The home of the Kootenay Ice now has a new name.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Travis Ehrhardt (Moose Jaw, Portland, 2004-09) signed a try-out contract with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had one goal and six assists in 41 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) last season. The contract lasts until the start of the regular season (Sept. 13) and rolls into a one-year contract should Ehrhardt's try-out be a success. TPS play their first exhibition game on Friday. . . .
D Dustin Friesen (Swift Current, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract
with the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had one goal and two assists in 19 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) and one assist in one game on loan to the Missouri Mavericks (CHL) last season. Friesen is due to arrive in Bremerhaven in the middle of next week to begin practices with the club. The Pinguins play their first exhibition game on Aug. 31 and begin their regular season on Sept. 21. . . .
F Justin Kelly (Prince Albert, Spokane, Saskatoon, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Troja/Ljungby (Sweden, Allsvenskan), returning to the club after a 10-year absence. He had two assists in 14 games with Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL) during an injury-plagued 2011-12 season. The contract contains a clause in which either party can terminate the agreement at anytime prior to the end of September. Kelly is to arrive in Ljungby on Sunday and the team opens its exhibition season on Aug. 10. Sweden's Allsvenskan begins its regular season on Sept. 12. . . .
G Alexander Fomitchev (Calgary, Seattle, 1997-2000) signed a one-year contract with THK Tver (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). He had a 2.94 GAA and a .916 save percentage in nine games with Sarov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) last season.
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The Cranbrook RecPlex is no more. Under a 10-year deal, the home of the Kootenay Ice will be called Western Financial Place. . . . According to a news release, “Western Financial Group, an insurance and financial services company based in Alberta, won naming rights for the next 10 years and plans to work with the City of Cranbrook, the facility operators, and the company's regional partner, Falkins Insurance Group, to build on the longstanding tradition of providing the residents of Cranbrook and surrounding areas a first-class destination for entertainment, recreation, and community involvement.” . . . The 10-year deal that includes naming rights and other sponsorship and usage commitments, is worth $750,000, “including an advance of $500,000.” . . . The facility opened Oct. 13, 2000, and also includes a lap and wave pool, and racquet ball/squash courts.
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Dan Mulhausen has had the ‘interim’ removed from his title as he has been named the Tri-City Americans’ vice-president of business operations and marketing communications. He had been in that role since the departure of Brian Sandy in December. . . . Mulhausen, 30, joined the Americans seven years ago as an account executive. For the last four seasons, he worked as the club’s director of marketing, media relations and game operations.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed D Kevin Davis, the 11th overall selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. Davis, from Kamloops, had 46 points in 49 games with the bantam AAA Jardine’s Blazers last season.
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D Paul Bonar (Moose Jaw, Everett, 2008-10) has committed to attend the U of Regina and play for the Cougars. Bonar, who is from Brandon, spent the last two seasons with the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues. He played 44 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2008-09 and two with the Everett Silvertips in 2009-10.
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Grant Armstrong is the Victoria Royals’ new director of player personnel. Armstrong spent the last four seasons as the Portland Winterhawks’ head scout. Armstrong, 50, is from North Vancouver. For the last two seasons, he was head coach of the junior B North Delta Devils, who played in the Pacific International league. He also was the North Vancouver Minor Hockey Association’s director of hockey operations since 2010. . . . Armstrong’s signing doesn’t affect the status of Garry Pochipinski, who remains the Royals’ director of scouting.
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The Portland Winterhawks have had two recent departures from their scouting department, what with Garry Davidson having stepped down as director of player personnel to join the Everett Silvertips as general manager and now Grant Armstrong leaving for Victoria. . . . “With the departures of Grant and Garry we now have two key scouting positions to fill, and we will begin that process immediately,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston said in a news release.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes will be without D Adam Henry until at least January. According to the Hurricanes, Henry has been diagnosed with myocarditis, “a condition that’s an inflammation of the heart muscle and while there are various causes, it’s most often due to common virus infections.” . . . Henry, who will turn 18 on Nov. 24, had 21 points and 47 penalty minutes in 60 games as a freshman last season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Victoria Royals have confirmed that assistant coaches Enio Sacilotto, Ben Cooper and Brady Robinson will be back for another season, as will Jeff Compton, the strength and conditioning coach. Robinson works with their goaltenders. . . . They will be working with new head coach Dave Lowry. . . . The Royals’ staff also will include Geoff Grimwood, the head coach of the major midget South Island Royals. He will work with the WHL team when available. . . .
Jim Mollard (Brandon, Winnipeg Warriors, 1981-83) has signed a three-year deal as the new head coach of the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. He actually signed a couple of weeks and I somehow missed this one. Mollard, 48, has been away from the game for 13 years, but he has coaching experience with the now-defunct Brandon U Bobcats and in Europe. He replaces Jomar Cruz, who resigned in May.

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Blazers burning it up on road

The Everett Silvertips dropped a 3-1 decision to the Giants in Vancouver on Saturday night. It was Everett’s third game without head coach Craig Hartsburg, who underwent a heart catheterization on Wednesday in Everett.
Hartsburg may be back behind the bench for a game against the visiting Tri-City Americans on Friday before having open heart surgery in Everett on Nov. 3.
Everett GM Doug Soetaert put Hartsburg’s health predicament in layman’s terms for Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal:
"You and I have three chambers in the heart, but Craig only has two. He has what (late actor) John Ritter had (an aorta problem).
"Doctors detected a small aneurysm back in '03 and they've been monitoring it ever since, but he went in here and they found the aneurysm had enlarged. It's like a tire that has a bulge in it. It could burst or leak or deteriorate because of the pressure, so they have to fix it."
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QUOTEABLE: “The third goal was offside by two feet. And it's blatant on the video. That hurts us. Instead of a 2-1 game trying to battle back late, it's 3-1. That's call that's gotta be made. It wasn't even close.” -- Derek Laxdal, the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, to Crash Cameron of the Edmonton Sun after a 3-2 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Friday night.
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SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
KAMLOOPS 3 at CALGARY 2: The Blazers erased a 2-0 deficit with three third-period goals, the last one from F Jordan DePape, on the PP, at 11:56 of the third. . . . Kamloops (7-6-1) swept a three-game swing into Alberta. The Blazers won 1-0 in Red Deer on Wednesday and 3-2 in Edmonton on Friday. . . . Kamloops has won five in a row on the road. The Blazers hadn’t won five straight road games since 2003-04. They haven’t won six in a row on the road since 1998-99 when then-head coach Marc Habscheid got them into the WHL final. The Blazers next road game is Nov. 5 against, yes, Calgary. . . . The Hitmen (4-7-0) had a 2-0 lead on goals from F Cody Bech, his fourth, in the first period, and F Tyler Fiddler, his second, at 17:03 of the second. . . . F Brendan Ranford, with his 12th, at 1:30, and F Ryan Hanes, with his second, at 6:21, tied it. . . . Ranford ran his point streak to 10 games. He has 16 points, nine of them goals, over that stretch. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch, starting his third straight game, stopped 23 shots. Juray Holly of the Hitmen blocked 25. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 7,979. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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LETHBRIDGE 2 at PRINCE ALBERT 1 (SO): Lethbridge got shootout goals from F Mitch Maxwell and F Ryon Moser as it improved to 4-2-2 on the road. . . . The Raiders (5-7-2) lost their fourth straight game. . . . The shootout needed 10 shots, with the Hurricanes winning, 2-1. . . . F Max Ross put Lethbridge on the board at 3:25 of the second period. . . . Raiders F Jonathan Parker tied it, with his ninth, at 16:59 of the second. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 41 shots, while Eric Williams stopped 32 for the Raiders. . . . P.A. was without its 20-year-old defencemen. Nathan Deck suffered a knee injury on Friday, while Jordan Rowley remains out with a broken wrist. . . . Each team was 0-for-4 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 2,124. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Prince Albert F Sebastian Svendsen.
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MEDICINE HAT 1 at SASKATOON 4: F Marek Viedensky scored twice, giving him nine, to lead the Blades (10-2-0). . . . Saskatoon is 7-0-0 at home. . . . The Tigers (6-4-0) had won four in a row, including three straight on the road. . . . Viedensky scored once on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 25 shots, two fewer than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . . Stanford lost his shutout when F Dylan Bredo scored his first goal of the season at 4:02 of the third period. . . . D Stefan Elliott had two assists for the Blades, both of them coming on the PP. . . . F Curtis Hamilton had a goal, his eighth, and an assist for Saskatoon, with F Darian Dziurzynski adding his ninth. . . . The Blades were 2-for-9 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-8. . . . Attendance was 3,622. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Tigers were without F Tyler Pitlick, who was suspended pending investigation after he took a kneeing major on Friday in Prince Albert. Raiders D Nathan Deck was injured on the play.
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EVERETT 1 at VANCOUVER 3: The Giants (8-5-2) scored the game’s last three goals in winning their third straight game. . . . The Silvertips (5-4-3) got a goal from F Josh Birkholz, his third, at 15:46 of the first period. . . . Everett has lost four in a row. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning tied it at 2:12 of the second on the PP and F Jordan Martinook got the eventual winner at 5:33. . . . F Craig Cunningham, who leads the WHL in points, added insurance at 9:36 of the third. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen stopped 20 shots, while Everett’s Kent Simpson turned aside 24. . . . Everett was 0-for-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 5,737. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Two minors, one to Vancouver D Luke Fenske, the other to Everett D Evan Morden. . . . The Giants were without Vancouver D Tyler Hart, who re-injured an ankle in Friday’s 5-2 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. He sat out 12 games with the original injury.
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MOOSE JAW 2 at SWIFT CURRENT 3: Broncos G Mark Friesen stopped 33 shots as his mates opened up a 3-0 lead and hung on for their sixth win in seven games. . . . The Broncos (8-7-0) have won five straight at home where they are 5-3-0. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 15 shots. . . . F Justin Dowling’s third goal of the season gave the Broncos a 3-0 lead just 50 seconds into the second period. . . . F Cody Eakin, with his eighth, and F Killian Hutt, with his third, had first-period goals. . . . F Quinton Howden got his seventh for Moose Jaw at 16:39 of the second and D Dylan McIlrath got his first at 12:37 of the third. . . . Swift Current was 1-for-6 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 2,046. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . But according to the WHL website, F Adam Lowry of the Broncos took three fighting majors at 5:59 of the third period. . . . Which means the website must still be acting up. Right?
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BRANDON 3 at CHILLIWACK 6: The Bruins opened up 4-0 and 6-1 leads as they ran their record to 6-4-0 with their third win in four games. . . . The Wheat Kings (4-9-0) have lost nine in a row. . . . Chilliwack F Roman Horak had three assists. . . . The Bruins got goals from six different players, but F Ryan Howse was held goalless. He has 14 goals in 10 games. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 35 shots, 11 more than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . The Bruins were 3-for-6 on the PP; Brandon was 2-for-8. . . . The Bruins also got a shorthanded goal, from F Mike Forsyth. . . . Attendance was 3,150. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Brandon D Darren Bestland.
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TRI-CITY 3 at PRINCE GEORGE 8: D Sena Acolatse, D Martin Marincin and F Charles Inglis each scored twice for the Cougars (7-5-1). . . . Inglis and Marincin also had one assist each. . . . D Shane Pilling and F Tayler Thompson had two assists apiece for P.G. . . . Acolatse, the reigning CHL player of the week, was plus-4. . . . F Adam Hughesman had two assists for the Americans (9-4-1), who trailed 4--1 and 8-1 before getting two third-period goals. . . . F Patrick Holland scored his ninth for the visitors. . . . G James Priestner stopped 29 shots for the Cougars. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley gave up four goals on 12 shots, with Chris Driedger coming on at 12:21 of the first and stopped 25 of 29. . . . Prince George was 1-for-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 1,908. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . From Dan Mulhausen, the American’s crack media director: “With the win, the Cougars did something they had not done since Oct. 3, 2007 -- take home a win. It was Prince George’s first win in 12 games vs. their conference foes and was the most goals scored in the series since Tri-City tallied eight in an 8-5 win on Dec. 12, 2003. The five-goal margin of victory was also the largest for either side since a 7-2 Tri-City win on Feb. 6, 2002.”
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RED DEER 4 at SPOKANE 2: F Andrej Kudrna set up three goals for the Rebels (9-5-0), who had lost their previous two games. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added two assists for the Rebels, who broke a 1-1 first-period tie with three goals. . . . D Justin Weller scored at 3:21 of the second. F Byron Froese got his sixth at 18:55 on the PP. F Turner Elson added insurance at 15:36 of the third. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper blocked 31 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid turned aside 21. . . . The Chiefs (4-6-0) had won their last two games. . . . Each team was 1-for-5 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 7,039. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . Spokane D Corbin Baldwin will be hearing from the WHL office after taking a gross misconduct late in the third period.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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