If you haven’t seen this piece right here by now, you may want to give it a look. David La Vaque of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that things are heating up between those who control the high school hockey scene in Minnesota and the WHL. In fact, the gloves just may be coming off.
Former high schooler Alex Baer, 15, made his WHL debut with the Vancouver Giants last night. In fact, he had a chance to win the game with a third-period penalty shot. More on that later.
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The Portland Winterhawks have added Steve Kariya to their coaching staff, at least for the remainder of this season. The Winterhawks didn’t add to their staff after general manager/head coach Mike Johnston was suspended for the remainder of this season on Nov. 28 for his role in what the league called “a series of violations” of its regulations. . . . Kariya, according to a news release, “will oversee the team’s in-game video scouting, helping the coaching staff make adjustments between periods. He will also assist with players’ skill development at practices.” . . . Veteran assistant coach Kyle Gustafson handled the video work for the last number of seasons, but moved to the bench when assistant GM/assistant coach Travis Green moved up following Johnston’s suspension. . . . Kariya, who is from Vancouver, played at the U of Maine before going on to a pro career that included 65 games with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. He played in Europe before retiring after the 2009-10 season. . . . Johnston was on the Canucks’ coaching staff when Kariya played there.
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Former WHL G Kurtis Mucha posted his fifth straight shutout on Friday night as the U of Alberta Golden Bears opened the Canada West final with a 5-0 victory over the visiting Saskatchewan Huskies. . . . Mucha last surrendered a goal on Jan. 26 in a 3-2 shootout loss against the visiting Calgary Dinos. . . . His shutout streak now rests at 324 minutes 20 seconds. . . . Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal points out that the NHL record of 332:01 is held by Brian Boucher, with the Phoenis Coyotes (2003-04), while the WHL record of 265:13 is held by Chris Worthy of the Flin Flon Bombers (1967-68). . . . “It’s starting to get a little ridiculous,” Mucha told Daum. “The boys are loving it, but tonight’s a huge team effort. Forty-five to 12 were the shots. I was there for one big breakaway save and that’s all they really needed.” . . . They’ll play again tonight in Edmonton. . . . Daum’s story is right here.
Mucha was the starting goaltender through some horrid times with the Portland Winterhawks not that long ago, and you wonder if this isn't the hockey gods giving him a little payback.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Prince Albert (4) vs Red Deer (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, the Blades won their 18th straight game, beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-1. . . . The outcome also gave head coach Lorne Molleken his 600th WHL victory. He is only the second coach in WHL history to get there, behind Ken Hodge (742). . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls earned his 300th regular-season point when he drew an assist on the game’s first goal. He later scored his 41st goal of the season, into an empty net. . . . Blades F Nick Zajac scored his eighth goal, running his goal streak to four games. . . . In reference to Molleken’s 600th victory, Zajac told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “It’s special to see. It’s a great accomplishment for him. He can say he’s a big dog now.” . . . Brandon F Richard Nejezchleb (hand) was back in the lineup after not playing since Jan. 8. He scored Brandon’s lone goal at 17:38 of the third, on a PP. . . . The Blades next play Sunday when they meet the Warriors in Moose Jaw. Saskatoon has won five in a row from Moose Jaw during this 18-game streak. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Cory Millette scored twice to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Millette’s second goal, his 10th of the season, broke a 1-1 tie at 14:18 of the second period. . . . F Jaeden Descheneau scored his 22nd for the Ice. . . .


In Calgary, D Eetu Laurikainen stopped 36 shots as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Hitmen, 3-1. . . . F Adam Lowry of the Broncos broke a 1-1 tie withhis 431st goal at 17:20 of the first period. . . . All four goals were scoed in the first period. . . . D Dillon Heatherington had two assists for the winners. . . . The Hitmen had D Alex Roach back in the lineup after he missed five games with a shoulder injury. . . .

In Regina, F Trent Ouellette scored at 4:44 of OT to give the Pats a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti scored his 30th goal to force OT at 13:21 of the third period. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 41 shots. . . . D Christos Zinis, who turned 16 on Thursday, made his WHL debut with the Warriors. He is from Broomfield, Colo., and was an eight-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds scored two first-period goals and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs scored his 23rd goal at 14:00 of the first and it stood up as the winner. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart got his 20th goal into an empty net. . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley stopped 28 shots in losing for the first time in his seven straight starts. . . . Seattle G Brandon Glover also stopped 28 shtos. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser played in his 312th consecutive game, breaking the WHL record that had been held by D Dwayne Newman (Brandon, Victoria, 1987-92). . . .

In Prince George, F Colin Smith had two goals and an assist as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . Smith’s first goal was the 100th of his career; the second one was his 40th of the season. . . . Smith has 99 points this season. . . . The Blazers are five points shy of the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets, who hold one game in hand. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford tied the franchise record for career regular-season games played (341). He should break the record he now shares with F C.J. Stretch (2005-10) tonight when the Blazers meet the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . The Cougars took 87 of the game’s 164 penalty minutes, most of which came in the third period as things degenerated a bit. . . .

In Victoria, F Mike Aviani scored at 3:38 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . Aviani has 29 goals this season. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton drew three assists. . . . Victoria V Logan Nelson forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 12th of the season, at 13:24 of the third. . . . D Brett Cote had three assists for the Royals. . . . The Royals, who have lost eight straight, had F Tyler Soy, 15, and D Isaac Schacher, 18, in their lineup. Soy was a first-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, while Schacher played for the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, whose season is over. . . . Victoria F Logan Fisher is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. He left a 5-4 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. . . .

In Vancouver, F Carter Popoff scored at 1:06 of OT to give the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Giants used the game to celebrate Gordie Howe’s 85th birthday (he actually turns 85 on March 31). . . . Lethbridge F Sam Mckechnie scored his 26th goal at 7:28 of the third to force extra time. . . . The Hurricanes had trailed 3-1 after the first period. . . . F Russell Maxwell scored twice for Lethbridge, giving him 21. . . . Popoff has 13 goals. . . . The Giants had F Alec Baer, 15, in the lineup for the first time. The Minnesotan was awarded a penalty shot at 17:33 of the third period, with the score tied 4-4. Lethbridge G Ty Rimmer, who stopped 31 shots, thwarted him. . . . The Giants revealed that D Reid Zalitach’s season is over. He suffered a knee injury in Wednesday’s 5-3 victory in Kamloops. . . .

In Everett, F Michael St. Croix had four assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings dropped the Silvertips, 7-1. . . . D Martin Gernat scored twice — he’s got three — for the Oil Kings, who went 3-2-0 on their U.S. Division swing. . . . Edmonton was 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . F Trevor Cheek had two goals, giving him 29, and an assist for Edmonton. . . . D Griffin Reinhart added his seventh goal and two assists for Edmonton.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Colin Smith, Kamloops
F Cain Franson, Vancouver
F Michael Sofillas, Lethbridge

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Tanner Eberle, Moose Jaw
F Carter Proft, Spokane
F Ty Mappin, Everett
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From Joy Newman (@dogsmrs): “@Fespal22 Hey there, you just tied my husband’s WHL Ironman record so wanted to say congrats! Good luck tomorrow in setting the new record”
Dwayne Newman’s wife, Joy, tweets congratulations to Tri-City Americans F Justin Feser, who tied Dwayne’s WHL Ironman record earlier in the week and broke it last night.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) was released by mutual agreement by Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL). He had one assist in 15 games this season with Poprad. . . .
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) was released by the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had six assists in 14 games for the Wild Wings this season. . . .
After the first day of his tryout, F Lynn Loyns (Spokane, 1997-2001) has signed a contract  with the DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL) for the rest of this  season. Loyns had one goal and one assist in nine games with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) this season. Last season, he had six goals and 11 assists in 21 games for Val Pusteria (Italy, Serie A). . . .
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) has rejoined Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) after being released last week by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal in 20 games for Liberec this season. Last season, Hay had five goals and 10 assists in 52 games for Mlada Boleslav. The contract is for the remainder of this season. . . .
Joining Hay in Mlada Boleslav is F Andrej Podkonicky (Portland,  1996-98). Podkonicky was assigned on loan to Mlada Boleslav for the rest of the season by Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had three goals and three assists in 16 games with Brno this season. Podkonicky was with Liberec last season, getting nine goals and 19 assists in 52 games for the club. . . .
F Patrik Valcak (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 2003-04) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga) after his release by Trinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had no points in eight games with Trinec this season. Valcak had four goals and 15 assists in 23 games for Olofström (Sweden, Division 1) last season.
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Reports on Wednesday night — the first of which I think came from Mark Stepneski of ESPNDallas.com — indicate that the NHL’s board of governors has approved Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, as the new owner of the Dallas Stars.
The board, which isn’t scheduled to meet until early next month, apparently held a fax vote and Gaglardi’s ownership was approved.
Next up is a hearing in bankruptcy court in Delaware on Friday morning. The sale of the franchise is expected to be granted approval there.
That being the case, the Stars are expected to hold a news conference on Monday at which Gaglardi will be introduced as the owner.
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Remember the song Needles and Pins, by The Searchers. If it isn’t already, you have to wonder if it is a favourite song of F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Jim Riley, who covers the Thunderbirds on a freelance basis for the Seattle Times, has written an interesting piece on Troock and how acupuncture is helping him overcome a problem with headaches. It is especially interesting when you realize that Troock was thought to have been suffering with post-concussion syndrome. It turned out to be a neck problem that, as Seattle athletic therapist Phil Varney told Riley, “was mimicking concussion symptoms.”
That story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: Congratulations to head coach Mike Williamson of the Calgary Hitmen, who got his 300th coaching victory Sunday. Williamson, in his third season with the Hitmen, also was head coach of the Portland Winterhawks; in fact, his first 219 regular-season victories came with Portland. Hitmen team captain Cody Sylvester presented Williamson with the game puck from No. 300 on Wednesday. Williamson is the 19th coach in the WHL history to get to 300. . . . The Prince George Cougars released F Tayler Thompson, 18, on Monday. Thompson had four points in 16 games. He also was minus-15. . . . The Tri-City Americans were working for Habitat for Humanity on Wednesday. Check out the photos right here. . . .
F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. Gallagher, 19, was a fifth-round selection by Montreal in the 2010 NHL draft. Gallagher has 31 points, including 18 goals, in 18 games with the Giants this season. . . . The Everett Silvertips have signed F Carson Stadnyk, 16, to a WHL contract. Stadnyk, from Saskatoon, was an eight-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. He is playing with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts and has 27 points, including 15 goals, in 16 games. . . .
The NBA has cancelled games through Dec. 15, so the Portland Winterhawks have moved a Dec. 2 game against the Everett Silvertips to the Rose Garden. Game time will be 7 p.m. . . . Everett has assigned F Michael Bell, 16, to a BCHL team yet to be determined. He was pointless in 10 games with Everett. . . .
After a long run, Ben Wiebe has stepped aside as governor for the Swift Current Broncos. Wiebe will remain on the board of directors — he has had a chair there since the Broncos returned from Lethbridge in time for the 1986-87 season. He had been the governor for 17 years. Al Stewart is the club’s new governor, with GM/head coach Mark Lamb the alternate governor. Stewart has experience as alternate governor and chairman of the Broncos’ board. As well, Liam Choo-Foo is the new chairman of the board, with Kyle McIntyre the secretary. . . .
G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers was struck in the head by an errant clearance as he was on the WHL’s bench during a 5-2 victory over the Russians in the Subway Super Series game in Regina on Wednesday night. He left the bench almost immediately and was taken to hospital for tests. There was no news as of late last night. Bunz is scheduled to start tonight Super Series finale in Moose Jaw. . . . However, Bunz did Tweet a note: “Congrats to the boys for the series clinching win! sorry I couldnt cheer you on! Big game by @cpickard1! Your the maaan.” . . .
David La Vaque of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has reported that F Ben Walker, the captain of the high school Edina Hornets, is leaving to sign with the Victoria Royals. The Hornets are coached by former NHL D Curt Giles, who confirmed the move. According to La Vaque: “Walker contributed to the Hornets' Class 2A state title run in 2010. As a junior last season he scored 18 goals and added 14 assists. Known for his speed, the 5-foot-10, 174-pound Walker scored 14 goals and added 13 assists playing 24 games for Team Southwest of the Elite League this fall.” Giles and Marc Habscheid, the Royals’ GM/head coach, were teammates on the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars in the late 1980s.
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SIT DOWN BOYS:
The WHL has suspended F Jesse Mychan for 10 games after he picked up a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct for a hit on D Jesse Forsberg of the the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday. The WHL’s reasons for suspension included Mychan leaving his feet to deliver the hit, Forsberg being injured on the play (he is shown as being out week to week) and that it is Mychan’s third suspension this season. . . . F Charles Inglis of the Cougars drew a one-game suspension for the charging major he picked up for a hit on Everett F Josh Birkholz, who is out day-to-day. . . .
The OHL has issued two more lengthy suspensions, along with one for which it is getting some heat. F Dean Pawlaczyk of the Saginaw Spirit drew a 15-game sentence for a checking-to-the-head major assessed in a game against the Plymouth Whalers on Nov. 6. . . . F Alex O’Neil of the Brampton Battalion got a 10-game suspension for a checking-to-the-head major against the Niagara IceDogs on Nov. 11. . . . F Ryan Rupert of the London Knights got five games for a slashing major he incurred against the Soo Greyhounds on Nov. 11. A lot of observers expected Rupert to draw far more than five games for his violent slash at an opposing player, especially after it resulted in a post-game melee. When all was said and done, the OHL has suspended eight players, including Rupert, for a total of 19 games.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Theo Fleury, who was in Lloydminster for a fund-raising game:
“Standing outside BP's and some kid asks Ron Duguay if he's Bon Jovi. Best thing I've heard in a longtime. That's funny.”

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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