Showing posts with label Davis Koch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Davis Koch. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Silvertips move into penthouse ... Koch in record book ... Ferguson rolling ... Outhouse slams door

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Tyler Coulter scored the only goal of a shootout as the Wheat Kings beat the Regina Pats,
LOGAN THOMPSON
2-1. . . . Regina took a 1-0 lead when F Nick Henry scored his 15th goal, on a PP, at 12:32 of the first period. . . . Brandon tied it at 17:02 as F Ty Lewis scored No. 18. . . . With Regina shooting first in the circus, Brandon G Logan Thompson denied F Sam Steel, Henry and F Adam Brooks. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke didn’t score on the home side’s first attempt, with Coulter scoring as the second Wheat Kings shooter. . . . Regina had what it thought was a goal disallowed late i the second period when Brooks was ruled to have scored off a pass that had been gloved to him. . . . The Pats also hit two posts on a third-period PP. . . . Thompson stopped 39 shots through OT, five more than Regina’s Tyler Brown. . . . In his WHL career, Thompson is 5-0 in shootouts and a perfect 14-for-14 versus the shooters. . . . The Pats were 1-7 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-4. . . . Brandon improved to 16-15-4. . . . The Pats (23-3-7) had won their previous two games. . . . The Pats beat the visiting Wheat Kings 7-4 on Tuesday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,339.
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At Calgary, G Nick Schneider stopped 40 shots to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the
NICK SCHNEIDER
Hitmen. . . . One night earlier, in Medicine Hat, the Tigers beat the Hitmen, 5-4, in a shootout. . . . Last night, the Tigers scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Gary Haden (3) got it started at 8:28 of the first period, with F Zach Fischer (19) making it 2-0 at 10:01. . . . D David Quenneville scored his 20th goal of the season at 3:57 of the second period, for a 3-0 edge. . . . The Hitmen made it interesting on third-period goals from F Beck Malenstyn (13), at 10:47 of the third period, and F Jordy Stallard (7), at 14:01. . . . Quenneville has 20 goals in 36 games this season; he went into the season with 20 goals in 132 regular-season games. . . . Schneider leads the WHL with 24 victories. . . . Calgary starter Cody Porter surrendered three goals on 12 shots in 23:57. Kyle Dumba came on in relief to stop all 23 shots he faced in 35:31. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Tigers (27-10-1) have won six in a row. . . . The Hitmen (13-17-3) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 9,048.
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At Edmonton, D Davis Koch recorded four assists to help the Oil Kings to a 7-2 victory over the Red Deer
DAVIS KOCH
Rebels. . . . On Tuesday, the host Rebels blanked the Oil Kings, 3-0. . . . Last night, the Oil Kings’ offence had its best night of this season. The home boys scored the game’s first five goals and led 5-0 halfway through the second period. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov (5) scored shorthanded at 10:58 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. . . . F Branden Klatt (4) upped that to 2-0 at 12:10. . . . F Colton Kehler (9) struck on a PP at 3:49 of the second period, followed by D Will Warm (4), at 7:31, and F Lane Bauer (23), at 9:28. . . . Red Deer cut into the deficit on goals from F Cameron Hausinger (4) and F Dawson Martin (6), at 11:38 and 13:28. . . . Bauer’s 24th goal and one from D Aaron Irving (13) finished the scoring at 14:33 of the second period and 16:58 of the third. . . . Warm added two assists to his goal, while Irving also had two assists, as did D Brayden Gorda. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea blocked 17 shots. . . . Red Deer starter Riley Lamb, who posted the shutout on Tuesday, was beaten four times on 21 shots in 27:31. . . . Byron Fancy came on in relief to make his WHL debut. He allowed three goals on 18 shots in 32:29. Fancy, who will turn 16 on Sunday, was a second-round pick by Red Deer in the 2016 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes, but is with the Rebels while Lasse Petersen is with the Danish national junior team. . . . There were only seven PPs in the game despite the teams combining for 156 penalty minutes. . . . Edmonton was 1-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-4. . . . The Oil Kings (17-16-4) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Rebels slid to 17-15-6. . . . Announced attendance: 12,689.
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At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-
PATRICK BAJKOV
1. . . . The Giants beat the visiting Silvertips 5-4 in OT on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, F Patrick Pajkov got the home side started with his 18th goal, at 5:34 of the first period. . . . F Graham Millar (9) made it 2-0 at 14:12. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (10) gave Everett a 3-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:18 of the second period. . . . D Jeff Rayman, with his third goal of the season, and third in four games, scored for Vancouver at 7:27 of the second. . . . The Silvertips iced it when F Dominic Zwerger scored his 16th goal into an empty net, at 17:40 of the third. . . . Zwerger, Bakkov and Millar added an assist each. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis picked up an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. . . . G Mario Petit stopped 22 shots for the winners. . . . Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic turned back 31 shots. . . . Everett was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Silvertips (25-4-6) are 4-0-1 in their last five games and hold down first place in the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 4,602.
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At Kamloops, G Dylan Ferguson continued his strong play as he stopped 46 shots to lead the Blazers to
DYLAN FERGUSON
a 5-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rockets had beaten the visiting Blazers 3-2 on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, F Garrett Pilon scored twice for the Blazers, giving him eight this season. . . . Pilon gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the first period. . . . Kelowna pulled even when F Nolan Foote (9) scored, on a PP, at 3:03 of the second period . . . Pilon snapped the tie at 8:58. . . . Blazers F Jermaine Loewen (4) added insurance at 2:17 of the third period. . . . The Blazers put it away when F Deven Sideroff (23) scored, on a PP, at 11:12 and F Travis Walton (3) counted at 19:13. . . . F Nic Holowko, who is playing alongside Pilon and Sideroff with Rudolfs Balcers at the World Junior Championship with Latvia, had two assists. . . . With G Connor Ingram at the WJC with Canada, Ferguson made his eighth straight start. He is 5-2-1 and has allowed two or fewer goals in six of those games. . . . Kelowna got 20 saves from G Brodan Salmond. . . . Each team was 1-6 on the PP. . . . F Luc Smith, acquired Tuesday from the Regina Pats, made his Kamloops debut, playing between Loewen and F Quinn Benjafield. . . . The Rockets revealed that F Erik Gardiner, 17, will remain with them for the remainder of the season. He had been with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos when Kelowna acquired his rights from the Regina Pats in a deal that had D Jonathan Smart head east. Gardiner, the younger brother of former Prince Albert Raiders F Reid Gardiner, had an assist last night. He has a goal and five assists in six games since joining the Rockets. . . . Kamloops (22-14-2) is third in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Rockets (23-13-2), who had been 4-0-1 in their previous five games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,456.
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BRETT DAVIS
At Lethbridge, F Jordy Bellerive broke a 1-1 tie at 12:01 of the second period and the Hurricanes went on to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . On Tuesday night, the Ice got past the visiting Hurricanes, 6-4. . . . Last night, F Brett Davis gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, at 4:36 of the first period. . . . Ice F Matt Alfaro (11) tied it at 5:56. . . . Bellerive scored his 14th goal, on a PP, at 12:01 of the second period, with Davis sniping again, on a PP, at 16:16. . . . F Tanner Nagel iced it with his seventh goal, at 5:37 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes got 29 stops from G Stuart Skinner, while the Ice’s Payton Lee turned aside 33 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . The Hurricanes (19-13-5) has lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Ice now is 7-23-8. . . . Announced attendance: 4,028.
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At Moose Jaw, F Brayden Burke scored once and added two assists to help the Warriors to a 4-1 victory
BRAYDEN BURKE
over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . A night previous the host Broncos beat the Warriors, 6-1. . . . Burke has three goals and 19 assists in 15 games with the Warriors since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He had put up four goals and 19 assists in 15 games with Lethbridge at the time of the trade. . . . Burke’s seventh goal of the season got things going at 11:33 of the first period. . . . Burke drew the secondary assist on F Brett Howden’s 17th goal, at 6:24 of the second. . . . Broncos F Tyler Steenbergen got his 26th, at 8:16 of the second, to get his guys to within one. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Jeannot added insurance with his 11th, at 9:55. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Warriors became the season’s first 30-goal man when he scored at 5:58 of the third period. He is the WHL’s top sniper. . . . Howden also had an assist. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko earned the victory with 29 saves. . . . At the other end, Taz Burman stopped 22 shots. . . . Swift Current was 0-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Warriors (21-9-5) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Broncos (19-11-7) have points in their previous five games (4-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,016.
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At Portland, D Henri Jokiharju had a goal and two assists as the Winterhawks skated past the Tri-City
HENRI JOKIHARJU
Americans, 4-3. . . . The Americans had beaten the visiting Winterhawks, 6-2, the previous night. . . . Last night, the Winterhawks erased a 2-1 deficit with three straight goals. . . . D Keoni Texeira gave Portland a 1-0 lead with his eighth goal at 1:33 of the first period, on a PP. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie (20) tied it just 43 seconds later. . . . F Parker AuCoin (12) gave the Amerians the lead at 5:01 with his third goal in two games. . . . F Brendan De Jong (6) pulled Portland into a 2-2 tie at 1:38 of the second and the Winterhawks took the lead when Jokijarju (6) scored, on a PP, at 17:17. . . . Portland F Colton Veloso provided insurance with his ninth goal, at 16:55 of the third period. . . . Americans F Tyler Sandhu’s 10th goal, at 19:30, made it interesting at the end. . . . The Winterhawks got 33 saves from G Michael Bullion. . . . Tri-City starter Evan Sarthou stopped 38 shots, with Rylan Parenteau coming on for a five-second appearance late in the third period. . . . Portland was 2-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-7. . . . The Winterhawks (20-17-1) snapped a three-game losing skid. . . . The Americans now are 20-16-3. . . . Announced attendance: 6,148.
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At Saskatoon, D Mark Rubinchik scored once and added an assist as the Blades beat the Prince Albert
MARK RUBINCHIK
Raiders, 3-2. . . . Rubinchik, a freshman from Russia, scored his first goal in his 29th game. He also has eight assists. . . .  F Braylon Shmyr, who scored twice in a 5-3 loss in Prince Albert on Tuesday night, gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with 4.7 seconds left in the first period. . . . Rubinchik made it 2-0, on a PP, at 9:32 of the second period. . . . F Carson Miller pulled the Raiders to within a goal at 14:12 of the third period, but Saskatoon F Josh Paterson (8) got that one back, on a PP, at 16:32. . . . Miller made it close with his second goal, and fourth of the season, at 17:15. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon got 24 saves from G Brock Hamm, while Ian Scott blocked 39 for Prince Albert. . . . Saskatoon was 2-5 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-5. . . . The Blades (14-20-4) had lost their previous four games (0-2-2). . . . The Raiders slipped to 8-27-2. . . . Announced attendance: 3,673.
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At Spokane, D Ty Smith’s goal at 1:12 of OT gave the Chiefs, who had a 52-20 edge in shots, a 5-4
TY SMITH
victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and three assists for the Chiefs. . . . The Thunderbirds had beaten the Chiefs 3-2 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. . . . Last night, the Thunderbirds overcame 3-1 and 4-3 deficits before losing in extra time. . . . The visitors took a 1-0 lead when F Keegan Kolesar (5) scored at 7:10 of the first period. . . . Spokane then scored three in a row — D Tyson Helgesen (5) tied it at 9:12 before F Hudson Elynuik (14) scored twice, shorthanded at 1:05 of the second period and again at 4:53. . . . Seattle tied it on goals from F Nolan Volcan (13), at 7:41, and F Zack Andrusiak (3), at 10:14. . . . Yamamoto (21) put Spokane back out front, at 11:20 of the third period. . . . Seattle tied it, again, when D Jarret Tyszka (4) scored at 14:13. . . . Smith’s second goal of the season won it, off assists from Yamamoto and Elynuik. . . . Yamamoto, who came up short on a first-period penalty shot, has four goals and 13 assists over his past eight games. He has 21 goals and 27 assists in 29 games. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Ryan Gropp and F Donovan Neuls. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler stopped 16 shots. . . . Seattle got 47 saves from G Matt Berlin. . . . Spokane was 0-2 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . The Chiefs (15-14-6) had lost their previous two games. . . . Seattle (18-13-4) is 2-0-1 in its past three games. . . . The Thunderbirds were without their top three centres. Scott Eansor was scratched after suffering an undisclosed injury on Tuesday. Mathew Barzal (Canada) and Alexander True (Denmark) are at the World Junior Championship. . . . Announced attendance: 4,809.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 40 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Prince
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
George Cougars. . . . On Tuesday night, the Royals got past the visiting Cougars, 5-1. . . . F Jack Walker (9) got the Royals rolling at 8:42 of the first period. . . . F Vladimir Bobylev made it 2-0 at 10:03 of the second period, with his first goal since rejoining the Royals from his native Russia prior to Christmas. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (7) completed the scoring at 4:19 of the third period. . . . That was Outhouse’s first shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 21 shots for the Cougars. . . . G Riley Mathieson, who signed with the Royals this week, backed up Outhouse. Mathieson plays for the junior B Saanich Braves. . . . Victoria was 0-6 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . Victoria F Matt Phillips had a 10-game point streak snapped. He put up 19 points, including nine goals, during that stretch. . . . The Royals (19-15-4) have points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Cougars (26-10-2) have lost two in a row and have fallen off the top rung of the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 5,833.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Saskatoon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:01 PM
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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Blades, Chiefs swap four . . . Seven WHLers on Team Canada . . . Sideroff deadly in OT


MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TAKING NOTE

Today we have a true WHL flavour to our musical opening. It’s Michael Bublé, who owns a chunk of the Vancouver Giants, and Mariah Carey, with All I Want For Christmas Is You, and it's right here.
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It’s your lucky day, because right here is another Christmas video. If you haven’t heard this song, give it a listen. It’s a catchy one from Chris Rea, who is . . . Driving Home for Christmas.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings always have a grand time with their Christmas video. Their latest one is no exception, and it’s right here.
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F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) has been traded by CSKA Moscow to Amur Khabarovsk (both Russia, KHL) for "monetary considerations.” Barnett was pointless in one game with CSKA and had seven goals and three assists in 24 games with Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). . . .
D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has been released by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). He had three assists in 11 games. Earlier this season, he had a goal and two assists in nine games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga).
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The Saskatoon Blades have acquired F Markson Bechtold, 20, D Evan Fiala, 19, and a conditional sixth-round WHL bantam draft selection in an undisclosed year from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for F and Wyatt Sloboshan, 19, D Nolan Reid, 18, and a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. (At a guess, the
conditional pick will be in 2018 and it will hinge on whether Fiala plays as a 20-year-old in 2017-18.)
The trade was announced after the Blades were beaten, 3-2 in OT, by the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday night.
The acquisition of Bechtold left the Blades with four 20-year-olds, one over the maximum, so they have placed F Kolten Olynek on waivers. The Blades had acquired Olynek on waivers from the Prince Albert Raiders earlier in the season.
The Blades now have Bechtold, F Jesse Shynkaruk and D Bryton Sayers as their 20-year-olds.
It would appear that the Blades (13-18-3) were wanting to shake things up in their dressing room. That doesn’t mean anything untoward has been happening, just that management is looking for a different mix.
The Blades have picked it up a bit of late — they are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games — as they go into two important weekend games. They are one point out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot that is held by the defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings (13-14-4). The teams meet Friday in Brandon and Saturday in Saskatoon.
Bechtold, from Strathmore, Alta., has five goals and three assists in 13 games this season. He has three goals and an assist in five games since returning from an undisclosed injury. A third-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2011 bantam draft, Bechtold has 93 points, 35 of them goals, in 211 regular-season games.
Fiala, from Clavet, Sask., has two goals and seven assists in 32 games this season. The Chiefs selected him in the first round of the 2012 bantam draft. In 157 regular-season games, he has eight goals and 32 assists.
Bechtold and Fiala are expected to join the Blades on Friday in time for the game in Brandon.
Sloboshan, the Blades’ captain, is from Vanscoy, Sask. He was a third-round pick by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2012 bantam draft. This season, he has four goals and 12 assists in 30 games. In 145 career games, all with Saskatoon, he has 91 points, including 33 goals.
Reid, from Deer Valley, Sask., was a second-round selection by the Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. Last season, he had four goals and 22 assists in 72 games. This season, he has 11 assists in 34 games. In 161 career games, all with the Blades, he has 48 points, seven of them goals.
Sloboshan, who hasn't played since Dec. 6 because of an undisclosed injury, and Reid are expected in Spokane before the Chiefs meet the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday.
Like the Blades, the Chiefs are chasing a playoff spot. At 14-12-6, they are one point out of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot and five points short of third place in the U.S. Division.
Getting the 2017 third-round draft pick was important for the Chiefs as they traded a conditional third-rounder to the Red Deer Rebels, along with G Tyson Verhelst, who has since retired, for G Dawson Weatherill and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2018.
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After beating Czech Republic 8-0 in an exhibition game on Wednesday night in Boisbriand, Que., the Canadian national junior team made its last cuts.
Released were G Michael McNiven of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, F Sam Steel of the Regina Pats, F Zach Senyshyn of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, D Guillaume Brisebois of the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders and D Samuel Girard of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes.
McNiven’s release means that Team Canada will go with two WHL goaltenders — Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips is expected to go into the pre-World Junior Championship games as the starter, with Connor Ingram of the Kamloops Blazers backing him up.
Last night, Ingram stopped six shots and McNiven 11 in the victory over Czech Republic.
Other WHLers on the 22-player roster are F Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds), F Dillon Dube (Kelowna Rockets), D Jake Bean (Calgary Hitmen), D Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings) and D Noah Juulsen (Everett).
The roster features seven players from each of the WHL and QMJHL, with six from the OHL and two from the NCAA. The two NCAA skaters are D Dante Fabbro (Boston U), whose WHL rights belong to the Seattle Thunderbirds) and F Tyson Jost (North Dakota), whose WHL rights were acquired by Regina from Everett earlier this season.
Team Canada will move today from Boisbriand to Mont-Tremblant, Que., where it will prepare for exhibition games against Finland (Montreal, Dec. 19), Czech Republic (Ottawa, Dec. 21) and Switzerland (Toronto, Dec. 23).
The 2017 World Junior Championship opens Dec. 26 in Toronto and Montreal.
There is more on the Canadian roster right here.
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if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to the cause — and many thanks to those who have — please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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JUST NOTES:

F Dylan Holloway, who was selected by the Everett Silvertips in the sixth round of the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, has committed to the U of Wisconsin where he will play for the Badgers. Holloway, 15, is from Bragg Creek, Alta., and plays for the midget AAA Calgary Flames. 
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Kootenay, F Tyler Steenbergen broke a 2-2 tie at 13:17 of the second period and the Swift Current
COLE JOHNSON
Broncos went on to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Steenbergen has 22 goals. . . . F Vince Loschiavo (11), who also had an assist, got the Ice on the scoreboard first, just 35 seconds into the game. . . . The Broncos took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Conner Chaulk (3), at 13:29, and F Ryan Graham (10), at 16:49. . . . F Matt Alfaro’s 10th goal pulled the Ice into a tie at 18:43. . . . Steenbergen broke the tie and F Cole Johnson (4), who also had an assist, added insurance at 15:59. Johnson was playing his first game since Dec. 2. . . . Broncos F Aleksi Heponiemi added his eighth goal at 13:15. . . . The Broncos got 21 stops from G Travis Child. . . . G Payton Lee stopped 38 shots for the Ice. . . . Swift Current (16-10-7) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Ice (6-20-8) has lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . The Broncos welcomed back F Glenn Gawdin, their captain, who last played on Oct. 28. He missed 19 games. . . . Announced attendance: 1,506.
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At Lethbridge, F Deven Sideroff scored in OT to give the Kamloops Blazers a 3-2 victory over the
DEVEN SIDEROFF
Hurricanes. . . . Sideroff also scored in OT on Tuesday night as the Blazers won, 4-3, over the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . The Blazers now are 3-0-1 on a six-game jaunt through the Central Division. They are 2-0-1 in their last three games, each of which has been decided in OT. . . . Sideroff, who scored twice in Lethbridge, now has 21 goals. He leads the WHL with seven game-winners, four of them in his last seven games. Four of his winners have come in extra time. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead on goals from F Brett Davis (2), at 5:42 of the first period, and F Egor Babenko (10), on a PP, at 19:22 of the second period. . . . The Blazers tied it on third-period goals from F Travis Walton (2), at 7:48, and Sideroff, at 15:08. . . . Babenko also had an assist. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 25 shots for the winners. With starter Connor Ingram with Canada’s national junior team, Ferguson has made four straight starts. In those games, he is 3-0-1, 2.15, .932. . . . The Hurricanes got 26 stops from Stuart Skinner. . . . Lethbridge was 1-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . Kamloops (20-12-2), which was playing its fourth game in five nights, has points in seven straight (6-0-1). . . . Lethbridge (18-11-5) has points in 13 in a row (11-0-2). . . . The Hurricanes had won their previous five games, and had won six in a row on home ice. . . . Announced attendance: 2,871.
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At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs continued to torch opposing teams, this time scoring a goal and
JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS
adding two assists as the Warriors beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-1. . . . Halbgewachs, 19, leads the WHL with 28 goals and is tied for the scoring lead, with 50 points, in 31 games. He has scored at least once in each of his past 10 games. The WHL record for longest goal-scoring streak is 18 games and is held by F Cliff Ronning, who did it with the New Westminster Bruins in 1984-85. Halbgewachs went into this season with single-season career highs of 15 goals and 41 points, both set in 69 games last season. . . . Last night, Halbgewachs scored the game’s first goal, at 16:01 of the second period. He drew an assist on F Noah Gregor’s 17th goal, on a PP, at 19:12. . . . Raiders D Loch Morrison was serving a slashing minor when Gregor scored. “I thought it was a weak call,” Prince Albert associate coach Dave Manson told Jeff D’Andrea of paNow.com. “It was something that was going on all night and they let it go for the first period and a half and they for some reason, they decided to call it there. It was a terrible call but those things happen. We have to kill that penalty in order to stay in it. They got one off of it and that put the nail in the coffin for us.” . . . F Tanner Jeannot (10) made it 3-0 at 1:28 of the third period and D Josh Brook added his fourth at 17:01, with Halbgewachs drawing his second assist. . . . Brook and Gregor also had an assist apiece, while F Nikita Popugaev had two of them. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Burke had an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 29 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Austin Glover (11) scored at 17:37 of the third period. . . . G Ian Scott stopped 42 shots for Prince Albert. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . The Warriors were without D Matt Sozanski for a sixth straight game, while F Tristin Langan missed his third in a row. . . . Warriors F Brett Howden, released Tuesday by the Canadian national junior team, was back in the lineup and had an assist. . . . Prince Albert was without D Vojtech Budik and F Simon Stransky, both of whom played for the Czech Republic’s national junior team in an 8-0 loss to Canada in an exhibition game in Boisbriand, Que., on Wednesday. . . . Moose Jaw improved to 19-7-5. . . . The Raiders (7-24-2) are 1-1-1 in their last three games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,726.
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At Prince George, D Brendan Guhle snapped a 3-3 tie at 16:31 of the second period and the Cougars
TY EDMONDS
went on to beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-3. . . . One night earlier, the Cougars had beaten the Americans, 4-1. . . . The doubleheader sweep allowed the Cougars (24-8-2), who have won three in a row, to move back into first place in the overall standings. They are one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips (22-4-5), who hold three games in hand, and two ahead of the Regina pats (21-2-6), who have played five fewer games. . . . Last night, the Cougars jumped out front 2-0 when F Brad Morrison (14) and F Jared Bethune (11) scored 39 seconds apart midway through the first period. . . . The visitors tied it on goals from F Morgan Geekie (18), at 17:57, and F Michael Rasmussen (23), at 0:19 of the second period. . . . F Brogan O’Brien’s fifth goal, at 2:00 of the second, put the Cougars back into the lead, but Tri-City F Jordan Topping tied it with his third goal, at 13:26. . . . Guhle broke that deadlock, and F Kody McDonald added insurance with his eighth goal, on a PP, at 5:08 of the third period. . . . The Cougars got two assists from F Colby McAuley, while O’Brien, Guhle, McDonald and Bethune added one each. . . . Geekie and Topping had an assist each for Tri-City. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 22 shots for the Cougars, as he won for the 19th time this season. . . . The Americans got 32 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . The Cougars were 1-7 on the PP; the Americans were 0-4. . . . The Americans (19-13-3) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 2,855.
——
At Saskatoon, F Davis Koch scored his second goal of the game 11 seconds into OT to give the
DAVIS KOCH
Edmonton Oil Kings a 3-2 victory over the Blades. . . . The Oil Kings overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit before winning it on Koch’s ninth goal of the season. . . . The Blades got a pair of first-period PP goals, with F Josh Patterson (7) scoring at 9:34 and F Chase Wouters (4) at 10:34. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov’s third goal, at 19:14 of the first, got the Oil Kings to within one. . . . Koch, who finished last season with nine goals, tied the score at 5:32 of the third period. . . . F Tyson Gruninger had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Koch, 18, now has 36 points in 33 games, after totalling 23 in 58 games last season and 25 in 52 in 2014-15. . . . The Oil Kings had a 46-17 edge in shots. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 15 shots to earn the victory over Logan Flodell, who turned aside 43. . . . Saskatoon was 2-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-4. . . . The Oil Kings went 4-0-0 against the Blades, who would up 0-3-1 against the Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton (15-15-3) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Saskatoon (13-18-3) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,056.
——
At Victoria, F Ilijah Colina scored his first WHL goal at 8:33 of the third period, breaking a 3-3 tie and
ILIJAH COLINA
giving the Portland Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . Colina, 16, is from North Delta, B.C. He has a goal and three assists in 14 games. Portland selected him in the eighth round of the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Winterhawks, who had lost 5-1 in Victoria one night earlier, took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Connor MacEachern, his first, at 4:32 of the first period and F Skyler McKenzie, his 21st, at 8:28. . . . F Ryan Peckford’s 12th goal, at 10:21, got the Royals to within one, but Portland F Cody Glass scored his 17th at 18:41 for a 3-1 lead. . . . The Royals tied it on second-period PP goals from F Matt Phillips (23), at 9:09, and F Dante Hannoun (14), at 13:35. . . . Glass also had two assists, giving him 48 points in 34 games. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 27 points, including 10 goals, in 65 games. . . . F Evan Weinger also had two assists for Portland. . . . The Royals got three helpers from F Jack Walker and two from D Chaz Reddekopp, with Phillips adding one to his goal. . . . The Winterhawks got 32 saves from G Michael Bullion, while Griffen Outhouse stopped 23 for Victoria. . . . Victoria was 3-8 on the PP; Portland was 1-6. . . . The Winterhawks are 19-14-1; the Royals are 17-15-3. . . . Victoria D Ryan Gagnon returned after serving a four-game suspension. He played in his 283rd regular-season game, all with the Royals. That is tied for second, with F Logan Fisher, for second on the franchise’s all-time list. F Brandon Magee (318) holds the franchise record after playing with the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria. If Gagnon plays the remainder of the Royals’ games, he will finish at 320. . . . Announced attendance: 3,568.
——

THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
——

FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Kamloops at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Seattle, 7:35 p.m.
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
——

TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.

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Saturday, March 7, 2015

Concern for Ice's future . . . Lamb out of hospital . . . Big night in Prince George

For the last couple of years, a rumour has surfaced every so often that goes something like this . . . the owners of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets are close to purchasing the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes and NHLrelocating the franchise to the Manitoba capital. The Kootenay Ice would then pack up and leave Cranbrook for Lethbridge.
Well, now comes word, courtesy of Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press right here, that the Jets are on the verge of moving their AHL franchise, the St. John’s IceCaps, from Newfoundland to Winnipeg in time for next season. Yes, it would be the rebirth of the Manitoba Moose.
At the same time, there is speculation that the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, will move to St. John’s.
But where does that leave the Lethbridge-to-Winnipeg rumour?
It would be dead in the water, at least for now.
AHLThere is speculation that moving the IceCaps to Winnipeg would be a temporary move, with the Jets continuing to look for a home for the franchise that is closer to Manitoba than St. John’s. Perhaps that would mean finding a city in close proximity to the AHL’s new Pacific Division.
The AHL’s board of governors is scheduled to meet during the approaching week, so there no doubt will be more heard about this subject in the days to come.
Meanwhile, make no mistake about one thing — there is real concern about Cranbrook’s WHL franchise.
In a recent interview with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, WHL commissioner Ron Robison was asked: “Have you had much thought or many talks about expansion or relocation?”
His response: “None at this point. There is no future expansion planned. Our goal is to keep our franchises where they currently are. Obviously, there are challenges. We’re monitoring the Kootenay situation very closely. Lethbridge ownership is another area we’re monitoring very closely as well. Any market that is undergoing some challenges, we’re certainly on top of that and concerned. Particularly in Kootenay’s case, the viability of that franchise long term.”
Asked about the issues posed by having 12 teams in one conference (Eastern) and 10 in the other (Western), Robison suggested: “In an ideal world, we’d love to have balanced conferences with 11 and 11. That would make the most sense. It wouldn’t balance our divisions, but it would balance our conferences.”
So let’s start speculating that perhaps the Ice would be better served playing out of Abbotsford, B.C., where there is a 7,000-seat facility that doesn’t have a major hockey-playing tenant.
Were the Ice to end up there, it would mean a move from the WHL’s Central Division to the B.C. Division, leaving the former with five teams and the latter with six. That would leave each conference with 11 teams.
This season, through 33 home games, the Ice’s average attendance is 2,231, up four from last season. Only the Swift Current Broncos (2,127) have a lower average.
In 2012-13, the Ice averaged 2,411 per game.
———


Mark Lamb, the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos, was released from Cypress Regional Hospital in Swift Current on Saturday. Lamb spent Friday night there, thus missing the Broncos’ 3-2 loss to the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . . He also missed last night’s game against the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . According to the Broncos, Lamb will rejoin the team “after the weekend.” . . . The Broncos, who have lost six straight, are at home to the Regina Pats on Wednesday.
———
There is no relationship in sports like that between a baseball player and his glove. That is the case, no matter the age group or the level of play. Billy Witz of The New York Times takes a look right here at players with the New York Yankees and how they treat their gloves.
———

THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (6 games remaining) — Will finish atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1995-96. Will face second wild-card team, presently Edmonton, in first round. . . . Two points behind Kelowna (6) in chase for first place overall. . . . At home to Moose Jaw on Tuesday.
2. Regina (7) clinched second in division last night. Will meet third-place team, presently Swift Current (7), in first round. . . . In Prince Albert on Tuesday. This is a makeup date for a game that was blizzarded out on Feb. 14.
3. Swift Current (6) has lost six in a row and now leads Moose Jaw (6) by two points. . . . At home to Regina on Wednesday.
4. Moose Jaw (6) is two points behind Swift Current. . . . Has won three straight and is 7-2-1 in last 10. . . . In Brandon on Tuesday.
5. Prince Albert (7) is six points behind Moose Jaw. . . . At home to Regina on Tuesday.
6. Saskatoon (6) won’t be in the playoffs.. . . In Edmonton on Tuesday.
——
CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Medicine Hat (6) is tied with Calgary atop the division. But Medicine Hat has more victories (41-40) at the moment. . . . Will play Kootenay in Cranbrook on Friday.
2. Calgary (6) is nine games into a franchise-record 11-game road trip. . . . Won’t play again until Friday in Red Deer.
3. Red Deer (6) is five points off the pace. . . . At home to Saskatoon on Wednesday.
4. Kootenay (6) is 10 points behind Red Deer, and holds down the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . At home to Lethbridge on Tuesday.
5. Edmonton (5) is in the second wild-card spot, one point behind Kootenay. . . . At home to Saskatoon on Tuesday.
6. Lethbridge (7) is out of the playoffs for a sixth straight season.
——
B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (6) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and will play the second wild-card team, presently Tri-City (6) in the first round. . . . Leads the overall standings by two points over Brandon. . . . At home to Victoria on Wednesday.
2. Victoria (6) will finish second and meet the third-place team — right now, that’s Prince George (6) — in the first round. . . . They split two games in Prince George on the weekend. . . . In Kelowna on Wednesday.
3. Prince George (6) is third, thanks to a 5-0-1 run. It is 7-1-2 in its last 10. . . . Prince George is four points ahead of Kamloops (6) and six up on Vancouver (6). . . . In Kamloops on Wednesday.
4. Kamloops (6) will meet Prince George four times in the next two weeks. They’ll play Wednesday in Kamloops, March 18 and 20 in Prince George, and March 21 in Kamloops. . . . The Blazers also are two points behind Tri-City (6), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
5. Vancouver (6) has lost six straight and is two points behind Kamloops and four behind Tri-City. . . . At home to Spokane on Tuesday.
——
U.S. DIVISION:
1. Everett (6) is in first place, four points ahead of Portland (8). If Everett finishes first, it will play the first wild-card team, presently Spokane (8), in the first round. . . . At home to Portland on Wednesday.
2. Portland (8) is on an 8-0-2 roll. The second-place team will play the third-place team, Seattle (6), in the first round. . . . In Everett on Wednesday.
3. Seattle (6) trails Portland by eight points. . . . At home to Everett on Friday.
4. Spokane (8) is in the first wild-card spot, nine points behind Seattle and seven ahead of Tri-City (6). . . . In Vancouver on Tuesday.
5. Tri-City (6) is in the second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Kamloops and four up on Vancouver. . . . Entertains Prince George on Friday.
——

IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Red Deer
——
Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
———

SATURDAY’S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, F Reid Gardiner scored the game’s last two goals, both via the PP, to give the Raiders a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Gardiner, who has 31 goals, tied the game 3-3at 12:01 of the second period and snapped the tie at 6:50 of the third. . . . F Simon Stransky and F Austin Glover drew assists on both goals. . . . The Raiders led 2-0 after one period, only to have the Hurricanes scored three second-period goals, two of them by F Giorgio Estephan, who now has 20 goals. . . . F Brayden Burke had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . Once again, Hurricanes G Stuart Skinner shone, this time with 55 saves. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 21 shots. . . . Each team was 2-for-4 on the PP. . . . Lethbridge D Nick Walters played in his 300th regular-season game. Walters, from Spruce Grove, Alta., has played 145 games with Everett, 50 with Brandon and 105 with Lethbridge. . . . The Raiders (27-35-3) have won three straight. . . . The Hurricanes slipped to 20-37-8. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Torrin White scored three times to lead the Warriors to a 7-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . White opened the scoring at 1:53 of the first period, made it 3-0 at 13:46 of the first and completed his hat trick at 1:06 of the second to make it 5-0. . . . White has 15 goals. . . . The Warriors scored four times in the first period. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point scored his 32nd goal and added three assists, while F Brett Howden notched his 18th goal and had two helpers, and F Axel Blomqvist drew three helpers. . . . Moose Jaw G Brody Willms stopped 28 shots. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Blades were 1-for-5. . . . The Warriors honoured the Snowbirds aerobatics team by wearing special jerseys in the warmup. Snowbirds members were in the dressing room prior to the game and on the bench during warmup. . . . The Warriors (29-32-5) have won three in a row. . . . The Blades (19-43-4) have lost three straight. . . .

In Brandon, F Morgan Klimchuk had two goals and two assists as the Wheat Kings dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 9-1. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville broke a 1-1 tie with his 17th goal at 4:57 of the second period and the Wheat Kings ran away from there. . . . Klimchuk, who has 29 goals, is riding a 10-game point streak. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his 40th goal and added two assists as he ran his point streak to 22 games, the longest in the WHL this season. He’s got 47 points, including 15 goals, in that streak. It’s the longest point streak by a Wheat Kings skater since F Cory Cyrenne went 23 games in 1997-98. . . . McGauley also went over 200 career regular-season points. He now has 202 points in 219 games. This season, he’s got 97 points, three shy of the WHL scoring leader, F Trevor Cox of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . F Peter Quenneville scored twice and added an assist for Brandon. He’s got 26 goals, with eight of them coming in his last four games. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy scored his fifth goal and added two assists, while F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 26th goal and had an assist. D Matt Taraschuk had two assists. . . . Brandon was 4-for-5 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-for-1. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots as he became the first WHL goaltender to 40 victories this season. He is the first Wheat Kings goaltender with at least 40 victories since Glen Hanlon set the WHL single-season record of 49 in 1976-77. . . . The Wheat Kings (48-11-7) last won 50 games in 2009-10. . . . The Broncos (30-31-5) have lost six in a row. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . .


In Edmonton, F Davis Koch broke a 2-2 tie with his eighth goal of the season at 17:24 of the third period as the Oil Kings beat the Calgary Hitmen, 3-2. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer had tied the game with his 23rd goal at 1:45 of the third. . . . The Hitmen took a 1-0 lead on F Adam Tambellini’s 45th goal at 12:42 of the first, on a PP. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo tied it with his 13th goal, on the PP, at 15:38. . . . The Hitmen took the lead when D Travis Sanheim scored his 12th goal, on the PP, at 13:51 of the second. . . . Tambellini, Sanheim and Mayo also had an assist apiece. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 28 shots, four more than Calgary’s Brendan Burke. . . . Calgary was 2-for-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-for-5. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Marshall Donald, who was on crutches after Friday’s 6-4 loss to visiting Regina. Donald was acquired from the Hitmen in January. . . . The Oil Kings improved to 31-29-7. . . . Calgary (40-21-5) has two games left in its franchise-record 11-game road trip. It is 6-3-0 with games left in Red Deer on Friday and Lethbridge on Saturday. . . .

In Red Deer, D Haydn Fleury broke a 3-3 tie at 7:20 of the third period and the Rebels went on to beat the Regina Pats, 5-3. . . . Fleury has six goals. . . . F Riley Sheen, who also had two assists, scored his 20th goal into an empty net at 18:38 of the third. . . . F Adam Musil gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 2:03 of the first period. He’s got 14 goals. . . . The Pats went ahead on goals by D Chase Harrison, his third, at 3:00 of the second and D Colby Williams, his ninth, just 17 seconds later. . . . Regina F Taylor Cooper assisted on both goals. . . . Red Deer F Reese Johnson pulled his guys even with a breakaway goal at 18:35 of the second and D Bart Cote broke the tie 13 seconds later. Johnson has two goals; Cote has eight. . . . Regina F Braden Christoffer scored his 24th goal, on a PP, 53 seconds into the third period. . . . Each team was 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . Red Deer G Taz Burman stopped 23 shots. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 29 shots. . . . The Pats had Cole Sears backing up Brown. Daniel Wapple took a high shot on Friday night and now is listed as day-to-day. . . . Sears, 17, is from Red Deer. . . . . The Rebels (35-21-10) have won three in a row. . . . The Pats (35-21-9) are 2-1-1 in their last four games. . . .

In Medicine Hat, G Marek Langhamer posted his second shutout in three games as the Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 1-0. . . . Langhamer has two shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . The game was about one hour late in starting after the Ice encountered some mechanical with their bus while en route to Medicine Hat. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford score the game’s lone goal, getting No 48 at 3:36 of the first period. . . . Langhamer finished with 16 saves, 15 fewer than the Ice’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Kootenay was 0-for-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-2. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox drew an assist on the game’s first goal as he became the WHL’s first 100-point man this season. . . . Cox also leads the WHL in assists, with 75. . . . Tigers D Tommy Vannelli was back in the lineup after missing 18 games with a broken finger, while D Ty Stanton (ribs) returned after a two-game absence. . . . The Tigers are 41-22-3. . . . The Ice (33-29-4) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . .

In Vancouver, the Everett Silvertips scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Giants, 3-1. . . . F Tyler Benson scored his 14th goal for the Giants at 7:52 of the first. . . . Everett F Remi Laurencelle tied it with his 20th goal at 1:39 of the second and D Cole MacDonald broke the tie with his 10th goal at 2:15 of the third on a PP. . . . MacDonald also had an assist. . . . F Matt Fonteyne added insurance with his sixth goal at 6:21 of the third. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 25 shots, while Vancouver G Payton Lee kicked out 27. . . . The Giants lost F Vladimir Bobylev with an undisclosed injury after he took a hit from Everett F Logan Aasman in the first period. . . . Vancouver F Zane Jones was in the lineup despite having incurred a boarding major and game misconduct on Friday night. The WHL announced Saturday afternoon that no further discipline would be forthcoming. . . . The Silvertips (40-19-7) have won three in a row. . . . The Giants (26-37-3) have dropped six straight. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has more on the game right here. . . .

In Prince George, F Taylor Crunk scored in the 11th round of a shootout to give the Victoria Royals a 4-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . The Cougars had beaten the Royals 4-3 on Friday night. . . . Last night, the Royals took a 3-0 lead in the latter part of the second period, thanks to goals from D Chaz Reddekopp, his fifth, F Brandon Magee, his 19th, and D Ryan Gagnon, his first. . . . This was a special night for F Tyler Mrkonjic — more on him later — and he got the Cougars on the board with his eighth goal, at 17:27 of the second period. . . . D Tomas Andrlik pulled the home side to within a goal with his third at 5:10 of the third. . . . F Chase Witala tied it with No. 33, on a PP, at 16:59. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker, the first shooter in the breakaway contest, scored. . . . F Zach Pochiro, shooting third, kept the Cougars’ chances alive. . . . That was all the goals until Crunk scored to end it. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins had one assist, his 58th this season. That tied the Prince George single-season record set by F Quinn Hancock in 1997-98. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 31 shots. . . . Royals G Coleman Vollrath made 31 saves. . . . The Cougars were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Royals were 0-for-2. . . . The Royals (35-27-4) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Cougars (28-33-5) had won their previous five games. . . . The attendance was 5,404, with the Cougars’ owners guaranteeing the biggest 50/50 draw in franchise history. The winning number is to be posted on the team’s website. . . . The other half of the draw is to go to the Shelly L. Mrkonjic ALS Research Fund. Shelly, who died of ALS in 2006, was Tyler’s mother. So it was only fitting that he should score on what had to be a special night for the family. . . .

In Portland, F Paul Bittner scored three times and added two assists as the Winterhawks dumped the Tri-City Americans, 6-2. . . . Bittner, who has 32 goals, scored the game’s first goal, at 7:29 of the first period. He made it 3-1 with a PP goal at 16:26 of the first and then got the game’s final goal, at 18:20 of the third. . . . Portland F Nic Petan continued his amazing run with three more assists. He has 20 helpers in his last six game. In his last 20 games, Petan has five goals and 39 assists. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had two assists, but his franchise-record goal streak ended at 12 games. With 97 points, he is three off the WHL lead. . . . Portland F Miles Koules scored his 25th goal and added an assist. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo came up short on a penalty shot in the second period. . . . G Adin Hill stopped 30 shots for Portland, while Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou turned aside 46. . . . Portland was 3-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-3. . . . The Winterhawks (39-20-5) are 8-0-2 in their last 10. . . . Tri-City (28-35-3) has lost two in a row. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and went on to a 5-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Jackson Playfair gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 1:28 of the first period. . . . Kamloops D Cole Martin tied it with his sixth goal at 5:34 of the second and F Tate Coughlin gave the Rockets their first lead with his second goal of the season at 5:58. . . . F Chase Braid upped the lead to 3-1 with goal No. 12 at 12:17. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley scored his 18th goal and added an assist. . . . Martin and Braid also had assists, while F Leon Draisaitl had two of them as he ran his point streak to 11 games. . . . Draisaitl has 43 points, including 16 goals, in 26 games since joining the Rockets from the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . The Rockets remain without D Josh Morrissey, F Rourke Chartier and F Justin Kirkland. . . . With the victory, the Rockets (50-11-5) have won 50 games for a third straight season. The only other WHL teams to have done that are the Kamloops Blazers (1989-92) and Edmonton Oil Kings (2011-14). . . . The Chiefs (31-29-4) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Kent, Wash., D Jared Hauf broke a 1-1 tie at 15:36 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-1. . . . F Cory Millette gave Seattle a 1-0 lead with his 21st goal, at 4:53 of the second period. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham tied it with his 23rd goal, at 17:16 of the second period. . . . Hauf then scored his third of the season. . . . Seattle F Nick Holowko scored his fifth goal into an empty net at 19:16 of the third. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had two assists. . . . The Blazers had won the first three games of the four-game season series. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 39 shots, 10 more than Cole Ingram of the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 0-for-2 on the PP; Seattle’s PP didn’t get off the bench. . . . The Thunderbirds improved to 33-24-9. . . . The Blazers (24-34-7) are 3-1-1 in their last five games.
———

SUNDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled
———

MONDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled
———

TUESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:25 PM
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