Showing posts with label Dillon Dube. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dillon Dube. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

WHL in eye of LGBT storm? ... Butcher, Polei get 2017-18 AHL deals ... DraftGeek guide available, too


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 F Ben Maxwell (Kootenay, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL). This season, he had eight goals and seven assists in 48 games with Sochi (Russia, KHL). He was an alternate captain. . . .
D Rory Rawlyk (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 2000-03) has signed a one-year contract with Memmingen (Germany, Oberliga). This season, he had three goals and 12 assists in 21 games with Brașov (Romania, MOL Liga), one goal and one assist in 14 games with the Florida Everblades (ECHL), and four goals and five assists in 25 games with the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL). . . .
D Jonathan Harty (Everett, 2004-08) has signed a one-year contract with Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga). This season, with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga), he had five goals and eight assists in 23 games. He also had two goals and 15 assists in 26 games with the Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2).
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 F Jaret Anderson-Dolan of the Spokane Chiefs will be a first-round selection in next month’s NHL draft. He made sure of that by putting up 76 points, including 39 goals, this season as a 17-year-old sophomore.
But it is his commitment to excellence that makes him really special, that and the fact that he has two
JARET ANDERSON-DOLAN
mothers. Josh Horton of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has written a terrific story about Anderson-Dolan and it’s all right here, including this:
“Jaret hears other players talk smack to him on the ice about his two moms, although it happens less in the WHL because he’s a respected player within the league.
“But that’s far from the worst prejudice and discrimination he’s experienced.
“When Anderson-Dolan was going through the WHL bantam draft process, some teams told him and his family they would not take him because of his two mothers.
“Anderson-Dolan, with the talent to be picked in the top five of the (2014) draft, slipped all the way to No. 14 to Spokane.”
As Anderson-Dolan told Horton: “I can’t change people’s opinions. If that’s how they feel about it, I’d honestly rather not be in that organization if they’re going to be like that. I’d rather be in an organization with the Chiefs where they support it completely.
“Maybe that ended up with me falling in the draft a little bit, but I don’t really care, honestly.”
Really, WHL? In 2014, three short years ago, there were teams that took the low road on this? There were teams who chose not to draft a highly talented player because he grew up in a household with two moms? Really?
The WHL has to be better than this. Perhaps this will make its way on to the agenda for its annual meeting in June. In the meantime, I’m thinking that we haven’t heard the end of this, at least not on social media. There were indications on Twitter last night that a storm is brewing.
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It turns out there is another bantam draft guide available, this one put together by DraftGeek, which is hooked up with the gang at DUBNetwork. . . . While Western Elite Hockey Prospects, which was mentioned in this space yesterday, has D Kaiden Guhle ranked No. 1, the crew at DraftGeek is going with F Connor McClennon of the Pursuit of Excellence. . . . DraftGeek’s guide, which may be purchased right here, features its top 180 skaters and 25 goaltenders, who are eligible for Thursday’s bantam draft. . . . There also are thumbnails of each of the top 180, a mock first round, a list of the top 10 U.S.-born prospects, and DraftGeek’s top 22 2003-born prospects.
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The Bakersfield Condors have signed F Chad Butcher and F Evan Polei to AHL contracts for 2017-18. Butcher played out his junior eligibility with the Medicine Hat Tigers, while Polei did the same with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Butcher, from Kamloops, put up 103 points, including 76 assists, in 68 games this season. In four seasons, he had 259 points, 82 of them goals, in 301 games. . . . Polei, from Wetaskiwin, Alta., had 33 goals and 29 assists in 69 games this season. In 242 career games, he had 131 points, including 72 goals. He actually finished this season with the Condors, getting into one game and recording one minor penalty. . . . The Condors are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
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Two players off the Kelowna Rockets’ roster are off to the AHL. . . . F Dillon Dube has joined the Stockton Heat, a team whose head coach is Ryan Huska, a former Rockets’ assistant coach and head coach. Dube was a second-round selection by the Calgary Flames, the Heat’s parent club, in the 2016 NHL draft. This season, he had 55 points, 20 of them goals, in 40 games. He missed the start of the WHL season with a knee injury incurred at the Flames’ training camp. . . . Dube’s stay was a short one as the Heat’s season ended last night when it fell 2-1 in OT, on a shorthanded goal, to the San Jose Barracuda. San Jose won the best-of-five series, 3-2. . . . D Lucas Johansen will finish the season with the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. He was the 28th overall selection in the NHL’s 2016 draft. This season, he had 41 points, including 35 assists, in 68 games. . . . Dube and Johansen both have signed three-year entry-level NHL contracts.
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The OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads are scheduled to open the OHL’s championship series on Thursday in Erie, Pa., against the Otters.
On Tuesday, Rogers TV shut down channels in Brampton, Mississauga, Richmond Hill and Toronto.
This apparently won’t impact the televising of the OHL’s final series — it’s called the Rogers OHL Championship Series — but there are expected to be changes before another regular-season arrives.
In Western Canada, Shaw TV announced last week that it was shutting down three stations — in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. That means that the WHL on Shaw, which is in its 13th season, will end its run with the conclusion of this season’s championship series.
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D Ben Verrall, who played one game with the Prince Albert Raiders in 2013-14, will attend York U in Toronto and play for the Lions. Verrall, from Saskatoon, played the past three seasons with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. He will turn 21 on Aug. 10. . . . In three BCHL seasons, he had eight goals and 21 assists in 132 games.
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Coaching

 The BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs have signed Matt Hughes to a two-year contract, with an option for a third season, as general manager and head coach. Hughes had been the head coach of the U-18 Midget Prep team at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna. . . . Hughes also has coaching experience in the AJHL and NAHL, as well as in the BCHL with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. . . . Hughes takes over from Kevin Willison, who was fired after this season. He had been with the Bulldogs for six seasons. . . . Alberni Valley finished 16-32-7-3 this season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012. . . . Evan Hammond, the radio voice of the Bulldogs, has a news release right here.
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MONDAY-THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

Seattle at Regina, 7 p.m. (Game 1)


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:17 PM
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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Rebels shock Hurricanes . . . Warriors, Royals even series . . . Barzal sighting, but not on ice

Scattershoot

 The defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings were without F Nolan Patrick for a second straight game against the host Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday. The Wheat Kings, 7-2 losers in the opener, also added a pair of 15-year-olds — D Braden Schneider and F Ben McCartney — while taking out F Baron Thompson and F Cole Reinhardt. Schneider was the 11th overall selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, while McCartney was taken in the second round.
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The Tigers, meanwhile, added veteran D Ty Schultz, while scratching D Brad Forrest. Schultz hadn’t played since Jan. 13 when he suffered a broken leg while blocking a shot.
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The Red Deer Rebels and the Hurricanes got their series started last night in Lethbridge. The Hurricanes had F Matt Alfaro and F Zak Zborosky back after both had played just one game since March 4. Both were acquired from the Kootenay Ice near the trade deadline in the hopes they could provide some offence.
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The Tri-City Americans added F Vladislav Lukin to their scratches prior to Game 2 against the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday. He joined F Nolan Yaremko and F Michael Rasmussen. With Rasmussen’s season likely over thanks to a broken scaphoid, losing Lukin is a blow. Lukin finished the regular season with 58 points, including 26 goals, in 63 games. He missed some time late in the regular season, too.
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The Thunderbirds, 4-2 winners in Game 1, scratched F Mathew Barzal and G Rylan Toth for a second straight playoff game. Barzal (mumps) last played on March 7, while Toth (undisclosed injury) last saw action on March 11. Barzal, the Western Conference’s outstanding player, put up 79 points, 69 of them assists, in 41 games. Toth led all goaltenders with 36 regular-season victories. He made 58 appearances. . . . Barzal was seen exiting the dressing room after last night’s game. As Tim Pigulski of 710 ESPN Seattle tweeted: “That is the first we’ve seen of Barzal since he left the blue line during the anthem two weeks ago. No longer in isolation.”
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After losing Game 1, 4-0, to the Rockets in Kelowna, the Kamloops Blazers inserted D Devan Harrison and F Brodi Stuart, while taking out D Dan Gatenby and F Jackson Shepard.
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The Regina Pats, who beat the visiting Calgary Hitmen, 5-2, in Friday’s opener, got F Nick Henry back from a one-game WHL suspension. Henry was one of the Pats’ five 80-point men, finishing his first regular season with 81 points, including 35 goals. . . . In order to get Henry in, the Pats took out F Kjell Kjemhus, a 15-year-old from Grande Prairie, Alta., who was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft.
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In Everett, the Victoria Royals, 4-2 losers to the Silvertips on Friday, scratched D Scott Walford and F Blake Bargar, adding D Mitchell Prowse and D Jeremy Masella.
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It’s a big hockey day in Prince George today (Sunday). The Cougars are at home to the Portland Winterhawks for Game 2 of their series at 5 p.m. Earlier in the day, at 9:45 a.m., the Cariboo Cougars and Greater Vancouver Canadians will decide the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League championship. The Canadians won Game 1, 3-2, in double OT on Friday, with the Cougars. behind 19 saves from G Marcus Allen, tying the best-of-three final with a 2-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.
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When the Winterhawks and Cougars met Friday, it was a Mega Jackpot for the 50/50 draw and Jenny Plouffe, who is from Prince George, went home with more than $42,000. Proceeds from the draw went to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Prince George.
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F Ty Ronning of the Vancouver Giants is with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers, on an ATO. He picked up is first professional point on Friday, in a 3-1 loss to the visiting Providence Bruins, then got his first goal Saturday in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all series best-of-seven):


At Lethbridge, the Red Deer Rebels erased a 2-0 deficit en route to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . .
MICHAEL SPACEK
This was Game 1, with Game 2 scheduled for today, 6 p.m., in Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes finished second in the Central Division, 14 victories and 22 points ahead of the Rebels. . . . The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead when F Tyler Wong struck at 13:51 of the first period. . . . F Ryan Vandervlis made it 2-0 at 3:14 of the second period. . . . F Michael Spacek got Red Deer on the scoreboard at 18:42, the late-period goal maybe the most important of the game. . . . F Cameron Hausinger tied the score at 1:55 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Hagel snapped the tie, on a PP, at 18:03. . . . F Lane Zablocki added an empty-netter, on a PP, at 19:56. . . . The Rebels to two assists from F Evan Polei and one from Spacek. . . . Red Deer G Riley Lamb stopped 25 shots. . . . Lethbridge got 29 saves from G Stuart Skinner. . . . Red Deer was 2-5 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-6. . . . Announced attendance: 4,118.
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At Moose Jaw, F Brayden Burke broke a 2-2 tie at 15:49 of the third period as the Warriors beat the Swift
LUKA BURZAN
Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . The series is tied 1-1. . . . The Broncos had won Game 1, 2-0, on Friday night. . . . They’ll play Games 3 and 4 in Swift Current on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . F MacKenzie Wight had given the visitors a 1-0 lead at 8:36 of the first period. . . . The Warriors tied it on F Branden Klatt’s goal at 13:52 of the second period. . . . Broncos F Tyler Steenbergen scored his second goal of the series at 16:53 for a 2-1 lead. . . . The Warriors pulled even at 5:07 of the third period as F Thomas Foster scored on a wrap-around. . . . The Warriors got two assists from F Luka Burzan. He had the primary assist on Moose Jaw’s first and last goals. . . . G Zach Sawchenko earned the victory with 34 saves. . . . G Jordan Papirny stopped 31 shots for the Broncos. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 3,610.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers built a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 5-3 lead over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . .
ZACH FISCHER
. The Tigers won Game 1, 7-2, on Friday. . . . The scene now shifts to Dauphin, Man., for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. With the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair having taken over Brandon’s Keystone Centre complex, the Wheat Kings will play their opening-round games in Dauphin. . . . F Zach Fischer gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with 11.1 seconds left in the first period. . . . F Max Gerlach made it 2-0 at 12:22 of the second period. . . . Fischer increased that to 3-0 with his third goal in two games, at 4:27 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings got on the scoreboard when F Connor Gutenberg scored at 7:45. . . . Medicine Hat got that one back just nine seconds later as F John Dahlstrom scored. . . . The Wheat Kings cut the deficit to one on goals from F Reid Duke, at 11:08, and F Tyler Coulter, at 18:09. . . . Dahlstrom iced it with an empty-netter at 19:44. . . . F Mason Shaw had two assists for the Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings got two assists from F Ty Lewis, with Coulter adding one. . . . Medicine Hat G Michael Bullion made 20 saves. . . . Brandon starter Logan Thompson allowed four goals on 42 shots in 53:12. He left in the third period, favouring a leg, after Tigers F Max Gerlach was pushed on top of him. Travis Child finished up, stopping the only shot he faced in 5:42. That was Child’s WHL playoff debut. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-5 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 3,791.
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At Regina, F Sam Steel scored one goal and drew four assists to lead the Pats to a 5-1 victory over the
SAM STEEL
Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Pats had posted a 5-2 victory in Game 1 on Friday. . . . They’ll resume the series in Calgary with games scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. . . . Last night, Steel, who won the WHL’s regular-season scoring title, drew the primary assist on each of Regina’s first four goals. . . . F Dawson Leedahl gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 11:44 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on F Andrew Fyten’s goal at 2:16 of the second period. . . . F Adam Brooks scored his third goal in two games, this one via a 5-on-3 PP, to put the Pats back out front, at 4:17. . . . Leedahl scored again, at 9:38, and F Nick Henry counted at 7:26 of the third period. Henry had sat out Game 1 with a WHL suspension. . . . Steel got the empty-netter at 17:00. . . . Leedahl also had an assist, for a three-point night, while D Connor Hobbs had two assists. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown stopped 26 shots, eight fewer than Calgary’s Cody Porter. . . . Regina was 1-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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DILLON DUBE
At Kelowna, F Dillon Dube scored two third-period goals for the Rockets as they skated to a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Rockets blanked the Blazers, 4-0, in Game 1 on Friday. . . . The series resumes with games in Kamloops on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Dube, who signed an NHL contract on Friday, scored shorthanded at 11:55 for a 2-0 lead, then made it 3-0, on a PP, at 13:24. . . . D Cal Foote, who also had an assist, had given Kelowna a 1-0 edge at 2:53 of the first period. . . . F Quinn Benjafield scored the Blazers’ first goal of the series at 13:59, and D Ondrej Vala added a PP goal at 16:30 to make for an interesting finish. . . . The Rockets got 33 saves from G Michael Herringer, while Connor Ingram of Kamloops stopped 34. . . . The Blazers had 15 shots in all of Game 1. In Game 2, they held a 16-13 edge after one period. . . . Announced attendance: 5,647.
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At Everett, F Vladimir Bobylev broke a tie at 15:01 of the third period to give the Victoria Royals a 4-3
TYLER SOY
victory over the Silvertips. . . . Bobylev scored from behind the Everett net, banking the winning goal off G Carter Hart. . . . The Silvertips won, 4-2, on Friday. . . . The teams will resume hostilities in Victoria with games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Last night, Everett took a 1-0 lead on a PP goal from F Matt Fonteyne at 7:53 of the first period. . . . Victoria F Matt Phillips tied it, on a PP, at 12:45. . . . Everett went back out front 49 seconds into the second period as F Patrick Bajkov scored his second goal of the series, on a PP. . . . F Tyler Soy shot the Royals out front with two goals, the first one at 1:40, the second, on a PP, at 7:30. . . . F Brandson Hein pulled Everett even at 7:49 of the third period. . . . F Jack Walker and D Chaz Reddekopp each had two assists for the Royals. . . . Everett got two assists from F Dominic Zwerger and one from Bajkov. . . . Walker set franchise records for career playoff assists (18) and points (31). He had tied F Brandon Magee for both marks on Friday. . . . Soy set a franchise career record for playoff goals (14) with his second goal. The first one tied Walker and Magee. . . . G Griffen Outhouse earned the victory with 18 saves. . . . Hart finished up with 26 saves. . . . Each team was 2-3 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance: 4,196.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Tri-City
SCOTT EANSOR
Americans, 5-2. . . . The Thunderbirds had posted a 4-2 victory on Friday. . . . The series will resume with games in Kennewick, Wash., on Wednesday and Friday. . . . Last night, Seattle took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Nolan Volcan, on a PP, at 8:55, and F Scott Eansor, at 17:14. . . . Eansor scored his first goal since Dec. 31 after missing most of the second half with injuries. . . . The Americans pulled even on goals from F Parker AuCoin, at 16:21 of the second period, and F Max James, on a PP, at 6:52 of the third. . . . Seattle F Matthew Wedman snapped the 2-2 tie at 15:03 of the third period. . . . F Donovan Neuls added insurance, on a PP, at 15:29, and D Aaron Hyman scored another PP goal at 19:42. . . . Seattle got two assists each from D Austin Strand and D Jarret Tyszka, with Hyman adding one. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski, making his second straight start in the absence of the injured Rylan Toth, stopped 28 shots. . . . The Americans got 36 stops from G rylan Parenteau. . . . Seattle was 3-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 1-5. . . . Announced attendance: 4,502.
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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Red Deer leads, 1-0)
Portland at Prince George, 5 p.m. (Portland leads, 1-0)
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MONDAY GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:37 PM
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Friday, March 24, 2017

Stankowski steals show in Kent ... Papirny, Herringer perfect in goal ... Brooks sparks Pats

Scattershoot

 The first goal of the WHL playoffs was scored by D Clayton Kirichenko of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Kirichenko scored at 6:46 of the first period in their game against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. A 20-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., Kirichenko, the Tigers’ captain, has played in 239 regular-season games. This was his first playoff game — it was one to remember as he finished with two goals and an assist. . . . He split the first 130 of those regular-season games between the Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants.
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When the series between the Calgary Hitmen and the Pats got started in Regina, there were two new pennants hanging from the Brandt Centre rafters. Prior to the game, the Pats were presented with the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s regular-season champs. They then raised the East Division and Regular Season championship banners. Presumably, the Eastern Conference championship banner was saved for prior to next season’s home-opener. . . . In Everett, the Silvertips raised their two new banners as U.S. Division and Western Conference champions. . . . These teams wouldn’t lower these banners and do it all over again on opening night next season, would they?
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Raising banners prior to the start of a playoff home-opener may not be a bad idea. It allows all the players to take part, something that wouldn’t be possible prior to the following season, what with graduating 20-year-olds and others who don’t return for one reason or another.
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Of course, F Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins should have drawn a suspension for the slash he put on the hands of Ottawa Senators D Marc Methot on Thursday night. Of course, Crosby wasn’t suspended. Having a superstar do something like that is a hockey disciplinarian’s worst nightmare, because they would rather suspend slugs than aces.
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If you haven’t noticed, Crosby has become quite the nifty swordsman with his hockey stick.
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F Nolan Patrick, who remains the consensus No. 1 selection for the 2017 NHL draft, sat out the Brandon Wheat Kings’ opening playoff game last night in Medicine Hat. After having sports hernia surgery in July, he played only 33 games during the regular season. I don’t know that being scratched last night was related to his previous problems, but sporting teams are starting to realize that recovery time from that kind of surgery is much longer than previously thought.
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The other notable scratches on the opening night of the WHL playoff were F Mathew Barzal and G Rylan Toth, both of the Seattle Thunderbirds. It would seem that Barzal continues to be bothered by the mumps, while Toth, who led WHL goaltenders in victories, has an undisclosed injury. Toth last played on March 11, when he left after the first period of a 6-3 victory over the host Portland Winterhawks. That was said to be a move made for precautionary reasons, but obviously things are more serious than that.
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I’m thinking USA Hockey has bitten off more than it can chew in its dispute with its national women’s team. On Friday, Dunkin’ Donuts, a major USA Hockey sponsor, said it continues to “support the current members of the U.S. team . . .” As well, the NHL and MLB players associations both issued statements of support for the women’s team, which is the defending IIHF world champion. It is scheduled to begin defence of that title in Plymouth, Mich., on March 31. . . . You’ve got to think that USA Hockey will fold its hand before then.
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Three former WHL coaches who now are head coaches in the OHL are a combined 3-0 in the playoffs. . . . Rocky Thompson’s Windsor Spitfires beat the host London Knights, the defending Memorial Cup champions, 4-3 on Friday night. . . . Earlier in the evening, Ryan McGill’s Owen Sound Attack trounced the visiting Kitchener Rangers, 9-1. . . . On Thursday, Kris Knoblauch’s Erie Otters, playing at home, beat the Sarnia Sting, 6-3. . . . Thompson, McGill and Knoblauch all played in the WHL, too.
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In the BCHL, the host Merritt Centennials beat the Penticton Vees, 2-1, in OT last night, forcing a Game 7 in their second-round series. F Tyrell Buckley won it at 10:23 of the first OT. They’ll meet again Monday, this time in Penticton. The Vees held a 52-48 edge in shots.
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 F Chad Bassen (Regina, Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2000-04) has signed a one-year extension with Iserlohn (Germany, DEL). This season, he had 10 goals and five assists in 50 games. He has dual German-Canadian citizenship. . . .
D James Bettauer (Prince Albert, Medicine Hat, 2010-12) has signed a one-year extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 10 goals and four assists in 48 games this season. Bettauer has dual German-Canadian citizenship. . . .
F Jesse Mychan (Everett, Tri-City, 2011-13) has signed a one-year contract with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He started the season with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), scoring 23 goals and adding 14 assists in 34 games. He was pointless in five games while on loan to the San Antonio Rampage (AHL). He signed with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2) on Jan. 24, and had four goals and two assists in nine games there.
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 F Dillon Dube of the Kelowna Rockets celebrated the start of the WHL playoffs by signing his first NHL contract. Dube signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Calgary Flames, who selected him in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Dube, who was born in Golden, B.C., had 20 goals and 35 assists in 40 games with the Rockets this season, this third in Kelowna. Dube missed the first seven weeks of the season after returning from the Flames’ training camp with a knee injury. . . . He also played for Team Canada at the 2017 World Junior Championship. . . . According to capfriendly.com, Dube’s NHL salary would be US$742,500, $742,500 and $892,500, with a $70,000 salary in the minors. Their are performance bonuses of $182,500, $182,500 and $32,500, with three annual signing bonuses of $92,500.
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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.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Mark Liwiski to a WHL contract. Liwiski, from Dauphin, Man., will turn 16 on Aug. 8. He was a third-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Liwiski played for the midget AAA Parkland Rangers of the Manitoba Midget Hockey League this season, putting up 54 points, including 25 goals, in 37 games. In his draft season, he played for Parkland’s bantam AAA side, totalling 91 points, 39 of them goals, in 35 games.
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Craig Mohr is returning for a fourth season as the general manager and head coach of the junior B Fernie Ghostriders of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. . . . Mohr, from Calgary, has coaching history with the junior B Golden Rockets and Beaver Valley Nitehawks, as well as the midget AAA Calgary Northstars and the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks. . . . This season, the Ghostriders went 26-18-1-2 and finished third in the Eddie Mountain Division. They lost a best-of-seven first-round series in six games to the Kimberley Dynamiters.
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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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FRIDAY GAMES (Game 1, best-of-sevens):

JORDAN PAPIRNY
At Moose Jaw, G Jordan Papirny stopped 40 shots to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 2-0 victory over the Warriors. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Moose Jaw tonight. . . . Papirny was the starting goaltender for Brandon when the Wheat Kings won last season’s Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . Papirny, 20, stopped 14 shots in each of the first and third periods in posting his second career playoff shutout. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen, a 51-goal man in the regular season, scored the game’s first goal, unassisted, at 11:18 of the second period. . . . F Glenn Gawdin provided insurance with an empty-netter at 19:48 of the third period. . . . There was one minor penalty called, that to Steenbergen for hooking, at 13:03 of the second period. . . . The Warriors got 31 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Announced attendance: 3,353.
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CLAYTON KIRICHENKO
At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored four PP goals en route to a 7-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Three of Medicine Hat’s first four goals came via the PP. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko got the Tigers started at 6:46 of the first period. . . . F Matt Bradley and F Mark Rassell followed with PP goals, at 18:57 of the first and 2:19 of the second, respectively. . . . F Stelio Mattheos scored for Brandon at 3:04, but Tigers F Zach Fischer got that one back, on a PP, at 8:55. . . . F Tyler Coulter counted for Brandon, on a PP, at 13:43, to make it 4-2. . . . Kirichenko scored again, at 14:48, with Rassell completing a hat trick with a PP goal at 12:32 and an even-strength score at 19:39. . . . The Tigers got three assists from D David Quenneville and two from Butcher. Kirichenko and Fischer had one apiece. . . . D Kale Clague had two assists for Brandon, with Mattheos getting one. . . . G Michael Bullion earned the victory with 26 saves. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 45 shots. He faced 18 shots in the first period and 19 in the third. . . . The Tigers were 4-9 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-6. . . . D Ty Schultz (broken leg) continues to rehab so was scratched by the Tigers. . . . F Nolan Patrick was among Brandon’s scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 3,583.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks had two goals and an assist in the third period to lead the Pats to a 5-2 victory
ADAM BROOKS
over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Game 2 is in Regina tonight. . . . Brooks finished with two goals and two assists. . . . The Pats won it with a four-goal third period. . . . F Jake Kryski gave the Hitmen a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 10:50 of the second period. . . . Regina scored the next three goals. . . . D Josh Mahura tied it, on a PP, at 16:28. . . . Brooks, who had the primary assist on Mahura’s goal, provided Regina with the lead at 4:25 of the third period, then upped the lead to 3-1 at 6:03. . . . Kryski got Calgary back to within a goal at 9:04. . . . Regina closed it out on goals from F Bryan Lockner, at 14:14, and F Austin Wagner, shorthanded, at 16:59. . . . F Filip Ahl had two assists for Regina. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 20 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary G Cody Porter turned aside 27 shots. . . . Regina was 1-2 on the PP; Calgary was 1-3. . . . Regina F Nick Henry served a one-game WHL suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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At Kelowna, F Carsen Twarynski scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Rockets to a 4-0
CARSEN TWARYNSKI
victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Rockets got three of their goals from players acquired at the trade deadline. Twarynski came over from the Calgary Hitmen, while F Reid Gardiner’s rights were acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. He was with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the time of the trade. . . . Twarynski opened the scoring at 17:20 of the first period. . . . F Tomas Soustal, who had missed the previous eight games with an injury, upped it to 2-0 just 28 seconds later. . . . Gardiner scored on a PP at 12:40 of the second period. . . . Twarynski added his second goal, on a PP, at 8:47 of the third period. . . . Soustal also had an assist. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer wasn’t particularly busy, stopping 15 shots to earn his third career playoff shutout. . . . The Rockets held a 15-3 edge on shots in the first period. It was 17-3 in the third. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 44 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . The Blazers scratched F Luc Smith, who was injured in Game 71 of the regular season. . . . Announced attendance: 5,512.
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At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s first four goals, two of them on the PP, and went on to a 4-2
DOMINIC ZWERGER
victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Everett. . . . D Kevin Davis gave the home guys a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:11 of the first period. . . . The Silvertips took a 4-0 lead with three goals in 4:20 late in the second period. . . . F Patrick Bajkov upped it to 2-0 at 12:04. . . . F Dominic Zwerger then scored twice, at 14:27 and 16:24, the second one coming via the PP. . . . F Jack Walker scored a PP goal for Victoria, at 19:03 of the second period. . . . Victoria F Dante Hannoun got the Royals’ other goal, on a PP, at 14:58 of the third. . . . Bajkov also had two assists, with Davis and Zwerger getting one each. . . . Walker added an assist to his goal. . . . Walker has tied the Royals’ record for career playoff goals (13), assists (16) and points (29). He shares all three with Brandon Magee (2011-15). . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 30 shots, nine more than Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse. . . . The Royals were 2-4 on the PP; the Silvertips were 2-5. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp and F Ryan Peckford both returned to Victoria’s lineup after being out with injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 3,241.
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At Kent, Wash., G Carl Stankowski stopped 33 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-2 victory
CARL STANKOWSKI
over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Stankowski was starting in place of the injury Rylan Toth. . . . Stankowski, who turned 17 on March 9, was making only his eighth WHL appearance. In the regular season, he was 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. . . . He stopped 18 of 19 shots in the third period. That included a save on a penalty shot by F Morgan Geekie at 9:39 of the third period with Seattle leading, 3-2. Moments later, he beat F Parker AuCoin on a shorthanded breakaway. . . . The Thunderbirds got two goals from F Keegan Kolesar, including the game’s first score at 5:37 of the first period. . . . F Ryan Gropp made it 2-0, on a PP, at 8:50, with Kolesar earning the primary assist. . . . Tri-City F Jordan Topping cut into the deficit at 10:10. . . . D Austin Strand restored Seattle’s two-goal lead at 4:50 of the third period. . . . F Austyn Playfair pulled the Americans to within a goal when he scored shorthanded, at 7:26. . . . Kolesar put it away with his second goal, at 17:46. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear had two assists. . . . Tri-City G Rylan Parenteau stopped 27 shots. . . . Seattle was 1-6 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-7. . . . The game was delayed for a couple of minutes in the second period after Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit’s clearing attempt struck referee Kevin Bennett in the head. He went down briefly, but didn’t miss a shift. . . . The Thunderbirds scratches also included F Mathew Barzal (mumps). . . . Announced attendance: 3,359.
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At Prince George, the Portland Winterhawks scored a pair of PP goals as they beat the Cougars, 4-2. . .
KEEGAN IVERSON
They’ll play Game 2 in Prince George on Sunday. . . . The visitors took a 1-0 lead when F Brendan De Jong scored, on a PP, at 4:34 of the first period. . . . The Cougars tied it at 17:49 when F Jared Bethune scored a PP goal. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s next two goals, with F Skyler McKenzie counting at 18:39 and F Keegan Iverson adding a PP goal at 3:06 of the second period. . . . F Jansen Harkins got the Cougars to within a goal at 2:43 of the third. . . . Portland put it away with an empty-netter from F Colton Veloso at 19:22. . . . D Caleb Jones had two assists for Portland. . . . The Cougars got two assists from F Colby McAuley. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 23 shots for Portland, while Prince George’s Ty Edmonds blocked 31. . . . Including the regular season, Kehler has posted nine straight victories. . . . Portland was 2-5 on the PP; Prince George was 1-3. . . . F Cody Glass, who missed the last five periods of Portland’s regular season, was in the lineup and drew one assist. . . . The Cougars again were without F Brad Morrison. He took the pregame warmup before being scratched. . . . Mike Johnston earned his 50th career victory as Portland’s head coach, the 18th man in WHL history to reach that milestone. Don Hay of the Kamloops Blazers is No. 1, at 106. . . . Announced attendance: 5,418.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

(All series best-of-seven)
Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Game 1)
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 1-0)
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Medicine Hat leads, 1-0)
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m. (Regina leads, 1-0)
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 1-0)
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m. (Everett leads, 1-0)
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 1-0)
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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Game 2)
Portland at Prince George, 5 p.m. (Portland leads, 1-0)

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Sunday, March 12, 2017

Nanaimo votes NO! . . . Tigers own Central pennant . . . Cougars set a record . . . Steenbergen gets 50



While the Kootenay Ice was losing 6-1 to the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday night, the franchise’s immediate future was being decided in Nanaimo.
Voters there went to the polls in a referendum through which the City asked for the OK to borrow $80 million that would go towards the construction of an events centre that would include a 5,700-seat arena.
The WHL had entered into a memorandum of understanding under which Nanaimo was to get a franchise in time for next season and a 20-year lease agreement in a new facility if Saturday’s vote was YES.
Scratch that idea.
Unofficial results show that 23,885 people voted, with 19,179, or 80.3 per cent, of those saying NO, and 4,706 saying YES.
Karl Yu of the Nanaimo News Bulletin posted a brief interview with Bill McKay, Nanaimo’s mayor, on Instagram.
“I have to say that I expected to see that based on the conversations I’ve been having with members of the community,” McKay told Yu. “I didn’t believe it was going to be this high. They have made their position very clear on this particular project at this time.”
McKay added that the city is working on five other major projects, but that this one “happened to be the one at the forefront.”  
The News Bulletin reported in a story that is right here that there were “slightly more” than 66,000 eligible voters, so turnout was about 37 per cent.
The result is expected to made official at a city council meeting on Monday.
So . . . what’s next for the WHL and the Ice?
Well, keep in mind that this wasn’t a vote against the WHL; it was a vote against borrowing $80 million
that was to go to a project that would include an arena. The WHL, then, could choose to leave the Ice where it is, be patient, see how things develop in Nanaimo, and try again.
Of course, it’s hard to see the Ice as a profitable enterprise if the status quo is maintained. Fans in Cranbrook and area know that the WHL would prefer to be somewhere else and that the present ownership, the Chynoweth family, wants out and has been trying to get out for a while now.
Taking Note was told last week that a local group has had an offer on the table for about a month, but that it was told everything was on hold pending the Nanaimo referendum.
Well, we know how that turned out, something that just might give the Cranbrook group some leverage.
If the Ice isn’t in Nanaimo and it isn’t in Cranbrook, where then?
You can forget Winnipeg, which is home to the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. You can forget Wenatchee, Wash., where the ownership of the Wild is said to be thrilled with the way things have turned out in the BCHL. You can forget Abbotsford, B.C., which has an arena without a hockey team but is in the Vancouver Giants’ footprint. You can forget Penticton, B.C., which is in the Kelowna Rockets’ footprint.
Where then?
Well, everything seems to point to Cranbrook, a city that not that long ago built an arena to house a WHL team. Sound familiar?
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Steve Ewen, who covers the Vancouver Giants for Postmedia, is working to kick cancer’s butt for a second time. As a result, he has his blog — Crush the Tumour with Humour — up and running. In this latest entry, he writes about everything that sucks, although he does admit “I married well.” . . . Give him a read right here.
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The ECHL’s Missouri Mavericks aren’t going anywhere; they’re just changing their name. Starting on June 1, they will be the Kansas City Mavericks. The change was name official during the Mavericks’ awards celebrations on Saturday. The Mavericks, who are completing their eighth season, play out of Independence, a city that is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
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If the WHL playoffs began today . . . 
Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Calgary
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
—
Western Conference
Seattle vs. Portland
Prince George vs. Victoria
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Everett vs. Tri-City
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, the Wheat Kings erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with five straight goals en route to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . One night earlier, the Raiders had beaten the visiting Wheat
KALE CLAGUE
Kings, 3-1. . . . Last night, the visitors got early goals from F Parker Kelly (19), at 2:39, and F Cole Fonstad (11), on a PP, at 10:03 of the first period. . . . Brandon tied it on PP goals from F Stelio Mattheos, his 26th, at 13:10 of the first and F Reid Duke, his 36th, at 9:32 of the second period. . . . F Connor Gutenberg’s 12th goal gave the Wheat Kings the lead at 10:06 and F nolan Patrick made it 4-2 at 14:33. . . . D James Shearer (8) added insurance at 3:41 of the third period. . . . F Kolten Olynek got the Raiders’ last goal, at 14:01. . . . Brandon got two assists from D Kale Clague and one each from Patrick, Mattheos and Duke. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 26 shots for the victory. . . . The Raiders got 37 saves from G Ian Scott. . . . Brandon was 2-8 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-7. . . . F Nikita Krivokrasov, who signed earlier in the week, made his WHL debut with the Raiders. He is the son of former NHL F Sergei Krivokrasov. . . . The defending-champion Wheat Kings (30-28-10) clinched a playoff spot. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and seem likely to finish there. . . . Prince Albert is 19-43-7. . . . Announced attendance: 4,339. . . . Prior to the game, the Wheat Kings added six more players to their 50th anniversary Dream Team. Ron Chipperfield (1970-74), Brayden Schenn (2007-10) and Laurie Boschman (1976-79) were selected to the second forward line, with Ryan Pulock (2010-14) and Wade Redden (1993-96) named as the second defence pairing. Glen Hanlon (1974-77) was the first of two goaltenders to be named.
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At Edmonton, G Michael Bullion stopped 28 shots to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-0 victory over
MICHAEL BULLION
the Oil Kings. . . . The Tigers will finish atop the Central Division for the first time since the spring of 2007. . . . Medicine Hat had beaten the visiting Oil Kings, 9-3, on Friday. . . . Bullion has posted the first three shutouts of his career in his last 11 appearances. He is 15-5-0, 2.81, .904 with the Tigers, who acquired him from Portland in January. . . . The Tigers scored once shorthanded and three times on the PP. . . . F Max Gerlach got it started with his 32nd goal, on a PP, at 18:57 of the first period. . . . F James Hamblin (18) added a shorthanded goal at 1:12 of the second period, with F John Dahlstrom (29) scoring on the PP at 9:05. . . . The game’s final goal came from Hamblin, on a PP, at 3:34. . . . Dahlstrom also had an assist. . . . The Oil Kings got 45 saves from G Patrick Dea. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-5. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Brayden Gorda, who drew a one-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct in Friday’s game. Tigers F Ryan Chyzowski, the victim on that hit, was in the lineup last night. . . . F Zach Fisher was among the Tigers’ scratches. . . . Medicine Hat (49-19-1) has won three in a row. It is second in the overall standings, five points behind Regina. . . . The Oil Kings (20-42-6) have lost 11 in a row (0-9-2). . . . Corey Graham, the voice of the Oil Kings on TSN 1260, called his 500th WHL game. . . . Announced attendance: 15,235.
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At Kamloops, F Rudolfs Balcers scored with 5.1 seconds left in the third period to give the Blazers a 4-3
DYLAN FERGUSON
victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Balcers’ 40th goal of the season finished a game in which Kamloops overcame a 3-0 deficit to win for the third time in four nights at home. . . . Balcers scored the game’s last two goals. . . . The Blazers trailed 3-1 going into the third period. . . . F Quinn Benjafield (16) got the home team to within a goal at 1:00 and Balcers tied it 27 seconds later. . . . F Deven Sideroff, back after serving a one-game WHL suspension, had the Blazers’ other goal, his 36th, at 13:58 of the second period. . . . F Calvin Spencer (15) had given Vancouver a 1-0 lead with 2.3 seconds left in the first period. . . . F Jack Flaman made it 2-0 with No. 15 at 1:17 of the second period and F Bartek Bison (7) upped it to 3-0 at 3:29. . . . Kamloops got two assists from each of Sideroff, D Ondrej Vala and F Lane Bauer. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 42 shots to earn the victory. . . . The Giants got 29 stops from G Ryan Kubic. . . . Kamloops was 0-2 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . The Blazers (41-23-6) have won three straight. They have clinched at least third place in the B.C. Division. They are eight points ahead of Victoria, which has three games left, and three in arrears of Kelowna. . . . The Giants (19-43-6) have lost eight straight (0-7-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,870.
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At Kelowna, F Dillon Dube scored his second goal of the game on a PP in OT to give the Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Dube’s 19th goal came 19 seconds into extra time. . . . F Reid
DILLON DUBE
Gardiner had given Kelowna a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 5:08 of the first period. . . . Victoria F Regan Nagy (18) tied it at 7:53. . . . F Dante Hannoun gave the Royals a 2-1 lead, at 1:48 of the second period. . . . Dube, who also had two assists, tied it at 14:51. Dube had two goals and an assist in an 8-1 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants on Friday. . . . F Rod Southam put the Rockets back out front with his 17th goal, on another PP, at 18:15. . . . Hannoun tied it with his 25th goal, on a PP, at 12:50 of the third period. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf had two assists for Kelowna, as did D Cal Foote. Gardiner added an assist to his goal as he ran his point streak to 15 games. . . . G Michael Herringer earned the victory with 24 saves, seven fewer than Victoria’s Dylan Myskiw. . . . Kelowna was 3-7 on the PP; Victoria was 1-6. . . . The Rockets (43-21-5) have won a season-high seven straight games. With three games remaining, they are two points behind B.C. Division-leading Prince George and three ahead of Kamloops. . . . The Royals (37-26-6) have lost four in a row (0-3-1), all in the last five nights on the road. They hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and can finish no higher. . . . Victoria was without head coach Dave Lowry for the second night in a row He and one player have been isolated from the rest of the team after showing symptoms of mumps. They are awaiting results of tests to determine if it is indeed mumps. . . . With Lowry gone, assistant coaches Dan Price and Doug Bodger ran the Victoria bench. One night earlier, Price and general manager Cam Hope were behind the bench for a 6-2 loss in Kamloops. . . . Announced attendance: 5,526.
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At Lethbridge, F Mark Kastelic celebrated his 18th birthday with a pair of goals to help the Calgary
MARK KASTELIC
Hitmen to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . One night earlier, the Hitmen beat the visiting Hurricanes, 4-3. . . . Calgary (27-31-10) jumped into the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point ahead of Saskatoon. The Hitmen can stretch that to three points as they play host to Edmonton this afternoon. . . . Kastelic, a second-round selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft, is from Phoenix. He had five goals and five assists in 59 games as a freshman last season. This season, he has 13 goals and 19 helpers in 63 games. . . . The teams came out of the first period tied, 2-2. . . . F Tyler Mrkonjic (6) gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 8:57, with Lethbridge D Calen Addison (7) tying it at 13:52. . . . The Hitmen went back out front on F Jakob Stukel’s 23rd goal, at 15:03, and Lethbridge tied it when F Jordy Bellerive got his 26th, at 17:07. . . . The Hitmen won it with the last three goals. . . . F Beck Malenstyn broke the tie with No. 27, at 14:08 of the second period. . . . Kastelic then scored twice, getting his 12th at 14:42 of the third period and adding an empty-netter at 17:00. . . . Stukel also had an assist. . . . Calgary G Kyle Dumba stopped 32 shots, 10 more than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . Lethbridge was 0-1 on the PP; Calgary was 0-2. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Matt Alfaro and F Zak Zborosky for a third straight game. . . . Calgary had F Matt Dorsey in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 6. . . . Lethbridge (43-19-7) is second in the Central Division but can’t catch first-place Medicine Hat. . . . Jason Monnery, Calgary’s equipment manager, worked his 500th WHL game. . . . Announced attendance: 5,178, the Hurricanes’ largest crowd this season.
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At Moose Jaw, F Adam Brooks scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Pats had blanked the visiting Warriors, 5-0, on Friday. . . . On Saturday,
ADAM BROOKS
Regina got off to a 3-0 lead. The Pats got two first-period goals, from F Braydon Buziak (10), at 14:09, and Brooks, on a PP, at 16:36. . . . F Filip Ahl got it to 3-0 with his 25th goal at 1:48 of the second period. . . . The Warriors got second-period goals from F Brayden Burke (19), at 9:13, and F Thomas Foster (21), at 10:59, and it was a one-goal game. . . . Brooks stretched the lead to two with his 39th goal, at 11:45 of the third period. . . . F Brett Howden’s 35th goal, at 14:50, pulled the Warriors back to within one. . . . Brooks, the WHL’s defending scoring champ, set a single-season career best in goals. He had 38 last season when he won the scoring title with 120 points in 62 games. This season, he has 117 points in 62 games. . . . Pats F Sam Steel, who leads the WHL scoring race, was held pointless in his 200th regular-season game. He has 123 points. . . . D Connor Hobbs had two assists for Regina. He leads all WHL defencemen in goals (28) and points (80). . . . Burke added two assists to his goal, while Foster also had an assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Jayden Halbgewachs had one assist in his 200th game. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 32 shots for Regina, while Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko turned aside 18. . . . Regina was 1-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . Moose Jaw thought it had tied the game late, but the potential goal was waved off for goaltender interference. . . . The Pats (48-12-8) have won four in a row. They lead the overall standings by five points over Medicine Hat. . . . The Warriors (41-19-8) have lost two straight. They are second in the East Division, six points ahead of Swift Current with each team having four games remaining. . . . Regina went 5-3-0 in the season series; Moose Jaw was 3-4-1. . . . Announced attendance: 4,729.
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At Portland, the Seattle Thunderbirds struck for a pair of shorthanded goals and two on the PP to beat the Winterhawks, 6-3. . . . Seattle went up 1-0 when F Matthew Wedman (5) scored at 2:38 of the second
TYLER CARPENDALE
period. . . . Portland tied it on F Skyler McKenzie’s 40th goal, at 3:25. . . . The Thunderbirds’ special teams then went to work in taking a 3-1 lead. F Nolan Volcan’s 14th goal, at 10:56, came while shorthanded, and F Ryan Gropp got No. 32, on a PP, four minutes later. . . . Portland D Shaun Dosanjh got his guys to within a goal with his second score this season, at 18:01. That was his fourth goal in 169 career games. . . . F Alexander True (23) got the second shorthanded goal, 48 seconds into the third period. . . . F Keegan Iverson (23) followed for Portland at 3:01. . . . Seattle put it away with the game’s last two goals. F Sami Moilanen got No. 21 on a penalty shot at 14:48, and D Ethan Bear scored his 28th goal, tops among WHL defencemen, on a PP, at 18:59. . . . That also ran Bear’s points streak to 15 games. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Donovan Neuls and F Keegan Kolesar, with Gropp and True each adding one. . . . D Caleb Jones had two helpers for Portland. McKenzie had one. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth was scheduled to start, but also was marked as questionable before the game. He got through the first period, stopping all 11 shots he faced, but then left as a precaution because of issues with a lower-body issue. This close to the playoffs, no one is going to fool around with something like that. . . . Toth was replaced by Matt Berlin, who turned aside 17 shots over the last two periods. . . . Shane Farkas made 30 saves for Portland. . . . Seattle was 2-6 on the PP; Portland was 1-6. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal, who left after the warmup prior to Friday’s 3-2 victory over visiting Everett, was among the scratches. Seattle continues to be without D Jarret Tyszka, F Scott Eansor and D Reece Harsch. . . . F Tyler Carpendale, who signed earlier in the day, made his WHL debut with Seattle. A sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, he turned 17 on Jan. 26. From Powell River, B.C., he had eight goals and eight assists in 34 games with the junior B Westshore Wolves of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. . . . Seattle (44-19-6) has won three in a row. It leads the Western Conference by one point over Prince George and Everett. . . . The Winterhawks (37-27-4) had a five-game winning streak end. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points behind Victoria. Portland also is fourth in the U.S. Division, a point behind Tri-City. . . . Announced attendance: 7,235.
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At Red Deer, F Lane Zablocki scored once and added three assists to lead the Rebels to a 6-1 victory
LANE ZABLOCKI
over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rebels beat the Ice, 4-1, in Cranbrook on Friday. . . . Last night, the Rebels responded to a 1-0 deficit by scoring four times before the first period came to an end. . . . F Vince Loschiavo (28) gave the visitors the lead at 4:49. . . . Zablock then drew the primary assist on three straight goals, with D Ethan Sakowich (3) scoring at 5:25, F Evan Polei (31) at 14:45, and F Brandon Hagel (25) at 17:31. The latter two goals came via the PP. . . . F Austin Pratt got No. 16 at 18:12. . . . The Rebels closed it out as Zablocki got his 26th goal, at 10:43 of the second period, and F Dawson Martin (9) scored, on a PP, at 13:22. . . . Red Deer got three assists from F Austin Glover and two from D Jared Freadrich. . . . Red Deer had planned to start G Riley Lamb, but apparently had a vision problem in the warmup, meaning Lasse Petersen got the start and made 15 saves. . . . At the other end, Payton Lee turned aside 31 shots. . . . Red Deer was 3-6 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . The Rebels (28-28-12) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They are third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Calgary. Each team has four games remaining. . . . The Ice (14-43-11) has lost six in a row (0-5-1). . . . Announced attendance: 5,072.
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At Spokane, the Prince George Cougars built a 3-0 first-period lead and went on to beat the Chiefs, 4-3. .
TANNER WISHNOWSKI
. . The Cougars (44-21-5) set a Prince George franchise record for victories in one season. Prince George had twice won 43 games, in 1997-98 and 1999-2000. The Victoria Cougars won 60 games in 1980-81. . . . F Josh Curtis (9), F Jared Bethune (22) and F Nikita Popugaev, on a PP, scored for the Cougars in the opening period. . . . After a goal-less second period, F Jared Anderson-Dolan scored for the Chiefs, on a PP, 57 seconds into the third. . . . The Cougars got that one back as D Josh Anderson (3) counted at 10:59. . . . Spokane made it interesting with two late goals, as F Kailer Yamamoto got No. 39, on a PP, at 13:39 and F Hudson Elynuik scored his 27th, at 18:47. . . . F Tanner Wishnowski, who moved from Spokane to Prince George in January, played only his third game since Nov. 19. He has an assist in each of his past two games now. . . . Yamamoto also had two assists, with Anderson-Dolan getting one. . . . The Cougars got 27 saves from G Nick McBride. . . . G Jayden Sittler turned aside 36 shots for Spokane. . . . The Cougars were 1-2 on the PP; the Chiefs were 2-6. . . . Prince George leads the B.C. Division by two points over Kelowna. . . . The Chiefs (26-32-10) have lost six straight (0-5-1). . . . Announced attendance: 8,233.
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At Swift Current, F Ryley Lindgren’s second goal, at 19:02 of the third period, gave the Broncos a 3-2
RYLEY LINDGREN
victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Broncos F Tyler Steenbergen had tied the game 2-2 at 14:11 of the first period as he became the first WHLer to reach 50 goals this season. . . . Steenbergen, who turned 19 on Jan. 7, has 86 points in 68 games, after putting up 46 points, 20 of them goals, in 67 games as a freshman last season. . . . Steenbergen is the first Swift Current skater with 50 goals since F Jeremy Williams put in 52 in 68 games in 2003-04. . . . Lindgren, who has 25 goals, gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead at 6:10 of the first period. . . . The Blades took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Mason McCarty (20), at 11:08, and F Logan Christensen (11), at 11:39. . . . D Max Lajoie drew two assists for the Broncos, with Steenbergen and Lindgren getting one each. . . . G Taz Burman stopped 35 shots for the Broncos. . . . The Blades got 27 stops from G Logan Flodell. . . . Swift Current was 0-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-6. . . . The Broncos had beaten the host Blades, 5-3, on Friday. . . . Swift Current (37-21-10) appears likely to finish third in the East Division. . . . The Blades (27-33-9) now are one point out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 2,476, the largest crowd this season in Swift Current.
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At Kennewick, Wash., G Mario Petit stopped 22 shots in helping the Everett Silvertips to a 5-1 victory
MARIO PETIT
over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Petit lost his shutout bid at 8:41 of the third period when F Tyler Sandhu scored his 21st goal. . . . Petit, who caddies for starter Carter Hart, is 11-5-3, 2.77, .899 in 21 appearances this season. . . . Everett took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Dominic Zwerger, his 26th, at 2:55, and D Lucas Skrumeda (4), at 16:14. . . . D Kevin Davis scored his seventh goal, on a PP, at 1:00 of the third period for a 3-0 lead. . . . The Silvertips closed it out with late third-period goals from F Patrick Bajkov (28) and F Sean Richards (8), both via the PP. . . . Everett got two assists from Zwerger, F Riley Sutter and D Noah Juulsen, with Davis adding one. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 34 shots for the Americans. . . . Everett was 3-6 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-3. . . . Everett D Aaron Irving missed his second game in as many nights. . . . According to the online scoresheet, Tri-City D Dakota Krebs took a high-sticking major at 19:30 of the third period. . . . Everett (41-15-11) is second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Seattle. . . . Tri-City (38-27-3) has lost four in a row. It is third in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of Portland. Each team has four games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 4,793.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Everett at Portland, 5 p.m.

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