Showing posts with label Hudson Elynuik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hudson Elynuik. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Portland, P.G. schedule released . . . What if a W had been worth 3 points? . . . Milestone for ex-scoring king



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 The WHL has released the schedule for a first-round playoff series between the B.C. Division-champion Prince George Cougars and the Portland Winterhawks, the Western Conference’s first wild-card team. . . . Portland had wanted a 2-3-2 format; the Cougars had insisted on a 2-2-1-1-1 schedule. . . . In the end, it was decided to go 2-2-1-1-1, but one slight change was made. The series will open in Prince George with games on Friday and Sunday, rather than Friday and Saturday as originally was announced. . . . The teams will play in Portland on March 29 and 30 (Wednesday/Thursday) and then, if necessary, return to Prince George for a game on April 1. . . . If further games are needed, they will be played in Portland on April 3 and in Prince George on April 5.
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The Regina Pats will open the playoffs without F Nick Henry as he sits out a one-game suspension. Henry was suspended after taking a boarding major and game misconduct during a 6-0 victory over the host Brandon Wheat Kings on Saturday. . . . The Pats open at home against the Calgary Hitmen on Friday. . . . Henry, the MJHL’s rookie of the year last season with the Portage Terriers, enjoyed a fine first WHL season, finishing second among freshmen in goals (35), assists (46) and points (81). He played in all 72 games.
The WHL also suspended F Adam Berg of the Edmonton Oil Kings after he took a charging major and game misconduct in Sunday’s 5-4 OT victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels. Berg, who will be a 20-year-old, will serve the suspension at the start of next season.
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The WHL has scheduled its bantam draft lottery for this morning (Wednesday) — 11 o’clock Mountain time — in Calgary. The lottery will determine the order of the draft’s first six selections. . . . It involves the six non-playoff teams — the Spokane Chiefs, Saskatoon Blades, Edmonton Oil Kings, Prince Albert Raiders, Vancouver Giants and Kootenay Ice. . . . If you’re interested, the lottery will be carried live on a webcast at whl.ca. . . . The bantam draft is scheduled for Calgary on May 4.
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The WHL plays out its regular-season schedule awarding two points for a victory of any kind, with one point going to an overtime or shootout loser. So what if the WHL had awarded three points for a regulation victory this season, with two points for an OT victory and one for a win in a shootout?
Charlie Seablom, a fan of the Everett Silvertips, decided to find out.
He reports:
“So, is there a difference? Not much. The top nine teams are the same ones but in a different order. The bottom six are the same, too, just in a different order. With the three points per win system there are 11 teams with a .500+ winning percentage and 11 with .499 or worse, which should make some people happy.”
For starters, the Regina Pats and Medicine Hat Tigers still would have run away with the East and Central divisions, respectively.
However, the Seattle Thunderbirds would have put up 128 points and finished atop the U.S. Division, three points ahead of the Everett Silvertips. In reality, the Silvertips wound up two points ahead of the Thunderbirds.
The Prince George Cougars still would have won the B.C. Division, by one point over the Kelowna Rockets.
In terms of playoff matchups, things would have remained the same in the Eastern Conference — Regina vs. Calgary, Medicine Hat vs. Brandon, Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current, and Lethbridge vs. Red Deer.
However, there would have been changes in the Western Conference.
When the playoffs begin this weekend, it’ll be Everett, which finished atop the conference, vs. Victoria, Prince George vs. Portland, Seattle vs. Tri-City, and Kelowna vs. Kamloops.
Under the three-point plan, Seattle would have won the Western Conference title and would open against Victoria.
Portland and Tri-City would have tied for third in the U.S. Division, with the Winterhawks getting the edge on the first tiebreaker (32-31 in victories). That would put Prince George up against Tri-City, which would slide into the first wild-card spot. Everett, then, would draw Portland.
The other series would remain the same — Kelowna vs. Kamloops.
So there you have it, for what it’s worth.
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D Libor Hajek of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year, two-way entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who selected him in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. Hajek, a native of Smrcek, Czech Republic, flew out of Saskatoon on Tuesday, headed to the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. . . . Hajek had four goals and 22 assists in 65 games with the Blades this season. In 134 career games, he has seven goals and 45 assists.
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F Hudson Elynuik of the Spokane Chiefs has joined the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on an amateur tryout basis for the remainder of this season. Elynuik was selected by the parent Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. This season, he had 73 points, including 29 goals, in 64 games with Spokane. From Calgary, Elynuik, 19, has 53 goals and 84 assists in 209 regular-season WHL games.
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Two WHL officials — referee Brent Iverson and linesman Nathan Van Oosten — will work the IIHF World Championship that is scheduled to be held in Paris, France, and Cologne Germany, from May 5 through May 21. Iverson, from Richmond, B.C., worked at the 2016 World Championship in Russia. Van Oosten, from Surrey, B.C., will be making his World Championship debut after working the lines in the 2017 World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto.
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F Casey Pierro-Zabotel recorded his 300th career ECHL regular-season assist on Monday as his Colorado Eagles beat the host Utah Grizzlies, 5-3. He drew four assists in the game, the last one getting him to the milestone.
Pierro-Zabotel, 28, won the WHL’s scoring title when he put up 115 points with the 2008-09 Vancouver Giants.
In 470 career regular-season games, Pierro-Zabotel has 127 goals to go with his 300 assists.
He has played in the ECHL with Wheeling, Cincinnati, Bakersfield, Gwinnett, Florida, Allen and Colorado.
F Louis Dumont, who played in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Kamloops Blazers (1990-94) holds the ECHL’s career assists record, with 566. Dumont played with Tallahassee, Wheeling, Louisiana, Augusta, Pensacola, Mississippi and Utah (1994-2006).
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Coaching

 Tom Anastos has resigned after six seasons as head coach of the Michigan State Spartans. . . . Assistant coach Tom Newton has been named interim head coach while the school searches for a replacement. . . . The Spartans reached the NCAA tournament in Anastos’ first season, but weren’t able to get back in any of the preceding five seasons. This season, they went 7-24-4 (3-14-4 in the Big Ten), putting up the fewest victories since 1977-78. . . . Anastos, who was 78-122-24 as head coach, is a former MSU player (1981-85) and assistant coach (1990-92).
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The Battlefords Stars of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League have signed Norm Johnston as head coach for 2017-18. Johnston joined the Stars with six games left in the 2016-17 season after Jean Fauchon, who was in his first season, was fired. . . . A veteran junior A owner, general manager and head coach, Johnston last coached on a full-time basis (2008-13) with the Regina Pat Canadians. He is familiar with the Battlefords area as he owned the SJHL franchise there (1988-90). He also did two coaching stints with that team (1983-86, 1988-90). He won an SJHL championship with the Flin Flon Bombers in 1992-93. In 1994-95, he was the head coach of the Regina Pats.
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MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

(Game 1, best-of-seven series)
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Saturday, January 7, 2017

Upon further review, Hay has 702 wins . . . 'Canes add d-man . . . Steel sparks Pats

The accolades were flying late Friday, and well they should have, after the Kamloops Blazers had posted a 3-1 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets.
Don Hay, the Blazers’ head coach, was shaking hands and accepting congratulations on what was
Don Hay now has 702 WHL head-coaching victories.(Photo: Christopher Mast / mastimages.com)
thought to be his 700th WHL regular-season coaching victory.
But, as it turns out, it actually was No. 702.
Here’s the story behind the story . . . 
Asked about his first WHL coaching victory, Hay said it came in Tacoma when the Blazers beat the Rockets early in the 1992-93 season. That would have been on Sept. 26, 1992, when the Blazers won, 8-7 in OT.
Hay remembered the Blazers trailing after two periods when they heard the public address announcer say: “Can you believe they are the Memorial Cup’s defending champions?”
“I think Hnat Domenichelli ended up scoring three goals in that one,” Hay said with a chuckle, “and we won it.”
As it turns out, however, that wasn’t No. 1.
Earl Seitz, the veteran sports director at CFJC-TV in Kamloops, had checked with the WHL office and was told that No. 1 came on Dec. 13, 1991, when the Blazers beat the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 7-4.
Yes, Hay, who was an assistant coach under head coach Tom Renney at the time, remembered that one, too. Renney had left to work as the head coach of Canada’s national team at the World Junior Championship.
But . . . guess what? Upon further review, it seems that wasn’t No. 1 either.
Hay then pointed out that he also had taken over as head coach in December 1987 while Kamloops head coach Ken Hitchcock was with the Canadian junior team as an assistant under Dave Chambers.
When I got home, I dug into my records and discovered that Hay’s first victory as a WHL head coach actually came on Dec. 18, 1987, when the Blazers beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2.
Kamloops went 2-4-1 with Hay filling in for Hitchcock, the other victory coming on Dec. 20, another 5-2 victory over Seattle, this one in Kamloops.
What all of this means is that Hay actually got his 700th regular-season coaching victory on Dec. 30 when the Blazers beat the host Vancouver Giants, 4-2. Of course, Hay spent 10 seasons as the Giants’ head coach before returning to the Blazers in the summer of 2014.
It also means that Hay, with 702 victories, now is 40 behind Ken Hodge, the only other man to have won 700 games as a WHL head coach. Hodge retired at 742, having coached the original Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks. The Oil Kings moved to Portland in time for the 1976-77 season.
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Here’s a look at WHL head coaches who have more than 500 regular-season victories to their credit:
1. Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland), 742
2. Don Hay (Kamloops, Tri-City, Vancouver) 702
3. Don Nachbaur (Seattle, Tri-City, Spokane) 682
4. Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina) 626
5. Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster) 548
6. Pat Ginnell (Flin Flon, Victoria, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, New Westminster) 518
7. Mike Williamson (Portland, Calgary, Tri-City) 516
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WHL trades since Dec. 27:
Trades: 18.
Players: 29.
Bantam draft picks: 20.
Conditional bantam draft picks: 5.
(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10).
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have acquired D Kyle Yewchuk, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a fifth-round selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.
The trade was announced shortly after the Hurricanes had beaten the visiting Oil Kings, 7-4, on Friday night. Yewchuk didn’t play for the Oil Kings.
That fifth-round pick moved on to the Kelowna Rockets as payment for F Riley Stadel, 20, who was dealt to the Oil Kings earlier Friday.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Yewchuk was a third-round pick by Edmonton in the 2013 bantam draft. He has a goal and four assists in 27 games this season. In 75 career games, he has a goal and nine assists.
Earlier in the week, the Hurricanes acquired D Brady Pouteau, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, from the Regina Pats.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, the Blazers skated to a 3-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets, giving head coach Don Hay
LUC SMITH
what was believed to be his 700th regular-season coaching victory, but actually was No. 702. . . . G Dylan Ferguson continued his superb play for the Blazers, as he stopped 30 shots. With starter Connor Ingram away, Ferguson, 18, started 12 straight games and went 8-3-1. . . . F Jermaine Loewen (6) gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 19:35 of the first period. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers made it 2-0 with his 21st goal, at 12:29 of the second period. . . . F Dillon Dube (2) got the Rockets to within a goal when he scored on a PP, at 15:33 of the second period. . . . The Blazers got insurance at 7:45 of the third period as F Luc Smith scored his seventh goal — his first in five games with the Blazers since being acquired from the Regina Pats. . . . Smith also had an assist. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer stopped 33 shots. . . . The Rockets were 1-2 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-6. . . . The Rockets had Dube (Canada), F Tomas Soustal (Czech Republic) and F Calvin Thurkauf (Switzerland) back from the World Junior Championship, while the Blazers had Balcers (Latvia) and D Ondrej Vala (Czech Republic) in their lineup. Ingram didn’t dress but is expected to start either tonight in Kelowna or Sunday in Portland. . . . The Blazers are 4-2-0 against Kelowna this season; the Rockets are 24-7-1 in the last 32 meetings. . . . Kamloops (25-15-2) has won two in a row and is second in the B.C. Division, now three points ahead of Kelowna. The Blazers also have closed to within four points of the division-leading Prince George Cougars, who hold two games in hand. . . . The Rockets (23-15-3) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . The Blazers are without F Garrett Pilon, their No. 1 centre, who has a concussion. . . . Announced attendance: 3,732.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Kailer Yamamoto and F Hudson Elynuik each scored twice to lead the Spokane
HUDSON ELYNUIK
Chiefs to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The teams will meet again Saturday night, this time in Spokane. . . . The Ice took a 1-0 lead on F Zak Zborosky’s 28th goal, at 9:58 of the first period. . . . Yamamoto tied it at 7:55 of the second period and Elynuik’s shorthanded goal, at 4:07 of the third, put the Chiefs out front. . . . Yamamoto added insurance with his 25th goal, at 9:24, and Elynuik, who has 16 goals, iced it with an empty-netter at 17:20. . . .Elynuik also had two assists, while Yamamoto had one. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler earned the victory with 24 saves. . . . Ice G Payton Lee turned aside 46 shots. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Chiefs (17-16-6) have won two in a row and are three points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Ice slipped to 8-24-8. . . . Announced attendance: 1,845.
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At Lethbridge, F Egor Babenko scored two goals and added three assists to help the Hurricanes to a 7-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Oil Kings actually held a 4-2 lead in this one halfway
EGOR BABENKO
through the second period. . . . G Graham Millar (10), in his first game with Edmonton since coming over from the Everett Silvertips, tied it 2-2 at 3:06 of the second period. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov (6) and F Tyler Robertson (11) scored at 6:49 and 10:22 to give Edmonton a 4-2 lead. . . . F Jordy Bellerive’s shorthanded goal, at 12:11 of the second, got the Lethbridge comeback started. He’s got 16 goals. . . . Babenko added his second of the game, and 13th of the season, at 12:50 and F Tyler Wong’s 26th goal gave his guys the lead, 5-4, at 17:51. . . . F Ryley Lindgren (14) added insurance, on a PP, at 2:24 of the third period and F Ryan Bowen (9) added another PP goal, at 14:34. . . . Lethbridge F Giorgio Estephan and Bellerive each had two assists, while Wong and Bowen had one apiece. . . . The Oil Kings got two assists from Robertson and one from Millar. . . . All four goaltenders got into this one. . . . Lethbridge starter Ryan Gilchrist allowed three goals on 13 shots in 29:38, with Stuart Skinner coming on to stop 14 of 15 shots in 30:22 to earn the victory. . . . Edmonton went two periods with Patrick Dea, who was beaten five times on 17 shots. Josh Dechaine played the third, allowing two goals on 12 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 3-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-3. . . . The Hurricanes (21-15-5) had lost their previous two games. They are second in the Central Division, five points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Oil Kings (18-19-4) have lost two in a row but still hold down a wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,553.
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At Moose Jaw, G Brody Willms stopped 23 shots to earn his first WHL shutout as the Warriors beat the
BRODY WILLMS
Saskatoon Blades, 4-0. . . . Willms stopped eight shots in the first period and 12 in the second. . . . F Brayden Burke scored the game’s first two goals, both via the PP, at 17:20 of the first period and 2:21 of the second. Burke, who has 12 goals, later added an assist on F Brett Howden’s 19th goal, at 8:10 of the third period. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs also scored, getting his WHL-leading 35th goal while shorthanded, at 10:20 of the second period. . . . Halbgewachs also had two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm stopped 27 shots. . . . The Warriors were 2-3 on the PP; the Blades were 0-5. . . . The Warriors had head coach Tim Hunter back behind the bench. He spent the past month as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. With Mark O’Leary running the bench in Hunter’s absence, the Warriors went 7-3-2. . . . Moose Jaw (24-9-7) has points in six straight games (4-0-2) and is second in the East Division, four points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Saskatoon (15-21-6) is 2-1-2 in its past five games. The Blades, who are four points out of a playoff spot, will play 12 of their next 13 games at home. . . . Announced attendance: 3,683.
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At Prince Albert, F Jordan Topping scored two goals and added two assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 7-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . It was Tri-City’s first game on a six-game East Division swing. . . .
RILEY SAWCHUK
The Americans scored five times in the third period, including F Riley Sawchuk’s first WHL goal. Sawchuk, from Prince Albert, was a sixth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. The goal came in his 30th game. . . . Topping, who has six goals, opened the scoring at 18:10 of the first period. . . . D Dylan Coghlan made it 2-0 with No. 7, at 11:10 of the second period. . . . The Americans got third-period goals from F Max James (7), Sawchuk, F Michael Rasmussen (29), Topping and F Kyle Olson (10). . . . F Cole Fonstad (7) had Prince Albert’s goal, at 18:20 of the third period. . . . F Tyler Sandhu had two assists for the Americans, with Olson, James and Coghlan getting one each. . . . Tri-City G Rylan Parenteau, who was acquired from the Raiders earlier this season, stopped 40 shots. . . . Prince Albert starter Ian Scott allowed five goals on 22 shots in 44:17. Nic Sanders came on in relief to stop nine of 11 shots in 15:43. . . . The Raiders were 1-6 on the PP; the Americans were 0-1. . . . The Americans had D Juuso Valimaki (Finland) back after he played at the World Junior Championship. . . . Raiders F Sean Montgomery sat this one out with an undisclosed injury after playing in 113 straight games. . . . The Americans (23-17-3) are second in the U.S. Division, five points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Raiders (8-30-3) have lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . Announced attendance: 2,321.
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At Prince George, the Victoria Royals took a 2-0 lead and hung on to beat the Cougars, 2-1. . . . F
REGAN NAGY
Vladimir Bobylev, who returned to the Royals from Russia prior to Christmas, scored his second goal, on a PP, at 7:32 of the first period. . . . F Regan Nagy, who also had an assist, made it 2-0 with his 12th goal, at 12:48 of the second period. . . . F Kody McDonald (9) got the Cougars to within one just 58 seconds into the third period. . . . F Nikita Popugaev, acquired Thursday from the Moose Jaw Warriors, had an assist for the Cougars. . . . Victoria G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 25 shots, while Prince George’s Ty Edmonds stopped 36. . . . The Royals were 1-3 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-2. . . . The Royals are without D Chaz Reddekopp for the doubleheader in Prince George as he serves a two-game suspension for an unpenalized hit that left Kamloops F Garrett Pilon with a concussion on Dec. 31. . . . Victoria (22-15-4) has points in six straight games (5-0-1) and has closed to within a point of the third-place Kelowna Rockets in the B.C. Division. . . . Prince George is 27-11-2 and third in the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 3,319.
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At Red Deer, D Alexander Alexeyev broke a 2-2 tie at 2:24 of the third period as the Rebels beat the
ALEXANDER ALEXEYEV
Vancouver Giants, 3-2. . . . Alexeyev, who also had two assists, has three goals. . . . F Austin Glover scored his 13th goal and added two assists for Red Deer as he ran his point streak to 11 games. . . . Glover gave Red Deer at 1-0 lead at 3:25 of the first period. . . . D Matt Barberis (8) tied it, on a PP, at 2:32 of the second period. . . . F Adam Musil put the home team back out front with his 14th goal, at 3:57. . . . The Giants tied it when F Radovan Bondra got No. 19, at 11:20 of the second. . . . Red Deer G Lasse Petersen, fresh off playing for Denmark at the World Junior Championship, stopped 24 shots, as did Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic. . . . Each team was 1-3 on the PP. . . . F Michael Spacek and Musil both were in Red Deer’s lineup after playing for Czech Republic at the World Junior Championship, while Bondra (Slovakia) was back with the Giants. . . . Rebels D Colton Bobyk played in his 200th regular-season game. . . . Giants F Tyler Benson missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Rebels (18-16-6), third in the Central Division, had lost their previous two games. . . . The Giants (16-21-3), who are eight points out of a playoff spot, had won their last two games, both in Alberta. . . . Announced attendance: 5,108.
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At Regina, the Pats scored three times before the game was nine minutes old and went on to beat the Calgary Hitmen, 6-2. . . . F Sam Steel, who leads the WHL points race, scored the game’s first two goals,
SAM STEEL
at 1:20 and 4:59. . . . F Adam Brooks got his 22nd goal, at 8:17. . . . Calgary F Jordy Stallard (18) got his guys to within two at 11:52 of the second period, but Regina F Nick Henry got that one back, on a PP, at 8:13 of the third. . . . F Matteo Gennaro (15) scored Calgary’s second goal, at 10:59. . . . Steel completed his hat trick with No. 30, at 11:54, and Henry added his 20th goal, at 15:30. . . . Steel also had an assist, leaving him with 69 points, two more than Brooks, who also had an assist. . . . Henry added an assist to his goal, while D Connor Hobbs had three helpers and F Dawson Leedahl and D Dawson Davidson each had two. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 25 shots for Regina in earning his 19th victory. . . . Calgary G Cody Porter allowed three goals on 17 shots in 28:36, with Kyle Dumba coming on to play the last 31:24. He was beaten three times on 18 shots. . . . Regina was 1-3 on the PP; Calgary was 0-1. . . . The Pats (27-3-7) are 6-0-1 in their last seven games. They lead the overall standings by four points over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Hitmen (14-18-5) had points in their previous three games (1-0-20). They are seven points off the playoff pace. . . . Regina head coach John Paddock earned his 100th regular-season victory. . . . D Jake Bean was back in Calgary’s lineup after being at the World Junior Championship. . . . The Pats didn’t have D Sergey Zborovskiy (Russia) in their lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484, the Pats’ fifth straight sellout.
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At Kent, Wash., F Keegan Kolesar scored the only goal of a shootout — it was awarded via video review — to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Kolesar was the
KEEGAN KOLESAR
shootout’s second shooter. . . . Seattle scored the game’s first three goals; Everett came back with the next three. . . . The Thunderbirds took that 3-0 lead on goals from F Luke Ormsby (3), at 12:31 of the first period; F Zack Andrusiak (5), at 18:03; and F Donovan Neuls (9), at 1:03 of the second. . . . Neuls’ goal came when he entered play from the bench as the extra attacker with a delayed penalty coming against Everett. . . . Neuls also had an assist. . . . The Silvertips were 3-4 on the PP. . . . F Dominic Zwerger’s 18th goal, at 10:11 of the second period, got the comeback started. . . . F Riley Sutter (12) scored at 2:03 of the third period and F Matt Fonteyne tied it with his 11th goal, at 3:15. . . . Everett got two assists from D Kevin Davis and one each from Zwerger and Sutter. . . . G Rylan Toth earned the victory with 38 saves, 12 more than Everett’s Mario Petit. . . . Seattle was 0-2 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds had F Alexander True (Denmark) back from the World Junior Championship, but didn’t dress F Mathew Barzal (Canada). . . . F Scott Eansor also was among Seattle’s scratches. . . . G Carter Hart and D Noah Juulsen, both of whom played for Canada at the WJC, were scratched by Everett. . . . The Thunderbirds (20-14-4) have won two straight. They are third in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Silvertips (25-5-7) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). They lead the U.S. Division by eight points over Tri-City. . . . Announced attendance: 4,418.
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At Swift Current, the Brandon Wheat Kings erased a 3-1 first-period deficit with four straight goals as they
TY LEWIS
beat the Broncos, 5-4. . . . F Ty Lewis gave Brandon a 1-0 lead at 8:13 of the opening period. . . . The Broncos responded with three straight goals. F Tyler Steenbergen (28) scored at 11:50. F Glenn Gawdin got No. 13 at 12:35. F Lane Pederson scored his 17th at 14:15. . . . The Wheat Kings got to within one when Lewis scored his 20th goal, at 15:12 of the second period, on a PP. . . . F Tanner Kaspick who has 13 goals, then scored twice for Brandon, at 4:18 and 11:18 of the third period, the second one coming while shorthanded. . . . The Wheat Kings went ahead 5-3 with another shorthanded goal, this one from F Tyler Coulter, at 14:42. He’s got 16 goals. . . . Steenbergen’s 29th goal, at 18:37, got the Broncos to within one. . . . Brandon D Daniel Bukac had three assists, while Kaspick added one. . . . Pederson had two assists for the Broncos, while Gawdin had one. . . . The Wheat Kings got 30 stops from G Logan Thompson. . . . Travis Child stopped 28 shots for Swift Current. . . . The Broncos were 1-5 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-7. . . . D Kale Clague (Canada) wasn’t in Brandon’s lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings (19-16-4) hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Broncos (22-12-7) had won their previous three games. They are third in the East Division, four points behind Moose Jaw and nine ahead of Brandon. . . . Announced attendance: 1,764.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Everett at Portland, 6 p.m.
Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kootenay at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:06 AM
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Friday, December 2, 2016

Cougars lose D-man to Buffalo . . . New lease on life for Pats . . . Silvertips on top rung now


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F Petr Kalus (Regina, 2005-06) has signed for the rest of this season with Cracovia Kraków (Poland, PHL). This season, he was pointless in three games with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga) and had a goal and an assist in six games with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). . . .
F Kristaps Baževičs (Prince Albert, 2011-12) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Gap (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, he had two goals and eight assists in 24 games on tryout contracts with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga).
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The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres have brought in D Brendan Guhle, 19, from the Prince George Cougars under emergency recall rules.
Guhle was acquired by the Cougars from the Prince Albert Raiders on Nov. 19. He was a second-round
pick by the Sabres in the NHL’s 2015 draft and has signed with them.
He has three goals in four games with the Cougars. In 19 total games this season, Guhle has five goals and two assists.
The Sabres are at home to the Boston Bruins this afternoon (Saturday).
Already without D Zach Bogosian and D Dmitry Kulikov, both with long-term injuries, the Sabres may have lost D Josh Gorges, a former captain of the Kelowna Rockets, who was injured blocking a shot on Thursday in a 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers. His status won’t be known until sometime this morning.
Guhle almost made the Sabres prior to the 2015-16 season, but was sidelined with a concussion after taking a hit from D Dion Phaneuf, who was then with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to this season, Guhle was one of the Sabres’ last cuts.
The Cougars are at home to the Victoria Royals this weekend. They played last night and will meet again tonight.
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D Matt Sozanski of the Moose Jaw Warriors left late in the second period of a 5-3 loss to the Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday night and didn’t return. Sozanski was checked hard by Raiders F Tim Vanstone and was slow in returning to the Moose Jaw bench.
Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW reported that a doctor was called to the Moose Jaw dressing room during the second period.
According to D’Andrea, Tim Hunter, the Warriors’ head coach, was asked why a doctor was needed. However, Hunter chose to downplay things . . . or was he just being a snarky sore loser?
Here, according to D’Andrea, is Hunter’s reply: ”Somebody’s got a hangnail and I don't know why they'd send a doctor over for it. That's just a trick they pull here in P.A., to get the fans all excited about how physical they think their team is. That's all.”
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The way has been cleared for the Regina Pats to serve as the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament. The WHL team’s bid hinged on it having a new lease with Regina Exhibition Association Ltd., which operates the Brandt Centre, and that lease was agreed to on Friday. The Pats are one of three CHL teams — the others are the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals — on the short list of teams being considered as the host team for what will be the Memorial Cup’s 100th anniversary. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on the Pats right here.
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If you’ve got a comment, some information you would like to pass along, or if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to the cause, please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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JUST NOTES:

F Josh Bruce, 18, has joined the BCHL’s Power River Kings. Bruce, from Surrey, B.C., had one goal in four games with the Saskatoon Blades, before being traded to the Vancouver Giants. He was pointless in two games with the Giants. He also had one goal in three games with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles this season. . . .
The host Whitecourt Wolverines set franchise records for goals and shots in a single game on Friday night. They unleashed a 66-shot attack in beating the Calgary Mustangs, 14-0. . . . The teams combined for 90 shots, which also is an AJHL single-game record. . . . Former Kamloops Blazers F Eric Krienke had three goals for the Wolverines. . . . Whitecourt scored five PP goals in 2:43 during a major penalty in the second period. 
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals, two of them into an empty net, and beat
LANE BAUER
the Saskatoon Blades, 4-1. . . . F Logan Christensen scored his seventh goal, at 11:59 of the first period, as the visitors took a 1-0 lead. . . . Edmonton D Will Warm (2) tied it at 3:21 of the third period, with F Lane Bauer providing the home side with a 2-1 lead at 15:00. . . . Bauer has goals in five straight games and has put in three straight game-winning goals. . . . Bauer, who has 18 goals, added an empty-netter at 18:27 and F Davis Koch, who also had two assists, added another at 19:21. He’s got seven goals. . . . D Aaron Irving had two assists for Edmonton. . . . G Patrick Dea blocked 20 shots for the winners, while Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell turned aside 35. . . . The Oil Kings were 0-1 on the PP; the Blades were 0-5. . . . Edmonton (13-13-2) has won three in a row. . . . Saskatoon (10-17-2) had lost three straight (0-2-1). . . . The Blades had F Kirby Dach, the second overall pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, in their lineup for the second time this season and he earned an assist for his first career point. He is playing in his hometown for the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers. Dach made his WHL debut in Edmonton on Nov. 10. . . . Announced attendance: 8,154.
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At Everett, F Patrick Bajkov scored three straight second-period goals to spark the Silvertips to a 4-3
PATRICK BAJKOV
victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Silvertips (20-3-4) have won five and row and now lead the overall standings by one point over the Tigers (21-6-1), who had a 10-game winning streak snapped. . . . Everett now is 13-2-0 on home ice. . . . F Steve Owre (8) gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 6:47 of the first period. . . . Bajkov, who has 14 goals, tied it at 6:17 of the second period, provided a 2-1 lead at 6:32 and made it 3-1 at 10:44. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis notched his third goal, on a PP, with Bajkov getting the lone assist, at 13:12 and that one proved to be the winner. . . . The Tigers made it interesting on goals from D Brad Forrest (1) at 4:34 of the third period and F John Dahlstrom (14) at 8:24. . . . F Matt Fonteyne had two assists for Everett. . . . The Tigers got two assists from F Matt Bradley. . . . Bajkov turned in Everett’s first hat trick of the season. . . . Everett G Carter Hart blocked 23 shots. He went into the game having put up three straight shutouts. That streak ended at 193 minutes 48 seconds. . . . G Nick Schneider, who leads the WHL with 19 victories, stopped 20 shots for the Tigers. . . . Everett was 1-6 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-2. . . . Tigers F Zach Fischer left with a fighting major and game misconduct at 10:51 of the first period for what appears to have been ruled a one-man fight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,387.
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At Lethbridge, F Jordy Bellerive scored twice and added an assist to lead the Hurricanes to a 5-3 victory
JORDY BELLERIVE
over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The visitors led 2-0 in the first period on goals from F Akash Bains (5), at 6:06, and D Carson Sass (3), at 10:02. . . . Bellerive, who has eight goals, scored the Teddy Bear Goal at 14:00 of the first, sending both teams to their dressing rooms while the ice was cleared. . . . Bellerive then tied it, on a PP, at 19:05. . . . F Giorgio Estephan broke the tie 33 seconds into the second period and F Tyler Wong, with his 18th, on a PP, made it 4-2 at 5:36. . . . F Adam Musil (9) pulled the Rebels to within one at 13:13. . . . Estephan added insurance with his 14th goal at 18:18. It was an empty-netter. . . . Wong also had three assists, while D Brennan Menell had two and Estephan added one. . . . Estephan has 12 points, including six goals, over his past five games. . . . Wong has five goals and four assists over his past three games. . . . Red Deer D Colton Bobyk picked up an assist, running his assist streak to 12 games, the longest in the WHL this season. He has 15 assists in that stretch. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 28 shots for Lethbridge. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 28 for Red Deer. . . . Lethbridge was 2-5 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . The Hurricanes (13-11-3) have won six in a row. . . . The Rebels now are 13-12-4. . . . With G Riley Lamb scratched due to illness, the Rebels had G Byron Fancy backing up Petersen. Fancy, who will turn 16 on Jan. 1, is from Claresholm, Alta. A second-round pick by the Rebels in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, he is playing for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Announced attendance: 4,979.
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At Prince Albert, the Raiders scored two empty-net goals and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-3. . . .
SIMON STRANSKY
Prince Albert (6-20-1) had lost nine in a row. It won for the first time since Nov. 4. . . . The Warriors (15-6-4) had won their previous two games. . . . Prince Albert built a 4-1 lead and then hung as the Warriors scored twice before F Simon Stransky scored his 10th goal into an empty net at 19:35. . . . D Brandon Armstrong gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with his first goal, at 13:07 of the first period. . . . The Raiders scored the next four goals. . . . F Cavin Leth (6) tied it at 15:16 of the first period and Stransky snapped the tie at 17:46 of the second. . . . F Austin Glover got his seventh goal at 6:47 of the third period, with D Max Martin (4) scoring a shorthanded empty-netter at 18:08. That was Martin’s first goal since coming over from the Prince George Cougars in the deal that had D Brendan Guhle go the other way. . . . Moose Jaw F Nikita Popugaev got his 20th goal, on a PP, at 18:32 and F Jayden Halbgewachs made it 4-3 with his 20th goal at 18:45. . . . Popugaev, a sophomore from Russia, scored his 20th goal in his 26th game. Last season, he finished with 16 scores in 70 games. . . . Halbgewachs has 20 goals in 25 games. Last season, his second, he totalled 15 goals in 69 games. . . . Glover added an assist to his goal. . . . Popugaev also had an assist. . . . The Raiders got 33 saves from G Ian Scott. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 37 shots for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw was 1-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-5. . . . F Kolby Johnson was back in the Raiders’ lineup after a three-game absence. . . . Announced attendance: 2,463.
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At Prince George, F Jesse Gabrielle scored three times to lead the Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the
JESSE GABRIELLE
Victoria Royals. . . . Gabrielle, who has 16 goals, gave his guys a 1-0 lead 4:48 of the first period, only to have Victoria F Matt Phillips tie it, with No. 20, at 6:14. . . . Gabrielle put the Cougars out front again, at 14:39 of the second period. . . . The Royals tied it at 16:26 as F Regan Nagy scored his seventh goal. . . . Prince George F Colby McAuley (12) broke the tie at 17:21. . . . Gabrielle added insurance with his third goal of the game, at 4:10 of the third period. . . . The Cougars got three assists from F Jansen Harkins. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 25 shots to earn the victory over Griffen Outhouse, who stopped 26. . . . The Cougars were 0-6 on the PP; the Royals were 0-8. . . . Prince George (20-6-2), which started a seven-game homestand with the victory, has won three in a row. The Cougars are third in the overall standings, two points behind Everett and one back of Medicine Hat. . . . Victoria (14-13-2) has lost four straight. . . . The Cougars welcomed back D Sam Ruopp from an eight-game suspension, but were without D Brendan Guhle, who was recalled earlier in the day by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. . . . Announced attendance: 2,842.
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At Kent, Wash., F Scott Eansor’s OT goal gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Kootenay
SCOTT EANSOR
Ice. . . . Eansor, who has 13 goals, won it at 1:24 of the OT period. . . . D Fedor Rudakov (4) had given the Ice a 1-0 lead at 1:13 of the opening period. . . . Seattle took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Ethan Bear (9) at 2:17 of the first and Eansor, on a PP, at 7:26 of the second. . . . Kootenay bounced back to take a 3-2 lead when F Jake Elmer scored his second goal, at 16:13 of the second, and F Vince Loschiavo got his fifth at 18:48. . . . Seattle forced OT when F Matthew Wedman (4) scored at 11:59 of the third period. . . . The Thunderbirds got three assists from F Mathew Barzal and two from F Ryan Gropp, who now has 100 career helpers. . . . Bear added two assists to his goal. . . . Kootenay F Barrett Sheen had two assists. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 16 shots. Toth was back on the ice after watching for three games. . . . The Ice got 38 saves from G Jakob Walter. . . . The Thunderbirds had an 11-4 edge in shots in the second period and it was 17-3 in the third. . . . Seattle was 1-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (14-9-3) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. . . . The Ice (5-17-7) has lost five in a row. . . . Seattle lost F Donovan Neuls in the second period with an injury to his right leg. The Thunderbirds claim that Neuls was slashed on the knee. . . . Kootenay welcomed back F Max Patterson after an eight-game absence. . . . The Ice was without D Troy Murray, who is serving a four-game suspension after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Nov. 27. F Artyom Baltruk of the Oil Kings, who absorbed Murray’s hit, didn’t play last night against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Announced attendance: 3,266.
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At Spokane, F Hudson Elynuik’s OT goal gave the Chiefs a 2-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . .
HUDSON ELYNUIK
Elynuik scored his 11th goal at 4:32 of extra time. . . . The Rockets took a 1-0 lead when F Kole Lind scored his 15th goal, on a PP, at 1:37 of the second period. Lind has goals in six straight games and has scored at least once in nine of his past 10 outings. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto’s 10th goal tied the game at 6:21 of the third period. Elynuik drew an assist on that goal. . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler blocked 35 shots in a terrific outing. . . . The Rockets got 19 saves from Michael Herringer. . . . Kelowna was 1-1 on the PP; Spokane was 1-5. . . . The Chiefs (11-10-5) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Rockets (15-11-1) picked up their first loser point of the season. They are 2-0-1 in their last three games. . . . The Rockets continue to be without D Gordie Ballhorn, who injured a hand in a fight. Ballhorn could be gone for as long as two months, which is why the Rockets gave up D Jonathan Smart, 17, who was a first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, in a deal this week that got them D James Hilsendager, 19, and F Erik Gardiner, 17. Hilsendager played for the Rockets in this one; Gardiner, who is with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, will get into the lineup later this month when the Rockets travel through the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,579.
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At Swift Current, F Ryan Graham scored twice and added an assist to lead the Broncos to a 5-1 victory
RYAN GRAHAM
over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Graham had a goal and four assists in 11 games with the Saskatoon Blades when he was dealt to Swift Current. In five games with the Broncos, he has seven goals and five assists. . . . F Matteo Gennaro (7) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 7:19 of the first period. . . . Broncos D Artyom Minulin tied it with the Teddy Bear Goal at 13:24 of the first period, forging a 1-1 tie. . . . F Kaden Elder (5) broke the tie at 18:55. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen then took over the WHL goal-scoring lead with his 21st goal at 7:43 of the second period. He has 21 in 29 games after putting up 20 in 67 games last season. Later in the night, Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen scored his 21st, moving into a tie with Steenbergen. . . . Graham put it away with unassisted goals at 13:02 and 16:57 of the second. . . . F Lane Pederson had two assists for the Broncos. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean returned from a hand injury to draw an assist. A late returnee from the camp of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, Bean hadn’t played since Oct. 14 when he was injured in his third game of the season. . . . G Travis Child stopped 27 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary got 15 saves from Cody Porter. . . . The Hitmen were 1-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-4. . . . The Broncos (15-8-6) have won two straight. . . . The Hitmen (8-13-2) have lost four in row. This was Game 1 in a four-game East Division swing. . . . Announced attendance: 1,990.
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At Kennewick, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks earned points in an eighth straight game as they beat
KEEGAN IVERSON
the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . The Winterhawks (15-12-1) are 7-0-1 in their last eight outings. . . . The Americans (16-11-2) have lost two in a row. . . . F Vladislav Lukin (14) gave the Americans a 1-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game. . . . Portland followed that with four straight goals. . . . F Evan Weinger (10) tied the score at 17:29 and F Colton Veloso (7) provided a 2-1 lead just 1:06 later. . . . D Henri Jokiharju (3) added insurance at 4:21 of the second period and F Skyler McKenzie (16) made it 4-1 at 5:46. . . . Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen got his 21st goal, on a PP, at 2:24 of the third period. He and Swift Current F Tyler Steenbergen are tied for the WHL goal-scoring lead. . . . Portland F Joachim Blichfeld added an empty-netter at 17:51. He’s got 10 goals. . . . Portland got two assists from each of F Keegan Iverson and F Ryan Hughes, with Blichfeld and Veloso adding one each. . . . G Michael Bullion blocked 26 shots for Portland, six fewer than Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou. . . . Tri-City was 1-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 2,857.
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DYLAN PLOUFFE
At Langley, B.C., D Dylan Plouffe scored at 1:49 of OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 2-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Plouffe, who has two goals, scored while a delayed penalty call was going against Brandon. Plouffe, in his second season, has four goals in 88 career regular-season games. . . . Vancouver D Matt Barberis scored his fifth goal at 6:11 of the first period. . . . Brandon tied it on D James Shearer’s fourth goal, on a PP, at 14:01 of the third period. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 25 shots for the Giants, while the Wheat Kings got 22 saves from Logan Thompson. . . . Brandon is 1-6 on the PP; Vancouver is 0-5. . . . The Giants (11-16-2) had lost their previous six games (0-4-2). . . . The Wheat Kings (13-9-4) are 1-0-1 in a B.C. Division swing that continues in Kelowna tonight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,239.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GOALS:

Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 first period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m. (TBG)
Brandon at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (TBG)
Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Portland, 2 p.m.
Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m. (TBG)
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City Americans, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
TBG: Teddy Bear Game.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:03 PM
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