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So . . . you’re Les Lazaruk, the long-time radio voice of the Saskatoon Blades.
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| Les Lazaruk, the voice of the Saskatoon Blades. |
On Thursday, you climbed on the team’s bus and took a 900-kilometre ride to Cranbrook, B.C., where the Blades and Kootenay Ice will clash tonight (Friday).
Hey, Les, how did you handle this trip?
“I went to work on different standings formulas — current, baseball-style, just wins and losses, old-style hockey with ties, and new-style hockey with three points handed out in all games.”
And what did you discover?
“Not much changes.
“Straight wins and losses makes for MUCH different winning percentages than today.
“Old-style hockey shows how many games would end up tied, which I hate.
“And new-style with three points for every game means bigger gaps between teams for the most part.”
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Here’s a look at the standings by straight winning percentage, with the numbers in parentheses the points percentages that the WHL uses in its standings:
Central Division: 1. Medicine Hat, .707 (.716); 2. Lethbridge, .596 (.658); 3. Red Deer, .397 (.474); 4. Calgary, .357 (.446); 5. Edmonton, .351 (.386); 6. Kootenay, .211 (.298).
East Division: 1. Regina, .745 (.809); 2. Moose Jaw, .569 (.638); 3. Swift Current, .518 (.598); 4. Brandon, .474 (.544); 5. Saskatoon, .411 (.473); 6. Prince Albert, .259 (.302).
B.C. Division: 1. Prince George, .644 (.678); 2. Kelowna, .579 (.614); 3. Kamloops, .576 (.627); 4. Victoria, .534 (.569); 5. Vancouver, .310 (.353).
U.S. Division: 1. Seattle, .632 (.675); 2. Everett, .607 (.696); 3. Tri-City, .559 (.585); 4. Portland, .544 (.570); 5. Spokane, .421 (.500).
The order remains the same except in the B.C. Division, where Kelowna would move ahead of Kamloops,.579-.576, and in the U.S. Division, where Seattle would be ahead of Everett, .632-.607.
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Here’s a look at the standings if ties weren’t played out, meaning wins-losses-ties (no overtime, no shootouts, no loser points), with the numbers in parentheses the points each team has in today’s WHL standings:
Central Division: 1. Medicine Hat, 79 (83); 2. Lethbridge, 68 (75); 3. Red Deer, 49 (55); 4. Calgary, 41 (50); 5. Edmonton, 34 (44); 6. Kootenay, 31 (34).
East Division: 1. Regina, 83 (89); 2. Moose Jaw, 65 (74); 3. Swift Current, 60 (67); 4. Brandon, 53 (62); 5. Saskatoon, 47 (53); 6. Prince Albert, 30 (35).
B.C. Division: 1. Prince George, 75 (80); 2. Kamloops, 67 (74); 3. Kelowna, 65 (70); 4. Victoria, 63 (66); 5. Vancouver, 33 (41).
U.S. Division: 1. Everett, 74 (78); 2. Seattle, 66 (77); 3. Tri-City, 62 (69); 4. Portland, 58 (65); 5. Spokane, 52 (57).
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Here are the standings with each game worth three points — a regulation winner gets 3, loser gets 0; OT and SO wins get 2, with 1 to the loser:
Central Division: 1. Medicine Hat, 114 (83); 2. Lethbridge, 102 (75); 3. Red Deer, 72 (55); 4. Calgary, 60 (50); 5. Edmonton, 54 (44); 6. Kootenay, 43 (34).
East Division: 1. Regina, 124 (89); 2. Moose Jaw, 98 (74); 3. Swift Current, 89 (67); 4. Brandon, 80 (62); 5. Saskatoon, 70 (53); 6. Prince Albert, 45 (35).
B.C. Division: 1. Prince George, 111 (80); 2. Kamloops, 101 (74); 3. Kelowna, 98 (70); 4. Victoria, 94 (66); 5. Vancouver, 59 (41).
U.S. Division: 1. Everett, 108 (78); 2. Seattle, 107 (77); 3. Tri-City, 95 (69); 4. Portland, 89 (65); 5. Spokane, 76 (57).
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G Ty Edmonds, who now is playing for the Prince George Cougars, has committed to attend the U of Lethbridge and play for the Pronghorns next season. Edmonds, a 20-year-old from Winnipeg, is 26-13-3, 2.51, .914 with the Cougars this season. He has 95 career victories, giving him a share of the Prince George franchise record with Scott Myers 1996-2000). . . . The Pronghorns, who didn’t make the playoffs this season, are looking at a goaltending tandem of Edmonds and Garret Hughson, 21, who just completed his freshman season. Hughson, 21, played three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs before losing out in the 20-year-old game last season and moving on to the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits.
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Not enough characters to describe him, here's his obit: https://t.co/k5lOl3Mpj9— Todd Vrooman (@ToddVrooman) February 17, 2017
The Portland Winterhawks family — indeed, the entire Portland sporting community — is mourning the death of John Kirby. He died on Monday at the age of 63. Kirby was a veteran of the Winterhawks’ broadcast team and was really popular with co-workers.
Shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of John Kirby, a man I knew my whole life and who was on Winterhawks Radio for 30+ years pic.twitter.com/uRUb8SA4bE— Todd Vrooman (@ToddVrooman) February 17, 2017
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Glen Gulutzan's homage to Flames coaches past outside his office: Bob Johnson, Terry Crisp, Al MacNeil & Dave King. pic.twitter.com/7YgInzy5rh— George Johnson (@GeorgejohnsonCH) February 16, 2017
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Saskatoon vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Victoria at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Portland, 7 p.m.
Everett at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
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 Prince Albert, F Craig Leverton scored the only goal of a six-round shootout to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Raiders F Austin Glover forced OT with his 13th goal at 7:44 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock scored his 30th goal, on a PP, at 11:06 of the first. . . . Raiders D Jesse Lees tied it with his 12th goal at 3:56 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci restored the one-goal lead with his ninth goal at 6:39 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots through OT, one more than Prince Albert’s Nick McBride. . . . Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton gave Jarry full credit for earning his team the loser point. “We owe Tristan for the point tonight,” Hamilton said on the team’s website. “There’s no question about that. He was the most substantial difference maker in the lineup tonight. It’s disappointing that Tristan gave us that kind of effort and we weren’t able to respond in front of him.” . . . Edmonton was 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . The Raiders (25-35-3) had lost their previous three games. . . . Edmonton (29-28-7) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL scoring race, had two goals as the Tigers got past the Red Deer Rebels, 4-0. . . . Cox, who now has 99 points, including 25 goals, scored on a PP at 7:30 of the first period and on a penalty shot at 13:08 of the second. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley scored his 15th at 11:10 of the second and F Chad Labelle got his eighth goal, into an empty net, at 18:58 of the third. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 24 shots for his first shutout of the season. . . . Langhamer, the last European goaltender in the WHL, has five career shutouts. . . . The Tigers (40-21-3) have won three straight. . . . The Rebels (32-21-10) have been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . 
In Kamloops, D Colby Harmsworth’s third goal of the season, at 4:45 of OT, gave the Calgary Hitmen a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . With the teams playing three skaters aside due to penalties, Harmsworth and F Radel Fazleev took off on a 2-on-1. Fazleev slid a pass to Harmsworth and he got the puck under G Connor Ingram for the winner. . . . Calgary led this one 2-0 after one period and 3-1 in the second period, only to have Kamloops scored three second-period goals to take a 4-3 lead. . . . F Collin Shirley scored twice for the Blazers, giving him 22. . . . Calgary F Connor Rankin forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 30th of the season, at 5:23 of the third. . . . F Terrell Draude also scored twice for Calgary, giving him 12 goals. . . . D Travis Sanheim, F Jody Stallard — I hope his nickname is Tracy — and F Taylor Sanheim each had two assists for Calgary. . . . F Matt Revel scored his 16th goal and added an assist for Kamloops. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke, who has won nine straight decisions, stopped 29 shots, five fewer than Connor Ingram of the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-5. . . . D Jake Bean, the terrific 16-year-old, was among Calgary’s scratches. He is expected to miss at least four weeks after suffering a suspected shoulder/collarbone injury in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . The Blazers have put F Deven Sideroff (suspected wrist) on the injured list. They show him as out week-to-week. . . . Kamloops also scratched F Matt Needham with an undisclosed injury. . . . Needham and Sideroff have played almost the entire season with F Cole Ully on one of the WHL’s top lines. . . . The Hitmen (40-19-5) are 6-1-0 on their franchise record 11-game road swing. They left Calgary on Feb. 19 and had travelled 2,579 km when they left Kamloops for Prince George last night. . . . Calgary has won 17 of its last 19 games and is 13-1-1 on the road since Jan. 4. . . . The Blazers (24-33-7) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Victoria, D Shea Theodore had a goal and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory over the Royals. . . . Victoria had beaten Seattle 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night. . . . One night later, the visitors scored the game’s first three goals, two of them in the first period. . . . F Cory Millette got his 19th goal at 1:13 and Theodore added his 11th at 17:03. . . . D Jerret Smith made it 3-0 at 8:50 of the second, on a PP, and the Royals weren’t able to get back in this one. . . . D Joe Hicketts scored his 11th goal for the Royals, on a PP, at 2:08 of the third. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 29 shots. . . . Each team was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds (32-23-9) had lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . The Royals are 34-26-4. . . . 
In Everett, F Kohl Bauml scored with 39 seconds left in OT to give the Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Bauml has 30 goals this season. . . . Everett scored the game’s last three goals. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 36th goal, on a PP, at 6:46 of the first period. . . . Rockets F Leon Draisaitl, who drew an assist on Baillie’s goal, got his 15th goal, on a PP, at 4:19 of the second. Draisaitl now has goals in six straight games. . . . Everett F Nikita Scherbak got his guys on the board with his 27th goal at 3:54 of the third and F Dawson Leedahl tied it with his 13th at 10:16. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-1. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 37 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . Hart is 9-1-1 since Jan. 1. . . . The Silvertips scratched D Kevin Davis and D Tristen Pfeifer, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches as it went with 17 skaters. . . . The Silvertips improved to 38-19-7. . . . Kelowna (48-11-5) has lost two in a row. . . . 
In Spokane, F Adam Helewka scored three goals and G Garret Hughson stopped 29 shots as the Chiefs dropped the Vancouver Giants, 7-0. . . . Hughson has two shutouts in his last four games. He has four career shutouts. . . . Helewka, who has 38 goals, scored the game’s first two goals, the first one coming while shorthanded at 15:18 of the first period. He also drew one assist. . . . It was Helewka’s second career hat trick. He scored four times against Vancouver on Nov. 1, 2013. . . . F Calder Brooks added his 20th goal and three assists, while F Kailer Yamamoto scored his 19th goal and had two helpers. . . . D Jason Fram and F Liam Stewart each had two assists. . . . The Chiefs (31-27-4) have won four in a row and outscored the opposition 22-2 in the process. . . . The Giants (26-34-3) have lost three straight.
In Moose Jaw, F Brayden Point scored his 28th goal for the Warriors as they got past the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . The Warriors had a 19-3 edge in shots after one period but had only a 1-0 lead. Here’s a tweet from the Moose Jaw Times-Herald’s Matthew Gourlie on those three shots: “One shot was two feet over the net and another was by Dallas Valentine on his own net.” . . . D Dustin Perillat scored his eighth goal for Moose jaw at 6:23 of the first period. . . . Point made it 2-0 at 2:42 of the second on a PP. . . . Saskatoon F Ryan Graham scored his 17th goal at 4:50 of the third to get his guys within one. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald got the empty-netter at 19:37. He’s got 29 goals. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 21 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm turned aside 37 shots. . . . Saskatoon F Cameron Hebig came up short on a third-period penalty shot with his side down 2-1. . . . F Axel Blomqvist (groin) was among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski left in the second period favouring his left arm and didn’t return. . . . The Warriors (25-31-5) are seven points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . . Saskatoon (18-40-4) is the first team to 40 losses this season. . . . 
In Brandon, the Kootenay Ice outscored the Wheat Kings 2-1 in the shootout to post a 3-2 victory. . . . It was the Ice’s third straight shootout game. It has won two of those games. . . . F Rihards Bukarts gave Brandon a 1-0 lead in the second round of the shootout. Ice F Matt Alfaro tied it in the third round and F Jaedon Descheneau won it in the fourth round. . . . The loser point, combined with a Regina loss at home, allowed Brandon to clinch first place in the East Division. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart opened the scoring with his 17th goal, on a PP, at 8:14 of the second period. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk tied it with his 22nd at 19:22. . . . Alfaro got his 10th at 10:42 of the third for a 2-1 Ice lead. . . . Bukharts forced OT with his 28th goal at 16:33. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley picked up an assist on Bukarts’ goal to run his point streak to 18 games. He’s got 37 points, 25 of them assists, over that stretch. . . . The Ice was 1-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-for-1. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, making his 12th straight start, stopped 35 shots. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin turned aside 32. . . . The Wheat Kings had G Alex Moodie back on the bench. He missed 11 games with a concussion. . . . Brandon still is without F Nolan Patrick, F Reid Duke and D Kale Clague with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Ice (33-27-3) has points in seven straight (5-0-2). It holds the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, seven points ahead of Edmonton. At the same time, the Ice is fourth in the Central Division, four points behind Red Deer. . . . Brandon (45-10-7) had won its previous two games. It is three points behind Kelowna, which leads the overall standings. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Brooks Maxwell scored twice to help the Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Maxwell’s second goal, his 19th of the season, gave the Rebels a 4-1 lead at 12:18 of the second. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser had broken a 1-1 tie with his 12th goal, on a PP, at 5:09 of the second. . . . F Luke Coleman, who joined the Raiders this week from the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, scored his first WHL goal at 13:50 of the second and D Jesse Lees got them to within one with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 6:03 of the third. . . . Rebels F Riley Sheen provided insurance with his 18th goal, an empty-netter, at 19:53. . . . The Rebels were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 2-for-4. . . . F Jayden Hart, a 22-goal man, was back in the Raiders’ lineup after not having played since Jan. 30. . . . Red Deer (32-20-9) has won two in a row. It is third in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Raiders (24-34-3) have lost two straight and now are 11 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. . . .
In Kamloops, F Matt Needham broke a 2-2 tie at 16:21 of the third period and the Blazers went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 4-2. . . . Blazers F Logan McVeigh gave his side a 2-1 lead with his seventh goal at 4:28 of the third. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee scored his 18th just 33 seconds later. . . . Needham got his 21st goal when he redirected a point shot by D Brady Gaudet, who scored twice, giving him four, and added an assist. Gaudet’s second goal was an empty-netter. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 38 shots, while Blazers G Connor Ingram made 12 saves. . . . The Blazers outshot the Royals 13-6, 14-4 and 15-4 by period. . . . The Blazers lost F Deven Sideroff with an apparent right wrist injury. He left for the dressing room at 7:47 of the third period after taking a check in to the end boards in the Victoria zone. He plays the right side on the Blazers’ top line with Needham and LW Cole Ully. Sideroff, a freshman from Summerland, B.C., has 40 points, including 16 goals, in 58 games. . . . The Blazers (23-33-6) had lost their previous four games. They are fifth in the B.C. Division, three points behind Vancouver and two behind Prince George. Vancouver is in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals (33-25-4) have lost two straight. They will finish second in the B.C. Division. . . . 
In Vancouver, G Michael Herringer turned aside 29 shots to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-0 victory over the Giants. . . . Herringer has two career shutouts. . . . F Gage Quinney scored once and drew two assists. . . . Quinney, who has 15 goals, was in on Kelowna’s first three goals, drawing the primary assist on each of the first two and scoring the third. . . . F Leon Draisaitl scored his 13th goal for the Rockets, on a first-period PP. He’s got goals in four straight games. . . . The Rockets had F Alexander Uryga, 16, in their lineup. A list player from North Vancouver, Uryga has been with the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack. . . . Vancouver is without F Dalton Sward (hand) indefinitely and he is team captain. In his absence, the ‘C’ is being worn by D Mason Geertsen. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle was in the lineup for the first time since undergoing an appendectomy early in February. He was backing up Michael Herringer. . . . D Josh Morrissey and F Rourke Chartier were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . The Rockets (48-10-4) have reached 100 points for a third straight season. . . . The Giants (26-32-3) are third in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Prince George and three up on Kamloops. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Jansen Harkins scored 33 seconds into OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Harkins, who also had three assists, has 19 goals. . . . Cougars F Jordan Ross, an 18-year-old from Kronau, Sask., scored his first WHL goal, in his 21st game, at 17:57 of the second period to force OT. . . . Seattle held a 3-1 lead in the second period when Seattle D Evan Wardley was hit with a triple minor. Four seconds later, Seattle D Jerret Smith was hit with a delay-of-game minor. . . . Cougars F Zach Pochiro then scored PP goals 39 seconds apart to tie the game. . . . Seattle F Luke Osterman gave his side a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the season at 14:44 of the second. . . . Pochiro also had two assists, as did Cougars D Josh Connolly. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had two assists. . . . Prince George was 3-for-7 on the PP; Seattle was 2-for-6. . . . The Thunderbirds held a 20-3 edge in first-period shots but led only 1-0. . . . Seattle took 57 of the game’s 102 penalty minutes. . . . The Cougars (25-33-4) have won two in a row to get within a point of third-place Vancouver in the B.C. Division. . . . The Thunderbirds (31-23-7) have lost two straight. They are third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind Portland and eight ahead of Spokane.
The Saskatoon Blades have revealed that they will be keeping F Luke Gingras for the remainder of this season. Gingras, a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, has played two games with the Blades and is looking for his first point. A 16-year-old from Langley, B.C., he started the season with the major midget Valley West Hawks and had 20 points in eight games before joining the Blades.
In Vancouver, the Brandon Wheat Kings broke a 1-1 tie with three second-period goals and went on to a 5-2 victory over the Giants. . . . F Tyler Coulter scored twice for Brandon, giving him eight on the season. . . . Brandon F Jesse Gabrielle added his ninth as the Wheat Kings finished a tour through the B.C. Division at 4-1. . . . They will stop in Lethbridge on Friday and Medicine Hat on Saturday on the way home. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville scored his fourth goal and added two assists. . . . Brandon F Rihards Bukharts, the team's leading scorer, was a healthy scratch for a second straight game as F Richard Nejezchleb played his second straight game. Brandon is carrying three imports -- D Ivan Provorov is the other -- and one will have to be traded or released in the next few days to get down to the maximum of two. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, D Darren Dietz and F Collin Valcourt each scored his 20th goal to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 7-1 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Blades have won a franchise-record 15 straight games, the longest winning streak in the WHL this season. . . . According to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts), this is the longest such streak in the league since the Medicine Hat Tigers won 17 in a row in January/February 2007. . . . Dietz is the first WHL defenceman to get to 20 goals this season. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 40 shots. He had to go the distance because the Warriors had an unlisted emergency backup (Brett Banda) on the bench. G Daniel Wapple, who has partnered with Paulic this season, is out with a concussion. . . . Banda, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, plays for the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals. . . . The Blades were 3-for-5 on the PP, while the Warriors were 1-for-10. . . . Saskatoon leads the East Division by seven points over the Prince Albert Raiders. The Blades are five points in back of the Calgary Hitmen, with each team having 10 games remaining. . . .
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice ran their home-ice winning streak to a franchise record-tying 12 games as they beat the Calgary Hitmen, 5-1. . . . The Ice scored two its first three goals via the PP as it took a 3-1 lead. . . . F Jaedon Deschenean had a goal his 19th, and an assist for the Ice. . . . Calgary F Pavlo Padakin scored his 19th goal and now has scored in three straight games. . . . The teams have met six times, each winning three times. . . . Calgary D Jaynen Rissling left in the second period after blocking a shot. . . . The Ice is eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Swift Current Broncos and three ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .
In Kent, Wash., D Mirco Mueller scored at 2:07 of OT to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . Mueller has six goals this season. . . . The Silvertips had lost a franchise-record 11 in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds scored two third-period goals to force OT, with D Shea Theodore getting his 16th, via the PP, at 2:13 and D Griffin Fould equalizing with his second at 11:54. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 36 shots. . . . Everett D Landon Oslanski drew three assists. . . . F Tyler Sandhu scored Everett’s first two goals, giving him 14. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart played in his 334th regular-season game. He moved past F Tyler Metcalfe and into second on Seattle’s all-time list, behind only F Glen Goodall, who holds the WHL record (399). . . . Everett is eighth in the Western Conference, one point behind the Thunderbirds and five in front of the Prince George Cougars. . . .
In Medicine Hat, G Marek Langhamer stopped 38 shots as the Tigers beat the Swift Current Broncos, 2-0. . . . Langhamer has two shutouts this season. . . . One night earlier, he beat the host Broncos 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 22 shots. . . . F Curtis Valk scored his 38th goal at 4:24 of the first period and F Boston Leier added his 14th, into an empty net at 19:34 of the third. . . . The Tigers are sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Prince Albert Raiders and four in front of the Broncos. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . . Red Deer F Matt Bellerive tied the game 2-2 at 7:29 of the third, with his 13th goal, and F Rhyse Dieno broke the tie with his 25th goal at 13:50. . . . Red Deer has won five in a row. . . . The Rebels used the game to honour the Red Deer Rustlers and wore replica uniforms from the junior A team that won the 1979-80 Centennial Cup as national champions. . . . The Rustlers played in the AJHL from 1967-89, with the exception of 1985-86 when the franchise took a year off. The Rustlers also won the Centennial Cup in 1971. . . . The Rebels are in fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Prince Albert. . . . 
In Prince George, F Brendan Leipsic scored two first-period PP goals and the Portland Winterhawks went on to beat the Cougars, 6-1. . . . Leipsic also had an assist. He leads the WHL in goals (44) and points (110). . . . Portland F Nic Petan had two assists, giving him 106 points. . . . F Ty Rattie, the other member of that line, had two goals, giving him 39, and an assist. He’s got 94 points. . . . Prince George G Brett Zarowny (concussion) made his first appearance since Jan. 30 but he left at 7:43 of the first period, having given up three goals on 10 shots. . . . The Winterhawks now lead the overall standings by 13 points over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Justin Feser had a goal and four assists as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Edmonton Oil Kings, 8-1. . . . The Americans have won five in a row for the first time this season. . . . Feser, who has a career-high 38 goals, has 18 points over his last five games. . . . On the season, Feser has 92 points in 61 games. . . . Is the 20-year-old from Red Deer the Western Conference’s MVP? . . . Feser played in his 310th consecutive game. He will tie the record held by former D Dwayne Newman (Brandon, Victoria, 1987-91) on Tuesday against visiting Portland. . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley stopped 37 shots in his fifth straight start. He is 5-0 over that span. . . . The Oil Kings are 0-3 on their U.S. Division swing, the first time they have lost three straight in regulation time this season. . . . Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal tweeted that it’s the Oil Kings’ worst loss since they were beaten 8-1 by the Red Deer Rebels on Sept. 25, 2010. . . . Tri-City F Fraser Bulbuc scored his first WHL goal in his third game. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan had his second straight two-goal outing. He’s got 17 goals. . . . Tri-City F Connor Rankin added his 23rd goal and two helpers. . . . The Americans are fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Oil Kings have slipped to third in the overall standings, one point behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . 
In Spokane, G Garret Hughson stopped 32 shots as the Chiefs beat the Kamloops Blazers, 2-0. . . . F Blake Gal scoerd his 11th goal at 10:18 of the second and F Todd Fiddler added his 39th just 24 seconds later. . . . The Blazers have played in three straight shutouts. They were beaten 3-0 by the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday, then beat the Giants 6-0 in Vancouver on Friday. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, a point behind the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Blazers are third, five points in back of Kelowna. . . . 
In Victoria, the Kelowna Rockets scored three goals before the game was six minutes old and went on to a 7-2 victory over the Royals. . . . One night earlier, the Rockets dumped the host Royals, 8-3. . . . Kelowna F Cody Fowlie scored twice, giving him 17, and added an assist, while F Tyrell Goulbourne scored his ninth goal and had two assists. . . . F Colton Sissons scored his 25th goal on a PP at 3:37 of the first period and F Tyson Baillie got his 22nd, along on a PP, at 5:11. . . . The Rockets finished 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . The Rockets moved past Edmonton and into second spot in the overall standings. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Western Conference, five points behind Spokane.
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