F Jason Bast (Moose Jaw, 2005-10) has signed a one-year contract with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). This season, with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL), he had 30 goals and 22 assists in 52 games. He also saw some AHL action, going pointless in two games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and earning one assist in four games with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL).
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
pic.twitter.com/IRlGwjhqX6
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) April 25, 2015
Hitmen. . . . The Wheat Kings lead the series 1-0 with Game 2 in Brandon tonight. . . . The Wheat Kings set a single-game high for goals by a team in these playoffs. Calgary and the Portland Winterhawks each have had an eight-goal game this spring. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini needed help leaving the ice after going hard into the end boards with the score 2-2 in the second period. He missed a few shifts and while he was gone the Wheat Kings scored three times. . . . F Peter Quenneville scored his fifth playoff
Hitmen coach Mark French is headed to the room, but not before a stick slam and toss.
— Robert Henderson (@HendoRob) April 25, 2015
Ch-ch-ching! Calgary head coach Mark French was ejected in the third period after banging on the boards with a stick and then tossing a stick onto the ice. . . . Brandon head coach Kelly McCrimmon has won 61 playoff games, moving him into a tie for ninth with Dean Clark on the all-time list. Don Hay is No. 1, with 103. . . . Attendance was 5,028. . . . Shaw TV is televising this series in its entirety.Laurence Heinen wrote this game story for the Calgary Herald.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Conor MacEachern, a list player who spent this season with the Cariboo Cougars of the British Columbia Major Midget Hockey League. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder had 17 points, including four goals, in 33 games with the Cougars. They won the prestigious Mac’s Tournament in Calgary and he was named the top defenceman. . . . MacEachern, who will turn 17 on Aug. 12, is from Charlottetown, P.E.I. The Winterhawks placed him on their protected list in December.
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Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald takes a look at the offseason that awaits the Everett Silvertips and how much depends on a decision yet to be made by F Auston Matthews, who is in the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . That piece is right here.
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In the OHL, F Connor McDavid had two goals and two assists, leading the Erie Otters to a 6-3 victory over the host Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The Western Conference final is 1-1. . . . McDavid had scored three times in a 6-3 loss on Thursday. . . . McDavid has 30 points, 16 of them goals, in 11 playoff games. . . . They’ll play again Sunday, this time in Erie, and the game will be televised by Sportsnet. . . . In the Eastern Conference final, the North Bay Battalion went into Oshawa and beat the Generals, 6-1, in the opener. They’ll play again Sunday in Oshawa.
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In the QMJHL, the host Rimouski Oceanic beat the Val-d’Or Foreurs 4-3 in overtime in Game 1 of their semifinal. They’ll play again today in Rimouski. Last night, F Anthony DeLuca won it with his third goal of the game, and sixth of the playoffs, on a PP, at 1:50 of OT. DeLuca had forced OT with a goal at 18:55 of the third period. . . . In the other semifinal, the visiting Quebec Remparts beat the Moncton Wildcats 4-1 on Thursday night. Game 2 is scheduled for today in Moncton.
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Former WHL G Andy Desautels (Everett, Prince Albert, 2010-13), who has played out his junior eligibility, will attend the U of Regina and play for the Cougars. Desautels is from White City, Sask., which is just east of Regina. He was a fifth-round selection by the Everett Silvertips in the 2009 bantam draft. He played the last two seasons with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors.
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The @CoachStanButler on @OHLBattalion fans: "We call them the 7th Man. They never take a shift off, unlike some of our guys." #OHLplayoffs
— Neate Sager (@neatebuzzthenet) April 25, 2015
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
In Regina, D Colby Williams had a goal and three assists to lead the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Pats erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits as they scored the game’s last four goals. . . . Pats F Patrick D’Amico tied it 2-2 with his 16th goal, shorthanded, at 2:32 of the third. . . . Williams broke the tie with his sixth at 8:32. . . . Regina F Jake Leschyshyn, brought in for the game from the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers, scored his first goal at 17:41 of the third, on the PP. He was a first-round selection by Red Deer in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft, but was dealt to Regina at the trade deadline last month. . . . F Sam Steel had two assists for the Pats. . . . D Brycen Martin had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 49 shots, 18 more than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Pats have beaten the Blades the last 12 times they have met. . . . Regina (29-17-6), which is likely to finish second in the East Division, has points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Blades slipped to 15-32-3. . . . The Pats are at home to Spokane tonight, while the Blades are in Swift Current. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, the Spokane Chiefs opened a six-game East Divison swing with a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . Prior to the game, the Warriors honoured F Ryan Smyth by retiring his number (28). . . . Chiefs F Riley Whittingham broke a 1-1 tie with his ninth goal at 12:11 of the second period. . . . Spokane F Markson Bechtold made it 3-1 at 17:09 with his sixth goal. . . . Moose Jaw F Axel Blomqvist scored his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Warriors were 0-for-4 on the PP; the Chiefs’ PP didn’t get off the bench. . . . Spokane G Tyson Verhelst stopped 32 shots, six more than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . Warriors F Jesse Shynkaruk served the second of a three-game suspension. . . . The Chiefs (25-22-4) are fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind Seattle. Spokane holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. Spokane visits Regina tonight. . . . The Warriors (21-28-4), who will play their next seven games on the road, are fourth in the East Divison, seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a story 
In Cranbrook, the Brandon Wheat Kings erased a 3-1 deficit with four third-period goals to beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-3. . . . The Ice took a 3-1 lead into the second and third periods. . . . Brandon F Quintin Lisoway cut that to 3-2 with his eighth goal, at 4:15 of the third, and D Eric Roy tied it, with his fourth, at 7:33. With seven defencemen dressed, Roy actually moved up to the forward ranks for the third period and also drew an assist on Lisoway’s goal. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his club’s last two goals, at 7:48 and 19:57, the latter into an empty net. . . . McGauley, who also had an assist, has 33 goals. . . . Wheat Kings D Colton Waltz had two assists, as did D Kale Clague. He was playing his first game since Oct. 28 after suffering a wrist injury in early November at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. This was only his 16th game of the season. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau earned his 250th career regular-season assist when he was in on F Luke Philp’s 23rd goal at 11:46 of the first period. . . . F Tim Bozon scored his 21st goal for the Ice and F Levi Cable got his 23rd. . . . Ice D Tanner Lischynsky had two assits. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP as the Ice took the game’s last five minors. . . . The Ice PP was 0-for-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (39-9-5), who lead the Eastern Conference by 10 points over Medicine Hat, have points in their last 11 games (10-0-1). . . . The Ice (27-25-1) has lost two in a row. It holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, a point ahead of Edmonton. . . . The same teams meet again tonight in Cranbrook. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story from Friday 
In Prince George, F Jari Erricson scored twice to lead the Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Erricson, who had missed four games with a concussion, has 17 goals. . . . Cougars F Kody McDonald broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal, at 14:19 of the first period. . . . Erricson stretched the lead with second-period goals at 4:54 and 10:40. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo scored his 11th goal and added and assist, while F Edgars Kulda had two assists. . . . Prince George F Aaron Macklin scoed his fourth goal, to open the game’s scoring, but he left later with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 34 shots. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry tied Laurent Brossoit’s franchise career record for most regular-season appearances (147). However, Jarry left at 10:40 of the second period after surrounding four goals on 16 shots. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . The Cougars (21-31-2) snapped a 12-game losing skid (0-10-2). They are fifth in the B.C. Division, but now just two points behind third-place Kamloops. . . . The Oil Kings (24-24-6), who hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, have lost three straight. . . . They’ll play again tonight in Prince George. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier scored once and added two assists to lead the Rockets to a 5-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Chartier leads the WHL with 42 goals. . . . His goal, 12 minutes into the second period, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . Rockets F Tyson Baillie scored his 21st goal just 18 seconds later for a 3-1 lead. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley had two assists, while Baillie and F Cole Linaker each had a goal and an assist. . . . Linaker has nine goals. . . . F Deven Sideroff scored his 16th goal and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Kamloops had import defencemen Michael Fora (undisclosed injury) and Patrik Maier (suspected concussion) back in the lineup. . . . The Rockets are 6-0-0 in the season series; the Blazers are 0-5-1. . . . The Rockets (40-8-4) have points in seven straight (6-0-1) and are the first WHL team to 40 victories. They lead the overall standings by one point over Brandon. . . . The Blazers (20-28-6) have lost two in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, a point ahead of Vancouver. . . . The Rockets and Blazers are to meet again tonight, this time in Kamloops. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Ty Ronning’s first goal, at 19:02 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Rebels D Colton Bobyk had given his side a 4-3 lead with his third goal at 11:14 of the third. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer tied it with his 11th at 11:59. . . . Red Deer D Austin Strand took a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Ronning at 17:01 of the third. Ronning scored the winner on the ensuing PP. . . . Giants D Josh Thrower and D Brennan Menell each had two assists. F Zane Jones scored his 25th goal — his seventh since being acquired from Lethbridge at the trade deadline — and had an assist, while Baer added an assist to his goal. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson scored No. 21 and added an assist. . . . Red Deer F Conner Bleackley scored his 27th goal, at 15:20 of the first period, for a 2-0 lead. But the Rebels captain later took a hit from D Clayton Kirichenko, left the game and didn’t return. . . . The Giants (21-28-3) had lost four in a row (0-3-1). The victory got them to within a point of third-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division. Vancouver travels to Kent, Wash., to play Seattle tonight. . . . The Rebels (28-16-8), who are in Victoria tonight, are 1-1-1 in their last three. They are second in the Central Division, a point ahead of idle Calgary. . . . 
In Everett, F Kohl Bauml scored the game’s first goal with 0.1 second left in the first period and the Silvertips went on to a 4-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Everett has a 4-1-1 edge in the season series. . . . F Carson Stadnyk and F Nikita Scherbak each had two assists for Everett, which built a 4-0 lead. . . . F Jordan Topping scored his sixth goal for the Americans, at 17:32 of the third period. . . . Bauml has 25 goals. . . . F Dawson Leedahl scored his eighth goal and added an assist for the winners. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 19 shots, six fewer than Tri-City’s Austin Lotz. . . . Everett (33-15-4) has won two in a row and has a five-point leader over Portland atop the U.S. Division. . . . The Americans (24-25-3) are 0-2-1 in their last four. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The same two teams will play again tonight, this time in Kennewick, Wash. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Roberts Lipsbergs scored twice and added two assists as his Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Portland Winterhawks, 5-3. . . . Portland had an eight-game winning streak snapped. . . . Seattle scored the game’s first three goals, only to have Portland roar back and tie it on F Dominic Turgeon’s 16th goal at 5:56 of the third. . . . F Ryan Gropp gave the Thunderbirds a 4-3 lead with a deflection at 7:52. He’s got 21 goals. . . . Lipsbergs added insurance at 14:14. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 36th goal. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had two assists and now holds the Breakers/Thunderbirds franchise record for career regular-season points by a defenceman. It had been held by Craig Channell. . . . Thunderbirds D Evan Wardley scored his fifth goal and added an assist, while D Turner Ottenbreit had two assists. . . . Seattle was 1-for-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-1. . . . The Winterhawks are without F Alex Schoenborn (undisclosed injury). Paul Danzer of the Vancouver Columbian reports that Schoenborn is week-to-week. . . . Seattle (26-19-6) has won three straight and sits third in the U.S. Division, nine points behind Portland. Seattle is at home to Vancouver tonight. . . . The Winterhawks are 31-20-3 and now trail U.S. Division-leading Everett by five points. They’ll play Sunday in Portland.
selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. Kohlhauser, from St. Albert, Alta., had been acquired by the Royals from the Vancouver Giants prior to last season for an undisclosed conditional draft pick. Vancouver selected him in the second round of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Kohlhauser had three assists in 47 games with the Royals over parts of two seasons. He was pointless in seven games this season. . . . The Royals, who meet the Rebels in Red Deer tonight, might see Kohlhauser on Wednesday when they play in Edmonton. 
The announcement was made Thursday night at the team’s annual general meeting.
A spin-o-rama is defined as a “360-degree turn.”
Over the past few days, The Oregonian has been counting down the 25 greatest players in the history of the Portland Winterhawks. Portland freelancer Scott Sepich unveils No. 1 
Most, if not all, WHL teams will be missing key players as the regular season opens tonight. Those players are in NHL training camps. Daniel Nugent-Bowman points out that it really isn’t fair to the WHL teams because the points on the line at this time of the season can be awfully important come March. . . . He also ponders what can be done about this situation. . . . His column is 
While things certainly appear to be looking up in Swift Current, that’s not the case in Prince Albert where Raiders GM Bruno Campese said Wednesday that the team lost money in 2014, something that will be confirmed at the annual general meeting on Sept. 29.
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