Showing posts with label Evan Weinger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evan Weinger. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Scout no fan of shootout ... 'Cane train rolls through Red Deer ... Pats get past Warriors


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 F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had nine goals and 21 assists in 24 games with Füchse Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga). He was released on Jan. 14. . . .
F Jiří Smejkal (Moose Jaw, Kamloops, 2014-16) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had three goals and an assist in 26 games with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL).
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ECHLF Casey Pierro-Zabotel, a former WHL scoring champion, had two assists for the Colorado Eagles in a 5-2 ECHL victory over the visiting Anchorage Aces on Wednesday night. The first of those assists was Pierro-Zabotel’s 400th career regular-season ECHL point. In 451 games, he has 123 goals and 278 assists. He also has played with the Wheeling Nailers, Cincinnati Cyclones, Bakersfield Condors, Gwinnett Gladiators, Florida Everblades and Allen Americans. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, 28, won the WHL’s 2008-09 scoring title when he put up 115 points in 72 games with the Vancouver Giants.
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Mike Fraser has a good rant in the Westman Journal this week. Fraser scouts for the Brandon Wheat Kings so sees more minor hockey games than is good for his health. (Most of his tweets include a photo featuring a Wheat Kings leather folder and a cuppa Starbucks.) Anyway, he has seen enough of, you guess it, the shootout and says it’s time for it go the way of the dodo bird. That piece is right here.
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Is F Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins bad news for the NHL? Will Steve Yzerman move G Ben Bishop out of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s dressing room? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman looks at those issues and more in his weekly 30 Thoughts right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with two PP goals and went on to dump the Calgary Hitmen, 8-2. . . . The Hitmen took a 1-0 lead on F Beck Malenstyn’s 22nd goal at 10:40. . . . At
DILLON DUBE
11:41, Calgary lost F Mark Kastelic with a charging major and game misconduct at 11:41 of the first period. . . . F Kole Lind, who took that hit, left the game but returned and finished with three assists. . . . The hosts scored two PP goals during the major penalty — F Dillon Dube (7) scored at 12:15 and F Calvin Thurkauf (23) at 14:12. . . . F Nick Merkley made it 3-1 with his 13th goal, at 19:21. . . . Calgary got to within a goal when F Luke Coleman got his 11th just 20 seconds into the second period. . . . Kelowna closed it out with the game’s last five goals. . . . Dube, Merkley and Thurkauf each had two goals and two assists. Dube’s NHL rights are owned by the Calgary Flames, who own the Hitmen. . . . F Nolan Foote (11) and D Devante Stephens (9) also scored for Kelowna. . . . D Cal Foote had two assists for Kelowna, with Stephens adding one. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 25 shots for the Rockets. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin allowed seven goals on 32 shots in 32:24. Kyle Dumba finished up with eight saves on nine shots in 27:35. . . . Kelowna was 3-4 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Rockets (28-19-4) had lost their previous two games. They are fourth in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Hitmen (18-13-9) have lost two in a row. They remain one point out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,018.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Max Gerlach scored two goals and added an assist as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 6-2. . . . Gerlach, a sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas, has 47 points,
MAX GERLACH
including 29 goals, in 52 games. Last season, Gerlach finished with 45 points, including 30 goals, in 72 games. . . . On Tuesday night, The Tigers had scored the game’s last three goals in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Ice. Last night, Medicine Hat accounted for the final four goals. . . . Gerlach, at 1:22 of the first period, and F Mark Rassell (23), at 8:56 of the second, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . Kootenay tied it on goals from F Brett Davis (15), on a PP, at 17:16 of the second and F Vince Loschiavo (19), at 1:40 of the third. . . . Tigers F James Hamblin broke the tie with his 13th goal at 4:47. . . . F Matt Bradley (22) added insurance at 12:44. . . . Gerlach and F Gary Haden (5) added goals and 13:21 and 13:40. . . . Hamblin and D Kristians Rubins had two assists each for Medicine Hat. . . . Loschiavo also had an assist. . . . G Michael Bullion blocked 23 shots to earn the victory over Payton Lee, who stopped 35 shots. . . . The Ice was 1-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-1. . . . Medicine Hat (36-15-1) has won five in a row and is third in the overall standings, four points behind the Regina Pats and two in arrears of the Prince George Cougars. . . . Kootenay (12-33-8) has lost its past three games as it searches for its 13th victory, one more than it won all of last season. . . . Announced attendance: 1,526.
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At Portland, F Evan Weinger broke a 2-2 tie at 17:09 of the second period and the Winterhawks went on to a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Weinger, a 19-year-old from El Segundo, Calif., has 33
EVAN WEINGER
points, including 16 goals, in 51 games this season. Last season, his second with Portland, he finished with 10 goals and 15 assists in 63 games. . . . F Collin Shirley (21) gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 6:49 of the second period. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie tied it with his 32nd goal at 9:37. . . . F Luc Smith (9) put the Blazers back into the lead, on a PP, at 13:58. . . . The Winterhawks tied it on F Jake Gricius’s fifth goal, at 15:21. . . . After Weinger scored, D Caleb Jones added insurance with his fifth goal at 13:39 of the third period. . . . The Winterhawks got two assists from F Cody Glass, with McKenzie adding one. . . . F Quinn Benjafield had two assists for Kamloops. . . . G Shane Farkas stopped 25 shots in his third start in eight days. He is 3-0-0 in those starts. . . . Kamloops got 34 saves from G Dylan Ferguson. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-4. . . . The Winterhawks (27-21-3) have won five straight. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Blazers (31-18-4) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). They are 1-1-1 on a five-game trip into the U.S. Division. Kamloops is second in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . This was the third meeting between these teams in the past 13 days. The host Blazers won 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 20, with the Winterhawks posting a 6-4 victory in Portland four days later. . . . Announced attendance: 5,101.
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At Red Deer, F Giorgio Estephan had two goals, including the OT winner, and an assist to lead the
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . One night earlier, Estephan had the only goal of a shootout as the Hurricanes beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Last night, he won it with his 26th goal just 46 seconds into OT. . . . D Brennan Menell picked up one of his two assists on the winner. . . . Estephan and Menell had assisted on F Tyler Wong’s 37th goal, at 17:34 of the third period, that forced OT. . . . Estephan had given the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 8:18 of the first period. . . . Red Deer took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Jared Freadrich (4), on a PP, at 7:52 of the second period, and F Brandon Hagel (21), at 11:47 of the third. . . . F Michael Spacek assessed on both Red Deer goals. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 34 saves, four more than Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Red Deer was 0-3 on the PP; Lethbridge’s PP unit didn’t get an opportunity. . . . The Hurricanes (30-15-7) have points in 12 straight games (10-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and 15 in front of the Rebels. . . . The Rebels (22-21-8) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 4,131.
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At Regina, D Connor Hobbs scored with 23.7 seconds left to give the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Hobbs leads WHL defencemen in goals, with 21, one more than David Quenneville of
CONNOR HOBBS
the Medicine Hat Tigers, who is on the shelf with a broken leg. . . . The Pats never trailed in this game, as Moose Jaw three times tied the score. . . . F Austin Wagner gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 10:49 of the first period, with Warriors F Tanner Jeannot tying it at 10:28 of the second period. . . . Regina F Robbie Holmes (2) put the Pats back out front at 14:44. . . . F Brett Howden (26) tied it at 17:51. . . . The Pats regained the lead at 8:38 of the third period when F Nick Henry got his 22nd goal. . . . Jeannot, with his 14th goal, tied it at 14:02. . . . F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring leader, had assists on the Pats’ last two goals to reach 90 points in 42 games. . . . Wagner and Holmes had an assist each. . . . Howden also had an assist. . . . The Pats got 30 saves from G Tyler Brown. At the other end, Zach Sawchenko stopped 27 shots. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-4. . . . The Pats scratched F Dawson Leedahl (personal) and F Jeff de Wit (ill). . . . The Pats (35-6-7) have won six in a row and are back on top of the overall standings, two points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . . Moose Jaw (30-14-7) has lost two straight and now trails the Pats by 10 points in the East Division. . . . Shortly after the game, the Pats announced that their Saturday game against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings is sold out. . . . Announced attendance: 5,402.
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen’s two goals helped the Broncos to a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton
TYLER STEENBERGEN
Oil Kings. . . . Steenbergen, who has 37 goals, broke a 1-1 tie, on a PP, at 15:10 of the second period. He added insurance at 19:38 of the second. . . . D Max Lajoie drew an assist on each of those goals. . . . F Brett Kemp gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 6:51 of the first period. . . . Broncos F Kaden Elder (11) tied it at 1:16 of the second. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi, who also had an assist, got the Broncos’ last goal, into an empty net, at 19:48 of the third. He’s got 20 goals. . . . Steenbergen is one goal behind F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who holds the league lead despite not having scored in his past eight games. F Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals and F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes also have 37 goals. . . . Swift Current G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots, while Edmonton’s Patrick Dea blocked 38. . . . Edmonton was 1-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 1-6. . . . The Broncos (26-17-8) snapped a four-game losing skid. They are third in the East Division, seven points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors and six ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Oil Kings (18-29-4) now have lost 12 in a row and are six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 1,717.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Kyle Olson had a goal and three assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . A 17-year-old from Calgary, Olson has 45 points, 14 of them goals,
KYLE OLSON
in 54 games. Last season, as a freshman, he had three goals and seven assists in 19 games. . . . The Americans grabbed a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game when D Juuso Valimaki scored his 14th goal. . . . Tri-City scored the next four goals as they grabbed a 4-0 lead late in the second period. . . . F Morgan Geekie got No. 28 at 18:40 of the first period, with Olson, at 15:06 of the second period, and F Vladislav Lukin (22), who also had an assist, counting at 17:42. . . . D Jake Christiansen got his fourth goal for Everett, at 17:57. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (9) scored Tri-City’s final goal, on a PP, at 7:24 of the third period. . . . Geekie also had two assists. He went into the season with 13 goals and 15 assist in 76 games. This season, he has 67 points, including 39 assists, in 54 games. . . . The Americans got 27 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . Everett started Carter Hart, but he left after giveng up two goals on seven shots in the first period. Mario Petit finished up with 18 saves on 21 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-3 and now hasn’t scored in its last 23 opportunities. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu, the team captain, played in his 300th regular-season game. He also has played with Everett and the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Silvertips are in a stretch that has them playing seven games in nine nights. Seriously. It began with three games in fewer than 48 hours last weekend. This was the second of four games in five nights. . . . Tri-City (31-20-3) is back in second spot in the U.S. Division, a point ahead of Seattle, but the Thunderbirds hold five games in hand. . . . The Silvertips (30-10-10) have lost six in a row (0-4-2). They are four points ahead of Tri-City and Everett has four games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 2,732.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

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

Edmonton at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Moose Jaw vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Calgary vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:07 PM
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Saturday, September 24, 2016

Game fogged out in Brandon . . . Two six-point nights in WHL . . . Tri-City sniper scores four times



Prior to the start of this season, the WHL brought in a rule involving pucks that go into nets off skates. According to the WHL, “Unless the puck is in the goal crease, a puck that enters the net off a player's skate shall be ruled a goal. This will eliminate the need for a decision by the referee and/or video goal judge as to whether it was a distinct kicking motion or not.”
The new rule came into play on Friday in Calgary during a game between the Hitmen and Kootenay Ice.
The Ice led 2-1 when Calgary F Tyler Mrkonjic scored at 1:18 of the third period. Eventually, the game went into OT. Calgary F Mark Kastelic thought he had won the game with 29.3 seconds left in OT.
From the WHL web site:
“In the overtime period, the Hitmen were able to jam a puck past Ice goaltender Payton Lee during a goal-mouth scramble. Igniting the red light, Calgary emptied from its bench, celebrating what appeared to be a victory. Meanwhile, Lee protested and his teammates headed down the hallway to the dressing room.
“Across the ice at the timekeeper’s box, on-ice officials were on the phone with video review and quickly overturned the goal, bringing both teams back to the ice.”
So . . . what happened?
According to a tweet from Brad Curle, the radio voice of the Hitmen, “Video review showed the puck was kicked in. New rule only allows a kick outside the blue crease. He was in the crease.”
Eventually, F Taylor Sanheim’s shootout goal gave Calgary a 3-2 victory.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers are into their second season in the Canalta Centre, but they still aren’t in what is supposed to be a $1.5-million dressing room. In fact, construction on that dressing room hasn’t even started. . . . Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News has more right here.
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As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Brandon Sun are asking fans to help pick the franchise’s Dream Team — the top 20 players in franchise history.
The online project allows fans to select two goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards from a list
of 50 that is provided. Voting is to begin on Monday at wheatkings.com.
The names on the ballot:
Goalies — Glen Hanlon, Ron Hextall, Trevor Kidd, Tyler Plante.
Defencemen — Keith Aulie, Daryl Boyle, Kevin Cheveldayoff, Don Dietrich, Burke Henry, Dean Kennedy, Justin Kurtz, Brad McCrimmon, Cam Plante, Dwayne Pentland, Ivan Provorov, Ryan Pulock, Wayne Ramsey, Wade Redden, Colby Robak.
Forwards — Ray Allison, Rick Blight, Dan Bonar, Laurie Boschman, Matt Calvert, Dave Chartier, Ron Chipperfield, Ryan Craig, Cory Cyrenne, Bill Derlago, Chris Dingman, Eric Fehr, Ray Ferraro, Scott Glennie, Kelly Glowa, Jayce Hawryluk, Bobby House, Mike Leclerc, Byron Lomow, Dale McMullin, Marty Murray, Robbie Neale, Steve Patrick, Brian Propp, Darren Ritchie, Peter Schaefer, Brayden Schenn, Mark Stone, Ryan Stone, Jordin Tootoo, Terry Yake.
Results of the voting will be revealed in January.
The Wheat Kings, who won the Ed Chynoweth Cup last season, dropped the puck on the 50th anniversary party at home on Saturday night. On hand to help things get started were some familiar names, like former team captains Bob Ash, Bill Fairbairn and Ted Taylor. Also there were Bruce Bonk Jack Borotsik, Ray Brownlee, Bob Clyne, Roy McLachlan and Ted Temple, all of whom played on Brandon’s first WCHL team in 1967-68.
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JUST NOTES:

F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds has suffered an undisclosed injury while in the training camp of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. On Saturday afternoon, Aaron Portzline, who covers the Blue Jackets for the Columbus Dispatch, tweeted: “Add LW Keegan Kolesar to the (Columbus) injured list. Club not saying what the injury is.” . . . Kolesar, 19, had 61 points, including 30 goals, in 64 games with Seattle last season, his third in the WHL. The Blue Jackets selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . 
When Everett scored seven goals in beating the host Vancouver Giants, 7-3, on Friday night, the Silvertips matched their single-game goal-scoring high from last season. They counted seven times in a 7-4 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane on Dec. 16. . . . 
The Kamloops Blazers opened with a 9-2 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday. It marked the third time in franchise history that the Blazers had scored nine times in a home-opener against Kelowna. Kamloops won 9-5 on Sept. 29, 1982, and on Oct. 2, 1983. . . . The Blazers’ most lopsided home-opening victory came on Sept. 23, 1994 when they beat the Portland Winterhawks, 11-1. 
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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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SATURDAY GAMES:


At Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors held a 2-1 lead over the Wheat Kings when the game was suspended due to a persistent problem with fog on the ice. . . . Humidity in Brandon was as high as 100 per cent on Saturday. . . . Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, was in the building and a decision was made at 14:23 of the second period to suspend the game. The Wheat Kings later released this statement: “Due to the safety of the players, the WHL has postponed the conclusion of tonight’s game. The balance of this game will be played at a date to be determined.” . . . Later, the decision was made to finish the game on Nov. 2 when the Warriors next are scheduled to visit Brandon. Players who now are in NHL camps will be back by then so both teams will have rosters different from what was on display last night. . . . F Brayden Watts gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos tied it 31 seconds into the second period. . . . The Warriors took a 2-1 lead when F Nikita Popugaev scored at 14:23 of the second period, at which point the game was halted. . . . The Warriors had beaten the visiting Wheat Kings 3-2 in OT on Friday night. . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun reported that Wheat Kings G Jordan Papirny was watching the video screen whenever the puck was in the Moose Jaw zone because he couldn’t see it through the fog. . . . In Brandon, the player benches are across the ice from each other. Brandon head coach David Anning told Bergson that the fog was so thick at ice level he could hardly see the Warriors’ bench. . . . Announced attendance: Unavailable.
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At Edmonton, F Lane Bauer’s shootout goal gave the Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . This was the first hockey game to be played at Rogers Place, the new arena that will be home to the Oil Kings and the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. It was 90 minutes later in starting after a hydraulic lift broke down on the ice surface prior to the pregame warmups. . . . Bauer had been in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, but was returned in time to play in the season-opening doubleheader. D Aaron Irving was returned with Bauer and scored the OT winner on Friday when the Oil Kings won 3-2 in Red Deer. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky of the Oil Kings scored the first goal in the new facility, 22 seconds into the second period, on a PP, as he snapped home a shot from the top of the right circle. . . . Later, the Oil Kings thought Fix-Wolansky had scored in OT but officials waived it off. . . . F Evan Polei and F D-Jay Jerome gave Red Deer a 2-1 lead early in the second period, only to have Bauer tie it at 12:16. . . . Jerome’s second goal of the game put Red Deer out front at 13:50. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Robertson tied it again, at 18:40 of the second. . . . Irving had two assists, while Fix-Wolansky, Bauer and Robertson each added an assist to their goals. . . . F Jordan Roy had two assists for the Rebels, with Jerome also getting an assist. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 24 shots for Edmonton, with Trevor Martin blocking 41 for the Rebels. . . . Edmonton was 3-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 18,102.
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At Everett, F Matt Fonteyne broke a 1-1 tie at 18:13 of the second period and the Silvertips went on to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Silvertips swept the weekend doubleheader, having won 7-3 in Langley, B.C., on Friday night. . . . F Graham Millar, with his third goal in two games, got Everett going at 3:30 of the first period. . . . F Jack Flaman pulled the Giants even at 16:53 of the second. . . . F Brett Kemp added some Everett insurance at 4:15 of the third. . . . F Patrick Bajkov and D Kevin Davis each had two assists for Everett. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 12 shots for Everett, while Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic turned aside 28. . . . Everett was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . The Giants, already without injured forwards Tyler Benson and Thomas Foster and D Ryely McKinstry (concussion), lost D Matt Barberis and D Marcus Kichton on Friday. They brought in D Alex Kannok-Leipert of Regina to help out last night. Kannok-Leipert, 16, was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . F Taden Rattie, whose acquisition from the Red Deer Rebels was announced late Friday, was in Vancouver’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 5,308.
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At Kelowna, Riley Stadel, a defenceman turned forward, scored twice to help the Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Stadel scored twice in 56 games last season. . . . The Blazers had beaten the visiting Rockets 9-2 on Friday night. . . . The Rockets dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. That included freshman F Nolan Foote, who had been out with mononucleosis. . . . D Cal Foote, Nolan’s older brother, had three assists for Kelowna, with F Rod Southam getting two. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer blocked 25 shots, losing his shutout bid at 11:23 of the third period when F Rudolfs Balcers scored on a PP. . . . Kamloops starter Dylan Ferguson was beaten twice on 14 shots in the first period. Carter Phair played the last two periods, stopping 16 of 19 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-5. . . . Announced attendance: 5,348.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., D Micheal Zipp scored with 42 seconds left in OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . It was the second night in a row that the two teams went to extra time. On Friday, in Calgary, the Hitmen won 3-2 in the shootout. . . . Calgary F Andrew Fyten opened the scoring at 7:22 of the first period. . . . The Ice tied it when D Cale Fleury scored at 3:26 of the second. . . . The Hitmen got 31 stops from G Kyle Dumba, while Payton Lee turned aside 34 for the Ice. . . . Calgary was 0-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 1,997.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored four PP goals en route to a 9-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . One night earlier, the host Hurricanes had posted a 4-2 victory. . . . A third-period donnybrook resulted in 142 penalty minutes and no doubt will result in — ch-ch-ching! — fines and suspensions. . . . F Chad Butcher had a goal and five assists for the Tigers, with F Zach Fischer scoring three times and D Clayton Kirichenko earning three assists. F Mark Rassell had two goals and an assist, F Matt Bradley scored once and added an assist, and F Mason Shaw had two assists. . . . Fischer, a 19-year-old from Lloydminster, Alta., had eight goals in 35 games last season after scoring four times in 54 games as a freshman in 2014-15. . . . Freshman D Calen Addison had two assists for Lethbridge, giving him four points in two games, and F Zane Franklin had a goal and an assist. . . . Tigers G Duncan McGovern stopped 15 of 17 shots, with Jake Morrissey playing the last 12:11 and allowing one goal on three shots. . . . Lethbridge starter Stuart Skinner was beaten six times on 34 shots, with reliever Ryan Gilchrist stopping 11 of 14. . . . The  Tigers were 4-8 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 2-10. . . . Referees Chris Crich and Adam Bloski doled out 190 minutes in penalties, including a game misconduct to Lethbridge head coach Brent Kisio. . . . Announced attendance: 4,178.
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At Portland, F Ryan Hughes had a goal and two assists, while F Evan Weinger had three assists, as the Winterhawks opened with a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The teams exchanged goals and were 3-3 early in the third period when the Winterhawks exploded for four goals. . . . Seattle F Donovan Neuls pulled his mates into a 3-3 tie 31 seconds into the third period. . . . Portland F Cody Glass broke the tie at 12:19 and F Brendan De Jong added insurance, on a PP, at 14:53. . . . The game’s last goal, at 19:40, went to Portland F Brad Ginnell, a grandson to the late Pat Ginnell, who was a legendary WHL coach and executive. . . . Glass also had an assist, while D Keoni Texeira had a goal and an assist. . . . The game marked a successful return to the Portland bench for GM/head coach Mike Johnston after a two-year absence. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 27 shots for Portland, one fewer than Seattle’s Rylan Toth. . . . The Winterhawks were 2-4 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-1. . . . Announced attendance: 8,705.
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At Prince Albert, F Jake Leschyshyn scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . That allowed the Pats to split the weekend series, the Raiders having won 4-3 in OT in Regina on Friday. . . . F Kolten Olynek gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead with a PP goal at 7:23 of the second period. . . . F Lane Zablocki’s PP goal pulled Regina into a tie at 9:48. . . . F Braydon Buziak got what proved to the winner at 17:01. . . . Leschyshyn, who had scored the game’s first goal, got the empty-netter at 17:57 of the third. . . . Zablocki added an assist to his goal. . . . The Raiders got two assists from F Simon Stransky, giving him five points in two games. . . . F Austin Glover had a goal and an assist for for the Raiders. . . . Regina G Jordan Hollett stopped 28 shots, 13 fewer than Prince Albert’s Ian Scott. . . . Regina was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-7. . . . The Raiders were without D Loch Morrison and D Cody Paivarinta, so had D Adam Herold, 15, in their lineup. From Montmartre, Sask., he was a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . The Raiders also got back F Drew Warkentine after he finished serving a three-game suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 2,719.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Michael Rasmussen and F Vladislav Lukin combined for seven goals as the Tri-City Americans beat the Spokane Chiefs, 8-3. . . . Rasmussen, seen as a likely early first-round selection in the 2017 NHL draft, scored the game’s first three goals, completing the hat trick at 16:22 of the first period. He got his fourth goal at 19:00 of the second. . . . It was the first four-goal game for a Tri-City player since F Brendan Shinnimin did it on Feb. 26, 2012, in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. . . . Rasmussen, 18, from Surrey, B.C., had 18 goals — including one two-goal game — in 63 games as a freshman last season. He was the seventh-overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Lukin, a Russian in his third season, scored two second-period goals and then got the game’s final goal, at 17:20 of the third period. He also had three assists, giving him a six-point night. . . . Lukin had 48 points, including 21 goals, last season, after putting up 12 points, seven of them goals, in 52 games in 2014-15. This was his first WHL hat trick. . . . F Morgan Geeie had a goal and two assists for Tri-City. F Tyler Sandhu and F Parker AuCoin each had three assists for the winners, with D Juuso Valimaki getting two. . . . The Chiefs got a goal and two assists from each of the Yamamoto brothers, Keanu, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, and Kailer. D Ty Smith added two assists. . . . G Warm Beck blocked 23 shots for the Americans. Spokane starter Jayden Sittler surrendered four goals on 25 shots, with Matt Berlin coming on to stop six of seven. . . . Announced attendance: 4,352.
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At Victoria, F Kody McDonald scored twice as the Prince George Cougars skated to a 5-1 victory over the Royals. . . . The Cougars swept the two games on Vancouver Island as they had won 3-1 on Friday night. . . . On Saturday, they took control with goals 10 seconds apart early in the first period. F Justin Almeida opened the scoring at 6:10 and McDonald added another at 6:20. . . . F Brad Morrison and F Jared Bethune each had four assists for the Cougars, while F Colby McAuley scored his third goal in two games. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 36 shots for the Cougars. Victoria starter Griffen Outhouse allowed three goals on six shots in 9:09. Dylan Myskiw came on to finish up and stopped 20 of 22. . . . Each team was 0-5 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance: 3,795.
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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.

Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:41 PM
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Sunday, December 14, 2014

WHL teams monitoring mumps situation . . . Rebels add key d-man from Blades . . . Hitmen are rolling








F Jim O'Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) has been released by Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had two goals and 10 assists in 22 games.
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THE MUMPS SITUATION:

Officials with WHL teams aren’t overly concerned about the mumps, a viral disease that has hit at least 14 NHL NHLplayers.
The latest NHLers to be diagnosed are Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and forward Derick Brassard of the New York Rangers. Interestingly, the Rangers assigned F Anthony Duclair to Canada’s national junior team on the weekend.
The mumps issue hasn’t been discussed, at least not officially, at the league level inside the WHL. However, teams are watching closely from afar and monitoring the situation.
Bob Tory, the general manager of the Tri-City Americans, told Taking Note on Sunday evening that he isn’t at all concerned “because most younger people have been vaccinated.”
Tory also pointed out that WHL teams already are quite health conscious.
“We have always taken extra care in our room since the last virus scare,” he noted, “and even purchased a hospital-grade ionizer that they use in intensive care. I think a few teams bought them a few years ago.”
Hospitals use ionizers to combat infections.
Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, told Taking Note that his club hasn’t “done anything officially in dealing with the mumps.”
“But, he added, “between our doctors and athletic therapist we are monitoring the situation with all of our players.”
Colin Priestner, the Saskatoon Blades’ managing partner, says his organization has “no concerns.”
“Most outbreaks have been in U.S. markets,” he notes, “and our kids have been vaccinated.”
Bruno Campese, the general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders, spoke with a team doctor on Sunday.
“He wasn’t concerned,” Campese told Taking Note.
Cam Hope, the general manager of the Victoria Royals, admitted that “viral infections of all kinds are always a concern in a team setting, where guys spend so much time in close contact.”
Still, he added, “it is really about being smart and diligent” and the Royals are always on high alert.
“Hygiene is given extremely high importance,” he told Taking Note, “and we require immediate reporting of any symptoms that are cold/flu like -- to make sure we isolate any ill player right away.”
The present outbreak of mumps, he pointed out, “gives us another opportunity to stress these things with the team, and every new case in the NHL is another reminder to them to take the steps they can to minimize the risk.”
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail takes a look at the NHL and its response to the mumps situation right here.
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Two WHL teams going in opposite directions at the moment got together Sunday on a deal that involved three players and two early bantam draft selections.
The Red Deer Rebels, who have been one of the league’s hotter teams of late and are the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup, acquired D Nelson Nogier, 18, and F Austin Adamson, 18, from the Saskatoon Blades, who are in the early days of a complete rebuild.
In exchange, the Blades get F Mason McCarty, 17, a second-round draft pick in 2015 and a first-round selection in 2016.
The Blades now hold four first-round selections, three seconds and four thirds through the 2015 and 2016 bantam drafts. (For more on what teams hold what draft picks, check out Small Thoughts At Large right here.)
The key to the deal from a Red Deer perspective is Nogier, a Saskatoon native who is the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier. Nelson was a fourth-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2014 draft. Nogier, an alternate captain with the Blades, is a responsible defender who can bang bodies. In 128 games with the Blades, he had 18 points, two of them goals.
“He’s a player we’ve had our eyes on for well over a year now, and yet we knew there would be a price,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “Those are the stakes in poker. It takes a first-round and a second-round pick to get a player like that.”
This season, Nogier, who played for the Blades in the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon as a 16-year-old, has a goal and seven assists in 32 games.
Nogier was a fourth-round pick by Saskatoon in the 2011 bantam draft. He was limited to 37 games last season because of a shoulder injury.
Nogier’s addition leaves the Rebels with 10 defencemen on their roster, meaning there could be more activity between Dec. 26 and Jan. 10.
Adamson, from Richmond, B.C., had five goals and five assists in 84 games over two seasons with the Blades. This season, he has three goals and two assists in 31 games. He is an undrafted list player.
McCarty, a fourth-round selection by the Rebels in the 2012 bantam draft, has two assists in nine games this season. From Blackie, Alta., he played last season with the midget AAA UFA Bisons, who play out of Strathmore, Alta. He had 42 points, 22 of them goals, in 32 games.
The Blades, who have lost 10 straight games, are 7-24-3 and know already that they won’t make the playoffs. They play their last game before the Christmas break on Wednesday when they travel to Swift Current to meet the Broncos.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more on the trade right here.
Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate has more right here.
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The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium went into effect at midnight and runs through Dec. 26.
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A BLOG NOTE:

The blog master in these parts is in need of a new computer. If you are a regular in these parts and enjoy this blog, you may want to consider making a donation in order to help make this happen. . . . Thank you, in advance.
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George Burnett won his 600th victory as an OHL head coach on Saturday when the host Belleville Bulls beat the Ottawa 67’s, 4-1. . . . Burnett, in his 19th season as an OHL head coach, is fourth on the league’s all-time list. . . . Burnett trails Brian Kilrea (1,193), the late Bert Templeton (907) and Larry Mavety (658). . . .
In the QMJHL, G Francois Brassard of the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scored a goal Saturday in an 8-5 victory over the Quebec Remparts. . . . Brassard scored the game’s last goal, firing the puck from behind his net off the left-side boards and into the empty goal at the other end. He is the first goaltender in franchise history to score a goal. . . . It came in his first appearance against the team that traded him away during the off-season.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

In Brandon, G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots to lead the Wheat Kings to a 4-0 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Papirny has two shutouts this season and three in his career. . . . F Tim McGauley scored twice, giving him 20 this season. He now is riding an 11-game point streak, with 12 goals and nine assists over that stretch. . . . F John Quenneville scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, on a PP, at 10:15 of the first period. . . . McGauley’s second goal, at 14:43 of the third, was shorthanded. . . . Wheat Kings F Ty Lewis, who is from Brandon, made his WHL debut. A third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, he had been on the shelf with a broken arm. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches were F Jayce Hawryluk and F Jesse Gabrielle, both out with undisclosed injuries. . . . D Nelson Nogier and F Austin Adamson, acquired earlier in the day from the Saskatoon Blades, weren’t in Red Deer’s lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings (24-7-3) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. They lead the East Division by 12 points over the Regina Pats. . . . The Rebels (18-12-4) had a four-game winning streak end. They are third in the Central Division, one point behind Calgary. . . .

In Calgary, the Hitmen ran their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Hitmen scored the game’s first three goals, two of them coming in the second period following a scoreless first. . . . F Beck Malenstyn scored his fifth at 6:13 of the second period and F Layne Bensmiller got his first at 19:28. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini made it 3-0 with his 19th goal at 6:02 of the third. He is on a five-game goal-scoring streak. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube scored his fifth on a PP at 15:46 of the third. . . . D Jake Bean of the Hitmen, a 16-year-old from Calgary, ran his point streak to seven games with an assist. He has 11 of his 12 assists in those seven games. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields, who made 17 saves, drew his fifth assist this season, breaking the franchise record of four that he set last season. . . . D Keegan Kanzig, a healthy scratch the night before, was back in Calgary’s lineup. . . . The Hitmen improved to 19-11-3 and jumped past Red Deer into second place in the Central Division. . . . The Rockets (26-5-3) lead the B.C. Division by 19 points over the Victoria Royals. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Kamloops Blazers broke open a scoreless game with three goals in 46 seconds and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Collin Shirley scored his 10th and 11th goals, at 18:58 and 19:44 of the first period, with F Cole Ully getting No. 16 at 19:30. The first two of those goals came via the PP. . . . Lethbridge F Zane Jones scored twice, giving him 15, as the Hurricanes cut into the lead in the second period. . . . Kamloops D Ryan Rehill got his third goal, at 12:35 of the second, for insurance. . . . Blazers D Josh Connolly had his third straight two-assist game. He’s got 28 points, including 24 assists, in 33 games. . . . Lethbridge D Lenny Hackman was among the Lethbridge scratches. He had played in 174 consecutive games. . . . The game was the first behind the Hurricanes’ bench for new head coach Peter Anholt. . . . The Blazers (13-18-5) snapped a five-game losing skid and moved back into fourth place in the B.C. Division, a point ahead of the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Hurricanes (6-20-5), with one victory in their last 16 games, have lost six in a row. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Evan Weinger broke a 2-2 tie at 11:15 of the second period and the Portland Winterhawks went on to a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Weinger has five goals. . . . Tri-City F Jordan Topping had tied it 2-2 with his second goal at 18:31 of the first. That goal came 43 seconds after F Alex Overhardt had scored his first goal to give Portland the lead. . . . Earlier, the teams shared goals 20 seconds part, F Dominic Turgeon scoring his 11th for Portland and F Beau McCue getting his 13th for the Americans. . . . Portland F Alex Schoenborn gave his side a 4-2 lead with an empty-netter at 18:51 of the third. . . . McCue then got his second of the game at 19:44. . . .  Winterhawks F Chase De Leo had an assist to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie had two assists. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 45 shots, 15 more than Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou. . . . Portland was 0-for-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-1. . . . The Winterhawks (19-14-3) have won two straight and are one point behind the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips, who hold five games in hand. . . . The Americans (17-15-1) have lost two straight and are tied for third with the Spokane Chiefs in the U.S. Division.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:57 PM
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Monday, September 1, 2014

Some signings and the advanced stats debate . . .








D Shawn Belle (Regina, Tri-City, 2000-07) has been released by Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL) by mutual agreement. Last season, with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL), he had three goals and three assists in 39 games. . . .
F Jonathan Parker (Seattle, Prince Albert, 2008-11) has been released by Malmö (Sweden, Allsvenskan) after unsuccessful tryout. Last season, with the Rochester Americans (AHL), he had one assist in 11 games. He also had 24 points, including 11 goals, with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), and six points, two of them goals, in seven games with the Ontario Reign (ECHL).
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Jack Flaman and F Evan Weinger. . . . Flaman, 17, is a list player from Vibank, Sask., who played last season for the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask. He had 33 points, including 16 goals, in 43 games. . . . Weinger, 17, was a 13th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. A native of Los Angeles, he played last season for the L.A. Jr. Kings of the Tier 1 Elite League, putting up 26 points, 12 of the goals, in 35 games.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed D Kobe Eagletail, a Calgaryian who will turn 17 on Sept. 10. . . . Eagletail had 15 points, four of them goals, with the Banff Bears of the Heritage Junior Hockey League last season, after playing in the Calgary Bisons minor hockey organization. . . . At the time of his signing, he was one of 13 defencemen on the Cougars’ roster.
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In the hockey world, there are times when the scrap between the mainstream media and the advanced stats folks has been a truly uncivil war. When and how did it start? When and how will it end? Matt Larkin of The Hockey News takes an interesting look at it all right here.
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If you are new to the world of hockey analytics, aka advanced stats, there is a great primer right here, where all the terminology is explained.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:46 PM
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