Showing posts with label Dawson Leedahl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dawson Leedahl. Show all posts

Monday, May 8, 2017

Final resumes tonight in Kent . . . Pats forward gets NHL deal . . . Rockets re-sign two coaches


D Tamás Láday (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2014-16) has signed a two-year extension with Fehérvári Titánok Székesfehérvár (Hungary, MOL Liga). This season, he had six goals and 17 assists in 38 games. He also was pointless in nine games with Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga). . . . Fehérvári Titánok was known as Székesfehérvár II and is the ‘second’ or farm club to Székesfehérvár. . . .
F Mikhail Fisenko (Vancouver, Calgary, 2008-11) has been traded by Admiral Vladivostok to Avangard Omsk (both Russia, KHL). Fisenko had signed a one-year extension with Admiral on Sunday, and now has signed a two-year contract with Avangard.
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The WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup resumes tonight (Tuesday) in Kent, Wash., with the Regina Pats visiting the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The teams split the first two games in Regina, the Thunderbirds winning 2-1 in OT on Friday and the Pats bouncing back to take Game 2, 4-3, also in OT on Saturday. . . . The Thunderbirds announced Monday afternoon that Game 3 is sold out. Jon Ryan the veteran punter with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, is scheduled to take part in the ceremonial faceoff. Ryan is from Regina. . . . They’ll stay in Kent for Game 4 on Wednesday night and Game 5 on Friday. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, who won the regular-season scoring title, goes into Game 3 with 27 points, one off F Reid Gardiner of the Kelowna Rockets, who holds the lead. . . . Regina F Austin Wagner has 14 goals, with Gardiner leading the playoffs with 15. . . . Steel holds the lead in assists, with 18, three more than Seattle F Mathew Barzal and Regina D Connor Hobbs. . . . Barzal has played in 12 playoff games this spring and has at least a point in each of them. . . . A note from columnist Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post: “The superlative work of Cal Filson is one reason why the Seattle Thunderbirds are in their second consecutive league final. The Regina-based Filson spent eight years scouting for the Thunderbirds before being named their director of player personnel in 2015.” . . . 
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Monday from Kent, Wash., that Pats F Dawson Leedahl, who is in his final season of junior, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s New York Rangers. The NHL later confirmed the signing. . . . Leedahl, from Saskatoon, signed as an undrafted free agent. . . . The Pats acquired Leedahl from the Everett Silvertips last summer. He had played four seasons in Everett. This season, with the Pats, he put up 89 points, including 35 goals, in 71 games. In 19 playoff games, he has 11 goals and 12 assists.
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Travis Crickard and Kris Mallette, assistant coaches with the Kelowna Rockets, have signed two-year contract extensions. They just completed their third seasons with the Rockets. They spent their first season under head coach Dan Lambert, their second season with Brad Ralph and this season with Jason Smith. . . . With Crickard and Mallette on staff, the Rockets hold a regular-season record of 146-55-15. In 54 playoff games, the Rockets are 34-20. . . . Smith, who just finished his first season as a WHL head coach, also is signed through two more seasons.
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The Prince Albert Raiders expect to sign D Kaiden Guhle, the first overall selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft, on Saturday during an open house at the Art Hauser Centre. The open house is part of a move by the Raiders to have 2,000 season-ticket holders in place when the 2017-18 season arrives. . . . The Raiders average announced attendance this season was 2,133. . . . From a news release: “Players such as Cole Fonstad, Carson Miller, Brayden Pachal and Rhett Rhinehart will be in attendance. Also, members of the 2017 WHL bantam draft class — including first-overall selection Kaiden Guhle — will be signing their WHL (contracts) in person at 1:30 p.m.” . . . The open house is to run from noon through 4 p.m.
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In the OHL, the host Mississauga Steelheads beat the Erie Otters, 4-3, on Monday night. The Otters hold a 2-1 lead in the series that resumes with Game 4 in Mississauga on Wednesday. . . . Last night, Mississauga led 2-0 early in the second period, only to have Erie score the next three goals to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. . . . The Steelheads tied it 3-3 at 9:03 of the third, on a goal from F Nathan Bastian (7). F Michael McLeod (10) scored on a PP, at 14:52, to break the tie. . . . Announced attendance at Game 3 was 3,514.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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MONDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:12 PM
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Saturday, April 29, 2017

Tip of the hat to Myles Mattila ... WHL conference finals resume today ... Armada into QMJHL final


If you don’t recognize the name Myles Mattila, you should get to a computer and do a search.
While his Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars won’t play in the TELUS Cup final today (Sunday), Mattila is a winner because of his dedication to spreading the word on mental health.
From a hockeycanada.ca story by Derek Jory:
“(Mattila) began volunteering at a local mental health office and participating in youth programs, and he’s now a mental health advocate for Mindcheck.ca, partners with the Canadian Mental Health Association and the driving force behind Mindright.info, a health wellness program designed to educate Cariboo Cougars players, coaches, parents, and supporters about their mental health and the health of others.”
Why did Mattila get so involved in this issue? All because he noticed a few years ago that a long-time friend was struggling.
“It was tough seeing such a good friend go through that and not knowing what was wrong,” Mattila told Jory. “He needed help and it was eye-opening for me not knowing what to do. I realized he likely wasn’t alone in this situation and I vowed to figure out how to help him and anyone else struggling with mental health issues.”
On Saturday, Mattila spoke about mental health awareness at the TELUS Cup awards dinner in Prince George, where he is a Grade 12 student. He also received a $500 Esso Kids Scholarship Award from Hockey Canada.
Remember his name. You're going to be hearing a lot about him down the road.
Jory’s story about Mattila is right here.
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The WHL could have its Ed Chynoweth Cup finalists decided today (Sunday) when the conference finals resume.
In the Eastern Conference, the Regina Pats hold a 3-2 lead on the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. In the Western Conference, the Seattle Thunderbirds take a 3-2 edge into Kelowna to face the Rockets.
The Hurricanes, who lost 5-3 in Regina on Friday, almost surely will be without F Matt Alfaro, a point-a-game skater who hasn’t played since April 4. F Ryan Bowen, meanwhile, has been in and out of the lineup; he was scratched Friday so obviously is banged up.
The Thunderbirds continue to play without Rylan Toth, who led all WHL goaltenders with 36 regular-season victories. He hasn’t dressed for even one playoff game.
In Toth’s absence, Carl Stankowski, a Calgarian who turned 17 on March 9, has gone 11-2, 2.60, .911. In the regular season, Stankowski played in 358 minutes over seven games, going 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. In the playoffs, he has played 785 minutes over 13 games.
The Thunderbirds are likely to be without D Ethan Bear, who suffered an injury to his left hand when he blocked a shot by Kelowna F Reid Gardiner late in Game 3 on Tuesday. Taking Note has been told that Bear has a broken hand.
Bear didn’t play in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss in Kelowna. He took the warmup prior to Seattle’s 5-3 victory in Kent, Wash., on Friday, but had difficulties handling the puck and was scratched.
Obviously, Bear is a big loss for the Thunderbirds. After all, he put up 70 points, including 28 goals, in 67 regular-season games, and has 16 points, five of them goals, in 11 playoff games.
But it could be that Kelowna misses D James Hilsendager almost as much. Hilsendager, who turned 20 on March 20, left in the first period of Game 4 with an undisclosed injury and was scratched from Friday’s game.
He had three assists in 18 games with the Regina Pats, before being dealt to the Rockets for whom he recorded 24 points, six of them goals, in 46 games. In 15 playoff games, he has a goal and two assists.
However, his value to the Rockets is much more than offence. In his time with the Rockets, he only improved. He has been a stellar defender who added a physical presence to their back end.
It’s only right that Bear’s absence has gotten a lot of notice; after all, he was a fifth-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 draft and he has an NHL contract in his hip pocket.
But could it be that Hilsendager’s absence will be just as impactful if he can’t answer the bell for Game 6?
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A run-in between F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and F Dawson Leedahl of the Regina Pats late in Game 4 of their series drew some attention but no suspensions.
The two came together in a scrum at 16:15 of the third period of the game in Lethbridge and, when it was all over, Wong was claiming that he had been bitten by Leedahl.
Here’s what Wong told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“It was in the heat of the moment. He made a mistake. I initiated some contact there. That’s part of hockey, the scrums. I hit him high and I feel bad. I’m not a cheap player. I don’t like hitting guys high. I’ll be physical. I’ll play on the edge. So does he.
“He has laid out some big hits on me. I saw an opportunity to get a hit on him. My finger slipped in his mouth and, I don’t know if he meant to or not, but he took a good chunk out of my finger. I had to go and get a tetanus shot and go on antibiotics. That’s not really part of hockey and I think he would take it back if he could.
“It’s behind us and I don’t hold grudges. I’ll come out and play the same way against him as I do against any other player.”
Leedahl and Wong each was given a roughing minor and that was the end of it, at least as far as the WHL is concerned.
However, Wong, a 51-goal scorer in the regular season, has only two assists in the five games against Regina, both of those coming in a 3-1 Lethbridge victory in Game 3. He hasn’t scored a goal since he got two, including the shorthanded OT winner, in the Game 7 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers that vaulted the Hurricanes into the conference final.
The Hurricanes are hoping their captain breaks out in Game 6 at home today.
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The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada advanced to the QMJHL’s championship final on Saturday with a 5-2 victory over the host Charlottetown Islanders. The Armada won that series, 4-1. . . . It was an emotional game for the Islanders because the father of Charlottetown F Dillon Boucher died on Friday night. “There’s always a bigger picture at play,” Charlottetown general manager and head coach Jim Hulton said in a story posted on the QMJHL website. “This is still a game and yeah, it hurts like hell that we lost, but not anything near the magnitude of what Dillon and his family are going through.” . . . The Armada will meet either the Saint John Sea Dogs or Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the championship series. The Sea Dogs hold a 3-2 lead with Game 6 today (Sunday) in Chicoutimi.
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Great Britain, including former WHL F Liam Stewart, beat Japan 4-0 on Saturday to win the IIHF World Championship, Division 1 Group B, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the victory, Great Britain earned promotion to Division 1 Group A for next season. Stewart, who played four seasons (2011-15) with the Spokane Chiefs, had two goals and an assist in three games. . . . Great Britain, which allowed only five goals, went 5-0, while Japan finished 4-1. . . . Croatia, under head coach Enio Sacilotto of the Victoria Royals, finished at 1-4 and was fifth in the six-team tournament. The Croats allowed only 17 goals, but struggled to score (14). . . . Lithuania beat Croatia, 3-1, in the third-place game. . . . Sacilotto is the Royals’ director of prospect development and has extensive international coaching experience.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

Seattle at Kelowna, 5:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 3-2)
Regina at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Regina leads, 3-2)

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:20 PM
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Monday, February 20, 2017

Scheduling quirks, quarks . . . CHL's last import goalie makes NHL debut . . . Leedahl leads tired Pats


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The Regina Pats escaped with a 3-2 OT victory over the host Prince Albert Raiders in Monday’s only WHL game.
The Pats, who have been the CHL’s No. 1-ranked team for much of this season, were playing their fifth game in seven days in seven different cities. Yes, that’s absurd, and here’s hoping the teenagers in this league get some relief from the schedule-maker next season.
“When you play five games in seven days, you can’t expect to have the energy,” John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. “It’s impossible. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Monday . . .
“I’m not making excuses for them or anything . . .”
Paddock admitted to being “happy with the two points,” but, as he added, “when you think of five games in seven days, that’s a tough schedule on anybody.”
The Pats went 2-3-0 in those games.
Go back a bit further and you discover that the Pats have played their past eight games in eight different cities in a span of 13 days. They have had five off days and you wonder how many really good practices Paddock has been able to hold in that stretch. Remember that the WHL is a development league. 
The schedule calls for the Pats to play 15 games in February’s 28 days.
They don’t play on March 1 or 2, but then will play three games in fewer than 48 hours. Oh, and they will finish the season by playing four games in five nights. This time, though, the first three of those will be at home.
What’s that? Oh, you want some more scheduling notes . . . 
The Vancouver Giants have 12 games left in their season.
The first three of those are against the Victoria Royals.
The next three are against the Portland Winterhawks.
Seriously.
Come on . . . you couldn’t make up something like that.
The Giants will play host to the Royals on Friday and then the teams will meet in Victoria on Saturday and Sunday.
On March 1, the Winterhawks will visit the Giants, and the teams are to clash in Portland on March 3 and 4.
A few more scheduling notes . . . 
The Everett Silvertips, who lead the Western Conference by one point over the Seattle Thunderbirds, are to play seven of their final eight games on the road. They will play those eight games over 12 days. The seven road games will be played in six different cities; they’ll make two stops in Kennewick, Wash., for games with the Tri-City Americans. . . .
Everett and Seattle are to meet three more times, two of them in Kent, Wash., the home of the Thunderbirds. The first of those is Sunday in Kent, when Seattle will be enjoying its second straight three-in-three weekend. . . . 
The Americans are third in the U.S. Division, five points ahead of the Winterhawks. They will play Wednesday in Kennewick, Wash. The Americans are to finish up by playing five of six at home. But the last three, two of which are to be against the Spokane Chiefs, will be played in fewer than 48 hours. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers have 11 games remaining, with seven of those to be played at home. They trail the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars by two points. The Cougars also have 11 games remaining. The Blazers and Cougars are to meet four more times, with three of those in Prince George. . . . 
The Cougars’ final 11 games include a one-game trek to Kelowna for a March 1 date with the Rockets, and a swing into the U.S. Division to play three games in four nights. . . . 
Don’t count out the Rockets, who are five points behind Prince George with two games in hand. The Rockets have 13 games left, with five of those against teams unlikely to make the playoffs. The Rockets also will finish up by playing six straight at home — over a 14-day period — before ending their schedule by visiting the Giants. In fact, three of Kelowna’s last five games will be against the Giants, who won’t make the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . 
The Royals, who are four points behind Kelowna, have an opportunity to get on a roll, with their next three games against Vancouver and then two in a row with the Chiefs, who are nine points out of a playoff spot. However, Victoria will finish by playing six of seven games on the road, including two each in Kamloops and Kelowna. The Royals will finish by going home-and-home with Everett. . . . 
The Moose Jaw Warriors will finish by playing nine games in 18 days, but seven of those games will be on home ice. They will go home-and-home with Regina on March 10 and 11 and do the same with the Swift Current Broncos on March 17 and 18. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades are scrambling in the hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2013. The Blades and Calgary are tied for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Saskatoon has 13 games remaining, one of those against the Hitmen — in Calgary on March 8. The Blades also have four games remaining with the Prince Albert Raiders, who won’t be in the playoffs but are 5-4-1 in their past 10 games. Saskatoon is coming off a weekend in which it played three road games in fewer than 48 hours, going 0-2-1, including a 3-2 loss in Calgary. This weekend, the Blades again will play three games, the first two against the Raiders, in fewer than 48 hours, but the last two are at home. . . .
The Broncos are third in the East Division, six points behind the Warriors with a game in hand. This weekend, the Broncos will play three games in fewer than 48 hours, two of them against Regina. The Broncos will finish the season with four games in five nights, only one of them at home. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels, who are 1-6-3 in their past 10 games, are in Prince George tonight (Tuesday) having lost eight in a row (0-6-2). The Rebels are third in the Central Division but are just two points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen, who are 3-0-1 in their past four games. The Rebels are at home to the Kootenay Ice on Friday, then will go home-and-home with the Hitmen on Saturday (Red Deer) and Sunday (Calgary). The Rebels and Hitmen also will meet March 15 in Red Deer. . . .
And now let the fun begin!
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Connor Hobbs, the leading scorer among WHL defencemen, didn’t play Monday as his Regina Pats beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2 in OT. The WHL has hit Hobbs with a TBD suspension after he took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Brett Howden during a 4-0 loss to the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Saturday night. . . . Hobbs leads all defencemen in goals (26) and points (69). . . . The Pats are scheduled to meet the Blades in Saskatoon on Wednesday night before returning home to face the Swift Current Broncos on Friday.
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Jake Morrissey, a former WHL goaltender, was credited with a goal on Friday night as his Sherwood Park Crusaders scored a 3-1 victory over the visiting Camrose Kodiaks. He was the last of the Crusaders to touch the puck — he had stopped a shot — when a Camrose player in trying to get the puck to a defenceman had it go all the way down the ice and into a vacated net. . . . Terry Jones of Postmedia has more right here.
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G Marek Langhamer, who played three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers, stopped seven of eight shots as he made his NHL debut in relief of Arizona Coyotes starter Mike Smith on Monday night in Glendale, Ariz.
Were this baseball, Langhamer, 22, would have been credited with a save in a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Coyotes. Of his seven saves, one was fantastic as he went post-to-post to beat Anaheim forward Sami Vatanen with his left pad as time expired.
Smith left at 4:29 of the third period after a goalmouth collision with Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg. Smith went into concussion protocol but is fine and is expected to practise on Tuesday.
Langhamer had been with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners before being summoned to backup Smith after Louis Domingue was hurt.
Langhamer, from Moravska Trebova, Czech Republic, was with Medicine Hat from 2012-15. The Coyotes selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2012 draft.
Langhamer played as a 20-year-old with the Tigers in 2014-15. His WHL career ended on April 17 when he stopped 54 shots in a 4-3 double OT loss to the host Calgary Hitmen, who won a second-round series, 4-1.
Langhamer became the last import goaltender to play anywhere in the CHL, which had announced in June 2013 that it was banning such players. Import goaltenders in the CHL at the time were allowed to complete their eligibility.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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MONDAY’S GAME:


At Prince Albert, F Dawson Leedahl scored two goals, including the OT winner, as the Regina Pats beat the Raiders, 3-2. . . . Leedahl’s 29th goal of the season won the game at 2:31 of extra time. . . . Leedahl,
DAWSON LEEDAHL
a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, was acquired from the Everett Silvertips prior to the season. He has career highs in goals, assists (44) and points (73), all in 57 games. Last season, one that was shortened by injury, he finished with 12 goals and 15 assists in 27 games. In 2014-15, he had 14 goals and 19 assists in 52 games. His career high in assists (24) had come in 2013-14. . . . On Monday, F Sean Montgomery (13) had given the Raiders a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 13:13 of the first period. . . . Leedahl tied it at 4:35 of the second period. . . . The Raiders went back in front at 11:07 as F Tim Vanstone scored No. 11, on a PP. . . . Regina D Josh Mahura, who also had an assist, got his guys into a 2-2 tie with his 14th goal, at 19:47 of the second. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, had two assists. He has 105 points, seven more than teammate Adam Brooks, who had one assist. . . . Brooks, the defending WHL scoring king, and Steel are tied for the WHL lead in assists (66). . . . Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post points out that Brooks, who put up 120 points last season, “is poised to become the first Pat in more than a quarter-century to register consecutive 100-point seasons. Mike Sillinger hit triple digits in 1988-89 (131), 1989-90 (129) and 1990-91 (116).” . . . The Pats got 27 saves from G Jordan Hollett. . . . G Ian Scott turned aside 41 shots for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-2. . . . Regina, already without F Jake Leschyshyn (knee) and D Connor Hobbs (WHL suspension), lost F Filip Ahl to a charley horse during the game. . . . The Pats (42-9-7) had lost their previous two games. They lead the overall standings by six points over the Medicine Hat Tigers and hold two games in hand. . . . The Raiders (16-39-6) are 1-0-1 in their last two games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,461.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince George, 7 p.m.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:50 PM
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Sunday, January 22, 2017

Scattershooting ... Blades Welcome the World with win ... Pachal, Raiders on fire

Scattershoot

 Scattershooting, while waiting for Milos Raonic to play Down Under . . .

I wish there was a way to find out how many junior A and major junior hockey players changed teams over the three or four weeks leading up to Jan. 10. I am guessing it was somewhere around 400 — and that may be low. Regardless, isn’t it time for Hockey Canada, if it really governs the sport in this country, to deliver ask operators if this really is necessary?
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One of the amazing things about junior hockey is the way junior A teams trade from one league to another. On Jan. 10, for example, the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzles acquired F Shawn O’Malley from the NAHL’s Shreveport Mudbugs. Yes, that Shreveport. O’Malley, 19, is from Ann Arbor, Mich.
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The Winnipeg Jets have had goaltending issues through a lot of this season, but brings one to wonder: Whatever happened to Eric Comrie, who was a second-round selection in the 2013 NHL draft?
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Is it just me or is Samuel L. Jackson in every movie trailer that shows up on TV?
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There isn’t a better promotion in all of junior hockey than the Welcome the World event that is staged by the Saskatoon Blades. They held the second annual on Sunday and it really is something else. If you haven’t seen the highlights — new citizens of our country, young and old, getting introduced to hockey and some of them getting their Canadian citizenship — check them out. And a tip of the fedora to all of those involved in this wonderful event.
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The Blades, if you haven’t noticed, have won five in a row and have seven of their next eight games on home ice. With them showing signs of turning things around, you are free to wonder if the fans will come back.
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There are 10 teams in the WHL’s Western Conference and only one of them, the Vancouver Giants, has a point percentage below .500. Thank you, loser point.
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There are a lot of people in and around the NHL who are grumbling about the shootout. Guy Boucher, the head coach of the Ottawa Senator, so despises it that he refuses to watch when his team is involved in one. “I never watch shootouts,” Boucher told James Mirtle of The Athletic (theathletic.com). “I never have. Two reasons: One, I hate it. I think it’s a team game, and it should be decided by team play. But I understand that the game has got to end. The other thing, two, is I got into a habit of not looking. It makes no difference if I look or not so I let the guys do their thing. I used to get involved and talk to the guys, ‘Eh you could do this and that.’ Now I stay out of it.” . . . Mirtle spoke with Boucher after Ottawa had beaten the host Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout on Saturday night.
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The best part of writing sports for newspapers for more than 40 years was the late nights, if only because a guy could easily make it through the late night/early morning Australian Open matches. No more. On Saturday morning, I stuck with Roger Federer until 2 a.m., then went to sleep assuming he was going to lose.
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Can you remember a season in which the NFL playoffs served up so much boredom? Of this season’s 10 playoff games, eight have been lop-sided and all but unwatchable. Will the Super Bowl be worth watching for anything other than NFL commish Roger Goodell presenting the championship trophy to Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft?
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F Axel Blomqvist (Lethbridge, Victoria, Moose Jaw, 2012-15) has been released at his request by Södertälje (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He was pointless in seven games.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, D Brayden Pachal scoed at 1:52 of OT to give the Prince Albert Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . The Raiders scored the game’s first two goals. . . . F Jordy Stallard, who had been acquired
BRAYDEN PACHAL
from the Hitmen earlier in the month, ran his goal-scoring streak to four games with his 14th goal, at 17:13 of the first period. . . . F Kolten Olynek’s 10th goal, on a PP, made it 2-0 at 5:15 of the second period. . . . The Hitmen tied it as F Jakob Stukel (14) scored on a PP, at 14:50 of the second, and F Matteo Gennaro (29) counted at 19:14 of the third period. . . . Stukel assisted on that goal. . . . Gennaro has at least one goal in six straight games. He has 11 goals in that stretch. . . . Pachal, who asked out of Victoria because wanted more playing time, has two goals in eight games since the Royals dealt him to the Raiders. His first goal gave the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the host Red Deer Rebels on Friday. Pachal had one goal in 75 games with Victoria. . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 30 shots to earn the victory over Trevor Martin, who made 23 saves. . . . Prince Albert was 1-2 on the PP; Calgary was 1-6. . . . D Jake Bean was among Calgary’s scratches. Bean played for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship and the Hitmen have given him a few days off. . . . Prince Albert got back F Tim Vanstone but F Simon Stransky and F Drew Warkentine remain out. . . . The Raiders (11-34-5) have won three in a row for the first time this season. They were playing their fourth game in five days, and their third in less than 48 hours. They still are last in the overall standings, but now are just three points behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Hitmen (17-21-8) have lost three straight (0-1-2) and are four points out of a playoff spot. They were playing their third home game in four nights. . . . Announced attendance: 7,722.
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At Edmonton, the Moose Jaw Warriors put the cap on a six-game road trip with a 2-0 victory over the Oil
ZACH SAWCHENKO
Kings. . . . The Warriors went 4-2-0 on the trip that included five games in the B.C. Division. . . . G Zach Sawchenko earned the shutout with 32 saves. That was his first shutout of the season and seventh of his career. . . . F Brayden Burke (15) scored the game’s first goal, on a PP, at 8:09 of the first period. . . . F Yan Khomenko (11) added insurance, at 11:08 of the third period. . . . Edmonton G Josh Dechaine stopped 27 shots in his second career start. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-3. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky was among Edmonton’s scratches. He served a one-game suspension after taking a game misconduct late in a 5-2 loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday. . . . The Warriors, who continue to be without F Noah Gregor, scratched F Brett Howden, their captain, due to illness. . . . Moose Jaw (29-12-7) has won three in a row and is second in the East Division, four points behind the Regina Pats, who hold four games in hand. . . . Edmonton (18-25-4) has lost eight straight and is six points away from a playoff spot. It hasn’t won since beating the visiting Calgary Hitmen, 4-3 in OT, on Jan. 1. . . . Announced attendance: 7,559.
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At Everett, F Riley Woods scored the only goal of a three-round shootout to give the Spokane Chiefs a 4-
RILEY WOODS
3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Everett took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Matt Fonteyne (15), at 0:51, and F Patrick Bajkov (20), at 6:57. . . . Bajkov had an assist on Fonteyne’s goal. . . . F Hudson Elynuik (17) halved the deficit for Spokane at 4:00 of the second and Woods tied it with his night goal, at 16:30. . . . D Lucas Skrumeda, who had been out since Jan. 6, gave Everett the lead at 16:42. He has three goals in 27 games after going into the season with two scores in 128 games. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto forced OT with his 30th goal just 31 seconds into the third period. . . . Yamamoto also had an assist. . . . Spokane got 24 saves from G Jayden Sittler, five of them in OT. . . . Everett G Carter Hart turned aside 17 shots. . . . The Chiefs were 0-2 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-3. . . . The Chiefs’ bus didn’t get to the arena until 45 minutes before game time and they were down 1-0 just 51 seconds into the first period. . . . The Silvertips were without D Noah Juulsen, but had Skrumeda and F Devon Skoleski back. . . . The Chiefs (20-20-7) have won two in a row and are tied with the Portland Winterhawks for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Silvertips (30-6-9) are 2-0-1 in their past three games, which they played in fewer than 48 hours. They are tied with the Regina Pats and Prince George Cougars atop the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 4,408.
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At Regina, F Dawson Leedahl scored twice to help the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Tyler Coulter’s 21st goal gave Brandon a 1-0 lead at 19:20 of the first period. . . . The Pats
DAWSON LEEDAHL
took over with four second-period goals. . . . D Josh Mahura (11) scored on a PP at 2:02. . . . Leedahl scored his first goal at 11:38. . . . F Austin Wagner scored No. 20 at 12:14. . . . Wagner is the seventh player on the Pats roster with at least 20 goals. . . . Leedahl got his second of the game and 24th of the season, on a PP, at 15:49. . . . F Filip Ahl got Regina’s last goal, his 21st, at 19:01 of the third period. . . . Brandon got its final goal from D Schael Higson (3) at 19:16. . . . F Nick Henry had two assists for Regina. . . . Both teams were playing for a third time in less than 48 hours. The Pats had lost 8-5 to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday, then beat the Broncos 6-5 in Swift Current on Saturday. The Wheaties lost 3-2 in a shootout to the host Saskatoon Blades on Friday, returned home to beat Medicine Hat, 5-2, on Saturday, then hit the road for Regina. . . . Regina G Max Paddock, who plays for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings, made 29 saves, with Kurtis Chapman of the MJHL’s Portage Terriers backing him up. . . . G Jordan Hollett was among Regina’s scratches. He made 23 saves in a 6-5 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos on Saturday, his first appearance since Nov. 20 when he suffered a high ankle sprain. Hollett is expected to start Friday against the host Calgary Hitmen. . . . Regina also is without starter Tyler Brown, who has an undisclosed injury. . . . The Wheat Kings got 42 saves from G Logan Thompson. . . . Regina was 2-2 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . The Wheat Kings were without D Dmitry Osipov, who drew a one-game suspension after taking a charging major and game misconduct during Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. That was for a hit on Tigers F Chad Butcher. . . . The Pats (31-6-7) have won two in a row. Their .784 point percentage has them atop the overall standings. They have 69 points, as do the Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars. . . . The Wheat Kings (23-18-5) had been 3-0-1 in their previous four games. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,419.
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At Saskatoon, F Jesse Shynkaruk and F Josh Paterson each scored twice as the Blades ran their winning streak to five games with a 6-3 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Shynkaruk scored two
JESSE SHYNKARUK
first-period PP goals, at 4:36 and 14:42, for a 2-0 lead. . . . Shynkaruk, who was a walk-on when the Blades opened training camp, has 21 goals in 35 games; he went into this season with 23 goals in 196 games. . . . The Broncos cut the deficit in half when D Dom Schmiemann scored his first goal, at 2:44 of the second period. . . . The Blades came back with two goals, from D Evan Fiala (3), at 5:31, and F Chase Wouters (5), on a PP, at 9:02. . . . Swift Current got back to within a goal when F Tyler Steenbergen scored No. 35, at 11:34, and F Aleksi Heponiemi got his 19th, at 19:31. . . . Paterson, who has 11 goals, put it away with third-period goals at 13:04 and 18:36. The latter was an empty-netter. . . . The Blades got three assists from F Braylon Shmyr and two assists from each of D Bryton Sayers and D Mark Rubinchik. Wouters and Paterson each had one. . . . Heponiemi had two assists for the Broncos, while Steenbergen had one. . . . The Blades got 28 saves from G Brock Hamm, while the Broncos’ Taz Burman blocked 20. . . . Saskatoon was 3-5 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-5. . . . The Broncos lost former Blades F Ryan Graham, who left in the first period with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Blades (20-22-6) went 5-1-0 on a six-game homestand that ended with this game, and they will play seven of their next eight at home, too. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot by four points over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Broncos (25-16-8) have lost three in a row and remain third in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,224.

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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Prince George vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kamloops at Portland, 7 p.m. (ppd. from Jan. 8)
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:11 PM
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Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Blades stun Wheaties . . . Ferguson sharp for Blazers . . . Pats win battle of leaders

D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has signed for the rest of this season with České Budějovice (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Earlier this season, he had a goal and two assists in nine games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), and three assists in 11 games with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). . . .
F Roman Tománek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) has been loaned by mutual agreement by Banská Bystrica to Dukla Trenčín (both Slovakia, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had a goal and three assists in 17 games with Banská Bystrica.
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I have the same thought every year as the World Junior Championship gets rolling: Boy, there are some bad games in this tournament and we always forget about them in the excitement of its approach. . . . Turns out I’m not alone in such a thought. . . . Actually, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News goes a step or two further right here, where he wonders if the WJC has “jumped the shark.”
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Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press writes that it’s time for Hockey Canada to take the World Junior Championship back to where it belongs — cities that support major junior hockey. That piece is right here.
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F Josh Uhrich, who has played in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Saskatoon Blades and Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed with the Miramichi Timberwolves of the junior A Maritime Hockey League. . . . Uhrich, 20, put up 59 points, including 26 goals, in 264 regular-season WHL games. This season, with the junior B Saskatoon Quakers, he had 54 points, 21 of them goals, in 21 games. . . . His brother Brayden, 19, joined the Timberwolves last season, and put up 28 points, 15 of them goals, in 19 games. This season, he’s got 39 points, including 24 goals, in 29 games. . . . Brayden has played seven WHL games, all with the Blades. . . . The Uhrich boys are from Rosetown, Sask. . . . The Timberwolves (17-10-2) are tied with the Dieppe Commandos for first place in the six-team North Division.
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Mike Fraser, a veteran WHL scout who now works with the Brandon Wheat Kings, also writes a weekly column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. This week, Fraser, a former goaltender, takes a look at the pressure Canadian hockey fans place on the national junior team’s goaltenders. That piece is right here.
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Rob Vanstone is the sports columnist at the Regina Leader-Post. Tim Vanstone is the captain of the Prince Albert Raiders. They connected the other day following a game in Regina. Are they related? The results are right here.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet/Hockey Night in Canada filed his weekly 30 Thoughts on Tuesday and it’s right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, D Libor Hajek scored twice early in the third period as the Saskatoon Blades erased a 2-1
LIBOR HAJEK
deficit and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 4-2. . . . Hajek, who was cut by the Czech Republic team prior to the World Junior Championship, tied the score at 2:31 of the third period and gave the Blades the lead at 4:11. He’s got three goals this season. . . . Saskatoon F Jesse Shynkaruk (13) opened the scoring 31 seconds into the second period. . . . Brandon F Connor Gutenberg, back after a one-game absence, pulled his guys into a tie with his seventh goal, on a PP, at 2:56. . . . D Jordan Wharrie (3) gave the Wheat Kings a 2-1 lead at 7:00. . . . F Braylon Shmyr iced it for the Blades with an empty-netter at 19:42 of the third period. He’s got 21 goals, eight of them in his last six games. . . . Shmyr also had an assist. . . . The Blades got 25 stops from G Brock Hamm, while Brandon’s Jordan Papirny turned aside 38 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings were 1-5 on the PP; the Blades were 0-3. . . . The Blades are 2-3-1 in the season series. This was the fourth and final game in Brandon. . . . Saskatoon (15-20-6) is 2-0-2 in its past four games and has closed to within four points of a wild-card spot. . . . Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, reports that Saskatoon had been 0-7-1 in Brandon since last winning, 5-4 in OT, on Nov. 25, 2014. . . . Brandon (18-16-4) had won its previous three games and is tied with the Red Deer Rebels for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card spots. Red Deer also is tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for third in the Central Division. . . . F Nolan Patrick remains out of the Wheat Kings’ lineup. Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun reports: “Patrick is back in the Wheat City skating but no firm timetable has been set for his return.” . . . Announced attendance: 3,550.
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At Kamloops, G Dylan Ferguson stopped 36 shots to lead the Blazers to a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City
DYLAN FERGUSON
Americans. . . . Ferguson, 18, was making his 11th straight start with G Connor Ingram (Canada) at the World Junior Championship. There were a number of NHL scouts on hand, at least some of them there they had had limited viewing of Ferguson in the past. He has a late birthday to will be eligible for the 2018 NHL draft. . . . Ferguson, the WHL’s goaltender of the month for December, stopped 15 shots in the third period when the Americans tried hard to get back into the game. . . . Kamloops scored three times before the game was nine minutes old. . . . F Travis Walton got his fourth goal at 2:05, with F Collin Shirley (17) scoring at 3:39, and F Jermaine Loewen getting his fifth, on a PP, at 8:22. . . . F Michael Rasmussen (28) got the Americans on the scoreboard at 17:19. . . . Kamloops F Nick Chyzowski (11) stretched the lead at 6:30 of the second period. . . . F Jordan Topping (4) got the Americans back to within two at 9:32. . . . The Blazers got the empty-netter from F Deven Sideroff (24) at 19:26 of the third period, while shorthanded. . . . Shirley added two assists to his goal, while Chyzowski and Sideroff added one each. . . . Topping also had an assist. . . . Tri-City G Evan Sarthou stopped 19 shots. . . . Kamloops was 1-2 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-2. . . . Kamloops F Garrett Pilon was among the scratches. He’s out with an undisclosed injury, joining F Matt Revel. . . . Also missing from the Kamloops lineup were Ingram, F Rudolfs Balcers and D Ondrej Vala, all of whom are at the WJC. . . . This was the final game of the season series. The Blazers went 3-1-0, while the Americans were 1-2-1. . . . Kamloops (24-15-2) now is second in the B.C. Division, two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. They’ll play in Kamloops on Friday and in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . The Americans (22-17-3) had won their previous two games. The Americans are second in the U.S. Division. . . . Kamloops head coach Don Hay recorded his 699th regular-season victory. . . . Heather McVie-Gaunt, a Pittsburgh-based opera singer with ties to Kamloops, made her annual appearance and sang both anthems. That was the highlight of this night. . . . Announced attendance: 3,290.
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At Medicine Hat, the Regina Pats scored three times before the game was seven minutes old en route to
SAM STEEL
a 6-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . The game featured the leaders of the East and Central Divisions. . . . Regina (26-3-7) has points in six straight (5-0-1) and leads the overall standings by three points over the Prince George Cougars and Everett Silvertips. . . . The Tigers (27-12-1) have lost two in a row and trail Regina by four points. . . . Regina is 2-0-0 against Medicine Hat with two games left in the season series. . . . Regina F Sam Steel opened the scoring just 49 seconds into the game. F Jake Leschyshyn made it 2-0 with his 15th goal, at 4:44, and F Austin Wagner (19) added another at 6:18. . . . F Steve Owre got the Tigers on the scoreboard with his 11th goal, at 7:42 of the second period. . . . Regina responded with three more goals. . . . F Dawson Leedahl (16) counted on a PP at 8:54, D Connor Hobbs (16) scored at 10:59, and Steel got his 27th, on a PP, at 18:03. . . . Medicine Hat F Ryan Jevne (5) got the game’s last goal 41 seconds into the third period. . . . Steel also had an assist, while F Adam Brooks had two. They now are tied for the lead in the WHL scoring race, each with 65 points. . . . F Nick Henry added three assists for the Pats, while Leedahl had two and Hobbs one. . . . Owre also had an assist for the Tigers. . . . G Tyler Brown earned his 18th victory with 36 saves. . . . Medicine Hat starter Nick Schneider gave up three goals on five shots in 6:18. Michael Bullion, acquired Sunday from the Portland Winterhawks, stopped 25 of 28 shots in 53:41. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan, acquired by the Pats from the Spokane Chiefs on Monday, was pointless in his Regina debut. . . . Regina was 2-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-6. . . . Announced attendance: 3,329.
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At Prince Albert, F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Nikita Popugaev scored shootout goals to give the Moose
BRAYDEN BURKE
Jaw Warriors a 6-5 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Brayden Burke scored three goals and added an assist for the Warriors. He gave his side a 1-0 lead just 36 seconds into the game, made it 2-1, on a PP, at 8:46, and broke a 4-4 tie at 11:45 of the third period, on another PP. He’s got 10 goals. . . . F Luke Coleman (7) gave the Raiders a 3-2 at 10:41 of the first period. . . . The Warriors went on top 4-3 on goals from F Brett Howden (18), on a PP, at 9:47 of the second period and F Tanner Jeannot (12), at 13:37. . . . F Curtis Miske scored for the Raiders at 9:24. It was his first game after being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs. Miske drove from Spokane to Fernie, B.C., on Monday, then to Calgary on Tuesday, from where he flew into Saskatoon. . . . After Burke gave the Warriors a 5-4 lead, the Raiders forced OT when F Carson Miller scored his fifth goal, at 18:10. . . . Howden had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . Coleman and Miller each had an assist for the Raiders. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 31 shots to earn the victory, while Prince Albert’s Nic Sanders blocked 32. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-3. . . . The Warriors are 5-1-0 and the Raiders are 1-3-2 in the season series that has two games remaining. . . . Moose Jaw (22-9-7) has points in four straight (2-0-2) and is tied with the Swift Current Broncos for second in the East Division. . . . The Raiders (8-29-3) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,755. . . . Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW has a game story right here.
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At Swift Current, the Broncos scored the game’s last four goals to beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-4. . .
CALVIN SPENCER
. F Calvin Spencer gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 3:00 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes responded with four straight goals. . . . F Giorgio Estephan scored twice, at 4:39 and 15:27 of the first period, giving him 21 goals. . . . D Igor Merezhko’s first WHL goal, at 5:08 of the second, on a PP, gave the visitors a 3-1 lead. . . . F Tyler Wong, with his 26th, made it 4-1 at 7:13. . . . Broncos F Tyler Steenbergen began the comeback with No. 27, at 7:32. . . . D Max Lajoie got the Broncos to within one, at 4-3, with his seventh goal, at 13:42. . . . D Colby Sissons (5) tied it just 32 seconds later. . . . Spencer broke the tie with his ninth goal, on a PP, at 3:34 of the third period. . . . Steenbergen and Lajoie each added one assist. . . . F Colton Kroeker and D Brendan Menell had two assists each for the Hurricanes, while Estephan had one. . . . G Travis Child stopped 29 shots for the Broncos, nine fewer than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . The Hurricanes were 2-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 2-6. . . . D Artyom Minulin, who scored the OT goal in the Broncos’ 5-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday, was scratched. . . . The Broncos (22-11-7) have won three in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (20-14-5) had won their previous two games. They are second in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 1,669.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:02 PM
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