Papirny proving himself . . . Kompon talks 'Hawks-Rockets . . . A taco cannon? Seriously?

F Michal Řepík (Vancouver, 2005-08) signed a two-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Pelicans Lahti (Finland, Liiga), he had nine goals and 22 assists in 49 games. He also played four games with Zug (Switzerland, NL A), picking up two goals and an assist.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

Steve Montador was, as Daniel Carcillo puts it, his “best friend in hockey.” On Feb. 15, Montador, 35, was found dead in his home. He had battled addictions and post-concussion syndrome, the latter having forced a premature end to his hockey career. . . . On Wednesday, a piece written by Carcillo, who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, was posted at The Players’ Tribune. . . . This is powerful stuff, especially the video at the end, and it's all right here.
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In the same vein, here is the link to a story that appeared on CKPG-TV in Prince George on Tuesday. It features Cooper Holick, a young man who, in a bid to help other young people, has opened up his mental health issues. He did it with the full support of his mother, Janet, and father, Mark, who is the head coach of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
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G Jordan Papirny of the Brandon Wheat Kings is eager to get the Eastern Conference final started. That series opens Friday night with the Calgary Hitmen in Brandon. Papirny goes into the final on quite a roll, too. As Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports: “Papirny hasn’t given up a goal after the second intermission in any of the Wheat Kings’ last six games and he has a remarkable .964 save percentage in third periods and overtime sessions in this year’s post-season.” . . . That story is right here.
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The Calgary Hitmen have played 12 playoff games this spring, and six of them have gone to overtime. Calgary won four of those games, so really doesn’t mind working overtime. Laurence Heinen covers that angle in this story for the Calgary Herald.
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Jamie Kompon is in his first season as the GM and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks. Really, they haven’t missed a beat as they are into the Western Conference final for the fifth straight season. They’ll open Friday against the host Kelowna Rockets. . . . In advance of the series, Kompon offered up some thoughts for Steve Brandon of the Portland Tribune.
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In Kelowna, the Rockets remember what happened a year ago when they met up with the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference final. Yes, Portland won. In five games. These are different teams, of course, especially on their back ends, and the Rockets are hoping that gives them an edge. Warren Henderson of Kelowna’s Capital News has that story right here.
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The Everett Silvertips finished atop the U.S. Division, but lost a second-round series in five games to the Portland Winterhawks, who had finished three points behind them. So how do the Silvertips look at their season? “I thought it was a great season,” head coach Kevin Constantine told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald. . . . That story is right here.
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The WHL office has looked after a couple of items left over from the second round of the playoffs. . . . F Jared Dmytriw of the Victoria Royals was given a one-game suspension after he incurred a boarding major and game misconduct in Kelowna on Friday. He’ll sit out the first game of the 2015-16 season. . . . D Connor Hobbs of the Regina Pats drew a one-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct he took on April 15 against visiting Brandon. Hobbs served the penalty when he missed Game 5 of that series on Friday.
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So . . . which WHL building will be the first to be home to a taco cannon? Seriously! There will be one at University of Nebraska Omaha games next season. . . . There’s more right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

John Paddock isn’t going anywhere. Paddock, the Pats’ senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, has told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that he has no plans to leave. “I hope this is my last job in hockey, but I hope it's not done anytime soon," Paddock said. "I didn't come here to use this to springboard anywhere. It would be hard to envision going anywhere else right now.” . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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This Winnipeg church is blessed with a humourous sign maker. #NHLJets #NHLDucks #GoJetsGo #PaintItOrange pic.twitter.com/wqAweDQTsU
— Judy Owen (@SportyCottager) April 22, 2015

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Lazar, Oil Kings off to final; Dobber back in coaching game

G Chris Mason (Victoria/Prince George, 1993-97) has signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). This season with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A), he was 2.18 and .927 in 36 games. He had the best GAA in Serie A as he led his club to the league championship. . . .
F Max Brandl (Prince Albert, Portland, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Landshut (Germany, DEL2), he had 22 points, including 10 goals, in 42 games.
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1. Four on-ice officials missed what should have been a major penalty in the first period on Thursday night when Montreal Canadiens F Brendan Prust drilled New York Rangers F Derek Stepan. . . . On Friday, Prust was given a two-game suspension. Also on Friday, the Rangers revealed that Stepan, who missed a couple of shifts before returning to finish the game, has a broken jaw and is out indefinitely. . . . Shortly after that hit, with emotions raw, New York F Daniel Carcillo was ejected after he got physical with a linesman during a scrum. On Friday, Carcillo was suspended for 10 games. . . . Thinking out loud: 1. How is it that four on-ice officials miss what should have been an easy call on Prust? 2. If that call is made, does the Carcillo incident happen? 3. Is bumping a linesman really five times as bad as breaking an opponent’s jaw?

2. What does Larry Brooks of the New York Post think of the NHL’s response to Prust’s hit on Stepan? Well, let’s say that he wasn’t impressed. Brooks’ piece is right here.

3. Can anyone explain why there were referees on the ice during the overtime periods in the Memorial Cup game on Friday night? Hey, if they aren’t going to call the obvious penalties, let’s get them off the ice so they aren’t getting in the way.

4. While the two referees didn’t see any penalties, OHL commissioner David Branch saw at least three suspendable offences.

5. The Brandon Wheat Kings aren’t likely to have any problems recruiting F Stelio Mattheos, the first overall selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. “My family and I, we’ve done our homework on the WHL,” Mattheos, a Winnipegger, told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “We think it’s a great league for development and that’s where I want to play. I want to play for the Wheat Kings one day.” . . . According to Henderson, Mattheos, who is attending Brandon’s prospects camp this weekend, is expected to play next season for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jim Dobson (New Westminster, Portland, 1977-80) is going to help coach the Fort Vancouver Vipers of the Northern Pacific Hockey League. Dobson worked as an assistant coach with the Seattle Thunderbirds and also spent one season (1987-88) as their head coach. . . . Paul Danzer of the Vancouver Columbian reports that Dobson, known forever as Dobber, and Mike Dickerman will work together as the Vipers’ co-coaches. Dickerman is coming off his first season as a head coach; the Vipers didn’t win a game. In fact, they have won two of 80 games over the last two seasons. . . . Danzer writes that the eight-team NPHL is “a third-tier USA Hockey-sanctioned junior league for players ages 16-20.”
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph 6, Val-d’Or 3 (8,796)
Tuesday: Val-d’Or 4, Edmonton 3 (2OT) (8,745)
Wednesday: Guelph 7, London 2 (8,863)
Thursday: No game scheduled.
Friday’s semifinal: Edmonton 4, Val-d’Or 3 (3OT) (8,776)
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday: Guelph vs. Edmonton, 4 p.m.
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FRIDAY’S GAME:
F Curtis Lazar ended the longest game in Memorial Cup tournament history as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Val-d’Or Foreurs 4-3 in the semifinal game. . . . Lazar scored at 2:42 of the third OT period, redirecting a point shot by D Cody Corbett that followed a turnover in the Foreurs’ zone. . . . It was the first time in tournament history that a semifinal game went to double OT. . . . In the end, it was the longest game in Memorial Cup tournament erasing one from 2005. In that one, the Ottawa 67’s beat the Kelowna Rockets 3-2 in 95:31. The 2005 tournament also was played in London. . . . In the round-robin portion, Val-d’Or got past Edmonton, 4-3, in double OT, as well. . . . Between that game and the semifinal, the two teams played 183:57, or more than nine periods. . . . Val-d’Or D Guillaume Gelinas, returning from a knee injury suffered on Monday, forced OT when he drifted a point shot through traffic and past G Tristan Jarry with 36 seconds left in the third period. . . . The QMJHL’s defenceman of the year, Gelinas went out with a knee injury during a 6-3 loss to Guelph on Monday. Obviously not 100 per cent, Gelinas wasn’t his usual explosive self, although he did make some plays in the third period before scoring his first goal of the event. . . . The Foreurs opened the scoring, with D Phil Pietroniro getting his first of the tournament at 1:49 of the first period, but then watched as the Oil Kings scored three in a row. . . . Pietroniro later left with a left shoulder/collarbone injury and didn’t return. . . . F Mads Eller got his first, at 9:00 of the opening period, with Edmonton getting the lead at 6:34 of the second when F Mitch Moroz struck on the PP. That was Moroz’s first goal of the week. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda scored his third goal of the tournament at 9:45 of the second. . . . The Oil Kings seemed in control until Foreurs D Randy Gazzola got his second goal at 17::52 of the second period. . . . Jarry finished with 46 saves, five fewer than Antoine Bibeau of the Foreurs. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-3 on the PP; Val-d’Or was 0-for-4. . . . After handing out six minor penalties in the second period, referees Brett Iverson and Scott Oakman called just two in the game’s final 72:29. . . . The QMJHL had won the previous three tournaments. The WHL hasn’t won since 2008 in Spokane.
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From Neate Sager of Yahoo! Canada Sports: “First time since 1990 the same two #mcmemorialcup teams have played double overtime twice. Other time was the Oshawa-Kitchener classics.” That was in Hamilton, where Oshawa won them both -- 5-4 in the final round-robin game and 4-3 in the championship game.
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From Not Ron Robison (@NotRonRobison: “SportsNet guys said Val d'Or went mini golfing and Edmonton went bowling on their days off. Portland would've been figuring out how to win.”

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