Charles Inglis of the Prince George Cougars drew a charging major
for this hit on Josh Birkholz (10)
of the host Everett Silvertips on Saturday night.(Photo by Christopher Mast / mastimages.com)

In Calgary, the Hitmen scored the game’s first three goals and the last three, and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-2. . . . F Alex Gogolev had two goals and two assists for Calgary, which was 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . Gogolev has 15 points, seven of them goals, in 19 games. . . .
In Cranbrook, goaltender Andrey Makarov stopped 36 shots to lead the Blades to a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Blades have won five in a row and now are atop the Eastern Conference. . . . F Brent Benson’s fourth goal, on the PP, broke a 1-1 tie at 15:49 of the third period. . . . D Darren Dietz had given Saskatoon a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 2:56 of the first period. . . . Kootenay’s Max Reinhart tied it with his ninth goal of the season, on the PP, at 19:13 of the first. . . . The Ice will play its next nine games on the road. . . .
In Vancouver, F James Henry’s shootout goal gave the Giants a 4-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Henry, who scored the shootout’s only goal, also had a goal and an assist in regulation time. He is 3-for-3 in shootouts this season. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher forced OT with a goal at 18:47 of the third period. . . . Vancouver has won four straight. . . . Prince George was without F Charles Inglis, who has drawn a ‘tbd’ suspension after taking a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Josh Birkholz of the Silvertips in Everett on Saturday night. Check out the dynamite photo by Chris Mast of the moment of impact. . . . Also missing from the Cougars’ lineup was D Jesse Forsberg and F Brock Hirsche, both of whom suffered injuries on Saturday. . . . Vancouver was without F Nathan Burns (ankle). He was injured in Saturday’s 3-2 OT victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. . . .
In Victoria, F Robin Soudek and F Logan Nelson had shootout goals as the Royals got past the Red Deer Rebels, 4-3. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges tied the score 3-3 at 19:24 of the third period. . . . The Rebels, who are 5-0-1 on a road trip, had five shots in OT and hit four posts during the game. . . . The Royals had lost three games in a row on home ice. They finished a seven-game homestand at 3-3-1. . . . The Royals were without F Kevin Sundher (undisclosed) but he is expected to return to practice today. . . . The Rebels picked up seven points on their four-game swing into the B.C. Division.
———
SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One night after there were 10 minor penalties called, there weren’t any handed out. Well done!
———
Michael Russo, in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
“In a neat thing, the Wild recalled goalie prospect Darcy Kuemper from ECHL Ontario (Calif.) so he can take the ice during the Wild's optional morning skate Sunday at Anaheim's Honda Center. That means Kuemper, 21, the Western Hockey League's Player and Goalie of the Year last season, will earn his first NHL paycheck and a day's per diem before being reassigned — likely Monday.”
Kuemper was the Red Deer Rebels’ starter last season in what was his 20-year-old season.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Sheesh, if you had arrived fresh on the Twitterverse on Thursday afternoon you might have thought Seattle had an NHL franchise and that it was going to begin play in September.
Fresh out of cities to use as leverage (thank you, Winnipeg), could it be that the NHL has turned its lonely eyes to Seattle?
You remember Seattle? It used to be home to a WHL franchise that now is located in Kent, Wash., even though it still calls itself the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds, you may recall, vacated the KeyArena and moved into new digs in Kent. The KeyArena, you will remember, also at one time was home to an NBA franchise, one that now is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
So why would the NHL be interested in moving into a city where there obviously isn’t an arena that would meet its standards, and where there isn’t a plan anywhere in sight for a new building? After all, even though baseball’s Mariners and football’s Seahawks have new homes, no one stepped up to build a new facility and save the SuperSonics.
“We’ve had discussions with a group in Seattle,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Seattle TV station KING5. “Certainly (there are) people who are interested in having NHL hockey in Seattle. I would rather not get into specifics to be fair to that group, or the process.”
In speaking with the TV station, Daly also questioned whether KeyArena would be a proper venue for an NHL franchise, pointing out that there are “obstructed view” seats for hockey.
But that didn’t stop people from jumping all over this story and running with it. Part of that is likely because a Seattle franchise presumably would have some kind of rivalry with the Vancouver Canucks and, these days, the Canucks are kind of a hot topic on the West Coast.
Of course, a skeptic might suggest that with the Phoenix Coyotes staying put, at least for now, and with the Atlanta Thrashers’ move to Winnipeg to be finalized whenever TSN and Rogers Sportsnet quit fighting over the date of the official announcement, the NHL simply is searching for another lever. So that the next time it is suggested that a particular team is struggling financially, well, Seattle will be in the conversation as an option.
Nah . . .
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Daniel Vorab (Saskatoon, 2001-03) signed a one-year contract with the Basingstoke Bison (England, Premier). He had eight goals and 15 assists in 44 games for Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic 1.Liga) this season. Bison director of ice hockey Steve Moria: "I am obviously very happy to sign a player of this calibre. This is a player who could have been playing in the NHL right now if things went differently seven or eight years ago. His excellent overall game will suit us perfectly. His vision and awareness wil create scoring opportunities for his wingers."
F Igor Revenko (Prince Albert, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with Yunost Minsk (Belarus, Open). He had 23 goals and 28 assists in 57 games for the Raiders this season. . . .
F Kyle Wanvig (Edmonton/Kootenay, Red Deer, 1997-2001) signed a one-year contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had five goals and 10 assists in 37 games for Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL) and two goals and two assists in five games for Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga) this season.
———
John MacNeil of the Brandon Sun has written extensively this week on concussions and their impact on people. Right here is a look at Jace Miller, a 14-year-old minor hockey player, and what he and his family went through.
———
A note from a sidebar written by MacNeil is worth posting here:
Hockey Brandon is polling its members for input on a gameplan to tackle and manage concussions.
"We've taken a proactive approach to offer a non-contact division for peewee-aged and older children who don't want to play (contact hockey)," said Hockey Brandon third vice-president Don Wilson. "A lot of larger centres are going to that, with very good success and their numbers are going up and kids are staying involved in the sport. We've sent out an email to all families to see if that is something they'd at all be interested in, just to get a gauge on interest."
Brandon will host an open concussion symposium June 8 at the Victoria Inn at 7 p.m.
———
D Victor Bartley, who played in Europe this season, signed a two-year deal with the NHL’s Nashville Predators earlier this week. According to capgeek.com, Bartley, 23, will get US$67,500 in the AHL and $537,5000 in the NHL. He got a $25,000 signing bonus over two years. . . . The Minnesota Wild has signed Red Deer Rebels G Darcy Kuemper to a three-year contract. Kuemper, who played out his junior eligibility this season, was a sixth-round selection in the 2009 NHL draft. He is coming off a season in which he was the WHL’s player and goaltender of the year. Capgeek.com reports that Kuemper’s AHL salary will be US$67,500 for each of the three seasons, with NHL salaries of $690,000, $740,000 annd $900,000. He got a $270,000 signing bonus over three years. . . .
As expected, Don Hay, the head coach of the Vancouver Giants, has been named head coach of Canada’s national junior team. Assistant coaches will be George Burnett (Belleville Bulls), Ryan Huska (Kelowna Rockets) and Pascal Vincent (Montreal Juniors). The 2012 World Junior Championship is scheduled to open in Calgary and Edmonton on Dec. 26. . . . Steve Spott of the Kitchener Rangers was named head coach of the Canadian U-18 team that will play in the Ivan Hlinka Memmorial tournament in Czech Republic and Slovakia, Aug. 8-13. His assistants will be Don Nachbaur (Spokane Chiefs) and Mario Duhamel (Drummondville Voltigeurs).
———
The Saskatoon Blades aren’t going anywhere.
According to saskatoonhomepage.com, the Blades have signed a three-year lease with Credit Union Centre. The lease gives them hockey exclusivity, meaning you can forget about the AHL (hello, there, Manitoba Moose) showing up in ‘Toontown.
The Blades will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2013-14 and this lease takes them through there.
The Blades also are hoping to serve as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup. Of course, at this point, so are the Kelowna Rockets, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Prince George Cougars and Red Deer Rebels.
With five of the WHL’s most-successful franchises located in the U.S. Division, when does the Memorial Cup go south again?
———
There really weren’t any surprises out of the news conference held Thursday by the Victoria ?????, who used to be the Chilliwack Bruins. Marc Habscheid has relocated and remains the GM/head coach. Pat Conacher also has made the move and is the assistant GM/assistant coach. . . . No, they didn’t announce a nickname. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist was at the newser. His story is right here.
———
TWEET OF THE DAY, Part 1:
Comedian and TV host Bill Maher: “Looks like Palin is running! Thank u Jesus!”
———
TWEET OF THE DAY, Part 2:
Comedian, actor and banjo picker Steve Martin: “I’ve decided I want to get to know Cher on a first-name basis.”
———
The Kootenay Ice has lived to play another day.
The Ice won its second straight elimination game at the MasterCard Memorial Cup on Thursday, beating the OHL-champion Owen Sound Attack, 7-3.
The Ice, which trailed 2-0 after one period, got two goals from each of F Matt Fraser and F Cody Eakin. The Ice also got key shorthanded goals from F Joe Antilla and F Max Reinhart.
The Attack, which had beaten the Ice 5-0 in the round-robin, was without captain Garrett Wilson and leading scorer Joey Hishon, both of whom suffered concussions during the tournament.
Attendance was 4,916, the first game of the tournament’s first seven that wasn’t sold out.
And so it’s on to the semifinal for the Ice, which will play the host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors tonight. When they met in the round-robin, the Majors beat the Ice 2-1. That was on Sunday, before the Ice rediscovered its scoring touch.
The semifinal winner will meet the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs in Sunday’s final.
On Tueday, the Ice completed its portion of the round-robin with a 5-4 victory over the Sea Dogs. A loss would have eliminated the Ice, which had lost its first two games.
The only team to have won the Memorial Cup after starting the tournament 0-2 was the 2009 Windsor Spitfires.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Saturday . . .

In Portland on Saturday, the Kootenay Ice scored four straight PP goals, in a span of 5:45 in the second period, and went on to beat the Winterhawks, 7-5. . . . That ties the WHL’s championship final at 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 in Cranbrook on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . This was a wild and crazy game. . . . The Winterhawks ran into some horrific penalty trouble and the Ice took advantage by going 4-for-7 on the PP. . . . The teams were 1-1 going into the second period. The Ice killed off a tripping penalty to D Hayden Rintoul and then F Matt Fraser broke the tie with his second goal of the game and 15th of the spring. . . . Portland then took two minors and two majors over a nine-minute stretch and the floodgates opened. "We took 18 penalty minutes in a row," Mike Johnston, Portland’s GM/head coach, told reporters. "I've never seen that. I've coached 25 years and never seen that many calls in a row on one team." . . . The Ice then got the four PP goals — F Max Reinhart (8:47), F Cody Eakin (10:15), F Steele Boomer (13:04) and F Kevin King (14:32) — to take a 6-1 lead. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi, who had two goals in Portland’s 4-3 victory in Game 1 on Friday, then struck twice, shorthanded at 19:19 of the second and on the PP at 6:12 of the third. . . . F Taylor Peters, at 8:01, and D Joe Morrow, at 8:14, got the home team to within one but the comeback fell short. . . . King iced it with an empty-netter at 19:50. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 39 shots and that included stopping Bartschi on a penalty shot with the score 1-1 at 2:40 of the second period. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth turned aside 23 of 29 shots, with Keith Hamilton coming on at 4:31 left in the second period and stopping all 13 shots he faced. . . . Referees Matt Kirk and Reagan Vetter hit Portland with 46 of the 60 minutes they handed out. While the Ice took seven minors, Portland picked up eight minors, two majors and two game misconducts. . . . The WHL is certain to look at two Portland penalties and maybe three. F Tayler Jordan took a checking-from-behind major at 7:48 of the second for a hit on Boomer. F Riley Boychuk was hit with an elbowing major at 15:59 for a check on Rintoul. Both penalties carry with them automatic game misconducts and will be looked at by the WHL office. . . . Portland F Brad Ross took roughing and tripping minors at 7:25 of the second period. Ross and Fraser, who was involved in the play, both left the game. Fraser, who appeared to suffer an injury to his left leg, didn’t return. Ross returned to the Portland bench but didn’t play again. . . . Attendance was 10,947. The Rose Garden, in its hockey configuration, was sold out. . . . The Winterhawks scratched D Tyler Wotherspoon (undisclosed) and inserted D Josh Hanson, 16, who played his first playoff game. . . . Game 5 is scheduled for Portland on Friday.
———
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One major:
Portland F Tayler Jordan
———
Jim Beseda of The Oregonian was at the game and his story is right here.
———
Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune also covered the game, and his story is right here.
———
Tribune columnist Kerry Eggers also was in the house, and his piece is right here.
———
An interesting note from the blog (Between The Lines) of Jeff Hollick, who calls the Ice play-by-play: In their history, the Ice have faced eight penalty shots in playoff games, while they have never been awarded one. . . . Ice goalies have stopped seven of the eight.
———
In the QMJHL final, the visiting Gatineau Olympiques got 38 saves form G Maxime Clermont as they beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 3-2 to even the series at 1-1. . . . Saint John G Jacob DeSerres stopped 21 shots. . . . Games 3 and 4 are Monday and Wednesday in Gatineau.
———
ELSEWHERE:
Jim Matheson, the Edmonton Journal’s hall of fame hockey writer, notes today that “Ryan McGill, the former Oilers defenceman and Calgary Flames assistant coach, might catch on with the Phoenix Coyotes now that Ulf Samuelsson has departed for a head coaching job with MoDo of the Swedish Elite League.” . . . Matheson also notes that the Minnesota Wild have until June 1 to sign Red Deer Rebels G Darcy Kuemper or he becomes a free agent. The Wild selected Kuemper, the WHL’s player of the year, in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2009 draft. Matheson notes that “the trouble is that Kuemper . . . wants first-round draft money.”
———
Steve Simmons, in today’s Toronto Sun: “The Memorial Cup is coming to the so-called centre of the hockey universe and all indications are this event is in some trouble.
Staff from both the Ottawa Senators and the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors — two teams owned by Eugene Melnyk — have been desperately working the phones of late trying to offer up discounted and single-game tickets, for the Canadian junior hockey championship.”
———
Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has a couple of interesting tidbits in a story he wrote on the folding by RG Properties of the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. RG Properties, of course, purchased the Chilliwack Bruins and is moving the WHL team to Victoria’s Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
1. Dave Dakers, the president of RG Properties’ sports and entertainment division, told Dheensaw that an announcement on a general manager and head coach “is a couple of weeks away.” Marc Habscheid, the Bruins’ GM/head coach for two seasons, ran the Bruins’ bantam draft on Thursday in Calgary.
2. RG Properties purchased the video scoreboard panels from Prospera Centre in Chilliwack when it bought the Bruins. It doesn’t seem certain that they will end up in the Victoria arena, though.
3. The Victoria franchise is working on a deal involving radio play-by-play.
Dheensaw’s story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

COLIN SMITH

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
An honours student, Colin Smith was honoured to be honoured Wednesday at the WHL awards luncheon in Calgary.
Smith, who just completed his second season with the Kamloops Blazers, was named the WHL’s scholastic player of the year and was presented with the Doc Seaman Memorial Trophy.
“It was a little nerve-wracking, to say the least,” said Smith, who will turn 18 on June 20. “But it was nice.
“Not too many times do we get rewarded for schoolwork — it’s more on ice. It’s always nice to get recognized in other ways.”
Forward Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos was the Eastern Conference nominee.
Smith is scheduled to graduate with honours from Vimy Ridge Academy in his hometown of Edmonton next month. During the season, he attended Valleyview Secondary.
The Blazers now have had three players win the WHL’s scholastic award. Defenceman Scott Niedermayer won it for the 1990-91 season, while goaltender Devan Dubnyk was the winner for 2003-04. Niedermayer and Dubnyk both went on to be named the CHL’s scholastic player of the year.
On the ice, Smith put up 50 points, including 21 goals, as he played in all 72 of the Blazers’ regular-season games. While the Blazers didn’t make the playoffs, Smith went on to play for Canada at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Germany. He had three points, two of them goals, in seven games as Canada finished fourth.
Seeing some of Europe for the first time, he said, “was really good. It was a cool experience.”
On top of that, he felt he played “pretty well.”
“I tried to play a role and thought I did a pretty good job,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we would have liked. But it was an unbelievable experience otherwise.”
Up next for Smith is the NHL draft.
His play improved markedly in the season’s second half and NHL Central Scouting certainly was paying attention as his ranking went from No. 130 at midseason to 96 in the final seedings.
He wasn’t invited to the NHL scouting combine and won’t be attending the draft in St. Paul, Minn., June 24 and 25.
“I don’t have too many expectations,” he said. “I’m more worried about the work after and next season.”
Smith is the highest-ranked of the three Blazers who showed up on Central Scouting’s list.
Defenceman Tyler Hansen came in at No. 131, while centre Dylan Willick was at No. 164.
———
WHL award winners, announced Wednesday in Calgary (runner-up in parentheses):
Player of the year — G Darcy Kuemper, Red Deer Rebels (F Tyler Johnson, Spokane Chiefs).
Rookie of the year — D Matt Dumba, Red Deer Rebels (F Sven Bartschi, Portland Winterhawks).
Goaltender of the year — Kuemper (James Reid, Spokane).
Defenceman of the year — Stefan Elliott, Saskatoon Blades (Tyson Barrie, Kelowna Rockets).
Most sportsmanlike player — Johnson (Elliott).
Scholastic player of the year — F Colin Smith, Kamloops Blazers (Adam Lowry, Swift Current Broncos).
Coach of the year — Don Nachbaur, Spokane (Jesse Wallin, Red Deer).
Executive of the year — Lorne Molleken, Saskatoon (Mike Johnston, Portland).
Humanitarian of the year — F Spencer Edwards, Moose Jaw Warriors (D Jeff Einhorn, Chilliwack Bruins).
Marketing/Communications award — Mike Moore, Calgary Hitmen (Brian Sandy, Tri-City Americans).
———
As well, the Swift Current Broncos were named the scholastic team of the year, while Matt Kirk was saluted as the league’s top referee. . . . Nachbaur has won the coach-of-the year award three times and has been with a different team on each occasion. . . . Only Pat Ginnell, who was named top coach on four occasions, has won the award more than Nachbaur. . . . This is the ninth straight season in which an Eastern Conference player  has been honoured as the WHL’s player of the year. The last Western Conference player to take the honour? D Dan Hamhuis of the Prince George Cougars in 2001-02.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 57:
The Regina Moose? The Regina Gophers? The Chilliwack Pats?
The Victoria Bruins?
When the dominoes start falling, who knows how all this will shake out. And now you have to wonder if one of the dominoes might be the Regina Pats?
The Pats are in lease negotiations with Evraz Place, the landlord that controls the Brandt Centre, the arena the team calls home.
These negotiations have been messy in the past and they appear headed down Nasty Street once again.
In fact, a source has told me that the Evraz people have given the Pats “a take-it-or-leave-it offer.”
The Pats’ owners — Diane and Russ Parker — are said to be seriously thinking of leaving it. Their son, Brent, is the team’s president after a long run as general manager.
I also have been told that the Evraz Place people have had discussions with the American Hockey League, which is doing preliminary planning in case a new home is needed for the Winnipeg-based Manitoba Moose. That move would become necessary should the NHL move the Phoenix Coyotes back to Winnipeg.
All of this is nothing more than speculation, of course, but it does mean there may be a sliver of light so far as the WHL fans of Chilliwack are concerned.
Understand that the Pats have been down this road a few times before and, at the end of the day, have always reached agreement with their landlord.
However, I don’t think the Pats have ever been in a position like they are now — with an arena such as the one in Chilliwack looking for a primary tenant. (The Bruins, if you’ve come in late, have been sold, presumably to Vancouver-based RG Properties, and will be relocated to Victoria.)
Yes, the Pats could very well use Chilliwack as a bargaining chip. However, it could work the other way, too, meaning that Evraz Place might have to be careful in calling the Pats’ bluff because the hockey team just might have another landing place.
Of course, it could be that Evraz Place has its eyes on an AHL franchise.
Oh, what a tangled web . . .
———
Interestingly, the Colorado-based Arabian Horse Association wasn’t able to close negotiations to keep its Royal Red horse show at Evraz Place and revealed late in March that it has chosen to move it to Brandon’s Keystone Centre. The Royal Red had been held in Regina for 22 years.
———
The Parkers have a long sporting history in the west and, in fact, Russ and Brent likely would be quick to tell you that baseball is their first love. Russ owned a AAA baseball franchise in Calgary not all that long ago, but it left town when he and the City couldn’t come together on the building of a new facility or the refurbishing of an old one.
A year ago, the Parkers bought a Golden Baseball League franchise and set it up in Victoria as the Seals. Darren Parker, another son, was put in charge. However, the owners weren’t at all pleased with playing conditions — apparently, Victoria is lacking in baseball facilities and the Seals played on a soccer pitch with a portable snow fence around the outfield — and the franchise folded over the winter.
Should the Pats end up in the centre of a controversy related to a possible move, it wouldn’t be the first time. In 1985-86, the franchise, then owned by the Pinder family of Saskatoon, was so close to moving to Swift Current during the Christmas break that one game scheduled to be played in Regina was postponed. The marquee in front of the Agridome even announced that the team was on the move. Saner heads prevailed, of course, and the Pats stayed where they belong.
The bone of contention back then was a $1 parking charge that Regina Exhibition Park, then the Pats’ landlord, chose to implement.
———
And if you’re wondering how the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings are doing . . . they opened a best-of-seven second-round series with the host Utah Grizzlies on Friday night. The Salmon Kings won, 4-2, with former Kootenay Ice F Adam Taylor sealing the victory with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance in the 10,207-seat Maverik Center was 3,063. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for tonight. . . . The series heads to Victoria for Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5 on Wednesday, Friday and April 23.
———
MEANWHILE . . .
The hurt will be a while in going away, but Lorne Molleken, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, says he’ll be back behind the team’s bench next season.
After last season, Molleken thought about leaving the bench and focussing on the front-office duties.
“I sat down last year at the end of the (season) with (Blades co-owner) Jack Brodsky and we talked about the coaching,” Molleken told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “The Brodsky family, at that time, their wishes were that I stay behind the bench. Jack asked me to commit for another three years, so I made that
commitment to him and we’ll move forward.”
Molleken told Wolfe that he plans “to stay coaching for a long time.”
For more on the Blades and how they are dealing with the way their season ended, check out Wolfe’s copy right here.
———

DAWSON GUHLE

The Medicine Hat Tigers get their second opportunity to eliminate the Red Deer Rebels tonight. The Tigers take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Red Deer.
The Tigers won the first three games of the series and a lot of fans thought the series was over when Red Deer lost G Darcy Kuemper with a high ankle sprain suffered in Game 3.
However, backup Dawson Guhle, 18, stepped in and pitched a shutout, stopping 19 shots as the Rebels won Game 4, 1-0.
Guhle will be back in goal tonight, as Kuemper, 20, still is on the limp. In fact, Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Kuemper “has been fitted with a special boot which he will wear for a least a month.”
Backing up Guhle, who was acquired from the Regina Pats in November, will be Bolton Pouliot, 16, from the midget AAA Calgary Royals.
The Rebels have scored just three goals in the four games with Medicine Hat. Obviously, then, Red Deer is going to have to find some offence if it hopes to keep on playing.
———
The Tri-City Americans and the visiting Spokane Chiefs are 2-2 going into Game 5 in Kennewick, Wash., on Sunday. The Americans evened the series with a 4-3 double-overtime victory on Thursday.
If you’re planning on attending Sunday’s game, perhaps you should be prepared for OT. Nine of the last 14 playoff games between these teams have needed extra time.
If you’re wondering why this series has a 2-3-2 format, with the Americans playing host to the middle three, it’s because of scheduling difficulties involving an Elton John concert, a two-day youth wrestling tournament and an Amway convention.
The wrestling tournament will be held today and Sunday in the Toyota Center in Kennewick, with the facility to be converted for hockey in time for a 7:30 p.m. start.
Bob Tory, the Americans’ GM, wasn’t at all happy about not having any Friday dates.
"It's bad management," Tory told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald earlier this month. "When you have Spokane and Tri-City and we can't have a weekend date, that is unacceptable. We are the anchor tenant with a history of playoff success the last five years."
———
ON THE ICE FRIDAY NIGHT:

JESSEY ASTLES

In Portland, F Jessey Astles scored at 7:08 of OT to give the Kelowna Rockets a 2-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 54 shots. . . . The goal was Astles third of the playoffs. He picked off a pass at the Kelowna blue line and skated in alone to beat G Mac Carruth to the blocker side. . . . Astles, an 18-year-old from Coquitlam, scored one goal in 56 regular-season games last season and three times in 59 games this season. Now, he has three goals in nine playoff games. . . . The Winterhawks hold a 3-2 lead as the series goes back to Kelowna for Game 6 on Sunday. . . . Kelowna won the first game, with Portland winning the next three. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 4:38 of the second period via the PP. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter, on the PP, tied it at 15:09 of the second. . . . Callahan has five goals; Niederreiter has seven. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 36 shots. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 8,505. . . . The Rockets lost D Colton Jobke to a boarding major and game misconduct at 16:34 of the first period. The play will be reviewed by the WHL office and he could be suspended. . . . Portland had F Brad Ross back in the lineup after he served a three-game suspension. He picked up two minor penalties, one of them coincidental, the other resulting in a Kelowna PP. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko, who was hit by Ross in Game 1, didn’t play.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
A tip of the cap to Taylor Piller, a 20-year-old forward with the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves. From Saskatoon, Piller has played four seasons in the SJHL — two with the Humboldt Broncos and two with the Ice Wolves. Remarkably, he has won four SJHL championships.
Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

Defenceman Tyler Schmidt has scored the OT winner and the Tri-City Americans and their fans explode in joy.
(Photo by Doug Love / Tri-City Americans)

In Kennewick, Wash., D Tyler Schmidt scored at 2:32 of the second overtime period to give the host Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . It was the night’s only WHL playoff game. . . . The series now is tied 2-2. Game 5 is Sunday in Kennewick with Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday. . . . The Chiefs had won the previous two games in the series. . . . The goal was Schmidt’s first of these playoffs. He sat out Game 3 with a one-game suspension after taking a clipping major in Game 2. . . . “It felt good to get that overtime winner,” Schmidt told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “I’ve never had one before in my career. I got lucky at the end. We needed this win.” . . . The Americans had a glorious opportunity to end it at 18:36 of the first OT when F Brendan Shinnimin was awarded a penalty shot. Spokane G James Reid kept it going with a right pad save. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson forced OT with his second goal of the game, via the PP, at 12:17 of OT. . . . The Chiefs led this one 2-0 early in the second period, only to have the Americans score three goals before the period ended. . . . Reid finished with 46 saves, one more than Tri-City’s Drew Owsley. . . . Owsley set a franchise record with his 18th playoff victory, one more than Chet Pickard. . . . Attendance was 3,888.
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THURSDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Spokane F Kenton Miller.
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The Portland Winterhawks are at home tonight with a 3-1 lead over the Kelowna Rockets. The Winterhawks also will welcome back F Brad Ross, who has served a three-game suspension for a charging major he took in Game 1. Kelowna F Zach Franko, who took that hit by Ross, was left with a broken nose and a concussion, and isn’t expected to play.
Meanwhile, the Red Deer Rebels and Medicine Hat Tigers don’t play again until Saturday. The Tigers will take a 3-1 edge into the next game, which is to be played in Red Deer. The Rebels were without G Darcy Kuemper (ankle) for Game 4 — Dawson Guhle stopped 19 shots in a 1-0 victory — and it isn’t known yet if he will be able to dress, or play, in Game 5. The Rebels are still alive, despite having scored only three goals in four games.
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The Kootenay Ice will spend the next few days enjoying what they have accomplished to this point in the WHL playoffs.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we would have swept this series,” Ice president and general manager Jeff Chynoweth said via text shortly after his club had swept the highly favoured Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday night. “Having said that, in all my years with the Ice, that is probably as good a four-game stretch as we have ever had.
“We will enjoy it for a few days, rest up and heal a bit, and get ready for The Hat or Red Deer, because it will not get any easier from here on out.”
The Medicine Hat Tigers take a 3-1 lead into Red Deer for Game 5 with the Rebels on Saturday.
If you were wondering, the Ice was 2-5-1 against Red Deer during the regular season and 4-1-1 versus Medicine Hat.
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If you’re wondering why the Blades went out the way they did, perhaps you should look no further than two statistics.
The Blades scored five goals in the four games and went 0-for-16 on the PP.
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The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings assigned Saskatoon Blades F Brayden Schenn to the Manchester Monarchs, their AHL affiliate.
As Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times tweeted: “Kings decision to send Brayden Schenn to AHL is based on their desire that he not feel pressure to relace (Anze) Kopitar when he's different player.”
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JAY VARADY

Jay Varady, a long-time member of the Everett Silvertips’ coaching staff, is leaving the WHL. Varady, who has been with Everett through all eight of its seasons in the league, has stepped down as associate head coach to sign on as head coach of the Ducs d’Angers, a club that plays in Ligue Magnus, which is France’s top professional league.
Varady, 33, was an assistant coach with the Silvertips (2003-07), before being named associate head coach. He helped the Silvertips to a Western Conference championship and three U.S. Division titles. The team also was in the playoffs in each of his eight seasons there.
The Cahokia, IL native won a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships with USA Hockey as the team’s video co-ordinator.
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Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune takes a look at Mike Johnston and Travis Green, the braintrust behind the success the Portland Winterhawks are enjoying. That story is right here.
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Willy Palov of the Halifax Chronicle Herald takes a look at the names being bandied about as at least four QMJHL teams look for head coaches. That piece is right here.
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Today’s good read comes from Pulitzer Prize-winner Buzz Bissinger, who writes about Tiger Woods. That piece is good and it’s right here.


gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tyler Beechey (Kootenay, Calgary, 1997-2002) and D Jason Holland (Kamloops, 1992-96) signed one-year contract extensions with DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). Beechey had 20 goals and 26 assists in 51 games and Holland had eight goals and 19 assists in 51 games this season for the Metro Stars.
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G Deven Dubyk of the Medicine Hat Tigers and G Mark Segal of the Vancouver Giants posted shutouts on Sunday, the final day of the WHL’s regular season.
That brought to 88 the number of blank jobs in the league this season, which equals last season’s total.
The WHL single-season record is 141 (2004-05), followed by 120 (2006-07). The last two seasons are the sixth-highest totals in WHL history.
Darcy Kuemper of the Red Deer Rebels led the WHL (and the CHL) with 13 shutouts, tying the WHL single-season record. He now shares it with Bryan Bridges (Seattle, 2004-05) and Kelly Guard (Kelowna (2003-04).
The Spokane Chiefs put up eight shutouts, second to Red Deer, with James Reid and Mac Engel each earning four.
The Swift Current Broncos, Prince George Cougars and Vancouver each put up six.
On the other side of the coin, the Everett Silvertips were blanked 10 times, while the Calgary Hitmen and Swift Current each was shut out nine times.
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JUST NOTES: F Garrett Mitchell of the Regina Pats will finish the season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, as he did a year ago. Mitchell signed a contract with the parent Washington Capitals on Saturday. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft. . . . Two OHL general managers lost their jobs Sunday, the final day of the season. The Sarnia Sting fired Dave MacQueen, while the Soo Greyhounds did the same with Dave Torrie. Neither team qualified for the playoffs.
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THE MATCHUPS:
Eastern Conference:
Saskatoon (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Red Deer (2) vs. Edmonton (7)
Medicine Hat (3) vs. Brandon (6)
Kootenay (4) vs. Moose Jaw (5)
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Western Conference:
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Prince George (7)
Spokane (3) vs. Chilliwack (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Vancouver (5)
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In Calgary, G Deven Dubyk stopped 40 shots for his second straight shutout as the Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Hitmen, 2-0. . . . Dubyk earned his first career shutout Saturday in a 1-0 victory over the visiting Hitmen. . . . The victory allowed the Tigers to finish with 100 points. . . . F Emerson Etem scored both goals in Sunday’s game, giving him 45. . . . F Linden Vey had one assist, giving him 116 points. That assist made all the difference because he won the WHL scoring title by one point over Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . The Tigers haven’t had a scoring champion since Tom Lysiak (154 points, 1972-73). . . . Johnson had a goal, his WHL-leading 53^rd, and an assist in a 6-3 victory in Portland. . . .
In Vancouver, G Mark Segal stopped 28 shots as the Giants beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-0. . . . Segal put up six shutouts this season. . . . F Spencer Bennett scored twice, giving him 37 goals, and added an assist. . . . Everett was blanked 3-0 by G Lucas Gore and the host Chilliwack Bruins on Saturday night. . . . The Silvertips haven’t scored in more than 142 minutes. They have been shut out a WHL-high 10 times this season. . . . The victory allowed the Giants to move past the idle Chilliwack Bruins and into fifth place in the Western Conference. That puts Vancouver up against the Tri-City Americans in the first round. The Bruins will meet the Spokane Chiefs. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Kruise Reddick scored his 20^th goal of the season at 2:39 of OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The loser point lifted the Thunderbirds into a ninth-place tie with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Americans, who have won three in a row, went 9-0-0 against Seattle this season. . . .
In Portland, the Spokane Chiefs scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Winterhawks, 6-3. . . . The Chiefs rested D Jared Cowen, their captain, and had the C on the chest of F Darren Kramer. . . . F Connor Chartier, a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, scored his first goal for the Chiefs. . . . F Ryan Johansen scored the game’s first two goals for Portland, giving him 40 on the season. . . . The Chiefs draw the Chilliwack Bruins in the first round. The Chiefs have home-ice advantage by virtue of being the No. 3 seed, but their building isn’t available so the series will open in Chilliwack on Friday.
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SUNDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Everett D Rasmus Rissanen

Saturday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Keller (Kelowna, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract
extension with Linz (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 21 goals and 12 assists in 34 games for Linz this season.
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If you read one thing today, make it this piece from Saturday’s Globe and Mail. Written by Ken Dryden, the former Montreal Canadiens goaltender, the headline on the piece is -- Ken Dryden on hockey violence: How could we be so stupid?
The piece is right here.
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In Everett, F Nino Niederreiter ran his goal-scoring streak to seven games as his Portland Winterhawks beat the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton, starting again in place of the injured Mac Carruth, made 36 saves. . . . Hamilton is 15-5-2. . . . Niederreiter, who has 38 goals, has 11 goals over that seven-game run. . . . Everett has lost seven in a row, including a 6-3 loss to visiting Portland on Friday. . . . Attendance was 8,423, the Silvertips’ largest crowd this season. . . . The Winterhawks remain atop the Western Conference, one point up on the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Everett slipped into eighth, one point behind Prince George and two ahead of Kamloops. . . .
In Kelowna, shootout goals by F Geordie Wudrick and D Tyson Barrie gave the Rockets a 1-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 33 shots, seven fewer than Jeff Bosch, who made his 22nd straight start for Kamloops. . . . F Thoms Frazee had a shootout goal for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers, who lost 5-1 to the visiting Rockets on Friday night, now have lost five in a row. . . . Kamloops was without F Brendan Ranford, who is under WHL suspension after he was hit with a game misconduct for cross-checking linesman Kris Hartley on Friday night. . . . The Rockets are in Chilliwack today. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the Prince George Cougars scored four times in the latter half of the third period and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-1. . . . F Spencer Asuchak broke a 1-1 tie at 11:02 of the third. . . . The victory lifted the Cougars into seventh place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Everett. . . . The Thunderbirds, with four games left, are four points behind Everett. . . . The Cougars will be in Kennewick, Wash., today to play the Tri-City Americans. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs got a shootout goal from F Levko Koper to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-3. . . . Koper was the ninth shooter in what was a five-round event. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson had a goal, his WHL-leading 51st, and an assist. . . . The Chiefs have won seven in a row but continue to trail Western Conference-leading Portland by a point. . . . The Ice is fourth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Medicine Hat with three games left. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Kellan Tochkin had two goals to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers were without F Linden Vey (neck), who leads the WHL’s points derby. . . . The Tigers are two points behind the Central Division-leading Red Deer Rebels. Each team has three games left. . . . The Hurricanes are ninth, two points behind Prince Albert, with each team having three games left. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the final meeting in the Crushed Can between the Warriors and the Regina Pats went to a shootout before the home team won, 2-1. . . . The game drew 2,945 fans, which is a couple of hundred more than capacity. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that fans “stood five-deep to watch the game.” . . . How much did the game mean to Moose Jaw? Here’s Warriors head coach Dave Hunchak talking to Gourlie: “Our whole focus was to try to win the game for the city of Moose Jaw and our supportive fans. Coaches come and go. Players come and go. But the fans have been supportive and consistent and behind this team for 26 years. It’s not that it didn’t mean a lot to us — because it did — it was focus of ours. To be able to pick up that puck in our building meant an awful lot to the fans that support our hockey team year in and year out.” . . . One more note from Gourlie: “Warriors left-winger Cody Beach left the game in the third period after Neigum ducked out of the way of a hit and Beach landed awkwardly after being undercut. Beach left the ice favouring his left leg and was taken to hospital post-game for further evaluation.” . . . The Warriors will finish fifth and look to be headed to a first-round matchup with Kootenay. . . . The Pats are six points out of a playoff spot with three games left. . . .
In Brandon, F Mark Stone picked up two assists, giving him 101 points, as the Wheat Kings dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-3. . . . Stone is the first Brandon skater to surpass 100 points since F Eric Fehr (2004-05), who now is with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie had a goal and three assists to get to 90 points for the first time in his career. . . . Prince Albert F Jonathan Parker left in the second period with an elbowing major and the accompanying game misconduct. . . . The Wheat Kings now are sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of Edmonton. . . . Prince Albert continues to cling to the conference’s last playoff spot, two points up on Lethbridge. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Blades blanked the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-0 to set a franchise record with their 53rd victory of the season. . . . G Steven Stanford stopped 35 shots to earn the shutout, his third this season and the fifth of his career. . . . D Stefan Elliott had a goal and an assist, giving him the franchise record for career points by a defenceman. He has 240. The previous record had been held by Pat Price (1970-74). . . . The Oil Kings still were able to clinch a playoff spot. They are seventh in the conference. . . . The Blades will finish first overall. . . .
In Red Deer, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 31 shots as the Rebels blanked the Swift Current Broncos, 5-0. . . . Kuemper has 13 shutouts this season and that ties the WHL’s single-season record. He now shares it with Bryan Bridges (Seattle, 2004-05) and Kelly Guard (Kelowna, 2003-04). . . . The Rebels have three games remaining. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had three goals and two assists, to get to 101 points. The last Red Deer skaters to get to 100 were F Justin Mapletoft and F Kyle Wanvig, both of whom did it in 2000-01. . . . The Rebels, who meet the Hitmen in Calgary today, are the conference’s second seed, two points up o Medicine Hat. . . . The Broncos won’t be in the playoffs. In Chilliwack last night, the Bruins got two goals from F Ryan Howse as they dumped the Vancouver Giants, 8-5. . . . Attendance was 4,193. . . . Howse has 50 goals, the second WHLer, behind Spokane F Tyler Johnson, to get there this season. . . . Vancouver, which still was able to clinch a playoff spot, has lost six straight for the first time this season and has been outscored 28-6 in the process. . . . The Bruins had beaten the Giants 6-2 in Vancouver on Wednesday. . . . F Spencer Bennett scored four times for the Giants, giving him 34 on the season. . . . The Bruins, who clinched a playoff spot with the victory, have closed to within a point of the Giants, who are fifth in the Western Conference. Each team has four games remaining. . . . The Bruins are at home to the Kelowna Rockets today. . . .

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

gdrinnan.blogspot.com

     

Taking Note on Twitter

There would seem to be ominous news for fans of the Chilliwack Bruins in a Chilliwack Times story written by Tyler Olsen that appeared Tuesday.
In that story, Olsen writes that “owners of the Western Hockey League franchise are considering multiple offers to buy the club, Bruins president Darryl Porter told the Times.”
That, of course, is something that has been public knowledge since last week.
But in the next paragraph Porter tells Olsen that, even though season-ticket holders have been wondering where the renewal forms are, “they're not going to be coming right away because the owners have decided to look into these inquiries."
Olsen’s complete story is right here.
One WHL governor questioned the strategy of waiting to send out season-ticket renewals, noting that it should have been done a month ago, even if the franchise may well be on the move.
“What happens if the franchise doesn’t move?” wondered the governor. “How do you sell season-tickets then?”
Unless, of course, a deal has been cut and is to be announced at season’s end.
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Someone has set up a Facebook page titled Bring Back the WHL to Victoria. If you’re interested, it’s right here.
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If you missed it, Rich Preston, the GM and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, drew a one-game suspension and a $750 fine for his water bottle-, clipboard- and Gatorade jug-tossing display on Saturday night in Kelowna.
You would have to hope that the manner in which Preston carried this out, with a great degree of calmness seldom, if ever, seen in these situations, saved him a game and at least $250.
It was Preston’s second brush with the long arm of the WHL law this season. He was fined $500 for a game misconduct he incurred during a Nov. 20 game with the visiting Saskatoon Blades.
Preston will miss a visit to Lethbridge by the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight.
The last WHL coach to be suspended?
Marc Habscheid of the Chilliwack Bruins and Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants sat out a game for a line brawl during an exhibition game prior to this season.
The last WHL coach to be suspended for a regular-season game?
Hay got hit with a one-game sentence in January of last season after the Giants were involved in their third line brawl of the season during a game in Prince George.
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There also was an interesting note about the Preston outburst on Regan Bartel’s blog. Bartel, of course, is the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, so had a great seat for the show.
If you have seen the video, you will understand what Bartel is writing:
“I understand the camera crew in the building are getting a bad wrap for the video coverage of Preston's outburst. During the altercation, the camera crew often move away from the Hurricanes bench and show pictures of the goaltenders, the Rockets bench and even the crowd. I am told the video crew has a long document that they must adhere too when 'shooting the game' and when incidents like this occur. I don't have all the details of those guidelines, but not to embarrass the opposition team is roughly part of those requirements. If the camera/video crew had free reign, can you imagine what type of damage they could do with additional graphics?”
So there you have it. Now you know why you were watching a laughing goaltender while Preston was putting on the best coaching show seen in the WHL this season.
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C Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning upon his return from a two-game swing to Prince George on the weekend. Johnson, 20, was a free agent. . . . According to cap geek.com, the contract calls for him to be paid $67,500 in the AHL, with NHL salaries of $690,000, $740,000 and $840,000. . . . The signing bonus is $270,000, paid over three years.
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F Wacey Hamilton, 20, of the Medicine Hat Tigers has signed a three-year NHL deal with the Ottawa Senators. Hamilton was in camp last fall with the Colorado Avalanche but never signed. . . . Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen reports that at least 10 other NHL teams were in the hunt for Hamilton. That story is right here.
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If you’re into collecting jerseys, you should know that the Swift Current Broncos are auctioning off their 2010-11 game-worn retro third jerseys. They wore them in Saturday games this season.
According to a release from the Broncos:
“Bidding will start at $50 and additional bids will be accepted in $10 increments. Fans may bid online right here, over the phone at 306-773-1509 or at any home games leading up to and during the March 19 game with the Prince Albert Raiders.”
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Dylan Bumbarger, who blogs mostly about the Portland Winterhawks, checked out some numbers supplied by the Winterhawks’ front office and takes issue with some of them.
There’s more right here.
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Five brothers playing on the same hockey team? That’s the case in the Whitemud Hockey League in Saskatchewan where the Hunter brothers — Brock, Dusty, J.J., Luke and Ty — all play for the Shaunavon Badgers. There’s more right here from the Shaunavon Standard.
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The WHL lost a friend on Feb. 7 when Louise Kruger died at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital at the age of 68. Fanner, as she was known to anyone who had the good fortune to come into contact with her, and her late husband, Scoof, watched three sons — Darren, Scott and Trevor — play in the WHL, all with the Swift Current Broncos. Scott, of course, died in the accident that involved the Broncos’ bus. . . . Fanner also was a sister to Lorne Frey, who now is the Kelowna Rockets’ assistant GM, director of player personnel and head scout. . . . If you are so inclined, donations may be made to the Swift Current Broncos Hockey Association Memorial Fund, Box 2345, Swift Current SK, S9H 4X6.
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JUST NOTES: G Jim Watt (Spokane, Saskatoon, 2002-06) has signed with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. He had been with the U of Windsor Lancers, who were eliminated from the playoffs late in February. Watt, 24, is from Edmonton. . . . The Vancouver Giants are home to the Chilliwack Bruins tonight, but are likely to be missing six or seven regulars. F Spencer Bennett (hand), D Darren Bestland (back), F Teal Burns (shoulder), F Brendan Gallagher (head), D Tyler Hart (shoulder), F Connor Redmond (shoulder) and D Joel Rogers (concussion) all are on the limp. Of that bunch, only Bestland is possible for tonight. . . . Vancouver has brought in D Dalton Olsen, 17, from the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles, whose season is over. Olsen, from Calgary, is the younger brother of D Dylan Olsen, who played for Canada’s national junior team in Buffalo and now is with the AHL‘s Rockford IceHogs. . . . The Giants also have added D Blake Orban, 16, who was a third-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. He was with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. . . .
Also tonight, the Brandon Wheat Kings are expecting a big crowd as they entertain F Brayden Schenn and the Saskatoon Blades, while the Regina Pats hope to keep their playoff push moving forward as they visit the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . .
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In Prince George on Tuesday night, Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper earned his 12th shutout of the season as the Rebels beat the Cougars, 7-0. . . . Kuemper is one shutout shy of tying the WHL’s single season record that is shared by Bryan Bridges (Seattle, 2004-05) and Kelly Guard (Kelowna, 2003-04). . . . The Cougars have been blanked five times this season. . . . Red Deer F Byron Froese scored four times, giving him 40 goals this season. He had a career-high 29 last season with the Everett Silvertips. Froese is the first Rebels skater to get to 40 since F Matt Ellison scored 40 times in 2002-03. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and three helpers. . . . The victory allowed the Rebels to stay three points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers in the race for the Central Division pennant, which brings with it the Eastern Conference’s second seed. . . . Prince George has lost four in a row. . . .
The Tigers were beating the visiting Calgary Hitmen 6-2. . . . F Linden Vey had two goals for the Tigers, while F Emerson Etem had one. . . . Vey has 44 goals and a WHL-leading 112 points, six more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . Etem has 42 goals, 10 of them over his last 11 games. . . . The loss officially eliminated the Hitmen from the playoffs. The Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, had a run of 13 straight playoff appearances come to an end. . . .
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the game’s last six goals and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-2. . . . Attendance was 2,282. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb scored his 20th goal and added two assists. . . . F Cody Eakin and F Matt Fraser also had a goal and two assists each for the Ice. . . . Kootenay is fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Medicine Hat. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs unleashed 50 shots as they opened a five-game homestand by beating the Everett Silvertips, 4-2. . . . Spokane won the season series 7-1-0 and gave up just 10 goals in the process. . . . Everett G Luke Siemens, starting in place of the injured Kent Simpson (ankle), stopped 46 shots. . . . The Chiefs were ahead 3-0 before Everett got goals from F Tyler Maxwell, his 40th, and F Manraj Hayer, his third. . . . Everett scored on the game’s only power play. Referees Sean Raphael and Shane Warschaw handed out only one minor penalty, that to Spokane F Darren Kramer for instigating. Kramer was involved in his WHL-leading 44th fight. He has 11 points, including six goals, and 290 penalty minutes in 62 games. Kramer, who joined the Chiefs early in October from the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm, also has representation. He has signed with Carlos Sosa and Darcy Tucker of Turning Point Sports Management. . . . F Jake Doty of the Seattle Thunderbirds is a distant second, with 24 fighting majors, while F Ryan Hanes of the Kamloops Blazers has 21. . . . The Chiefs, who have won five in a row, are one point behind the Western Conference- and U.S. Division-leading Portland Winterhawks. Each team has six games remaining, including a season-ending meeting in Portland on March 20. . . . The Silvertips, who have lost five in a row, are tied for sixth with the Chilliwack Bruins, three points ahead of the Prince George Cougars and Kamloops Blazers. . . .
In Kamloops, F Justin Feser, playing his 200th regular-season game, scored with 55.4 seconds left in the third period to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . Tri-City D Zach Yuen had two goals and an assist, and was plus-4. . . . It was Yuen’s first WHL two-goal game. . . . Kamloops lost F J.C. Lipon with a suspected separated shoulder in the first period. . . . The Americans are eight points behind Spokane so appear headed for a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference. . . . The victory was No. 40 for Tri-City which has won at least that many each of the last five seasons. . . . The Blazers, who have lost four in a row, remain tied with Prince George for the conference’s last playoff spot. Kamloops has four games remaining; the Cougars have five left. . . . They close out the season with a home-and-home set, playing in Kamloops on March 19 and in Prince George on March 20. . . . If they are tied for the last playoff spot at that point, they would play a sudden-death game in the home of the team with the most regular-season victories. At present, each team has 29 victories. The second tiebreaker is the record in games between the teams; the Cougars are 5-1-0 against the Blazers this season.

The Saskatoon Blades' Telemiracle jersey.

 You will remember earlier this season when the Saskatoon Blades donned their cowboy jerseys.
Now they’ve come up with another set of uniforms. These ones will be worn March 4 in a game against the visiting Kootenay Ice.
The jerseys are being auctioned off via a silent auction — you may check it out at the Blades’ website — with proceeds going to Telemiracle.
The weekend of March 4-5 is Telemiracle time in Saskatchewan.
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Garrett Mitchell and the
Regina Pats will wear throwback
jerseys Friday and Monday.

The Regina Pats will wear commemorative jerseys and socks when they meet the Calgary Hitmen in an outdoor game Monday at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
The jerseys are replicas of what the Pats wore in the 1950s.
Pats fans will get a look at the jerseys on Friday when the Hitmen are in Regina. The jerseys from Friday’s game will be available via silent auction during the game.
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The Swift Current Broncos raised $6,400 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation through a jersey auction and the sale of pink carnations.
If you were wondering, the top three jerseys went for $1,000 (Justin Dowling), $755 (Taylor Vause) and $650 (Adam Lowry).
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Three men who bought into the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers a couple of weeks ago — including former Medicine Hat Tigers G Kelly Hrudey — met with the media in the Vancouver Island city on Sunday. Greg Sakaki of the Nanaimo News Bulletin was there and his story is right here.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail has done it again. Here’s another great read on Mario Lemieux, Sen. Hartland Molson and the debate about headshots, fighting and travesty in the NHL.
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It seems that seven is the number in the WHL these days.
F Colton Jobke of the Kelowna Rockets was hit with a seven-game suspension Monday, the second time in less than a week that a WHL player has drawn a seven-game sentence.
Jobke was suspended after he hit Chilliwack F Tim Traber during the Bruins’ 5-4 shootout victory in Kelowna on Friday. Traber ended up with a season-ending broken right leg; Jobke was hit with and interference major and game misconduct.
Jobke will be eligible to return on Feb. 25 when the Rockets are in Red Deer to visit the Rebels.
Last week, Chilliwack D Brandon Manning was given a seven-game suspension after a hit that left Kamloops Blazers D Austin Madaisky with a fracture to his C-7 vertebrae. Madaisky won’t play again this season.
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The Saskatoon Blades put their 11-game winning streak on the line tonight when they meet the Wheat Kings in Brandon. That means that F Brayden Schenn, who spent three seasons with the Wheat Kings, makes his return to Brandon. Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Chilliwack Bruins will meet the Winterhawks in Portland on Saturday and the game is close to being declared sold out. It’s Pink The Rink night, to benefit the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Foundation, and the game will be played on pink ice. . . . The Winterhawks might become the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff spot this week. A Portland news release explains: “Kamloops and Seattle, the ninth- and 10th-place teams in the Western Conference, can max out at 79 points, the Winterhawks’ current total. If Kamloops loses Tuesday or Friday, and Seattle loses on Friday, the Winterhawks will be in. Or if either team wins this week, then a Portland win Saturday against Chilliwack would clinch a playoff spot.” . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen has 13 points in five February games. He is one of five Portland players averaging more than one point per game. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points and was plus-5 in three games as the Warriors went 1-1-1. . . . Darcy Kuemper of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-1-0, 1.35, .960 last week. . . . Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the Blades will be without F Brent Benson (leg) for up to four weeks. He was injured in the Blades’ 5-3 victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Saturday.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail is the best essayist/sports columnist in Canada today.
His column in Saturday’s paper carries this headline: How to break Neanderthals’ grip on hockey?
It starts with this sentence:
“If hockey is truly ‘a man’s game,’ then why are the games brought to us by Cialis and Viagra?”
As he writes later in the piece: “It is a great game, but it surely needs some work.”
This is your must-read piece for today and it is right here.
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Interestingly, MacGregor wrote and filed his column before the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders staged that embarrassing exhibition on Friday evening.The NHL had quite a week, didn’t it?
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While enjoying some time off this week, I heard someone -- it may have been Bob McCown on The Fan 590 out of Toronto -- mention that there were, at that particular time, 43 NHL players out with concussions.
I don’t know where that number came from, but I went on TSN’s website late Friday night and started counting. I found 23 players listed as being out with a concussion, concussion symptoms or a head injury. There are a bunch of players on the list with undisclosed injuries, so perhaps there is another list out there somewhere that showed 43 concussed NHLers.
Regardless, it got me to wondering: How many WHL players have suffered concussions this season?
So I spent some time perusing the WHL injury/transaction update that is posted on the league’s website early each week.
Interestingly, six of the WHL’s 22 teams have reported a number of head injuries but not even one concussion. On the other hand, 10 teams have reported concussions but no head injuries.
Including the injury report of Feb. 8, WHL teams have listed a total of 78 players as having suffered head injuries or concussions. Of those, 43 have suffered concussions and 35 are listed as having had head injuries.
(Another five players are shown to have incurred neck injuries.)
Of course, there is nothing here to indicate how these injuries happened. For example, there are goaltenders on the list who were concussed when struck on the mask by a shot or a stick.
But there also are two players on the list who suffered season-ending concussions and one other who hasn’t played since Dec. 10.
As of the Feb. 8 list, there were 13 players out with concussions or head injuries.
No matter how you look at it, there are far too many head injuries, certainly at this level of hockey and in the NHL.
The message, whatever it is, isn’t getting through.
Consider, too, that Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier is reporting: “Last season, the WHL handed out 110 games in suspensions; this season, it’s already at 135.”
That doesn’t include an impending suspension to Kelowna Rockets F Colton Jobke. He was hit with an interference major on Friday night for a hit that ended the season of Chilliwack Bruins F Tim Traber, who suffered a broken leg.
Here’s what Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska, speaking after the game, told Potenteau: “I didn’t think it was a good hit. Traber didn’t have the puck, and, from what I saw originally — and I haven’t looked at since — I thought it wasn’t a very good hit. Even though he’s our player, it’s one of the hits where I wouldn’t want to see one of our guys get hit that way.”
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A look at WHL teams and the number of concussion and head injuries each has reported through Feb. 8 (first number is concussions; second number is head injuries):
Brandon 0-0
Calgary 0-6
Chilliwack 5-0
Edmonton 2-4
Everett 8-0
Kamloops 5-0
Kelowna 0-5
Kootenay 1-2
Lethbridge 0-4
Medicine Hat 3-0
Moose Jaw 2-1
Portland 0-0
Prince Albert 0-3
Prince George 1-0
Red Deer 3-0
Regina 3-0
Saskatoon 5-0
Seattle 2-0
Spokane 0-4
Swift Current 2-1
Tri-City 3-0
Vancouver 3-0
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Whitehorse, F Brendan Gallagher scored twice to help the Vancouver Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The game was played in a soldout Takhini Arena, which has 1,535 seats. . . . This was the first WHL regular-season game to be played in the Yukon, although the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice played two exhibition games in Yellowknife, North West Territories, in 2005. . . . The arena didn’t include glass that meets WHL standards so both teams agreed to have the officials ignore what would have been delay-of-game penalties in WHL arenas. . . . The victory was No. 516 in the WHL for Vancouver head coach Don Hay, who is fourth on the all-time list. Pat Ginnell is No. 3, at 518. . . . The Giants have won 14 of their last 18 games. . . . Gallagher broke a 2-2 tie when he tipped a shot by F Spencer Bennett past G Jeff Bosch. . . . Gallagher has 38 goals. . . . Bennett set up both of Gallagher’s goals. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 26 shots, two fewer than Bosch. . . . Vancouver remains atop the B.C. Division, meaning it is the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. It now is four points ahead of Kelowna. . . . The Blazers slipped into ninth, one point behind Chilliwack. . . .
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In Chilliwack, the Bruins, without three veteran defencemen, beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-1. . . . F Ryan Howse scored twice, giving him 39 goals, and added an assist. . . . F Max Adolph gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season in the first period. . . . F Brandon Magee tied it for the Bruins at 3:25 of the second and F Kevin Sundher, with his 18th, gave them the lead at 17:20. . . . Howse added two third-period goals. . . . The Bruins were without veteran defencemen Brandon Manning, who is serving a seven-game suspension, and the injured Jeff Einhorn and Zach Habscheid. . . . F Curt Gogol dropped back to the blue line and Turner Popoff, 16, was brought in from the junior B Richmond Sockeyes and made his WHL debut. . . . The Bruins also were without F Tim Traber, who will miss the rest of this season with a broken right leg suffered in Friday’s 5-4 shootout victory in Kelowna. Rockets F Colton Jobke was hit with an interference major on the play in which Traber was injured. Jobke has been suspended, although the length of that suspension isn’t yet known. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 26 shots. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 2,909. . . . The victory lifted the Bruins into eighth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Kamloops. Chilliwack holds four games in hand on Kamloops. . . . The Bruins are at home to Tri-City tonight. . . . The Rockets travel to Everett to face the Silvertips tonight. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., F Ryan Johansen had his first WHL three-goal game, leading the Portland Winterhawks to an 8-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks, who lead the Western Conference, are one victory away from clinching a playoff spot. . . . Portland scored its first five goals on the PP as it went 6-for-7 with the man advantage. . . . Johansen has 30 goals. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow had a goal and three assists. . . . Seattle had a 17-5 edge in first-period shots but went into the second period trailing 1-0. . . . The Winterhawks outshot Seattle 20-7 in the second and emerged with a 5-1 lead. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 35 shots. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard was beaten seven times on 35 shots before Michael Salmon came on. He was beaten once on two shots. . . . Attendance was 4,771. . . . The Winterhawks lead the Western Conference and hold a five-point lead over Spokane in the U.S. Division. . . . Seattle, with one victory in 10 games, is 10th in the conference and now is five points out of a playoff spot. . . . Spokane visits the Thunderbirds tonight. . . .
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In Brandon, F Matt MacKay scored three times to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . MacKay’s third goal, his 21st of the season, came into an empty net with 11.6 seconds left in the third period. . . . F T.J. Foster scored three times for Edmonton, while F Dylan Wruck earned four assists and set the franchise’s modern day record for points (64) in a season. . . . Brandon has won six straight home games. . . . Foster has 23 goals. . . . D Ryan Pulock and F Brenden Walker each had two assists for Brandon. . . . Pulock, a 16-year-old from Grandview, Man., has 27 points in 49 games and certainly is in the conversation when the discussion is about the Eastern Conference’s top rookie. . . . Attendance was 4,120. . . . Brandon is back in action Tuesday when the Saskatoon Blades and F Brayden Schenn come calling. The Wheat Kings dealt Schenn to Saskatoon on Jan. 10. . . . The Wheat Kings, seventh in the Eastern Conference, closed to within three points of the sixth-place Oil Kings. Edmonton has one game in hand. . . . The Oil Kings move on to Swift Current tonight. . . .
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In Moose Jaw, F Marek Viedensky and F Jake Trask each scored twice for Saskatoon as the Blades beat the Warriors, 5-3. . . . The Blades have won 11 in a row. . . . Viedensky has 27 goals. . . . Trask, whose second goal was into an empty net, now has 21 goals. . . . F Cody Beach had a goal and two assists for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 43 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 26 shots and now is 32-3-0. I’m thinking he has the Cy Young Award locked up. . . . After Beach gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead, the Blades scored three times, twice on the PP, to take a 3-1 lead into the second. . . . The Warriors tied it before Viedensky broke the 3-3 deadlock at 18:22 of the third. . . . Referees Derek Zalaski and Cole Hamm handed out nine roughing minors and six for unsportsmanlike conduct. There were only two scraps, though. . . . Attendance was 2,730. . . . The Blades lead the WHL in victories (44), points (90) and winning percentage (.804). In fact, only one other team (Red Deer, .716) is over .700. . . .The Warriors are fifth and appear likely to finish there. . . .
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In Regina, the Pats got two shootout goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The Pats led 2-0 in the second period, on goals by D Brandon Davidson and F Lane Scheidl, only to have the Tigers come back and tie it. D Jace Coyle scored at 13:40 of the second and F Kellan Tochkin tied it at 6:52 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had two assists and now has 92 points. He is tied for the scoring lead with Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . F Shayne Neigum and Scheidl scored for Regina in the SO, while only F Wacey Hamilton was able to beat G Matt Hewitt for the Tigers. . . . Hewitt stopped 32 shots through OT and three more in the SO. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz made 34 saves. Regina D Myles Bell was unable to beat him on a second period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 3,996. . . . The Pats are tied for 10th with Lethbridge, just two points behind Prince Albert and Swift Current, who are tied for eighth. . . . Medicine Hat is fourth, one point behind Kootenay. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Max Reinhart scored two goals 34 seconds apart as the Kootenay Ice beat the Broncos, 6-4. . . . The Ice, which has clinched a playoff spot, led 3-0 after one period and 4-1 late in the second, only to have the Broncos tie it 4-4 on F Andy Blanke’s fifth goal of the season at 6:59 of the third. . . . F Joe Antilla got the winner at 14:42 and D James Martin nailed the empty-netter at 19:44. . . . F Cody Eakin, traded to the Ice by the Broncos on Jan. 9 for five players and three draft picks, had one assist in his return to Swift Current. . . . F Drew Czerwonka had three assists for the Ice. . . . Reinhart, who scored the game’s first two goals, has 29 this season. . . . Attendance was 2,525. . . . The Ice is third in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Red Deer and one up on Medicine Hat. . . . The Broncos, with one victory in 10 games, are tied with Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Broncos are at home again tonight, this time to Edmonton. . . .
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In Calgary, G Brandon Glover stopped 32 shots to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 4-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Hitmen scored three times in the first period, with F Justin Kirsch getting his 22nd at 4:12. . . . F Kris Foucault, with his 17th, and F Misha Fisenko, with his seventh, also scored in that first period. . . . F Brett Connolly got his 33rd on the PP at 7:44 of the second. . . . Foucault later added his 18th into an empty net. He also had an assist. . . . Calgary F Brendan Santini had two helpers. . . . Cougars G Ty Rimmer stopped 18 shots. . . . Attendance was 9,385. . . . The Hitmen are 12th in the Eastern Conference and, barring a miracle, won’t make the playoffs. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind Kelowna and three ahead of Everett. . . . The Cougars have a game in Red Deer tonight. . . .
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In Lethbridge, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . Kuemper, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, leads all of the CHL with 11 shutouts. He has 17 in his career. . . . He had three in each of his previous two seasons. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 20th goal, while F Byron Froese had a goal, his 34th, and an assist, and F Andrej Kudrna got his 25th goal. . . . With Red Deer short on the back end, Froese dropped back and played a lot on defence. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 39 shots. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson had an assist to run his point streak to 13 games, the longest active streak in the league today. He has 21 points over that stretch. . . . Attendance was 3,790. . . . Lethbridge is tied with Regina for 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Red Deer leads the Central Division and is seven points behind conference-leading Saskatoon. . . . Red Deer is at home to Prince George tonight. . . .
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In Spokane, F Levko Koper drew four assists as the Chiefs dumped the Tri-City Americans, 7-2. . . . The Chiefs were 4-for-7 on the PP, while the Americans were 0-for-6. . . . F Tyler Johnson had two goals and an assist for the Chiefs. He leads the WHL with 43 goals and his 92 points have on the top rung alongside Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton had a goal and two assists. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 22 shots. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley left early in the second period with an apparent knee injury. . . . Attendance was 10,475. . . . The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, five points behind Portland with two games in hand. . . . The Americans are three points in back of Spokane. Tri-City holds three games in hand on Spokane and five on Portland. . . . The Americans play in Chilliwack tonight, while the Chiefs are in Kent, Wash., to face Seattle.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy
Kelowna F Evan Bloodoff
Tri-City D Sam Grist

The Vancouver Giants, wearing black Kamloops Blazers training
camp jerseys, and the Blazers, wearing their whites, prepare to start the
third period on Saturday night. The Giants' jerseys didn't get on the
bus to Kamloops for Saturday's game.

A post-game scoring change on Friday night ended F Spencer Bennett’s scoring streak at nine games. Originally, he was credited with an assist on the game’s first goal in the Vancouver Giants’ 3-0 victory over the Prince George Cougars. However, after the game, he lost that assist and the point streak went with it. . . . The winning goal, originally credited to D Darren Bestland, now belongs to F Brendan Rowinski. . . . Bennett may have started a new streak Saturday when he had a goal and two assists in a 6-1 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops.
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JUST NOTES: F Bretton Cameron, who completed his WHL career with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season, has moved from the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder to the AHL’s Connecticut Whale on a PTO (pro tryout agreement). Cameron, who is into the AHL for the first time, had a team-high 13 goals with Stockton. He has 23 points in 29 games. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Portland, F Craig Cunningham scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in an afternoon game that drew 7,395 fans. . . . Cunningham has 16 goals, including six in 11 games with Portland. He was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Dec. 29 and has 12 points in 11 games with the Winterhawks. . . . The Winterhawks, who are at home to the hard-charging Spokane Chiefs tonight at 5, have won four in a row. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had a goal and two assists, and was plus-3. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 44 shots. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton turned aside 33 shots. He lost his shutout at 16:33 of the third period when F Marcel Noebels scored a shorthanded goal. Noebels, from Germany, has 17 goals. . . . Portland visits the Thunderbirds on Saturday for Seattle’s annual Fred Meyer Teddy Bear Toss. . . .
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In Regina, F Cam Braes scored the game’s last two goals, the last one in overtime, to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over the Pats. . . . D Brandon Davidson’s sixth goal at 15:25 of the second period gave Regina a 2-1 lead. . . . Braes tied it at 16:18 of the second and won it at 4:15 of OT on the PP. . . . He has 24 goals. . . . D Landon Oslanski had a goal and two assists for Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes were 2-for-4 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 3,909. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Chris Collins and F Marek Viedensky each had two goals as the Blades beat the Calgary Hitmen, 5-1. . . . F Brayden Schenn, who is from Saskatoon, had one assist in his debut with the Blades. He was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 10 but a shoulder injury had kept him on the sideline. . . . Schenn drew an assist on F Jake Trask’s 11th goal of the season at 15:15 of the second period. That gave the Blades a 3-1 lead. . . . F Brooks Macek gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 12:16 of the first period. . . . F Josh Nicholls earned three assists for the Blades. . . . Viedensky, Nicholls and Collins each finished plus-3. . . . Viedensky, with 21 goals, is the fourth Blades skater with more than 20 snipes. . . . Collins has 12 goals. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 27 shots to run his record to 22-3-0. . . . Attendance was 7,646. . . .
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In Brandon, F Shayne Wiebe had two goals and an assist to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Mark Stone added a goal and two assists for Brandon, which got two assists from each of D Ryan Pulock and F Matt MacKay. . . . MacKay has six points over his last two games. . . . F Trevor Cameron pulled the Broncos into a 1-1 tie at 12:43 of the first but the Wheat Kings then scored five straight goals. . . . Wiebe has 24 goals. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie notched his 20th score of the season. . . . Brandon was 4-for-7 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-2. . . . The Wheat Kings now are three points out of the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . Attendance was 4,430. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Kellan Tochkin’s shootout goal gave the Medicine Hat Tigers a 5-4 victory over Oil Kings in a wild one. . . . The Oil Kings watched a 3-0 first-period lead disappear but came back to hold a late 5-4 edge. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck — they’re calling him the Wrucking Ball — broke a 4-4 tie with his 26th goal of the season at 16:01 of the third period. . . . Tochkin got the Tigers back into a tie, at 5-5, at 18:16. . . . F Cole Grbavac had pulled the Tigers into a 4-4 tie with his ninth goal at 1:32 of the third. . . . F Mark Reners scored twice for Edmonton. Reners opened this season with Lethbridge, putting up 11 points in 20 games. He was dealt to Vancouver and had three points in 11 games with the Giants. With Edmonton, he has seven points, including four goals, in seven games. . . . The Tigers actually won the 10-player shootout, 3-2. They got goals from F Hunter Shinkaruk, F Tyler Pitlick and Tochkin, with F Kristians Pelss and F Jordan Hickmott scoring for the Oil Kings. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had a goal, his 31st and two assists. He leads the WHL with 79 points, three more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . Attendance was 5,884. . . .
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In Red Deer, G Darcy Kuemper record his CHL-leading ninth shutout of the season as the Rebels beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-0. . . . The Rebels, who have won seven straight, now have put up three straight blank jobs. . . . Kuemper stopped 35 shots in earning his 15th career shutouts. . . . Kuemper has blanked the Warriors three times this season and those are the only times Moose Jaw has been shut out. . . . Attendance was 5,993. . . . F Andrej Kudrna’s 19th goal at 14:18 of the second period stood up as the winner. . . . F Byron Froese scored his 22nd goal in to an empty net and also had an assist. . . . Kudrna drew an assist on Froese’s goal. . . .
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In Kamloops, F Andrej Stastny scored his first three WHL goals and set up another as the Vancouver Giants dumped the Blazers, 6-1. . . . Stastny was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in the CHL’s 2010 import draft, but they weren’t able to land him. After the Blades dropped him from their list, the Giants claimed him. He played for Slovakia at the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo and joined the Giants after the tournament. . . . Statsny, who finished plus-4, now has seven points in eight games with Vancouver. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 20 shots in winning his eighth straight decision. He is 17-8-4. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 after one but Vancouver took a 2-1 lead in the second on Stastny’s first goal and outshot the hosts, 22-7. . . . The Giants scored four third-period goals, including F Brendan Gallagher’s shorthanded tally. He has 29 goals this season. . . . The Giants wore the Blazers’ training camp black jerseys after their road whites somehow missed the bus to Kamloops. . . . Attendance was 4,223. . . . Kamloops scratched D Josh Caron. He had played seven games since sitting out 41 with a broken collabone. But he reinjured the collarbone on Friday and, while X-rays were negative, will be further checked out before returning to the lineup again. . . .
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In Spokane, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Spokane, which had won four straight, last lost in regulation at home on Oct. 23, going 14-0-2 since that 4-2 loss to the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Mitch Holmberg’s 10^th goal, 18 seconds into the second period, gave the Chiefs a 3-1 lead. . . . F Colton Heffley’s second goal of the season, at 5:03, got the Rockets to within one and F Shane McColgan’s 17^th tied it at 18:40. . . . F Brett Bulmer’s second of the game and 17^th of the season broke the tie at 16:28. . . . Kelowna F Geordie Wudrick got his 25^th into an empty net. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko had two assists, running his points streak to 10 games. He has 13 points over that stretch. . . . F Tyler Johnson scored his WHL-leading 36^th goal and ran his points streak to 13 games. . . . Spokane F Levko Koper got his fourth shorthanded goal of the season. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 35 shots, 23 more than Spokane’s Mac Engel. . . . Attendance was 6,834. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Adam Hughesman scored three times to help the host Tri-City Americans to a 7-4 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The teams combined for six goals in the first period and five in the second, then played a scoreless third. . . . Hughesman has 31 goals this season. He scored 17, 16 and 18 goals each of the last three seasons. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin had a goal, his 21^st, and three assists, while F Carter Ashton got his 20^th and drew three assists. . . . D Rasmus Rissanen had three assists for Everett, while F Parker Stanfield had two goals and an assist. . . . Attendance was 5,181. . . . The Americans, who are 6-0-1 in their last seven games, have won 13 straight home games, one shy of the franchise record. The Ams can tie that mark today when they meet the Kelowna Rockets, who have won three in a row and five of six. But the Rockets haven’t won in their last nine visits to Kennewick.
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In Chilliwack, F Nick Buonassisi’s shootout goal gave the Prince George Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . D Sena Acolatse also scored for the Cougars in the shootout, while F Kevin Sundher counted for the Bruins. The shootout ended in the fifth round. . . . Chilliwack F Robin Soudek tied the game 3-3 with his 12^th goal, on the PP, at 5:39 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 4,123. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-4. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 34 shots, two more than Prince George’s James Priestner. . . . F Taylor Stefishen scored twice for the Cougars, the first one shorthanded. He has 14 goals. . . . F Ryan Howse scored a goal, his 32^nd, and added a helper for the Bruins.