Winterhawks advance, again . . . Conference finals primer . . . Bromley looks at Ice

SUNDAY’S GAME:

In Everett, F Nic Petan had a goal and two assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips and a fifth straight berth in the Western Conference final. . . . The Winterhawks won the series, 4-1, and will open the Western Conference final in Kelowna against the Rockets on Friday. . . . Each of the WHL’s four second-round series was over in five games. . . . Petan, who has points in each of his side’s 11 playoff games, scored his seventh goal, at 6:43 of the first period, on a PP. He’s got 19 points in these playoffs. . . . Everett D Jordan Wharrie tied it with his first goal at 12:10. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the game’s next two goals, at 3:19 and 8:40 of the second period. . . . Everett D Cole MacDonald got his guys to within one at 18:53 of the second. . . . Bjorkstrand now leads all playoff scorers with 10 goals. . . . F Nikita Scherbak had two assists for the Silvertips. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 31 shots, three more than Everett’s Carter Hart. . . . Portland was 1-for-1 on the PP; Everett as 0-for-2. . . . Bjorkstrand led the WHL in goals (63) and points (118). In the playoffs, he has 18 points, three off the WHL lead. In his WHL career, combining regular season and playoffs, he has 360 points, including 178 goals, in 246 games. . . . In the playoffs alone, Bjorkstrand has 70 points, 34 of them goals, in 53 games. . . . F Spencer Gerth made his WHL debut with Everett. Gerth, who will turn 17 on May 15, played this season with the junior B Golden Rockets of the Kootenay International Junior League. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen took the pregame warmup, but left early and was scratched. . . . Everett also scratched D Tristen Pfeifer, F Dawson Leedahl and F Jake Mykitiuk. . . . Attendance was 3,671. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here.
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THE STAGE IS SET . . .

The WHL’s Eastern Conference final will feature the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Calgary Hitmen, with the Kelowna Rockets meeting the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference final. . . . Some notes on both:

BRANDON (53-11-8, 114 pts.) vs. CALGARY (45-22-5, 95): They will open in Brandon with games Friday and Saturday nights. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Calgary on Tuesday, April 28, and Wednesday, April 29. . . . Dates for the remainder of the series, if necessary, have yet to be announced. . . . These teams last met in the playoffs in the spring of 2012 when Brandon won a first-round series in five games. . . . The Wheat Kings were 3-1-0 in the season series; the Hitmen were 1-2-1. . . . Last season, the Hitmen swept the series, 4-0-0. . . . They last met on Jan. 11, one day after the WHL trade deadline. . . . Calgary won the series opener, 6-2, on Oct. 12. Brandon won the last three — 2-1, in a shootout, 7-4 and 5-4. . . . In the regular season, Brandon G Jordan Papirny was 3-1-0, 3.43, .887 against Calgary. . . . G Mack Shields of the Hitmen was 1-2-0, 2.67, .913 against Brandon. . . . G Brendan Burke has yet to face Brandon while wearing a Calgary uniform. . . . The Wheat Kings’ roster includes three players from Calgary — F Reid Duke, F Morgan Klimchuk and F Braylon Shmyr. . . . Calgary F Jordy Stallard is from Brandon; in fact, he played for the midget AAA Wheat Kings. . . . Calgary’s Sanheim twins — D Travis and F Taylor — are from Elkhorn, Man., which is 105 km west of Brandon. They grew up watching the Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings have had injury problems through the first two rounds. On Friday, when they finished off the Regina Pats, Brandon was missing F Rihards Bukarts, F Jayce Hawryluk and D Colton Waltz, all of whom are regulars. . . . Calgary F Connor Rankin missed the final game of its series with Medicine Hat. F Adam Tambellini leads the playoff scoring race with 19 points. He missed Game 4 against the Tigers, but was back for Game 5.

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KELOWNA (53-13-6, 112) vs. PORTLAND (43-23-6, 92): Portland is making its fourth straight appearance in the conference final. Last season, the Winterhawks took out the Rockets in five games. . . . In the spring of 2012, Portland took out Kelowna 4-0 in a first-round series. The previous year, Portland beat Kelowna 4-2 in a second-round affair. . . . They’ll play Friday and Saturday in Kelowna, then moved to Portland for games on Tuesday, April 28, and Wednesday, April 29, in the Moda Center, the home of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. . . . This season, Portland won the season series, 3-1-0; the Rockets were 1-1-2. . . . How much can that mean? Last season, the Rockets were 4-0-0 in the season series and look what happened when they met the Winterhawks in the conference final. . . . Of course, considering that these teams haven’t met since Nov. 22, we should likely forget the season series. They played Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 in Portland — Kelowna won, 5-0; Portland won 3-2, in OT — and Nov. 21 and 22 in Kelowna — Portland won both 4-3, the first one in OT. . . . Rockets F Rourke Chartier scored five times in the four games; no other Kelowna skater had more than one goal. . . . Portland sniper Oliver Bjorsktrand had two goals in the four games. . . . The Rockets have carried three goaltenders, with Jackson Whistle presumed to be the starter. However, he left after one period of their series-clinching victory over visiting Victoria on Friday night. Michael Herringer came on to play the last two periods and earn the victory. Also available is Jake Morrissey, the younger brother of D Josh Morrissey. . . . Josh has fought injury problems for the last while, but has nine points in three playoff games. He had five points in Game 5 against Victoria. . . . Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl had 15 points, including 11 assists, in nine games. . . . Portland’s roster includes only three players form B.C. — F Nic Petan of Delta, F Mitch Walter of South Delta and D Brendan De Jong of Victoria. . . . The Winterhawks have been mostly healthy through the playoffs. They are missing freshman D Nick Heid, who last played on Jan. 9.

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Mike Eaves, the head coach of the U of Wisconsin Badgers, is trying to put things back together after perhaps the worst season in school history. The Badgers went 4-26-5, experiencing the most losses ever and the fewest victories in a season since the 1933-34 team posted three.
Earlier this month, Eaves fired two assistant coaches. He also learned that F Morgan Zulinick, one of the Badgers’ top players, has decided not to return. He will stay at home in Kamloops where he has a three-year-old son.
These days, Eaves is busy recruiting and two of his top targets are WHL draft picks.
Here’s Andy Baggot, in the Wisconsin State Journal:
“It’s believed Eaves traveled to British Columbia this weekend to touch base with two major targets: Penticton teammates and close friends Tyson Jost, a winger, and Dante Fabbro, a defenceman. Both are projected as top-10 NHL draft picks in 2016.”
The Everett Silvertips selected Jost with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft. The Seattle Thunderbirds took Fabbro with the next pick.
The 6-foot-0, 194-pound Jost, from Leduc, Alta., turned 17 on March 14. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Fabbro, from Whistler, B.C., will turn 17 on June 20.
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“Los Angeles Kings forward Jarret Stoll will probably be able to negotiate a ‘slap on the wrist’ after being arrested and charged in Las Vegas on Friday for possession of cocaine and another illegal recreational drug, says a former state prosecutor.” That is according to a report by Rick Westhead, TSN’s senior correspondent. Stoll played in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice. . . . Westhead’s report is right here.
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With the NHL playoffs in high gear and everyone hating on everyone else, Mark Spector of Sportsnet has taken a not-too-serious look at the fine art of lying with the Stanley Cup on the line. . . . It sounds like if you ain’t lyin’, you ain’t tryin’. . . . That piece is right here.
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Jeff Bromley, who has followed the Kootenay Ice for more than a few seasons, has a few thoughts right here, as he looks to next season and tries to shed some light on the departure of head coach Ryan McGill. . . .
The ECHL’s Ontario Reign has signed G Coleman Vollrath of the Victoria Royals to an amateur tryout agreement. Vollrath, who turned 20 on Jan. 19, went 28-15-4, 2.99, .905 with the Royals this season. From Calgary, Vollrath is expected to dress tonight for Game 3 of the Reign’s Pacific Division series against the host Colorado Eagles. The best-of-seven series is 1-1.
The Vincent Massey Vikings won the Westman High School Hockey League title for the first time in 20 years. Former Brandon Wheat Kings F Graham Garden is the Vikings’ head coach. . . . Robin Wark of the Westman Journal has more right here. . . .
F Jordan Thomas, an 18-year-old from Edmonton, scored at 1:38 of OT to give the visiting Spruce Grove Saints a 2-1 victory over the Brooks Bandits and their second straight AJHL championship. Next up for the Saints is the Western Canada Cup in Fort McMurray, Alta.
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His nickname is Mule because he’s big and strong. But a concussion suffered on Jan. 6 brought Detroit Red Wings F Johan Franzen to his knees and his hockey-playing future is in doubt. But all he really wants is to be able to play with his children, again. . . . Ansar Khan of mlive.com has that story right here.
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Veni, Vedi, Vici #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/8fRB9FeqkT
— CellPhones&PlaneTix (@hawkeyblog) April 20, 2015

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Two WHL first-rounders opt for BCHL; Hunter up first for Giants

1. The WHL took a hit on Wednesday as the BCHL’s Penticton Vees announced that they have received commitments from F Tyson Jost and D Dante Fabbro, both of whom were first-round selections in the 2013 bantam draft.
Jost, from Leduc, Alta., was selected by the Everett Silvertips with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He played last season with the Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets, who won the B.C. Major Midget League championship. He won the league scoring title with 88 points, including 44 goals, in 36 games.
Fabbro, from Whistler, B.C., was picked by the Seattle Thunderbirds with the eighth overall selection of that 2013 bantam draft. He played last season with the major midget Vancouver-Northwest Giants. He led the league’s defencemen in scoring, with 61 points, 22 of them goals, in 38 games. That was 22 points more than the second-highest scoring defenceman and placed him sixth in the scoring race. In 2012-13, after playing with the bantam AAA team at Burnaby Winter Club, Fabbro was named Hockey Now’s B.C. Minor Hockey Player of the Year.
News 1130 Sports of Vancouver reported via Twitter on Wednesday: “Agent J.P. Barry places 2 very high #WHL draft picks in Penticton of BCHL - Tyson Jost & Dante Fabbro.”
Of course, that should be 'advisor' J.P. Barry, because we all know -- Wink! Wink! -- that the hiring of an agent will cost a player his NCAA eligibility. Right?

2. "Dante told us that he needed more time to make a decision and so he was going to play this year in the BCHL," Seattle general manager Russ Farwell told Andrew Eide of 730sports.com in Seattle.

3. This week, the Vees also announced having received commitments from D Mike Lee of Hamden, Conn., who has committed to the U of Vermont; D Connor Russell of Guelph; F Josh Laframboise of Regina (Minnesota-Duluth); D Miles Gendron of Shrewsbury, Mass. (Connecticut), F Lewis Zerter of Montreal (Harvard); F Neil Robinson of Montreal; G Brendan Barry of Kelowna; and D Gabe Bast of Red Deer. . . . Barry is on the Kelowna Rockets' 50-player list.

4. Seattle actually had two first-round picks in the 2013 bantam draft. The Thunderbirds used the 22nd overall selection on F Kaden Elder, who is from Saskatoon. Elder signed with the Thunderbirds on Aug. 29. . . . Last season, he played for the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos, putting up 38 points, including 13 goals, in 38 games.

5. It looks like only three first-round selections from that 2013 bantam draft haven’t committed to a WHL team. Jost and Fabbro, of course, have shunned the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds, at least for now, in favour of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. . . . The other player who hasn’t committed to the WHL is F Jared Legien, who was selected ninth overall by the Kootenay Ice. From White City, Sask., he played last season with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, earning 30 points, 13 of the goals, in 40 games. Legien has practised with the Ice, and is expected to sign before training camp starts in late August. "He will be close to making our team in the fall," Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth told me yesterday. Chynoweth also pointed out that the Ice "doesn't sign every drafted player . . . you earn your scholarship at camp."

6. The Tri-City Americans have added Nathan MacMaster to their scouting staff. From Calgary, MacMaster will be scouting southern Alberta, including Calgary, for the Americans. MacMaster, 21, played in the WHL with Moose Jaw, Calgary and the Americans. He finished up his career with the Americans in 2011-12. . . . MacMaster’s younger brother, Tanner, was a first-round selection, 19th overall, by the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. MacMaster has played the last two seasons with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, and has committed to play next season at Quinnipiac U.

7. According to a Wednesday afternoon tweet from Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, the Saskatoon Blades “are down to 3 candidates for GM/coaching vacancies, according to managing partner Colin Priestner. All 3 are outside of WHL.” . . . The Blades are holding their spring prospects camp this weekend, with former players Tim Cheveldae, Jerome Engele and Ryan Keller running things. Cheveldae and Engele also are former Blades assistant coaches.

8. The Everett Silvertips are looking for an assistant coach, having lost Mark LeRose, who has signed with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers as their general manager. Jay Varady, a former Everett associate coach, is Sioux City’s head coach. . . . Varady and LeRose spent two seasons (2007-09) together with the Silvertips. . . .

9. Another Wednesday tweet from Vancouver radio station News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports): “Tim Hunter gets the 1st interview Friday for the #WHLGiants coaching vacancy.” . . . The Giants are looking for a replacement for Don Hay, who left for the Kamloops Blazers after 10 seasons in Vancouver. . . . Hunter is a former NHL player who has NHL assistant-coaching experience with the Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

10. There was another headshot in the NHL on Tuesday night, with F John Moore of the New York Rangers drilling an unsuspecting F Dale Weise of the Montreal Canadiens. Moore later was hit with a two-game suspension. . . . The problem, as James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail writes, is that “historically, hitting in hockey has been about separating an opponent from the puck so that a player could get said puck. But somewhere along the way, it became more than that, and players who no longer had the puck were – briefly anyway – fair game.”
Later, Mirtle adds: “The problem, however, is in what hitting is. As long as players are allowed to hammer opponents who no longer have the puck, they’re going to make these split-second mistakes in a game that moves as fast as this one does.
“They’ve learned some important lessons, but this one won’t get through, not when the message from coaches to their role players is to use their 10 to 12 minutes a night to punish those with skill and not when the rulebook’s wishy-washy language protects rather than prohibits the late hit.”
He’s right. And it won’t stop until coaches quit talking about “finishing your check.”
Mirtle’s complete piece is right here.

11. If you caught Wednesday night's Stanley Cup game between the Los Angeles Kings and host Chicago Blackhawks . . . WOW! . . . Now that was a game, especially the first OT period that took 26 minutes of real time to play. . . . And what can you say about the legendary Bob Cole? As his lengthy play-by-play career winds down, he definitely warrants a spot on the pedestal alongside Danny Gallivan and Foster Hewitt.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The ECHL’s Reading Royals have extended Larry Courville’s contract through 2016-17. Courville, 39, is the club’s director of hockey operations and head coach. He took over as head coach on Jan. 6, 2009, and is the winningest coach in franchise history.
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From Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) of Sportsnet: “Per @murraylp, in 2013 #Riders generated $43.8 million in revenue, $10.4 mil profit. Info comes just in time for #CFL and CFLPA negotiations.”
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From former CFL defensive lineman Doug Brown (@DougBrown97): “CFL must B thrilled that on a day of negotiation with the #CFLPA, the Riders announce revenues of $43.8 million & profit of $10.4. Oops.”
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From Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) of Sports Illustrated/@SINow: “Was told today by someone in the know that roughly 50 ESPN employees (talent + execs) make more than $1 million annually.”
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From sports columnist Cathal Kelly (@cathalkelly) of The Globe and Mail: “God love him, but Don Cherry is no longer speaking what I recognize as English.”


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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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