Rockets score early and late in second to win opener . . . MacBeth Report overflowing

So happy my Family and friends could join me today at #OrderOfCanada ceremonies. One never receive this award alone. pic.twitter.com/nsGPPUedBz

— Sheldon Kennedy (@ShelKenn) May 8, 2015

D Micki DuPont (Kamloops, 1996-2000) signed a one-year contract with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL). This season, he had two goals and 21 assists in 48 games with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A). DuPont earlier played three seasons (2003-06) with Eisbären Berlin. . . .
F Spencer Machacek (Vancouver, 2005-08) signed a one-year contract with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL). This season, with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL), he had 35 points, including eight goals, in 43 games. . . .
F Radim Valchar (Portland, Lethbridge, 2007-10) signed a one-year contract with Hokki Kajaani (Finland, Mestis). This season, with Gap (France, Ligue Magnus), he had five goals and 13 assists in 26 games. . . .
F Masi Marjamäki (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2002-05) signed a one-year contract with Ässät Port (Finland, Liiga). This season, he had four goals and two assists with Tappara Tampere (Finland, Liiga). He also had three goals and three assists in eight games on loan to LeKi Lempäälä (Finland, Mestis). . . .
D Brendan Mikkelson (Portland, Vancouver, 2003-07) signed a two-year contract with Luleå (Sweden, SHL). This season, with the Toronto Marlies (AHL), he had 23 points, including nine goals, in 60 games. He was an alternate captain with the Marlies. . . .
F Justin Taylor (Medicine Hat, Red Deer, 1999-2001, 2003-04) signed a one-year contract with Peiting (Germany, Oberliga). This season, with Mörrum (Sweden, Division 1), he had six goals and five assists in 18 games. . . .
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) signed one-year contract with the Linz Black Wings (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL), he had 36 points, including 17 goals, in 51 games. . . .
D Derek Meech (Red Deer, 1999-2004) signed a two-year contract with Malmö (Sweden, SHL). This season, with the Texas Stars (AHL), he had 35 points, 10 of them goals, in 63 games. Malmö won promotion to SHL from Allsvenskan this season. . . .
D Jesse Dudas (Lethbridge, Prince George, Swift Current, Regina, 2003-09) signed a three-week tryout contract with TPS Turku (Finland, Liiga). This season, with Jegesmedve Miskolc (Hungary, MOL Liga), he had 43 points, 11 of them goals, in 34 games. Teams in Finland often practise until the end of May. . . .
G Jeff Glass (Kootenay, 2002-05) signed a one-year contract with Dynamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). This season, with Lada Togliatti (Russia, KHL), he had a 3.46 GAA and a .885 save percentage in 14 games. . . .
F John Lammers (Lethbridge, Everett, 2001-06) signed a one-year contract with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had 36 points, including 13 goals, in 54 games. . . .
F Jordan Draper (Red Deer, 2007-08) signed a one-year contract with Courbevoie (France, Division 1). This season, with Mont-Blanc (France Division 1), he had 34 points, including 20 goals, in 22 games. He led his team in goals and points, and was fifth in the league’s scoring race. . . .
F Jan Dalecký (Swift Current, 2007-09) signed a one-year extension with Kladno (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). This season, he had five goals and three assists in 34 games.
———

pic.twitter.com/yEL9VehCEh

— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) May 8, 2015

FRIDAY’S GAME:

In Brandon, F Leon Draisaitl broke a 3-3 tie at 18:50 of the second period as the Kelowna Rockets opened the WHL’s championship final with a 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Brandon. . . . F Rihards Bukarts got Brandon on the board during the game’s first PP, scoring his third goal at 4:58 of the first period. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s next three goals in just 3:38. . . . F Tyson Baillie got his 10th goal at 17:41 of the first period, via the PP. . . . F Justin Kirkland scored his third goal 52 seconds into the second to give the visitors their first lead. . . . F Chance Braid, with his fourth goal, gave the Rockets a two-goal lead at 1:19. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it, getting goals 1:57 apart, from F Peter Quenneville, his eighth, on the PP, at 15:58, and Bukarts, at 17:55. . . . Draisaitl scored the goal that would stand up as the winner just 55 seconds later. . . . The difference in the game? The Rockets scored two goals in the first 1:19 of the second and another almost in the last minute of that period. So much for Brandon maintaining momentum, especially after tying the game 3-3. . . . Kelowna D Josh Morrissey had two assists, with Kirkland and Baillie each adding an assist to their goals. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 24 shots, 12 fewer than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny. . . . Brandon was 2-for-3 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-for-4. . . . The referees were Chris Crich and Brett Iverson. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier (ankle) had a question mark beside his name on the lineup sheet. He took the warmup and was in the lineup, picking up one assist. He started on a line with Rodney Southam and Riley Stadel. . . . While F Tanner Kaspick was back in Brandon’s lineup, D Kale Clague and F Reid Duke were among the scratches. . . . The Wheat Kings also had F Ty Lewis in the lineup for the first time in these playoffs. Lewis, who is from Brandon, was a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . F Caiden Daley, selected by the Wheat Kings with the 21st overall pick in Thursday’s bantam draft, was in the house. He played this season with the bantam AAA Winnipeg Warriors. . . . Shaw-TV is showing the entire series. . . . The attendance was a season-high 5,502. . . . Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings on CKLQ, has a game story right here. . . . Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier filed this story right here.
———


The host Oshawa Generals opened the OHL final last night with a 4-1 victory over the Erie Otters before 6,068 fans. . . . Erie F Connor McDavid had one assist, the fourth time in 16 playoff games that he was held to one point. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Oshawa. . . .
In the QMJHL, the visiting Quebec Remparts beat the Rimouski Oceanic 4-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the championship series. . . . Quebec G Zach Fucale stopped 40 shots. . . . Attendance was 5,062. . . . They are scheduled to play Sunday and Wednesday in Quebec City.
——
In the AHL, the Utica Comets and Oklahoma City Barons, who went into the fourth OT period on Thursday night, were back at it last night. The Barons won the series opener 2-1. Last night, it was the Comets winning 2-1, this time at 3:32 of the first extra period. . . . The online scoresheet is right here.
——
The BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs issued a rather interesting news release this week, as they announced “the addition of eight players for the 2015-16 season. All eight were members of the split-season Connecticut Wolf Pack team that captured the 2015 USA Hockey Tier 1 U18 National Championship in Amherst, N.Y., in April. . . . All told, the Chiefs added a goaltender, a defence man and six forwards from the Wolf Pack. . . . Six of the players are Americans; the other two are from Quebec. . . . There’s more right here.
——
If you missed it, ESPN announced Thursday that it won’t renew Bill Simmons’ contract. Jeb Lund greeted that news with ‘A Begrudging Appreciation’ for Rolling Stone. It’s a good read and it’s right here.
——
Florence and Kaye Kaminishi of Kamloops celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Friday. You may not know them or know of them, but there is a truly amazing story there. . . . Kaminishi was a promising young baseball player in Vancouver when Japan bombed Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7, 1941. It wasn’t long before Kaminish and his mother were in an internment camp near Lillooet, B.C., their lumberyard gone, seized by the government. . . . Kaminishi survived all of that and is a man of uncommon grace. For more on his story, click right here.
———

#NHLJets announce Andrew Ladd had 'successful surgery' on a sports hernia today in St. L. Expected to be ready for camp in Sept. #bn

— Ed Tait (@WFPEdTait) May 8, 2015

Wonder if a pro sports team ever announced a player underwent 'unsuccessful surgery'? 'Sorry to report the doc really messed up...'

— Ed Tait (@WFPEdTait) May 8, 2015

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.

Silvertips move to top of standings

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Derek Meech (Red Deer, 1999-2004) has been released by Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). He had five assists in 23 games. There are reports that Meech has circulatory problems that may threaten his career.
———
Shelley and Chris Moulton have been honoured as Volunteers of the Year at the 2013 Community and Business Excellence Awards in Fernie, B.C. Chris is the Spokane Chiefs' director of player personnel. . . . According to a news release from the Chiefs: "The Moultons founded and operated a new charity, Fernie Friends for Friends, dedicated to raising funds for cancer patients and their families living in Fernie. . . . More info is available at www.ferniefriendsforfriends.com. . . . And if you click right here you will find a Fernie Free Press story on the Moultons and their decision to found Friends for Friends.
———
David Branch, the OHL commissioner, has suspended F Matt Rupert of the London Knights for 15 games for a headshot. . . . Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports has more right here, including the video of the hit.
———
During his professional career as an enforcer, Jim Thomson had 115 fights. He's retired now, though, and explains right here why he thinks there isn't any place in the game for fighting.
———
FRIDAY:
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings held a 50-19 edge in shots as they beat the Saskatoon Blades, 6-2. . . . Brandon, which won 5-2 in Saskatoon on Wednesday, has won three in a row for the first time this season. . . . The Blades have lost four straight. . . . F Tim McGauley, a first-round selection by the Blades in the 2010 bantam draft, had two goals for Brandon. He has eight points, including three goals, in his last four games. . . . F Richard Nejezchleb had two assists for Brandon, giving him season totals of 17 goals and five helpers. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny started his seventh straight game with G Curtis Honey sidelined with an undisclosed injury. . . . Prior to the game, a moment of silence was observed in memory of Keith McCallum, who once owned a piece of the Wheat Kings and was the brother of the late Dunc McCallum, a former Brandon coach. Keith died a week ago. . . .

In Prince Albert, F Chance Braid opened the scoring with his first goal of the season and the Raiders skated to a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Braid had nine goals in 67 games last season; this was his first score in 23 games this season. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels scored twice in the game's first 10 minutes and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . D Haydn Fleury scored his fourth goal, via the PP, at 4:30 and F Dominik Volek got his seventh, shorthanded, at 9:45 to get the Rebels rolling. . . . Red Deer has won three straight. . . . Moose Jaw has lost four in a row. . . .

In Calgary, Russian F Radel Fazleev scored the only goal of the shootout as the Hitmen got past the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . The Broncos had won their previous nine games. . . . Fazleev, a freshman, has two goals in 21 games. . . . F Jay Merkley gave the Broncos a 2-1 lead with his ninth goal, on the PP, at 4:47 of the second. . . . D Kenton Helgesen forced OT with his third goal at 19:06 of the third. . . . F Jake Virtanen, with an undisclosed injury, was among Calgary's scratches. . . .

In Victoria, F Logan Nelson scored 52 seconds into OT to give the Royals a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Nelson has 10 goals this season. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee forced OT with his sixth goal at 12:59 of the second. That was his fifth goal in three games. . . . The Thunderbirds now have lost six in a row. . . . Seattle had D Evan Wardley back after he served a four-game WHL suspension. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips scored the game's first three goals and then held on for a 3-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . In the last three seasons, Portland won 26 of 30 games with Everett. . . . F Tyler Sandhu scored twice, at 8:57 of the first and 1:19 of the second, to give the home side a 3-0 lead. He's got five goals in his last two games. . . . The Winterhawks, outshot 32-13 through two periods, scored two third-period goals as they outshot Everett , 15-4. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist had one assist, running his point streak to 11 games. . . . F Nic Petan had two assists for Portland, giving him 201 points in 158 regular-season games. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz, who hadn't played since suffering an ankle injury on Oct. 26, stopped 26 shots. . . . The Silvertips (15-3-4) are tied with Portland (16-5-2) atop the overall standings. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans scored the game's first four goals and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . F Brian Williams scored twice for the Americans, giving him 18. . . . F Marcus Messier of the Americans scored the game's first goal, a shorthanded effort in the first period. It was the first SHG allowed by the Pats this season. . . . G Nick Schneider started for the Pats. It was his first WHL appearance. . . .

In Spokane, F Mitch Holmberg, the WHL's leading scorer, had two goals and two assists as the Chiefs dumped the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . Holmberg leads the WHL in goals (25) and points (55). He's the first skater in the entire CHL to get to 25 goals this season. He leads the WHL points derby by 10 points over Portland F Nic Petan. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow had three assists as he was in on each of the game's last three goals. Gow, who has yet to score this season, has 28 assists in 22 games. . . . The Chiefs scored the game's last four goals after F Todd Fiddler, who scored 42 goals for Spokane last season, gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead at 13:38 of the second period. . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants scored the game's first three goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . F Dalton Sward gave the Giants a 3-0 lead at 12:31 of the first period. . . . Vancouver D Dalton Thrower returned after missing two games after taking a headshot in a Nov. 5 game. 

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.

Strat-O-Matic and fishing bears . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Derek Meech (Red Deer, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). He had one assist in 16 games with the Winnipeg Jets (NHL) and three goals and 20 assists in 46 games with the St. John's IceCaps (AHL) last season.
———

Who would have thought that head coach Rex Ryan of the NFL’s New York Jets would be a huge fan of Strat-O-Matic baseball? Well, he is.
Ben Shpigel of The New York Times has more right here.
If you’re a baseball fan and haven’t played Strat-O-Matic, you’re cheating yourself. There’s a reason why Les Lazaruk, the veteran radio voice of the Saskatoon Blades, still calls me Dinger! . . . Bill O’Donovan, the news anchor at CFJC-TV in Kamloops, was a player, too. . . . Somewhere around here I’ve got the scoresheet from a game the Dingers won to give them a championship. Maybe I’ll dig it up and write a game story!
———

D Nick Heid, whose WHL rights belong to the Portland Winterhawks, has chosen to spend 2013-14 with the OMAHA U16 AAA team. Heid tweeted his decision on Sunday. Heid played last season for Spring Lake High School in Minnesota.
———

There are a lot of neat things on the Internet, and this link right here will take you to one that has to be in the top 10, if not the top 5. This is awesome. It’s a remote camera on a river in Alaska. The fish are running. The bears are fishing. Enjoy!
———






From Regan Bartel (@Reganrant), the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets: “Just saw @blazer hockey bus roll through West #Kelowna. I was so tempted. #no eggs in car #bitter rivalry”
———
From Carly Rae Jepsen (@carlyraejepsen): “So apparently I made ESPN with my fail of a pitch. Lol- Daddy must be so proud.”
If you haven’t seen her throw out the first pitch at Tampa Bay on Sunday, check it out right here.


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.