F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) has signed a one-year extension with Pelicans Lahti (Finland, Liiga). This season, Redenbach had three goals and 33 assists in 47 games. He was fourth in the Liiga in assists. Next season will be his sixth in Liiga. Redenbach is a former WHL scoring champion (Swift Current, 2003-04, 105 points). . . .
HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, Liiga) has exercised an option on D Craig Schira (Regina, Vancouver, 2003-09) for next season. This season with HPK, Schira had 25 points, including six goals, in 54 games. He wasn’t able to finish the season after suffering a shoulder injury in March. . . .
D Alex Plante (Calgary, 2004-09) signed a one-year deal with Lørenskog (Norway, GET-Ligaen), joining his brother Tyler. This season with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), Alex had 13 points, including three goals, in 54 games. . . .
G Tyler Plante (Brandon, 2003-07) has signed a one-year extension with Lørenskog (Norway, GET-Ligaen). This season, in 17 games, he was 2.28 and .917, leaving him fifth in the league in both categories. His season was ended early by a knee injury.
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Spiros Anastas, an assistant coach with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, is the new head coach of the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns. Anastas, 28, will remain with the Griffins through the end of their season. From Mississauga, Ont., he is in his second season in Grand Rapids. . . . Anastas, who worked as the general manager of the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs for part of 2012-13, replaces Greg Gatto, who was fired after the season. . . . The Griffins are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. Detroit head coach Mike Babcock was the head coach at the U of Lethbridge for one season (1993-94) and Detroit assistant coach Bill Peters filled the position from 2002-05).
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F Patrick Khodorenko, a second-round pick by the Everett Silvertips in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, has committed to the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-17 team. A native of Walnut Creek, Calif., Khodorenko, who won’t turn 16 until Oct. 13, has played the last two seasons in the Detroit Honeybaked program.
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The QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts will be the host team for the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament. . . . The Chicoutimi Sagueneens were the only other team to bid on the event that is held each year in May. . . . The 2015 Memorial Cup is scheduled to be the last major event held in the Pepsi Colisee, which seats 15,000. A new arena is being built in Quebec City. . . . This year’s tournament is to be held in London, Ont.
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The BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs have hired Jason Tatarnic as general manager and head coach. He replaces Harvey Smyl, who has stepped aside after 21 years with the Chiefs. . . . Tararnic, 41, spent eight seasons with the Maritime junior league’s Woodstock Slammers, who reached the Royal Bank Cup final in the spring of 2012. He didn’t coach this season after the Slammers underwent an ownership change.
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The Calgary Hitmen will celebrate their 20th anniversary season in 2014-15 and, with that in mind, they have unveiled a special sweater, one that harkens back to that first season and also salutes nameskake Bret (Hitman) Hart, one of the franchise’s original owners. . . . According to a news release: “The limited edition retro jersey includes two shoulder patches; one that features Hart’s famous words, ‘The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be’, while the opposite shoulder is dressed with the historic Hitmen starburst logo.’
The photo at the top, from Hart's Instagram account, shows him wearing one of the limited edition sweaters while backstage at Wrestlemania in New Orleans.
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THE SECOND ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Edmonton leads, 1-0)
Season series: Edmonton, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-2-1.
Thursday: Brandon 0at Edmonton 5 (5,899)
Saturday: Brandon at Edmonton, noon
Tuesday: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, April 11: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 14: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 16: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, day-to-day; D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Brandon: G Curtis Honey, day-to-day.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-3-0; Kootenay, 3-3-0.
Saturday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 12: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Monday, April 14: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 16: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
(NOTE: Kootenay plays home games in Cranbrook, B.C.)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, indefinite; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Tyler King, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. SEATTLE (4)
(Kelowna leads, 1-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 2-1-1; Seattle, 2-1-1.
Thursday: Seattle 2 at Kelowna 6 (4,581)
Saturday: Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday: Kelowna at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
x-Friday, April 11: Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 13: Kelowna at Seattle, 5:05 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 15: Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Seattle plays home games in Kent, Wash.)
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, day-to-day.
Seattle: F Connor Honey, indefinite.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VICTORIA (3)
(Series televised by Shaw-TV)
Season series: Portland, 1-1-2; Victoria, 3-1-0.
Friday: Victoria at Portland (Veterans Memorial Coliseum), 7 p.m.
Saturday: Victoria at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Monday: Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday: Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Thursday: Victoria at Portland (Moda Center), 7, p.m.
x-Saturday, April 12: Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, April 14: Victoria at Portland (Veterans Memorial Coliseum), 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Victoria: None.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry stopped 15 shots as the Oil Kings dumped the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-0. . . . Edmonton leads the second-round series 1-0 with Game 2 scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Edmonton. . . . The shutout was Jarry’s first career playoff blank job. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock scored his fourth goal of these playoffs at 1:50 of the first period and the Oil Kings were off and running. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 40 shots. With Curtis Honey, their other goaltender scratched with an undisclosed injury, the Wheat Kings had Logan Thompson backing up Papirny. A sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, Thompson turned 17 on Feb. 25. From Calgary, he played for the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. . . . Pollock also had an assist, while F Edgars Kulda had a goal and an assist, and D Griffin Reinhart had two helpers. . . . Kulda has two goals in the playoffs. . . . F Mads Eller, D Ashton Sautner and F Henrik Samuelsson each scored his first goal. . . . Edmonton was 2-for-7 on the PP; Brandon was 0-for-2. . . .
In Kelowna, D Damon Severson scored twice and added two assists as the Rockets beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-2. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday in Kelowna. . . . The Rockets scored in the final minute of each of the first two periods, giving them leads of 3-1 and 5-2. . . . F Cole Linaker and F Ryan Olsen each had a goal and an assist for Kelowna, while F Nick Merkley had two assists. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal scored at 7:44 of the first period to cut Kelowna’s lead to 2-1. . . . Severson scored on a PP at 19:42 for a 3-1 edge. . . . Seattle F Alexander Delnov made it 3-2 at 3:07 of the second, but Olsen upped that to 4-2 at 13:04, on a PP, and D Madison Bowey added another at 19:49. . . . Kelowna was 3-for-6 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-3. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke turned aside 23 shots, seven fewer than Seattle’s Taran Kozun.
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From Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey): “We’re happy to report @Mcally15 underwent successful surgery to repair a jaw fracture & are hopeful he'll be back sometime during the playoffs.”
That would be F Mitchell Callahan of the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, whose selfie was posted here yesterday.
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
The Chilliwack Chiefs without Harvey Smyl? That's like eggs without bacon, like a hot dog without mustard, like Christmas without Santa Claus. But that will be the case next season as the Chiefs announced Wednesday evening that Smyl is stepping down as general manager and head coach of the BCHL franchise. Smyl has been with the Chiefs through 21 seasons. According to a Chiefs' news release, "Smyl informed Chiefs’ President Glen Ringdal on Tuesday that he will not renew his contract which expires at the end of May, but instead will pursue new directions and interests." . . . The Chiefs made the playoffs in 20 of Smyl's 21 seasons there. He is a four-time winner of the BCHL's coach-of-the-year award.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League has a Hall of Fame and has announced its Class of 2014.
In Medicine Hat, the Edmonton Oil Kings moved back into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . F Luke Bertolucci, with his sixth, in the first period, and D Griffin Reinhart, with his fourth, at 1:04 of the second on a PP, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford got his guys within one when he scored his 31st at 16:15 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda added insurance with his 29th, into an empty net, at 19:57 of the third. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots, five fewer than Medicine Hat's Marek Langhamer. . . . Edmonton F Reid Petryk was helped off the ice in the third period. Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News tweeted that Petryk appeared unable to put any weight on his left leg, but that he seemed OK after the game. . . . Tigers D Dylan Bredo played in his 288th consecutive regular-season game, which ties him for fourth with F Steve Kuhn, who played for the Spokane Chiefs, in the WHL record book. F Justin Feser, who played for the Tri-City Americans, holds the WHL record (321). . . . Steinke has a story on Bredo and his accomplishment 
In Red Deer, G Patrik Bartosak stopped 46 shots to lead the Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Rebels D Nick Charif gave his guys a 2-0 lead with this third goal at 6:04 of the second period. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 43rd just 53 seconds later. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser upped the lead to 3-1 with this 14th at 16:04 of the third. . . . F Sam Reinhart had two assists for the Ice as he closed to within one of the franchise record for assists in one season. F Jarrett Stoll holds the record of 66 from 2000-01. Reinhart has 99 points this season; Stoll is the last Kootenay player to reach 100 points; he had 106 in 2000-01. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson drew two assists. . . . The Ice again dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. They remain without D Landon Cross and D Landon Peel. . . . Red Deer (34-31-5) is tied with the Brandon Wheat Kings for seventh in the Eastern Conference. Red Deer holds the edge in the tiebreaker, with a 34-32 edge in victories. . . . The Ice (39-27-4) is fifth in the conference, one point ahead of Swift Current. . . . 
In Regina, F Dyson Stevenson and F Connor Gay each scored twice as the Pats dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-1. . . . Stevenson has 38 goals, while Gay now has 17. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored his 30th goal, a shorthanded effort, while F Dryden Hunt got his 20th. . . . Pats F Chandler Stephenson scored his 20th goal at 17:46 of the second period. It was his eighth shorthanded goal this season. . . . Regina has scored a WHL-leading 17 shorthanded goals, but its penalty killing is ranked 20th. . . . Stephenson also had three assists. . . . (I only hope Chandler's nickname is PH and Dyson answers to V.) . . . Raiders F Collin Valcourt scored the game's first goal, his 25th, but his side then gave up seven. . . . Regina G Dawson MacAuley stopped 28 shots. . . . Regina D Isaac Schacher was pointless but finished plus-4. . . . Regina (39-25-6) hasn’t won 40 games since 2007-08 when it last finished atop the East Division. With two games to play, the Pats lead the division by three points over Swift Current. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Raiders (33-32-5), who have lost their last two games, slid into ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points out of a playoff spot. They have two games remaining. . . . 
In Swift Current, F Colby Cave broke a 5-5 tie with 20.9 seconds left in the third period as the Broncos beat the Saskatoon Blades, 6-5. . . . Cave's 32nd goal came 1:03 after Saskatoon D Jordan Thomson went off for holding, only the game's fifth minor penalty. . . . F Graham Black had a goal, his 34th, and three assists for the Broncos. . . . Saskatoon led 3-0 before the game was 12 minutes old and drove G Eetu Laurikainen to the bench in the process. Landon Bow came on to stop 15 of 18 shots. . . . Saskatoon D MacKenzie Johnston, a 20-yer-old playing in his hometown for the last time, gave the Blades a 4-1 lead with his fourth goal 24 seconds into the second period. . . . After goals from F Jay Merkley, his 31st, and F Glenn Gawdin, his ninth, Black tied it at 9:44 of the second. . . . F Jake DeBrusk, who had two assists, gave the Broncos the lead with his 15th goal at 11:10. . . . Saskatoon F Cory Millette tied it with his 16th just 10 seconds into the third. . . . F Ryan Graham scored twice for the Blades, giving him 15 on the season. . . . Saskatoon G Brandon Kegler stopped 39 shots. . . . The Broncos (36-25-9) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Kootenay Ice. Swift Current also is three points behind Regina in the race for first in the East Division. . . . The Blades (16-49-5) have lost 10 in a row. . . . 
In Kamloops, the Kelowna Rockets clinched first place in the overall standings, beating the Blazers, 4-1. . . . The Rockets now have won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy on three occasions. . . . F Ryan Olsen scored twice for the Rockets, getting his 30th of the season into an empty net. . . . Kamloops G Bolton Pouliot was terrific in making 40 saves. . . . Kelowna F Tyrell Goulborne gave his side a 3-1 lead with his 17th goal at 16:13 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Eric Krienke had scored his third goal at 11:34, giving the Blazers at least faint hope. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkely scored his 24th goal, one shy of the franchise record for most goals in a season by a 16-year-old. F Shane McColgan, now with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, scored 25 times in 2009-10. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle made 18 saves. He was sharp despite not being tested nearly as often as Pouliot. . . . Kelowna (55-11-4) will meet the Tri-City Americans (28-32-9) in a first-round series. . . . The Blazers (13-52-5) have lost eight in a row. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Trent Lofthouse scored two goals to help the Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The loss ended Victoria’s six-game winning streak. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee stopped 41 shots, including 21 in a scoreless first period. . . . Lofthouse, who played nine games with Victoria last season and 11 this season, broke a 1-1 tie with his 11th goal, on the PP, at 15:39 of the second period. . . . He upped the home team’s lead to 3-1 with another PP goal, this one at 15:23 of the third. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges scored his 20th goal at 1:13 of the second period. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll got his 34th at 17:18 of the third, via the PP, to make things interesting. . . . Lofthouse, a 19-year-old from Surrey, B.C., joined the Giants with 15 goals in 112 regular-season games. In 34 games with Vancouver, he has scored 11 times. . . . Vancouver G Coleman Vollrath stopped 20 shots. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-3 on the PP; Victoria was 1-for-5. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Holterhus, who will turn 17 on March 24, made his WHL debut. A list player, he is from Edmonton where he spent the season with the midget AAA CAC Canadians. . . . The Giants (32-27-11) will finish seventh in the Western Conference and meet the Portland Winterhawks in the first round. . . . The Royals (48-18-4) will finish third and will meet either the Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs or Everett Silvertips in the opening round. . . . 
In Spokane, the Everett Silvertips beat the Chiefs 4-2, giving them their first victory in Spokane in 19 tries. . . . Going into the game, F Josh Winquist was the only player on Everett's roster who knew what it was like for the Silvertips to win in Spokane. . . . Everett last won in Spokane on Feb. 24, 2010. Since then, it was 16-0-2. . . . Winquist scored twice, giving him 45 goals this season. He tied the game 2-2 at 12:27 of the second and then broke the tie at 19:55, on a PP. . . . Winquist drew an assist on F Carson Stadnyk’s second goal of the game, and 22nd of the season, at 16:04 of the third. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg got his WHL-leading 61st goal; it was the 186th of his career, tying F Pat Falloon for the franchise’s career record. . . . Holmberg also had an assist, running his WHL-leading point total to 116. He holds a seven-point edge over Portland Winterhawks F Nic Petan. . . . Everett (37-23-9) is 9-0-1 in its last 10. It is sixth in the Western Conference, one point behind the Chiefs (39-25-6) and three in arrears of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Chiefs, who had a three-game winning streak snapped, have two games left; Everett and Seattle have yet to play three games.
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