THURSDAY’S GAME:
No Game Scheduled.———
They will drop the puck to start the WHL championship final tonight in Brandon with the Wheat Kings meeting the Kelowna Rockets.
The winner of the best-of-seven series gets the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
Each of the teams is 12-3 in these playoffs.The Wheat Kings got past the defending-champion Edmonton Oil Kings, Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen, each in five games.
The Rockets opened with a sweep of the Tri-City Americans, then took out the Victoria Royals in five games and the Portland Winterhawks in six.
The Wheat Kings will open with Jordan Papirny in goal, while the Rockets are expected to start Jackson Whistle.
It will be interesting to see the scratches.
F Rourke Chartier, with 48 regular-season goals and nine more in the playoffs, missed the Rockets’ last three games, but he practised on Thursday.
Meanwhile, D Kale Clague, F Reid Duke and F Tanner Kaspick, all of whom are regulars with the Wheat Kings, have practised all week after sitting out with undisclosed injuries. Clague and Kaspick missed the last four games of the Eastern Conference final; Duke missed the entire series.
down in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.
The series is to be played in a 2-3-2 format. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday in Brandon.
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Some odds and ends, most of which deal with bloodlines, from the WHL’s bantam draft that was held Thursday in Calgary . . .
During the draft, the Everett Silvertips traded F Ivan Nikolishin, 19, to the Red Deer Rebels for a third-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2017. . . . Nikolishin, from Moscow, had 62 points, including 16 goals, in 72 games for Everett this season. Last season, as a freshman, he had 59 points, 18 of them goals, in 72 games. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reported that Nikolishin asked for a change of scenery. . . . “He’s very excited about (the) trade and he’s looking forward to playing here,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner/GM/head coach told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. . . . The Rebels are the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup. . . . Nikolishin’s father, Andrei, is a former NHL defenceman who was with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2002-03 when Sutter’s brother Brian was the head coach. Andrei Nikolishin now is the head coach of the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. . . . The Rebels’ roster now includes two imports, the other being Slovakian D/F Mario Grman, 18, who had three assists in 35 games this season. Grman would appear to be in tough, however, as Brent Sutter has told Meachem that he plans on using his first-round selection in the CHL import draft.
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The Rebels also dealt F Connor Gay, 20, to the Saskatoon Blades for a third-round pick in yesterday’s draft. The Rebels had acquired Gay from the Regina Pats in January. Gay, who is from Saskatoon, had 17 points, including 14 assists, in 32 games with the Rebels. With the Pats, he had put up 44 points, including 20 goals, in 39 games. . . . Red Deer’s roster now includes four 20-year-olds — D Kyle Doetzel, F Scott Feser, F Wyatt Johnson and F Presten Kopeck. . . . The Blades also have four 20s on their roster — Gay, D Kolton Dixon, D Isaac Schacher and F Nick Zajac.
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The Calgary Hitmen dealt a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft to the Everett Silvertips for the rights to F Andrew Fyten. He was a fifth-round selection by Everett in the 2013 bantam draft. Fyten, from Didsbury, Alta., had 44 points, 22 of them goals, with the midget prep team at Edge school in Calgary. . . . If Fyten reports to Everett, Calgary gets the sixth-round pick. Should he play 12 games, it becomes a fifth-rounder.
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In the third round, the Swift Current Broncos took D Ethan Martini of Trail, who played at Edge school in Calgary. He is the son of Darcy, a defence man who was an eighth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1989 NHL draft. He played two games with the Oilers in 1993-94. . . .
In the third round, the Victoria Royals took G Dean McNabb, whose brother, Brayden, played with the Kootenay Ice and now is with the Los Angeles Kings. The McNabb boys are from Davidson, Sask. . . .
The Prince George Cougars used a second-round selection to take D Jonas Harkins from the North Shore Winter Club. His father, Todd, is the Cougars’ general manager, while brother Jansen is one of the club’s top forwards. . . .
The Medicine Hat Tigers took F Ryan Chyzowski of Kamloops in the first round. Chyzowski, who missed most of this season with a knee injury, is the younger brother of Nick Chyzowski, who has played two seasons with the Kamloops Blazers. There father, Dave, also played for the Blazers and was the second overall selection — behind F Mats Sundin — in the NHL’s 1989 draft. Dave is the Blazers’ director of sales and marketing. . . .
The Kootenay Ice selected F Keenan Taphorn of Yorkton, Sask., in the second round, 34th overall. . . . His twin brother, Kaeden, went to the Vancouver Giants in the third round, 47th overall. . . . They were born on Jan. 3, 2000. . . . In the sixth round, the Ice took F Benjamin Sanderson of Calgary. His father, Geoff, is a former WHL and NHL forward. . . . In the 11th round, the Ice selected F Austin Wong of Cochrane, Alta.. He is the younger brother of F Yler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .
F Noah Geekie of Strathclair, Man., was selected by the Calgary Hitmen in the second round. He is the son of D Craig Geekie (Brandon, Spokane, 1990-94). . . . In the ninth round, the Hitmen took F Hunter Lamb of Swift Current. His father, Mark, is the Swift Current Broncos’ GM and head coach. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets took F Nolan Foote of Englewood, Colo, in the second round, 43rd overall. Two years ago, they picked D Callan Foote with the 43rd pick. . . . Their father, Adam, is a former NHL defenceman. . . . Callan played this season with the U-16 Colorado Thunderbirds. He also played two games with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. . . .
In the fourth round, the Spokane Chiefs picked F Colum McGauley of Wilcox, Sask. His older brother, Tim, is one of the Brandon Wheat Kings’ top players. . . .
The Everett Silvertips used a fourth-round pick to take F Ryan Savage of Scottsdale, Ariz. His father, Brian, is a former NHLer. . . . Everett took F Dawson Butt of Buckley, Wash., in the sixth round. His father, Jamie, is a former WHLer (Tacoma, Kelowna, 1992-96). . . .
In the fourth round, 71st overall, the Tri-City Americans selected D Liam Belcourt. With the next pick, the Kelowna Rockets took D Konrad Belcourt. The cousins are from Sherwood Park, Alta. . . . The Americans selected F Jack Barnes in the fifth round. His father, Stu, is a former NHLer and WHLer who is part of the Americans’ ownership group. . . . Also in the fifth round, the Americans took F Ryan O’Reilly of Southlake, Texas. His brother, Brendan, is a defence man with the Americans. . . . In the third round, the Americans picked D Seth Bafaro of Revelstoke, B.C. His father, Mike, was a forward with the New Westminster Bruins for parts of three WHL seasons (1984-87). . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors took D Jett Woo of Winnipeg with the fourth pick of the first round. His father, Larry, is a former WHL defence man (Victoria Cougars, Swift Current, 1989-91). . . . The Warriors selected F Kale Clouston of Rockyview, Alta. He is a nephew of Shaun Clouston, the Medicine Hat Tigers’ GM and head coach, and former WHL coach Cory Clouston. Kale’s cousin, Connor, is a Warriors defence man. . . . Later in the day, the Warriors acquired F Rylee Zimmer, 18, from the Regina Pats for a conditional 10th-round pick in the 2016 draft. Zimmer was pointless in 44 games with the Pats in 2013-14. This season, he had one goal in five games with Regina, but spent most of the season with the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines, earning 36 points, 10 of them goals, in 34 games. . . .
F Lukas Sillinger was selected by the Regina Pats in the sixth round. Sillinger is from Regina and is the son of ex-NHLer Mike Sillinger, who was one of the Pats’ best-ever forwards. . . . Mike is working for the Pats as a consultant. . . . In the 10th round, the Pats took G Max Paddock of Brandon. The 5-foot-9, 113-pounder is a nephew of Pats head coach John Paddock. Max’s father, Russ, is 6-foot-7 and played for the Canadian men’s volleyball team. . . . Earlier, in the seventh round, Regina selected D Jack Lenchyshyn of Steinbach, Man. No, he isn’t related to Regina F Jake Leschyshyn. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds used an eighth-round pick to take F Chase Sakic of Eaglewood, Colo. His father, Joe, is a former WHL who went on to a Hall-of-Fame NHL career.
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By the time the WHL’s 22 teams were done, they had combined to select 231 players — 19 goaltenders, 85 defencemen and 127 forwards. All told, 72 players were taken from Alberta, 60 from B.C., 36 from Manitoba, 33 from Saskatoon and 30 from the U.S.
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For an in-depth look at the draft, including more numbers than you will be able to digest, get on over to Small Thoughts at Large. He goes round-by-round with stats on the draft picks. . . . The WHL needs to make it worth Alan Caldwell’s while to take a vacation day from work and handle statistics on draft day. What a treat it would be to have names and numbers appear on a pick-by-pick basis as part of the draft coverage.
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On Wednesday, Kelly McCrimmon, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, was honoured for the third time as the WHL’s executive of the year. He is the only three-time winner of the award. . . . If you haven’t already seen it, I profiled McCrimmon for The Coaches Site and that story is right here.
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In the AHL, the visiting Oklahoma City Barons and Utica Comets opened a second-round series last night by playing into the fourth OT period. . . . F Curtis Hamilton, the son of Kelowna Rockets’ owner/GM Bruce Hamilton, gave the Barons a 2-1 victory with his first goal of the playoffs at 0:16 of the fourth extra period. . . . The online scoresheet is right here. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Utica.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former NHLer Trent Klatt is the new head coach at Grand Rapids, Minn., High School. Before turning pro, Klatt played four seasons at the U of Minnesota. He retired as a player after the 2003-04 season. . . . Klatt has coached minor hockey in Grand Rapids in recent years. . . . With the Thunderhawks, he replaces John Rothstein, who resigned after two seasons. . . . Klatt has been scouting for the NHL's New York Islanders, but he will leave that position effective July 1.———
To all the kids who didn't get drafted in the WHL: I didn't get drafted and look where i ended up. Construction worker and Jr B lifer #goals
— Cooper Holick (@Coop_Holick) May 7, 2015
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.
In Regina, F Kris Schmidli had two goals and an assist to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 6-5 victory over the Pats. . . . Schmidli has six points, three of them goals, in his last two games. . . . Schmidli was plus-4, as was D Dalton Yorke, who, like Schmidli, was acquired from Kelowna. Yorke had one assist. . . . The Raiders took a 4-3 lead into the second period and stretched that to 6-3 on second-period goals from F Jayden Hart, his 20th, and F Craig Leverton, his 15th. . . . The Pats got close when F Adam Brooks got his 17th at 16:44 of the third period and F Taylor Cooper completed his hat trick at 19:07. Cooper, who came over from the Lethbridge Hurricanes during the week, has 15 goals. . . . Cooper also had an assist, while Brooks and F Pavel Padakin had two each. . . . Raiders G Rylan Parenteau came on for Nick McBride after the first period and stopped 28 of 30 shots. . . . The Raiders (19-23-1) have won three in a row. . . . Regina(25-14-3) has lost two straight. . . . 
In Swift Current, the Everett Silvertips struck for three second-period power-play goals — on three consecutive PPs — and beat the Broncos, 3-1. . . . F Ivan Nikolishin, with his ninth, scored 33 seconds into the period, with D Noah Juulsen getting his fifth at 10:05 and F Patrick Bajkov getting No. 14 at 12:24. . . . Nikolishin also had two assists. . . . Broncos F Colby Cave scored his 20th goal at 15:23 of the second. . . . Everett was 3-for-6 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-for-4. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 28 shots, seven more than Swift Current’s Travis Child. . . . F Carson Stadnyk had two assists for Everett. . . . Everett had D Kevin Davis back in the lineup after his missed the first five games of the trip with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Silvertips (26-12-4) went 5-1-0 on their East Division swing. . . . The Broncos, who entertain Edmonton today, slipped to 20-18-5. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Axel Blomqvist broke a 3-3 tie at 3:27 of the third period as the Warriors got past the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-3. . . . The goal was Blomqvist’s 15th of the season and first with Moose Jaw since being acquired from the Victoria Royals. . . . Blomqvist also had an assist, while F Brayden Point drew two helpers. . . . The Oil Kings had successfully killed off 44 straight opposition power plays before F Brett Howden scored his 13th goal, at 16;47 of the second, to give the Warriors a 3-2 lead. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock tied it with his 18th goal at 2:40 of the third. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner had two assists. . . . Warriors F Tanner Eberle got his 25th goal, shorthanded, at 10:17 of the second, giving his side a 2-1 lead. . . . “I’m hugely concerned with the number of penalties we take,” Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team’s website. “We consistently have to kill off six or seven a night and I have a hard time arguing with the calls against, and we’ve been pretty lights out on our penalty kill for a good stretch here. . . . What hurt the most was the shorthanded goal against.” . . . Moose Jaw G Brody Willms made his second career start, and his first at home. He stopped 28 shots to earn his first WHL victory. . . . Edmonton F Davis Koch scored his fourth goal of the season; he’s got goals in three straight games. . . . The Warriors (17-23-4) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Oil Kings (20-17-5), who are in Swift Current for a late afternoon date, had a four-game winning streak end. . . . 
In Cranbrook, F Wyatt Sloboshan scored two second-period goals to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 6-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Sloboshan, who has six goals, broke a 2-2 tie at 12:47. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon scored his 14th goal at 15:23 for a 3-3 tie. . . . Sloboshan then gave his side a 4-3 lead at 18:57. . . . Goals by F Cameron Hebig, his 10th, at 3:39 of the third, and F Sam McKechnie, his 15th, at 13:43, gave the visitors a 6-3 lead. . . . The teams combined for six second-period goals. . . . F Levi Cable scored twice for the Ice, giving him 19. . . . F Kolton Dixon had three assists for the Blades, while D Brycen Martin had a goal and an assist. . . . F Luke Philp had his 18th goal and two assists for the Ice. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm, in his WHL debut, stopped 28 shots. . . . Ice G Keelan Williams, making his first start since Oct. 22 in Saskatoon, stopped 35 shots. G Wyatt Hoflin had appeared in a franchise-record 29 straight games. . . . Ice D Rinat Valiev (ill) missed his second straight game. . . . The Blades (10-29-3) had lost four straight. . . . The Ice (21-20-1) has lost three in a row. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Lethbridge, F Adam Tambellini scored twice and added an assist to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge F Brayden Burke gave his side a 2-0 lead with his first two goals, at 11:34 and 19:57 of the first period. The latter came via the PP. . . . The Hitmen then erupted for five second-period goals, with Tambellini in on three of them. He’s got 26 goals. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean, 16, scored his first goal in his 31st game. He also has 19 assists. Do they call him Mister Bean? . . . Burke, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, is from Edmonton. He also had an assist, giving him three points. In nine games with the Hurricanes, he had two goals and three assists. . . . G Giorgio Estephan scored his seventh goal and added two assists for the Hurricanes, who were outshot 42-16. . . . G Brendan Burke stopped 13 shots in his first start with Calgary since being acquired from Portland. . . . The Hitmen (23-15-4), who went 3-1-1 on a five-game trip, are 3-0-1 in their last four games. . . . The Hurricanes are 10-24-6. . . . The Hitmen are at home to Brandon this afternoon in a game that will be on Sportsnet. . . . 
In Red Deer, G Rylan Toth stopped 36 shots to spark the Rebels to a 6-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Toth turned aside 14 shots in the first period and 13 more in the second. . . . F Riley Sheen, F Preston Kopeck and F Connor Gay each scored twice for Red Deer, which scored three times in the first and three times in the third. . . . Sheen scored the game’s first two goals, giving him 12. Kopeck has 13; Gay has 22. . . . Kopeck has scored in three straight games after king 10 without a goal. . . . Gay and Kopeck added an assist apiece, while F Conner Bleackley drew two assists. . . . D Colton Waltz scored for Brandon, getting his fifth goal at 9:45 of the second period. . . . Wheat Kings G Alex Moodie stopped 20 shots. . . . Brandon had D Ivan Provorov after he missed six games while with Russia at the WJC. . . . Brandon F Rihards Bukarts returned after a one-game absence. . . . The Rebels (23-14-5) have won three in a row. . . . Brandon (29-9-4), which is in Calgary this afternoon, has lost two straight. . . . 
In Portland, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice and added an assist to help the Winterhawks to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Bjorkstrand, who has seven points over his last two games, has 25 goals. . . . F Alex Schoenborn broke a 2-2 tie for Portland with his 12th goal, on a PP, at 9:48 of the second period. . . . Bjorkstrand added insurance at 12:16, with a shorthanded score. . . . Vancouver F Zane Jones, acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night, was in the Giants’ lineup and got his 19th goal at 15:47 of the second to get his guys to within one. . . . Bjorkstrand put it away at 15:23 of the third. . . . F Tyler Benson scored Vancouver’s first two goals, giving him 10. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo drew an assist to run his point streak to a career-high 17 games. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger had two assists. . . . Winterhawks G Adin Hill stopped 44 shots, 11 more than Vancouver’s Payton Lee. . . . Portland is still without F Nic Petan (ill). . . . The Winterhawks (23-18-3) have won two straight. . . . The Giants are 19-21-2. . . . 
In Kelowna, the Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 2-1 deficit with shorthanded goals 1:01 apart and went on to a 5-3 victory over the Rockets. . . . D Madison Bowey gave the Rockets a 2-1 lead with his ninth goal at 4:42 of the second period. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford scored his 33rd goal, shorthanded, at 10:25, and F Markus Eisenschmid got his ninth, also shorthanded, at 11:26. . . . F Leon Draisaitl scored his third goal in as many games for Kelowna, this one tying the game at 3 on a 5-on-3 PP at 6:23 of the third. . . . Eisenschmid broke the tie with his 10th goal at 11:48, on a PP. . . . Sanford added insurance with an empty-netter at 19:34. . . . Eisenschmid, who played for Germany at the WJC, also had an assist, while F Trevor Cox and D Kyle Burroughs each had two. . . . Bowey also had two assists. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 23 shots, four fewer than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . Bowey and D Josh Morrissey were in the Rockets’ lineup together for the first time. Both played for Canada at the WJC. Morrissey made his Kelowna debut after being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders on Dec. 10. They were presented with new golf clubs in a pregame ceremony. . . . Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish made the trip to Kelowna to watch Draisaitl. . . . The Tigers improved to 29-10-2. . . . The Rockets (33-7-3) had a four-game winning streak halted. . . . 
In Victoria, F Alex Forsberg scored three times to help the Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Forsberg was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades prior to the trade deadline. The Blades got him from the Cougars during the off-season. The Cougars selected Forsberg first overall in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . Forsberg has 16 goals this season. . . . The Royals had a 5-0 lead in the third period. . . . D Joe Hicketts and F Austin Carroll each had two assists for the Royals. . . . F Brad Morrison, with his 16th, and D Josh Connolly, with his sixth, scored for the Cougars. Connolly was playing his first game since being acquired from Kamloops. . . . Victoria was 3-for-6 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-7. . . . Royals G Justin Paulic stopped 27 shots, three fewer than Prince George’s Patrick Gora. . . . The Royals (22-19-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Cougars (20-23-1) have lost three straight (0-2-1). . . . 
In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 5-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Spokane took a 3-0 lead into the first period with two of its early goals coming via the PP. . . . F Markson Bechtold got his fourth goal at 9:13 and F Liam Stewart got No. 15 at 18:50. . . . In between, F Devon McAndrews scored his third goal of the season. After scoring three times in his first 62 WHL games, 54 of them with the Tri-City Americans, he has three in his last two games. . . . The Blazers scored twice in the second period — F Jesse Zaharichuk, with his second, at 7:27, and F Cole Ully, with his 19th, at 9:18 — but couldn’t get closer. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka scored his 24th goal to run his scoring streak to seven games. . . . The Blazers held a 31-21 edge in shots. . . . Kamloops F Logan McVeigh played in his 300th regular-season game. He has played 126 games with Kamloops, 28 with the Regina Pats, 76 with the Medicine Hat Tigers and 70 with the Prince Albert Raiders. He has 137 points, including 51 goals. . . . The Chiefs are 23-15-3. . . . The Blazers slid to 14-24-6.
In Kelowna, F Nick Merkley had a goal and three assists to spark the Rockets to a 6-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon, which had been 2-0-0 to start a seven-game road swing, got the game's first goal when F Quintin Lisoway scored at 6:39 of the second period. . . . The Rockets scored the last six goals, four of them in the third period. . . . Merkley, who has four goals, figured in Kelowna's first four goals. . . . The Rockets got two shorthanded goals, from Merkley and F Austin Glover. . . . D Madison Bowey scored twice for the Rockets, giving him six on the season. Both goals came via the PP as the Rockets went 3-for-6 with the man advantage. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 31 shots, 15 more than Brandon's Jordan Papirny, who started for the 12th time in 14 games. . . . Brandon F Jesse Gabrielle failed to score on a penalty shot just 58 seconds into the game. . . . The Wheat Kings had scored 33 goals in winning their previous four games. . . . What kind of a game was it? "Had it not been for Whistle, who had his best game in a Rockets uniform, Brandon could have walked away as 6-1 winners after dominating the first two periods," wrote Doyle Potenteau of The Okanagan Sunday. . . . When it was over, the Rockets were 12-1-0 and the Wheat Kings 10-2-1. Unfortunately for hockey fans, the only way these teams meet again this season is if it's in the WHL final. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game's last five goals and beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-1. . . . Edmonton is 5-0-1 in its last six games. . . . F Mitchell Walker broke a 1-1 tie with this first goal at 16:18 of the second period. . . . F Luke Bertolucci scored his first two goals of the season 27 seconds apart late in the third period. . . . F Jari Erricson scored his 10th goal of the season for the Cougars, losers of four in a row. . . . 
In Regina, G Landon Bow stopped 39 shots to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . On Friday night, the Broncos had beaten the visiting Pats, 3-1. . . . After last night, the Broncos are 14-0-2 against Regina over the last two-plus seasons. . . . D Brett Lernout broke a 1-1 tie with his third goal of the season at 10:06 of the third period. . . . Broncos F Jake DeBrusk scored his 10th goal, on a PP, at 5:47 of the first period. . . . Regina D Sergey Zborovskiy tied the score with his first goal at 11:33 of the second period. . . . Pats G Daniel Wapple turned aside 25 shots. . . . The Broncos have won won three in a row, while the Pats now have dropped four in a row. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Connor Ingram stopped 25 shots as the Kamloops Blazers blanked the Tri-City Americans, 2-0. . . . Ingram, a 17-year-old goaltender from Imperial, Sask., posted his first WHL shutout in his fifth appearance. . . . F Matt Revel scored the game's first goal, his fifth of the season, at 18:02 of the second period, and D Patrik Maier added insurance at 9:25 of the third. . . . Tri-City G Evan Sarthou stopped 25 shots. . . . The Americans have lost three in a row. . . . Tri-City was without veteran F Brian Williams, who suffered an undisclosed injury in a Friday game.
In Kennewick, Wash., F Lucas Nickles scored twice to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over Kelowna, as the Rockets tasted defeat for the first time this season. . . . Nickles, who is from Salmon Arm, B.C., has six goals. . . . The Rockets now are 10-1-0. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 30 shots. . . . Americans F Beau McCue broke a 2-2 tie with his fifth goal 39 seconds into the third period. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson worked his 900th WHL game. He also has coached in Portland and Calgary. . . . The 8-4-0 Americans are atop the U.S. Division. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has a game story 
In Lethbridge, G Tyler Brown stopped 29 shots in his first WHL appearance to lead the Regina Pats to a 6-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Brown, from Winnipeg, joined the Pats a couple of weeks ago when Tyler Fuhr left the club for personal reasons. Brown normally backs up Daniel Wapple. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk scored his first goal of the season in his first game for Regina. He had returned from the camp of the NHL's Calgary Flames with a wrist injury. . . . F Connor Gay had a goal and two assists for Regina, which scored the game's last six goals. . . . Lethbridge D Nick Walters played in his 250th regular-season game, while it was No. 200 for F Zane Jones. . . . 
In Brandon, F Jayce Hawryluk scored four times to spark the Wheat Kings to a 10-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Hawryluk has nine goals on the season. . . . The Wheat Kings have a promotion with Smitty's, a local restaurant, that gives each fan in attendance a free breakfast if they scored seven goals in a home victory. . . . Brandon fans will be eating well, because the Wheat Kings beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos 8-3 on Friday night. . . . D Reid Duke added a goal and three assists for Brandon. . . . F Chase De Leo had two goals for Portland. . . . G Bolton Pouliot saw his first action with the Winterhawks since joining the team on Friday. He stopped 16 of 20 shots after coming on in relief of Brendan Burke with Brandon leading 6-2 late in the second period. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Vancouver, F Jackson Houck and F Alec Baer each scored three times as the Giants whipped the Prince George Cougars, 9-1. . . . Houck and Baer each has five goals this season. . . . Houck also added two assists. . . . The Giants got a goal and three assists from F Carter Popoff and a goal and two helpes from F Joel Hamilton. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson had two assists. 
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