The Vancouver Giants left for Edmonton immediately after a 4-1 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals on Friday night. The Giants and Oil Kings played this afternoon. . . . F Cain Franson and F Thomas Foster, both of whom have the dreaded upper-body injury, didn’t make the trip, but could join the Giants later in the week. They are to play in Lethbridge on Tuesday and Medicine Hat on Thursday. . . . Franson may have a concussion, after taking a headshot from Brandon D Tyler Yaworski on Wednesday. Foster was injured in the first period on Friday.
———
D Nick Walters of the Everett Silvertips drew a ‘tbd’ suspension under supplemental discipline on Saturday morning. According to the WHL website, the suspension was from a game against the Spokane Chiefs on Friday night. . . . The Chiefs reported after the game that F Mitch Holmberg, their leading scorer, left the game in the first period after taking a shot to the head. However, no penalty was assessed. Presumably, then, Walters delivered the blow and it’s now in the hands of Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey.
———
It was Thursday around 10 p.m., when Jeff Chynoweth’s phone rang. Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, answered, not knowing who it was.
It turned out to be F Drew Czerwonka, 20, a veteran who was the Ice’s captain. Czerwonka was calling to tell Chynoweth that he was retiring.
Czerwonka told Chynoweth his heart was no longer in it after all the injuries he has had to battle.
Chynoweth now has room for a 20-year-old and may well be keeping a close eye on the situation involving the Kamloops Blazers.
Kamloops is carrying three 20-year-old forwards — Jordan DePape, Brendan Ranford and Dylan Willick. As well, the Blazers could still get D Austin Madaisky back from the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. Madaisky went to camp with Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, and was kept on the roster, only to be a healthy scratch from each of their first four games.
On Friday, Madaisky was assigned to the ECHL’s Evansville Icemen. He played his first professional game on Saturday as the Icemen lost 4-1 to the host Kalamazoo Wings.
———
Former WHL G Spencer Tremblay (Moose Jaw, 2011-12) recorded his first QMJHL victory on Saturday, stopping 26 shots as the Moncton Wildcats beat the host Sherbrooke Phoenix, 4-3, in OT. Moncton has won four in a row. . . . Tremblay, 18, was released by the Warriors in September, cleared WHL waivers and moved on to the QMJHL.
———
SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Kamloops, the Blazers scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 5-2. . . . The Blazers (14-0-1) scored five times in the first period on Friday as they dumped the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 8-1. . . . Kamloops has outscored its opposition 24-5 in first periods. . . . The Blazers now are 14-0-1 and have won 12 in a row for the first time since 1989-90. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had two goals and an assist as he ran his point streak to 15 games. He has at least one point in each of his club’s games this season. . . . F Tim Bozon also had two goals and an assist, while F JC Lipon had two assists. . . . That line now has combined for 99 points in 15 games. . . . Bozon has a WHL-leading 14 goals, while Lipon leads the points race with 37 and Smith is next at 35. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . Kamloops left immediately after the game for Kent, Wash., there it will play the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . . The Blazers were without F Aspen Sterzer for a second straight game as he attends the funeral of a grandmother in Calgary. He is expected to rejoin the team in time for a Tuesday game in Everett. . . . Victoria D Tyler Stahl, the team captain, missed his third straight game with an undisclosed injury. He hasn’t played since being named team captain early in the week. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes broke a 1-1 tie with three second-period goals and beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . F Craig Leverton scored his first two goals, with the first one standing up as the winner. . . . The Hurricanes took 84 of the 152 penalty minutes dished out. . . . Lethbridge is 6-3-1 in its last 10 and 8-7-1 overall. . . .

F Mike Winther scored three times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Warriors had won the first-half of the weekend doubleheader 3-2 in Prince Albert on Friday. . . . Winther has five goals this season. . . . Raiders freshman F Leon Draisaitl celebrated his 17th birthday with three assists. . . .

F Hunter Shinkaruk scored two goals and set up two others as the host Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Regina Pats, 5-4. . . . Shinkaruk has nine goals this season. He has nine points in his last two games. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan left after two periods. He apparently took a hit at some point and was taken out as a precaution. . . . G Marek Langhamer came on with the game 2-2 and stopped eight shots to earn the victory. . . . Regina D Colton Jobke, who had played in his 200th game on Friday night when the Pats dropped a 6-1 decision in Lethbridge, scored at 19:59 of the third period. . . . Regina was without F Trent Ouellette who suffered an undisclosed injury in Friday’s 6-1 loss in Lethbridge. . . . Already without F Colton Stephenson, it means Regina is minus its top two centres right now. . . .

D Brady Gaudet scored the game’s first goal and then got the winner in the circus as the Red Deer Rebels got past the Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . Gaudet, who was acquired a week ago from the Kamloops Blazers, scored his first goal of the season at 4:20 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson, with his second goal of the game and fourth of the season, forced OT at 14:15 of the third period. . . . F Cody Sylvester got his 13th goal of the season for Calgary. . . . The shootout went seven rounds, with Gaudet the 13th shooter. F Conner Bleackley had scored for Red Deer in Round 2, and that was answered by Calgary F Brooks Macek. . . .

The host Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-3. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix scored his 100th career goal on a second-period PP. F T.J. Foster earned his 200th career point on that goal. . . . The Rockets are 1-1-1 on a four-game Central Division swing that concludes today in Calgary. . . .

F Zach Pochiro scored in the fifth round of the circus to give the host Prince George Cougars a 3-23 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings, who completed a seven-game road trip at 2-3-2, forced OT with two goals in the second half of the third period. . . . F Chad Robinson, who came over from the Red Deer Rebels in a swap earlier in the week, scored a PP goal at 13:13 and D Colton Waltz tied it with his first goal at 17:36. . . .

F Connor Honey scored twice to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips in Everett. . . . Honey, who has five goals, broke a 2-2 tie at 8:58 of the third period. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz (groin) played for the first time since Oct. 6 and stopped 16 shots. . . . The Silvertips, who had won four in a row, were without F Josh Winquist (groin) and dressed only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Seattle G Justin Myles stopped 27 shots to earn his first WHL victory. Myles now is 1-2-0. . . .

G Eric Williams stopped 35 shots as the Spokane Chiefs went into Kennewick, Wash., and edged the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 8:11 of the second period. . . . The Americans got two third-period goals, that last one from F Marcus Stromwall at 18:53. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie now is 0-5 against Spokane. . . . The Chiefs have beaten the Americans three times already this season. . . . The Chiefs were without F Mitch Holmberg, their leading scorer. He took a high hit on Friday night. . . .
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Colin Jacobs, Prince George
F Seth Swenson, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kelowna Rockets radio voice Regan Bartel (@Reganrant): “Just looking at schedule. Didn't @WHLGiants play at home (Friday) night? Play in Edmonton Sunday at 4 pm. Wow! Talk about a set up for failure.”
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TWEET OF THE DAY II:
From Edmonton Oil Kings G Laurent Brossoit (@LBrossoit): “OK fine I’ll go on a date with you @PaulinaGretzky if you’ll stop asking . . . #WhoAmIKidding”
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TWEET OF THE DAY III:
From former Tri-City Americans F Adam Hughes man (@Hughdog17): “I really thought @ShinboSlice @PattyShwayz and myself had a decent year last year! Lipon, Smith, Bozon are making it look too easy #wow”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) was released by mutual agreement by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had four goals and seven assists in 14 games this season. . . .
F Ashton Rome (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, Kamloops, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He was pointless in five games this season with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL). Last season, Rome had 11 goals and nine assists in 66 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL). . . .
F Domenic Pittis (Lethbridge, 1991-94) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). He had 12 goals and 19 assists in 49 games with the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) last season. . . .
F Martin Hanzal (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a lockout contract with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had eight goals and 26 assists in 64 games with the Phoenix Coyotes last season.
F Scott Hartnell (Prince Albert, 1997-2000) has agreed to a lockout contract with KalPa Kuopio (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 37 goals and 30 assists in 82 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. Hartnell’s contract will become effective on Nov. 15 should the NHL lockout still be in effect. Hartnell is one of the owners of KalPa and would join Nashville F Craig Smith on the team. According to the local Kuopio newspaper Savon Sanomat, the agreements with both players are consistent with all NHL locked-out players currently playing in Finland. The players are drawing no salaries; the clubs are providing only travel expenses, local accommodations, and contract insurance premiums. The paper reports that the insurance premiums for Hartnell are about €40,000 per month (US$51,800) and about €10,000 per month (US$12,950) for Smith. . . .
If people are wondering about wages in normal situations in Europe, Swedish player agent Gunnar Svensson told Edmonton Journal reporter Jim Matheson that the three best-paying hockey leagues, in order, are the NHL, the KHL, and Sweden’s Elitserien. He went on to say that top salaries in Elitserien are around $500,000 US per season and the average is about $110,000 US.
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No longer will teams be able to go into the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland and try to run the Winterhawks out of the bandbox. Paul Buker of The Oregonian has the story right here about how the Coliseum now has an NHL-sized ice surface. . . . The first game on the new surface is scheduled for Sunday with the Tri-City Americans playing the Winterhawks.
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The Everett Silvertips have trimmed two 19-year-olds players from their roster. . . . G Cole Holowenko has returned home to await a move, while F Zach McPhee has left the club. . . . According to a news release, McPhee chose to leae “to pursue opportunities outside the major junior level.” . . . Holowenko was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders, but went 0-2-1, 6.41, .808 and was passed on the depth chart by Austin Lotz and Daniel Cotton. . . . McPhee, who came over from the Tri-City Americans in 2010-11, had 10 points in 49 games with Everett. This season, he was pointless in 11 games. . . .
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Veteran F Drew Czerwonka, 20, has chosen to leave the Kootenay Ice and retire. He had been the team’s captain since the start of last season. . . . In 227 games, Czerwonka, who is from Glenavon, Sask., had 112 points, including 48 goals, and 321 penalty minutes. . . . He was in his fifth season with the Ice, but injuries limited him to 40 games last season. He had four assists in eight games this season. . . . “More or less that he had lost the fire and it's been on his mind for about the past month,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Jeff Holick, the club’s radio voice. “He gave it a lot of thought. He's a very thorough young man and . . . I respect the decision.” . . . For more, check out Holick’s blog over there on the right.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Vancouver, the Giants ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals had won the first three games of the season series. . . . The Royals are in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals, who had won three in a row, didn’t get even one shot on goal in the first period, the second time this season they have been blanked in one period. It happened in Kamloops in the second period of a 5-2 loss on Oct. 10. . . . F Marek Tvrdon had three goals and an assist for the Giants. . . . Tvrdon, a 31-goal man last season, now has four this time around but he is on a seven-game point streak. . . . F Kale Kessy, 20, played in his first game with Vancouver. He was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers while in the midst of a 12-game WHL-issued suspension. . . . G Payton Lee, 16, made his second straight start for Vancouver, this time stopping 13 shots. . . . The Giants left on a road trip right after the game and, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Lee wasn’t on the bus. He has returned to the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, leaving the Giants with Liam Liston and Tyler Fuhr as their goaltenders. . . . The Giants were without F Cain Franson, who suffered an injury in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday. He may have been hurt on a play on which Brandon D Tyler Yaworski was given a headshot major. Yaworski was hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension on Friday morning. . . . Vancouver lost F Thomas Foster with an apparent shoulder injury in the first period. . . . The Giants play in Edmonton on Sunday. . . .

The Everett Silvertips won their fourth straight game, beating the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 6-5. . . . It was Everett’s first home victory of the season. The Silvertips, who entertain the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight, are 1-3-1 at home. . . . F Kohl Bauml had two goals for Everett. . . . D Ben Betker had a goal and an assist, both WHL firsts, for the Silvertips. . . . G Daniel Cotton stopped 29 saves in winning his fourth straight game. . . . The Chiefs trailed 6-2 before scoring the game’s last three goals. . . . According to a Spokane news release, “The Chiefs suffered a further blow when leading scorer Mitch Holmberg took a hit to the head midway through the first period and had to leave the contest.” There were no headshot penalties handed out, according to the online scoresheet. . . . Holmberg has 23 points, including 11 goals, in 14 games. . . .

F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists to help the host Kamloops Blazers to an 8-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Smith ran his season-opening point streak to 14 games as the Blazers ran their record to 13-0-1. . . . F JC Lipon, the WHL’s leading point man, had three assists. . . . Kamloops has won 11 straight games. . . . F Dylan Willick and F Tim Bozon had two goals each. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen had a goal and two assists. He was playing in his 199th regular-season game and this was his first three-point outing. . . . Bozon also had an assist, giving the Blazers’ big line a 10-point night. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape scored in his return from a shoulder injury that cost him six games. . . . The Wheat Kings are 2-3-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends tonight against the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers are at home tonight to Victoria. The Royals beat the Blazers 4-3 in a shootout on Sept. 28 and that is the lone blemish on Kamloops’ record. . . .

G Brandon Glover stopped 44 shots to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Glover stopped 17 shots in the third period when his mates scored twice to break a 1-1 tie. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between the teams. Last season, the Americans lost the first game and then won nine in a row from the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Robert Lipsbergs broke a 1-1 tie with his first WHL goal at 4:12 of the third period. . . . Tri-City had won its last four games in Seattle’s home rink in Kent, Wash. . . . After eight in a row on the road, the Americans are at home to the Spokane Chiefs tonight. . . .

F Colton Sissons scored twice to lead the visiting Kelowna Rockets to a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Sissons recorded his 50th career goal and 100th career point. . . . He’s got eight goals this season. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen came off a three-game suspension to score his club’s other goal. . . . The Rockets play in Edmonton tonight. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson played his first game of the season. He missed all of the exhibition season and 15 regular-season games with a concussion. . . . The Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen tonight. . . .

F Curtis Valk scored five times and set up another as the Medicine Hat Tigers whipped the host Calgary Hitmen, 10-1. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and four assists for the Tigers. . . . Valk, who has a WHL-leading 14 goals, scored three times in the second period as Medicine Hat took a 7-0 lead. . . . The Tigers scored four PP goals in 10 chances. . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored the games last three goals and beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . F Dakota Conroy scored his eighth goal since coming to Prince Albert in a swap with the Victoria Royals. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point pulled his side even with two second-period PP goals and F Sam Fioretti got the winner at 13:11 of the third. Fioretti has 12 goals. . . . F Justin Kirsch had three assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The Raiders have lost four of their last five home games. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone completed a four-game suspension. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes reached the .500 mark with a 6-1 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. . . . The Hurricanes are 7-7-1. . . . G Ty Rimmer, who has started all 15 Lethbridge games, stopped 28 shots. . . . Lethbridge held a 55-29 edge in shots, including 44-13 after two periods. . . . The Swift Current Broncos visit Lethbridge tonight. . . . 

First, the Kootenay Ice lost its captain, then it lost a hockey game. F Drew Czerwonka, 20, announced his retirement prior to the Ice dropping a 5-2 decision to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Ice was able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the limit. They also are down to two 20-year-olds and GM Jeff Chynoweth is actively looking for a third. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first goal, with the Broncos then scoring four in a row.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Elliott Peterson, Calgary (twice)
F Henrik Nyberg, Kelowna
D Tyler Bell, Kamloops
F Alex Gogolev, Victoria
F Connor Honey, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kamloops Blazers F Jordan DePape (@papskos17): “Congrats to my ex-roommate Kurtis Mucha on becoming the first goalie in Canada West hockey history to score a goal tonight. #he’scatching me”
Mucha stopped 18 shots as the U of Alberta Golden Bears scored a 7-1 victory over the host Lethbridge Pronghorns. . . . Mucha was credited with the game’s first goal at 12:40 of the first period when he was the last Alberta player to touch the puck before the Pronghorns scored an own goal with a delayed penalty about to be called on Alberta. 

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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Mr. Commissioner, how excited are you that the WHL’s Facebook page is being used to question and debate the move of the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria?
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JUST NOTES:
Congrats to former WHLer Roy Sommer, now the head coach of the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. He earned his 500th AHL coaching victory Saturday as the Sharks beat the visiting Hershey Bears, 3-2, in a seven-round shootout. . . . Former Vancouver Giants G Tyson Sexsmith was in goal for the Sharks, who tied it with him on the bench for an extra attacker and then won the shootout. . . . Sommer played two seasons (1975-77) for the Calgary Centennials. . . . He is in his 14th consecutive season as an AHL head coach; this is his sixth season with Worcester. . . . Trivia question: Name the three other AHL coaches with at least 500 victories. . . . Fred (Bun) Cook (636), Frank Mathers (610) and John Paddock (589). . . .
If you were wondering, the BCHL’s Penticton Vees have run their league-record winning streak to 32 games. . . . They scored a 7-5 victory over the visiting Westside Warriors on Saturday night. . . .
The Tri-City Herald has its Best of the West 2012 poll, as compiled by Annie Fowler, right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, the Regina Pats scored three times on the PP and beat the Broncos, 4-1. . . . F Lane Scheidl broke a 1-1 tie with two PP goals, the first just 22 seconds into the third and the second at 2:14. . . . Scheidl has 40 points, including 21 goals, in 55 games. Last season, he finished with 30 points, 10 of them goals, in 48 games. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had three assists and now is tied with Portland Winterhawks F Ty Rattie for the WHL scoring lead. Each has 89 points. . . . Broncos F Taylor Vause scored his 31st goal. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Drew Czerwonka scored two goals to help the host Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Czerwonka, who has 13 goals, hadn’t scored since Dec. 29, although he missed a chunk of time with an injury and was playing his fifth game since his return. . . . Czerwonka’s first goal broke a 2-2 tie at 4:52 of the second period. . . . It was Family Faith Night, something started by Ice G Nathan Lieuwen, and the teams combined for 128 minutes in penalties The Blades took 79 of those. . . . The Ice was 2-for-10 on the PP; the Blades were 1-for-5. . . . Lieuwen stopped 22 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov turned aside 29 shots. . . . Ice F Jonathon Martin shot high and wide on a third-period penalty shot. . . . The Blades had won their last two game, while the Ice had lost two in a row. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Sam Mckechnie scored two goals in the game’s first five minutes and the Hurricanes went on to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Mckechnie has 11 goals. . . . D Daniel Johnston drew assists on both those goals. . . . Lethbridge G Liam Liston stopped 31 shots. . . . The Hurricanes are 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference and just one point behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . .

In Red Deer, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored six times in the second period and skated to an 8-5 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Rebels took a 2-0 lead into the second period and actually led 3-1 when D Cody Thiel scored his first goal at 7:05. . . . Moose Jaw took the lead on goals by F Cam Braes, his 32nd at 10:13 on the PP, F James Henry, his 12th at 11:44, and F Torrin White, his ninth, at 15:34. . . . Red Deer F Charles Inglis tied it, with his 16th, at 17:09. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull and Red Deer F Turner Elson, with his 20th, exchanged goals before the period ended and F Justi Kirsch then gave the Warriors the lead for good at 19:38. . . . Kirsch added his 19th goal at 18:08 of the third on the PP. . . . The injury-riddled Rebels dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. . . . Red Deer F Joel Hamilton, who scored his fifth goal of the season and later added an assist, was in great discomfort on the bench in the third period. A Saturday night tweet from the Rebels: “F Joel Hamilton is responsive, being transferred to Red Deer Regional Hospital. No update on what the injury is.” . . . Later, this tweet from the Rebels: “The team will give an update on Joel Hamilton's condition in the coming days. Alert, responsive, and good range of motion.” . . .

In Prince George, G Laurent Brossoit turned aside 24 shots as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Cougars, 5-0. . . . Brossoit has three shutouts this season, two of them agains the Cougars and both by 5-0 counts. . . . He now shares the Oil Kings’ modern day single-season record with Alex Archibald and Torrie Jung, and holds the career record with five. . . . The Cougars have been blanked nine times. . . . F Rhett Rachinski scored the game’s first two goals, both in the first period, and completed the hat trick at 19:21 of the third period with a shorthanded goal. He has 22 on the season. . . . Rachinski is the fourth 20-goal man on the Edmonton roster. F Dylan Wruck and F Kristians Pelss have 19 apiece. . . . Edmonton D Keegan Lowe was pointless and minus-4 in Friday’s 5-4 OT loss to the host Cougars. Last night, he had three assists and was plus-5. . . . F Jordan Peddle also had three assists. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk didn’t get a point but finished plus-4. . . . Edmonton had Pelss back from a suspension and F Curtis Lazar and F Mason Geertsen back from injury. . . .

In Everett, G Kent Simpson stopped 41 shots to backstop the Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Everett F Jari Erricson pulled Everett into a 2-2 tie at 9:29 of the second period on a PP. . . . Erricson has five goals. . . . F Reid Petryk got the winner when he scored his 12th goal at 11:31 of the second. . . . F Josh Birkholz got his 25th into an empty net at 19:12 of the third. . . . Everett F Cody Fowlie had a goal, his 10th, and two assists. . . . F Brendan Gallagher had two assists for the Giants. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning scored his seventh goal of the season as he played in his 295th regular-season game, tying the Giants’ franchise record. He shares it with F Craig Cunningham. . . . Manning should set the record Tuesday when the Giants meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. . . .

In Kelowna, F Dylan Willick’s second goal, at 8:20 of the third period, broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Kamloops Blazers a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Blazers had beaten the Rockets 5-4 in OT in Kamloops on Friday night. . . . The Blazers got the game’s first two goals, both on the PP, late in the first period. D Bronson Maschmeyer got his 10th at 17:54 and Willick added another at 19:53. . . . Willick has 23 goals in 56 games. Last season, he finished with 24 goals in 72 games. . . . D Myles Bell, with his 11th, got the Rockets to within one at 9:00 of the second and F Carter Rigby, with his 16th, pulled them even at 1:59 of the third. Both Kelowna goals came via the PP. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave, beaten four times on eight shots and hooked after one period on Friday, stopped 35 shots to get the victory in this one. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 34 shots. . . . The Blazers, who lead the Western Conference and the WHL’s overall standings, won their 40th game of the season, the first time the team has reached that plateau since the 2006-07 season. . . . The Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings are scheduled to play in Kamloops on Tuesday. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Cam Reid scored three times and set up another to help the Portland Winterhawks to a 7-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Reid, 20, has 19 points, including eight goals, in 14 games since joining the Winterhawks from St. Cloud State at the Christmas break. He had 29 points in 37 games last season at SCS, and had 15 in 22 before leaving this season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 18 shots for his 34th victory, one shy of the franchise’s single-season record held by Brent Belecki (1997-98). . . . Carruth and Belecki are tied with 79 career victories. The franchise record (105) is held by Darrell May Sr. . . . Portland F Sven Baertschi had a goal and two assists, giving him six points in his last two games. . . . F Oliver Gabriel and F Brendan Leipsic added a goal and two assists each for the Winterhawks. . . . F Burke Gallimore got his 20th goal of the season for Seattle. . . .

In Spokane, the Tri-City Americans erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals and went on to beat the Chiefs, 5-3. . . . The Americans hold a 5-3 edge in the 12-game season series. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser scored shorthanded at 19:51 of the first to forge a 1-1 tie. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin broke the tie with another shorthanded goal, at 12:18 of the second period, and added a PP score at 17:56 of the second. . . . Shinnimin, who also had an assist, has 34 goals. . . . Shinnimin’s three points moved him into sixth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list. He passed F Stu Barnes (285), who owns a piece of the Americans, and F Dylan Gyori (286) last night. . . . Spokane F Liam Stewart got his eighth goal, shorthanded, at 3:25 of the second, but D Sam Grist restored Tri-City’s two-goal lead with his third at 9:12. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer, who appeared to suffered a left-groin injury in a 5-1 loss in Kamloops on Wednesday, stopped 24 shots. He had backed up G Eric Comrie in a 4-2 loss to visiting Portland on Friday night. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 29 shots. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman had two assists, moving him into fourth on the franchise’s career list, ahead of Terry Degner (195). . . .
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Michael Burns, Saskatoon.
F James Henry, Moose Jaw.
F Colton Heffley, Kelowna.
D Myles Bell, Kelowna.
D Damon Severson, Kelowna.
———
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
———
A Saturday afternoon tweet from Pat Siedlecki (@radiopat258), the play-by-play voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes: “Elton John concert in Lethbridge Apr. 24 sold out in one hour this morning. Fastest-ever sell out for an ENMAX Centre event.”
———
THE WORLD OF TWITTER:
Sometime on the weekend, former WHLer Cody Eakin began following F Ryan Hanes of the Kamloops Blazers on Twitter. Hanes has a well-earned reputation as a chirper on the ice.
Later Saturday, Eakin tweeted this: “WJ Tryouts? Huh? Won't be going if I break your arm. How would you like that? Huh? — my favorite chirp directed at me from hanesr13.”
Meanwhile . . .
F Taylor Peters of the Portland Winterhawks, who had two assists in a 7-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., tweeted this:
“Big shout out to the super fans in the crowd today shouting ‘You suck Peters’ every time I touched the ice. How'd that turn out for you.”
———
I never had the good fortune to meet Trent Frayne, a Canadian who was a sports writing giant, but I felt a connection because we both worked at the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Tribune. . . . Frayne died Saturday at the age of 93.
Frayne was a writer and a story teller. And, in the truest sense of the word, he was a wordsmith. He had an ear for conversation and way of turning what he heard into marvellous columns and stories.
Sandra Martin of The Globe and Mail writes about Frayne right here.
Some writers who knew Frayne remember him 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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) will be loaned to Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) by Olten (Switzerland, NL B) for the European Trophy finals. Redenbach has four goals and 14 assists in 20 games for Olten this season. Red Bull have five players playing with the Austrian national team during the finals, so the club needs some reinforcements. The European Trophy is a tournament featuring 24 teams from six European countries. It started in August with group play and the top eight advanced to the finals, which run Dec. 16-18 in Salzburg and Vienna. . . .
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a tryout contract with Basel (Switzerland, NL B). He had six assists in 14 games with Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) and one goal and two assists in two games with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B) earlier this season. No contract terms were released by Basel.
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If you enjoy what you see here, why not considering make a donation to help keep this blog going. It's easy. Just =click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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David Branch, the president of the Canadian Hockey League and the commissioner of the OHL, is major junior hockey’s visionary.
It is a role that once was filled by Ed Chynoweth, when he was the head of the CHL and running the WHL. Chynoweth was terrific at looking into the future and choosing the direction in which his league should travel.
Now it is Branch who is showing a knack for prescience.
It is Branch who, as the head of the OHL, first began cracking down on headshots and using the lengthy suspension as a deterrent.
Now, he says, the day is coming when hockey will move to ban fighting.
In a piece written by Michael Traikos of the National Post, Branch talks of ejecting players who fight.
“I think, practically, that’s really the only rule you could have,” Branch told Traikos. “And then you may choose going forward to increase the sanctions if you become a habitual fighter. There’s such a changing attitude. If you had brought that up 20 years ago, (team owners and general managers) would have shook their heads. Now, there’s more and more people saying, ‘How can we get there?’ And it’s coming.”
Traikos has presented an intriguing column, and it’s right here.
Branch, among other things, says hockey doesn’t need fighting to sell tickets.
He also points out:
“You look at the Memorial Cup; there’s no fights. You look at the world junior championships; you don’t have any fighting there. And I really believe attitudes have been changing and continue to change and there’s a steady, natural evolution away from it. The time will come where it will be deemed to be totally unacceptable and that will reduce it further.”
———
Let us not forget that almost two years have passed since Don Sanderson, a player with the senior Whitby, Ont., Dunlops, died after falling to the ice and hitting his helmetless head on the ice during a fight.
Sanderson was injured on Dec. 14, 2008, and was in a coma before dieing in a Hamilton hospital on Jan. 2, 2009.
At the time, David Branch was quoted by CBC as saying:
"All of us that are in positions to exercise some influence have an obligation to challenge as to what we can do to hopefully not see something like this occur again.”
———
If you have ever wondered how fighting came to be a part of hockey, well, check out this piece right here by Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times.
Perhaps the most relevant paragraph in that piece is this quote from Adam Proteau of The Hockey News:
“You can no more ban fighting in hockey than in any other sport. But you can punish it more appropriately, starting with a game misconduct and ejection for any fight, and a sliding scale of fines/suspensions for repeat offenders.”
Proteau is the author of the newly published book Fighting the Good Fight: Why On-Ice Violence Is Killing Hockey.
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F Eric Walker of the Vancouver Giants has had charges he was facing dismissed in Marquette County District Court in Michigan.
Walker, then a student-athlete at Northern Michigan University, and six other hockey players were charged in conjunction with some stolen bicycles on campus.
The case was heard on Tuesday, with four of the players pleading no contest.
Charges against Walker, 18, who left school and joined the Giantgs before the case reached court, F Dylan Walchuk, a 19-year-old from McBride, B.C., and F Ryan Aynsley, 21, of Kelowna were dismissed.
According to The North Wind, the NMU campus newspaper, “Walchuk and Aynsley were originally charged with receiving and concealing property under $200. Walker was originally charged with receiving and concealing property valued at more than $200 but less than $1,000.”
The other four players pleaded no contest and are to be sentenced on Tuesday.
The North Wind has more right here.
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Former Portland Winterhawks player and coach Brent Peterson has been fighting Parkinson’s Disease and underwent deep brain stimulation earlier in the week. KATU-TV has the story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Saginaw Spirit has fired GM/head coach Todd Watson and brought in Greg Gilbert as head coach. At the time of the change, the Spirit was 11-17-0 and six points out of the playoffs, despite a roster that includes seven NHL draft selections. . . . Jim Paliafito, the Spirit’s assistant GM and director of scouting, takes over as GM. . . . Gilbert spent three seasons (2003-06) as head coach of the OHL’s Mississauga IceDogs. Most recently, the was fired by the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms during the 2010-11 season. . . . Watson signed on as head coach for 2007-08 and was 154-115-33, plus 12-18 in the playoffs.
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Head on over to Small Thoughts at Large (link on the right) for a look at the number of WHL players who could miss regular-season games between now and early January. As usual, Alan Caldwell has done a bang-up job of keeping track of the Christmas absentees.
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In Moose Jaw, F Kenton Miller scored twice to help the Warriors to a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Miller has 10 goals this season. . . . The Rockets, who trailed 3-0 in the second period, were burned for four PP goals as the Warriors went 4-for-7. . . . The Rockets are 0-1-1 on their East Division swing. . . .

In Swift Current, F Tim Bozon scored two goals and added two assists to help the Kamloops Blazers open their East Division trek with a 5-4 victory over the Broncos. . . . Bozon, from Switzerland, is in his freshman season. He has 28 points, including 13 goals, in 30 games. . . . F J.C. Lipon, who is from Regina, had two goals, giving him 12, and an assist for Kamloops. He has 12 goals and 18 assists in 30 games. Last season, he finished with three and 18 in 65 games. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored the Teddy Bear goal and added three assists. . . . F Taylor Vause scored twice for the Broncos, giving him 20. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 32 shots and preserved the victory with a blocker save on Lowry in the game’s dying moments. . . . Kamloops won its eighth straight game, something it hadn’t done since 2006-07. . . . The Broncos had their three-game winning streak end. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades erased a 2-0 second-period deficit and beat the Regina Pats, 4-2. . . . F Michael Burns pulled the Blades even at 4:07 of the third period — he has 13 goals; he score 15 all of last season — and F Matej Stransky broke the tie at 18:08. He has 15 goals. . . . Saskatoon G Andrej Makarov stopped 40 shots. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings ran their winning streak to nine games as they dropped the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-3. . . . Edmonton got four assists from F Dylan Wruck, while F T.J. Foster had two goals. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 34 shots. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Maxwell had a goal and an assist. In eight games since being acquired from the Everett Silvertips, Maxwell, 20, has 15 points and is plus-14. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice ended a four-game losing skid with a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . F Drew Czerwonka broke a 2-2 tie at 15:16 of the third period. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 31 shots, one fewer than Medicine Hat’s Kenny Cameron. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem had the Teddy Bear goal, his 29th score this season. . . . Ice D John Neibrandt scored his first goal of the season. It came in his 32nd game. Last season, his first in the WHL, he had one goal in 65 games. . . .

In Everett, the Tri-City Americans scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Silvertips, 5-1. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland enjoyed his second career three-goal game. He has 10 goals this season. . . . The Silvertips have lost nine in a row, the longest losing streak in franchise history. . . . F Adam Hughesman had a goal, his 22nd, and an assist for the Americans, who got 21 saves from G Eric Comrie. . . . Hughesman, with 286 career points, moved past F Dylan Gyori and into fifth place on the Americans’ career list. . . . Everett F Cody Fowlie took a checking-from-behind majorat 17:14 of the third period. . . . The Ameicans have won four in a row on the road and five straight overall. . . . The Americans are at home to the Portland Winterhawks tonight. . . .

In Vancouver, F Jaimen Yakubowski broke a 1-1 tie on a second-period penalty shot and the Lethbridge Hurricanes went on to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Yakubowski scored on the penalty shot at 2:29 of the second, then added his sixth goal of the season at 4:38. . . . Lethbridge went 1-2 on a brief trip into the B.C. Division. . . . The Hurricanes hadn’t beaten Vancouver in seven years, a span of 12 games. . . .

In Spokane, D Cody Carlson’s shootout goal gave the Prince George Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The shootout went four rounds, with Carlson the last shooter. His goal won it, 2-1. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals and took that lead into the third period. . . . The Cougars tied it on Carlson’s PP goal at 16:12. . . . D Jason Fram got the Teddy Bear goal, his second score this season. . . . Cougars F Campbell Elynuik drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for boarding major Friday night in 1-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Colin Jacobs, the sixth shooter, scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Victoria Royals, 4-3. . . . Seattle had scored the first three goals of the game, with the Royals getting the last three, all on third period PPs. D Hayden Rintoul tied it at 6:18. . . . The three goals came in a span of 2:19. . . . Seattle F Tyler Alos and Jacobs each scored their first goals of the season. Jacobs was playing only his second game after returning from an undisclosed injury. . . . Victoria F Taylor Crunk was ejected with a cross-checking major at 8:59 of the second period. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 35 shots, two more than Victoria’s Keith Hamilton.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Logan McVeigh, Kamloops.
F Cody Fowlie, Everett (major).
F Tyler Alos, Seattle.
F Carter Proft, Spokane.
———
For today’s good read, we turn to a piece penned by Peter King of Sports Illustrated, but involved a number of SI staff members.
If you have ever wondered what life after football is really like, check this out right here.
It’s about the 1986 Cincinnati Bengals and the condition the players are in today. 

You can bet Portland fans remember Red No. 23 . . . and now
he's an opening night hit with the Wheat Kings.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Shawn Belle (Regina, Tri-City, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL) after a successful tryout. He had six goals and 20 assists in 51 games with the Oklahoma City Barons and Lake Erie Monsters (both AHL) and no points in nine games with the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche (both NHL) last season.
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Remember just over a year ago when an anonymous player dazzled everyone in attendance — and raised a few eyebrows — during a one-workout stint with the Portland Winterhawks?
Remember how much fun everyone had — well, other than the Winterhawks’ brass, perhaps — trying to figure out: Who was that anonymous player?
Well, who could have guessed that Red No. 23 would score the first goal of the WHL regular season just one year later? And who would have guessed that he would finish his first regular-season game with three goals.
But that’s exactly what happened Thursday night as Swiss F Alessio Bertaggia helped the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw.
Bertaggia’s performance ruined the Warriors’ party as they opened their new arena, Mosaic Place, before 4,480 fans.
Brandon F Mark Stone, named the team captain earlier in the day, had two assists.
The big number out of Moose Jaw was the 50-50 draw. Someone went home with $12,375, a Warriors record.
———
F Cody Beach of the Moose Jaw Warriors returned from the camp of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues in time to get into last night’s game against the Brandon Wheat Kings.
And he took a major penalty and game misconduct for checking to the head after a hit on Brandon F Bruno Mraz in the third period. Mraz made it back to the bench under his own power and will be re-evaluated later today.
Beach, then, will be the first regular-season test of the WHL’s crackdown on headshots.
In the exhibition season, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s disciplarian, handed out four suspensions for checking to the head — three were two games in duration, the other drew four games.
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There isn’t much doubt about the biggest story in the WHL on Thursday. Well, prior to the puck dropping in Moose Jaw, that is.
The Regina Pats dealt D Myles Bell, 18, to the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for D Colton Jobke, 19, a second-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft and a fifth-rounder in 2013.
Bell, preparing for his third WHL season, had 45 points, including 14 goals, and 86 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Pats last season. He hadn’t been in camp with the Pats for personal reasons but was skating and training. He practised in Kelowna on Thursday and is expected to be in the Rockets’ lineup on Saturday when they open the season in Everett against the Silvertips.
The Rockets are looking for someone to give them some offence from the back end, with Tyson Barrie, who did it better than anyone the last couple of season, likely to play with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche or in its organization. Barrie had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 loss to the host Dallas Stars last night.
There isn’t any doubt that the Rockets could use a suitable replacement. And Bell could be that guy, so long as he has things straightened around. Of course, it could be that a change of scenery will be the best thing that has ever happened to him.
“I was really excited for the opportunity to come to a great franchise in Kelowna,” Bell told Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier. “Hopefully things go well.
“I’m hoping to bring some offence to the back end. Obviously, I take care of my own end first, but definitely putting numbers up from the back end is a big priority from me.”
The Pats, meanwhile, get Jobke, who also is going into his third WHL season. He has signed a three-year NHL deal with Minnesota and has just returned from the Wild’s camp. Jobke had 10 points and 84 penalty minutes in 51 games last season.
Jobke is a solid defender who definitely won’t hurt Regina. And the draft picks will help an organization that — while GM Chad Lang doesn’t like to use the word “rebuilding” — certainly has hired a a couple of cement trucks to pour a new foundation.
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Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Kootenay Ice, reports that the club will be without F Drew Czerwonka (shoulder) for up to three weeks. He was injured while in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . The defending-champion Ice, which for some reason wasn’t featured on the WHL’s regular season-opening night, begins defence of its championship on Friday in Red Deer against the Rebels. Kootenay‘s home-opener will be Saturday against the Calgary Hitmen — a game that will feature the WHL‘s last two championship franchises. The Ice remains without F Max Reinhart and D James Martin, both of whom are with the Calgary Flames. Reinhart has been injured and just resumed skating on Thursday. . . . Martin signed a contract with the Flames on Thursday. As a 20-year-old, he is eligible to play in the Flames’ organization.
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Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun tweeted Thursday afternoon that D Zach Hodder has left the Vancouver Giants and returned home to await a trade. Hodder, 18, was the 20th overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft. He is from Delta, B.C.
———
It’s was only a few days ago when Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos on The Eagle 94.1 FM, was ringing alarm bells over the apparent apathy in that community towards its WHL franchise. Season-ticket sales, Mullin reported, just weren’t where they needed to be for the Broncos to be able to make a go of it.
Today, we have Drew Wilson the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders on CKBI, doing the same in that city.
Wilson writes on his blog:
“The team has followed up on a captivating end to the 2010-11 regular season and exhilarating playoff run with a competitive training camp and memorable exhibition schedule, scoring 21 goals while registering a 3-1 record.
“However, as of the Thursday morning opening at the box office, season-ticket sales stood at about 1,570. Sure, it's a modest increase over last (season), but 130 short of their goal. The 1,700 figure wasn't just pulled out of a hat; it's the estimated benchmark needed for a projected break-even regular season on the balance sheet.
“Although the harvest is a factor, the sales of season-long subscriptions have stalled over the past three weeks. Also as of Thursday morning, only 1,814 tickets had been sold for Saturday's 900 CKBI home opener.”
———
JUST NOTES: F Brendan Gallagher, the Vancouver Giants’ captain, will miss the club’s opener at home to the Victoria Royals. He is in camp with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and will be in their lineup against the host Ottawa Senators. No word on whether Gallagher might be back for Saturday when the Giants are in Victoria. . . . F Turner Elson, 19, of the Red Deer Rebels has signed with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. After two seasons with the Rebels, he was in camp with the Flames on a free-agent tryout deal. . . . The Kootenay Ice has reassigned G Brett Teskey, 18, but it isn’t yet sure where he will play. That leaves the Ice with veteran Nathan Lieuwen, 20, and freshman Mackenzie Skapski, 17, as its goaltenders.
———
Among players returning from NHL camps are F Adam Lowry, Winnipeg to Swift Current; F Kendal McFaull, Winnipeg to Moose Jaw; D Sebastian Owuya, Winnipeg to Medicine Hat; D Zach Yuen, Winnipeg to Tri-City; G Brandon Anderson, Washington to Lethbridge; F Blake Gal, Calgary to Spokane; F Kale Kessy, Phoenix to Medicine Hat; F Cody Beach, St. Louis to Moose Jaw; and D Alex Petrovic, Florida to Red Deer.
It’s doubtful that Owuya, who is from Sweden, will stay in Medicine Hat, however. He’s 20 and he’s an import, so would be a two-spotter. The Tigers already have two imports, in Czech F Adam Rehak, who turns 19 on Monday, and Finnish D Patrik Parkkonen, 18. They also have three other 20-year-olds on their roster — F Cole Grbavac, F Kellan Tochkin and D Matt Konan.
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If you are keeping track, or trying to, of the saga of the sale of the Dallas Stars, here is the latest.
The Stars, of course, filed for bankruptcy in Delaware last week.
According to Dave Shoalts of The Globe and Mail: “The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., approved the bidding procedure put forward by (Tom) Gaglardi, the Stars, the NHL and the consortium of banks that hold current owner Tom Hicks’s debt on the team. On Nov. 23, the court will hold a confirmation and sale hearing and if no other bids are made, Gaglardi will own the team.”
Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, has offered US$267 million. He would pay some cash and assume some debts.
At this point, there aren’t any other bidders for a package that also includes half of America Airlines Center, the facility in which the Stars and the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks play.
Mark Cuban, who owns the Mavericks, also owns 50 per cent of the arena. He has said he won’t be bidding on the Stars.
Chuck Greenberg has indicated that his interested in the Stars, as has Doug Miller.
Greenberg was part of a group that purchased baseball’s Texas Rangers but has since taken his leave.
Miller, who owns the Central league’s Allen, Texas, Americans, indicated this week that he also is interested in the Stars.
For the latest, check out this blog by Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
———
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald takes a look right here at D Ryan Murray who, despite not yet being 18 years of age, may be the best player ever to pull on an Everett Silvertips’ jersey. . . . If you haven’t yet watched this young man play, you best do it this season. Because he’s certain to be an early NHL draft pick in 2012 and is likely to be in the NHL in 2012-13.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Reece Scarlett of the Swift Current Broncos (@reecescarlett), on behalf of pal Adam Lowry”
“welcome @ALowsyPlayer17 to twitter. You can expect very smart tweets from him as he's a former CHL Top Nerd.”Alessio Bertaggia
———
Who are the WHL’s top 30 players . . . and in that order? Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province accepted the impossible mission. His list is right here.
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There was a nasty incident during an NHL exhibition game in London, Ont., on Thursday night.
Puck Daddy has more on what happened right here.
The aftermath on Twitter was most interesting.
It all began when Scott Norton tweeted:
“As a friend of #Simmonds and his Agents, I will personally put up $500 reward 4 anyone who turns in #RacistPig to myself or police!”
Immediately, people began pledging money and the reward quickly grew to more than $1,200.
It wasn’t long before Wayne Simmonds was trending worldwide. And fans began posting their thoughts right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

The subject of concussions and their impact on young athletes isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
In fact, it has become a story with legs, as they say.
On Wednesday, USA TODAY ran an editorial that carried this headline:
Who needs concussion laws? 1.2 million young football players
That editorial is right here.
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On Thursday, USA TODAY, on its op-ed page, carried a piece headlined:
Risk a child’s brain for football?
This piece was written by Katherine Chretien, who is an associate professor of medicine at George Washington University. She touches on the questions and the unknowns involving young people and concussions.
Her essay is right here.
———
Keep in mind that USA TODAY has a daily circulation of 1.83 million, which translates to something like 6 million daily readers.
———
THE COACHING GAME: The QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have signed GM/head coach Andre Tourigny to a three-year deal. . . .
Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post takes a look at the Regina Pats’ coaching situation, after the team swept two assistant coaches out the door on Wednesday. That piece is right here. . . .
Might Craig Hartsburg be the next head coach of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild? Hartsburg, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips, says he hasn’t heard from the Wild. Fox Sports has that story right here.
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The Portland Winterhawks will celebrate a milestone Saturday night as they play host to the Spokane Chiefs in Game 5 of the Western Conference final. Prior to the game, the Winterhawks will welcome the one millionth fan in team playoff history. . . . At present, they are 2,108 fans shy of reaching 1,000,000. . . . According to a news release from the Winterhawks, “The lucky fan . . . will receive season tickets to the Winterhawks’ 2011-12 season, a team autographed jersey and will present the three stars at the conclusion of Saturday’s Game 5.” . . . The Winterhawks take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight in Spokane.
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The winner of the Western Conference final will meet the Kootenay Ice in the WHL championship series. The Ice completed a sweep of the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday night. . . . The Ice played that game without F Steele Boomer and F Drew Czerwonka. Boomer suffered a concussion in Game 1 and sat out the last three games. Czerwonka got a stretcher ride off the ice in Game 3 after falling awkwardly into the boards. He was cleared to play in Game 4 but general soreness kept him out. . . . Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth told me Thursday “both Steele and Drew should be ready for Games 1 and 2 and there also is a possibility that Brock Montgomery also will be back. We miss all three of them.” Montgomery has been out with mononucleosis. . . . The WHL final could start May 6 in Portland or Spokane, with Games 3 and 4 in Cranbrook on May 10 and 11. That is strictly tentative, however.
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The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, who are a dead team skating, head home from Anchorage trailing the Aces 2-0 after dropping a 4-3 overtime decision on Thursday night. . . . F Wes Goldie, who left the Salmon Kings over the summer despite being one of their most popular players, scored the winner at 2:15 of OT. . . . The Aces opened the Western Conference final Wednesday with a 2-1 victory, scoring the winner with nine seconds left in the third period. . . . The series resumes in Victoria with games on Saturday, Monday and, if necessary, Wednesday. . . . The Salmon Kings' fate has yet to be announced, but their owner, Vancouver-based RG Properties, has purchased the Chilliwack Bruins and is moving the WHL team to the B.C. capital.
———
Doug McConachie, a former sports editor of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, died Wednesday morning after what ended up being a one-sided scrap with pancreatic cancer. McConachie was one of the last of the old breed of newspapermen. There aren’t too many of us left who remember what a typewriter sounded like, never mind what hot metal means (or used to mean). . . . Kevin Mitchell, today the sports editor at The StarPhoenix, remembers McConachie — or McDoug, as some of us called him — right here. . . . And why do I think McDoug is somewhere skiing or fishing right now?

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday . . .

MAX REINHART

ON THE ICE TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Cranbrook, Kootenay F Max Reinhart scored the game’s first three goals, all in the first period, en route to a record-tying five-goal night and the Ice went on to beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-2. . . . The Ice, which now has won 11 straight playoff games, swept the Tigers from the Eastern Conference final. . . . The WHL record for consecutive playoff victories is 12. It has been done five times, most recently by the Calgary Hitmen in 2009. . . . Reinhart, who has a WHL-high 14 goals, scored his first three in a span of 6:42 in the first period. . . . The record for fastest three goals in a playoff game by one player is 2:39 (Doug Saunders, Kamloops Jr. Oilers, April 14, 1984). . . . Reinhart got to five with two shorthanded goals, at 9:15 of the second and 4:50 of the third. . . . Others to have scored five times in one playoff game are Dave Chartier (Brandon, March 27, 1981), Don Nachbaur (Billings Bighorns, April 20, 1978) and Dave Kryskow (Edmonton Oil Kings, March 25, 1971). . . . Nachbaur, of course, now is the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Reinhart now has 22 points, including 14 goals, in 14 playoff games. He had seven goals and two assists in the four games against the Tigers. . . . Reinhart is second in the WHL scoring race, three behind Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . Ice F Cody Eakin, named the Eastern Conference playoff MVP, added his side’s other two goals, giving him eight. He had five goals and four assists in the series, and has at least one goal in each of his last five games. . . . Ice F Matt Fraser drew three assists. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb had two assists. He tied a franchise record with a nine-game point streak and has set franchise records for assists and points in a playoff season by a defenceman. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen made 21 saves. . . . Ice D Hayden Rintoul had one assist and was plus-5. . . . Attendance was 3,474. . . . The Ice was without F Drew Czerwonka, who was stretchered off the ice and taken to hospital after a nasty spill into the boards during Tuesday’s Game 2. Other than being a bit sore, he is OK. In fact, he had the OK to play but was held out. . . . The Tigers were without D Sebastian Owuya, due to an undisclosed injury.
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In Spokane, F Brendan Leipsic scored at 7:44 of OT to give the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Portland leads the Western Conference final, 2-1. . . . They’ll meet again Friday in Spokane before returning to Portland for Game 5 on Saturday. . . . Portland is 6-0 on the road in these playoffs. . . . Leipsic won it by finishing off a 2-on-1 break with F Taylor Peters. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowen opened the scoring at 15:07 of the first period. . . . Peters tied it with a shorthanded goal at 16:13. . . . After a scoreless second period, The Chiefs took a 2-1 lead at 8:40 of the third on a goal by F Levko Koper. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen forced OT with his ninth goal at 17:46 of the third. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth made 43 saves. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 29 shots. His night’s work included stopping Portland F Sven Bartschi on a second-period penalty shot with the score at 1-1. . . . Spokane was 0-for-9 on the PP, while Portland was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 5,542.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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THE COACHING GAME: The Regina Pats have decided not to renew the contracts of assistant coach Shaun Sutter or goaltender coach Ryan Cyr.
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JUST NOTES: Mac Carruth of the Portland Winterhawks is the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 1-1, 1.51, .962 last week. . . . The OHL’s Owen Sound Attack took out the Windsor Spitfires, who won the last two Memorial Cups, in five games and have advanced to the 2011 MC tournament. The Attack, which won 10-4 at home on Wednesday, will be the OHL representative. The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, the host team, and the Attack first will compete in the OHL championship series. The final will open Tuesday or Thursday in Mississauga. . . . Victoria WHL fans will pay $576 for one adult season ticket in standard bowl seating, while a senior/student ticket will sell for $396. The Victoria franchise, formerly the Chilliwack Bruins, announced its pricing plan Wednesday. There are upgrades available to Club seats ($856) and King club seats ($1,136). Check the team’s website for more details. . . . G Jeff Bosch, who completed his WHL eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season, has committed to attend Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., and play for the Thunderwolves. Kyle Moir, another former WHLer, graduated after this season, leaving the Thunderwolves needing a goaltender. . . . D Riley McIntosh (Kelowna, Tri-City, 2006-10) also will attend Lakehead U and play for the Thunderwolves. McIntosh played this season with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express.

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