Cox, Langhamer lead Tigers . . . Harmsworth, Hitmen harm Blazers . . . H-men lead Chiefs to victory

F Tyrell Goulbourne of the Kelowna Rockets has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. Goulbourne, who turned 21 on Jan. 26, was a third-round selection in the NHL’s 2013 draft. In his fifth season with the Rockets, he has 38 points, including 17 goals, in 55 games. In 268 career regular-season games, Goulbourne has 118 points, 55 of them goals. The Edmonton native is one of the WHL’s top power forwards.
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The Florida Panthers had both of their goaltenders — Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya — go down with injuries during a game against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs last night. Confusion reigned. At one point, Panthers goaltending coach Rob Tallas, who played three seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds (1991-94), was dressed as the backup. George Michael of the Miami Herald has more right here.
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If you were wondering, the WHL playoffs will begin on Thursday, March 26. In a Tuesday news release regarding the deadline for fans to order playoff tickets, the Brandon Wheat Kings revealed that their first two home games will be played Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27. . . . The way things are right now, the Edmonton Oil Kings will be providing the opposition in those games. . . .
Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that F Nolan Patrick of the Wheat Kings is back skating but is wearing a non-contact sweater. Henderson also reports that F Reid Duke and D Kale Clague remain out week-to-week. . . .
Lucas Punkari of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that Warriors F Axel Blomqvist (groin strain) is expected to return tonight against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. He didn’t play over the weekend. . . . According to Punkari, F Tanner Eberle, who left a Saturday game with an injury, may play tonight, depending on how he does in the morning skate. . . . Meanwhile, the status of D Tyler Brown and F Jaimen Yakubowski has yet to be determined. They were injured on Friday. . . .
The Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament (KIBIHT) is adding a Premier Division, meaning it will have three divisions in its 2016 tournament. According to KIBIHT, the Premier Division will comprise eight teams from academies, winter clubs and top-ranked teams from across Canada and the U.S. . . . KIBIHT also will feature 12 teams in a Tier 1 Division and 16 in the Tier 2 Division. . . . The next KIBIHT will run from Dec. 30 through Jan. 3.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION: Brandon (9 games remaining) will finish atop the Eastern Conference standings and now trails Kelowna by two points in the race for first place overall. . . . Regina (9) will finish second in the division. . . . Swift Current (9) is third, eight points ahead of Moose Jaw (9), which is eight points behind Edmonton (8), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth. . . . Prince Albert (9) is four points behind Moose Jaw and eight points out of a playoff spot.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary (8) is atop the division, two points ahead of Medicine Hat (8). . . . Red Deer (9) is third, nine points behind Medicine Hat and five ahead of Kootenay (8), which is in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Edmonton (9) is four points behind Kootenay.
B.C. DIVISION: Kelowna (8) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and holds a two-point lead over Brandon atop the overall standings. . . . Victoria (8) will finish second. . . . Prince George (9) has won three straight and is third, one point ahead of Vancouver (9) and Kamloops (8). . . . Vancouver and Kamloops also are two points behind Tri-City (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
U.S. DIVISION: Everett (8) sits atop the division, four points ahead of Portland (10). . . . Seattle (8) is third, six points behind Portland and seven ahead of Spokane (10). . . . Spokane holds the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Spokane is nine points ahead of Tri-City (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card spot.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, F Craig Leverton scored the only goal of a six-round shootout to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Raiders F Austin Glover forced OT with his 13th goal at 7:44 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock scored his 30th goal, on a PP, at 11:06 of the first. . . . Raiders D Jesse Lees tied it with his 12th goal at 3:56 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci restored the one-goal lead with his ninth goal at 6:39 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots through OT, one more than Prince Albert’s Nick McBride. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton gave Jarry full credit for earning his team the loser point. “We owe Tristan for the point tonight,” Hamilton said on the team’s website. “There’s no question about that. He was the most substantial difference maker in the lineup tonight. It’s disappointing that Tristan gave us that kind of effort and we weren’t able to respond in front of him.” . . . Edmonton was 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . The Raiders (25-35-3) had lost their previous three games. . . . Edmonton (29-28-7) had won their previous two games. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL scoring race, had two goals as the Tigers got past the Red Deer Rebels, 4-0. . . . Cox, who now has 99 points, including 25 goals, scored on a PP at 7:30 of the first period and on a penalty shot at 13:08 of the second. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley scored his 15th at 11:10 of the second and F Chad Labelle got his eighth goal, into an empty net, at 18:58 of the third. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 24 shots for his first shutout of the season. . . . Langhamer, the last European goaltender in the WHL, has five career shutouts. . . . The Tigers (40-21-3) have won three straight. . . . The Rebels (32-21-10) have been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . .

In Kamloops, D Colby Harmsworth’s third goal of the season, at 4:45 of OT, gave the Calgary Hitmen a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . With the teams playing three skaters aside due to penalties, Harmsworth and F Radel Fazleev took off on a 2-on-1. Fazleev slid a pass to Harmsworth and he got the puck under G Connor Ingram for the winner. . . . Calgary led this one 2-0 after one period and 3-1 in the second period, only to have Kamloops scored three second-period goals to take a 4-3 lead. . . . F Collin Shirley scored twice for the Blazers, giving him 22. . . . Calgary F Connor Rankin forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 30th of the season, at 5:23 of the third. . . . F Terrell Draude also scored twice for Calgary, giving him 12 goals. . . . D Travis Sanheim, F Jody Stallard — I hope his nickname is Tracy — and F Taylor Sanheim each had two assists for Calgary. . . . F Matt Revel scored his 16th goal and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke, who has won nine straight decisions, stopped 29 shots, five fewer than Connor Ingram of the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-5. . . . D Jake Bean, the terrific 16-year-old, was among Calgary’s scratches. He is expected to miss at least four weeks after suffering a suspected shoulder/collarbone injury in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . The Blazers have put F Deven Sideroff (suspected wrist) on the injured list. They show him as out week-to-week. . . . Kamloops also scratched F Matt Needham with an undisclosed injury. . . . Needham and Sideroff have played almost the entire season with F Cole Ully on one of the WHL’s top lines. . . . The Hitmen (40-19-5) are 6-1-0 on their franchise record 11-game road swing. They left Calgary on Feb. 19 and had travelled 2,579 km when they left Kamloops for Prince George last night. . . . Calgary has won 17 of its last 19 games and is 13-1-1 on the road since Jan. 4. . . . The Blazers (24-33-7) had won their previous two games. . . .

In Victoria, D Shea Theodore had a goal and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory over the Royals. . . . Victoria had beaten Seattle 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night. . . . One night later, the visitors scored the game’s first three goals, two of them in the first period. . . . F Cory Millette got his 19th goal at 1:13 and Theodore added his 11th at 17:03. . . . D Jerret Smith made it 3-0 at 8:50 of the second, on a PP, and the Royals weren’t able to get back in this one. . . . D Joe Hicketts scored his 11th goal for the Royals, on a PP, at 2:08 of the third. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 29 shots. . . . Each team was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds (32-23-9) had lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . The Royals are 34-26-4. . . .

In Everett, F Kohl Bauml scored with 39 seconds left in OT to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Bauml has 30 goals this season. . . . Everett scored the game’s last three goals. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 36th goal, on a PP, at 6:46 of the first period. . . . Rockets F Leon Draisaitl, who drew an assist on Baillie’s goal, got his 15th goal, on a PP, at 4:19 of the second. Draisaitl now has goals in six straight games. . . . Everett F Nikita Scherbak got his guys on the board with his 27th goal at 3:54 of the third and F Dawson Leedahl tied it with his 13th at 10:16. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-1. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 37 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . Hart is 9-1-1 since Jan. 1. . . . The Silvertips scratched D Kevin Davis and D Tristen Pfeifer, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches as it went with 17 skaters. . . . The Silvertips improved to 38-19-7. . . . Kelowna (48-11-5) has lost two in a row. . . .

In Spokane, F Adam Helewka scored three goals and G Garret Hughson stopped 29 shots as the Chiefs dropped the Vancouver Giants, 7-0. . . . Hughson has two shutouts in his last four games. He has four career shutouts. . . . Helewka, who has 38 goals, scored the game’s first two goals, the first one coming while shorthanded at 15:18 of the first period. He also drew one assist. . . . It was Helewka’s second career hat trick. He scored four times against Vancouver on Nov. 1, 2013. . . . F Calder Brooks added his 20th goal and three assists, while F Kailer Yamamoto scored his 19th goal and had two helpers. . . . D Jason Fram and F Liam Stewart each had two assists. . . . The Chiefs (31-27-4) have won four in a row and outscored the opposition 22-2 in the process. . . . The Giants (26-34-3) have lost three straight.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Lethbridge at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
No Games Scheduled.
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Can officially say that I have scored a goal on every team in the WHL. Great feeling 🚨 https://t.co/XS40fkT8LO
— Cory Millette (@corbomb95) March 4, 2015

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The Vancouver Giants left for Edmonton immediately after a 4-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals on Friday night. The Giants and Oil Kings played this afternoon. . . . F Cain Franson and F Thomas Foster, both of whom have the dreaded upper-body injury, didn’t make the trip, but could join the Giants later in the week. They are to play in Lethbridge on Tuesday and Medicine Hat on Thursday. . . . Franson may have a concussion, after taking a headshot from Brandon D Tyler Yaworski on Wednesday. Foster was injured in the first period on Friday.
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D Nick Walters of the Everett Silvertips drew a ‘tbd’ suspension under supplemental discipline on Saturday morning. According to the WHL website, the suspension was from a game against the Spokane Chiefs on Friday night. . . . The Chiefs reported after the game that F Mitch Holmberg, their leading scorer, left the game in the first period after taking a shot to the head. However, no penalty was assessed. Presumably, then, Walters delivered the blow and it’s now in the hands of Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey.
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It was Thursday around 10 p.m., when Jeff Chynoweth’s phone rang. Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, answered, not knowing who it was.
It turned out to be F Drew Czerwonka, 20, a veteran who was the Ice’s captain. Czerwonka was calling to tell Chynoweth that he was retiring.
Czerwonka told Chynoweth his heart was no longer in it after all the injuries he has had to battle.
Chynoweth now has room for a 20-year-old and may well be keeping a close eye on the situation involving the Kamloops Blazers.
Kamloops is carrying three 20-year-old forwards — Jordan DePape, Brendan Ranford and Dylan Willick. As well, the Blazers could still get D Austin Madaisky back from the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. Madaisky went to camp with Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, and was kept on the roster, only to be a healthy scratch from each of their first four games.
On Friday, Madaisky was assigned to the ECHL’s Evansville Icemen. He played his first professional game on Saturday as the Icemen lost 4-1 to the host Kalamazoo Wings.
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Former WHL G Spencer Tremblay (Moose Jaw, 2011-12) recorded his first QMJHL victory on Saturday, stopping 26 shots as the Moncton Wildcats beat the host Sherbrooke Phoenix, 4-3, in OT. Moncton has won four in a row. . . . Tremblay, 18, was released by the Warriors in September, cleared WHL waivers and moved on to the QMJHL.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Kamloops, the Blazers scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 5-2. . . . The Blazers (14-0-1) scored five times in the first period on Friday as they dumped the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 8-1. . . . Kamloops has outscored its opposition 24-5 in first periods. . . . The Blazers now are 14-0-1 and have won 12 in a row for the first time since 1989-90. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had two goals and an assist as he ran his point streak to 15 games. He has at least one point in each of his club’s games this season. . . . F Tim Bozon also had two goals and an assist, while F JC Lipon had two assists. . . . That line now has combined for 99 points in 15 games. . . . Bozon has a WHL-leading 14 goals, while Lipon leads the points race with 37 and Smith is next at 35. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . Kamloops left immediately after the game for Kent, Wash., there it will play the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . . The Blazers were without F Aspen Sterzer for a second straight game as he attends the funeral of a grandmother in Calgary. He is expected to rejoin the team in time for a Tuesday game in Everett. . . . Victoria D Tyler Stahl, the team captain, missed his third straight game with an undisclosed injury. He hasn’t played since being named team captain early in the week. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes broke a 1-1 tie with three second-period goals and beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . F Craig Leverton scored his first two goals, with the first one standing up as the winner. . . . The Hurricanes took 84 of the 152 penalty minutes dished out. . . . Lethbridge is 6-3-1 in its last 10 and 8-7-1 overall. . . .

F Mike Winther scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Warriors had won the first-half of the weekend doubleheader 3-2 in Prince Albert on Friday. . . . Winther has five goals this season. . . . Raiders freshman F Leon Draisaitl celebrated his 17th birthday with three assists. . . .

F Hunter Shinkaruk scored two goals and set up two others as the host Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Regina Pats, 5-4. . . . Shinkaruk has nine goals this season. He has nine points in his last two games. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan left after two periods. He apparently took a hit at some point and was taken out as a precaution. . . . G Marek Langhamer came on with the game 2-2 and stopped eight shots to earn the victory. . . . Regina D Colton Jobke, who had played in his 200th game on Friday night when the Pats dropped a 6-1 decision in Lethbridge, scored at 19:59 of the third period. . . . Regina was without F Trent Ouellette who suffered an undisclosed injury in Friday’s 6-1 loss in Lethbridge. . . . Already without F Colton Stephenson, it means Regina is minus its top two centres right now. . . .

D Brady Gaudet scored the game’s first goal and then got the winner in the circus as the Red Deer Rebels got past the Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . Gaudet, who was acquired a week ago from the Kamloops Blazers, scored his first goal of the season at 4:20 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson, with his second goal of the game and fourth of the season, forced OT at 14:15 of the third period. . . . F Cody Sylvester got his 13th goal of the season for Calgary. . . . The shootout went seven rounds, with Gaudet the 13th shooter. F Conner Bleackley had scored for Red Deer in Round 2, and that was answered by Calgary F Brooks Macek. . . .

The host Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-3. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix scored his 100th career goal on a second-period PP. F T.J. Foster earned his 200th career point on that goal. . . . The Rockets are 1-1-1 on a four-game Central Division swing that concludes today in Calgary. . . .

F Zach Pochiro scored in the fifth round of the circus to give the host Prince George Cougars a 3-23 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings, who completed a seven-game road trip at 2-3-2, forced OT with two goals in the second half of the third period. . . . F Chad Robinson, who came over from the Red Deer Rebels in a swap earlier in the week, scored a PP goal at 13:13 and D Colton Waltz tied it with his first goal at 17:36. . . .

F Connor Honey scored twice to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips in Everett. . . . Honey, who has five goals, broke a 2-2 tie at 8:58 of the third period. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz (groin) played for the first time since Oct. 6 and stopped 16 shots. . . . The Silvertips, who had won four in a row, were without F Josh Winquist (groin) and dressed only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Seattle G Justin Myles stopped 27 shots to earn his first WHL victory. Myles now is 1-2-0. . . .

G Eric Williams stopped 35 shots as the Spokane Chiefs went into Kennewick, Wash., and edged the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 8:11 of the second period. . . . The Americans got two third-period goals, that last one from F Marcus Stromwall at 18:53. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie now is 0-5 against Spokane. . . . The Chiefs have beaten the Americans three times already this season. . . . The Chiefs were without F Mitch Holmberg, their leading scorer. He took a high hit on Friday night. . . .
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Colin Jacobs, Prince George
F Seth Swenson, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kelowna Rockets radio voice Regan Bartel (@Reganrant): “Just looking at schedule. Didn't @WHLGiants play at home (Friday) night? Play in Edmonton Sunday at 4 pm. Wow! Talk about a set up for failure.”
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TWEET OF THE DAY II:
From Edmonton Oil Kings G Laurent Brossoit (@LBrossoit): “OK fine I’ll go on a date with you @PaulinaGretzky if you’ll stop asking . . . #WhoAmIKidding”
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TWEET OF THE DAY III:
From former Tri-City Americans F Adam Hughes man (@Hughdog17): “I really thought @ShinboSlice @PattyShwayz and myself had a decent year last year! Lipon, Smith, Bozon are making it look too easy #wow”

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