The Major League Baseball season is soon to start, which means it won’t be long before we are once again treated to Vin Scully calling the play of games involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lyle Spencer of mlb.com chatted with Scully the other day and has a great read right here. It includes an anecdote about the time Scully and Jackie Robinson donned ice skates.
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Thanks to those folks who responded to my query of yesterday. It turns out that Matt Fonteyne is Val Fonteyne’s grandson. . . . Matt, a forward, signed with the Everett Silvertips on Tuesday. . . . Val played 820 NHL games and garnered only 26 penalty minutes. He also played 149 games in the WHA, compiling all of four penalty minutes. . . . He had 229 points in the NHL and 61 in the WHA. . . . Val was a star with the Seattle Americans and Totems of the professional Western Hockey League in the mid-1950s before going on to play in the NHL. . . . Oh, how I remember those photos — black-and-white, of course — in The Hockey News, back in the days of the Original Six when a young fan was on a first-name basis with every player on every roster.
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The Swift Current Broncos have added F Dakota Odgers, G Travis Child and D Zack Gonek to their roster. . . . Odgers, from Spy Hill, Sask., is a son of former WHLer/NHLer Jeff Odgers. Dakota had 47 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest. He was a second-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Gonek, from St. Albert, Alta., played for the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Child, from Killam, Alta., went 5-4-10, 4.82, .893 with the midget AAA Camrose Vikings. He was a second-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft.
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I don't know that it has been officially announced, but judging from Twitter on Wednesday, the NHL’s Ottawa Senators have signed Portland Winterhawks D Troy Rutkowski, 20, to a three-year, entry-level contract. Rutkowski was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL’s 2010 draft, but never signed a contract. This season, he has 61 points, including 20 goals, in 69 games.
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The Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans will meet in the first round of the WHL playoffs, but they don’t yet know who will have home-ice advantage. But because of the arena scheduling situation in Spokane, the series will begin with Games 1 and 2 in Spokane on March 22 and 23. . . . The series then will move to Kennewick, Wash., for Games 3 and 4 and, if necessary, 5 on March 26, 28 and 30. . . . A sixth game would be played in Spokane on April 2. The site of Game 7, set for April 3, will depend on which team finishes fourth in the Western Conference. . . . The arena in Spokane will be home to one of the NCAA women’s basketball regional tournaments, with games on March 30 and April 1. . . . The Chiefs hold a two-point lead over the Americans with each team having three games remaining. They will play each other in Spokane on Friday and in Kennewick on Saturday. On Sunday, the Americans wrap it up in Everett, while the Chiefs are to play in Portland. . . . Should the Chiefs and Americans end up tied for fourth, the first tiebreaker is victories. At the moment, Spokane has the edge, 42-40.
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Sorry, fans of the Portland Winterhawks.
You aren’t going to be given the opportunity to applaud WHL commissioner Ron Robison on Sunday as your favourite hockey team is presented with the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular-season champions.
The presentation will take place prior to the Winterhawks’ final regular-season game, against the Spokane Chiefs.
However, it won’t be the commissioner doing the presenting. Instead, it will be Richard Doersken, who is the WHL’s vice-president, hockey. Doerksen will do the honours following the presentation of the team’s individual awards.
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With the CIS championship to be held this weekend in Saskatoon, individual awards were handed out on Wednesday.
Former Kelowna Rockets F Lucas Bloodoff, who has played three seasons for the Saint Mary’s U Huskies, has been named the CIS player of the year. Bloodoff, who played four seasons (2006-10) with the Rockets, led the Atlantic conference in scoring, with 38 points, including 20 goals.
Former WHL G Kurtis Mucha (Portland, Kamloops, 2005-10) was named the CIS’s goaltender of the year. In his third season with the U of Alberta Golden Bears, who are the championship tournament’s top seed, Mucha led the CIS in GAA (1.30) and save percentage (.936), while going 13-2. He also became the first goaltender in Canada West history to be credited with scoring a goal. Late in the season, he put together a string of five straight shutouts as part of a shutout streak that lasted 335 minutes 6 seconds.
F Jordan Hickmott, a product of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings (2006-11), was named the most sportsmanlike player. He led the Golden Bears in goals (15) and points (35), while taking just two minor penalties in 28 regular-season games.
The All-Canadian first team included Mucha, Bloodoff and U of Manitoba F Blair Macaulay (Saskatoon, Tri-City, 2005-09).
On the second team: D Jesse Craige, Alberta (Lethbridge, Chilliwack, 2006-10); Andrew Clark, Acadia (Brandon, 2005-09); and Kyle Bortis, Saskatchewan (Swift Current, Calgary, 2005-09).
The all-rookie team included D Neil Manning, UBC (Vancouver, 2007-12); D Lane Werbowski, Toronto (Tri-City, Edmonton, 2007-10); and F James Henry, Manitoba (Vancouver, Moose Jaw, 2007-12).
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, G Corbin Boes stopped 25 shots to help the Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Wheat Kings had lost four in a row at home. . . . The Raiders have lost six straight. . . . F Marek Kalus had two assists for Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Jesse Gabrielle, a 15-year-old from the Minnesota high school ranks, in the lineup for the first time. . . . Brandon was without F Jayce Hawryluk, who suffered an undisclosed injury in practice on Tuesday. . . . The Raiders remain fifth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Raiders go home-and-home with the Saskatoon Blades; the Broncos will do the same with the Regina Pats. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . F Graham Hood, who was honoured before the game for having played in 300 regular-season games, broke a 2-2 tie with his 11th goal at 4:23 of the third period.. . . D Lenny Hackman added insurance at 7:51. That was his first WHL goal. It came in the 70th game of his freshman season. . . . The Ice had beaten the visiting Hurricanes 3-1 on Tuesday, eliminating Lethbridge from the playoff picture. . . . Lethbridge G Christopher Tai stopped 27 shots as starter Ty Rimmer as given a rare night off. It was Tai’s 11th appearance this season. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin, who last started on Jan. 30, turned aside 34 shots. . . . The Ice scratched F Brock Montgomery with an undisclosed injury, and lost D Tanner Muth to an undisclosed injury during the first period. . . . The loss means the Ice will finish seventh or eighth in the Eastern Conference, meaning a first-round engagement with Edmonton or Saskatoon.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Harrison Ruopp, Prince Albert

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None

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The Swift Current Broncos have assigned F Trevor Cameron, 19, to a yet-to-be-named junior A team. Cameron, from Mission, B.C., has five points in 20 games this season. . . . Last season, Cameron had 11 points in 33 games.
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
In Medicine Hat, G Tyler Bunz, dropped earlier in the day by Canada’s national junior team, stopped 33 shots as the Tigers beat the Red Deer Rebels, 5-2. . . . Bunz now has 94 regular-season victories and is tied with Mark Fitzpatrick for third on the Tigers’ career list. . . . D James Bettauer had a goal, his 14th, and two assists for the Tigers. . . . F Emerson Etem got his 30th goal of the season for the Tigers and also added an assist. . . . Etem has 61 points, four behind Brandon Wheat Kings F Mark Stone, who is with the Canadian junior team. . . . Of course, Etem will be joining the U.S. national junior team. . . . The Tigers had D Patrik Parkkonen and F Boston Leier back from injuries. Each had an assist. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Graham Hood scored 21 seconds into OT to give the Hurricanes a 6-5 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Hood scored twice in the game, giving him six this season. . . . Lethbridge F Cam Braes forced OT with his third goal of the game with 25 seconds left in the third period. . . . Braes has 19 goals. . . . The Hitmen trailed 4-2 when they struck for three third-period goals to take the lead. . . . Calgary F Cody Sylvester broke a 4-4 tie at 15:13, only to have Braes tie it 4:22 later. . . . Calgary F Victor Rask had three assists. He will play for Sweden in the World Junior Championship. . . .

In Regina, D Colten Martin scored at 2:33 of overtime to give the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Pats. . . . The goal was Martin’s first of the season. A 17-year-old freshman from Arlington, Texas, he has six points in 31 games. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored a PP goal at 19:27 of the the third period to force extra time. . . . The Rockets are 1-2-1 on their East Division swing. . . . F Brett Bulmer opened the scoring for Kelowna just 21 seconds into the game. He got to Regina and played after being released by Canada’s national junior team in the morning. . . .

In Edmonton, F Michael St. Croix had a goal and three assists as the Oil Kings ran their winning streak to 10 games with a 6-3 victory over the Victoria Royials. . . . F Dylan Wruck had two goals and F Tyler Maxwell had a goal and an assist as both ran their point streaks to 12 games. . . . Edmonton was 2-for-2 on the power play. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Aspen Sterzer scored twice to help the Kamloops Blazers to a 6-3 victory over the Blades. . . . Sterzer, a freshman from Canal Flats, B.C., went into the game with two goals in 25 games this season. . . . He scored his second shorthanded goal and second game-winner at 10:28 of the second period to give Kamloops a 4-2 lead. . . . F Tim Bozon had one goal  for Kamloops. He has five on the first four games of the Blazers’ East Division tour. They are 2-2-0 on the trip. . . . The Blazers also got a goal from F Logan McVeigh, who is from Kenaston, 75 kilometres south of Saskatoon. . . . The Blades got the game’s first goal from Ryan Graham, a 15-year-old from Calgary who was a fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Kamloops F J.C. Lipon had an eight-game point streak halted.

In Spokane, F Steven Kuhn scored at 4:14 of OT to give the Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips, who saw their losing streak reach 10. . . . Everett F Kohl Bauml forged a 2-2 tie at 12:25 of the third period. . . . According to the online scoresheet, Spokane enjoyed a 47-16 edge in shots, including 18-1 in the second period. . . . The Chiefs are 5-0 against the Silvertips. The teams meet again Friday in Everett.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Mason Geertsen, Edmonton.
F Locke Muller, Red Deer.
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Like a lot of people, Ed Willes, today a sports columnist with the Vancouver Province, wonders how he missed seeing what was going on with Graham James and young hockey players, in particular Sheldon Kennedy.
Willes writes about that today and it’s right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades remembered an old friend with a donation to the StarPhoenix’ Sporting Christmas. Thanks to Jack Brodsky, Lorne Molleken and the Blades for keeping alive the memory, the smiles and the laughter of a good friend.
That story is right here.
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Wednesday’s tweet of the night, from Moose Jaw Warriors D Kendall McFaull:
“Thanks to the @MJWARRIORS for our unreal christmas presents, customized blackberry playbooks! #soexcited #unreal”
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And then there was this . . .

Ch-ch-ching time after Calgary at Spokane game

The Seattle Thunderbirds have dealt D Ryan Aasman, 18, to the Swift Current Broncos for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The Prince Albert Raiders selected Aasman, who is from Medicine Hat, with the eighth pick of the 2007 bantam draft. They dealt him to Seattle last season for F Jonathan Parker. . . . Aasman was pointless in eight games with Seattle this season. In 167 career games, he has 14 points, including two goals, and 68 penalty minutes. . . . The Thunderbirds were carrying nine defencemen at the time of the deal.
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F Colton Orr of the Toronto Maple Leafs and F Derek Boogaard of the New York Rangers both played in the WHL and now, of course, are enforcers in the NHL. However, they have never fought each other. James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail looks at both men as the teams prepare to play tonight.
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Canada’s national junior team will play warmup games in three Ontario cities prior to the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo. Canada will play Switzerland in Oshawa on Dec. 20, Sweden in Toronto on Dec. 21 and Finland in Kitchener on Dec. 23. . . . The 2011 Alberta Cup is to be played in Lethbridge, at the Nicholas Sheran Arena, April 13-17. According to a press release: “The Alberta Cup is the premier hockey event in the province that helps identify the top male bantam-aged players from each zone in Alberta.” . . . Leigh Mendelson, who was an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs (2008-09), has signed on as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. Last season, he served as an assistant coach -- an 16 games as interim head coach -- with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals. . . . Congratulations to Bill Whitehead of Roland, Man., who will be one of the 2011 inductees into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame. A longtime player with the junior and senior Carman Goldeyes, Whitehead now is the reeve for the RM of Roland. He also is vice-president of Hockey Manitoba. Whitehead played for the MJHL’s Selkirk Steeler when they won the Centennial Cup, then the trophy for the national junior A championship, in 1974. . . . The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings have signed F Gabe Gauthier, who has spent the last four seasons with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs. Gauthier, 26, was selected by the Saskatoon Blades with the 12th overall pick of the 2000 bantam draft but took the NCAA route (Denver) and won two championships. It looked as though he would spend this season playing with Bolzano, Italy, before he signed with Victoria.
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (four road teams wins and a line brawl -- ch-ch-ching):
MEDICINE HAT 3 at MOOSE JAW 2 (SO): F Linden Vey scored the only goal of the six-shooter shootout. . . . The Tigers (5-3-0) got the game’s first goal, when F Emerson Etem got his fourth at 10:52 of the first period, and the teams alternated goals after that. . . . F Nathan MacMaster got his fourth for the Warriors (4-7-1), on the PP, at 17:21. . . . D Thomas Carr put the Tigers ahead, on the PP, at 15:42 of the second period. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden, on the PP, forced OT with his sixth goal of the season at 19:50 of the third period. . . . The Warriors had won their last two games. . . . The Tigers now have won three straight. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-for-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 2-for-5. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 31 shots, while Moose Jaw’s Thomas Heemskerk stopped 23. . . Attendance was 2,527. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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LETHBRIDGE 4 at REGINA 3 (SO): F Graham Hood scored the only goal of the five-shooter shootout as the Hurricanes (4-4-2) snapped a three-game losing streak. . . . Lethbridge acquired Hood from Regina in a deal last season. . . . The Pats (2-7-2) got the game’s first goal, with F Andrew Rieder getting his second at 12:00 of the first period, and the team’s alternated goals after that. . . . Lethbridge F Mitch Maxwell, with his third, tied it 3-3 at 7:56 of the third period. . . . Regina G Damien Ketlo made 40 saves, while Lethbridge’s Brandon Anderson turned aside 30 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 1-for-3 on the PP; Regina was 1-for 6. . . . Attendance was 3,102. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Austin Fyten (foot, 4-6 weeks) and F Brody Sutter (shoulder, 2-3 weeks). . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Lethbridge D Derek Ryckman.
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KAMLOOPS 1 at RED DEER 0: The Blazers won it on F Brendan Ranford’s 11th goal of the season and a 39-save effort from G Jeff Bosch. . . . Ranford, who has 14 points on an eight-game point streak, scored on the PP at 14:38 of the third period. . . . Bosch earned his first shutout of the season and ninth of his career. . . . Kamloops (5-6-1) opened a three-game swing into the Central Division. It had given up 21 goals in losing its last three games, all at home. . . . Kamloops, with the WHL’s worst penalty-killing record, gave up the game’s first six power plays but didn’t surrender a goal. . . . Red Deer G Bolton Pouliot turned aside 22 shots. Pouliot, 16, was making his second WHL start but it was his first decision. . . . Red Deer finished 0-for-9 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-for-5. . . . It was the fifth time in franchise history that Kamloops won by a 1-0 score, the first since March 8, 2008, when G James Priestner stopped 35 shots in a victory over the host Prince George Cougars. Priestner, of course, now plays for the Cougars. . . . Red Deer (7-4-0) had won five of its last six games. . . . This was the first time since opening night that the Blazers had allowed fewer than three goals in a game. . . . Former WHL star Mike Moller, providing analysis alongside veteran play-by-play man Cam Moon on 106.5 The Drive, sounds like he really enjoys himself. Moon is a big, big, big baseball fan so I’m thinking he had mlb.com up on his laptop. . . . Attendance was 3,914. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Kamloops D Linden Saip.
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BRANDON 3 at PRINCE GEORGE 5: F Nick Buonassisi continued his fine start with three assists to lead the Cougars (6-4-1) to what was victory No. 400 for head coach Dean Clark. He has coached in Calgary, Brandon, Kamloops and Prince George. . . . Buonassisi, 18, has 13 points in 10 games after putting up 31 in 60 games last season. . . . F Brett Connolly scored twice for the Cougars, who have won three in a row. He has 11 on the season. . . . Connolly got the game’s first goal, at 4:24 of the first period, but Brandon (4-7-0) came out with a 2-1 lead on goals from F Brenden Walker, his fifth, and F Paul Ciarelli, his third. . . . The Cougars struck for three second period goals, including F Greg Fraser’s first. . . . Prince George D Sena Acolatse, the CHL’s reigning player of the week, had two assists, as did F Taylor Stefishen. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost seven in a row after opening the season with four straight victories. . . . Cougars G James Priestner, the game’s first star, stopped 31 shots. . . . Brandon G Liam Liston stopped 33 shots. . . . Brandon was 0-for-4 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-5. . . . Attendance was 1,797. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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EVERETT 0 at PORTLAND 2: G Mac Carruth stopped 22 shots for the shutout. . . . It was his first shutout this season and the second of his career. He also blanked Everett last season. . . . The Winterhawks (9-2-1) were 2-for-7 on the PP, getting second-period goals from F Teal Burns, his first WHL goal, at 7:30 and F Sven Bartschi, his ninth, at 16:29. . . . Portland enjoyed six second-period power plays. . . . Everett (5-3-2) was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . Bartschi has 13 points on a six-game point streak. Linemate Ty Rattie had one assist and now has 14 points on a six-game point streak. . . . Rattie is third in the scoring derby, with 22 points, three more than Bartschi. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 36 shots. . . . Portland had a 14-5 edge in second-period shots and 10-4 in the third. . . . Attendance was 1,666. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Everett D Ryan Murray. . . . Associate coach Jay Varady ran the Everett bench for the first time in the absence of head coach Craig Hartsburg, who underwent a surgical procedure on Wednesday.
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VANCOUVER 7 at KELOWNA 5: The Giants gave up five straight goals and then scored five in a row to win it. . . . Vancouver (6-5-2), which had lost three straight, opened a 2-0 lead before the game was three minutes old. . . . The Rockets (3-7-0), who are 1-5 at home, scored five times in a span of 4:43 early in the second period to seemingly take control. . . . But the Giants got the game’s last five goals, including three from F Brendan Gallagher, who now has 13. He also had an assist. . . . Vancouver C Craig Cunningham, the WHL’s leading scorer, had five assists. He has 27 points in 13 games. . . . Gallagher is second, with 23 points. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning had a goal and two assists. . . . F Spencer Main scored twice for Kelowna, while F Shane McColgan and F Mitchell Callahan each had a goal and two helpers. . . . D Tyson Barrie (hamstring) was in Kelowna’s lineup for the first time since Oct. 8. . . . Both teams used two goaltenders. . . . Vancouver’s Mark Segal stopped 16 of 21 shots before Brendan Jensen came on to stop all 21 shots he faced. . . . Kelowna’s Jordan Cooke stopped 18 of 24 shots, with Adam Brown coming in late and stopping five shots. . . . Vancouver was 3-for-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 6,077. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Vancouver D Tyler Hart.
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CALGARY 1 at SPOKANE 8: F Blake Gal scored three goals in a game that included 110 penalty minutes, 56 of them to the Hitmen. Yes, there was a line brawl. Ch-ch-ching! . . . Spokane F Darren Kramer, who scored his second goal of the season, was involved in three fights, including one in a line brawl late in the third period. Gotta think there will be some adjustments to the online scoresheet because it doesn’t show Kramer with a game misconduct. . . . Fines and suspension to follow. . . . Gal, who has eight goals, completed his first career hat trick at 3:59 of the second period. . . . The Chiefs improved to 4-5-0. . . . F Kenton Miller had two goals and an assist for the Chiefs, with F Tyler Johnson drawing three assists. D Brendon Kichton and Jared Cowen each had two assists. . . . Spokane D Tanner Mort only had one assist but was plus-4. . . . Calgary (4-6-0) went 2-3 on its swing into the U.S. Division. . . . F Misha Fisenko scored Calgary’s goal, his second, on a first-period PP. . . . Calgary was 1-for-3 on the PP; Spokane was 2-for-8. . . . Attendance was 3,657. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
 
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