Warriors start with victory . . . Giants d-man wants out . . . UBC looking for head coach

Surprise goaltender shows up at training camp.#AmsHockey# pic.twitter.com/Zx6b1sgd5W

— Robert (Bob) Tory (@BTORY) August 30, 2016

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored a 2-1 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos in their annual (almost all) rookie game, a contest that kicks off the WHL’s exhibition season. . . . F Luka Burzan scored the game’s first goal, putting the Warriors out front at 1:34 of the second period. . . . F Ryan Bowen upped the lead to 2-0 at 4:20. . . . D Colby Sissons got the Broncos on the board at 19:32 of the third. . . . G Evan Adamoff went the distance for the Warriors, making 27 saves. . . . Swift Current starter Bailey Brikin stopped 18 of 20 shots, with Joel Hofer finishing up with 10 stops. . . . The game marked the debut of Manny Viveiros, the Broncos’ director of player personnel and head coach.

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Glen Hanlon, the general manager of the Vancouver Giants, has told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that D Brennan Menell, 19, has asked to be traded. The Giants, according to Hanlon, will accommodate him. . . . Menell walked out on the Giants on Nov. 4, only to return six days later. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Menell, an offensively gifted defenceman from Woodbury, Minn., put up 53 points, including 46 assists, in 69 games. In 2014-15, as a freshman, he had 21 points, two of them goals, in 57 games. . . . Ewen also reports that F Ty Ronning and F Alec Baer sat out the Giants’ intrasquad game with undisclosed injuries.

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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Reid Perepeluk to a WHL contract. Perepeluk, from Yorkton, Sask., was a sixth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 210-pounder played last season with the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. He put up six goals and 10 assists in 29 regular-season games. . . . In 2014-15, he had 28 goals and 12 assists in 26 games with the bantam AAA Yorkton Terriers.

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The Regina Pats have signed Swedish D Filip Ahl, who was a fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the NHL’s 2015 draft. Ahl, 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, had 31 points, including 18 goals, in 18 games with HV71 Jonkoping of the Swedish SuperElit League last season. Internationally, he has played for Sweden in U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-20 competitions.

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F Austin Adamson’s junior A rights were acquired by the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers on Tuesday. In exchange for the 20-year-old, the Vipers sent future considerations to the Chilliwack Chiefs. . . . The 6-foot-0, 200-pounder from Richmond, B.C., was released by the Swift Current Broncos last week. He has 20 points, including eight goals, in 134 WHL regular-season games. He also has played with the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels.

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The NHL’s Arizona Coyotes have signed Jim Hammett as an amateur scout covering the WHL. Hammett is a veteran scout who spent six seasons (2000-06) as the Colorado Avalanche’s director of scouting. He also has scouted for the Nashville Predators, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was the Rangers’ director of amateur scouting (2007-08) and the Lightning’s director of player personnel (2008-09). For the past seven seasons, he has been the director of hockey operations for the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL. He also scouted for the Prince Albert Raiders last season. . . . In 2006-07, he was Hockey Canada’s head scout, helping select the Canadian team that won the 2007 World Junior Championship.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The UBC Thunderbirds parted company with head coach Adam Shell on Tuesday. . . . “After a season behind the bench as head coach of the UBC men’s varsity hockey team, Adam Shell is moving on,” reads a one-paragraph news release on the UBC athletics department website. . . . Assistant coach Sven Butenschon (Brandon Wheat Kings, 1993-96) has been named the interim head coach “as the program begins the process of finding a replacement head coach.” . . . Shell was named head coach on Aug. 11, 2015. He signed on with UBC after spending eight years at the Royal Military College of Canada. . . . The Thunderbirds were 11-13-4 in one season under Shell. UBC then lost a best-of-three first-round playoff series in two games to Mount Royal.

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Laura Schuler is returning as head coach of Canada’s national women’s team. Schuler, who also is the head coach of the women’s team at Dartmouth College, an ECAC team, will go into her second season as Canada’s head coach. Last season, she guided the team into the final of the IIHF World Championship in Kamloops, where it lost in OT to Team USA. . . . Dwayne Gylywoychuk, a former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman and coach, is returning to Team Canada as an assistant coach. . . . A complete Hockey Canada news release is right here.

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A pair of brothers, both of whom played in the WHL, are taking over as co-head coaches of the junior B Saskatoon Royals of the Prairie Junior Hockey League. . . . Brett and Derek Parker, who are from Melville, Sask., will open camp with the Royals on Sept. 9. . . . Brett, now 31, played three seasons (2002-05) with the Prince George Cougars and five games with the Vancouver Giants in 2005-06. . . . Derek, now 33, played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors (1999-03).

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The boys have arrived in First Class. This is how we do it @PGCougars when we do a scouting trip pic.twitter.com/N5dZaroGsZ

— Sean Murray (@SeanVanCityPFGS) August 31, 2016

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More time for James . . . Americans deal forward to 'Canes . . . Aasman signs with Bandits

F Chris Francis (Portland, 2006-10) signed a three-month tryout contract with Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with the Alaska Aces (ECHL), he had 26 goals and 36 assists in 69 games. . . .
D Mike Card (Kelowna, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). He is a dual Canadian-German citizen. Last season, with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2), he had five goals and 30 assists in 50 games. The Löwen Frankfurt general manager is Rick Chernomaz (Saskatoon, Victoria Cougars, 1979-83), who has been the head coach of Hungary’s national team for three seasons. . . .
D Tomáš Kundrátek (Medicine Hat, 2008-10) signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL). Last season, with the Hershey Bears (AHL), he had five goals and 22 assists in 59 games.
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Graham James, already in jail in Laval, Que., for sexually abusing hockey players, pleaded guilty to another charge on Friday and was sentenced to two more years. The latest victim, whose identity is being protected by a publication ban, was in a Swift Current courtroom on Friday, as were Sheldon Kennedy and Todd Holt, both of them victims of James when he was the general manager and head coach of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. . . . Holt and Kennedy were there to show support for the latest victim to come forward. . . . There is more on Friday’s happenings right here and right here.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have acquired F Justin Gutierrez, 20, from the Tri-City Americans for a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Gutierrez, from Anchorage, had 29 points, including 11 goals, in 67 games last season. In four seasons with the Americans, he had 59 points, 18 of them goals, in 186 games. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, he brings size and experience to a young Lethbridge roster. . . . Gutierrez is the younger brother of former Kamloops Blazers and Everett Silvertips F Moises Gutierrez. . . . Justin Gutierrez joins F Cory Millette as the 20-year-olds on Lethbridge’s roster. Millette was acquired last month from the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Americans, as of now, likely are looking at F Parker Bowles, F Beau McCue and F Brian Williams as their 20-year-olds. They also have D Ty Morrison, who was acquired from the Vancouver Giants during last season, on their roster.
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F Logan Aasman, who spent three seasons with the Everett Silvertips, has signed with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. Aasman is heading into his 20-year-old season. . . . Aasman’s 2014-15 season was interrupted by concussion issues that limited him to 40 games. He had 11 points, two of them goals. . . . Aasman is from Medicine Hat. . . . With Aasman no longer in the picture, Silvertips would appear to have five candidates for their three 20-year-old spots — D Cole MacDonald, F Remi Laurencelle, G Austin Lotz, F Jake Mykitiuk and F Carson Stadnyk.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Dwayne Gylywoychuk, a former Brandon Wheat Kings player and coach, has been named the head coach of Canada’s national women’s development team for 2015-16. . . . Gylywoychuk lives in Winnipeg. (If you are wondering, that was him and his two daughters in yesterday’s Tweet of the Day.) . . . Delaney Collins of Pilot Mound, a former national team player, will work as his assistant coach. . . . From a Hockey Canada news release: “Gylywoychuk is no stranger to the national program, having piloted the development team to gold at the 2014 Nations Cup. Gylywoychuk also won gold as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 2014 Four Nations Cup and gold again at the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Under-18 Championship in the same capacity.” . . . Collins played for 12 seasons with the national women’s team. She also is an assistant coach at Mercyhurst U. . . . The NDT will hold a selection camp in Calgary in August, before playing exhibition games against the U.S. U-22 team in Lake Placid, N.Y. . . . The Canadian women are preparing for the Nations Cup in Germany in January. . . . It’s worth noting that Collins’ father, Rod, is opening a hockey academy in Pilot Mound. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Free Press has more on that story right here.
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Former NHLer Mike Van Ryn is the new head coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. Van Ryn spent the past two seasons with the Rangers, last season as associate coach. . . . He replaces Troy Smith, who was fired after last season. . . . The Rangers also announced that Jay McKee, like Van Ryn a former NHL defenceman, has been signed as associate coach. He had been an assistant with the Erie Otters. Also coming on board, as an assistant coach, is Daniel Tkaczuk, who was with the Owen Sound Attack for the past three seasons. . . . Meanwhile, Mike McKenzie has moved up from assistant coach to assistant GM, although he also will have some coaching duties.
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Roy Sommer will make the move to San Jose to coach the Barracuda, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. The franchise is moving west from Worcester, Mass. . . . Sommer (Calgary Centennials, 1975-77) is preparing for his 18th season as head coach of the Sharks’ AHL affiliate. A native of Oakland, Calif., he holds the AHL record for most games coached (1,344). He has 617 regular-season coaching victories, second only to Hockey Hall of Famer Fred (Bun) Cook’s 636. . . . The Sharks also announced that Ryan Mougenel will return as an assistant coach with the Barracuda and that Charlie Townsend will be back as video coach.
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Rich McKenna has left the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks to take over as head coach of the NAHL’s New Jersey Titans. He had been an assistant coach for two seasons with the Lumberjacks. . . . Former NHL G John Vanbiesbrouck is the Lumberjacks’ GM and director of hockey operations.
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The Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, made it official on Friday — Todd Nelson is their head coach. Nelson, 46, takes over from Jeff Blashill, who moved up as the Red Wings’ head coach following the departure of Mike Babcock. . . . Nelson had finished last season as the interim head coach of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. He had joined the Oilers from the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, where he was head coach. . . . Nelson, a former Grand Rapids player and assistant coach, signed a three-year deal with the Griffins. From Prince Albert, he played four seasons (1986-90) with the Raiders.
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The Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, have rewarded head coach Troy Mann and assistant coaches Bryan Helmer and Ryan Murphy with multi-year contracts, the length of which weren’t revealed. . . . The Bears finished atop the AHL’s East Division last season.
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Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News tweeted Friday night that “2016 draft prospect Tyson Jost (BCHL Penticton) has narrowed down his NCAA school choice to North Dakota and Denver.” . . . Jost, a 17-year-old forward, is from St. Albert, Alta. The Everett Silvertips selected him with the seventh overall pick in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. He will captain the BCHL’s Penticton Vees in 2015-16, his second season with the team. He had 45 points, including 23 goals, in 46 games last season.


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Hitmen hang on for win . . . Manitoba Hockey Hall names inductees . . . Stewart off to ECHL

F Matt MacKay (Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Brandon, 2008-11) signed one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). This season, with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2), he had 24 goals and 20 assists. He led his team in goals. MacKay is a dual Canadian-German citizen. . . .
D Paul Kurceba (Red Deer, Kootenay, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with the Melbourne Ice (Australia, AIHL). This season, with the Okotoks Drillers (Chinook Hockey League), he had one goal and 10 assists in 19 games. The AIHL season starts on April 25.
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MONDAY’S GAME:

In Calgary, the Hitmen erased an early 2-0 deficit with five straight goals and then hung on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-4. . . . The Hitmen hold a 2-1 edge in the series. . . . The teams will return to Medicine Hat for Game 4 on Wednesday, with Game 5 in Calgary on Friday. . . . F Chad Labelle and Steve Owre gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead before the game was three minutes old. . . . Calgary tied it on goals by F Adam Tambellini, at 6:20, and F Kenton Helgesen, on a PP, at 10:36. . . . Another PP goal, this one from F Connor Rankin, gave the Hitmen their first lead, at 13:28. . . . Helgesen has six goals; Rankin has nine. . . . Calgary D Travis Sanheim stretched the lead to 4-2 with his fourth goal, at 2:14 of the second, on another PP. . . . Tambellini upped it to 5-2 with his second of the game and ninth of the playoffs, at 5:17. . . . The Tigers made it interesting on Labelle’s second goal of the game, and second of the playoffs, at 3:09 of the third, and F Dryden Hunt’s fourth goal, at 6:04. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox rang one off the cross-bar late in the third period. . . . Special teams obviously were key in this one. Calgary was 3-for-5 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-for-4. . . . The Hitmen got a total of four goals and four assists from their three 20-year-olds — Helgesen, Rankin and Tambellini. . . . Tambellini also had two assists; he leads the playoffs in assists (10) and points (19). He and Rankin share the goal-scoring lead, each with nine. . . . Sanheim also had two assists. . . . F Blake Penner and F Cole Sanford each had two assists for the Tigers. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 29 shots, while Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer turned aside 26. . . . A note from Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun: “Including the regular season, the Tigers have outshot the Hitmen in nine straight games.” . . . The Tigers remain without F Chad Butcher (hand), who was injured in Game 3 of their first-round series. . . . The Hitmen continue to play without D Jake Bean, who has an undisclosed injury. They also are without F Chase Lang, who suffered a right leg injury in Game 2. . . . Attendance was 5,297, the Hitmen’s smallest crowd of this season.
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F Morgan Klimchuk of the Brandon Wheat Kings skated in the early portion of practice on Monday but isn’t expected to play in Game 3 of their series against the Pats in Regina tonight. The Wheat Kings lead that series, 2-0. . . . Klimchuk, who was acquired from Regina in January, has missed Brandon’s past four games. . . .
The Pats aren’t expected to have D Sergey Zborovsky, F Rykr Cole or D Chase Harrison in their lineup tonight. . . . Zborovsky has been hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension after taking an interference major and game misconduct in Game 2. Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk was injured on the play and may sit tonight. . . . Cole was injured after taking a hit from F Tanner Kaspick in Game 1 in Brandon, while Harrison went down in Game 2 after a hit from Hawryluk. . . . Regina F Taylor Cooper didn’t practice on Monday for undisclosed reasons. . . . Regina will have D James Hilsendager back in its lineup as he has completed a three-game WHL-issued suspension.
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John Paddock, the Regina Pats’ vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, and former NHL coach Andy Murray head up the 2015 inductees to the Manitoba hockey Hall of Fame. . . . The induction ceremony is scheduled for Winnipeg on Oct. 3. . . . Paddock, who is from Oak River, Man., played for the Brandon Wheat Kings and also worked as general manager and head coach of the Winnipeg Jets. . . . Paddock, who also is in the AHL Hall of Fame, is being inducted as a builder, along with Al Hares of Selkirk and Murray, who is from Souris and now is the head coach at Western Michigan. . . . Those going in as players include Winnipeg’s Cam Connor (Winnipeg, Flin Flon, 1971-73), Elkhorn’s Sheldon Kennedy (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, 1984-89), Curt Ridley (Brandon, 1970-71), who grew up in Portage la Prairie, and the late Cully Wilson, an Icelandic-Canadian who played in the early 1900s. . . . Others being inducted are the late Dianne Woods of Winnipeg (builder), Gerry Varnes of Winnipeg (official), and Scott Oake of Winnipeg (media). . . . Three teams also will be inducted — the 1953-54 Dauphin Kings, the 1979-80 Transcona Railers and the 1975-76 Deloraine Royals.
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F Liam Stewart, who played out his junior eligibility with the Spokane Chiefs this season, has signed with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards. Stewart had career highs in goals (25), assists (28) and points (53) this season. In 251 career regular-season games, all with the Chiefs, he had 132 points, including 57 goals. . . .
It turns out that two of the scouts mentioned here yesterday did lose their jobs when the Toronto Maple Leafs began cleaning house on Sunday. Roy Stasiuk and Darryl Stanley both are gone; among those kept on the scouting staff was Garth Malarchuk. . . .
Hungary finished 2-3 at the IIHF Division 1 Group B women’s world championship that wrapped up Sunday in Beijing. Dwayne Gylywoychuk, a former WHL player and coach, was the Hungarian team’s head coach. It finished fourth in the six-team affair that was won by Slovakia. . . .
The Edmonton Oilers have missed the NHL playoffs each of the past nine seasons. Interestingly, when Edmonton GM Craig MacTavish met with the media on Monday, his message was that next season will be “another developmental year.” . . . John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal has his reaction right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The ECHL’s Brampton Beast fired Brent Hughes, their vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, on Monday, one day after its season ended. . . . The Beast went 23-46-3, finishing last in the Western Conference’s Central Division. . . . Hughes was an assistant coach with the Beast last season when it was in the Central league. He took over as head coach prior to this season. . . . The Beast also announced that Phil Oreskovic will return as an assistant coach next season. He retired as a player earlier this season and joined the Beast’s coaching staff in January.
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#NASCAR fan at the Duck Commander 500 @GettySport Best photos of the week: http://t.co/5n5o96U4jb pic.twitter.com/NgbB3QcIEO
— Paul Nisely (@SN_Paul_Nisely) April 14, 2015

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Oil Kings have a head coach . . . More coaching news, too

F Dustin Cameron (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2004-10) has signed a one-year contract with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2), he had 58 points, including 23 goals, in 53 games. He finished second in scoring on his team.
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1. Steve Hamilton was introduced Monday as the new head coach of the Memorial Cup-champion Edmonton Oil Kings. Hamilton takes over from Derek Laxdal, who left after four seasons to become the head coach of the AHL’s Texas Stars. . . . Hamilton, 40, was an assistant under Laxdal for the past four seasons. . . . The son of former Oil Kings defenceman Al Hamilton, Steve joined the Oil Kings after spending four seasons as GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. He won three AJHL coach-of-the-year awards. . . . The Oil Kings will hire another assistant coach, who will join Hamilton, assistant coach Sean Brown and goaltending consultant Dustin Schwartz on staff.

2. There now are four WHL teams still without head coaches. The Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks, Regina Pats and Vancouver Giants continue to look for new men to run their benches. . . . The Winterhawks are believed to be close to introducing a GM/head coach to replace Mike Johnston, who now is the head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. I was told on Monday that the Winterhawks are on the verge of signing an “NHL guy.”

3. The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks revealed that they are adding Doug Lidster to their coaching staff as an assistant to head coach Willie Desjardins. The two worked together with the Medicine Hat Tigers (2002-03) and the last two seasons with Texas Stars, who won the 2014 Calder Cup as AHL champions. . . . Glen Gulutzan, who was on John Tortorella’s staff in Vancouver last season, is expected to remain with the Canucks as an assistant coach.

4. There seems to be another move afoot to unionize major junior hockey players, but as Rick Westhead and Robert Cribb of the Toronto Star reports right here, it already seems to be stumbling around like a thirsty man in the desert.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports Canada has more on this story right here.

5. There is quite a scrap going on in Oakland involving the A’s. At least one man, Oakland City Councilman Larry Reid, thinks it all could end with the A’s moving to Montreal or San Antonio. There is more on that right here.

6. It has come to this. . . . The Manitoba Soccer Association has suspended a player for 15 years for an alleged attack on a referee. Oliver Sachgau of the Winnipeg Free Press has more right here. Interestingly, Branko Dukic, who also has been charged with assault causing bodily harm, is a referee himself.
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Mike Kelly, who did a turn as head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings (2003-04), has joined the NHL’s Florida Panthers as an assistant coach under head coach Gerard Gallant. He and Kelly worked together with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. . . . The Panthers also hired Mark Morris as an assistant coach. He spent the past eight season as the head coach of the Manchester Monarchs, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate. When the Kings didn’t renew his contract, it created the opening that has since been filled by Mike Stothers, who left the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Dwayne Gylywoychuk, who played with the Brandon Wheat Kings and also was in the organization as the head coach and an assistant coach, has been named an assistant coach with Canada’s national women’s hockey team. Doug Derraugh, the head coach of the women‘s team at Cornell U for nine seasons, is the head coach. The other assistant is Tim Bothwell, a former Medicine Hat Tigers head coach (1990-92), who is on staff at the Edge School in Calgary.
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Watching Tsn and im pretty sure this roger sloan guy is a hockey player disguised as a golfer #beaut
— Brendan Riddall (@sonofrawhead) July 7, 2014

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Tigers last team to move out of first round

D Stefan Langwieder (Portland, 2006-07) has signed a one-year extension with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2). In 52 games this season, he had a goal and 14 assists.
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A trust fund has been established to assist the Bozon family with medical- and rehabilitation-related costs with which they now are faced.
You are able to make a donation at any BMO Bank of Montreal branch in Western Canada.
Should you live outside of that area and want to donate, please mail donations to:
Western Hockey League
c/o Tim Bozon
Father David Bauer Arena
2424 University Drive NW
Calgary AB
T2N 3Y9
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D Kale Clague, the sixth overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft, has joined the Brandon Wheat Kings for the remainder of this season. Clague is scheduled to skate with the Wheat Kings today and will be on their roster when they open a second-round series against the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Thursday night. . . . Clague played this season with the midget AAA Lloydminster, Alta., Baker Hughes Bobcats. In the regular season, Clague had 33 points, including 11 goals, in 31 games. . . . The Wheat Kings now have two of the top six selections from the 2013 bantam draft on their roster. F Nolan Patrick of Winnipeg, the fourth overall pick, joined them earlier in the month and has played seven games, including all four in Brandon’s first-round sweep of the Regina Pats.
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Canada’s under-18 women’s team won the IIHF world championship for a third straight season in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday. Canada beat the U.S., 5-1, in Sunday’s final, after scoring a 1-0 OT victory over Russia in a Saturday semifinal game. . . . Dwayne Gylywoychuk, a former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman and coach, was a member of Team Canada’s coaching staff.
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THE FIRST ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. PRINCE ALBERT (8)
(Edmonton wins, 4-0)
Season series: Edmonton, 2-1-1; Prince Albert, 2-2-0.
Saturday: Prince Albert 3 at Edmonton 5 (6,534)
Sunday: Prince Albert 1 at Edmonton 3 (6,584)
Tuesday: Edmonton 4 at Prince Albert 3 (2,881)
Wednesday: Edmonton 6 at Prince Albert 2 (2,727)
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REGINA (2) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Brandon wins, 4-0)
Season series: Brandon, 5-3-0; Regina, 3-3-2.
Saturday: Brandon 6 at Regina 3 (6,200)
Sunday: Brandon 8 at Regina 4 (5,014)
Wednesday: Regina 4 at Brandon 5 (3,547)
Friday: Regina 1 at Brandon 5 (4,705)
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CALGARY (3) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
(Kootenay wins, 4-2)
Season series: Calgary, 4-4-0; Kootenay, 4-2-2.
Thursday: Kootenay 5 at Calgary 2 (6,649)
Saturday: Kootenay 0 at Calgary 5 (9,019)
Monday: Calgary 7 at Kootenay 6 (OT) (1,992)
Tuesday: Calgary 4 at Kootenay 5 (2,102)
Thursday: Kootenay 6 at Calgary 5 (6,826)
Saturday: Calgary 3 at Kootenay 5 (3,916)
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. SWIFT CURRENT (5)
(Medicine Hat wins, 4-2)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 2-2-0; Swift Current, 2-2-0.
Friday: Swift Current 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,512)
Saturday: Swift Current 2 at Medicine Hat 4 (3743)
Tuesday: Medicine Hat 1 at Swift Current 3 (2,840)
Wednesday: Medicine Hat 2 at Swift Current 3 (OT) (2,890)
Saturday: Swift Current 1 at Medicine Hat 4 (4,006)
Sunday: Medicine Hat 2 at Swift Current 1 (2,890)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, indefinite; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Swift Current: None.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. TRI-CITY (8)
(Kelowna wins, 4-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-4-0; Tri-City, 0-3-1.
Saturday: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 3 (5,827)
Sunday: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 3 (5,041)
Tuesday: Kelowna 3 at Tri-City 4 (2,010)
Wednesday: Kelowna 5 at Tri-City 3 (2,189)
Friday: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 4 (4,875)
(NOTE: Tri-City plays home games in Kennewick, Wash.)
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VANCOUVER (7)
(Portland wins, 4-0)
Season series: Portland, 4-0-0; Vancouver, 0-3-1.
Friday: Vancouver 3 at Portland 4 (9,756)
Saturday: Vancouver 0 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Tuesday: Portland 6 at Vancouver 3 (5,680)
Wednesday: Portland 6 at Vancouver 1 (5,142)
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VICTORIA (3) vs. SPOKANE (6)
(Victoria wins, 4-0)
Season series: Victoria, 1-3-0; Spokane, 3-1-0.
Saturday: Spokane 1 at Victoria 2 (OT) (6,615)
Sunday: Spokane 3 at Victoria 4 (OT) (4,629)
Wednesday: Victoria 6 at Spokane 1 (3,412)
Thursday: Victoria 4 at Spokane 2 (3,711)
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SEATTLE (4) vs. EVERETT (5)
(Seattle wins, 4-1)
Season series: Seattle, 5-4-1; Everett, 5-4-1.
Saturday: Everett 1 at Seattle 2 (4,650)
Sunday: Seattle 3 at Everett 1 (4,150)
Tuesday: Everett 3 at Seattle 4 (OT) (5,176)
Friday: Seattle 1 at Everett 6 (4,908)
Saturday: Everett 0 at Seattle 4 (3,526)
(NOTE: Seattle plays home games in Kent, Wash.)
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THE SECOND ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE

EDMONTON (1) vs. BRANDON (7)
Season series: Edmonton, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-2-1.
Thursday: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Brandon at Edmonton, noon
Tuesday, April 8: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 9: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, April 11: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 14: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 16: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, 3-5 weeks; D Blake Orban, indefinite; F Reid Petryk, day-to-day.
Brandon: None.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-3-0; Kootenay, 3-3-0.
Saturday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 9: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 10: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 12: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Monday, April 14: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 16: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
(NOTE: Kootenay plays home games in Cranbrook, B.C.)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, indefinite; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Tyler King, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE

KELOWNA (1) vs. SEATTLE (4)
Season series: Kelowna, 2-1-1; Seattle, 2-1-1.
Thursday: Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday: Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8: Kelowna at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, April 9: Kelowna at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
x-Friday, April 11: Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 13: Kelowna at Seattle, 5:05 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 15: Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Seattle plays home games in Kent, Wash.)
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, day-to-day; D Jesse Lees, indefinite.
Seattle: F Connor Honey, indefinite.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VICTORIA (3)
(Series televised by Shaw-TV)
Season series: Portland, 1-1-2; Victoria, 3-1-0.
Friday: Victoria at Portland (Veterans Memorial Coliseum), 7 p.m.
Saturday: Victoria at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Monday, April 7: Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8: Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Thursday, April 10: Victoria at Portland (Moda Center), 7, p.m.
x-Saturday, April 12: Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, April 14: Victoria at Portland (Veterans Memorial Coliseum), 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Victoria: None.
---

SUNDAY’S GAME:
In Swift Current, F Chad Labelle’s first goal of these playoffs broke a 1-1 tie as the Medicine Hat Tigers got past the Broncos 2-1 to win the first-round series in six games. . . . This was the first victory by a visiting team in the six games. . . . The Tigers will meet the Kootenay Ice in the second round. The Tigers, the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed, will have home-ice advantage against the No. 6 Ice. . . . After a scoreless first period, F Nate Burns scored for the Broncos, getting his fourth of the series at 9:35 of the second period. . . . Tigers F Curtis Valk got his fourth at 2:11 of the third. . . . Labelle, an 18-year-old sophomore from Calgary, scored his first goal in 21 playoff games at 17:36 of the third. . . . Labelle scored nine goals in 69 regular-season games, giving him a career total of 16 goals in 142 games. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 30 shots, while the Broncs’ Eetu Laurikainen turned aside 38. . . . Each team was 0-for-1 on the PP as only two minor penalties were doled out during the game.


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