Kozun blanks Silvertips. . . . Big night for Cougars' Witala . . . Hitmen catch Tigers

D Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (Brandon, 2002-04) has signed a two-year-plus-option extension with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL). Tollefsen, the team captain, has two goals and three assists in 42 games with Färjestad this season.
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The Regina Pats have announced a new ticket-pricing schedule along with new prices. As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post writes, it all “is proving to be a tough sell” with fans. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES

B.C. DIVISION: Kelowna (12 games remaining) lost in Victoria (12); those two will finish 1-2 in the division. . . . Kelowna leads the overall standings by two points over Brandon. . . . Vancouver (12) beat visiting Kamloops (11), while Prince George (11) was winning at home. Vancouver holds third place by three points over Prince George and five over Kamloops. Prince George is five points out of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot.
U.S. DIVISION: Everett (13) lost on the road, while Portland (13) won at home. Everett leads the division by three points over Portland. . . . Seattle (13), which beat Everett at home, is five points behind Portland. . . . Spokane (14) lost at home and holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. It is 11 points behind Seattle and one up on Tri-City (12), which also lost at home.
EAST DIVISION: Brandon (12) won on the road and now trails Kelowna by two points in the overall standings. . . . Regina (14) won at home and is 23 points behind Brandon, but leads Swift Current (13) by 13 points. Swift Current won at home last night. . . . Moose Jaw (12) ended a seven-game road trek with a loss. It is five points out of a playoff spot. . . . Prince Albert (12) lost in Swift Current and is seven points out of a playoff spot.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary (13) won on the road to move into a tie with idle Medicine Hat (13) atop the division. . . . Red Deer (13) is third, eight points off the pace and seven points ahead of Kootenay (12), which won on the road. . . . The Ice holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot four points ahead of idle Edmonton (13).
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In Swift Current, the Broncos erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with five goals as they beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-2. . . . Goals by F Tim Vanstone, his 10th, and F Austin Glover, his 12th, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead by the 12-minute mark of the first. . . . F Colby Cave, with his 27th, and F Jake DeBrusk, with his 35th, on a PP at 11:40, tied it in the second period. . . . D Brett Lernout broke the tie with his 13th on another PP at 18:23. . . . The Broncos were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-5. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon scored his 19th goal and added two assists. . . . The Broncos (29-25-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Raiders (24-33-3) are 1-1-1 in their last three. . . .

In Regina, the Pats scored the games first four goals, three of them via the PP, as they beat the Red Deer Rebels, 4-1. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle got the game’s first goal, at 15:49 of the first period. He’s got 19. . . . Regina then scored three second-period PP goals. F Braden Christoffer got his 19th goal at 6:52. F Adam Brooks added No. 22 at 11:34. D Colby Williams scored his seventh at 13:41. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown, who stopped 23 shots, lost his shutout when D Haydn Fleury scored his fourth goal at 2:02 of the third. . . . Regina was 3-for-9 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-for-4. . . . The Pats (32-19-7) have won two in a row. . . . The Rebels (30-20-9) have lost two straight. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Jayce Hawryluk and F Rihards Bukarts each had two goals and two assists to help the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 7-3 victory over the Blades. . . . F Ryan Graham gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with his 15th goal 23 seconds into the game. . . . Brandon scored four goals before the period ended to take control. . . . Hawryluk, who has 24 goals, has seven points in two games since returning from a 13-game absence. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored twice, giving him 37, and added an assist. He is riding a 16-game point streak. One of his goals came on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Brandon’s Quenneville brothers, John and Peter, each had two assists. . . . D Nikita Soshnin and F Wyatt Sloboshan had two assists each for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon F Brett Stovin played in game No. 250, all with the Blades, while D Brycen Martin, who was acquired from Swift Current in January, played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . Already without D Ivan Provorov, F Nolan Patrick, D Kale Clague and F Reid Duke, Brandon scratched F Braylon Shmyr (ill) after the pre-game warmup. That left it with 16 skaters. . . . Without G Alex Moodie (concussion) and G Logan Thompson (pink eye), Brandon had Justin Holder backing up Jordan Papirny. Holder, a 19-year-old from Brandon, plays for the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines. . . . Brandon improved to 44-10-6. . . . The Blades (17-39-3) have lost three straight. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story right here. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Taran Kozun stopped 15 shots for the shutout as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Everett Silvertips, 7-0. . . . Kozun has four shutouts this season, all in his last 10 appearances, and 10 shutouts in his career. . . . This was the first time this season that Everett was blanked. . . . F Keegan Kolesar’s 18th goal, at 8:23 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . F Roberts Lipsbergs scored twice, giving him nine, and added two assists, while F Scott Eansor scored his 11th goal and had two assists, and F Mathew Barzal had three assists. Barzal has seven assists in his last two games. . . . Each team was 0-for-3 on the PP. Seattle had scored at least one PP goal in 12 straight games. . . . The Thunderbirds (31-21-7) have won two in a row. . . . Everett (35-17-7) had been 2-0-3 in its last five but now is on its first three-game losing skid of the season. . . .

In Portland, F Paul Bittner and F Oliver Bjorkstrand each scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Bittner has 26 goals. . . . Bjorkstrand has 43 goals. He’s got at least one goal in eight straight games. He has 12 goals in that stretch. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s first two goals and were never headed. . . . F Nic Petan drew three assists for Portland. . . . F Giorgio Estephan had Lethbridge’s goal. He’s got 17. . . . Portland G Aden Hill stopped 21 shots, 10 fewer than Lethbridge’s Jayden Sittler. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Mike Winther, who drew a one-game suspension for a spearing major and game misconduct that he took the previous night. . . . The Winterhawks (35-20-4) are 4-0-1 in their last five. . . . The Hurricanes (18-34-7) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . .

In Prince George, F Chase Witala scored two goals and added two assists to lead the Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Witala tied the game 1-1 at 4:09 of the first period and later closed out the scoring with his 30th goal, at 15:35 of the third. . . . After Witala’s first goal, Cougars D Josh Connolly scored twice, at 19:10 of the first and 1:20 of the second. He’s got 11 goals. . . . The Cougars got three assists from F Jansen Harkins and two from F Zach Pochiro. . . . F Brayden Point scored his 27th goal of the season for Moose Jaw. . . . Moose Jaw G Brody Willms stopped F Jari Erricson on a penalty shot with 49 seconds left in the second period. . . . Willms finished with 25 saves, seven fewer than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . The Warriors were 0-for-5 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-1. . . . The Cougars improved to 24-33-4. . . . The Warriors (24-31-5) went 3-3-1 on a seven-game road swing while the Canadian women’s curling championship was being decided in their home arena. . . .

In Vancouver, G Payton Lee stopped 33 shots as the Giants got past the Kamloops Blazers, 1-0. . . . F Dakota Odgers scored the game’s only goal, his fourth, at 4:44 of the second period. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 21 shots. . . . Vancouver was 0-for-1 on the PP; Kamloops never had an opportunity. . . . Lee has three shutouts this season and five for his career. . . . The Giants improved to 26-31-3. . . . The Blazers (22-33-6) have lost four in a row. . . . After the game, Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province tweeted that Giants F “Dalton Sward left in the 2nd with a hand injury and was getting X-rays afterwards, according to coach Claude Noel.” . . .

In Spokane, G Wyatt Hoflin turned aside 29 shots as the Kootenay Ice dumped the Chiefs, 5-0. . . . Hoflin has three shutouts this season. . . . F Jon Martin’s seventh goal, at 8:41 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . The Ice got two goals from each of F Luke Philp, who has 26, and F Jaedon Descheneau, who has 27. . . . Philp also had an assist. . . . F Austin Vetterl and F Sam Reinhart each had two assists. . . . The Ice roster now includes four 25-goal men. . . . The Ice (31-27-2), which won four of five from Spokane, is 3-0-1 in its last four. . . . The Chiefs (27-27-4), who have been blanked six times since Jan. 17, have lost three in a row. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Calgary Hitmen unleashed a season-high 55-shot attack as they beat the Tri-City Americans, 7-2. . . . The Americans scratched G Eric Comrie, who apparently was injured on Friday night, and G Evan Sarthou, so gave emergency backup Casey Kaiser, a 19-year-old from Richland, Wash., his first WHL start; in fact, it was his first WHL appearance. . . . Calgary had a 19-3 edge in first-period shots but didn’t score until F Jake Virtanen solved Kaiser with 7.2 seconds left. . . . The Hitmen opened the second period with three goals in 5:14. . . . Virtanen, who has 16 goals, also had two assists. . . . D Jake Bean scored his fourth goal and added two assists for Calgary, while D Travis Sanheim had three assists. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini scored his 41st goal and had an assist, while F Connor Rankin, who played the first 244 games of his WHL career with Tri-City, got his 28th goal and added an assist. . . . F Elliott Peterson also had a goal, his 10th, and an assist for the Hitmen. . . . The Hitmen (36-18-5) have won four in a row. They are 2-0-0 on an 11-game road trip. . . . The Americans are 27-30-3. . . .

In Victoria, F Taylor Crunk scored twice and F Logan Fisher had four assists to help the Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . One night earlier, the Rockets had beaten the host Royals 3-2, with F Leon Draisaitl breaking a 2-2 tie in the last minute of the third period. . . . Last night, the teams were 1-1 going into the third period. . . . F Brandon Magee broke the tie with his 17th goal at 6:39 and F Jack Walker got his 16th goal at 8:04. . . . Crunk provided more insurance with his second of the game and eighth of the season at 14:07. . . . Draisaitl scored his 11th goal, on a PP, at 17:00 to get the Rockets to within two, but Royals D Travis Brown got an empty-netter at 17:37. He’s got 17 goals. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 31 shots, three fewer than Kelowna’s Michael Herringer. . . . The Royals (33-23-4) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Rockets (46-10-4) had a four-game winning streak snapped. . . . These teams will meet again Wednesday, this time in Kelowna.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 1 p.m.
Lethbridge at Everett, 4:05 p.m.

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Winterhawks in transition . . . Cougars add one, subtract another . . . Trio of trades

F Jakub Klepiš (Portland, 2001-02) has been released by Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL) by mutual agreement. An alternate captain, he had six goals and five assists in 21 games.
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WATCHING THE WINTERHAWKS:

It is obvious that the Portland Winterhawks are a team in transition, and not only from general manager/head coach Mike Johnston to GM/head coach Jamie Kompon.
The Winterhawks are coming off four straight appearances in the WHL’s championship series, having won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2012-13.
Last spring, the Winterhawks lost a seven-game final to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Now the Winterhawks are scuffling. As they go into a Friday-Saturday doubleheader in Kelowna against the Rockets, the Winterhawks are 9-12-3, which leaves them tied for seventh in the Western Conference with the Spokane Chiefs (9-7-3) and Seattle Thunderbirds (9-10-3). Quick math shows that the Chiefs hold five games in hand and the Thunderbirds two.
The Winterhawks reached those four straight championship series in no small part because they had the likes of Derrick Pouliot, Troy Rutkowski and Tyler Wotherspoon on the back end. You also can’t forget Garrett Haar, who was there last season, and Mathew Dumba, who was there for 26 games in last season’s second half.
The Winterhawks’ transition game and their short, quick passing game began with the puck on the stick of one of those defencemen, each of whom was good for close to a point per game.
Today, that dynamism is missing from Portland’s back end.
Watching the Winterhawks drop a 4-1 decision to the host Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday night, it was quite evident that the Portland forwards, especially the veterans, haven’t yet adapted to that fact.
Far too often, when a defenceman gained possession of the puck deep in Portland’s zone, the forwards were too quick to leave the zone. Full credit to the Blazers for taking advantage of that and getting a quick and heavy forecheck going. On more than one occasion that resulted in a turnover and a Kamloops scoring chance. In fact, there were two or three times when, after just such a sequence of events, a Kamloops forward found himself all alone with the puck on his stick in front of G Brendan Burke.
While it’s easy to point a finger at Burke and say that he needs to be more aggressive, his confidence likely would be higher if he could look up and see more than two teammates trying to ward off three opposing forwards.
The Winterhawks, after 24 games, are allowing 3.88 goals per game. That is exactly one goal more per game than they surrendered all of last season.
You aren’t going to win consistently in this league if you are giving up almost four goals a game.
For the Winterhawks to find their game again, the forwards are going to have to come back deeper with a purpose and visit a while longer, thus helping the defencemen clear the zone and cutting down on the opposing team’s scoring chances.
At the same time, the Blazers, who were 0-4-3 in their previous seven games, played awfully well in beating the Winterhawks on Wednesday night.
F Cole Ully, who is the straw that stirs the Blazers’ drink, looks to be back to his old self after a rough stretch battling an illness that, at one point, had him briefly in hospital.
He was the best player on the ice in Wednesday’s game and proved again that he is most deserving of an invitation to the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp next month.
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The Prince George Cougars have added D Kirk Bear, 19, to their roster. He had been with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires, where he put up two goals and eight assists in 23 games. . . . Bear, from Whitewood, Sask., was pointless in 35 games with the Red Deer Rebels last season. . . . The Cougars also released D Kobe Eagletail, 17, from their roster. He will join the Banff Bears of the Heritage junior league. Eagletail was pointless in two games with the Cougars. (Hey, gotta think there are worse places to play hockey than Banff!)
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that G Nik Amundrud, 17, who has been out with a concussion since Oct. 31, has been cleared to return to action. With that, the Blades are expected to move one of their other two goaltenders -- Alex Moodie, 19, or Trevor Martin, 18 -- in the immediate future, perhaps even before they play host to the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday. . . . According to Nugent-Bowman, Blades F Alex Forsberg, who missed a 4-1 loss to the Hitmen in Calgary on Sunday with an undisclosed injury, is probable for Saturday, as is D Ryan Coghlan (shoulder), while F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) won’t play until mid-December at the earliest. . . . D Jordan Thomson (concussion) is away from the team but is expected back sometime next week.
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Parts of Buffalo will have experienced about nine feet of snow by this morning. Apparently, it’s all because of something call a “localized lake effect.” . . . If you are wondering what that’s all about, National Geographic explains it right here, with the usual terrific photos, of course.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired F Cory Millette, 19, from the Saskatoon Blades for a fifth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. That selection originally belonged to the Blades. . . . Millette, from Storthoaks, Sask., had 14 points, including five goals, in 22 games with the Blades. He was their second-leading scorer. . . . Last season, he was pointless in two games with the Red Deer Rebels, then put up 34 points, 17 of them goals, in 61 games with Saskatoon. . . . He was a second-round selection by Red Deer in the 2010 bantam draft. In 186 regular-season games, he has 86 points, 40 of them goals. . . . As Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix explains right here, the deal frees ice time for one of the Blades’ younger players.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Jesse Shynkaruk, 18, from the Kamloops Blazers for a bantam draft pick. . . . According to the Blazers, it’s a fourth-round bantam draft pick in 2015 or 2017. According to the Warriors, it‘s a fourth-round pick in 2017. The WHL website says it’s a conditional fifth-round pick in 2015 or 2017. . . . He had eight points in 18 games with the Blazers this season. Shynkaruk, from Saskatoon, didn’t play in the Blazers’ 4-1 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday night. . . . The Blazers selected Shynkaruk in the seventh round of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have acquired F Dakota Odgers, 18, from the Swift Current Broncos for a fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Odgers, the son of former WHL/NHL F Jeff Odgers, is from Spy Hill, Sask. He was a second-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In 65 regular-season games over two seasons, he has three goals and three assists. . . . This season, Odgers had two goals and an assist in 25 games with the Broncos. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province points out right here that the Giants are looking for some toughness and an improvement in their competitiveness. . . . Odgers is expected to be in the lineup tonight against the visiting Regina Pats. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson also is expected to be in the lineup. He hasn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge.
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Alan Caldwell, over at Small Thoughts At Large, is working hard as he tries to chart all of the bantam draft picks that have changed hands. You can check that out right here.
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F Mitch Holmberg, who won last season’s WHL scoring title while with the Spokane Chiefs, was involved in a trade on Thursday. . . . When the Vancouver Canucks dealt F Kellan Lain to the Edmonton Oil Kings for F Will Acton, the deal also included Holmberg’s rights. Holmberg, who had one assist in eight games with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors, now may be joining the Utica Comets, the Canucks’ AHL affiliate. . . . Last season, Holmberg had 118 points, including 62 goals, as a 20-year-old with the Chiefs. . . .
Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL has dumped head coach Dusan Gregor and replaced him with Sergei Shepelev. Interestingly, Gregor is to remain on the coaching staff, along with the team’s other assistant coaches -- Alexander Selivanov, Andrei Matytsyn and Konstantin Vlasov. . . .
The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has selected Mike Boyle, the radio voice of the Spokane Chiefs, as one of three finalists for Washington Sportscaster of the Year. The winner is to be announced in mid-January. . . . Boyle has been the Chiefs’ play-by-play voice since 2002.
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It looks like its dress like a seat night at the Subway Super Series game in @QMJHL Fans and players have had enough of that useless event
— Brent Parker (@Patguy65) November 21, 2014

Seattle pick visiting Wisconsin

THE MacBETH REPORT:


F Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) has been loaned by Plzen to Brno (both Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had three goals and an assist in 17 games. . . .

F Ivan Dornic (Portland, 2003-05) and F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) have signed for the rest of this season with Unia Oswiecim (Poland, Ekstraliga). . . . This season, Dornic, with Zilina (Slovakia, Extraliga), had one assist in 12 games, while Tvrdon, with Povazska Bystrica (Slovakia, 1.Liga), had a goal and four assists in nine games. . . .
F Tomas Fojtik (Portland, 2003-04) signed a short-term contract with the Swindon Wildcats (England, Premier). Swindon is short players due to injury and the Division 1 Group B World Junior Championship. Fojtik lives and works in Swindon. This season with Slouth (England, Premier), he had five assists in 11 games before being released on Oct. 21. . . .

F Ryan Hollweg (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) signed a two-year extension with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He has three goals in 18 games this season.
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F Dante Fabbro is spending the weekend in Madison, Wisc., checking out the University of Wisconsin campus and the men’s hockey program. The Seattle Thunderbirds selected Fabbro, who is from Coquitlam, B.C., with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . There’s more on Fabbro and his visit right here.
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The SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs have fired general manager/head coach Gavin Holcomb. . . . Trevor Blevins has stepped in as interim head coach. Blevins is a former Melfort player and assistant coach. . . . Dwight Kulchysky will remain on as assistant coach and also will serve as the interim general manager. . . . The Mustangs are 10-12-0-4 after beating the visiting Estevan Bruins 4-2 on Friday night. Melfort is fourth in the four-team Sherwood Division, four points behind the division-leading Nipawin Hawks.
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Over at greatesthockeylegends.com, Joe Pelletier has named his 2013 Hockey Book of the Year. . . . The honour goes to Keon and Me, by Dave Bidini. . . . If you haven’t already, you really should visit Pelletier’s website. If you are a reader of hockey books, this is a great site as Pelletier keeps tabs on what’s on the shelves and what’s on the way.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have traded G Christopher Tai, 18, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for an undisclosed 2015 bantam draft pick. With the move, Brandon made room for G Curtis Honey, who missed 14 games with an undisclosed injury. He played the third period of Brandon’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos Friday night. . . . Tai played in one game with Brandon, after coming over from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He gave up one goal in 30 minutes with the Wheat Kings. Tai is expected to arrive in Medicine Hat on Monday. . . . The Tigers need a goaltender with G Marek Langhamer soon to leave for the selection camp of the Czech Republic national junior team.
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FRIDAY NIGHT:
In Brandon, the Swift Current Broncos erased a 2-1 first-period deficit with three second-period goals in a 7:16 span and beat the Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . The Broncos (19-11-3) have won three in a row and lead the Eastern Conference by four points. . . . F Dakota Odgers opened the game’s scoring for the Broncos with his first WHL goal. It came in his 13th game, four of which have come this season. . . . F Andrew Johnson’s fourth goal, at 13:36 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 38 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Jayce Hawrulyk, their scoring leader, who served the first game of a two-game suspension. He drew the punishment under supplemental discipline for a hit on Regina D Kyle Burroughs on Wednesday night. Burroughs, who is going through the WHL’s concussion protocol, didn’t play Friday night. . . . Regina F Max Kammerer also is concussed. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Regina Pats scored two shootout goals to beat the Warriors, 5-4. . . . The Warriors actually took a 4-2 lead into the third period. . . . F Dyson Stevenson got the Pats to within one with his 16th goal at 12:26 of the third, with F Chandler Stephenson forcing extra time with his second goal of the game, and his 13th this season, at 16:26. . . . Stephenson also had an assist. . . . F Brayden Point scored twice, giving him 11, and added an assist for Moose Jaw, which got three assists from D Jesse Forsberg. . . . F Boston Leier and Stevenson scored for the Pats in the shootout, while the Warriors got a goal from F Torrin White. . . .

In Edmonton, F Mitchell Moroz and F Reid Petryk scored shootout goals to give the Oil Kings a 5-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Winterhawks erased a late 4-2 third-period deficit to force OT. F Taylor Leier scored twice, giving him 22, at 17:13 and 19:04. . . . F Edgars Kulda had his ninth goal and an assist for Edmonton, which has won four straight. . . . F Nic Petan had a goal and two assists for Portland, giving him 64 points and moving him to within two points of the WHL points lead. He also had Portland’s lone goal in the shootout. . . . Portland (21-5-4) has points in seven straight (5-0-2) and leads the overall standings by two points over the Kelowna Rockets and Everett Silvertips. . . . This was a meeting of the two teams that appeared in the last two WHL finals, Edmonton winning the first title and the Winterhawks now the defending champions. . . . Edmonton D Dyson Mayo scored the game’s second goal at 15:20 of the first period; it was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot had a goal and two assists. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes beat the Prince Albert Raiders 3-1 for their third victory in their last 18 games. . . . The Hurricanes (4-23-4) had lost seven in a row. . . . Lethbridge F Russell Maxwell opened the scoring late in the second period with the Teddy Bear goal. . . . F Tyler Wong gave the home side a 2-0 lead with his 12th goal at 1:07 of the third period. . . . F Riley Sheen put it away with an empty-netter at 18:55. . . . Sheen has six goals. . . . Lethbridge G Teagan Sacher stopped 31 shots. . . . Only two minor penalties were called, both against Lethbridge. . . .

In Kamloops, F Tim Bozon burned his former team for two goals and two assists as the Kootenay Ice beat the Blazers, 7-3. . . . Bozon has 19 points, including six goals, since being acquired by the Ice from Kamloops. He has nine goals on the season. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two goals, giving him 21, and an assist for Kootenay, while F Sam Reinhart had two assists. . . . F Eric Krienke scored his first WHL goal for the Blazers. He’s a 17-year-old freshman from Calgary. . . . Kamloops D Sam Grist was hit with a match penalty for attempt to injure during a third-period scrap with Ice F Jon Martin. Grist apparently used Martin’s helmet to strike the Ice player. . . . The Blazers are at home to the Everett Silvertips tonight, so Grist may have to sit out depending on how the WHL office views the matter. . . . Ice F Ryan Chynoweth was among the scratches. He was injured when hit from behind during a game in Vancouver on Wednesday night. . . . Kamloops, which has lost 11 in a row, is without F Aspen Sterzer, who suffered an undisclosed injury on Nov. 29 against visiting Kelowna. Sterzer isn’t expect to play tonight, either. . . .

In Prince George, F Braden Purtil scored his third goal of the season at 4:21 of OT as the Tri-City Americans beat the Cougars, 4-3. . . . Cougars F Todd Fiddler forced OT with his 11th goal at 18:15 of the third period. . . . F Lucas Nickles had a goal, his seventh, and two assists for the Americans, who have won three in a row. . . . Americans G Eric Comrie turned aside 38 shots. . . . Prince George F Troy Bourke completed a three-game suspension. . . . The Cougars are hurting through sickness and injuries. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that the Cougars had just six forwards available for one practice this week. . . . Prince George F Zach Pochiro (concussion) was symptom free only to have headaches return. Also out with concussions are F Jari Erricson, D Tate Olson and F Brad Morrison. . . . Also out of the Cougars lineup are D Raymond Grewal (ankle), F David Soltes (knee) and G Brett Zarowny (groin). . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen got his fifth goal, on the PP, at 10:55 of the second and D Damon Severson, with his eighth on a PP just 57 seconds into the third, broke the 1-1 tie. . . . Olsen, whose first goal was the Teddy Bear score, later scored his second of the game. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 26 shots. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist had his point streak snapped at 18 games. He had 40 points, including 16 goals, over that stretch. That is the longest point steak in the league this season. . . . The Rockets, who have the WHL’s best winning percentage (.846), have won five straight. . . .

In Victoria, F Brandon Magee scored twice, the last one into an empty net, as the Royals doubled the Vancouver Giants, 4-2. . . . Magee has 10 goals. . . . Royals F Taylor Crunk snapped a 2-2 tie with his third goal at 9:50 of the third. . . . Vancouver lost F Tim Traber, who spent two seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins and two with the Royals, to a boarding major and game misconduct at 10:44 of the first period. . . . The Giants had earned at least a point in each of their previous 11 games. . . .

In Spokane, F Branden Troock struck for three goals and added an assist as the Seattle Thunderbirds dropped the Chiefs, 7-3. . . . Troock, who enjoyed his first WHL hat trick, has 13 goals. . . . Seattle, which won 5-1 in Spokane on Sunday, has won five in a row. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had four assists for the first time in his career, with D Jarret Smith scoring his first goal and adding two helpers for his first three-point outing. Smith has two goals in 101 regular-season games. . . . F Adam Helewka had two goals, giving him 14, and an assist for Spokane. . . . Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL in goals (32) and points (66), was held pointless and, in fact, was ejected after becoming involved in a multi-fight situation at 17:41 of the third period. . . . Seattle held a 25-15 edge in shots on goal.

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The Major League Baseball season is soon to start, which means it won’t be long before we are once again treated to Vin Scully calling the play of games involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lyle Spencer of mlb.com chatted with Scully the other day and has a great read right here. It includes an anecdote about the time Scully and Jackie Robinson donned ice skates.
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Thanks to those folks who responded to my query of yesterday. It turns out that Matt Fonteyne is Val Fonteyne’s grandson. . . . Matt, a forward, signed with the Everett Silvertips on Tuesday. . . . Val played 820 NHL games and garnered only 26 penalty minutes. He also played 149 games in the WHA, compiling all of four penalty minutes. . . . He had 229 points in the NHL and 61 in the WHA. . . . Val was a star with the Seattle Americans and Totems of the professional Western Hockey League in the mid-1950s before going on to play in the NHL. . . . Oh, how I remember those photos — black-and-white, of course — in The Hockey News, back in the days of the Original Six when a young fan was on a first-name basis with every player on every roster.
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The Swift Current Broncos have added F Dakota Odgers, G Travis Child and D Zack Gonek to their roster. . . . Odgers, from Spy Hill, Sask., is a son of former WHLer/NHLer Jeff Odgers. Dakota had 47 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest. He was a second-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Gonek, from St. Albert, Alta., played for the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Child, from Killam, Alta., went 5-4-10, 4.82, .893 with the midget AAA Camrose Vikings. He was a second-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft.
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I don't know that it has been officially announced, but judging from Twitter on Wednesday, the NHL’s Ottawa Senators have signed Portland Winterhawks D Troy Rutkowski, 20, to a three-year, entry-level contract. Rutkowski was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL’s 2010 draft, but never signed a contract. This season, he has 61 points, including 20 goals, in 69 games.
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The Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans will meet in the first round of the WHL playoffs, but they don’t yet know who will have home-ice advantage. But because of the arena scheduling situation in Spokane, the series will begin with Games 1 and 2 in Spokane on March 22 and 23. . . . The series then will move to Kennewick, Wash., for Games 3 and 4 and, if necessary, 5 on March 26, 28 and 30. . . . A sixth game would be played in Spokane on April 2. The site of Game 7, set for April 3, will depend on which team finishes fourth in the Western Conference. . . . The arena in Spokane will be home to one of the NCAA women’s basketball regional tournaments, with games on March 30 and April 1. . . . The Chiefs hold a two-point lead over the Americans with each team having three games remaining. They will play each other in Spokane on Friday and in Kennewick on Saturday. On Sunday, the Americans wrap it up in Everett, while the Chiefs are to play in Portland. . . . Should the Chiefs and Americans end up tied for fourth, the first tiebreaker is victories. At the moment, Spokane has the edge, 42-40.
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Sorry, fans of the Portland Winterhawks.
You aren’t going to be given the opportunity to applaud WHL commissioner Ron Robison on Sunday as your favourite hockey team is presented with the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular-season champions.
The presentation will take place prior to the Winterhawks’ final regular-season game, against the Spokane Chiefs.
However, it won’t be the commissioner doing the presenting. Instead, it will be Richard Doersken, who is the WHL’s vice-president, hockey. Doerksen will do the honours following the presentation of the team’s individual awards.
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With the CIS championship to be held this weekend in Saskatoon, individual awards were handed out on Wednesday.
Former Kelowna Rockets F Lucas Bloodoff, who has played three seasons for the Saint Mary’s U Huskies, has been named the CIS player of the year. Bloodoff, who played four seasons (2006-10) with the Rockets, led the Atlantic conference in scoring, with 38 points, including 20 goals.
Former WHL G Kurtis Mucha (Portland, Kamloops, 2005-10) was named the CIS’s goaltender of the year. In his third season with the U of Alberta Golden Bears, who are the championship tournament’s top seed, Mucha led the CIS in GAA (1.30) and save percentage (.936), while going 13-2. He also became the first goaltender in Canada West history to be credited with scoring a goal. Late in the season, he put together a string of five straight shutouts as part of a shutout streak that lasted 335 minutes 6 seconds.
F Jordan Hickmott, a product of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings (2006-11), was named the most sportsmanlike player. He led the Golden Bears in goals (15) and points (35), while taking just two minor penalties in 28 regular-season games.
The All-Canadian first team included Mucha, Bloodoff and U of Manitoba F Blair Macaulay (Saskatoon, Tri-City, 2005-09).
On the second team: D Jesse Craige, Alberta (Lethbridge, Chilliwack, 2006-10); Andrew Clark, Acadia (Brandon, 2005-09); and Kyle Bortis, Saskatchewan (Swift Current, Calgary, 2005-09).
The all-rookie team included D Neil Manning, UBC (Vancouver, 2007-12); D Lane Werbowski, Toronto (Tri-City, Edmonton, 2007-10); and F James Henry, Manitoba (Vancouver, Moose Jaw, 2007-12).
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, G Corbin Boes stopped 25 shots to help the Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Wheat Kings had lost four in a row at home. . . . The Raiders have lost six straight. . . . F Marek Kalus had two assists for Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Jesse Gabrielle, a 15-year-old from the Minnesota high school ranks, in the lineup for the first time. . . . Brandon was without F Jayce Hawryluk, who suffered an undisclosed injury in practice on Tuesday. . . . The Raiders remain fifth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Raiders go home-and-home with the Saskatoon Blades; the Broncos will do the same with the Regina Pats. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . F Graham Hood, who was honoured before the game for having played in 300 regular-season games, broke a 2-2 tie with his 11th goal at 4:23 of the third period.. . . D Lenny Hackman added insurance at 7:51. That was his first WHL goal. It came in the 70th game of his freshman season. . . . The Ice had beaten the visiting Hurricanes 3-1 on Tuesday, eliminating Lethbridge from the playoff picture. . . . Lethbridge G Christopher Tai stopped 27 shots as starter Ty Rimmer as given a rare night off. It was Tai’s 11th appearance this season. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin, who last started on Jan. 30, turned aside 34 shots. . . . The Ice scratched F Brock Montgomery with an undisclosed injury, and lost D Tanner Muth to an undisclosed injury during the first period. . . . The loss means the Ice will finish seventh or eighth in the Eastern Conference, meaning a first-round engagement with Edmonton or Saskatoon.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Harrison Ruopp, Prince Albert

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Kris Russell (Medicine Hat, 2003-07) has returned to Finland and TPS Turku (SM-Liiga) after recovering from an undisclosed injury suffered in the first shift of his second game with TPS on Sept. 30. Video highlights showed that he had a shot go off the inside of his right foot. Russell was expected to arrive in Turku on Tuesday and will play in Friday's game against Jokerit Helsinki. He has one goal and one assist in the two games he has played with TPS this season. . . .
D Nick Ross (Regina, Kamloops, Vancouver, 2004-09) has signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). He started the season with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), where he had one goal and three assists in nine games. Ross is scheduled to join Augsburg in time for practice today.
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The Swift Current Broncos have assigned F Dakota Odgers, 16, to the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest. Odgers was the 24th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. He had 12 penalty minutes in six games with the Broncos. Last season, in 43 games with the Harvest, he had 36 points, including 19 goals, and 35 penalty minutes.
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According to Brian Wiebe, who keeps close tabs on the BCHL, G Adam Todd, 18, who got into 11 games last season with the Saskatoon Blades, was involved in a trade on Tuesday as he moved from the Alberni Valley Bulldogs to the Trail Smoke Eaters. . . . The Smokies then dropped G Braden Krogfoss, 17, from their roster. Krogfoss was an eighth-round selection of the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. He had a good camp with the Blazers prior to this season before going to Trail.
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TUESDAY’S STUFF:
The Brandon Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals as they opened a seven-game road trip with a 7-6 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock got his side to within one, at 6-5, at 8:38 of the third and D Ryley Miller tied it at 10:28. . . . Pulock got the winner just 22 seconds after that and that was the first time Brandon led in this one. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia also scored twice for Brandon. . . . F Elgin Pearce had two goals for the Tigers. . . . Brandon trailed 2-0, 4-2 and 6-4 in this one. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-2. . . . F Torrin White had two goals and two assists, with three of his points coming via the PP. . . . White, a 17-year-old sophomore from Balzac, Alta., has eight points in 10 games. He had 17 points in 62 games last season. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers remained the only WHL team not to have lost in regulation time as they dumped the Rebels 4-0 in Red Deer. . . . Freshman G Taran Kozun stopped 32 shots for his first WHL shutout. . . . F Colin Smith had a goal and two assists. F Tim Bozon added two goals and F JC Lipon had two assists, giving that line a seven-point night. . . . The Blazers improved to 9-0-1 as they ran their winning streak to seven. They meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton tonight. . . . Lipon, who has won back-to-back WHL and CHL player of the week honours, now has a WHL-leading 24 points, three more than Smith. . . . The Smith-Bozon-Lipon line has combined for 60 points in 10 games. . . . With 19 points, the Blazers are off to the best 10-game start in franchise history. . . . The Rebels have followed a three-game winning streak with two straight losses. . . .

The Tri-City Americans won their fourth straight game, beating the host Prince Albert Raiders 2-1 in a shootout. . . . According to the WHL’s online scoresheet, Tri-City F Jesse Mychan pulled the visitors into a 1-1 tie at 2:02 of the third period. However, according to an Americans news release, F Connor Rankin got the equalizer. . . . F Brian Williams and Rankin then scored in the circus, while Prince Albert was blanked. . . . Tri-City D Brodie Clowes (shoulder) played his first game with the Americans. He was acquired from the Victoria Royals on Sept. 12. . . . However, the Americans were without D Mitch Topping (undisclosed) and F Ryan Chynoweth (shoulder). Topping was injured Saturday in Brandon. Chynoweth went down Sunday in Moose Jaw. . . . The Americans, who have won three in a row on their East Division swing and five straight on the road, face the Blades in Saskatoon tonight. Tri-City is 1-14 in Saskatoon, with that lone victory in 1995-96. . . . The Raiders are off until Friday when they play host to the Everett Silvertips. . . .

G Chris Driedger stopped 30 shots to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-0 victory over the Cougars in Prince George. . . . Driedger has one shutout this season and four in his career. . . . F Zane Jones scored twice for Calgary. . . . G Mac Engel, acquired by the Cougars from the Spokane Chiefs on Monday, came in at 13:59 of the second period, with his side trailing 5-0, and stopped all 20 shots he faced. . . . Prince George started G Brett Zarowny, meaning G Devon Fordyce was a scratch. In fact, he is headed home to Cochrane, Alta., to await a move. . . . Calgary F Brooks Macek drew three assists, running his point streak to 10 games. . . . The Hitmen set a franchise record for shots in one period, when they had 27 in the second. . . .

Russian F Alex Delnov had two goals and two assists to lead the host Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Delnov has four goals. . . . Seattle has won three in a row and four of five. . . . F Connor Sanvido, with his first two goals of the season, and F Luke Lockhart also had two goals for Seattle. Lockhart’s second was an empty-netter. . . . F Mitch Holmberg scored his 10th of the season for the Chiefs. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton had two assists, giving him a career total of 147 points. That broke the Chiefs’ franchise record of 146 assists by a defenceman that had been held by Frank Evans (1988-92). Kichton also holds the franchise career records for goals (48) and points (195) by a defenceman.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Joey Santucci, Prince Albert
F Matt Needham, Kamloops

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F JC Lipon, Kamloops
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Portland Winterhawks G Brendan Burke (@bburke_1): “First time ever watching a debate not gonna take sides on twitter because I don’t feel like being criticized right now #debate”


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