THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) was released by Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL). He had no points in 12 games this season. Tverdovsky cleared KHL waivers last week but elected not to report to Salavat Yulaev's farm club, Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga).
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JUST NOTES: F Filip Vasko, 18, of the Kelowna Rockets will attend the Slovakian national junior team’s selection camp in Three Hills, Alta., Dec. 15-23. Vasko, in his freshman WHL season, has 11 assists in 24 games with the Rockets. . . .
F Geordie Wudrick (Swift Current, Kelowna, 2005-11) is leaving the Rosenheim Star Bulls, a German pro team, to join the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, the No. 1 team in Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s latest rankings. . . . Wudrick had 59 points, 43 of them goals, in 71 games with the Kelowna Rockets last season. . . . He will play for the V-Reds after Christmas. . . . Wudrick had nine points in 14 games with Rosenheim, which plays in the 2.Bundesliga. . . .
F Thomas Frazee (Portland, Medicine Hat, Regina, Moose Jaw, Kamloops, 2005-11) will play for the Lakehead University Thunderwolves after Christmas. Frazee, 21, finished up his WHL eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers last season. He went to camp this season with the NHL”s Washington Capitals and began the season with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors, finishing up with a goal and three assists. . . .
F Adam Rockwood of the Northeast Chiefs put up 28 points in eight B.C. major midget league games in November. That broke the record for most points in a month set by F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, now with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . Rockwood is on the Medicine Hat Tigers’ list. . . . The Chiefs, who are coached by Doneau Menard (New Westminster, Victoria, 1985-89), are on an 8-0 run. . . . The Federal Hockey League’s Vermont Wild, who played out of Morrisville, have ceased operations. They lasted 10 games, going 3-7-0. . . .
The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets have returned F Oliver Gabriel, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks. He should play Friday against the visiting Everett Silvertips. Gabriel, a free-agent signee of the Blue Jackets, was with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons. He had one goal in 11 games. Last season, he had 32 points in 41 games with Portland before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in January. . . . Gabriel’s arrival leaves Portland with four 20-year-olds, one over the limit. The others are D William Wrenn, the team’s captain, F Dillon Wagner and F Charles Wells. The Winterhawks have two weeks from Gabriel’s arrival to get down to three. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have assigned G Tanner Kovacs to the AJHL’s St. Albert Steel. That leaves the Hurricanes with Damien Ketlo, 20, and Liam Liston, 18, as their goaltenders. Kovacs, 17, had gotten into only three games.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former WHL player and coach Brad Lauer has joined the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach. The move came as the Ducks fired head coach Randy Carlyle and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau, who had been dumped a couple of days earlier by the Washington Capitals. Lauer was an assistant under Cory Clouston with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators last season. After Ottawa cleaned house, he signed as an assistant with the Syracuse Crunch, Anaheim’s AHL affiliate. . . .
The USHL’s Omaha Lancers fired GM/head coach Bliss Littler on Wednesday, replacing him with assistant coach Mike Aikens, at least on an interim basis. The Lancers were 9-8-2 and third in the Western Conference in Littler’s fourth season with them. He was 117-60-22 in Omaha. . . . Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that Littler announced his firing via Twitter. Here’s his tweet: “Fired this morning. Good luck to a bunch of great kids and staff.” . . .
Earlier in the week, Kevin Willison resigned as director of hockey operations and head coach of the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys. Assistant coach Brett Hopfe is the interim head coach. Olds was 9-18-0-3 after going 0-7-1-2 in November. Willison had been with the Grizzlys since August 2010. . . .
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In Saskatoon, the Reinhart brothers combined for seven points as the Kootenay Ice whipped the Blades, 6-1. . . . F Max Reinhart scored three times, while his younger brother, Sam, drew four assists. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 20 shots. . . . Max Reinhart, 19, has 34 points, including 15 goals, in 24 games. In his career, he has 191 points in 229 games. . . . This was his third WHL hat trick — he had a four-goal game and three-goal game last season. . . . Sam Reinhart, 16, has 26 points, 18 of them assists, in 27 games. He has followed three pointless games by putting up 18 points in his last six games. He has had at least two points in each of those games, as he has alternated two- and four-point outings. . . . The Ice also set a franchise record with its seventh straight road victory. . . . The defending-champion Ice (19-5-3) boasts the WHL’s best record. . . . “That was like some of the girls you used to date, Daniel,” Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ GM/head coach, said to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. . . .

In Brandon, F Brenden Walker had a goal and two assists as the Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-4. . . . F Mark Stone, the WHL scoring leader, got the winner just 38 seconds into the third period. He has 25 goals. . . . Brandon, which had lost three straight, trailed 4-2 when it scored two quick PP goals, the first on the 5-on-3. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia got the Wheaties to within one and D Brodie Melnychuk tied it. . . . F Brendan Gallagher had three goals for the Giants, giving him 22 on the season. . . . Vancouver D Kiefer McNaughton didn’t return after taking a punch from Brandon F Mike Ferland in a second-period bout. . . . The teams became involved in a donnybrook of sorts at games end. It resulted in six fighting majors, which means it was a multi-fight situation. That means — ch-ch-ching! — there will be fines. And just in time for Christmas shopping, too. . . . The Wheat Kings were without G Brandon Anderson (flu), so had Tyrel Heap of a local high school team, the Crocus Plains Plainsmen, backing up Corbin Boes. . . .

In Prince Albert, G Luke Siemens stopped 18 shots to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 3-0 victory over the Raiders. . . . Siemens has two shutouts this season. . . . Prince Albert D Tyler Hart took a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 11:02 of the third period. . . . The Warriors had a 35-18 edge in shots. . . . D Dylan McIlrath was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup after sitting out a three-game suspension. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Lethbridge Hurricanes erased a 2-0 deficit and went on to beat the Tigers, 4-3. . . . D James Bettauer had two goals and an assist for the Tigers. He has 12 points, including seven goals, in 16 games. . . . The Hurricanes were one skater short due to injuries. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo stopped 35 shots. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Graham Hood (suspension), who is awaiting supplementary discipline for a hit on Red Deer F Josh Cowen, who didn’t play last night in a loss to the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Lethbridge did have D Albin Blomqvist and F Juraj Bezuch back after one-game absences (flu). . . .

In Red Deer, F Mitch Holmberg scored twice as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Rebels, 5-2. . . . The Chiefs, who won for the first time in nine road games this season, are 1-1 on their Central Division trek. . . . The Chiefs had a 22-15 edge in shots. . . . Spokane captain Darren Kramer scored his 10th goal of the season in his 22nd game. he had seven in 68 games last season. . . . Chiefs D Brenden Kichton, one of the WHL’s more under-appreciated players, had a goal and two assists. He has 24 points in 23 games. . . . The Rebels have lost seven in a row. . . . Red Deer had four forwards and two defencemen out with injury or suspension. The Rebels dressed F Conner Bleackley of the midget AAA UFA Bisons. He was their first pick in the 2011 bantam draft. F Scott Feser, an eighth-round pick in 2010, played his second straight game. He plays for the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Rebels. . . . All told, the Rebels were without D Alex Petrovic, D Aaron Borejko, F Turner Elson, F Josh Cowen, F Daulton Siwak and F Adam Kambeitz. . . . The Rebels open a four-game road trip in Brandon on Friday. . . .

In Kelowna, F Brett Bulmer scored two goals to help the Rockets dump the Tri-City Americans, 6-2. . . . Bulmer has eight goals. . . . The Rockets are 6-3-1 in their last 10 outings. . . . The Americans had won four in a row and finished November with an 8-2-0 record for the month. . . .

In Victoria, F Chase Schaber’s fourth goal in two games, at 2:30 of overtime, gave the Kamloops Blazers a 6-5 victory over the Royals. . . . Schaber’s goal came with Victoria forward Jesse Pauls in the penalty box for slashing. . . . Schaber had scored three times Tuesday night as the Blazers beat the Royals 4-3 in Victoria. . . . Kamloops has now beaten the Royals four straight times this season, including 4-1 in Kamloops on Friday night. . . . The teams meet for the fourth time in nine nights on Saturday in Kamloops. . . . The Blazers (18-7-1) are 6-1-1 in their last eight games and have won four in a row. They boast the WHL’s best road record (9-2-1) and are 10-2 inside the B.C. Division, which they now lead by a point over the Vancouver Giants. Kamloops also is within a point of the Western Conference-leading Tri-City Americans. . . . The Royals (11-15-2) now have lost six in a row and nine of 10.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Justin Weller, Red Deer
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TWEET OF THE NIGHT:
From Edmonton Oil Kings F Tyler Maxwell, who tweets as KingMaxymus23: “I'm proud to be part of a generation that was once mesmerized by Lite-Brites but now complains if we can't stream HD video from our phones.”
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gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Drew Owsley (left) and Ty Rimmer will be changing uniforms.
(Photos courtesy Try-City Americans)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Geordie Wudrick (Swift Current, Kelowna, 2005-11) signed a tryout contract with Starbulls Rosenheim (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 43 goals and 16 assists in 71 games for the Kelowna Rockets last season. The tryout contract runs through Sept.  30.
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The Tri-City Americans dealt at least in part with their 20-year-old situation and the Prince George Cougars landed a starting goaltender in a Thursday trade.
The Americans sent G Drew Owsley, 20, and a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft to the Cougars for G Ty Rimmer, 19, and two draft picks — a third-rounder in 2012 and a fifth-rounder in 2013.
Rimmer was a 14th-round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2007 bantam draft. He was dealt to the Cougars in October and proceeded to go 17-20-2, 3.29, .899 in what was his freshman WHL season.
Rimmer shared playing time in Prince George with James Priestner last season. Priestner, 20, was released by the Cougars at some point following the season.
Owsley, who was listed by the Americans in September 2007, played in 122 regular-season games with the Americans, going 76-33-4, with a 2.68 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Owsley is third on Tri-City’s career list in regular-season victories, GAA and shutouts, second in save percentage and sixth in games and minutes played. He holds the franchise career records for playoff games played, minutes played, victories, save percentage and shutouts.
The Americans now appear ready to open the season with Rimmer and the highly touted Eric Comrie, 16, as their goaltenders.
Owsley’s departure leaves the Americans still with five 20-year-olds on the roster — F Adam Hughesman, F Brendan Shinnimin, F Mason Wilgosh, D Matt MacKenzie and D Brock Sutherland.
In Prince George, Owsley joins F Spencer Asuchak and D Cody Carlson as the 20-year-olds.
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A snippet from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, who was at the Canadian junior team’s development camp in Edmonton on Thursday:
Prince George Cougars winger Brett Connolly, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first-round pick in 2010, suffered the first injury of the week. Connolly, who played on last year’s national team, was taken hard into the boards by local prospect Duncan Siemens and hurt his leg.
“Talking to the doctor, it doesn’t look as bad as first thought. Just a bad bruise. Hopefully he’ll recover to play on the weekend,” said Hay, who laughed when asked if it was a leg problem. “Lower-body injury.” Siemens, one of the WHL’s toughest customers, got his stick in a bit before Connolly hit the boards. “Yeah, yeah, it was a penalty. He (Siemens) plays that way and has to, to be effective.”
Matty’s complete story — and there’s some good Tyler Bunz stuff here — is right here.
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Over the last few WHL seasons, it is fair to say that D Tyler Schmidt has been one of the league’s most under-rated players.
Schmidt, who played out his eligibility last season, his fifth with the Tri-City Americans, put up 19, 14, 41, 38 and 53 points from 2006-07 through last season. He also picked up 72, 129, 164, 119 and 159 penalty minutes.
At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, he is an honest defenceman. Plays the same at home and on the road.
He has committed to attend the U of Manitoba and play for the Bisons, but now comes word that he also has agreed to an ATO with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
The Bisons are heading overseas later this month for games in Italy, Austria and Germany.
Upon the Bisons’ return from Europe, Schmidt will go to camp with the Oilers.
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As of the close of business Wednesday, the Brandon Wheat Kings had sold 2,320 season tickets. Last season, they sold more than 3,100 and averaged about 4,300 fans per home game. According to a news release, an adult season ticket sells for $350 plus GST. That, the news release reads, “equates to a single-game ticket price of just over $10, which is still easily the most affordable ticket price in the WHL.” . . . The Calgary Hitmen have added veteran scout Ray Payne to their staff. He will work as their travelling scout, replacing Dan Bonar, who moved up to head scout after Brad Whelen left for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Payne has worked with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals. He also has worked with Hockey Canada. . . .
F Richard Vanderhoek, who was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the sixth round of the 2006 bantam draft, has been traded by the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles to the Westside Warriors. Vanderhoek, 20, had 71 points in 55 games with the Eagles last season. He also played one game with the Vancouver Giants. In exchange, the Eagles received D Matt Cronin, 19, who has committed to Merrimack College for 2012-13. . . . D Nathan Deck (Vancouver, Prince Albert, 2005-11) has signed with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. He played out his junior eligibility with the Raiders last season, picking up 18 points in 60 games. The previous season, he put up 37 points in 72 games.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The AHL’s Portland Pirates have added John Slaney to their coaching staff. The Pirates are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. Slaney, 39, ended his playing career after spending last season with Plzen HC in the Czech Republic. . . . He will work alongside head coach Ray Edwards. . . .
Luke Strand has been added to the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat as an assistant coach. Abbotsford head coach Troy Ward worked with Strand for two seasons (2007-09) with the Houston Aeros. . . . Cail MacLean also is on the Heat’s staff as an assistant coach, with Jordan Sigalet as the goaltending coach. . . . For the last two seasons, Strand was head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. . . . The Heat is the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . .
Former NHL D Jay Wells has signed on as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. Wells takes over from Dave Bell, who now is the head coach of the Central league’s Quad City Mallards. . . . Wells will work alongside GM/head coach Dale Hawerchuk in Barrie. The two were teammates with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres. . . .
Jason Brooks, a former head coach with the OHL’s Guelph Storm, has signed on as an assistant coach with that league’s Niagara IceDogs. He replaces Mike Van Ryn, who now is an assistant coach with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. . . . Brooks will work with head coach Marty Williamson and assistant Billy Burke with the IceDogs. . . .
Vicky Sunohara, a seven-time world champion and three-time Olympian with Canada’s national team, is the new head coach of the U of Toronto Varsity Blues’ women’s hockey team. Sunohara, 41, has been working as the director of women’s hockey at The Hill Academy in Vaughan, Ont. With the Varsity Blues, she replaces Karen Hughes, who had been the coach for 18 seasons.
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There was a flash from the past in my inbox on Thursday morning -- an email (actually, two of them) from Dennis Ulmer, a proud father from Regina. It turns out both of his boys have signed on to play again in Europe.
Jason, 32, has signed a one-year deal with Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg of the German DEL. He already has played 348 DEL games, with 312 points, including 226 assists. He also played with Kassel and Hanover, before moving to Wolfsburg four years ago.
Meanwhile, his brother, Jeff, 34, has left the Swedish Elite Series (SEL) to sign a one-year deal with the DEG Metro Stars of the DEL. (The Metro Stars also signed F Ben Gordon, who played last season in the ECHL and AHL.)
In 2009-10, Jeff was the DEL’s leading scorer, picking up 74 points in 56 games with the Frankfurt Lions. He split last season with Metallurg Novokuznetsk (KHL) and Linköpings HC (SEL).
Gordon, 26, signed a one-year deal after playing last season with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. He also saw time with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

It's over! Kruise Reddick (11) and the Tri-City Americans' fans start celebrating after scoring in OT to beat the visiting Vancouver Giants 2-1 in overtime on Friday night.
(Photo by Doug Love / Tri-City Americans)

Dave Trimmer, who covers the Spokane Chiefs for the Spokane Spokesman-Review, blogged about fighting in hockey after reading the column I posted here yesterday.
Here’s part of what he wrote:
“But in the end, it's all fighting and I wouldn't miss it. The health of all hockey players is more important than short, entertaining mid- ice fisticuffs, no matter what the reason.
“I'm willing to bet that almost every team would take a hit in attendance if there was no fighting, which means it isn't going to be stamped out. The only thing that could hurt worse is if they quit selling beer, although that could lead to smarter fans who understand there is no need for fighting in hockey.”
Trimmer’s blog is right here.
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FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES (all were openers, with Game 2 in same place tonight):
In Cranbrook, G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 30 shots to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-0 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . The Warriors led 3-0 after one; in fact, they led 3-0 at 8:01 of the first period. F Quinton Howden scored twice, including once while shorthanded. . . . Attendance was 2,486. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-for-9 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-4. . . . Moose Jaw scratched F Cody Beach (knee), F Jordan Wyton (undisclosed), F Tanner Eberle (upper body) and F Brayden Cuthbert (concussion). . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath, who sat out a day or two of practice during the week, played and was the game’s first star. . . . Moose Jaw F Brett Lyon sat out the third game of a four-game WHL suspension. . . . With the scratches, the Warriors dressed F Torrin White, their first pick in the 2010 draft, and D Brandon Potomak, a second-pick in the same draft. . . . The Ice was without D Luke Paulsen (shoulder). . . .
In Medicine Hat, D Ryan Pulock had two goals and two assists to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 7-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . Pulock is a late 1994-born player; he doesn’t turn 17 until Oct. 6. From Grandview, Man., he put up 42 points in 63 games during the regular season. . . . Attendance was 3,866. The Tigers had sold out all 36 regular-season home games, at 4,006. . . . Brandon was 3-for-8 on the PP; the Tigers were 2-for-6. . . .
In Red Deer, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two goals and two assists to lead the Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Nugent-Hopkins broke a 3-3 tie with two third-period goals, at 14:25 and 15:31. . . . Kevin Lowe, the president of the NHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, who will have an early pick in June’s draft, was in the house. . . . F Josh Cowen (broken hand) returned to the Rebels’ lineup. He had been out since Feb. 19 when he was injured in a game against the visiting Kamloops Blazers. D Josh Caron, who was penalized for checking from behind on the play, served a three-game suspension. . . . Attendance was 5,568. . . .
In Kelowna, F Geordie Wudrick broke a 1-1 tie at 7:24 of the third period and the Rockets went on to a 4-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan had two goals for the Rockets, the last one into an empty net. . . . The Rockets were 2-for-7 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-2. . . . Prince George F Brett Connolly left early in the first period with an apparent arm injury and didn’t return. . . . The Cougars were penalized for delay of game on three occasions, each time for shooting the puck out of play from the defensive zone. . . . Attendance was 6,059. . . .
In Chilliwack, F Darren Kramer scored twice, including the winner at 10:00 of OT, as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Bruins, 3-2. . . . Kramer, who had seven goals and 306 penalty minutes in 68 regular-seaosn games, is a 19-year-old from Peace River, Alta. . . . He also drew an assist on F Tyler Johnson’s goal that tied the game 2-2 at 3:45 of the third. . . . . This was Kramer’s first multi-point WHL game. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 60 shots, while James Reid of the Chiefs turned aside 22. . . . Attendance was 2,962. . . . The start of the overtime period was delayed almost 15 minutes due to technical problems in the video review booth. . . . The Chiefs go in as the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed and with home-ice advantage in the first round. But they had to open on the road because there is an NCAA women’s basketball regional tournament being played in their home arena this weekend. . . . The series will follow a 2-3-1-1 format. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Carter Ashton scored with 2.2 seconds left in the first OT period to give the Tri-City Americans a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Ashton, on the power play, directed the puck toward the Vancouver net out of a corner and it had glance off G Mark Segal and into the net. . . . Vancouver F Andrej Stastny was off for tripping at the time. . . . F Brendan Rowinski gave the Giants a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 17:39 of the first period. . . . F David Conrad tied it at 7:55 of the third. . . . Attendance was 3,406. . . . Segal stopped 44 shots, 19 more than Tri-City’s Drew Owsley. . . . The Giants were without F James Henry (knee) and he isn’t expected to play in Game 2. F Michael Burns (concussion) and D Tyler Hart (shoulder) were back in Vancouver’s lineup. . . . The Americans remain without F Adam Hughesman (knee), who had 39 goals.
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D Tyson Barrie of the Kelowna Rockets has signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, which selected him in the third round of the 2009 NHL draft. According to capgeek.com, Barrie’s AHL salary would be US$67,500 for each of three seasons, with NHL salaries of $615,000, $690,000 and $840,000. He got a $270,000 signing bonus, payable over three years.
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JUST NOTES: The Kamloops Blazers have extended the contracts of Matt Recchi, their director of player personnel, and head scout Ken Fox. Lengths of the extensions weren’t announced. Both men have been with the Blazers since July 2008. Recchi works out of Kamloops, while Fox lives in Holdfast, Sask. . . Former WHL G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10) stopped 19 shots as his Saint John Sea Dogs opened the QMJHL playoffs with a 10-0 victory over the visiting Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday night. . . . Laury Ryan has announced his resignation after eight seasons as president of the Saskatchewan junior league. The league now is accepting applications as it searches for a replacement. . . .
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Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun went to an OHL playoff game in Mississauga on Thursday night. He wasn’t impressed, which makes one wonder what is in store for the Memorial Cup that is to be played there in May. In fact, after reading this one wonders if Buffery’s ex-wife will get the Memorial Cup tickets. Buffery’s piece is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

gdrinnan.blogspot.com

     

Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans gets a close-up look at
Kevin Sundher of the Chilliwack Bruins during a game in the Toyota Center
at Kennewick, Wash., on Friday night.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

If you read only one thing today, make it this piece right here. Written by Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail, it features Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier and his view on the problem of concussions in hockey. MacGregor is the best sports essayist in Canada today, and one of the best in North America, and Regier is one of the most progressive thinkers in the game.
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After Friday’s WHL games, here are some things that we know:
1. The Saskatoon Blades, with the WHL’s best record, will meet the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round. The Raiders locked up the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot last night.
2. The Red Deer Rebels will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. They clinched that with a victory in Edmonton and will face either the Oil Kings or Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round.
3. The Lethbridge Hurricanes won’t be in the playoffs. That was assured when Prince Albert won and the Hurricanes lost at home to the Kootenay Ice.
4. The Moose Jaw Warriors will finish fifth and play either the Medicine Hat Tigers or Kootenay in the first round.
5. The Kamloops Blazers won’t be in the playoffs for only the second time in the franchise’s 30-year history in that city. They were finished when they lost 3-2 in a shootout to the visiting Prince George Cougars.
Here are some things we don’t know:
1. Who will finish third and fourth in the Eastern Conference? The Medicine Hat Tigers, with two games left, are third, one point ahead of the Kootenay Ice, which has one game left. The Tigers are at home to the 12th-place Calgary Hitmen tonight and then visit Calgary Sunday. The Ice is at home to Lethbridge tonight.
2. Who will finish sixth and seventh in Eastern Conference? The Brandon Wheat Kings are sixth, two points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Wheat Kings are at home to Moose Jaw tonight, while the Oil Kings wrap things up in Red Deer. Should Brandon lose in regulation and should Edmonton win, both would have 71 points. Edmonton would win the tiebreaker on victories, 32-31.
3. What will be the first-round matchups in the Western Conference? We don’t know any of them. The Kelowna Rockets will be the No. 2 seed; the Tri-City Americans will be No. 4. Everything else is up in the air.
4. Which other Western Conference team will join Kamloops on the outside looking in? . . . Seattle is four points behind eighth-place Everett, with both teams having two games remaining. Seattle needs two victories and two Everett losses in regulation to force a sudden-death game for the final playoff spot. That game would be played in Kent, Wash., as Seattle would have more victories — 29-28. . . . Everett is in Chilliwack tonight and in Vancouver on Sunday. . . . The Thunderbirds are at home to Portland tonight and Tri-City on Sunday.
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In Edmonton, the Red Deer Rebels beat the Oil Kings 4-3 to clinch the Central Division pennant and the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed for the first round of the playoffs. . . . Attendance was 12,960. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Red Deer. . . . The Oil Kings are seventh, two points behind the sixth-place Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to Moose Jaw tonight. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Raiders doubled the Swift Current Broncos 6-3 and locked up the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The eighth-place Raiders can start preparing for a first-round matchup with the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Raiders lost D Antoine Corbin to a kneeing major and game misconduct at 5:01 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 3,366. . . . They play again tonight in Swift Current. . . .
In Regina, F Brayden Schenn scored in OT to give the Blades a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Schenn has 22 goals in 27 games with the Blades. . . . F Jordan Weal scored the game’s first two goals for Regina, giving him 42. . . . The Pats won’t be in the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . The teams will play again tonight in Saskatoon. . . .
In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice dumped the Hurricanes, 5-3. . . . The Hurricanes had needed a victory and a Prince Albert loss to have any chance to make the playoffs. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Cranbrook. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 2-1 in a shootout in the last regular-season game to be played in the Civic Centre (aka the Crushed Can). . . . Attendance was 2,945. . . . Former Warriors captain Mark MacKay dropped the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff. In a nice touch, his son, Matt, took the draw for the Wheat Kings. . . . The Warriors will move into the new Multiplex in time for next season. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek scored in the shootout in his first game back after missing 16 with a broken ankle. . . . Moose Jaw won for the 40th time this season, the third time in franchise history that it has reached 40. . . .
In Kamloops, F Charles Inglis, the 14th shooter, scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars beat the Blazers, 3-2. . . . The loss dashed the Blazers’ hopes of making the playoffs. . . . Kamloops has lost seven in a row. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . F Brett Connolly scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 45. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks got two goals from F Nino Niederreiter, who has 40 now, as they came from behind to beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . The Winterhawks continue to lead the Western Conference by one point over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland, with 101 points, broke the century mark for the first time since 1997-98. . . . If you believe in omens, the Winterhawks won the Memorial Cup that season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth got the victory in his first appearance since he was injured during the pregame warmup on March 4. . . . Everett continues to be without F Landon Ferraro (groin) and G Kent Simpson (ankle). . . . The Winterhawks meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., tonight, then return home to face Spokane on Sunday, 5 p.m., at the Rose Garden. . . . The Silvertips are eighth in the Western Conference so may end up meeting the Winterhawks in the first round. . . .
In Spokane, G Mac Engel stopped 23 shots as the Chiefs beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-0. . . . Engel has four shutouts. . . . The victory allowed the Chiefs to reach the 100-point barrier and to stay within one point of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Chiefs visit Tri-City tonight — they have beaten the Americans five straight times — and are in Portland on Sunday. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Mason Wilgosh scored once in his return from injury as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-1. . . . Wilgosh had missed 11 games. . . . The Toyota Center was sold out (5,929). . . . The Bruins had picked up at least one point in each of their last 10 games. . . . Tri-City also had F Neal Prokop (leg) back in the lineup. He sat out 28 games since being injured on Jan. 14. . . .
In Vancouver, F Geordie Wudrick scored twice as the Kelowna Rockets got past the Giants, 3-1. . . . Wudrick has 42 goals. . . . The Giants lost their eighth straight game. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher (concussion) returned to action. . . . The Giants are sixth in the Western Conference, one point behind Chilliwack. Vancouver can finish no lower than sixth. . . . The Giants are in Kelowna tonight and at home to Everett on Sunday. . . . The Bruins meet visiting Everett tonight.
———
FRIDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
D Graeme Craig, Swift Current
F Andrew Rieder, Regina
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Saturday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Keller (Kelowna, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract
extension with Linz (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 21 goals and 12 assists in 34 games for Linz this season.
———
If you read one thing today, make it this piece from Saturday’s Globe and Mail. Written by Ken Dryden, the former Montreal Canadiens goaltender, the headline on the piece is -- Ken Dryden on hockey violence: How could we be so stupid?
The piece is right here.
———

In Everett, F Nino Niederreiter ran his goal-scoring streak to seven games as his Portland Winterhawks beat the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton, starting again in place of the injured Mac Carruth, made 36 saves. . . . Hamilton is 15-5-2. . . . Niederreiter, who has 38 goals, has 11 goals over that seven-game run. . . . Everett has lost seven in a row, including a 6-3 loss to visiting Portland on Friday. . . . Attendance was 8,423, the Silvertips’ largest crowd this season. . . . The Winterhawks remain atop the Western Conference, one point up on the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Everett slipped into eighth, one point behind Prince George and two ahead of Kamloops. . . .
In Kelowna, shootout goals by F Geordie Wudrick and D Tyson Barrie gave the Rockets a 1-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 33 shots, seven fewer than Jeff Bosch, who made his 22nd straight start for Kamloops. . . . F Thoms Frazee had a shootout goal for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers, who lost 5-1 to the visiting Rockets on Friday night, now have lost five in a row. . . . Kamloops was without F Brendan Ranford, who is under WHL suspension after he was hit with a game misconduct for cross-checking linesman Kris Hartley on Friday night. . . . The Rockets are in Chilliwack today. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the Prince George Cougars scored four times in the latter half of the third period and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-1. . . . F Spencer Asuchak broke a 1-1 tie at 11:02 of the third. . . . The victory lifted the Cougars into seventh place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Everett. . . . The Thunderbirds, with four games left, are four points behind Everett. . . . The Cougars will be in Kennewick, Wash., today to play the Tri-City Americans. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs got a shootout goal from F Levko Koper to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-3. . . . Koper was the ninth shooter in what was a five-round event. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson had a goal, his WHL-leading 51st, and an assist. . . . The Chiefs have won seven in a row but continue to trail Western Conference-leading Portland by a point. . . . The Ice is fourth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Medicine Hat with three games left. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Kellan Tochkin had two goals to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers were without F Linden Vey (neck), who leads the WHL’s points derby. . . . The Tigers are two points behind the Central Division-leading Red Deer Rebels. Each team has three games left. . . . The Hurricanes are ninth, two points behind Prince Albert, with each team having three games left. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the final meeting in the Crushed Can between the Warriors and the Regina Pats went to a shootout before the home team won, 2-1. . . . The game drew 2,945 fans, which is a couple of hundred more than capacity. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that fans “stood five-deep to watch the game.” . . . How much did the game mean to Moose Jaw? Here’s Warriors head coach Dave Hunchak talking to Gourlie: “Our whole focus was to try to win the game for the city of Moose Jaw and our supportive fans. Coaches come and go. Players come and go. But the fans have been supportive and consistent and behind this team for 26 years. It’s not that it didn’t mean a lot to us — because it did — it was focus of ours. To be able to pick up that puck in our building meant an awful lot to the fans that support our hockey team year in and year out.” . . . One more note from Gourlie: “Warriors left-winger Cody Beach left the game in the third period after Neigum ducked out of the way of a hit and Beach landed awkwardly after being undercut. Beach left the ice favouring his left leg and was taken to hospital post-game for further evaluation.” . . . The Warriors will finish fifth and look to be headed to a first-round matchup with Kootenay. . . . The Pats are six points out of a playoff spot with three games left. . . .
In Brandon, F Mark Stone picked up two assists, giving him 101 points, as the Wheat Kings dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-3. . . . Stone is the first Brandon skater to surpass 100 points since F Eric Fehr (2004-05), who now is with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie had a goal and three assists to get to 90 points for the first time in his career. . . . Prince Albert F Jonathan Parker left in the second period with an elbowing major and the accompanying game misconduct. . . . The Wheat Kings now are sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of Edmonton. . . . Prince Albert continues to cling to the conference’s last playoff spot, two points up on Lethbridge. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Blades blanked the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-0 to set a franchise record with their 53rd victory of the season. . . . G Steven Stanford stopped 35 shots to earn the shutout, his third this season and the fifth of his career. . . . D Stefan Elliott had a goal and an assist, giving him the franchise record for career points by a defenceman. He has 240. The previous record had been held by Pat Price (1970-74). . . . The Oil Kings still were able to clinch a playoff spot. They are seventh in the conference. . . . The Blades will finish first overall. . . .
In Red Deer, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 31 shots as the Rebels blanked the Swift Current Broncos, 5-0. . . . Kuemper has 13 shutouts this season and that ties the WHL’s single-season record. He now shares it with Bryan Bridges (Seattle, 2004-05) and Kelly Guard (Kelowna, 2003-04). . . . The Rebels have three games remaining. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had three goals and two assists, to get to 101 points. The last Red Deer skaters to get to 100 were F Justin Mapletoft and F Kyle Wanvig, both of whom did it in 2000-01. . . . The Rebels, who meet the Hitmen in Calgary today, are the conference’s second seed, two points up o Medicine Hat. . . . The Broncos won’t be in the playoffs. In Chilliwack last night, the Bruins got two goals from F Ryan Howse as they dumped the Vancouver Giants, 8-5. . . . Attendance was 4,193. . . . Howse has 50 goals, the second WHLer, behind Spokane F Tyler Johnson, to get there this season. . . . Vancouver, which still was able to clinch a playoff spot, has lost six straight for the first time this season and has been outscored 28-6 in the process. . . . The Bruins had beaten the Giants 6-2 in Vancouver on Wednesday. . . . F Spencer Bennett scored four times for the Giants, giving him 34 on the season. . . . The Bruins, who clinched a playoff spot with the victory, have closed to within a point of the Giants, who are fifth in the Western Conference. Each team has four games remaining. . . . The Bruins are at home to the Kelowna Rockets today. . . .

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

gdrinnan.blogspot.com

     

Taking Note on Twitter

Blazers lose game and Ranford

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It was a quiet, subdued and contrite subdued Brendan Ranford who came out of the Kamloops Blazers’ dressing room late Friday night.
Ranford, who leads the WHL team in goals, assists and points, left in the second period of a 5-1 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets after he cross-checked linesman Kris Hartley in the chest.
Ranford was given a game misconduct under Rule 40.5 (iii), which deals with abuse of officials.
“I got that penalty for slashing the goalie,” said Ranford of the play that occurred at 9:10 of the second period, just 45 seconds after the Rockets had taken a 3-0 led with two quick power-play goals, “and I got pulled out of there. I was going toward the box . . . (referee Ryan) Bonnett said I had a penalty . . . Hartley grabbed me and my emotions got the most of me. It wasn’t the right thing to do, but . . .”
Ranford, an 18-year-old from Edmonton who was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 NHL draft, paused before continuing.
“It wasn’t the right thing and I regret doing it,” he said. “In the heat of the game sometimes things happen like that . . . after thinking about it, it wasn’t the right thing, for sure.”
Ranford then said he wanted to apologize to Hartley.
“Hartley has been in the league for a long time and I respect him 100 per cent,” Ranford said. “He’s a great guy on the ice, for sure . . . it wasn’t the right thing.”
Ranford, who has 86 points, including 33 goals, now has gone six games without a point, but said he doesn’t feel that he acted out of frustration.
“No,” he said, “it wasn’t really that. I thought I got my chances tonight. I can’t really . . . that’s definitely not towards my actions that I did here.”
The WHL, which is expected to suspend Ranford indefinitely while it investigates his actions, wouldn’t allow Hartley to talk to the media after the game.
As has been the case so often this season, a lack of discipline cost the Blazers, the WHL’s most-penalized team, even before Ranford’s misstep.
With the Rockets leading 1-0, forward Logan McVeigh checked Kelowna defenceman Colton Jobke from behind. Then, in the ensuing mini-melee, Chase Souto of the Blazers began flailing away at Kelowna’s Slovenian import, Gal Koren.
When it was over, the Rockets were looking at a two-man advantage. They didn’t waste their chances. Three shots. Two goals. A 3-0 lead.
Game, set and maybe season.
Because, while the Blazers (29-36-4) were losing for the fifth straight game, the Prince George Cougars were beating the Giants 8-0 — yes, 8-0! — in Vancouver. That means Kamloops is ninth in the 10-team Western Conference, two points behind the Cougars, who hold down the last playoff spot.
The Seattle Thunderbirds, who beat the visiting Chilliwack Bruins 3-2 in overtime, are just one point behind Kamloops.
The Blazers are scheduled to play tonight in Kelowna, while the Cougars meet the Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.
Geordie Wudrick, with his 40th goal of the season, Zach Franko, Mitchell Callahan, Koren and Tyson Barrie scored for the Rockets, who were 4-for-8 on the power play and clinched the B.C. Division pennant in the process.
Bernhard Keil had the Blazers’ lone goal, beating Kelowna goaltender Adam Brown at 3:37 of the third period. Brown posted his 83rd career regular-season victory, tying the franchise record set by Kelly Guard.
Brown was especially stellar in the first period when the Blazers at one point held a 15-2 edge in shots.
Brown’s shoulder stop on Chase Schaber off a shorthanded 2-on-1 was followed by Kelowna’s first goal, with Wudrick putting a rebound behind Jeff Bosch with three seconds left in the power play.
“For the first 15 minutes, we were on our heels,” offered Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska, adding that Brown has often played well early this season, allowing his teammates to get their legs underneath them.
Kamloops head coach Guy Charron, meanwhile, was again bemoaning that lack of discipline.
“We have to try to stay disciplined,” he said. “We can’t afford to allow a team to take a 5-on-3, especially when we’re down by one goal.
“This is the kind of team you have to be disciplined against. They’re not undisciplined and they cause you to be undisciplined and we allow it.
“I’m not completely down on the guys because I think it’s frustrating, especially with some of the things that I can’t say.
“What can you do?”
JUST NOTES: The Rockets were 4-for-8 on the power play; the Blazers were 0-for-3. . . . Bosch made 29 saves in his 21st straight start. . . . Schaber wasn’t able to put much weight on his right leg after the game. This was his fourth game back after missing 22 of 24 games with a leg injury. . . . The Rockets lead the season series 5-3-0. They have won the last three meetings by a 19-4 count. . . . Kelowna is 40-26-1, the sixth time it has won at least 40 games since 2002-03. . . . Wudrick now has 11 goals in his last 12 games, after starting the season with one goal in 15 outings. Kelowna is 25-4 when he scores.

The rule under which Kamloops left-winger Brendan Ranford received a game misconduct on Friday night:
Rule 40.5 (iii)
Any player or goalkeeper who deliberately applies physical force in any manner against an official, in any manner attempts to injure an official, physically demeans, or deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall receive a game misconduct penalty.

Some Saturday stuff . . .

Brendan Shinnimin (24) and his Americans teammates
were in the pink Friday night. And you’ve gotta love the tie
on the gentleman just over Shinnimin’s right shoulder. Well done, sir!
(Photo by John Allen, AridAcres.com)

The Tri-City Americans donned their pink jerseys Friday night when they entertained the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash.
The Americans won the game, 5-2, before 5,673 fans on was the sixth annual Fred Meyer Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
The fans set a record as the fund-raiser raised a total of $22,258.71, a 10.5-percent increase over last year. It also was the sixth straight season that the total has increased. All told, Americans fans have contributed $92,813 over the event’s history.
———
The recruiting war involving American players isn’t going away. Robert Mays in the Boston Globe writes that the NCAA’s Division 1 Legislative Council voted down a proposal that would have swung things in the CHL’s favour. Mays’s story is right here.
———
The Swift Current Broncos have lost seven in a row and their playoff hopes are fading. It doesn’t help that F Killian Hutt (concussion) hasn’t played since Dec. 10 and F Justin Dowling (ankle), F Taylor Vause (ankle), F Jordan Evans (concussion) and F Jordan Peddle (two-game suspension) are out. . . . The Broncos lost 4-3 to the visiting Regina Pats on Friday night. That was Regina’s seventh victory in as many games against the Broncos this season. . . . The Broncos have brought back G Derek Tendler, who turned 19 on Jan. 1. Acquired from the Vancouver Giants earlier in the season, he later was assigned to the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints. . . .
F Brayden Schenn of the Saskatoon Blades should be prepared to hear his name a lot in NHL trade talks as Monday’s deadline arrives. Here’s the latest, via Twitter, from Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector: “Hemsky-to-LA trade a non-starter w/o Brayden Schenn coming back to Oil. LA not ready to deal Schenn today. This is a Monday deal, if at all.” . . . Spector also columnized on the subject and that piece is right here. . . .
———
The NHL’s Nashville Predators’ lineup on Saturday included D Jon Blum, a product of the Vancouver Giants who is from Long Beach, Calif., and F Blake Geoffrion, who is from Nashville. . . . In other words, the NCAA vs. CHL war isn’t going to end soon. . . .
———
There was some ownershjip news in the QMJHL on Saturday, as a chunk of the Quebec Remparts changed hands. The Montreal Gazette has more right here. . . . Meanwhile, the Moncton Times and Transcript reports that the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats badly want to hold an outdoor game. That story is right here.
———
On the Ice in the QMJHL, the Victoriaville Tigers beat Saint John 2-1, handing the Sea Dogs their first regulation loss in 2011. The Sea Dogs had picked up points in 22 straight games, going 21-0-1. . . .
———
F Shayne Wiebe scored twice last night, and the first one was the 100th of his WHL career, as his Brandon Wheat Kings went on to beat the visiting Regina Pats, 9-3. The Wheat Kings have won nine in a row on home ice. Overall, they have won seven of eight and 13 of 17. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay had an assist to run his point streak to 17 games. He has 35 points, including 13 goals, over that stretch. Only Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin (21 games) has had a longer streak this season. . . . The Wheat Kings have scored at least seven goals in five of their last 10 games. . . .
———
Barring a playoff meeting, the Saskatoon Blades made their final visit to the Crushed Can in Moose Jaw last night. You can bet it was a fun place to be, what with 2,869 fans in the pews. . . . The Blades won 2-1 on F Curtis Hamilton’s shootout goal. . . . Gotta think Blades GM/head coach Lorne Molleken took a long look around before he exited. He has a long history as a player, coach and GM in that building. . . . Actually thought he might toss a water bottle or a stick or something, you know, just for old time’s sake. . . .
———
Edmonton D Adrian Van de Mosselaer played in his 209th regular-season game last night and had his first two-goal game in a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. He has 15 career goals, seven of them this season. . . . Attendance in Edmonton was a season-high 8,361. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk, their captain, after he left Friday’s 6-3 loss in Lethbridge in the second period with an upper body injury. . . . F Tyler Pitlick had his first three-goal game as the host Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-3. Pitlick, a draft pick of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, has 62 points in 55 games. . . . The Tigers got two goals from F Emerson Etem, who now has 38 goals in 56 games, and that is one more than he scored in 72 games last season as a freshman. . . . The Tigers welcomed back D Patrik Parkkonen (shoulder) last night. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey drew three assists and now leads the WHL with 105 points, two more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . .
———
F Geordie Wudrick scored the game’s last two goals as the Kelowna Rockets skated to a 4-3 OT victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. Wudrick, who has 36 goals, tied it at 16:33 of the third and won it 59 seconds into OT. . . . Kelowna F Colton Sissons, a 17-year-old from North Vancouver, is turning into a force with which to be reckoned. He had a goal and two assists in Calgary, and now has 35 points in 57 games. He has 12 points over his last seven games. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter had two goals, including the winner with 33.9 seconds left in the third, as the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 4-3, in Kent, Wash. . . . The victory was the 100th in the WHL for Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 28 shots in his second straight start in the absence of Mac Carruth. He hasn’t played since being hit by Prince George F Spencer Asuchak on Tuesday. Asuchak, who was given a major and game misconduct, is serving a three-game suspension. . . . Last night, Portland F Ty Rattie left in the third period and didn’t return. . . .
———
After a run of five straight OT games, the Kamloops Blazers finally won in regulation, beating the host Kootenay Ice 8-5 in Cranbrook. . . . The Blazers went 4-0-1 on a swing through the Central Division. . . . Kamloops RW Jordan DePape, who is playing on the back end with three defenceman out, had a goal and two assists, and was plus-4. . . . This was the Ice’s first home game since Jeff Chynoweth, the franchise’s president, governor and GM, admitted frustration at attendance figures. On this night, the attendance was 2,514, which is 24 above the season average. . . .
———
When Vancouver beat the host Chilliwack Bruins 5-1 last night, it was victory No. 518 for Giants head coach Don Hay. That ties him with the late Pat Ginnell for third on the WHL’s all-time list. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen stopped 16 shots in his first start since Jan. 15. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have beaten Tr-City four straight times after a 3-1 victory over the visiting Americans last night. The Chiefs lead the season series, 6-4-0, with two games remaining. . . . The Americans can clinch a playoff spot with a victory in Vancouver tonight. Tri-City has beaten Vancouver six straight times, including twice this season.
———
And now there are five Eastern Conference teams assured playoff spots, with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Brandon Wheat Kings looking like they’ll finish sixth and seventh, or seventh and sixth. That leaves the Prince Albert Raiders and Lethbridge Hurricanes to scrap over the last spot. They’re tied right now, with the Regina Pats three points back. Each of those three teams has nine gmes remaining. . . .
In the Western Conference, the Chilliwack Bruins and Seattle Thunderbirds have some catching up to do. The Bruins are six points behind the eighth-place Prince George Cougars. Yes, Chilliwack has three games in hand but those aren’t worth anything if you don’t win them. . . . The Thunderbirds are eight points shy of that last spot. . . . And how about those Kamloops Blazers. Two weeks ago, they were struggling to hang on to that eighth spot and looking at a five-game trip in the Central Division, that included stops in Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Kootenay, where the Eastern Conference’s Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds live. . . . The Blazers lost in OT in Red Deer, won in OT in Medicine Hat and beat the Ice in regulation. Kamloops now is seventh, just a point behind Everett and one up on Prince George.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks
in one of the club's third jerseys.
(Photo courtesy Bryan Heim/Portland Winterhawks)

’Tis the season. No, not for that. For third jerseys.
And the Portland Winterhawks are the latest WHL team to enter the fray.
The Winterhawks unveiled their third jerseys Wednesday night and went on to score a 4-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips before 7,444 fans at the Rose Garden.
The jersey in the photo above is that third jersey.
It’s different, as third jerseys should be. And the more I look at it, the more it grows on me.
Earlier, the Saskatoon Blades unveiled the denim look -- the Canadian tuxedo -- and got a whole bunch of publicity and reaction throughout the hockey world.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes, Brandon Wheat Kings, Kamloops Blazers, Chilliwack Bruins . . . everyone is getting in on the act.
And while they should.
With attendance figures falling like snowflakes in some communities, teams are having to pull out all stops in trying to lure fans into their buildings. And once they get them there, they have to put on an entertaining show in the hopes of turning them into regular customers.
The Winterhawks, for one team, are hard at work and seem to be on the right track.
------
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has been assigned on loan by Chomutov (Czech Republic 1.Liga) to Plzen (Czech Republic Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had 23 goals and 37 assists in 44 games for Chomutov last season and has one goal in two games with Plzen this season. . . .
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser (Germany 2.Bundesliga) after terminating his contract with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga). He had two goals and one assist in 25 games with Dukla this season. . . .
F Troy Ofukany (Kelowna, Regina, Red Deer, 2004-08) signed a tryout contract with the Luleå Rebels (Sweden Division 1). He had eight goals and five assists in 49 games with the Wichita Thunder and Odessa Jackalopes (both Central Hockey League) last season.
------
The OHL has had it with staged fighting and has moved to bring an end to it, starting with games of Friday.
From an OHL press release:
“The Ontario Hockey League today announced a new playing rule that will come
into effect with the commencement of games on Friday, November 26, 2010.
“The new rule is: ‘If two or more players should enter into a fight prior
to, or at the drop of the puck at the commencement of any period of a game,
then such player(s) shall be assessed an automatic game misconduct. In
addition to any penalties assessed, the OHL Member Team shall be fined
$500.00 and the player(s) suspended for one (1) game. For any subsequent
offence by the same team, the fine shall increase in $500.00 increments, and
for any subsequent offence by the same player the minimum suspension would
double from the previous occurrence.’ ”
------
In case you have forgotten, the AJHL is staging an outdoor game Friday in Fort McMurray with the Oil Barons playing host to the Drayton Valley Thunder. The AJHL’s single-game attendance record apparently is 4,400. The outdoor game is expected to draw 5,000 or more fans.
------
Here is a Thanksgiving Day story for you that involves Mandi Schwartz and her family. It’s a must read on this particular day.
------
Some Wednesday highlights:
For starters, the 10-team Western Conference got put in the mixing bowl and tossed around like so much salad . . . again.
What a horse race this is going to be.
The Kamloops Blazers beat the visiting Regina Pats on Tuesday night and vacated the cellar. The Blazers lost to the Chiefs in Spokane last night and fell back into the basement.
But, as incredible as this may sound, the Blazers are four points out of second place.
The Portland Winterhawks won again and now hold a 14-point lead over the second-place Vancouver Giants.
The Giants have 29 points and are just one point ahead of the Tri-City Americans. The Seattle Thunderbirds are a point behind the Ams. The Chiefs, Kelowna Rockets, Prince George Cougars and Everett Silvertips are one point behind Seattle.
The Chilliwack Bruins and Kamloops are tied for last, one point that group of four.
Amazing!
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In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored three times in the third period and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-2. . . . F Brandon Herrod, with his ninth, broke a 2-2 tie at 17:08 of the third period. . . . F Todd Fiddler had a goal, his sixth, and an assist for the Raiders, as did F Jonathan Parker, who got his 15^th goal. . . . D Antoine Corbin had two assists for the Raiders. He has played four games since coming over from the Kelowna Rockets and has three two-point games. . . . Raiders G Eric Williams stopped 34 shots. . . . Attendance was 1,893. . . .
---
In Swift Current, F Killian Hutt scored his ninth goal on a PP at 4:28 of OT to give the Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock forced OT with his second goal of the season at 7:05 of the third on the PP. . . . F Scott Glennie had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Adam Lowry had a goal and an assist for the Broncos, while D Kyle Verdino had two assists. . . . Broncos G Mark Friesen stopped 34 shots. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Dylan Wruck broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 13:32 of the third period as the Oil Kings edged the Calgary Hitmen, 4-3. . . . Calgary had won the last 16 games between these teams, including four in the playoffs. . . . Since entering the league, the Oil Kings are 4-18-0 versus the Hitmen. . . . Wruck has 10 goals this season. . . . F Michael St. Croix drew three assists for Edmonton. . . . F Trevor Cheek had two assists for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary scored all three of its goals on the PP as it erased a 2-0 deficit. . . . F Kristians Pelss, with his second goal of the season, pulled Edmonton even at 7:16 of the third period. Pelss, 18, will play for his native Latvia at the Division 1A U-20 world junior championship in Bobruisk, Belarus, Dec. 13-19. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 32 shots. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes got three shootout goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-4. . . . F Cam Braes had two goals for Lethbridge and F Mitch Maxwell drew three assists. . . . D Alex Petrovic and F Dalton Siwak each had a goal and an assist for Red Deer. . . . Siwak forced OT with his seventh goal at 15:08 of the third. . . . F Mark Reners, F Jacob Berglund and F Austin Fyten scored for the home team in the shootout, while only F Byron Froese was able to counter for Red Deer. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Geordie Wudrick scored three times to lead the Rockets to a 6-1 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Rockets scored three goals in the game’s last minute, the first into an empty net. . . . Kelowna D Tyson Barrie had two assists. . . . Barrie became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer among defencemen last weekend. He now has 190 points, including 146 assists, in 219 regular-season games. The previous record (186 points) was held by Burt Henderson, who played with the Rockets from 1993-96. That included two seasons in Tacoma. . . . The Rockets, who were 4-10-0 not that long ago, now are 13-11-0, meaning they have won nine of their last outings. . . . Wudrick, who played his 300^th game last weekend in Prince George, has 10 goals in 23 games this season. It was his second hat trick of this season and the third of his career. . . . He got his third goal at 19:59 of the third period. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 32 shots. . . . Regina F Thomas Frazee had a nine-game point streak end. . . . Kelowna F Max Adolph (concussion) returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence. . . . Rockets F Andreas Stene will play for Norway at the World Junior tournament in Buffalo, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. He has six points in 18 games with Kelowna. . . . F Gal Koren of the Rockets will play for Slovenia in the U-20 Division 1, Group B championship in Bled, Slovenia, Dec. 12-18. Gal, who has been out with a concussion, is pointless in nine WHL games. . . .
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In Chilliwack, G James Priestner stopped 28 shots to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 4-0 victory over the Bruins. . . . It was the first of eight scheduled meetings between these teams this season. . . . The Bruins, who are 2-3-4 over their last nine games, are three games into a six-game homestand. . . . It was Priestner’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. It was his first shutout since March 8, 2008, when, while with the Kamloops Blazers, he beat the Cougars 1-0 in Prince George. . . . F Brett Connolly had two assists for Prince George. . . . Attendance was 2,267. . . . The Bruins had F Robin Soudek back in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 11 when he was hit from behind by Vancouver Giants D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, who drew a seven-game suspension. . . . . “I've seen it a few times, and I think the hit was probably partly my fault because I turned my back to him,” Soudek told Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress. “As soon as I hit the boards, everything in my neck cracked and I was just happy I was able to move my fingers and toes. But they did the X-rays and everything was OK. The concussion was the worst, because some days you feel pretty good and think it might be gone. And the next day you've got symptoms back. It's not a fun time.” . . .
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In Portland, the Winterhawks got two goals and an assist from F Oliver Gabriel as they beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-2. . . . The Winterhawks are 21-4-1 and that’s the WHL’s best record. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 7,444. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 22 shots, 12 fewer than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . The Silvertips remain without F Landon Ferraro (concussion). . . .
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In Spokane, D Jared Cowen scored three times as the Chiefs spanked the Kamloops Blazers, 10-1. . . . The teams meet again Friday in Kamloops. . . . Cowen, who was playing in his 201^st regular-season game, enjoyed his first three-goal game. . . . He has six goals this season and 25 for his career. . . . F Tyler Johnson, F Steven Kuhn, F Anthony Bardaro and F Matt Marantz each had a goal and two assists for the Chiefs, while F Brady Brassart and F Levko Koper each had two assists. . . . F Brendan Ranford scored for the Blazers, giving him a WHL-leading 22 goals. . . . The Chiefs scored four times in the first period and six times in the third. . . . This was the worst beating absorbed by the Blazers since Jan. 17, 1997, when they lost 12-1 to the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . The last time the Blazers surrendered at least 10 goals in a game was Oct. 12, 2009, when they were beaten 12-5 by the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . In their last two visits to Spokane, the Blazers have been outscored, 17-1. The Chiefs beat them 7-0 on Feb. 17. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., F Adam Hughesman scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Tri-City Americans beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-4. . . . The Americans, who came in having lost six of seven, trailed 3-0 at 12:31 of the second period and 4-2 late in the third. . . . F Kruise Reddick, at 17:23, and F Jordan Messier, 18:01, scored for the Americans to force OT. . . . F Neal Prokop, who suffered a badly broken leg in the first round of the playoffs last spring, returned to the Americans’ lineup. Tri-City dressed Prokop, Reddick and D Zak Stebner as its 20-year-olds, choosing to sit D Tyler Schmidt. The Americans have 14 days to declare three 20-year-olds. . . . Prokop had one assist, setting up Messier’s tying goal. . . . Hughesman had two assists in regulation time, while F Brendan Shinnimin had a goal and an assist. . . . Seattle got two goals from F Colin Jacobs and two assists from F Tyler Alos. . . . Talk about busy goaltenders! Drew Owsley of the Americans stopped 42 shots, while Seattle’s Calvin Pickard turned aside 55. . . . Attendance was 2,639. . . . From the Americans’ Dan Mulhausen: “Owsley matched his season-high with 42 saves in collecting his 50th WHL win. Meanwhile, Pickard faced 50-plus shots for the fourth time in his career, finishing with 55 saves in the tough luck loss. Three of the four times he has faced 50 or more shots in a game have come against Tri-City, including a career-best 57-save shutout on Oct. 2, 2009.”
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Seattle F Travis Toomey
Seattle F Brenden Dillon

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

There is a reason why I so enjoy covering and writing about major junior hockey and its players.
It was never more in evidence that on Friday night after the Prince George Cougars’ 5-1 victory over the host Kamloops Blazers on Friday night.
D Garrett Thiessen, a 20-year-old playing the second-last game of his WHL career, scored the game’s last goal. It was the second goal of his career and ended a rather long drought.
Here’s is part of the conversation I had with him:
GREGG: When is the last time you scored?
GARRETT: When I was 17.
GREGG: Against?
GARRETT: Spokane.
GREGG: Where?
GARRETT: P.G.
GREGG: Score?
GARRETT: Uhh, 5-3 for Spokane.
GREGG: 4-3 in overtime for Spokane. . . . How many games in between goals?
GARRETT: 219.
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Thiessen, who is from Prince George, hadn’t scored a goal in more than three years. Not only did he know when he scored and against whom — OK, because he has only two goals, maybe that was easy — but he knew precisely how many games he had gone without scoring.
And when he said “219” he had a huge smile on his face.
That’s what is so great about being around WHL players.
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A Memorial Cup-related press release that was issued Friday by the Brandon Wheat Kings, the host team for the 2010 tournament:
“The Memorial Cup — originally donated to the Canadian Hockey League by the Ontario Hockey Association in 1919 in remembrance of the young Canadian men and women who died in service of their country in the First World War — will be officially rededicated to all fallen soldiers as part of the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup festivities in Brandon in May.
Considering the Wheat City’s strong ties to CFB Shilo, the gesture will be a truly fitting legacy of Brandon’s hosting opportunity, says the host committee’s event manager, Lois MacDonald.
“We have a deployment that will be coming home (from Afghanistan) right before the Cup, so we saw this as a great opportunity . . . to make it relevant to people of today,” MacDonald said. “Those sacrifices were made so that we, as Canadians, have freedom to do all the things we do. One of those things is enjoying the great sport of hockey.”
The cup’s official arrival in Westman will occur at CFB Shilo on the afternoon of May 13.
Its rededication will be the pinnacle of a full week of co-operative festivities between the base and the Memorial Cup tournament, says Marc George, director of the base’s Royal Canadian Artillery museum.
“It’s very appropriate that the cup is arriving (at CFB Shilo) because . . . Brandon is on the home front of the war in Afghanistan,” George said. “The First World War gets a little bit further away every year. So, this means that every year, as more Canadian troops sacrifice themselves, it stands for them.”
A brand new museum gallery dedicated to Manitoba’s historical military involvement is set to open that morning, wi th free entry into the museum for the duration of the championship.
Plans for the cup’s rededication ceremony also include an official fly-by from the Canadian Snowbirds demonstration team and a number of helicopter demonstrations.
Following the rededication, the cup will be delivered to Brandon by an armoured vehicle convoy to officially kick off the 10-day event in the Wheat City.
An interactive military display will also be set up within the Memorial Cup Village at the Keystone Centre for the duration of the championship.
And though it’s not being directly billed as a Memorial Cup event, there will be another distinctly military event in the city during the cup’s visit.
On May 22, CFB Shilo, in co-operation with Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College and the Brandon Salutes organization, is hosting a gala dinner to raise money for Project Hero — a national program that provides scholarship money to the children of fallen Canadian soldiers.”
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D Ryan Stanton of the Moose Jaw Warriors has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Stanton, from St. Alberta, Alta., is in his fourth season with the Warriors. He was never selected in the NHL draft. Stanton went into Friday with career highs in goals (10), assists (30) and points (40).
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — division leaders, who are seeded one-two; y — clinched division championship; x — clinched playoff spot):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
y-Calgary (1) 51-17-1-2-105
y-Brandon (1) 49-18-1-3-102
x-Saskatoon (1) 46-18-3-4-99
x-Kootenay (1) 42-24-3-2-89
x-Medicine Hat (1) 40-23-3-5-88
x-Red Deer (1) 39-27-0-5-83
x-Moose Jaw (2) 33-27-4-6-76
x-Swift Current (2) 35-30-1-4-75
Friday: Brandon 9 at Regina 3; Prince Albert 1 at Saskatoon 4; Edmonton 2 at Calgary 7; Medicine 5 at Lethbridge 4; Kootenay 4 at Red Deer 2.
Saturday: Saskatoon at Prince Albert; Regina at Brandon; Moose Jaw at Swift Current; Edmonton at Kootenay; Lethbridge at Medicine Hat.
Sunday: Red Deer at Calgary; Swift Current at Moose Jaw.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (1) 47-21-1-2-97
y-Vancouver (2) 40-23-2-3-85
x-Everett (2) 45-20-3-2-95
x-Spokane (2) 43-22-3-2-91
x-Portland (1) 43-25-2-1-89
x-Kelowna (1) 34-31-2-4-74
x-Chilliwack (1) 32-32-2-5-71
x-Kamloops (1) 32-33-2-4-70
Friday: Portland 4 at Chilliwack 3 (OT); Prince George 5 at Kamloops 1; Tri-City 4 at Spokane 3; Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 3; Seattle 1 at Everett 3.
Saturday: Prince George at Kelowna; Kamloops at Vancouver; Chilliwack at Everett; Portland at Seattle; Spokane at Tri-City.
Sunday: Vancouver at Seattle; Everett at Spokane.
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FRIDAY:
What happened:
In the East, the Calgary Hitmen won to clinch first-place overall — and home-ice advantage through the playoffs — and the Eastern Conference pennant. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings won to wrap up the East Division title. . . . Calgary and Brandon will play the Moose Jaw Warriors or Swift Current Broncos in the first round. The Warriors and Broncos were idle Friday, but will play home-and-home tonight and Sunday. . . . The Saskatoon Blades won and will meet the Red Deer Rebels, who lost, in the first round. . . . The Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers both won. They will be first-round combatants but home-ice advantage won’t be decided until Saturday or Sunday. The Ice needs one point to wrap up fourth place.
In the West, the Tri-City Americans won and now need a victory Saturday at home against the Spokane Chiefs to clinch top spot. . . . The Everett Silvertips won and can still catch the Americans, but in order to finish first they need to gain three points from their last two games while the Americans lose in Spokane. . . . The Chiefs lost and the Portland Winterhawks won, meaning Spokane needs one point from its last two games to clinch fourth place and home-ice advantage against the Winterhawks in the first round. . . . The Kelowna Rockets won to wrap up sixth place. . . . The Chilliwack Bruins picked up a loser point and moved into seventh, a point ahead of the Kamloops Blazers, who lost.
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In Vancouver, G Geordie Wudrick broke a 3-3 tie with the lone goal of the third period as the Kelowna Rockets edged the Giants, 4-3. . . . It was Vancouver’s first game in the Pacific Coliseum since Jan. 3. It had to vacate the premises for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. . . . Wudrick, who scored twice and now has 27, scored the winner at 14:53. . . . F Shane McColgan, with his 25th, Wudrick and F Brandon McMillan, with his 21st, gave the visitors a 3-0 before the game was seven minutes old. . . . McMillan has six goals in his last seven games. . . . Vancouver tied it on PP goals by F Milan Kytnar, his 13th, late in the first period and D Neil Manning, his 16th, at 10:02 of the second, and F Brendan Gallagher’s 40th goal at 12:24 of the second. . . . Vancouver G Adam Brown stopped 29 shots, while Vancouver’s Mark Segal turned aside 25. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-4 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 12,106.
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In Calgary, F Brandon Kozun had a goal and two assists to help the Hitmen to a 7-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Kozun has 103 points, two
off the pace being set by Regina Pats F Jordan Eberle. . . . The Hitmen have won eight in a row. . . . F Tyler Shattock and F Tyler Fiddler both scored their 30th goals of the season for Calgary, while D Michael Stone got his 20th. . . . Calgary scored the game’s first four goals. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones made 19 saves. . . . The Hitmen, who went 6-0 against Edmonton, were 3-for-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings, who have lost seven in a row, were 1-for-3. . . . Attendance was 12,107, or exactly one more than in Vancouver.
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In Spokane, F Jordan Messier broke a 3-3 tie with his 23rd goal of the season to give the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Messier scored at 12:23 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs had tied it at 5:33 of the third on a PP goal, his 34th, by F Tyler Johnson. . . . The Americans opened the scoring when D Brett Plouffe got his sixth, on the PP, at 5:28 of the first period. . . . The teams simply exchanged goals after that. . . . F Blake Gal scored his 11th on the PP for the Chiefs; F Justin Feser got his 35th, shorthanded for the Americans; D Brett Bartman scored his second for Spokane; F Kruise Reddick got his 19th on the PP for the Americans. . . . Followed by Johnson and then Messier. . . . G Alex Pechurskiy stopped 29 shots for the Americans, who are still without G Drew Owsley (concussion). . . . G James Reid turned aside 33 shots for the Chiefs. . . . The Americans were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Chiefs were 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was a sellout — 10,528. . . . The teams play Saturday night in Kennewick, Wash., with the host Americans needing two points to clinch top spot in the Western Conference.
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In Chilliwack, F Ryan Johansen scored on the PP in overtime to give the Portland Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. . . . Johansen scored his 24th goal of the season with Chilliwack F Kevin Sundher off for tripping. . . . The goal was Johansen’s second of the game. . . . The Bruins forced OT with two third-period goals. F Roman Horak scored his 21st, shorthanded, at 2:42 and F Ryan Howse got his 47th at 13:56. . . . The Bruins had won their previous two games, both in Prince George. The loser point lifted the Bruins into sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference, which may well put them into a first-round series against the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Winterhawks now have won three straight. They also have put up 22 road victories, and 21 at home. . . . Attendance was 3,769.
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In Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s last two goals to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 3-1. . . . F Kellan Tochkin got the eventual winner, on the PP, at 11:35 of the second period. He has 27. . . . F Scott MacDonald added insurance, with his ninth, at 13:22 of the third. . . . F Charles Wells got his 20th of the season, on the PP, for the Thunderbirds earlier in the second period. . . . Everett’s Marcus McCrea had opened the scoring with his fifth at 4:01 of the first period. . . . Everett F Dan Iwanski had two assists. . . . Attendance was 8,613, breaking the franchise record of 8,606 that was set during the 2004 WHL championship final series against Medicine Hat. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 26 shots, while Thunderbirds G Michael Salmon stopped 36. . . . The Silvertips had D Radko Gudas in the lineup, after he left Tuesday’s 3-0 loss in Portland and didn’t return. But D Alex Theriau, who also was injured Tuesday, didn’t play in this one. However, D Curtis Kulchar (knee) was back for the first time since Feb. 19. . . . With three defencemen hurt, the Thunderbirds had forwards Lindsay Nielsen and Prab Rai playing on the back end.
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In Kamloops, C Alex Rodgers set up four goals to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 5-1 victory over the Blazers. . . . Rodgers has two four-point games in his career, both this season and both against the Blazers. . . . Kamloops had won two in a row and four of five. . . . The Cougars had lost 15 in a row. This was only their fourth road victory of the season. . . . As mentioned up top, D Garrett Thiessen scored his second career goal for the Cougars. It was his 248th regular-season game. . . . Both Rodgers and Thiessen began their careers with Kamloops. . . . Prince George F Brett Connolly scored twice. . . . Attendance was 4,633.
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In Lethbridge, the Tigers scored four third-period goals and beat the Hurricanes 5-4 in a game that featured a line brawl that included battling goaltenders. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz and Lethbridge G Linden Rowat were among the combatants at 17:13 of the second period. . . . Unlike the ghost line brawl between Vancouver and Kamloops from a week ago, this one looks to be the real deal. . . . Cha-ching!!!! . . . Medicine Hat F Matt MacKay broke a 4-4 tie at 15:40 of the third period, just 2:03 after Lethbridge F Brody Sutter had given the home side the lead. . . . MacKay has 23 goals, while Sutter has five. . . . F Bretton Cameron scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 38. . . . The Tigers have won five in a row. . . . Attendance was 4,000. . . . Medicine Hat was without D Mark Isherwood (ill).
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In Red Deer, the Kootenay Ice scored two first-period goals and never looked back as they beat the Rebels, 4-2. . . . F Jesse Ismond and F Max Reinhart each scored his 21st goal in the first period. . . . F Matt Fraser drew assists on both of them. . . . D Alex Petrovic got Red Deer on the board with his eighth at 11”44 of the third, but Ice D James Martin got that one back, his seventh, less than a minute later. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson pulled his side closer with a shorthanded score, his ninth, at 15:41. . . . Kootenay D Ryan Molle iced it with an empty-netter, his third. . . . Ice G Todd Mathews stopped 38 shots, 13 more than Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. . . . Attendance was 4,987. . . . The Ice had won two of their previous seven games, including a 5-1 victory over the Rebels in Cranbrook on Wednesday. . . . Red Deer now has lost four in a row.
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In Regina, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored four times in the game’s first 12 minutes and went on to beat the Pats, 9-3. . . . F Matt Calvert led Brandon, which has won seven in a row, with three goals — he has 47 — and two assists, while linemates Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie each had a goal and three assists. . . . That line has 28 points in its last two games. . . . Schenn has 17 points, including eight goals, in his last seven games. . . . D Colby Robak had two assists and was plus-5 for Brandon, while D Travis Hamonic had one helper and was plus-5. . . . F Jordan Eberle scored his 49th goal of the season for Regina. He leads the WHL with 105 points. . . . F Jordan Weal had two assists for Regina and now has 102 points, second only to Eberle. Weal is the first 17-year-old WHLer to get to 100 points since Pavel Brendl of the Calgary Hitmen won the 1998-99 scoring title with 134 points. . . . Eberle will report to the AHL’s Springfield Falcons once the Pats’ season is over this weekend. . . . Brandon G Jacob DeSerres stopped 28 shots. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo started but left at 2:56 of the first period, after Schenn’s goal, with a shoulder injury. He and Dawson Guhle combined for 29 saves. . . . Brandon, which is 19-2-1-0 in its last 22 games, was 1-for-7 on the PP, while Regina was 3-for-5. . . . Attendance was 6,450. . . . The teams play again Saturday night in Brandon.
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In Saskatoon, G Steven Stanford stopped 35 shots to help the Blades to a 4-1 victory over his former team, the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky broke a 1-1 tie with his 19th goal at 4:23 of the third period. . . . Six minutes later, Viedensky drew an assist on F Josh Nicholls’ 18th goal. . . . F Brent Benson finished the scoring with his eighth goal a minute later. . . . F Dustin Cameron got his 29th goal for the Raiders, who will miss the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . Prince Albert G Jamie Tucker stopped 29 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,795.