Madaisky home damaged by fire

The Madaisky family home in Surrey sustained heavy damage from a Saturday fire.
(Photos by Austin Madaisky)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It was Saturday, 3 a.m., and Austin Madaisky’s mother was screaming.
“At first I thought someone might have been breaking into the house,” said Madaisky, a defenceman who played the last 2 seasons with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. “I just sprinted out of my room, wondering ‘What the heck is going on?’ ”

He quickly realized that there wasn’t an intruder in the Surrey home, but that there was a fire.
Madaisky, his parents, Dolores and Pat, sister Clarissa, brother Aaron and girlfriend Nicole were asleep at the time and were able to escape without injury. However, the house sustained major damage.
“It could have been a lot worse,” the 20-year-old Madaisky said. “Everyone’s OK.”
The fire appears to have started in a shed that was a few feet from the house. Madaisky said the shed contained mostly sports gear like “bikes, roller blades, tennis rackets,” but that there may also have been some fertilizer and perhaps a jerry can with some gasoline in it.
Steve Zecchel, a battalion chief with the Surrey Fire Service, said Sunday a call came in at 3:18 a.m., but that a cause hadn’t yet been found. He confirmed that the SFS will continue its investigation into the fire.
“It was crazy,” Madaisky said. “Something in the shed must have caught on fire. The shed kind of exploded. By the time we all got out of the house you couldn’t even see the shed; it was just flames.
“It was surreal. There’s five or six feet between the shed and the side of the house. The top of the roof of the house caught fire and then it just . . .
“The entire top floor was damaged. It’s gone from the fire. There’s water damage. It looked like a hurricane went through the entire house.
“Things like clothes and stuff that was in drawers, they managed to save almost everything like that. But the structure of the house, from the smoke and the water and everything, just started to fall apart.”
While Madaisky hadn’t heard a damage estimate, he did say the “house is pretty much toast.”
Madaisky’s father lost what his son referred to as a “super pub . . . his dream pub” that he had built in the basement.
But it could have been worse because Pat ran his law firm out of the house, with a lot of the business being centred in a garage-like building that was near the shed.
“They were pretty concerned about that,” Austin said. “But the firefighters were really good; they managed to save pretty much everything. It was insane . . . it’s an entire law firm!
“Everything got a little wet but they have ways to get those papers dry.”
The Madaisky family has been told it should plan to be away from home for 12 months. The plan is to spend a few nights in a nearby hotel while looking for a house to rent “while they restore the old house,” Madaisky said.
Meanwhile, he continues to prepare for what might be the first season of his professional career. In May, he signed a three-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who selected him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft.
But with the NHL perhaps headed for a lockout, he isn’t sure where he’ll play.
Madaisky is to join Blue Jackets’ hopefuls in Traverse City, Mich., on Sept. 15. However, that is the day the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with players is to end and management has said it isn’t prepared to continue to operate without a CBA.
“Everyone is going to get bumped down the depth chart a little bit if there is a lockout,” said Madaisky, who, under normal circumstances, likely would be ticketed for the Springfield Falcons, the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate.
But if there is a lockout he might find himself back in Kamloops.
“It’s an absolute possibility,” he said. “Whatever happens happens. If I come back to Kamloops for another year it’ll be a lot of fun . . . to come back and contribute again.”
JUST NOTES: Madaisky will be back in Kamloops in a few days to skate with the Blazers, who open rookie camp on Aug. 22. Main camp opens on Aug. 26. . . . G Emerance Maschmeyer, 18, has been named to the U-22 Canadian development team that will play a three-game series against the U.S. this week in Calgary. She is the younger sister of former Blazers D Bronson Maschmeyer. Emerance is the lone Albertan on the team. There aren’t any B.C. players on the U-22 roster.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bud Holloway (Seattle, 2003-08) signed a one-year contract extension with Skellefteå (Sweden, Elitserien). He had 21 goals and 28 assists in 55 games, good enough to finish fifth in league scoring, and led the league in power-play goals with 12. Holloway followed up the regular season by leading the league playoffs in scoring, getting 10 goals and 13 assists in 19 playoff games. Skellefteå lost in the best-of-seven Elitserien final to Brynäs Gävle, 4-2. Skellefteå GM Lars Johansson: "It is of course very positive. Bud is a great guy, both on and off the ice, who fits very well into our organization, so it feels great that we have agreed on an extension. He had a great season and it's fantastic that he now chooses to continue his development here in Skellefteå." . . .
F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract extension with Landshut Cannibals (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 25 goals and 23 assists in 46 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .
D Burke Henry (Brandon, 1995-99) signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He was pointless in four games with the South East Prairie Thunder at this season's Allan Cup final. In 2010-11, Henry had four goals and three assists for Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). . . .
D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) signed a one-year contract with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had six goals and 26 assists in 59 games with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
F Dominik Volek (Regina, 2011-12) signed a junior contract with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, J20 SuperElit). He had 14 goals and 18 assists with the Pats this season. Volek, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, is from Praha, Czech Republic, and had been expected to return to the Pats for a second season. Regina selected him with the ninth overall pick in the CHL’s 2011 import draft.
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THE COACHING GAME:
A couple of coaching-related notes from Aaron Portzline, who covers the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Columbus Post-Dispatch. . . . First, he tweeted this: “Confirmed #CBJ asst Brad Berry is a candidate to return to Univ of North Dakota as an assistant. Safe to say he's a favorite for the job.” . . . Berry may have ended up as the Kamloops Blazers' head coach over the summer of 2008 had he not taken his name out of the running. . . . North Dakota has a vacancy because it chose not to bring back associate head coach Cary Eades, who now is the GM/head coach of the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. Eades was out of work for all of a week. . . . Portzline also tweeted this: “Also, #CBJ looking for coach to replace Rob Riley @ AHL level in Springfield. All signs point to former NHLer Brad Larsen getting the job.” . . . Larsen is a former WHLer, having played with the Swift Current Broncos (1993-97). . . .
It hasn’t yet been announced but I’m told that Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Dan Lambert has signed a new two-year deal as an assistant coach. Lambert, who was one of the best offensive defencemen in WHL history during his four seasons (1986-90) with the Swift Current Broncos, works alongside head coach Ryan Huska and assistant Ryan Cuthbert. Lambert handles the back end and is having the time of his life working with young up-and-comers like Madison Bowey, Jesse Lees and Damon Severson. . . .
The Central league’s Bloomington Blaze has hired Brian Gratz as its head coach. He spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Dayton Gems. He is a 30-year-old native of Fort Wayne, Ind. With the Blaze, he replaces Paul Gardner whose contract wasn’t renewed after a 23-30-7 record in the franchise’s first season in the league. . . .
The Central league’s Wichita Thunder has extended the contract of head coach Kevin McClelland through 2014-15. McClelland, a former head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, has been with the Thunder for two seasons. He was named the league’s coach of the year after guiding the team to a franchise-record 44 victories. He also got the Thunder into the league final. . . .
The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express has added the general manager’s duties to head coach Jon Calvano’s portfolio. He takes over from Darcy Rota, the club’s president and governor, who stepped aside after 11 seasons as GM.
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JUST NOTES:
D Bronson Maschmeyer has decided to head for St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish, N.S., and play for the X-Men next season. "That's where I committed," Maschmeyer confirmed via text late last night. Maschmeyer played out his eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season. The Blazers acquired him from the Vancouver Giants prior to the 2009-10 season and he never missed a game while with Kamloops, playing in 231 consecutive regular-season and playoff games. . . . Maschmeyer’s sister, Emerance, is off to Harvard after playing this season with the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. She’s a goaltender. . . . And their brother Brock, a defenceman, will head for Northern Michigan and the Wildcats for 2013-14. Brock plays for the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. . . .
The MJHL’s newest franchise is the Virden Oil Capitals. The team that played out of Winnipeg as the Saints before being sold and moved to the south-western Manitoba community made the announcement Wednesday. . . .
With the threat of a lockout looming, the NHL has started making moves in preparation. That includes the cancellation of the annual Young Guns tournament that has been played in Penticton, B.C. Last year’s tournament featured the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail has chatted with Scotty Bowman about the way the NHL game is being played in these playoffs. The result is a terrific piece, with Bowman going back to the 1979 playoffs to find a series in which one team collapsed in its zone in order to protect its house.
That piece is right here.
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Earlier in the week, also in the pages of The Globe and Mail, the Calgary-based Allan Maki wrote of a family that is waiting to find out whether their husband and father’s brain contained signs of CTE. Yes, he was a former football player. Doug MacIver Sr. was a solid defensive lineman.
Maki’s story is right here.


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Charron's flick not that scary

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Guy Charron was in his office early Thursday and, yes, he watched the flick from the previous night.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers had stood behind the bench and watched as his charges were felled, 7-3, by the Kootenay Ice, the WHL’s defending champion.
Charron then began the work of preparing his guys for two weekend home games, tonight against the Victoria Royals (11-12-1) and Saturday against the Seattle Thunderbirds (10-11-0).
Kamloops goes into the weekend at 14-7-1, good for fourth spot in the Western Conference, although it has the conference’s second-best winning percentage (.659).
If you weren’t in Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday, you missed a six-goal second-period explosion by the visitors that broke open a 1-1 game.
After watching the video, Charron decided that “the score was not an indication of the game.”
As he pointed out, the Ice had 15 scoring chances, while the Blazers had “18 or 19.”
Of course, such use of numbers gives credence to Mark Twain’s theory that “facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.”
Because, as Charron was well aware, while his guys owned the third period, outscoring the Ice 2-0, both goals coming via the power play, and outshooting it 11-4, the game had ended in the second period.
The Blazers actually came out of the first period in good shape, despite a major penalty handed to defenceman Josh Caron for a hit to the head of Ice centre Max Reinhart. The WHL has suspended Caron for three games, meaning he won’t play this weekend.
Still, the Blazers came out of the first period tied 1-1. The home side also held an 11-8 edge in shots.
“Even though we took the major penalty,” Charron said, “I thought we did very well. Our first period was dominant.”
The second period, however, was a different story. The Ice scored six times on eight shots, while the Blazers mustered only two scoring chances.
“Their second period was dominant . . .,” Charron said. “In the third, we outchanced them. But, in saying that, you (allow a team to) score x number of goals on x number of shots, it’s going to be tough to win the hockey game.”
The Blazers’ downfall began with two penalties — a goaltender interference call against left-winger Brendan Ranford and a checking-from-behind minor to defenceman Austin Madaisky — in the period’s first five minutes.
The Ice scored on each of the power plays to take a 3-1 lead. And the Blazers were done, if for no other reason than they now were too caught up in the work of referee Derek Zalaski.
“For sure . . . for sure . . . for sure,” Charron said. “That’s a valid point, for sure.
“Something we as a team have to get better at is dealing with some of the adversity. For me, we didn’t play badly, but we didn’t . . . when things go well for us on the road we are more focused to play the way we need to play and at home we get away from it a little bit.”
So the work in progress will continued tonight against Marc Habscheid’s Royals, who have won three of their last 10 games and have given up a WHL-high 121 goals.
With Caron out, Brady Gaudet, 17, draws back into the Blazers’ lineup after being a healthy scratch for three straight games. Landon Cross, another 17-year-old defenceman, has been a healthy scratch for six straight games and nine of the last 10, but may play tonight in place of Tyler Bell.
Two Kamloops forwards — team captain Chase Schaber and freshman winger Cole Ully — were missing from practice yesterday.
Charron said Schaber was given a maintenance day — “He’s resting. He’s been banged up for quite some time,” Charron said — while Ully has a “lower body injury.”
And who to start in goal? Cole Cheveldave started Wednesday and gave up four goals on 12 shots, before being relieved by Cam Lanigan, who was beaten three times on four shots. Cheveldave re-entered and stopped the last six shots he faced.
So . . . Cheveldave is expected to make his fourth straight start tonight.
JUST NOTES: Caron will be eligible to return for a game in Victoria on Wednesday. The Blazers also play in Victoria on Tuesday. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer was playing the role of proud brother yesterday, after his sister, Emerance, a 17-year-old goaltender, was named to the Canadian team that will play in the IIHF U-18 World championship in Prerov and Zlin, Czech Republic, Dec. 31 through Jan. 7. Emerance plays for the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. . . . The Royals signed F Ben Walker, 18, from the Edina, Minn., High School Hornets on Monday. He could make his WHL debut tonight. . . . Victoria remains without D Tyler Stahl (concussion), who was injured on Oct. 1. . . . Seattle, which has won three in a row, is at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, 17, is back after missing all of last season with what was thought to be a concussion. In short, it turned out to be a problem with a nerve in his neck that was mimicking a concussion. He now visits an acupuncturist once a week and, so far, it’s keeping him in the lineup.

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The tall and the short of it

An interesting story is developing with the midget AAA team in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. (I have always wondered if there is a Fort Alberta in Saskatchewan?)
Anyway . . .
I am told that the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers have two goaltenders — one is 6-foot-6, the other is 5-foot-6. One has signed a WHL contract with the Kamloops Blazers; the other has a brother who is a veteran defenceman with the Blazers.
The tall one is Troy Trombley, a third-round pick by the Blazers in the 2009 bantam draft. The short one is Emerance Maschmeyer, the first female to play in the midget AAA league since Shannon Szabados was with the Maple Leaf Athletic Club in 2002-03. Szabados, of course, later attended camp with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, played in the AJHL and won gold with Canada’s Olympic women’s team in Vancouver in February.
Emerance is the younger sister of Bronson Maschmeyer, who plays with the Blazers.
The two goaltenders both are 16 years of age and I am told that they have, to this point in the season, split the playing time with a team that goes into the weekend at 2-6-5.
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I was musing yesterday on the time when Pat Ginnell, then the GM and head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, borrowed goaltender Ron Popplestone from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Well, I was able to find a clipping in my files from the Brandon Sun of Jan. 4, 1980. Here’s what I wrote:
“Regina Pats general manager Bob Strumm was most upset on Dec. 21, when his Western Hockey League club came out on the short end of a 5-4 count with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
“Medicine Hat . . . was using goaltender Ron Popplestone, who belongs to the Brandon Wheat Kings, and all the rookie net minder did was kick out 64 shots as the Tigers won in overtime. Both Medicine Hat goaltenders -- Kelly Hrudey and Randy Jaycock -- apparently had the flu.
“So Tigers general manager and head cocah Pat Ginnell apparently got permission from WHL president Dave Descent and Brandon general manager Jack Brockest to use Popplestone.
“Strumm immediately protested the game, because the Pats never did give permission for the move. But Descent threw the protest out the door.
“The Pats, though, have appealed and that will be heard by the WHL’s grievance committee, likely in February at the league’s next meeting.”
Popplestone as backing up Brandon starter Scott Olson during the 1979-80 season.
I don’t know that Strumm’s appeal was ever heard. But I have this feeling that if it was he lost.
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As was mentioned here earlier in the week, the owners of the independent Golden Baseball League’s Victoria Seals pulled the plug on the franchise. Those owners happen to be Russ Parker, who also owns the Regina Pats, and his son, Darren. . . . I meant to follow up on the earlier post with a mention of the news conference that Darren held in Victoria to make it all official. The Victoria Times Colonist’s story is right here. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Times Colonist provides some opinion on the situation right here.
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F Colin Jacobs of the Seattle Thunderbirds is from Coppell, Texas. So why is he in the WHL and not playing football somewhere in the U.S.? Adam Kimelman of nhl.com answers that question and more right here. . . . The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Jacobs is in his draft season and, yes, the scouts are taking notice of him.
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The Calgary Herald has been all over the story involving Flames F Brett Sutter and the charges he is facing in Scottsdale, Alta. There’s a story right here on what all is in the police report. And there’s a story right here on how the team is standing by Sutter, who is the son of Flames’ GM Darryl Sutter.
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Glenda Luymes of the Vancouver Province has taken a look at what the City of Abbotsford, B.C., came up with in order to land the Abbotsford Heat, the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, and how the hockey fans in the area have responded. Or not. . . . That story is right here.
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The Kootenay Ice (13-4-0-2) meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton tonight before turning to Calgary to face the Hitmen on Sunday. Kootenay, which won 4-2 in Calgary on Thursday, already has beaten the Hitmen four times this season. . . . The Ice has added F Ryan Bloom, a second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, and F Jarrett Zentner, a fourth-rounder in the same draft. Bloom was brought in from the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons; Zentner plays for the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. Both will stay with the Ice through the weekend. . . . The Ice lost F Brock Montgomery with a head injury during Wednesday’s practice. . . . He joined D James Martin (facial injury), F Drew Czerwonka (shoulder) and F Brendan Hurley (hand) on the shelf. . . . G Alex Pechurskiy, who lost out in the 20-year-old game with the Tri-City Americans, has signed with the Central league’s Mississippi RiverKings. Pechurskiy, who is from Magnitogorsk, Russia, went 13-10-1, 2.61, .912 with the Americans last season. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2208 draft. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin of the Americans is eligible to return to their lineup Saturday when they meet the Chiefs in Spokane. He sat out the 12th game of his 12-game suspension on Friday night as the Americans played the visiting Everett Silvertips. Shinnimin was suspended for a hit from behind on Saskatoon Blades F Josh Nicholls on Oct. 6. . . . In practice this week, Shinnimin, who had 13 points in seven games when he was suspended, was working on a line with Adam Hughesman and Kruise Reddick. . . . The WHL may rule Monday on the length of suspension to Vancouver Giants D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, who picked up a major penalty and a game misconduct for a Thursday hit on Chilliwack Bruins F Robin Soudek. . . . Soudek left the ice surface on a backboard but the Bruins didn’t update his condition on Friday. . . . F Brendan Rowinski, acquired by the Giants from the Moose Jaw Warriors, practised with Vancouver on Friday and should play tonight against the visiting Prince George Cougars.
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The last fan had barely left Friday night’s final game when the email chimed. And here’s what had arrived:
“As Forrest Gump once said, I may not be a smart man, but can you help explain how an entire conference can be at or above .500 at 20 games into the regular season?
“Your insight is much appreciated Professor.”
It’s true. Each of the Western Conference’s 10 teams is at .500 or better.
Seriously.
Congratulations are in order to whomever is responsible for the format that allows this to happen.
All told, 17 of the WHL’s 22 teams went to bed safe in the knowledge that they were at .500 or better.
That, folks, is no mean feat.
Of course, what it all means is that the old axiom “For every winner there is a loser” no longer holds water or anything else.
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In Friday’s most-anticipated game, the host Saskatoon Blades scored a 4-3 victory over Portland, snapping the Winterhawks’ 10-game winning streak. The Blades (14-5-0-1) scored the game’s last two goals, with F Josh Nicholls scoring on the Pp at 11:09 of the third period and F Curtis Hamilton getting the winner at 18:01. . . . The Blades got a goal and three assists from F Marek Viedensky, while Hamilton and Nicholls each had a goal and two assists. . . . The Winterhawks, at 16-3-0-1, still boast the WHL’s best record. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots, including 18 of 20 in the first period. . . . Saskatoon opened with Adam Morrison in goal. He stopped 12 of 14 shots, but left after F Riley Boychuk broke a 2-2 tie on the PP just 59 seconds into the third. . . . Steven Stanford came on to stop 13 of 14. Stanford had been out since Oct. 26 when he suffered a concussion in practice. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi had one assist to run his point streak to 14 games. . . . The much-ballyhooed game — the Blades debuted the denim look, Shannon Tweed and Gene Simmons were in the crowd — drew 8,812 fans. . . .

In Moose Jaw, Warriors D Collin Bowman scored two first-period goals but Medicine Hat F Ryan Harrison struck three times — including twice on the same shift — in the second period and the Tigers went on to a 6-3 victory. . . . Harrison has nine goals this season. . . . Medicine Hat F Tyler Pitlick broke a 3-3 tie with his fifth at 12:27 of the third. . . .


In Brandon, F Scott Glennie’s goal 53 seconds into OT gave the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. F Shayne Wiebe, the team captain, scored twice for Brandon. He has 10 goals this season. . . .

In Regina, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last four goals, three of them in a span of 7:07 in the third period, and beat the Pats, 5-4. F Charles Wells broke a 4-4 tie at 14:20 of the third period. . . . The first three goals of Seattle’s comeback all came via the PP. . . . F Colin Jacobs had two goals and an assist for Seattle, while D Brendan Dillon had three assists. . . . F Carter Ashton scored his ninth and 10th goals for the Pats. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 38 shots. . . . Seattle was 3-for-4 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds are 3-1-1 on their East Division trip and have won the last three. . . . Seattle wraps up its trip tonight in Swift Current against the Broncos. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos blew a 2-0 lead and then got a PP goal from F Brad Hoban at 10:29 of the third period for a 3-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Hoban had two goals, giving him 10. . . . G Mark Friesen stopped 45 shots for the Broncos. . . . The Raiders, who have lost three in a row, were without F Igor Revenko, who was out with an undisclosed injury. Apparently, he will be going to Edmonton for tests next week. . . .

In Spokane, F Tyler Johnson scored twice and G James Reid had 37 saves as the Chiefs beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-3. . . . The Chiefs are 4-0-0 all-time against the Oil Kings. . . .


In Kelowna, the Rockets won their sixth straight game, beating the Prince George Cougars, 4-1. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan had a goal and an assist for Kelowna, which has gone from 4-10-0 to 10-10-0 with the winning skein. . . . D Tyson Barrie had two assists for the Rockets, who play the Blazers in Kamloops tonight. . . . Callahan’s 11th goal was into an empty net. He has 15 points in the six-game streak, which includes five victories over B.C. Division opponents. . . .

In Chilliwack, the Red Deer Deer Rebels’ scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Bruins, 4-3. . . . The Bruins scored those three goals on eight shots in the game’s first 8:30. . . . F Ryan Howse scored his 17th goal of the season for the Bruins, tying him for the WHL lead with F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants and F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . F Turner Elson had a goal and an assist for the Rebels. The goal, his seventh, gave the Rebels a 4-2 lead and stood up as the winner. . . . Red Deer went 3-1-2 on its swing through B.C. and into the U.S. . . .

In Everett, F Josh Birkholz scored three times and added two assists as the Silvertips scored a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Birkholz has nine points, six of them goals, in 18 games. In other words, he more than doubled his points output in one game. . . . Birkholz was on a line with Scott MacDonald, who had two goals and an assist, and Clayton Cumiskey, who had an assist. . . . Cumiskey appeared to dislocate a finger at one point in the game. He left for repairs and then returned to action. . . . Everett G Luke Siemens, in a rare start, stopped 45 shots. . . . The Silvertips meet the visiting Chilliwack Bruins tonight and then travel to Kamloops for a Sunday encounter with the Blazers.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One double minor:
Brandon F Mark Mieritz
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Six minors:
Seattle F Jacob Doty
Spokane F Blake Gal
Spokane F Tyler Johnson
Everett D Brennan Yadlowski
Red Deer D Alex Petrovic
Tri-City F Kruise Reddick

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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