Showing posts with label Jake Kustra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jake Kustra. Show all posts

Monday, February 6, 2017

What is WHL franchise worth to Cranbook? ... Another injury for Giants ... Longest game set to resume



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 F Brett Bulmer (Kelowna, 2008-12) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL). He was released Friday by mutual agreement by Ilves Tampere (Finland, Liiga). He had two goals and three assists in 23 games. . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Esbjerg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 31 games with Herlev (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Herlev and Esbjerg reached an agreement (details unknown) allowing Knackstedt to change teams. . . .
D Kyle Cumiskey (Kelowna, 2003-06) has been released by Skellefteå (Sweden, SHL). He had a goal and two assists in 12 games. . . .
F Marcel Noebels (Seattle, Portland, 2010-12) has signed a five-year contract extension with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL). He hasn’t played a league game this season after tearing his left ACL in September in the last group stage game of the Champions Hockey League.
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Keith Powell of Kootenay Business has taken a look at what the economic impact of the Kootenay Ice might be on its home city of Cranbrook.
Powell concluded that the Ice’s departure, presumably to Nanaimo, would mean an increase in his taxes and those of other residents and business owners simply because the Ice’s home arena, Western Financial Place, no longer would have a major tenant.
“That’s why I believe the No.1 economic development, retention or enhancement initiative that the City of Cranbrook, the chamber of commerce and the business community at large must undertake is keeping the WHL franchise in Cranbrook,” Powell writes. “It is, in my mind, such a high priority that it should be the sole focus of the City’s economic development department – 24/7.”
Powell’s complete piece is right here.
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The biggest WHL-related story over the next month won’t have anything to do with happenings on the ice.
Rather, it will have to do with the future of the Kootenay Ice and the immediate future of the WHL and Nanaimo, a city of more than 90,000 people on Vancouver Island.
(The Nanaimo Regional District has a population of more than 135,000. Cranbrook’s population is around 20,000, with about 73,000 people within 150 km.)
What is especially interesting is that if the WHL is to leave Cranbrook, the home of the Ice, it won’t be back. However, if the WHL doesn’t get into Nanaimo this time, there always will be another opportunity, assuming a new arena gets built at some point in time.
There has been, and continues to be, ample speculation that the Ice could be playing out of Nanaimo as soon as next season.
Voters in Nanaimo are scheduled to go to the polls for a referendum on March 11. As noted here earlier, the question is:
“Are you in favour of the City of Nanaimo Council adopting Loan Authorization Bylaw 2017 No. 7237 which will authorize Council to borrow a sum not exceeding $80,000,000, repayable over a period of no more than 20 years, for the development and construction of an event centre that will include an ice arena and other related entertainment, cultural and recreation facilities?"
While city officials obviously are in favour of borrowing and building, the No side has organized and is working to gather support.
Merv Unger, a longtime journalist, a one-time World Wrestling Federation referee (that’s a story for another time) and a former Nanaimo city councillor, has a blog where he often offers commentary on the referendum and the lead-up to it. That blog is right here.
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A tip of the hat to the Saskatoon Blades for the transparency they have shown when releasing information regarding injuries suffered by D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr during a 4-2 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday.
Many people have seen the checks that resulted in the injuries, and it’s a good move by the Blades to update the conditions of the players, something that was done on Monday.
“Jake is fine and doing well,” according to the Blades. “He suffered a concussion and a laceration on his head. . . . He didn’t suffer neck or spinal injuries, and was not required to spend the night in the hospital.”
Kustra, who has a history with concussions, is in the protocol.
“Our main concern is his immediate and long term health,” the news release reads, “so obviously we aren’t prepared to make any statements on him returning to action just yet.”
As for Shmyr, he also is in concussion protocol.
“We aren’t prepared to make any statements or estimates on when he will play again as his health is the only concern right now,” the Blades said.
Saskatoon also lost F Lukus MacKenzie, a 17-year-old from Calgary, when he suffered a shoulder injury during fight with Red Deer F Evan Polei, who turns 21 on Feb. 19.
The Blades, who are one point out of a playoff spot, next play Friday when they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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The Vancouver Giants, having lost seven in a row (0-5-2), open a doubleheader in Prince George against the Cougars tonight (Tuesday). The Giants appear to have added another player — F Dawson Holt — to their injury list. Steve Ewen of Postmedia reports that Holt, who didn’t play in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the host Everett Silvertips, was to see a doctor on Monday. Holt missed 13 earlier games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Giants had seven players with injuries on last week’s WHL roster report, including F Tyler Benson (groin), D Darian Skeoch (ankle) and D Matt Barberis (undisclosed). . . . The Giants dressed only 17 skaters on Saturday, including D Bowen Byram, a 15-year-old who was the third-overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He now has played four games with Vancouver. . . . The Cougars, meanwhile, go into the two games still in first place in the B.C. Division, but they have lost two games and now lead the second-place Kamloops Blazers by six points, each team having 17 games remaining. The Cougars and Blazers will meet five times in those 17 games, with three of the games scheduled for Prince George.
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The longest game in WHL history will conclude (hopefully) on Wednesday in Brandon. You may recall that the Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors opened the regular season in Brandon, but the game was stopped in the second period because of fog that simply wouldn't take the hint and leave. . . . The Warriors were leading 2-1 when play was suspended at 14:23 of the second period. . . . F Brayden Watts had scored to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos tied it 31 seconds into the second period. . . . F Nikita Popugaev, now with the Prince George Cougars, gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 14:23 of the second period, which is when the game was halted. . . . On Wednesday, the suspended game will be completed, starting at 6 p.m. The regularly scheduled game is to start at 7:30 p.m.
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F Owen Sillinger of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees has committed to attend Bemidji State in Minnesota and play for the Beavers next season. Sillinger, the 19-year-old son of former WHL/NHL F Mike Sillinger, was a 10th-round selection by the Vancouver Giants in the 2012 bantam draft. Owen is in his second season with the Vees. . . . Earlier, he had committed to attending Arizona State and playing for the Sun Devils. . . . Owen’s younger brother, Cole, scored five goals and added three assists on Monday as his bantam AA Regina Aces scored a 13-1 victory over the Estevan TS&M Bruins. Cole, born in 2003, will turn 14 on May 16.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:36 PM
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Sunday, February 5, 2017

What a weekend that was in the WHL . . . hits, a line brawl and, yes, a Heidi moment!


Sheesh! A guy takes a night off from blogging — it was Super Bowl Eve and an annual non-football social engagement beckoned — and everything was going on in the WHL.
There were two crumpling checks in a game in Saskatoon. The WHL had its very own Heidi moment in Portland. There was a line brawl in Lethbridge where they were honouring the 1996-97 Hurricanes. And a whole lot more . . . 
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First, let’s take a look at the two hits that occurred in the third period of the Blades’ 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels.
The first occurred at 9:19 when F Cam Hausinger of the Rebels drilled Saskatoon D Jake Kustra into the end boards, which had absolutely no give to them, something that only exacerbated the situation.


CAMERON HAUSINGER
JAKE KUSTRA
Kustra, who missed time earlier this season with a concussion, ended up on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. After taking some stitches to his head, he was released. When I inquired Sunday as to whether Kustra was OK, or as OK as might be expected, a Blades spokesperson responded: “Yes.” Obviously, he has a concussion.
Watching the video, as Kustra gets the puck and turns, he looks up. In that split second, he looks like a deer in the headlights as he realizes Hausinger’s intent, which is to put him into the cheap seats. Kustra stumbles and is almost horizontal when contact is made with his head. Because of the stumble, it would have been all but impossible for Hausinger not to make contact with the head.
Hausinger, who was acquired from the Blades on Nov. 25, was given a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct. I would suggest that a charging major and game misconduct would have been more indicative of what happened.
Still, Hausinger’s body language as he skates hard and directly at Kustra leaves no doubt as to his intent. When I see hits like these, I always wonder why another player has the desire to hit an opponent as hard as is humanly possible. Is it because for his entire hockey career he has been coached to finish his check? Is this what finishing a check looks like? If it is, is this what we want in the game? If the No. 1 objective is to gain possession of the puck, what is wrong with angle/pin, man, puck?


After the game, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s owner, general manager and head coach, pointed a finger at Kustra.
“You feel terrible if the kid got hurt,” Sutter told Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com, “but he put himself in that position to allow himself to be injured. He had control of the puck, went to pass it out and fell forward. Hausinger glided towards him, he never took a stride.
“Those are the types of calls that are frustrating from a coach’s standpoint. A major penalty shouldn’t be called because someone was hurt on the play.”
Sutter referenced a play from the Rebels’ 6-3 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday. That one involved Rebels D Carson Sass.
“Sass got knocked out of the game with a check that was much, much worse that than and it was a two-minute minor penalty,” Sutter said. “I don’t like seeing anyone get hurt, but how do you blame a player for finishing a check when the other player stumbles.”
Sass was in Red Deer’s lineup on Saturday in Saskatoon.
While I am all for free speech, especially in these times when blandness rules, I’m thinking that had Sutter had more time to distance himself from what obviously was an emotional situation — there was plenty of conversation between the two benches and some vitriol directed towards the on-ice officials — he may have chosen fewer and different words to express himself.


That brings us to Red Deer D Colton Bobyk’s thundering hit on Saskatoon F Braylon Shmyr, who had a goal and an assist in the Blades victory. This hit came with 30 seconds left in the third period of a 4-2 game.


Shmyr, who leads the Blades in goals (27) and assists (22), has the puck as he drives to his right and then cuts towards the centre line. As he looks down to find the puck, Bobyk steps up and drills him. It truly is a Scott Stevens-Eric Lindros type of moment.
Is it a clean check? Does Bobyk’s right elbow come up and make contact with Shmyr’s chin/jaw area? If it is a clean hit, are these the kinds of hits we want in the game, hits that leave an unsuspecting player in a heap on the ice? How much onus is on the puck carrier as he cuts through the neutral zone? This is a debate that will rage on and on.
Bobyk wasn’t penalized for the hit and, as I understand it, the Blades aren’t likely to ask for supplemental discipline.
You have to understand, too, that the Blades just might be a little sensitive to damaging hits.
On Friday, with 1:33 left in a 5-2 loss to the visiting Regina Pats, Saskatoon D Mark Rubinchik was hit from behind by F Jeff de Wit.


On Saturday, the WHL handed de Wit one of those TBD suspensions. Fortunately, Rubinchik wasn’t injured — in fact, he had two assists in Saturday’s loss — so I wouldn’t expect de Wit to get a lengthy suspension. But, sooner or later, the WHL is going to have stop handing out charitable suspensions because hits like these really are creeping back into the game.
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Perhaps lost in all of this is the impact these injuries could have on the Blades drive to make the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2013.
It’s safe to assume that D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr both are concussed, with no timetable set for their returns.
F Lukus MacKenzie was injured during a second-period fight with Red Deer F Evan Polei. MacKenzie won’t be back anytime soon.
F Cam Hebig, a 69-point man last season, has yet to play this season.
F Mason McCarty, who has 23 points, including 14 goals, in 26 games, has been out for 11 weeks.
F Markson Bechtold, who was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs in December, was injured in his third game with the Blades and hasn’t played since.
Hebig, McCarty and Bechtold all are listed as being out week-to-week. There are only six weeks left in the WHL’s regular season.
The Blades (21-26-6) have 19 games left in their regular season. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, but are just one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen.
The Blades next are scheduled to play Friday when they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors with the Brandon Wheat Kings coming to town on Saturday.
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Darren Steinke, who now lives in Saskatoon after covering the Tigers for the Medicine Hat News for a few winters, was at the game between the Red Deer Rebels and Blades. Later, he blogged about it. His piece is right here.
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That brings us to the WHL’s very own Heidi moment.
On Nov 17, 1968, the host Oakland Raiders were up against the New York Jets in an NFL game. The Raiders struck for a pair of touchdowns in the last minute of the fourth quarter to escape with a 43-32 victory.
However, NBC-TV ended its coverage on the East Coast, choosing to show the movie Heidi, instead. That meant a large portion of its audience didn’t see the comeback.
On Saturday, the WHL game that had the Seattle Thunderbirds in Portland to play the Winterhawks was shown on TV in both markets.
One viewer emailed with this explanation:
“The game goes into OT and two minutes into OT the announcer says ‘we have to be off the air at 10 p.m., and the telecast just drops off . . . goes to the scheduled programming at 10 p.m., leaving fans like myself to rush to the computer to listen to the end of the game.
“Yes . . . this really did happen in the year 2017 . . . LOL!”
Jess Rubenstein, the prospect editor for Blueshirt Bulletin, was working the game and posted this on Facebook:
“Congrats to the CW 32 for having hockey's version of the Heidi Bowl tonight. They left the broadcast of the Winterhawks game at 10 PM while the GAME WAS STILL GOING ON.
“Don't they have engineers watching their broadcasts to avoid screw ups like this? One of the most exciting games the Winterhawks played this season and their viewers missed out on the ending.
“They owe their viewers a major apology.”
Oh well, at least the TV station didn’t go to Heidi. Instead, it was time for the news.
BTW, the Winterhawks won the game when F Alex Overhardt scored the only goal of a seven-round shootout. Portland has won seven in a row; Seattle had a seven-game winning streak end.
In fairness to the TV station involved, the game was 15 minutes late in starting, due to a glass problem. There also was a promotion involving mascots that ran long. In the end, the game didn’t end until 10:14 p.m.
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes spent the weekend honouring the team that won the WHL championship in the spring of 1997.
The Hurricanes put a cap on the celebration with a 3-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. F Tyler Wong gave the home boys a 1-0 lead with his 38th goal at 10:02 of the first period. The Hurricanes, with G Stuart Skinner making 31 stops, nursed that until wrapping it up with two empty-net goals.
The Warriors took 52 of the game’s 92 penalty minutes, with 74 of those coming in the last 19 seconds of the third period. Referees Clayton Hall and Derek Zalaski doled out 10 fighting majors at 19:41, then added two more when Moose Jaw D Jett Wood and Lethbridge F Jordy Bellerive scrapped at the final buzzer. 
Even if there aren’t any suspensions out of this mess, you can bet there will be some ch-ch-ching going into the WHL’s coffers.
Lost in all the commotion is that the Hurricanes have points in 13 straight games (11-0-2).
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A FEW OTHER WEEKEND NOTES: 

G Carter Hart put up his WHL-leading seventh shutout in a 1-0 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
TURNER OTTENBREIT
That is a single-season high for Hart, who now has 17 career shutouts. Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald pointed out that Silvertips F Connor Dewar missed the first game of his WHL career. He had played in 132 straight regular-season and playoff games. . . . In Portland, D Turner Ottenbreit of the Seattle Thunderbirds played in his 200th regular-season game. Ottenbreit was selected by the Saskatoon Blades with the second-last player selected in the 2012 bantam draft; in fact, he was the last 1997-born player taken in that draft. . . . The Winterhawks took D Blake Heinrich, a 1995-born player, with the draft’s final selection. He played 132 games with Portland over two seasons. . . . The host Winterhawks beat the Thunderbirds, 4-3 in a shootout. That was Portland’s fourth game in five nights — the Winterhawks won them all. . . . Portland F Alex Overhardt, who scored the shootout winner on Saturday, was taken five selections before Ottenbreit. Overhardt was playing in his 184th game. . . .   
The Kelowna Rockets beat the host Prince George Cougars, 5-1, giving them a weekend sweep. The Rockets had won, 3-2, on Friday. The Rockets are healthy for about the first time this season. They got two goals from each of Nick Merkley and Reid Gardiner, as they proved that they definitely are a contender for at least a B.C. Division title. . . . Gardiner has 12 points, including six goals, in nine games since joining the Rockets from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. . . . In Regina, the Pats ran their winning streak to eight games with a 7-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. The visitors may have known they were in for a tough night when F Colton Kehler took an unsportsmanlike conduct minor before the game started. Yes, the Pats scored on the PP. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers escaped from Spokane with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. Kamloops G Connor
CONNOR INGRAM
Ingram made 30 saves as the Blazers went 3-2-2 in a stretch of seven straight away from home. Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 15:39 of the third period with his guys down a goal. . . . At game’s end, Kamloops head coach Don Hay had 710 regular-season victories, with Spokane’s Don Nachbaur at 686. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen of the Swift Current Broncos continued his terrific season with two goals in a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. He’s got 39 goals, one off the league lead held by Moose Jaw F Jayden Halbgewachs. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Matt Bradley had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers snuck past the Tri-City Americans, 6-5. Bradley’s 25th goal gave the visitors a 6-4 lead at 19:29 of the third period. That goal turned into the winner when Tri-City F Vladislav Lukin got No. 24 at 19:56. . . . On their way home from the Spokane, the Tigers had to stop in Cranbrook and wait for the Crowsnest Pass to open after it, like a lot of B.C. and southern Alberta, was hit by a huge snowfall. The Tigers are hoping to leave Cranbrook today (Monday) around noon. . . . The host Victoria Royals beat the Calgary Hitmen, 4-1, as G Griffen Outhouse stopped 30 shots in winning for a WHL-leading 29th time. Outhouse is 47-19-7 in 75 appearances over two seasons. The Royals have won four in a row.
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Back in the day, when I was in my second go-round at the Brandon Sun and covering the Wheat Kings, one of the players I most enjoyed watching and chatting with was Kelly Glowa, who once enjoyed a 10-point game. . . . These days, he’s a husband with three beautiful daughters. He’s 53 and still playing hockey, now with the Boissevain Border Kings of the Tigers Hills Hockey League. . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun has more on Glowa right here.
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Duncan Krier was living a life of virtual anonymity as an account manager with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks until his name surfaced at the Super Bowl in Houston. When Atlanta Falcons centre Alex Mack, who is a great offensive lineman, was asked to name the greatest high school football player he has seen, he came up with “Duncan Krier.” . . . Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times then came up with this piece right here. Yes, it’s well worth your time.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Meanwhile, in Victoria, the WHL team there changed head coaches for the FOURTH time this season. Oh wait! That was in 1990.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:52 PM
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Monday, March 2, 2015

No suspension for Rockets star . . . Bjorkstrand guns for 50-in-50 . . . Chase ends shootout



The NHL’s trade deadline passed us by on Monday afternoon. The day’s best story involved a young girl and the letter she wrote. If you haven’t read all about D Jordan Leopold and his daughter, Jordyn, check it out right here.
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F Leon Draisaitl of the Kelowna Rockets won’t be suspended for the major penalty and game misconduct he incurred against the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Saturday night. Draisaitl was penalized after running into Calgary G Brendan Burke. . . . Draisaitl should be in the Rockets’ lineup tonight when they meet the Silvertips in Everett. . . . The Silvertips will get D Ben Betker back, after he served a one-game suspension, and D Kevin Davis may return from an undisclosed injury. . . .
Kelowna is likely to have Jackson Whistle in goal for a second straight game since his return from an early February appendectomy. It is quite possible that the Rockets will be without D Josh Morrissey after he suffered an injury to his left leg on Saturday. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks are 18-3-2 in 2015, which has moved them to within two points of the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips. Portland holds one game in hand. . . . The Winterhawks and Silvertips are to meet once more this season. . . .
Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand has 48 goals in 49 games this season, meaning he will be gunning for the magical 50 in 50 on Friday against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. He also has goals in 11 straight games, which tied a franchise record that was set by F Tony Currie in 1976-77, the team’s first season in Portland. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades are adding D Jake Kustra to their roster for the remainder of this season. Kustra, the 34th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft, played this season with the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos. He played two games with the Blades last month, picking up one assist. . . .
The owners of the Prince George Cougars have purchased $25,000 in 50/50 tickets for Saturday’s game against the Victoria Royals. Why? Because ownership wants to guarantee fans that someone “will win the biggest 50/50 jackpot in Prince George Cougars history.” . . . The owners aren’t going to sit on those tickets, either. They will be distributed “free of charge to all adults with valid tickets attending the game. Season-ticket holders can receive a strip of 10 tickets . . . and all other adults can receive one ticket.” . . . The other half of the jackpot will be donated to the Shelly L. Mrkonjic ALS Research Fund. That fund was created by the Mrkonjic family in memory of wife and mother Shelly, who died in 2006. Her son, Tyler, is a forward with the Cougars.
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“His name is Carson Barry and he is 12 years old,” begins a terrific story at sportscapp.com. “Carson has been researching concussions for over two years since his brother, who suffered several hockey concussions, committed suicide.” . . . The complete story is right here.
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THE WHL'S PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION: Brandon (9 games remaining) will finish atop the Eastern Conference standings and now trails Kelowna by one point in the race for first place overall. . . . Regina (9) will finish second in the division. . . . Swift Current (9) is third, eight points ahead of Moose Jaw (9), which lost in Regina and now is seven points behind Edmonton (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary (9) is atop the division, two points ahead of Medicine Hat (9). . . . Red Deer (10) is third, seven points behind Medicine Hat and five ahead of Kootenay (8), which is in possession of the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Edmonton (9) is five points behind Kootenay.
B.C. DIVISION: Kelowna (9) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and holds a one-point lead over Brandon atop the overall standings. . . . Victoria (9) will finish second. . . . Prince George (9) has won three straight and moved back into third place, one point ahead of Vancouver (10) and two up on Kamloops (9). . . . Vancouver is two points behind Tri-City (9), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
U.S. DIVISION: Everett (9) sits atop the division, but is only two points ahead of Portland (10). . . . Seattle (9) is third, eight points behind Portland and seven ahead of Spokane (11). . . . Spokane holds the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Spokane is seven points ahead of Tri-City (9), which is 2-8-0 in its last 10 and clinging to that second wild-card spot.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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MONDAY’S GAME:

In Victoria, F Greg Chase scored the only goal of a three-round shootout as the Royals beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Seattle G Logan Flodell stopped 20 shots through OT, but was replaced by Taran Kozun for the shootout. Flodell had appeared in a shootout in Kamloops on Feb. 13, when he was 0-for-2. TBird Tidbits tweeted that, including this game, Kozun has allowed five goals on 31 shootout attempts. . . . The Royals took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Joe Hicketts, his 10th, at 8:53 of the first period and F Jack Walker, his 17th, at 2:59 of the second. . . . D Jerret Smith got Seattle on the board with his ninth goal, at 5:16 of the second, and F Keegan Kolesar tied it with his 19th at 10:57. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 25 shots. . . . Seattle was 0-for-3 on the PP; Victoria was 0-for-2. . . . The Royals (34-25-4) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Thunderbirds (31-23-9) are 0-2-2 in their last four games. . . . They'll play again tonight in Victoria.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:40 PM
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Struch on way to Pats? . . . Warriors lose d-man to U of A

This is the front page of Wednesday's edition
of the Winnipeg Free Press, as tweeted by
reporter Mike McIntyre (@mikeoncrime). He
spent part of Tuesday with the family of Ethan
Williams, a young hockey player who committed
suicide late last month.
One day after actor/comedian Robin Williams committed suicide, Mike McIntyre, a reporter with the Winnipeg Free Press, spent a few hours with the family of Ethan Williams.
Williams, from Winnipeg, committed suicide on July 29. He would have turned 17 on Aug. 22.
McIntyre’s story gets big play on the front page of today’s Free Press.
The Williams family wanted their son's story to be heard, so McIntyre was there on Tuesday. As McIntyre learned, Ethan Williams had suffered eight concussions that were diagnosed. Williams’ father also is terminally ill with cancer.
Williams is one of at least four teenaged hockey players to commit suicide in Western Canada in the past few months.
The Moose Jaw Warriors had selected Williams in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. He played one game with the Warriors in 2012-13 and spent last season with the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. He was to have attended the Warriors’ training camp later this month.
At some point today (Wednesday), McIntyre’s story should be available right here.
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It appears that Dave Struch, who spent the past eight seasons on the coaching staff of the Saskatoon Blades, is on the verge of joining the Regina Pats, after all. A source familiar with the situation has told Taking Note that he is “99.9 per cent sure” that Struch will be named associate coach with the Pats. . . . Another source has told Taking Note that Struch will get a four-year deal. . . . A native of Flin Flon, Man., Struch, 43, was an assistant with the Blades for seven seasons before taking over as head coach prior to last season. Of course, the Blades’ ownership changed hands just as last season got started and the new owners dropped Struch after last season. In a rebuilding season after loading up as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, the Blades went 16-51-5. Struch also played four seasons (1988-92) with the Blades.
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The Thompson Rivers University (TRU) WolfPack may play again, but it won’t be in 2014-15. Trevor Bast of Victoria, who has been trying to save the program that was dropped by the school on July 29, has informed players that it won’t happen in time for the approaching season.
“I have just spoken to the league commissioner and they can no longer wait to release the schedule,” Bast informed players in an email on Tuesday afternoon. “I'm sorry our rescue effort fell short and I appreciate everyone being on board.
“Don't feel like you didn't make a difference because you did. There was not much of a chance of it coming back next season the way things ended. Now we are having active and continuing conversations with TRU, the BCIHL and sponsors about icing a team next year.
“I can't express how much I regret you guys not playing next season. I know what the game and the camaraderie mean to you. For those of you who aren't going to school because of this I feel even worse.
“I will keep people notified of our progress moving forward.”
In a news release, Ken Olynyk, TRU’s athletic and recreation director, said: “I am not saying that the hockey program won’t come back in some form in the future. But as it stands right now, any efforts to put a team on the ice for the 2014-15 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season have ceased.”
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D Cole Wedman has decided to attend the U of Alberta, rather than play out his WHL eligibility with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Wedman, 20, is from Edmonton and will play for the Golden Bears. . . . In three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, Wedman had 29 points, including eight goals, in 181 regular-season games. . . . On May 6, the Warriors acquired Wedman for a conditional fourth-round pick in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft. That pick now goes back to the Chiefs. . . . Wedman’s departure leaves the Warriors with three 20-year-olds -- F Scott Cooke, F Tanner Eberle and F Jack Rodewald. . . . "Between now and the beginning of the season we're evaluating where some of our young guys are and who will have the ability to step up. We may look at other options on 20-year-olds," Warriors general manager Alan Millar told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. "There's no rush and no panic to replace that 20-year-old that we lost with Wedman." . . . Millar’s acquisition of D Austin Adam, 19, from the Everett Silvertips on June 13 now is looking rather prescient. Adam, 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, is a stay-at-home defender with 11 points in 127 regular-season games with the Silvertips. . . . Gourlie’s complete story is right here.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed D Ethan King, a second-round selection in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound King, from Vernon, B.C., had 36 points, six of them goals, in 55 games with a team at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna last season.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed D Jake Kustra, a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft, to a contract. Kustra, from Yorkton, Sask., is the son of former Blades G Damon Kustra (1989-90). Jake played last season with the bantam AAA Notre Dame Hounds, putting up 16 points, five of them goals, in 28 games. . . . Jake’s brother, Matt, is a 17-year-old goaltending prospect with the Prince George Cougars.
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NHLThe Edmonton Oilers have signed F Leon Draisaitl, the third overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft, to a three-year entry-level contract. Draisaitl, from Germany, put up 105 points, including 38 goals, in 64 games with the Prince Albert Raiders last season. In two seasons with the Raiders, the native of Cologne totalled 163 points, including 59 goals, in 128 games. . . . A lot of observers expect Draisaitl to play with the Oilers, perhaps even as their No. 2 centre, in the upcoming season.
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When the NBA-champion San Antonio Spurs hired a new assistant coach the other day, it didn’t make much of a splash. Had it been the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers hiring Becky Hammon as the NBA’s first full-time female assistant coach, it would have been a huge story. But the Spurs? Hey, all they do is win. . . . Jere Longman of The New York Times looks at the Hammon signing right here.
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According to Dr. James Andrews, one of the best known surgeons in the sporting world today, “Almost half of sports injuries in adolescents stem from overuse.” . . . More from Dr. Andrews: “Professionalism is taking these kids at a young age and trying to work them as if they are pro athletes, in terms of training and year-round activity. Some can do it, like Tiger Woods. He was treated like a professional golfer when he was 4, 5, 6 years old. But you’ve got to realize that Tiger Woods is a special case. A lot of these kids don’t have the ability to withstand that type of training and that type of parental/coach pressure.” . . . If you have a child playing sports, you should read this piece right here.
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Robin Williams may be dead, but he still will be up there on the big screen. He is in four films that are scheduled to be released by early in 2015. Andrew Ryan of The Globe and Mail looks at those films right here. . . . Unfortunately, it seems that a planned sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire isn’t likely to proceed.
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Meanwhile, over at Grantland, Wesley Morris takes a look back at “The Legacy of Robin Williams: The Movies.” . . . That is right here.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:20 PM
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