THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Vladimir Sicak (Medicine Hat, 1998-2000) signed a two-year contract extension with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He has four goals and 11 assists in 29 games with Sparta after starting the season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), where he had one assist in eight games. Sicak is now under contract to Sparta through the 2014-2015 season. . . .


D Dustin Kohn (Calgary, Brandon, 2003-07) was released by HC Energie Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal and two assists in 19 games for Karlovy Vary. . . .



G Garrett Zemlak (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2006-10) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). Zemlak was released last week by the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite), where he had a 3.95 GAA and an .883 save percentage in 30 games.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, F Graham Black scored the only goal of the circus to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos have won five in a row. . . . Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti forced OT with his 20th goal, at 18:35 of the second period. . . . The Broncos, who held a 37-22 edge in shots, outshot their hoss 13-2 in the third period but came close to losing when Moose Jaw F Derek Eberle hit the crossbar late in the third period. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry moved into the WHL goal-scoring lead as he scored twice, giving him 31. . . . Lowry also ran his point streak to 21 games, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . Broncos F Chance Lund, a 20-year-old from Fairview, Alta., played in his 300th regular-season game. The first 258 of those were played with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Collin Shirley scored in the circus to give the Kootenay Ice a 4-3 victory over the Blades. . . . The Ice has won eight of its last nine games, while the Blades have dropped three straight. . . . Shirley, who is a native of Saskatoon, was the 14th shooter in the shootout. . . . F Sam Reinhart scored his 20th goal of the season for the Ice, while F Michael Ferland got his first with the Blades since being acquired from Brandon on Thursday. Ferland’s goal, at 12:35 of the third period, forced OT. . . .

In Everett, F Justin Gutierrez and F Jesse Mychan each scored his second goal of the season as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Silvertips, 6-1. . . . Tri-City G Luke Lee-Knight stopped 32 shots. He’s the No. 1 guy now, with G Eric Comrie nursing an injury for a couple of weeks. . . . Gutierrez played his first 31 WHL games without scoring. He now has a goal in each of his last two games. . . . The Americans were 3-for-3 on the PP. . . .


In Victoria, the Royals scored five times in the third period, four of them on the PP, and beat the Kamloops Blazers, 6-4. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Blazers took a 3-1 lead into the third. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith, who had gone four games without a point, scored his 28th goal. . . . F Stephen Hodges scored twice for the Royals, while F Alex Gogolev had a goal and two assists. They each have 14 goals. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll scored his 10th goal — he has goals in three straight games — and Gogolev’s 14th, both via the PP, tied the game 3-3. . . . F Tim Bozon restored the Kamloops lead at 13:04, with his 27th goal. . . . But the Royals then scored three times in 1:49, with D Brett Cote, D Jack Walker and Hodges scoring. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts, who is from Kamloops, drew two assists. . . . The Royals went 4-for-7 on the PP. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Victoria and again Saturday in Kamloops. . . . Kamloops D Joel Edmundson took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Gogolev at 16:05 of the third. . . . Gogolev wasn’t injured on the play. . . . Kamloops associate coach Dave Hunchak will be away from the Blazers until at least Saturday. He is in Saskatoon following the death of his mother, Irene, on Saturday. A funeral service will be held there on Thursday. . . . Kamloops has signed F Eric Krienke, 16, a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Calgary Northstars.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Taylor Crunk, Victoria

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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From Trevor Crawley (@tcrawls), the sports editor of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman/Kimberley Daily Bulletin: “Nitros didn’t participate in warmup against the Rockies. Sit on the bench instead. I think they’re protesting something . . .”
The Nitros (aka the Kimberley Dynamiters) play in the junior B Kootenay International Junior League. They went through their second coaching change of the season this week. . . . The host Dynamiters dropped a 9-5 decision to the Columbia Valley Rockies.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:


G Garrett Zemlak (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2006-10) was released by the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite). In 35 games with the Clan, Zemlak had a 3.95 GAA and an .833 save percentage while going 12-17-0-0. . . .



F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) has been assigned on loan by HIFK Helsinki (Finland, SM-Liiga) to Pelicans Lahti (Finland, SM-Liiga) for the rest of this season. He had three goals and nine assists in 23 games this season and hasn’t played in a game since Nov. 20. Redenbach became the odd-man out with HIFK after the club signed Washington Capitals F Mathieu Perreault to a lockout contract, got ex-Phoenix Coyotes F Joel Perrault back from injury, and then signed former AHL F Corey Elkins to replace Perreault, who returned to North America at Christmas.
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The biggest story of deadline day may well have come out of Prince George where the Cougars chose not to trade C Alex Forsberg, 17, who decided not to return after the Christmas break.
Forsberg, the first selection in the 2010 WHL bantam draft, likely will finish this season with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos.
Dallas Thompson, the Cougars’ general manager, had said he wouldn’t trade Forsberg unless he got a substantial return. Thompson was true to his word.
“(We) needed to make a good deal for our organization and it wasn’t there,” Thompson told me via email. “Him not being here played a huge factor in the offers, bottom line.”
The Cougars have added D Jordan Harris, 16, the 10th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, to their roster. He had been with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos for whom he had 12 points and 24 penalty minutes in 21 games.
The Cougars also returned D Sam Ruopp, 16, to the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. A fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft, he got into six games with the Cougars.
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In the first trade of deadline day, the Everett Silvertips dealt D Nick Walters, 18, and F Taylor Sanheim, 16, to the Brandon Wheat Kings for D Ayrton Nikkel, 17, and a conditional 2015 sixth-round bantam draft pick. (The pick is conditional on Sanheim playing for the Wheat Kings.)
Nikkel had nine assists and 87 penalty minutes in 42 games with the Wheat Kings this season. He was a second-round selection by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2010 bantam draft. The Wheat Kings acquired him in a trade two years ago in which F Brayden Schenn went to the Blades. . . . Last season, as a freshman, Nikkel had 10 points and 72 penalty minutes in 59 games.
Walters, a fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 2012 draft, played 145 games with Everett. From St. Albert, Alta., he has 10 points and 70 penalty minutes in 35 games this season. . . . Walters was the eighth overall selection in the 2009 bantam draft.
Sanheim, from Elkhorn, Man., is playing for the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba midget AAA league. He has 51 points in 43 games, leaving him fifth in the league scoring race. . . . Sanheim’s twin brother, Travis, was selected by the Calgary Hitmen in the ninth round of the 2011 bantam draft.
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The Wheat Kings later dealt F Alessio Bertaggia, 19, who played for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, to the Spokane Chiefs for Czech F Marek Kalus, 19, F Rhett Gardner, 16, a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft and a fifth-round pick in 2014.
(There was some confusion involving the draft picks. Brandon’s news release and the WHL website both indicated both picks were in 2013; Spokane’s release indicated one in 2013 and one in 2014. Spokane general manager Tim Speltz informed me that the trade agreement reads “a 3rd in 2013 and a 5th in 2014.)
Bertaggia, who also played for Switzerland at the 2012 WJC, is Brandon’s leading scorer, with 34 points, including 16 goals, in 30 games. In 94 career games, he has 84 points, including 40 goals.
While in Europe preparing for the 2013 WJC, Bertaggia signed a two-year contract with EV Zug of the Swiss National League A that will take him through 2014-15.
(This deal is interesting in that it moves Bertaggia to the Western Conference where he once skated – illegally, as it turned out – with the Portland Winterhawks. That was during training camp prior to the 2010-11 season. On Sept. 3, 2010, I posted this blog entry that included photos of Red No. 23.
Kalus, meanwhile, has four assists in 11 games this season, after earning 42 points, 20 of them goals, in 68 games last season. He missed the early portion of this season with an undisclosed injury. He has 54 points, 24 of them goals, in 101 career WHL games.
Gardner, who is with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, was selected by Spokane in the second round of the 2011 bantam draft but has refused to report to the Chiefs. He has 31 points, including 15 goals, in 20 games. Gardner played for Team West at the U17 World Hockey Challenge that ended last weekend in Quebec.
Interestingly, the Chiefs also haven’t been able to land F Tanner MacMaster, their first-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. He is with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks and a story in the Calgary Herald in mid-December indicated that “in a recent interview, the deftly talented centre hinted he would be committing to a school any day, even though he won’t be headed south of the border until the 2014-15 season.”
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The Saskatoon Blades started their busy day by acquiring F Collin Valcourt, 19, from the Spokane Chiefs for a first-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft and a fifth-rounder in 2013. . . . A native of Red Deer, Valcourt was in his third season with the Chiefs. This season, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder had 23 points, including 13 goals, and 70 penalty minutes in 41 games.
The Blades also got F Erik Benoit, who turned 19 on Dec. 30, from the Kootenay Ice for a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Benoit, a Calgary native in his third season with the Ice, had 18 points in 33 games this season. (That fourth-round pick is one the Blades acquired earlier from the Swift Current Broncos for D Brent Lernout.)
The Blades also acquired F Michael Ferland, 20, from Brandon for a first-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. Ferland, who is under contract to the AHL’s Calgary Flames, played earlier this season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat and the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies before being assigned to Brandon. He has two points and four penalty minutes in four games with the Wheat Kings this season. Last season, he had 96 points, including 47 goals, in 68 games with Brandon.
After trading away first-round picks in the Valcourt and Ferland deals, the Blades, at the moment, don’t have a first-round selection in any of the next three bantam drafts.
The acquisition of Ferland left the Blades with four 20-year-olds, one of whom – team captain Brenden Walker – was acquired from Brandon over the summer.
The Blades then alleviated that situation by dealing F Adam Kambeitz, who had been acquired earlier in the season from the Red Deer Rebels, to the Seattle Thunderbirds for a a third-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Kambeitz had 21 points in 33 games with the Blades.
The Thunderbirds then released F Brendan Rouse in order to get down to three 20-year-olds. Rouse had 29 points in 42 games this season.
The Vancouver Giants promptly claimed Rouse, a native of Langley, B.C., off waivers. His arrival will leave the Giants with three 20-year-olds on their roster.
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The Regina Pats dealt F Colten Mayor, 19, to the Calgary Hitmen for F Carson Samoridny, 18, and a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Mayor, who was acquired from the Red Deer Rebels earlier in the season, had 19 points in 33 games with Regina. He played three season in Red Deer before ending up in Regina, and has 84 points in 201 career games.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Samoridny had 15 points in 40 games with the Hitmen. Last season, he had two assists in 33 games with the Everett Silvertips.
Mayor and Samoridny both are from St. Albert, Alta.


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The Seattle Thunderbirds picked up F Andrew Johnson, 18, from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. Johnson, from Saskatoon, was in his third season with the Warriors, He had 15 points in 42 games this season. In 159 career games, he has 68 points, 27 of them goals.
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A look at WHL trades since Jan. 1:
Jan. 1: Medicine Hat trades D Dylan Busenius, 19, F Jayden Hart, 18, and a 2014 sixth-round bantam draft pick to Prince Albert for F Logan McVeigh, 18, D Zach Hodder, 19, F Connor Hobbs, 15, and a 2013 second-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 2: Vancouver trades F Kale Kessy, 20, to Kamloops for F Rob Trzonkowski, 18, and a 2015 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 3: Everett trades F Trent Lofthouse, 18, to Victoria for a 2014 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 3: Victoria trades G Jared Rathjen, 18, to Vancouver for a 2013 eighth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 7: Victoria trades D Jesse Zgraggen, 19, to Calgary for a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 7: Lethbridge trades F Jay Merkley, 17, to Swift Current for F Josh Derko, 19, and a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 9: Vancouver trades F Trevor Cheek, 20, to Edmonton for a 2013 second-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 9: Kootenay trades D Mike Simpson, 18, to Lethbridge for a 2013 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 9: Vancouver trades D Stewart Coyle, 17, to Spokane for a 2016 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 9: Edmonton trades F Klarc Wilson, 19, to Prince George for a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 10: Everett gets D Ayrton Nikkel, 17, and a conditional 2015 sixth-round bantam draft pick from Brandon for D Nick Walters, 18, and F Taylor Sanheim, 16.
Jan. 10: Spokane gets F Alessio Bertaggia, 19, from Brandon for F Marek Kalus, 19, F Rhett Gardner, 16, a 2013 third-round bantam draft pick and a 2014 fifth-round pick.
Jan. 10: Seattle gets F Andrew Johnson, 18, from Moose Jaw for a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 10: Calgary gets F Colten Mayor, 19, from Regina for F Carson Samoridny, 18, and a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 10: Saskatoon gets F Collin Valcourt, 19, from Spokane for a 2015 first-round bantam draft pick and a 2013 fifth-round pick.
Jan. 10: Saskatoon gets F Michael Ferland, 20, from Brandon for a 2013 first-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 10: Saskatoon gets F Erik Benoit, 19, from Kootenay for a 2014 fourth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 10: Seattle gets F Adam Kambeitz, 20, from Saskatoon for a 2013 third-round bantam draft pick.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will be without D Ryan Pulock, their captain, for a couple of weeks after he was found to have a chipped bone in one wrist. The injury will keep Pulock, 18, out of the CHL Top Prospects Game in Halifax on Jan. 16. . . . Pulock was injured in Tuesday’s 7-2 loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . The CHL replaced Pulock with D Jordan Subban of the OHL’s Belleville Bulls. He is the younger brother of G Malcolm Subban and D P.K. Subban. . . . Brandon also will be without F Richard Nejezchleb for at least two weeks after he suffered a lacerated hand on Tuesday. . . .
The Wheat Kings also have added F Quintin Lisoway, 17, to their roster. A ninth-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft, Lisoway has two points in 10 games with the Wheat Kings this season. Lisoway is from Neepawa, which is just north of Brandon, and has been with the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons for whom he had 21 points in 27 games. . . . Brandon also assigned D Riley Van Horne, 16, to the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. A fifth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft, Van Horne, who is from Calgary, had three assists and two penalty minutes in 23 games with Brandon. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have added D Dallas Valentine, 16, to their roster for the rest of the this season. He had nine points in 27 games with the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Oil Kings. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have added F Jason Trott, 20, from the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines. Trott played in 68 regular-season games with the Portland Winterhawks over the last two seasons, picking up eight points and 50 penalty minutes. The native of Anmore, B.C., had 10 points and 95 penalty minutes in 17 games with Whitecourt. . . .
The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed D Scott Allan, 16, who is playing for the Banff Academy Bears of the Heritage Junior Hockey League. Allan, a 6-foot-3, 167-pounder, is from Thornton, Colo. . . .
The Regina Pats assigned F Adam Rossignol, 19, to an unnamed BCHL team, while also releasing F Filip Vasko, 19, who likely will return home to Slovakia. Vasko was on his third team this season, having started with the Kelowna Rockets and then been dealt to the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Rossignol had 14 points, including nine goals, in 44 games with Regina. . . . Vasko, who was bothered by a knee injury, didn’t get into any games with the Pats. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs announced that F Adam Smith, 18, will stay with the club for the remainder of this season. He came in on a tryout basis earlier in the week. . . . The Chiefs also assigned D Adam Power to the junior B Spokane Braves of the Kootenay International Junior League and F Tyson Predinchuk, 17, to the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. . . . Power, from Post Falls, Idaho, got into eight games and picked up one assist with the Chiefs after coming back from an undisclosed injury. . . . Predinchuk had five assists in 25 games with the Chiefs. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have assigned D Connor Sutton, 18, to the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. Sutton had one goal in 12 games with the Hurricanes. . . .
In a move that won’t become official until sometime today, the Kootenay Ice, with a roster down to five defenceman, has added D Landon Peel, 18, who was with the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders. Peel was a third-round pick by the Regina Pats in the 2009 bantam draft. He had two assists in 26 games over three seasons with Regina. With the Stampeders, the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder had 32 points, including nine goals, in 38 games.
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So . . . how are the Portland Winterhawks doing under interim head coach Travis Green. Don’t tell him, but the team is 15-1 since GM/head coach Mike Johnston was suspended by the WHL for the rest of this season.
Paul Buker of The Oregonian has more right here.
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From Edmonton Journal sports writer Evan Daum (@evandaum): “Saskatoon didn't sell the farm today, they sold the entire province of Saskatchewan to take a run at the Memorial Cup”
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From Swift Current Broncos F Shae Howorko (@Whorzy13), who has yet to play this season: “So I guess my concussion isn't getting better! #AreYouKiddingMe”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Garrett Zemlak (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2006-10) signed a one-year contract with the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite). He had a 4.33 GAA and a .890 save percentage in 54 games with the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite) last season. With the Flyers, Zemlak won UK Elite League Fans Favourite Award, Fife Flyers Mirror of Merit Award, Players Player, and Player of the Year.
The Clan, who play out of Glasgow, recently named F Jordan Krestanovich (Calgary, 1997-2001) as player/head coach. Krestanovich, who was captain of the Clan last season, had with 29 goals and 40 assists in 50 games. . . .
F Lee Goren (Saskatoon, 1995-96) signed a one-year contract with Pelicans Lahti (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 11 goals and 28 assists in 51 games for Skellefteå (Sweden, Elitserien) last season.
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Renaud Lavoie, who works for RDS, which is the French-Canadian equivalent of TSN, got the ball rolling Friday night when he was the first person to report parts of the offer the NHL has made to the NHLPA as negotiations on a new CBA get serious.
The most contentious issues, it seems, will revolve around the percentage of hockey-related revenues that will go to the players, as well as the definition of hockey-related revenues, or HRR as they are referred to in many instances.
The CBA that is in force now, the one that was negotiated as the NHL sat out the 2004-05 season, gives the players 56 per cent, with the owners getting 44.
According to Lavoie, the NHL has suggest that change to 46 for the players and 54 for the owners.
That’s right. From 57-43 players, to 54-46 owners.
Sure, it’s only the beginning of negotiations, but you have to think the owners were delivering some kind of a message with that.
According to Lavoie, the NHL offer also would make players eligible for unrestricted free agency after 10 seasons; right now, it’s seven seasons or 27 years of age. The NHL also wants five-year entry-level contracts; they now are three years in length. And the NHL wants to get rid of arbitration.
Lavoie also reported that the NHL offer would put a maximum length of five years on contracts. In other words, no more 13-year deals for the likes of defenceman Ryan Suter and forward Zach Parise.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post later reported that the NHL also wants to get rid of signing bonuses.
Yes, it’s early. Yes, the CBA doesn’t expire until Sept. 15 which, you should know, is only two months away.
But if the NHL is at all serious about taking a healthy chunk out of the 57-43 advantage the players now have when it comes to the shares of HRR, numbers that were negotiated by the players, well, you can forget about training camps opening in mid-September.
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Chris Wallace was a quarterback. He now is a writer.
Here are three paragraphs from an essay he wrote for the Paris Review:
My second serious concussion came in my junior year at Weber State University, during a home game against Humboldt State. We were up big in the fourth quarter, but, instead of “protecting myself” as I’d been coached, I went full-Elway in a scramble toward the end zone, diving over a defender just as I was hit from the side and helicoptering down to the one-inch line. I handed the ball off to our fullback the next play, and, after he scored, walked to the sideline where the trainers flocked to check me out. Of course I was all right, I said, “Thith game ith outh to looth.”
I didn’t notice the slur or the daze, but I did see the look of recognition in the eyes of the head trainer. I spent the weekend with the trainers (being “monitored”), but I don’t remember getting a CAT scan. As in high school, after the North Torrance game, I sat out practice until a doctor had cleared me for contact. I was still a “game-time decision,” meaning the doctor would have to clear me further, for violent combat, essentially. He did, and we went on to beat the stuffing out of Idaho State, I think it was.
But a year later, having pulled a Kerouac and quit the team to become an artist, I was in Austin, Texas, and romancing the idea of suicide.
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Wallace’s complete essay is right here.
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And right here is another good read. Rick Reilly of ESPN really brings it on Joe Paterno and the Penn State mess.

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Ryan Pilon and Reid Duke signed with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Thursday.
Both players were early first-round picks in the 2011 WHL bantam draft.
(Photo courtesy of Lethbridge Hurricanes)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Garrett Zemlak (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2006-10) signed a one-year contract with the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite). He had a 3.48 GAA and a .877 save percentage in 26 games with the Kalamazoo Wings, Stockton Thunder, Elmira Jackals and Gwinnett Gladiators (all ECHL) last season. Zemlak also played one game with the Binghamton Senators (AHL), giving up four goals on 28 shots. The UK Elite regular season begins Saturday.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes had two of the top five selections in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. And they now have signed both of those players.
They took D Ryan Pilon with the third overall selection and grabbed F Reid Duke two picks later.
Pilon, from Duck Lake, Sask., had 45 points in 20 games with the bantam AA Warman Wildcats of the Centre Four Hockey League.
Duke, from Calgary, put up 64 points, including 28 goals, in 30 games with the Calgary Royals of the Alberta Major Bantam league.
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The WHL’s Office of Discipline has been rather busy as it attempts to deliver its message in the preseason.
Here is a look at what has transpired since the exhibition season opened:
F Caleb Belter, Prince George Cougars, two games for checking to the head major and game misconduct, in game against Calgary Hitmen in Edmonton tournament on Monday.
F Dexter Bricker, Red Deer Rebels, three games for charging major and game misconduct in game against the Swift Current Broncos on Monday.
F Jesse Mychan, Everett Silvertips, two games for checking to the head major and game misconduct against the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday in the Everett tournament.
D Dallas Ehrhardt, Moose Jaw Warriors, three games for cross-checking major and game misconduct in game against the host Regina Pats on Sept. 2.
F Mike Aviani, Spokane Chiefs, four games for a boarding major and game misconduct in a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Everett tournament on Sept. 2.
Meanwhile, the Kelowna Rockets and Victoria Royals have the dubious honour of paying the season’s first fines. Each team was fined $250 for a fight between F Mitchell Chapman of the Rockets and F Curt Gogol of the Royals at the start of the second period in Kelowna on Friday. . . . Chapman and Gogol each drew a one-game suspension.
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JUST NOTES: G Deven Dubyk, 20, has left the Medicine Hat Tigers and joined the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, who are to be the host team for the 2012 RBC Cup. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors will be without D Morgan Rielly, 17, for a bit after he underwent an emergency appendectomy on Sept. 1. He was released from hospital on Sunday and already is back in the gym. He is hoping to play in the season-opener on Sept. 22. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald also reports that the Warriors are down to two goaltenders — veteran Brandon Stone, 18, and Spencer Tremblay, a 16-year-old freshman from Winnipeg. . . . Jason Berger has signed on as equipment manager with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. He spentthe last four years as the Seattle Thunderbirds’ equipment manager.
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Alarm bells have to be going off in Swift Current where Broncos’ season-ticket sales are lagging well behind last season’s, when the final total was 1,707. That is scary news for the franchise that operates in the smallest community in all of the CHL. The Southwest Booster has more right here.
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F Brayden Cuthbert of the Moose Jaw Warriors is out indefinitely and, in fact, has returned to his home in Brandon. He continues to suffer from post-concussion syndrome after being injured in January. Alan Miller, the Warriors’ director of hockey operations, told Goulie that they don’t expect Cuthbert back before Christmas, if at all.
As for Cuthbert, here’s what he had to say to Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun:
“I was feeling pretty good throughout the second half of the summer and it was looking like I was going to hopefully be able to make a run into maybe October, start of November and be able to play then, so I came back (to Moose Jaw) early for camp with the rest of the guys and we started practising.
“The first skate I had, I felt pretty good for 45 minutes or so and then I got a little fuzzy so I just went off the ice, trying not to take anything too seriously. But when I woke up the next morning, my head was just pounding. Throughout the next eight to nine days, I just followed up with headaches and I realized I wasn’t anywhere near to where I have to be if I want to play in the league.”
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Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times has written a story about fighting in hockey. In it, he talks with Steve Konowalchuk, the new head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds. And three cheers to Konwalchuk for pointing out that fighting “is part of the game, but there's a lot more to being tough than just fighting.”
That column is right here.
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Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who has done such a terrific job of covering the death of Derek Boogaard, has written another great piece, this one looking at Boogaard and his problems with addictions. You’ll find it right here.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail writes elegantly of the crash of the plane carrying Lokomotiv Yaroslavl on Wednesday and of hockey’s horrible summer. That piece is right here.
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Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press talked with Kelly McCrimmon, the owner and general manager of the Brandon Wheat Kings, about his relationship with his brother, Brad. Lawless also touched bases with Brian Propp and Ray Allison, both of whom played with McCrimmon on powerful Wheat Kings teams in the late 1970s. Those stories are right here.
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Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province talked with Glen Hanlon, who now is an assistant coach with the Vancouver Giants. Hanlon has a lot of coaching experience in Europe and has some interesting, and positive, things to say about the KHL. Willes’s column is right here.
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Slava Malamud writes for Sport-Express, a Russian daily newspaper, and is based in North America. James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail spoke with him about Wednesday’s tragedy and the interview is right here. It is especially insightful in terms of explaining just how big this story is in Russia and especially in Yaroslav, where, according to Malamud, hockey actually is bigger than soccer.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Some Wednesday stuff . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tyler Bouck (Prince George, 1995-2000) signed an extension with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL). He has three goals and five assists in 19 games this season, which was cut short in December by a torn ACL.
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The AHL’s Binghamton Senators have released G Garrett Zemlak (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2006-10) from his professional tryout contract. Zemlak, from Saskatoon, made his AHL debut in Binghamton's 5-2 loss to the Adirondack Phantoms on Feb. 27. Zemlak, 21, was traded from the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder to the Elmira Jackals on Jan. 31. The 6-1, 195-pounder has appeared in 21 total ECHL games this season with Elmira, the Kalamazoo Wings and Stockton, going 5-9-4, 2.90, .896. . . .
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After beating the Rebels 4-2 in Red Deer on Tuesday night, the Medicine Hat Tigers no doubt were in a celebratory mood. It didn’t last, however, as their bus encountered mechanical difficulties.
Goaltender Tyler Bunz tweeted: “Stranded on the side of the road waiting for a new bus to pick us up..what a night.”
And later, after the Tigers finally arrived in The Hat, F Emerson Etem tweeted: “bus broke down, just got home, good morning and goodnight.”
Later in the day, Bunz was back on Twitter: “never slept in till 3 before haha, feels like the day is already done!”
Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News reported: “One of the valves on the air breaks ended up being stuck frozen in an open position. Once an air break on bus loses its air, the vehicle can't move.”
The Tigers spent about four hours waiting for another bus to arrive from Airdrie, and got home after 7 a.m.
Bunz had stopped 40 shots in the victory, so had no doubt earned the sleep.
Meanwhile, according to CHAT-TV in Medicine Hat, the Tigers could be without F Tyler Pitlick (broken ankle) into the second round of the playoffs.
Pitlick, 19, was a second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 2010 draft. He left Minnesota State-Mankato to join the Tigers. In 56 games, he has 62 points, including 27 goals.
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All those WHL coaches whose next paycheques will be complete, please take one step forward.
Curtis Hunt, not so fast.
"It's really hard to compete against two teams," Hunt told the Regina Leader-Post after his Regina Pats dropped a 5-3 decision to the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Tuesday night. "The Moose Jaw Warriors are a good hockey team and I thought our guys worked hard. We just couldn't overcome the striped team tonight."
Ch-ch-ching!
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Alan Schwarz has a piece in the New York Times that should make hockey administrators at all levels sit up and pay attention.
Here is one paragraph from that story:
“After examining Probert’s brain tissue, researchers at Boston University said this week they found the same degenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, whose presence in more than 20 deceased professional football players has prompted the NFL to change some rules and policies in an effort to limit dangerous head impacts.”
Later in the story, there is this paragraph:
“Probert’s widow, Dani, said in an interview at their home on Tuesday that the B.U. group had said that her husband’s C.T.E. was less developed than that found in most football players of similar age. She added that in his final few years, Probert exhibited some behavior uncharacteristic to him, especially memory loss and a tendency to lose his temper while driving.”
Schwarz’s story is right here and it is a must read.
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The SJHL’s Estevan Bruins are looking for a general manager and head coach. There is more right here.
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Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 40 shots for his first career shutout as the host Wheat Kings beat the Kootenay Ice 4-0. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay ran his points streak to 17 games as the Wheat Kings won for the 10th straigh time at home. He had his 26th goal and an assist, while F Shayne Wiebe got No. 38 and also had an assist. . . . F Brayden Schenn and D Stefan Elliott each had two goals and an assist as the Saskatoon Blades beat the host Edmonton Oil Kings, 8-5. . . . The Blades had F Marek Viedensky (groin) back for the first time since Feb. 20, and he had a goal and an assist. . . . Edmonton F T.J. Foster (shoulder) had three assists in his first game since Feb. 18. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix had a goal and an assist, giving him 119 career points and the franchise’s modern day record. F Brent Raedeke had held the previous record of 117 points. . . .
The host Chilliwack Bruins scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 3-1. . . . F Jamie Crooks scored twice for Chilliwack, getting the winner and an empty-netter. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 22 shots. . . . The Kelowna Rockets got two goals from F Evan Bloodoff and beat the host Kamloops Blazers, 6-2. . . . Kelowna F Geordie Wudrick scored his 37th goal. The Rockets are 22-4 when Wudrick scores. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 25 shots for his 80th career victory. He is three victories shy of the franchise record held by Kelly Guard. . . . Tri-City D Tyler Schmidt had three assists in the Americans’ 6-5 Tuesday night loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks. He has 127 career assists now, one shy of Darrell Hay’s franchise record. Hay also holds the franchise record for career points (161), but Schmidt is only three away. . . .
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WEDNESDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Kamloops D Tyler Hansen
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And finally, if you haven’t heard about it, a press release from Canadian Interuniversity Sport:
GUELPH, Ont. (CIS) — Morgan McHaffie scored at 17:14 of the sixth overtime period to lead the Queen's Gaels to a 2-1 win over the host Guelph Gryphons in Game 1 of the best-of-three Ontario University Athletics women's hockey final Wednesday night.
The game, which lasted 167 minutes and 14 seconds, including 107:14 of extra time, is the longest on record in CIS or NCAA hockey — women's or men's.
When compared to the NHL, it trails only a contest played on March 24, 1936 that saw Detroit beat Montreal 1-0 after 176:30 of action (including 116:30 in OT).
After battling for 60 minutes in regulation, Queen's and Guelph played a 10-minute overtime period, then four 20-minute OT frames, before McHaffie ended the affair at 17:14 of the sixth OT.
Interestlingly enough, Guelph was only five seconds away from victory in regulation but Becky Conroy saved the day for Queen's with the tying goal at 19:55 of the third.
Queen's now is 4-0 in the 2011 playoffs, all 2-1 victories that went to at least second overtime. The Gaels' playoff results so far are as follow:
- OUA quarter-final: Queen's 2, Windsor 1 in 2OT (20:34 of OT)
- OUA semifinal Game 1: Queen's 2, Laurier 1 in 2OT (13:24 of OT)
- OUA semifinal Game 2: Queen,s 2, Laurier 1 in 2 OT (27:31 of OT)
- OUA final Game 1: Queen's 2, Guelph 1 in 6OT (107:14 of OT)
- TOTAL: 168:43 of overtime
Morgan McHaffie (1-3-4) and twin sister Brittany (2-1-3) have tallied seven points on Queen's four overtime goals in the post-season, scoring three of them.
Morgan assisted on Kelsey Thompson's game-winner against Windsor. Brittany scored both winners against Laurier, each time assisted by Morgan. And Brittany set up Morgan's winning tally against Guelph.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter