie on the PP at 10:39 of the third period. . . . Calgary has won three in a row. . . . D Brett Kulak had a goal and two assists for the Giants. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 22 shots. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee, in his first start since playing for Team Pacific at the U17 World Hockey Challenge, stopped 29 shots. . . . Having added G Jared Rathjen, 18, in a trade with the Victoria Royals last week, the Giants have assigned G Tyler Fuhr, 17, to an unspecified AJHL team. He went 4-8-0, 4.74, .830 with the Giants. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reported after the game that Giants D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, their captain, suffered a hand injury while blocking a shot in a 5-0 loss in Edmonton on Saturday and will be out for at least four weeks. . . . Ewen also reported that F Rob Trzonkowski suffered a knee injury in the loss in Calgary and will be out indefinitely. Trzonkowski, 18, was acquired from Kamloops on Wednesday night in a deal that had F Kale Kessy, 20, move to the Blazers. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Erik Benoit scored twice to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Ice has won five straight games. . . . Benoit broke a 1-1 tie at 10:44 of the third period and then upped the lead to 3-1 at 14:14. . . . Red Deer G Bolton Pouliot stopped 45 shots, 24 more than the Ice’s Mackenzie Skapski. . . . D Joey Leach had two assists for the Ice. . . .
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