Rebels' Musil week-to-week . . . Giants d-man signs with Avalanche . . . WHL draft lottery today

F Andreas Eder (Vancouver, 2013-14) signed a one-year contract with Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL). This season, with Red Bull Salzburg II (Austria, Molodyozhnaya Liga), he had 21 goals and 25 assists in 54 games. The MHL is the top Russian junior league.
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The Red Deer Rebels will begin the playoffs without F Adam Musil, who suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s final regular-season game, a 3-2 loss to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Musil will miss a first-round series against the Medicine Hat Tigers. That series opens Saturday in Medicine Hat. “It’s a significant injury and he’ll be week to week with it,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, told Meachem. . . . The Rebels have added D Ryan Pouliot, 16, from the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants, and G Trevor Martin, 18, who finished the season with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. . . . Pouliot was an 11th-round selection by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. Martin was acquired earlier this season from the Blades.
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Despite not making the playoffs, the Moose Jaw Warriors’ braintrust feels the team made considerable progress this season. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more on that story right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades missed the playoffs for a second straight season, but management is convinced that the franchise is on the right track to get back to responsibility. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix takes a look right here at the pros and cons of the season just past and the one ahead.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are playing the “what if . . .” game now that the season is over and they didn’t make the playoffs. In Prince Albert, that games goes like this: “What if Leon Draisaitl had returned for a third season?” . . . Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW has more right here.
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Myles Fish of the Prince Albert Herald writes of the Raiders that “the questions about the team now centre around its staff. Effectively the entire hockey operations staff with the Raiders have contracts that are set to expire in May.” . . . That story is right here.
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If you aren’t aware, I have been writing stories on hockey coaches for The Coaches Site (thecoachessite.com). With that in mind, I recently had occasion to chat with former SAIT athletic director/hockey coach Ken Babey, who now is the head coach of Canada’s national sledge hockey team. . . . That story is right here.
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D Mason Geertsen of the Vancouver Giants has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Colorado selected Geertsen, 19, in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2013 entry draft. Geertsen, from Rocky Rapids, Alta., had 38 points, 13 of them goals, in 69 games this season. . . . He began his career with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . In 245 regular-season games, he has 78 points, including 19 goals.
F Jackson Houck of the Giants has signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL draft. . . . Houck, who turned 20 on Feb. 27, is from North Vancouver. He had 51 points, including 22 goals, in 65 games this season. In 256 regular-season games, all with Vancouver, he has 189 points, including 87 goals.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Blades D Brycen Martin and F Brett Stovin will be finishing this season in the professional ranks. . . . Martin is to report to the Rochester Americans, the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate. Buffalo selected Martin in the third-round of the 2014 NHL draft. Martin, who has yet to sign with the Sabres, missed the Blades’ last two games with a back injury, so it’s not certain that he will play for the Americans. . . . After being acquired from the Swift Current Broncos, Martin had 22 points, five of them goals, in 30 games with Saskatoon. . . . Stovin is expected to join the ECHL’s Missouri Mavericks, whose head coach is former Blades D Richard Matvichuk. This season, Stovin, 20, had 50 points, including 29 goals, in 72 games. He will finish this season with the Mavericks, then return home and decide whether to chase a pro career or go to school. . . . Nugent-Bowman’s story is right here.
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The WHL is scheduled to hold its draft lottery today. During this draft, the order for the first six selections in the 2015 bantam draft will be decided. The six teams that didn’t make the playoffs take part in the draft lottery — Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Vancouver, Kamloops, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw. . . . Keep in mind that Spokane holds Saskatoon’s first-round selection from a January 2013 trade in which the Blades acquired F Collin Valcourt. . . . Also remember that Moose Jaw holds Kamloops’ first-round pick from a January 2013 deal in which the Blazers got D Joel Edmundson. . . . The most a team is able to move up in the draft lottery is two spots. . . . The order of the second round and all subsequent rounds will be the inverse order of the regular-season standings. . . . The bantam draft is scheduled for May 7 in Calgary.
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The Kootenay Ice has signed a new three-year broadcasting deal with The Drive 102.9 FM. The contract runs through 2017-18. . . . It covers all 72 regular-season games and all playoff games, as it has for each of the previous 15 seasons. . . . Jeff Hollick, the play-by-play voice since 1999-2000, will remain in place.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:

If you came here looking for a WHL playoff schedule, click right here. You will find the complete first-round schedule, with graphics courtesy of Terry Massey of thirteenletter.com.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats have signed head coach Darren Rumble to a two-year contract that runs through 2016-17. Rumble was working on a two-year deal that was to expire after this season. The club had an option on a third season. . . . The Wildcats are 79-51-0-6 in two seasons under Rumble. They open a first-round playoff series at home to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Thursday.
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Here’s a look at the 20 WHL head coaches who have more than 300 regular-season victories to their credit:
1. Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland), 742
2. Don Hay (Kamloops, Tri-City, Vancouver) 637
3. Don Nachbaur (Seattle, Tri-City, Spokane) 631
4. Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina) 603
5. Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster) 548
6. Pat Ginnell (Flin Flon, Victoria, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, New Westminster) 518
7. Jack Shupe (Medicine Hat, Victoria) 466
8. Dean Clark (Calgary, Brandon, Kamloops, Prince George) 465
9. Peter Anholt (Prince Albert, Seattle, Red Deer, Kelowna, Prince Albert) 464
10. Mike Williamson (Portland, Calgary, Tri-City) 460
11. Bob Lowes (Seattle, Brandon, Regina) 453
12. Kelly McCrimmon (Brandon) 417
      Doug Sauter (Calgary, Medicine Hat, Regina, Brandon) 417
14. Marcel Comeau (Calgary, Saskatoon, Tacoma, Kelowna) 411
15. Bryan Maxwell (Medicine Hat, Spokane, Lethbridge) 397
16. Brent Sutter (Red Deer) 367
17. Marc Habscheid (Kelowna, Chilliwack, Victoria, Prince Albert) 365
18. Graham James (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Calgary) 349
19. Bob Loucks (Lethbridge, Tri-City, Medicine Hat) 340
20. Willie Desjardins (Saskatoon, Medicine Hat) 333
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Broadcast booth in final reg season game at The Arena. @BobRidley_CHAT on left. @Bladesvoice on the right. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/48jjWfilYF
— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) March 25, 2015

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Buying or selling? . . . Anholt, in conversation with Kingsmith . . . Rebels' Bleackley finds scoring touch

The trade announced late Wednesday between the Kelowna Rockets and Prince Albert Raiders signaled the beginning of the run up to the WHL trading deadline.
That deadline arrives on Jan. 10 at noon MT. But don’t forget that there is a Christmas trade moratorium that runs from Dec. 15 through Dec. 26.
On Wednesday, if you missed it, the Rockets acquired D Josh Morrissey, 19, and F Gage Quinney, 19, from the Raiders for F Austin Glover, 18, D Jesse Lees, 19, and a pair of bantam draft picks -- a second-round selection in 2016 and a third-rounder in 2017.
If Morrissey isn’t the best defenceman in the WHL, he’s in the conversation. So this was a big ‘get’ by the Rockets.
(Morrissey is in the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. In Thursday’s first workout, he was paired with new teammate Madison Bowey, with whom he no doubt will get ample playing time with the Rockets.)
It’s interesting, too, that it Kelowna landed Morrissey without surrendering a first-round bantam draft pick. Which makes one wonder if that has set the tone as the deadline nears. Will those teams that see themselves as contenders not have to include first-round bantam picks when attempting to acquire front-line players?
Going into this weekend’s games, there appear to be four championship contenders, a couple of pretenders and a whole lot of also-rans.
At the same time, though, I have long felt that the WHL season doesn’t really start until about 10 days after the trade deadline. It isn’t until then that the uncertainty that comes with the trade deadline has dissipated, players have returned from the World Junior Championship, and teams know who will be on their rosters.
From that point on, it’s full speed ahead.
At the moment, the Kelowna Rockets, Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers and Everett Silvertips are the WHL’s top four teams.
Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner, general manager and head coach, has clearly been targeting next season as he built his present roster. It would seem more likely, then, that he would keep his roster intact and take his chances on winning this season, rather than give up a couple of young assets and risk damaging next season’s game plan.
Kelowna, Medicine Hat and Everett, you have to think, would be open to adding another big gun or two. Don’t forget, too, that the Rockets have room to add one 20-year-old and they certainly will do that before Jan. 10.
Meanwhile, there are only two teams, the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Saskatoon Blades, who are clearly out of the playoff picture.
If you go by winning percentage, 16 of the WHL’s 22 teams, eight in each conference, are at .500 or above. If you go by wins and losses, that number is 11 -- five in the Eastern Conference and six in the Western Conference.
Call it parity or parody, but there will be a number of those teams feeling that they might be a player or two from breaking into that elite group. That is the thought process that turns potential sellers into buyers.
The Regina Pats are one of the teams on the rung below the elite four. John Paddock, the Pats’ senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, recently told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that he saw his organization as sellers. That, of course, may have put all-star F Morgan Klimchuk, for one, in play.
However, the Pats had a tremendous western road trip that included a victory in Kelowna. After returning to Regina, the Pats swept a home-and-home from the Wheat Kings.
All of which has Paddock hedging his bets.
As Harder wrote in Thursday’s Leader-Post:
“(Paddock) doesn't seem eager to dismantle a group that has worked so hard to exceed expectations. What kind of message would that send to the players? The hard part is to find the right balance between targeting long-range goals without completely disregarding the present.”
A couple of years ago, in an interview with Sportsnet 590 The FAN, a Toronto radio station, Brian Burke, then the general manager of a mediocre Maple Leafs team, summed it up this way”
“I’m not interested in making the playoffs and getting our asses kicked in the first round. I’ve done that. It’s not much fun. I’m interested in getting in with a realistic, reasonable chance to win or bloody somebody’s nose doing it and use that round or two rounds -- or whatever we can do -- as a building block for a championship team.”
You can bet such thoughts are going through the minds of more than one WHL general manager as Jan. 10 approaches.
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Peter Anholt, the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ new general manager and head coach, is into his second day as the man in charge.
On Thursday, he talked with Paul Kingsmith of Global TV in Lethbridge. Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith) tweeted some of the highlights . . .
Anholt, on his recent coaching career: “I haven't coached since ’07 in our league. Basically threw all my coaching material away. I had no inkling I was going to coach.”

Peter Anholt, the general manager and head coach
of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

On the departed Brad Robson and Drake Berehowsky: “It didn't work out. And it shows this can be a very cold business at times.”
On his outlook: “We have an obligation to our kids to give them a Western Hockey League-level organization. And that's what we need to do. . . . I'll make some mistakes here and there but it won't be through lack of effort."
On his team: “We've won 18 games out of the last hundred. I think that says it right there. . . . I think we have some half-decent players. Our 96s are a group of really good guys; we can lean on them to be good citizens. . . . There are some blocks there to build upon but we have lots of heavy lifting to do over the next while. It is a lot of hard work.”
On the overall organization: “This organization has lost respect in the league. So, what can we do to bring it back? We have to go above and beyond.”
On his immediate approach: “We'll lay some things out that are non-negotiables in our dressing room and I've laid out in our coaching staff certain roles.” . . . I think we've got some good kids in there. We've got to find a way to put a plan in place (that) will give them some success.”
On his dual role: “It's different. When you're wearing your GM's cap you're thinking of the future. When I walk downstairs, it's for today.”
On the city, arena, travel as far as players are concerned: “We have so many good things that it's ridiculous to me that players don't want to play here. . . . That's on us. So let's develop an atmosphere where people want to play here. And that won't happen overnight."
On what’s ahead after this season: “I've committed to come for this (season). We'll see when this (season) is done whether they want me or I want them. I'm focused on the now."
Anholt will make his first appearance behind the Hurricanes’ bench on Sunday when the Kamloops Blazers pay a visit.
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F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) and D Jordan Thomson (concussion) of the Saskatoon Blades were cleared to return to full practice on Thursday. . . . Sloboshan, who has eight points in 12 games, hasn’t played since Oct. 24. . . . Thomson, with six points in 17 games, last played on Nov. 4. . . . The Blades are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. . . . Kevin Mitchell, the sports editor of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos have recalled D Colby Sissons, 16, from the Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club’s midget AAA team. He has 11 points, including three goals, in 20 games with SSAC. . . . The Broncos will travel to Brandon today to meet the Wheat Kings tonight. . . .
The Regina Pats have recalled F Jacob Elmer, 15, and D Ryan Krushen, 16. . . . Elmer, a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, plays for the EDGE School in Calgary. He’s got 24 points, including 13 goals, in 15 games. In his previous three games, he put up 12 points, eight of them goals. Elmer won‘t turn 16 until Dec. 31, so he becomes the youngest player on a WHL roster. . . . Krushen plays for the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. He was pointless in two earlier games with the Pats this season. . . . Krushen’s recall comes after D James Hilsendager suffered an undisclosed injury in Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Broncos in Swift Current. John Paddock, the Pats’ head coach, has said Hilsendager will out for “quite a while.” . . . Regina already was without D Colby Williams (wrist), who has missed four games. . . . The Pats are scheduled to visit the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday. . . . The Blades are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. . . .
F Rihards Bukarts of the Brandon Wheat Kings was back at practice on Thursday. He hasn’t played since Nov. 25 after suffering an undisclosed injury in practice. Bukarts has 29 points, 11 of them goals, in 24 games. . . . The Latvian was off to a prolific start before slowing in November, when he had two goals and three assists in nine games. . . . F Tyler Coulter, F Jayce Hawryluk, F Tim McGauley and D Colton Waltz weren’t on the ice with the Wheat Kings on Thursday. Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that Wheat Kings GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon refused “to say why they were absent.” . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight. . . .
F Jackson Houck didn’t skate with the Vancouver Giants on Thursday after suffering an apparent leg or knee injury in a 3-0 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night. . . . Houck is riding a four-game goal streak. . . . The Giants visit the Victoria Royals for a Teddy Bear toss game tonight. On Saturday, the Royals are in Vancouver for Ugly Christmas Sweater Night. . . .
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

In Red Deer, D Brett Cote scored 16 seconds into the game and the Rebels went on to a 6-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Cote has six goals this season. . . . F Conner Bleackley, who seems to have found some chemistry with recent acquisition Riley Sheen, had two goals, giving him 12. . . . Sheen had assists on both of them. . . . It was Bleackley’s second straight two-goal game on home ice. . . . Red Deer F Preston Kopeck drew three assists and F Brooks Maxwell had two. . . . F Cole Ully scored his 14th goal for Kamloops, which got two assists from D Josh Connolly. . . . The Rebels (17-11-4) have won three in a row and have points in 17 of their last 21 games (14-4-3). . . . The Blazers (12-17-5) have lost four in a row.
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Royals' Assistant Coach Enio Sacilotto speaking to the media about taking over Head Coaching duties with Dave away! pic.twitter.com/3F7W8NXRw5
— Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) December 11, 2014

Warriors stun Oil Kings . . . Reinhart, Ice keep rolling . . . Rockets snap Raiders' road streak

A couple of notes in reference to what appeared here yesterday on WHL attendance. . . .
WHL Facts (@WHL Facts) notes that before Friday’s games, WHL attendance was up four fans per game over last season at the same point (311 games). The average attendance this season was 4,104; a year ago, it was 4,100. . . .
WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) also notes that the Victoria Royals’ attendance, including Friday’s games, is showing an increase of 322 fans per game over last season, 4,505 versus 4,183. . . .
Tbird_Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) has the Seattle Thunderbirds’ average attendance through 14 home games at 3,961, an increase of 130 over the same time last season (3,831).
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My mistake . . . D Jake Toporowski, 16, plays for the junior B Spokane Braves of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. He was in the Spokane Chiefs’ lineup last night as they played host to the Kootenay Ice. He was a third-round selection by the Chiefs in the 2013 bantam draft.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

In Swift Current, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored four second-period goals and went on to beat the Bronco, 6-4. . . . Broncos F Jay Merkley scored the Teddy Bear goal, 29 seconds into the second period, via the PP, evening the score at 1 in the process. . . . Merkley's ninth goal was followed by four straight Brandon scores, two of them PP goals from D Ivan Provorov, who has 10 goals. Provorov also had an assist. . . . The Broncos got to within one, at 5-4, on goals by D Brycen Martin, his first, at 15:49 of the second, F Colby Cave, his 13th, at 2:48 of the third, and F Glenn Gawdin, his ninth, at 13:41. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley iced it with an empty-netter. He's got 16 goals. . . . F Nolan Patrick scored Brandon's first goal, his 10th of the season and his sixth goal in eight games. This one came on the PP. . . . Brandon was 4-for-9 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-2. . . . The Wheat Kings (22-7-2) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Broncos are 15-13-4. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . .

In Edmonton, the Moose Jaw Warriors struck for five goals in 13:38 of the second period as they beat the Oil Kings, 7-4. . . . Oil Kings F Andrew Koep scored the Teddy Bear goal, just 51 seconds into the game. He's got eight goals. . . . After that, it was all Moose Jaw as it rattled off six straight goals. . . . F Brett Howden tied the game with his eighth goal, on the PP, at 16:23 of the first. . . . F Jack Rodewald added two second-period goals for Moose Jaw, giving him 16. He also had three assists. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point scored his 16th goal and added three assists to run his point streak to 10 games, while F Tanner Eberle had two goals, giving him 14, and an assist. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo had two goals, giving him eight, and an assist. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner had one assist to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-for-8 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-2. . . . Edmonton had F Branden Klatt, a 16-year-old from Moose Jaw, in their lineup. He has 16 points, including six goals, in 22 games with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals. Klatt was a sixth-round pick by Edmonton in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Attendance was 14,066. . . . The Warriors (13-13-3) finish off a three-game Alberta swing this afternoon in Calgary at another Teddy Bear game. . . . The Oil Kings (14-12-5) are 0-2-1 in their last three games. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Wyatt Johnson scored two goals to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Rebels scored the game's first three goals, to by Johnson, who has 15, and took a 3-0 lead into the third period. . . . Lethbridge got to within 3-2 but F Brooks Maxwell put it away with an empty-netter, his ninth goal this season. . . . F Taylor Cooper scored Lethbridge's Teddy Bear goal, his eighth, at 12:04 of the third period. . . . F Zach Jones got his 13th for Lethbridge, a shorthanded marker. . . . F Tyler Wong had two assists for the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 33 shots, 16 more than Red Deer's Rylan Toth. . . . The Rebels (16-11-4) have won two in a row. . . . Lethbridge (6-19-4) has lost four in a row. . . .

In Vancouver, F Jackson Houck scored the only goal of the shootout as the Giants beat the Saskatoon Blades, 3-2. . . . Houck also scored the Teddy Bear goal at 2:18 of the third period, tying the game 1-1. . . . He's got 11 goals. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Uhrich gave his side a 2-1 lead at 11:35. . . . Vancouver F Jakob Stukel forced OT when he scored his first goal at 14:28. . . . D Arvin Atwal had two assists for the Giants. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud turned aside 38 shots, 16 more than Vancouver's Payton Lee. . . . The Blades are 0-4-0 on their B.C. Division swing, even though they haven't allowed a first-period goal. They wrap up the tour in Prince George on Tuesday. . . . The Giants (12-18-0) have won three in a row and are 2-0-0 under new head coach Claude Noel. . . . The Blades (7-21-3) are 0-6-1 in their last seven. . . .

In Portland, F Paul Bittner scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 5-3 victory over the Everett Silvertip. . . . Bittner's first goal, at 2:59 of the first period, was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . His second goal, and 11th of the season, broke a 1-1 tie. F Miles Koules made it 3-1 with his 11th at 18:19 of the first and Everett was playing catch up the rest of the game. . . . D Layne Viveiros had three assists for Portland, the last one coming on F Oliver Bjorkstrand's 20th goal of the season. . . . F Nikita Scherbak had two assists for Everett. . . . Portland improved to 16-13-3, while Everett slid to 17-7-4. . . . The Winterhawks are at home to Medicine Hat late this afternoon. . . .

In Kamloops, F Jansen Harkins had two goals and two assists to help the Prince George Cougars to a 6-3 victory over the Blazers. . . . Harkins, who was plus-4, has nine goals this season. . . . Swiss D Michael Fora scored the Blazers' Teddy Bear goal, hammering a shot from the point past G Ty Edmonds on a PP at 8:36 of the second period. . . . The Cougars scored the game's first two goals, meaning that in their last five home games, the Blazers trailed 2-0, 2-0, 3-0, 3-0 and 6-0. . . . Fora's goal got the Blazers to within 2-1, but they gave up the game's next two goals. Two PP goals got them to within 4-3 but the Cougars scored the game's last two goals. . . . Fora finished with a goal and two assists, while F Cole Ully and D Josh Connolly each had two assists. . . . D Marc McNulty of the Cougars had a goal, his fourth, and two assists. He was the game's best player. . . . Prince George F Chase Witala had two assists. . . . Prince George (15-15-0) has won two in a row and moved into third place in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of the Blazers (12-15-5). . . . Cougars F Colby McAuley was in the lineup after the WHL chose not to suspend him for a charging major and game misconduct given to him on Friday night in Kelowna. . . . The Blazers won’t play at home again until Jan. 2. They will play six games in the Central Division from Wednesday through Dec. 17. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Medicine Hat Tigers opened up a 4-1 lead and went on to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-3. . . . Tigers F Anthony Ast scored his second goal of the season at 19:40 of the second for a 4-1 lead. . . . The Thunderbirds got to within 4-3 on two third-period goals by F Keegan Kolesar, who has nine, but Medicine Hat D David Quenneville iced it with his fifth goal, at 17:01 of the third. . . . D Matt Staples had two assists for the Tigers, who are 2-0 on a quick trip into the U.S. . . . The Tigers (21-6-2), who got 40 saves from G Nick Schneider, have won five straight. . . . Seattle (12-13-4), which travels to Spokane today, had won its previous two games. . . . The Tigers are to visit Portland this afternoon. . . .

In Spokane, the Kootenay Ice, who won three of their first 16 games, reached the .500 mark with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . A fourth straight victory improved the Ice's record to 15-15-0. The Ice now has won 12 of 14. . . . F Tim Bozon, with his 10th goal, got the Ice on the board 33 seconds into the game, and F Sam Reinhart, with his eighth, made it 2-0 at 3:34 of the first on his team's second shot. . . . The Chiefs tied it on two goals from D Jason Fram, who has six. He scored at 14:11 of the first, on a PP, and tied it at 19:49 of the second. . . . Ice F Levi Cable won it with his 10th goal at 6:37 of the third. . . . Reinhart had a goal and an assist as he ran his point streak to 13 games. he's got 26 points, including eight goals, over that stretch. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau had an assist on the winner to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Ice F Zak Zborosky had two assists. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 34 shots. . . . The Chiefs (14-11-3) have lost four straight. . . . The Ice will meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., tonight. . . . The Chiefs are scheduled to entertain the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . .

In Kelowna, G Jackson Whistle stopped 27 shots to carry the Rockets to a 1-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Whistle has four shutouts this season and seven in his career. . . . Rockets F Dillon Dube scored the Teddy Bear goal with 1:31 left in the first period. The teams went to the dressing rooms and those 90 seconds were played just prior to the start of the second. . . . That was Dube's second goal of the season. . . . Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was joined behind the bench by assistant coach Kelly Guard, who usually watches from upstairs. In 2004, Habscheid was the Rockets' head coach and Guard the No. 1 goaltenders as Kelowna won the Memorial Cup on home ice. Guard posted 13 regular-season shutouts that season. . . . The Rockets improved to 24-4-3. . . . The Raiders (15-15-0) had won their previous two games. They also had won seven straight on the road.
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Just passed Seabass in the pressbox here in phoenix. #Bruins #coyotes
— Corey Hirsch (@CoreyHirsch) December 7, 2014

I didn't want to tell Seabass I shut him out in Boston for my first ever NHL shutout. #Bruins
— Corey Hirsch (@CoreyHirsch) December 7, 2014

@CoreyHirsch did you strike this pose? pic.twitter.com/R0qxQgEcYV
— Rob LeLacheur (@RJLolly) December 7, 2014

Americans derail Rockets . . . Wheaties are feeding their fans

The Saskatoon Blades held Pink The Rink on Saturday
night. F Cory Millette wore the captain's C in memory
of his father, Adrien. The bottom of the sweater features
the names of friends and family members of the Blades
and season-ticket holders who have been impacted
by cancer.
Photo: Saskatoon Blades

 

Every city has those people who work incredibly hard behind the scenes to keep various sports teams and/or leagues moving forward. In Brandon, Don Sumner was one of those people. When I started in the newspaper business at the Brandon Sun in the early 1970s, I spent a lot of time covering the Manitoba Senior Baseball League; Sumner was the league statistician and the MSBL was very much his baby. He showed more than a little patience with a young writer who really was just learning the ropes. He also taught me the importance of statistics to fans and players, no matter the sport, a lesson that has never been forgotten. . . . Sumner also was heavily involved in Brandon’s curling scene. . . . He died in hospital in Brandon on Wednesday. He was 86. . . . Condolences to his family. Rest assured that he never will be forgotten. . . . Charles Tweed of the Brandon Sun has more right here.
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SATURDAY'S REPORT:

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 right here.

In Spokane, F Ivan Nikolishin scored at 2:59 of OT to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Chiefs F Keanu Yamamoto scored twice for Spokane, the second one at 16:52 of the third period forcing OT. . . . The Silvertips, at 6-0-3, are the only WHL team not to have lost in regulation time. . . . D Noah Juulsen had two assists for Everett. He has 11 points in nine games. Last season, he finished with 10 points in 59 outings. . . . F Dominic Zwerger had two assists for Spokane. . . . The Chiefs (4-2-3) have points in seven of nine games. . . . Everett has won its last two games in Spokane, the first of those on March 12, after losing 18 in a row. . . . These same teams will play Wednesday in Everett. . . . Chris Derrick of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has a game story right here.

In Kent, Wash., D Ryan Rehill scored with 13.3 seconds left in OT to give the Kamloops Blazers a 5-4 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar had forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 16:10 of the third period. . . . Rehill has five goals in 130 career regular-season games. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully set up four goals. . . . The Thunderbirds have played 11 games this season, with five of those going to OT. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots in earning his first WHL victory. . . .

In Saskatoon, D Blake Orban and F Andrew Koep each scored twice as the Edmonton Oil Kings dumped the Blades, 6-4. . . . The Oil Kings have won four in a row. . . . The Blades had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . The 7-3-0 Oil Kings are off to their best start in modern franchise history. “I’m shocked by that, to be honest,” Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team's website. “We’ve had some pretty good team efforts. When we’ve been able to generate offence, it’s come from a variety of sources. With the exception of tonight, we’ve defended pretty hard, and that’s always going to be backbone for us." . . . The Oil Kings broke a 2-2 tie with four straight goals, three in the second period and one early in the third. . . . F Brett Pollock and D Ashton Sautner each had three assists for Edmonton. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson scored his second shorthanded goal in four games. . . . F Alex Forsberg had two goals for Saskatoon. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 25 shots, including beating F Garrett Armour on a second-period penalty shot with the Oil Kings leading 3-2. . . . Saskatoon was without F Nick Zajac (shoulder) and D Isaac Schacher (wrist), both of whom were injured on Friday. . . . The Blades ran a Pink The Rink promotion that included F Cory Millette wearing the captain's C in memory of his late father, Adrien, who died of cancer on Jan. 30, 2011. . . . Cory’s mother, Kim, took part in the ceremonial pre-game faceoff. Later in the evening, Kim won the 50/50 draw, so went home with $7,765 in her purse. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story right here.

In Calgary, F Chad Butcher's two goals led the Medine Hat Tigers to a 5-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . One night earlier, in Calgary, the Hitmen beat the Tigers, 2-1, in OT. . . . Last night, the Tigers, now 9-1-1, enjoyed a 34-18 edge in shots. . . . Butcher, 18, went into this season with eight goals in 101 career regular-season games. This season, he has 10 goals in 11 games. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-6 on the PP; the Hitmen PP unit never had an opportunity. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Raiders snapped a five-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . D Josh Morrissey drew two assists for the Raiders, who outscored the visitors 4-1 in the third period. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored his seventh goal of the season for the Raiders. . . .


In Cranbrook, G Coleman Vollrath stopped 27 shots to help the Victoria Royals to a 4-0 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . F Brandon Magee drew two assists in his first game after serving a 12-game suspension. . . . Vollrath posted his first shutout of the season and the second of his career. . . . The Ice completed a six-game Central Division road swing with four victories. . . . Ice F Jon Martin didn't finish the game, leaving late in the first period after seemng to injure himself while delivering a hit. He was playing his second game after returning from a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Tim Bozon was among the Ice's scratches. He has an undisclosed injury. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . Meanwhile, in the NHL, F Sam Reinhart, who is eligible to be returned to the Ice, was scratched by the Buffalo Sabres last night after playing in their first five games. . . .


In Swift Current, the Moose Jaw Warriors blew a 3-0 lead and then beat the Broncos 4-3 when F Jaimen Yakubowski scored with four seconds left in the third period. . . . Yakubowski, who has three goals, had scored the game's first goal and also had an assist. . . . The Warriors led 3-0 at 10:27 of the first period. . . . F Coda Gordon pulled the Broncos even at 17:37 of the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Noah Gregor, who was injured on Friday night, didn't dress for this one. In fact, he has one arm in a sling. . . .


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 right here. He points out that the Wheat Kings have scored 15 goals in their last 69 minutes of play. . . . Brandon (8-2-1) opens a western swing in Prince George on Wednesday. If you’re wondering, the Wheat Kings will be in Kelowna on Saturday. . . .

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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@chiefshockey @SpokaneArena While we can't dispute that fact, we did win the last one! #OneGameWinStreak #LookingForTwo #SeeYouTonight
— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) October 18, 2014

Thrower's season over?

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Fredrik Pettersson (Calgary, 2005-07) has signed a two-year extension with Lugano (Switzerland, NL A). His contract now runs through 2016-2017. This season, with Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine, KHL), Pettersson was pointless in five games. He was released in October and signed a two-year deal with Lugano in November. In 20 games with Lugano, he has 20 points, including seven goals.
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F Jackson Houck and D Brett Kulak of the Vancouver Giants have been told that charges stemming from an incident last summer have been dropped. . . . They had been charged with assault causing bodily harm following a house party in Delta, B.C., on Aug. 18. Kulak also was facing a charge of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. . . . "It's behind them now and everyone's happy they'll be able to move on," Peter Toigo, the Giants’ vice-president of operations, told Brian Morton of the Vancouver Sun. . . . Toigo told Morton that both players were required to do community service related to the situation.
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D Dalton Thrower’s season may be over, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. . . . Thrower, the Vancouver Giants’ best player and their captain, “had to be helped off the ice midway through a session at South Delta Recreation Centre on Monday morning after re-injuring his left ankle. The team isn’t saying yet, but it’s likely that the overage defenceman is finished for the season. He was on his way to hospital before his teammates got off the ice.” . . . Thrower, 20, has missed the Giants’ past 16 games and there was hope he would return Wednesday against the visiting Kamloops Blazers. . . . Ewen also reports that G Jared Rathjen, who appeared to injure a shoulder in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets, wasn’t on the ice Monday, while F Tyler Benson, the first overall selection in the WHL‘s 2013 bantam draft, was there. . . . Ewen’s complete report is right here.
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The Kootenay Ice is 19-8-1 since returning from the Christmas break, including 11-2-0 in February, but may not have F Tim Bozon for the remainder of this season. Bozon has been diagnosed with meningitis and is in hospital in Saskatoon. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart, who set franchise records for consecutive games with a point (22) and an assist (15) last month, has 60 assists, six off the franchise record that his held by F Jarret Stoll (2000-01). . . . The Ice is at home to the Red Deer Rebels tonight.
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The Portland Winterhawks didn’t skate Monday, no doubt still savouring their second consecutive U.S. Division title and their third in the last four seasons. With 99 points, the Winterhawks are about to surpass the century mark for a fourth-straight season. That will be a first in franchise history. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic has 291 career points with seven games left in the regular season. He needs five more points to tie F Brian (Bunny) Shaw for 10th on the franchise’s all-time list. Leipsic also is looking to become the 10th play in franchise history with 300 career points. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot has 198 career points as he strives to become the sixth defenceman in franchise to reach 200 points. He is seven points shy of Kevin Haupt, who is fifth among Portland defencemen on the career list. . . . The Winterhawks meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Wednesday.
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F Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs goes into the week atop the WHL’s scoring race. He has 107 points, one more than F Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks and 10 more than Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand. . . . The Chiefs meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Wednesday and then head to Prince George for Friday and Saturday dates with the Cougars. . . . Prince George F Todd Fiddler will take an 18-game point streak into the weekend series against his former team. That’s the longest active streak in the WHL.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Red Deer/Prince Albert (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Everett (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.
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From ScanBC (@ScanBC): “#Vancovuer Fire crews are on scene at 52 E Hastings St after a male woke and found his pants on fire.”
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One more from ScanBC on Monday: “#Vancouver Police are at 6542 Fraser St, A male stole $250 from Moneymart and is now buying a coffee from Starbucks next door.”


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