Taking Note: Dale Marquette

Showing posts with label Dale Marquette. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Marquette left his mark . . . Rebels captain close to return . . . Warriors stay alive

Dale Marquette, a former WHL coach and player who died on the weekend, definitely left an impression.
“Sorry to hear about the passing of Dale Marquette,” Greg Hutchings wrote on Facebook. “I played one game with him and did not know him well. I remember him for being real good to me at WK training camps.”
Hutchings played three WHL seasons (Brandon, Lethbridge, 1988-91).
Marquette, 47, died of complications from diabetes. He played four seasons in the WHL (Lethbridge, 1984-86; Brandon, 1986-88). He had 103 points, including 51 goals, in 1987-88.
Marquette was head coach of the Prince George Cougars in 1995-96.
In 2000-01, he was the head coach of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires.
In an email, Aaron Wilbur, the managing director of The Coaches Site Ltd., wrote: “Was really sad to read about the passing of Dale Marquette. Dale gave me my break in coaching. He hired me to be his assistant in Quesnel when I was 20 years old and had zero experience. We ended up having the best season in franchise history that season. It was a fun ride. Have more stories from that season than the rest of my hockey career combined. . . . Dale was a good guy with a big heart.”

Sad to hear of the passing of former WHLer Dale Marquette… Played against him from' 85-87… Great competitor… Rest in peace.
— Brad Hornung (@Bradhornung) March 17, 2015

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The Red Deer Rebels hope to have F Conner Bleackley, their captain, back for their last two regular-season games, a home-and-home series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Bleackley (groin) hasn’t played since Feb. 6 in Vancouver. He won’t play tonight in Calgary, meaning he will have missed 18 games. . . . “We’ve been really careful with how we’ve handled this just because of the type of injury it is,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He skated for 25 minutes (Monday) and today (Tuesday) we’ll try to get him to go longer. If that goes well then (Wednesday) he’ll skate on his own and on Thursday he can go full practice. If all goes well, then hopefully we can have him for the weekend. That’s our goal.”
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The Calgary Hitmen have added D Aaron Hyman, 16, and G Kyle Dumba to their roster for the remainder of the season. . . . The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Hyman was a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. From Calgary, he spent the last two seasons with the midget AAA Calgary Flames. . . . Dumba was a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The younger brother of Minnesota Wild D Matt Dumba, who played in the WHL with Red Deer and Portland, Kyle played this season at the Edge School in Calgary. He was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s top goaltender. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have added D Josh Brook to their roster for the rest of this season. Brook, from Roblin, Man., was the fourth overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 36 points, including nine goals, in 32 games with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, who play out of Wilcox, Sask.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (2 games remaining) won in Regina last night and now leads the overall standings by four points over Kelowna (3). The Wheaties last finished first overall in 1995-96. . . . The Wheat Kings will play the conference’s second wild-card team, likely Edmonton, in the first round. . . . In Moose Jaw on Friday.
2. Regina (2) will finish second in division. Will meet third-place team in first round. . . . At home to Prince Albert on Friday.
3. Swift Current (2) lost in Moose Jaw last night and now leads the Warriors by two points. . . . In Lethbridge on Friday night.
4. Moose Jaw (2) now is two points behind Swift Current. . . . Should the Broncos and Warriors end up tied, there would be a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. Swift Current has a 32-31 edge. . . . Moose Jaw entertains Brandon on Friday.
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CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Calgary (3) completed a franchise-record 11-game road trip with a one-point lead over second-place Medicine Hat. . . . At home to Red Deer tonight.
2. Medicine Hat (3) trails Calgary by one point. Each team has 42 victories. . . . In Prince Albert tonight.
3. Red Deer (3) got to within one point of first place, but now is four points behind Medicine Hat and five in arrears of Calgary. . . . In Calgary tonight.
4. Kootenay (3) holds down the conference’s first wild-card spot, three points ahead of Edmonton. . . . In Lethbridge tonight.
5. Edmonton (2) is in the second wild-card spot, three points behind Kootenay. . . . At home to Red Deer on Friday.
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B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (3) has clinched first place in the Western Conference. . . . Trails Brandon by four points in the race for first place in the overall standings. The first tiebreaker is victories and Brandon has the edge (52-51) at the moment. . . . At home to Seattle tonight.
2. Victoria (2) will finish second and meet the division’s third-place team in the first round. . . . At home to Everett on Friday.
3. Prince George (3) is two points ahead of Kamloops. . . . All three of its remaining games are against Kamloops, starting tonight and Friday in Prince George.
4. Kamloops (3) has two playoff options. It is two points behind third-place Prince George in the division and is tied with Tri-City (3) for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Will meet Prince George three times this week — tonight and Friday in Prince George, and Saturday in Kamloops.
5. Vancouver (2) has one victory in its last 10 games and is hanging on by a hangnail. It is four points out of the conference’s second wild-card spot but has only two games remaining, both against Kelowna. . . . At home to the Rockets on Friday.
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U.S. DIVISION:
1. Everett (3) leads the division by two points over Portland. . . . In Victoria on Friday.
2. Portland (4) is two points off the pace with a game in hand. . . . In Spokane tonight as it closes with four games in five nights.
3. Seattle (3) trails Portland by nine points so won’t finish second. . . . Is seven points ahead of Spokane. . . . In Kelowna tonight.
4. Spokane (4) is seven points behind Seattle and has clinched at least the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland tonight.
5. Tri-City (3) is tied with Kamloops for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland on Friday.
(NOTE: If two teams tie for a conference’s last playoff spot, those teams will have a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. . . . That scenario could play out in the East Division. It also may happen in the B.C. Division and/or Western Conference. For example, should Tri-City and Kamloops end up tied for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, a play-in game will be played at the home of the team with the most victories. Tr-City leads, 29-27. . . . Should Prince George and Kamloops finish tied for third in the B.C. Division, the first tiebreaker is total victories. Prince George has a 29-27 edge. However, if one of those two teams would miss the playoffs in that situation, a play-in game would be held. . . . Clear as mud. Right?)
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IF THE WHL 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/Kamloops
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 Moose Jaw, F Torrin White broke a 1-1 tie at 2:17 of the second period and the Warriors went on to a 6-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Brett Howden scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 21, while D Tyler Brown had three assists and was plus-5. . . . White, who has 17 goals, also had two assists, while F Jesse Shynkaruk and F Jiri Smejkal each had a goal and an assist. D Austin Adam helped out with two assists. . . . Smejkal has 12 goals; Shynkaruk has nine. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point scored his 36th goal after undergoing concussion protocol following a first-period collision with teammate Tanner Jeannot. . . . F Jake DeBrusk got No. 39 for the Broncos. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko was sharp, with 41 saves. . . . F Tanner Eberle, listed as day-to-day on the injury report that was released earlier in the day, was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski didn’t play for the Warriors. . . . The Warriors (31-34-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Broncos (32-33-5) had won their previous two games. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here. . . .

The Regina Pats were the St. Pats last night as they wore special uniforms
for a St. Patrick's Day game with visiting Brandon.
(Terry Massey photo)

In Regina, F Nolan Patrick returned to Brandon’s lineup and scored twice, leading the Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Pats. (Actually, they were the St. Pats for one game only). . . . F Braden Christoffer opened the scoring, getting his 26th goal for the Pats just three minutes into the first period. . . . Patrick, who hadn’t played since Feb. 15, tied it at 6:41. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville broke the tie with his 27th goal at 5:03 of the second. . . . Patrick got his 28th goal at 5:39 of the third. . . . Former Pats F Morgan Klimchuk got his 33rd goal into an empty net at 18:13. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny made 24 saves, three fewer than Regina’s Tyler Brown. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-6. . . . The Wheat Kings (52-11-7) have won five in a row. . . . The Pats (37-23-10) are 2-1-1 in their last four games. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 3-3 tie with four third-period goals as they beat the Tri-City Americans, 7-3. . . . The Americans, trailing 3-1, tied the score with two shorthanded goals late in the second period. . . . F Beau McCue scored his 25th goal of the season at 16:10 and F Justin Gutierrez got No. 11 at 18:46. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs broke the tie with his 15th goal at 6:15 of the third and D Shea Theodore added his 12th, shorthanded, at 7:35. . . . Lipsbergs provided more insurance with a goal at 13:36. . . . Seattle also got three goals from F Scott Eansor. He scored twice in the first period, at 0:13 and 9:27, then filled his hat for the first time with an empty-netter at 15:09 of the third. he’s got 14 goals. . . . That was Seattle’s first three-goal game this season. . . . Eansor also had an assist, giving him his first four-point game. . . . F Nolan Volcan assisted on each of Eansor’s goals for his first three-point game. . . . F Mathew Barzal and F Calvin Spencer each had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Alexander True, listed as day-today on the injury report earlier in the day, returned to the Thunderbirds’ lineup. . . . Seattle (35-25-9) had lost its previous game. . . . The Americans (29-37-3) have lost two in a row.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Calgary vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Kootenay at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON
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Scott Eansor becomes the first US-born @SeattleTbirds player to score a hat trick since Colin Jacobs (@Colin_Jacobs19) on 12/03/10 @ PG.
— TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) March 18, 2015

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Monday, March 16, 2015

Ex-WHL coach dead at 47 . . . Bjorkstrand atop the scoring race . . . Golden Bears defend title

Apologies for the brief absence. We were away for a couple of days and there were Internet issues in the hotel in which we stayed. . . . So now to get caught up . . .
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F David Hruška (Red Deer, 1995-96) has signed a one-year extension with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 50 games, he had 12 goals and 15 assists. He also was an alternate captain.
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Dale Marquette, a former WHL player and coach, died on the weekend. He was 47. His ex-wife Lisa Norman has said: “Due to complications with his diabetes he slipped into a coma and passed away.” . . . Marquette was from Prince George. . . . He played four seasons (1984-88) in the WHL, the first two with the Lethbridge Broncos and the last two with the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Wheat Kings traded F Sheldon Kennedy to the Broncos, who were moving to Swift Current, in exchange for Marquette. . . . In his final season, he finished with 103 points, including 51 goals, in 62 games. . . . He was a 10th-round selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 1987 draft. . . . Later, he was the head coach of the Rocky Mountain Junior League’s Prince George Spruce Kings (1993-95), the WHL’s Prince George Cougars (1995-96) and the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires (2000-01).
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F Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Portland Winterhawks is the WHL’s scoring leader heading into the final week of regular-season play. Bjorkstrand had a goal and four assists in an 8-6 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Sunday. He now leads the WHL in goals (57) and points (108). . . . F Trevor Cox of the Medicine Hat Tigers is second, with 105 points, with Brandon Wheat Kings Tim McGauley at 103. . . . The last WHLer to score 57 goals in one season was Portland F Ty Rattie (2011-12). The last Portland skater with more than 57 goals was F Lonny Bohonos, who scored 62 in 1993-94.
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G Coleman Vollrath of the Victoria Royals is riding a shutout streak of 129 minutes 31 seconds. That includes back-to-back shutouts of the Vancouver Giants. The franchise record for longest shutout streak is held by Matt Esposito (153:56) of the Chilliwack Bruins. The Victoria record is 139:04 and belongs to Patrik Polivka (2013-14). . . . Vollrath’s second shutout of the Giants was his sixth of the season and that set a Victoria/Chilliwack single-season record. For one day, Vollrath, 19, had shared the record with Lucas Gore (2009-10, 2010-11) and Polivka (2013-14).
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The Victoria Royals, who will finish second in the B.C. Division, will open the playoffs at home on March 27 and 28. The third-place team, either the Prince George Cougars or Kamloops Blazers, will provide the opposition.
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G Wyatt Hoflin of the Kootenay Ice set franchise records for victories and saves in one season on the weekend. He posted his 35th victory of this season on Saturday in Red Deer, breaking a record that he had shared with Dan Blackburn (1999-2000), Jeff Glass(2004-05) and Mackenzie Skapski (2012-13). . . . Hoflin broke the single-season saves record that had been set by Tim Winters in 1996-97, the Ice’s inaugural season. Hoflin broke that record in a game against visiting Medicine Hat in Friday. The previous record had been 1,724.
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The U of Alberta Golden Bears won their second straight CIS men’s hockey championship, and their 15th overall, as they beat the UNB Varsity Reds 6-3 in Halifax on Sunday. . . . Former WHLers Stephane Legault, Jordan Hickmott, Johnny Lazo, Kruise Reddick, Levko Koper and Jordan Rowley had Alberta’s goals. Dylan Willick had one of New Brunswick’s goals and was named the Varsity Reds’ player of the game. Koper got the same honour for the Golden Bears. . . . G Kurtis Mucha, another former WHLer, faced just nine shots in Alberta’s goal. . . . Reddick, Hickmott, Alberta D Jesse Craige and UNB F Cam Braes, all former WHLers, were named tournament all-stars.
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F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings may be the best 16-year-old in the WHL this season. Of course, his father also played for the Wheat Kings. But there’s more to the Patrick family story than that. Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun has that story right here.
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The Prince Albert Raiders made their final visit to the Medicine Hat Arena on Sunday. Marc Habscheid, the Raiders’ head coach, has been there more than a few times, both as a player and a coach. On Sunday, he took time to remember. “I took time before the game to walk the concourse and there are a lot of great old pictures up (there),” he told Myles Fish of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “We just wish this rink could talk because it could tell a lot of stories.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have lost two players to suspensions, both from incidents in a game at Calgary on Sunday. . . . D Kord Pankewicz will sit for two games after being hit with a match penalty. F Tyler Wong drew a one-game suspension for a slashing major and game misconduct. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will finish first of second in the U.S. Division, meaning they will have home-ice advantage in the first round. They will open at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, March 28. That game will begin at 6 p.m., thus avoiding a direct conflict with an NBA game that is to start at 7 p.m. The Winterhawks will play Game 2 of their series on March 29, 5 p.m., in the Moda Center. . . .
F Kailer Yamamoto scored twice as the Spokane Chiefs beat the visiting Tri-City Americans 5-2 on Saturday. Yamamoto has 22 goals, tying him with F Pat Falloon (1988-89) for most goals scored by a Chiefs’ 16-year-old. F Jason Podollan holds the franchise record, having scored 36 times in 1992-93. . . .
F Jansen Harkins of the Prince George Cougars set a Prince George franchise record for assists in a season when he got No. 59 in a 6-5 shootout victory over the host Portland Winterhawks on Saturday. The previous record had been held by F Quinn Hancock (1997-98). . . .
The Calgary Hitmen wrapped up their franchise-record 11-game road trip on Saturday with a 4-2 victory in Lethbridge. The Hitmen went 7-4-0 on the swing that was forced on them when the Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men’s curling championship, took over the Saddledome. . . . On Sunday, the Hitmen returned home and beat Lethbridge, 4-1. . . .
F Tim McGauley of the Brandon Wheat Kings had his 24-game point steak snapped in a 3-1 victory over the host Saskatoon Blades on Saturday. McGauley had 53 points, including 17 goals, in the 24 games. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk had his streak ended at 11 games in that same game. . . .
F Rourke Chartier returned to the Kelowna Rockets’ lineup on Saturday night, after an eight-game absence. He scored his 47th goal as the Rockets beat the visiting Kamloops Blazers, 2-1. . . .
The Prince Albert Raiders had their hopes of a playoff spot dashed on Saturday night when they dropped a 7-3 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current. . . . Raiders F Kris Schmidli returned from a 15-game absence in that game. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos ended a seven-game losing streak with two weekend victories over Prince Albert, losses that eliminated the Raiders from the playoff race. . . .
The Vancouver Giants snapped a nine-game losing skid with a 4-1 victory over the Royals in Victoria on Sunday. The Giants now are four-points out of a playoff spot. If they are to make it, they need to sweep a weekend doubleheader from the Western Conference-leading Kelowna Rockets and also get some help.
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In a stunning move, linebacker Chris Borland, 24, has retired, ending his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers after one terrific season. He has told ESPN’s Outside the Lines that he is retiring in order to avoid further head trauma. "I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland told Outside the Lines. "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk.” . . . The complete story is right here.
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